Chapter Four: Bickerin' And Bargainin'

Jack slowly woke up, feeling like he was slightly rocking back and forth a little. Upon opening his eyes, he noticed that his surrounding had completely changed. No longer was he in the dirty streets of Tortuga, but in what appeared to be a room upon a ship. Jack looked around, glancing at the various knick knacks and assorted valuables in the room, each one familiar to him. "The Pearl..." He slowly stood up, head pounding once again from being hit in the back of the head. He walked over to a table on one of the walls and pocketed some coins that were sitting there.

"Jack," a deep voice said from the doorway. "Takin' something for yer troubles, Jack?"

Jack recognized this voice instantly and spun around. "Hector." He stepped toward Barbossa and clapped his hands. "Thank you for bringing me ship back; now if you would be as kind as to move--" He attempted to walk past Barbossa, who didn't budge.

Barbossa smiled at him, but that quickly faded away. It was never an easy thing to distract Barbossa when he wanted something. "Where be the map, Jack?"

"I haven't a clue what it is you are talking about," Jack said innocently.

Barbossa just crossed his arms and looked at Jack intensely. "I know you have it Jack, and you ain't leavin' The Pearl until it's in me hands."

"I ain't leavin' this ship period, mate." Jack raised a finger. "It's mine, you know."

"It was yours, Jack, but now," Barbossa stepped forward, causing Jack to walk backwards a little, "it be mine...again. So you best give me the map before me and the crew take it from you. And remember, we may not be as hospitable as we were back in Tortuga."

Jack ran into the back of a chair, which caught him off guard only slightly. He returned his attention to Barbossa and smiled. "What say you to an agreement? I get me ship back and you get your precious map, eh?" He held out his hand, hoping that Barbossa would shake it. Jack did not have the map, but if he were to get the Pearl back into his possesion, getting the map back would be easy enough. "Do we have an accord?"

Barbossa rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, refusing to take the deal. "Jack, you don't have to be alive for us to get the map from ye. We could just as easily pry it from yer cold, dead hands. So what will it be?" Barbossa stepped closer, causing Jack to nearly fall into the chair.

Jack sidestepped and got out of Barbossa's face. "While that is very interesting, here's how I see it..." He began to walk around the table there, getting some distance from Barbossa before telling him he didn't have the map. "if I get the Pearl back under my possession, I will let you be first mate and get...twenty percent of the plunder, eh?" Jack picked up a utensil on the table and looked at his reflection in it. "What say you to that?"

"Sixty percent," Barbossa replied automatically.

Jack dropped the utensil and pointed to Barbossa, ready to bargain. "Twenty five percent."

"Fifty."

"Thirty."

"Forty five!"

"Thirty one percent...and a shiny new eye for Pintel, eh?" Jack gestured a little to Barbossa as he approached him again. "Less complainin' and it'll make 'em happy. What say you to that?"

Barbossa thought for a second, wondering if it was all worth it. He could just as well strand Jack on an island again after he got a hold of the map. Mutiny was nothing new for him. He held out his hand. "We have an accord."

Jack walked closer to him and shook his hand. "Agreed!" He let go and headed towards the door. "Let me at that wheel, then."

"Forgetting somethin', Jack?" Barbossa kept his hand extended, ready to receive the map back from Jack.

After a bit of quick thinking, Jack spun around and smiled a little. "Now that is funny in itself...it can be said that I do not, as it were, possess such a map at this current time but do intend to get it to you expediently." He turned back around, hoping that that was good enough for Barbossa.

And of course, it wasn't. "You told me you'd give me the map, so where be it?!" Barbossa demanded.

Jack turned once again and approached Barbossa. "I never said I had it on me at this time, savvy? But I have every intention of getting it to you...in the future...later...eventually...sometime past the present." Jack turned around and exited the cabin and went out onto the deck.

Barbossa released some of his frustration in a low growl as he followed Jack. "You had better find me that map, Jack, or it'll be you who'll be the next shot out of the canons!"

"And I will, mate. Just let me find a heading." He pulled out his compass and opened it up, hoping that it would point to an island somewhere close, to please Barbossa quickly. But instead it pointed to the wheel of the ship. Jack went up some steps, followed by Barbossa, and grabbed the wheel from Cotton. "That'll be all Mr. Cotton...and parrot." The compass pointed east, towards the wheel.

"Do ya know exactly what ya want, Jack?" Barbossa asked, certain that the compass was not leading them in the right direction.

"I wanted me ship a moment ago..." He looked at the compass. "I guess I still do, eh? Not a day goes by when this ship goes unwanted by me, I suppose." He offered Barbossa a grin.

Barbossa sighed in exasperation and began to walk down the steps. "Just find me that map!" he called over his shoulder.

"Wouldn't dream of anything else, mate!" Jack placed the compass back onto his belt. "Well, maybe some rum..."

Mr. Gibbs, emerging from a door on the ship, stumbled onto the deck of the Pearl and looked around bemusedly. "Bless the waters, it's the Pearl!"

"Aye," Jack shouted from the wheel of the ship. "And it's mine again! All mine."

"Nay!" Barbossa spun on his heel and jabbed a finger toward Jack. "It still be mine, as ye failed to hand the map over to me."

Jack slapped Barbossa's hand as he attempted to take the wheel. "I never said when I'd give you the map, savvy? Therefore, the Pearl is mine."

Barbossa pulled out his gun and aimed it at Jack, severely tempted to pull the trigger and be done with it. "Move away or I'll blast ya to kingdom come."

Jack smiled at him and waved his finger a little. "And without me, how would you bet getting to wherever it be the map is, eh?"

"The compass, Jack," Barbossa pointed to Jack's compass, "is all I be needin'."

"I be needin' it more!"

"Um, Cap'ns!" Pintel, who stood at the side of the ship, pointed to something or someone floating out on the ocean. "I think you be needin' to take a look at this!" Jack and Barbossa moved to the side of the ship, compass and map temporarily forgotten. Jack saw the smoldering shipwreck ahead off the port bow. It would not be long now before the bulk of the hull sank below the surface. Even farther ahead, Jack thought he saw another ship leaving the scene. He pulled out his spyglass and trained it on the ship. It was not flying any colors, and he caught only a partial glimpse of the name - Amanaza. "Huh." He lowered the spyglass. "How incredibly uninformative."

Barbossa, on the other hand, was more interested in the piece of mast that had broken off and was floating alongside the Black Pearl. Draped on top of it was an old man; it was difficult to tell if he was alive or not, and normally Barbossa would not have cared either way - but the sunlight glinted off of something around the old man's neck. It was most definitely gold, and Barbossa always cared about gold. "Well what are ya waitin' for?!" he roared. "Bring 'im up, ya useless dogs!" The crew scrambled into action, and within a few minutes they had the old man on deck.

"He's alive, Cap'n," Pintel announced.

"Good. Take 'im to my cabin." Barbossa turned to Jack. "And set a course to the nearest port."

"Why?"

"The last time I sent sailor down to the depths I ended up needin' him again. That necklace he be wearin' is pure gold, or I'm no pirate."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I thought people are easier to search when they're dead," he drawled. Barbossa only scowled at him before following the crew and old sailor. Jack shrugged; it didn't really matter, so long as he had the Pearl. Barbossa could go chasing all the gold he wanted. Jack glanced at the shipwreck again, and then at his compass. Hmm. That was strange.

It was pointing in the same direction that other ship had taken.