Chapter 3
A while later Jack Sparrow was sitting at the table in the captain's cabin of his own ship. He had half of a green apple in his mouth and was glumly discussing terms with Barbossa. Vanessa was leaning on the back of Barbossa's chair, trying to make Jack jealous, as she twirled one of the feathers in Barbossa's hat (much to Barbossa's annoyance): Jack's brow seemed to cloud over darkly as he bit his lip. He was trying to devise a plan to escape with his ship, his map, and his girl for that matter. Also, it would be preferable if Barbossa was marooned on some deserted island with no food, no rum, and no water. With Vanessa distracting him though, it wasn't going too well.
Half an hour before, the pirate had found himself surrounded and had sadly agreed to settle things with Barbossa on the docked Black Pearl.
Upon entering the cabin, Jack had placed the map on his chair and sat on it to insure that it remained, for the time being, in his possession. He was not about to give up his ticket to immortality without a bargain that included him and his ship sailing away without Barbossa. This, even to him, seemed highly unlikely.
"This is most defiantly a flash back," Jack said as he placed his feet atop the table. "Except you were cursed and I was eating your apple. "Although," he paused for a moment; looking out the window to recall the past time to compare it to the present, "we're still arguing over my ship." Jack glanced up to see how Barbossa was taking it, but caught Vanessa watching him intently. She dropped her gaze and then self-consciously adjusted her position beside Barbossa's chair.
"My ship!" argued Barbossa.
"No, my ship!" Jack exclaimed defiantly.
Barbossa jumped up with a dangerous glint in his eye, "I'm captain. Makes it my ship."
Jack frowned at the unfair logic.
"Men fight over the silliest things," commented Vanessa, provoking Jack further, as she examined her nails with an unconcerned air.
Barbossa rolled his eyes, "Terms are these... Ye give me the map, and I use it as I please, and, when I've done with it, you can 'ave my ship."
"No good..." Jack turned away from his adversary stubbornly; looking much like a spoiled, unsatisfied child.
"Well..." the present captain waited on stretched patience.
The Light clicked on, "AND the map!"
"No, Jack, I think we can be a doin' without ye gettin' my map as well," retorted Barbossa, shutting off the Light as quickly as it had turned on. He leaned back smugly, sensing a near victory.
Vanessa looked from Jack to Barbossa. "You two are really hitting it off aren't you? I think you both should…" Vanessa pouted, folding her arms and landing herself in a heap on a nearby stool, as Jack interrupted.
"Here's the deal...You give me my ship and I leave you somewhere in the Caribbean with your map 'eh?"He nodded with an eager look, hoping to close the matter before he got worsted.
"No, Worst deal I could make." Barbossa flatly replied. Jack shrugged, thinking otherwise.
"Last bargain mate," Jack warned. He was trying desperately to take control of the matter. "It's this or nothing. You give me back my Pearl and I give you the map. I will then leave you here in Tortuga where, undoubtedly, you will pick up a ship and a crew who will then accompany you on whatever journey of yours that involves my map. And, hopefully, we'll never see each other on the seven seas again," concluded the satisfied Jack.
`Barbossa thought for a moment. Then he summoned Pintel and Ragetii, "Show Captain Sparrow to the brig," he mocked as he leaned back triumphant and bit into a green apple.
"Ello Poppet," said Pintel as they both gapped at Vanessa. Ragetii snickered as Vanessa gave a little wave as she stepped lightly off the stool.
"NOW!" shouted Barbossa. His patience had been wrung out to the last drop by Jack.
As they hoisted Jack up from his chair, Barbossa plucked the coveted map from Jack's reluctant arms, "Have a nice stay…Jaaack."
Oh bugga'! Jack thought.
"Jack, why does this man have your ship anyways? Aren't you able to keep it in your possession." inquired Vanessa innocently from behind Barbossa.
"Someone, like a first mate, was supposed to be watching the ship, but no, he went and fell asleep on me!" Jack glowered as the two pirates hauled him away.
"Well maybe you should get a betta one," suggested Vanessa in a chipper voice.
"Tell yer wench ta shut up!" Barbossa told Jack.
Jack decided to ignore both Barbossa and Vanessa and asked hesitantly, "Can I have my hat back?" His eyes looked longingly at his beloved hat which Pintel had given to Barbossa.
Barbossa just sighed and shook his head in disgust. "You'll be comin' with me, missy." He motioned to Vanessa and showed her to the room in which Elizabeth Swann (now Turner) had once stayed the night in while the Black Pearl had still been a ghost ship.
"Get me my hat!" whispered Jack doggedly as she passed by. Vanessa glanced back, her loose curly dark brown hair flowing over her bare shoulders, and, without a word, followed Barbossa. Jack felt a bit betrayed, but as he caught her eye, he detected a glimmer of something else.
Barbossa gruffly pushed Vanessa through the doo, slammed it behind her, and strode away to get the ship ready to sail murmuring to himself, I HATE having to take all the witnesses with me!
It was dark. No hint of light escaped the gloom of the room or the clouds that choked the sun. Vanessa stood up and walked quietly to the door of the cabin. She cupped her hands around her ear and placed them to the door. Nothing could be heard. Cautiously, she tried the door. Locked.
Next on her list was to search the room for something to pick the lock with. After all, it was just a normal door knob lock. I'll show HIM! I'm not just one of those little wimpy scats who Jack picked up off the street! She thought angrily. Vanessa did not like her freedom hindered.
~ * ~
Pintel and Ragetii were enjoying it. Getting to lock up Jack Sparrow just never gets old.
"Come on Sparra', into yer li'le nest ye go!" chuckled Pintel. Ragetii joined in and waved his hands at Jack as if to shoo him into the iron barred cell.
Before they closed the door, they shackled Jack's hands together. Jack looked down at them grimly and shook them to see if they were really real. Sadly, they were.
"'Ey! If you wouldn't mind, what 'bout bringin' me and old bottle of rum or two?" Jack shouted after them and then added, "And my HAT!" Peals of laughter wafted down to him from the steps. "I take that as a no." He sagged glumly on his bench.
~ * ~
Crawling out from under a desk, Vanessa emerged proudly. Ha! I've got it! What she had was a thin nail, which had been loose, that she had painstakingly wiggled out of the desk. This is the best I've found, so it'll have to work. Vanessa felt confident that it would work as she hurried to the door with her skirts rustling. Just as she was about to insert the make-shift lock pick, however, someone banged loudly on the door.
"'Ey missy! We're comin' in with yer suppa'!" It was Pintel. Ragetii, of course, was chuckling over his shoulder until Pintel noticed and threatened to smash his face in.
Vanessa let out an inward sigh of impatience as she got up as quickly as she could without making any noise and fairly flew to a cushioned chair to make herself appear as if she was there the whole time. As she was smoothing out her skirts, her eyes widened as she remembered the nail and looked at the floor in front of the door. The nail, which she had dropped when the pounding had surprised her, was lying in plain sight. Vanessa crept to the nail and snatched it up right as the two pirates were opening the door. With no other place to hide it, she dropped it down the front of her corset.
"Oh, hello fellas!" pretended Vanessa twirling a piece of her hair. "I was just 'bout to open the door for ye, but it was locked." That's right Vanessa, she thought; just play stupid and pretty for these two morons.
Grinning at each other, Pintel and Ragetii proceeded to bring in a leaden tray of food and a small barrel of rum.
"Oooh!" Vanessa giggled while scheming on the inside as she let her hand slid over the barrel as Pintel carried it past. "just when I was getting' a lil' dry too." Ragetii had already grabbed three tumblers out of a nearby cabinet.
~ * ~
Jack had tried pretty much everything that he could think of. Even the "proper leverage" technique couldn't help him now, because his bench was bolted to the wall and had no legs besides. Beneath the lock on the door, there was a small pile of broken glass, bits of wood and busted bones signifying Jack's many attempts at picking the lock. In the end, Jack just decided to rot on his little bench.
Strange how everything seems to go wrong whenever that woman shows up, thought the imprisoned pirate. Not to mention she has this devilish little look about her. For once, Jack didn't know what to make of someone, who, in this case, happens to be Vanessa. He was driving himself half mad at what Vanessa could possibly be up to, and why she just happened to show up now. Perhaps she's in on this with Barbossa. Maybe she stalled me on purpose! Glowering, Jack stewed on his little board.
~ * ~
Finally! It's about time these two idiots tipped! Vanessa carefully set down her tumbler on the nicked table so as not to wake the two drunken pirates up. Pintel and Ragetii had danced right into Vanessa's hand. And now for the keys… She softly slipped her hand into Pintel's vest pocket where she had seen him put the key after relocking the door behind them once they came in. Her hand hit something cold and hard. Ha! Got it! Vanessa couldn't help but let a weasel-like sly smile spread across her lips.
Tip-toeing to the door, Vanessa bade her farewells to the tricked pirates and was about to leave when she saw a familiar hat sitting on a chair next to Ragetii who was snoring loudly. Might as well, I dare say that Jack will appreciate it. After inching to the chair while trying to avoid the creaks in the floor, Vanessa lifted up the precious hat, and slipped out the door. By now, evening had long since fallen.
Vanessa hugged the wall as she sneaked to the stairs leading down to the brig. Suddenly, she ran into something hard. Bloody rail! She thought as she clapped her hand to her mouth to keep from cursing out loud. Limping slightly, Vanessa continued a tad bit more nimbly to maneuver around the cumbersome rail.
Tripping lightly down the stairs, she swung the keys around her finger as she scanned the room, she murmured, "Jack?" Vanessa peered into each cell as she walked down the row. In the last on, she saw him. Humph! Drifted comfortably off to sleep I see! Did he honestly think that I was gonna do it all? Vanessa looked down at the articles in her hands and pursed her lips and hissed, "Jack! Wake up!" She chucked a pebble at his head and hit him on the nose. Jack wrinkled his nose and sat up, dazed with sleep.
"Huh? What?" He looked around with half opened eyes. Upon seeing his hat, Jack snapped awake. "I knew you'd bring it!" he said joyfully as Vanessa passed it through the bars of his cell. Jack dusted it off and slapped it on his head. He felt complete.
"Your welcome," smiled Vanessa. She had already forgotten her little huff from before. Getting serious, she inquired, "Jack, really, why does Barbossa have the Pearl? I don't see how you could've lost it to him; well, unless you were gambling." She came closer to the bars and gripped her slender hand around one.
"No gambling luv: drinking. I spent one night drinking with two lovely ladies on each arm, and come morning, I found my first mate asleep in front of a dingy instead of the Pearl, which was sailin' off into the distance," answered Jack woefully.
Vanessa glanced up at him and dropped her eyes back down to the floor, "Jack, I don't know exactly what ye think of me." Jack raised his eyebrows, wondering if his theory about her alliance with Barbossa could be true. "I mean, with me just coming out of nowhere as it were and then you're landed in this predicament. I just want ye to know that I've nothin' to do with it."
Moving closer to the bars, Jack said, "Ya know luv, one says and does what one must. Take it from me that honesty is not always the best policy. For example, I only tell the truth when it's to my greatest advantage."
Vanessa gave him a quizzical look, "Then shall I wait until it's to my greatest advantage to free you?"
"Do you mean to free me when there's something in it for you or are you just tempting me?" asked Jack keenly. "For all I know, you might not even have the key. Or maybe you have it, but you're only going to release me when it's most convenient for you and Barbossa to follow me around. Trust me luv, I know more about the Agua de Vida then you or Barbossa do."
Vanessa cautiously hid the key from Jack's view. She wasn't sure how she was going to play her cards just yet, but she did know that the less Jack knew the better. "Well then, I suppose it's useless to tell you whether or not I have the key then huh? From what I understand, you only believe people when they do things, not just from sayin' things."
Shrugging, Jack replied, "It all depends on the circumstance."