Disclaimer: I do not have permission to be putting this up here using these characters.

Author's Note (1/04/07): Welcome to the year 2007! I just started my classes today. I'm really tired. And having a very hard time typing. But I thought I'd put up a chapter for all y'all loyal reviewers. Yep. I don't like this chapter. But oh well. So…here you go.

Chapter Four: The Squabble

"Do you ever intend on telling me why you took me and my children captive?" Elizabeth pressed after everyone was safely on board the main deck of the Black Pearl. Jack could almost feel his ship shudder at the sound of another female, probably correctly guessing that her captain's attention would be split in two. Elizabeth had the baby in her arms because she had started to cry halfway on their trip.

"When the time is right, aye." Jack smirked slightly, glancing toward the boys. Their eyes were as wide as a whale's as they tried to absorb all the new sights and smells that accompanied a ship full of pirates. He set the bag down that he'd been carrying. "The time obviously isn' right. Le's get you situated."

Elizabeth frowned slightly. "Where do you intend to keep us?"

"Well, luv, I was planning on you bunking wiv me. The boys can take an empty cabin an' the baby can sleep…" He trailed off in thought for a moment. As he was a captain on a pirate ship, he didn't often carry cradles around with him. There was no where specifically the baby could be placed.

Elizabeth seemed to guess what he was thinking about as she whirled about. "Come along, boys. We're going back home."

John's eyes welled up with tears. "Mama, we want to stay," William protested. He had a stubborn look in his brown eyes as he kept himself from crying. "I don't want to live with the Admiral."

"You told me you liked him," Elizabeth said with a frown. "Besides, this is utter nonsense. Captain Sparrow has no right to keep us aboard." She'd apparently forgotten about the kiss and her agreement with the pirate. Livid, she turned and looked at Jack. "I want to go back. I've a wedding dress to squeeze into again in the next few hours. This is ridiculous."

"Ye've been kidnapped, Elizabeth. You can't go back. We can put the baby in a chest or somethin'." Jack motioned for Gibbs to take the boys below deck. He instantly obliged, not particularly keen on seeing Elizabeth likely lash out at Jack.

"Babies do not belong in chests, Captain Sparrow." Her voice was dangerously low as she looked around and stepped towards the railing. "Take me back."

"Sorry, dearie, bu' that isn't an option." He pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at Elizabeth's head, cocking it to get her attention. "I'm in no mood for games."

"So you intend to merely rape me?" The fire of hatred burned behind her eyes and Jack wondered if, perhaps, he'd put this off too long. Would he be able to melt her again or had she created an impenetrable barrier against him since Will's death a year and three months ago?

"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled in a very sarcastic and lecherous manner. "Step away from the railing, you gave me a week."

"An hour would be long enough," she murmured darkly, slowly turning and looking at him. "I refuse to have my daughter sleep in a chest. If you don't want me to castrate you in your sleep, you'll go find something more appropriate for her to sleep in."

Jack's eyes narrowed at the very clear ultimatum. How could she have the audacity to order him about? He'd thought for sure that she'd be grateful for a chance to escape from Norrington. This scene wasn't playing out how he'd hoped it would.

"I mean it, Jack." She stared at the barrel of the pistol without a hint of fear in her light brown eyes.

He pulled a face, un-cocked the pistol and placed it into its normal resting place between his belts and sash and his chest. "Very well. Anything else ye need in town 'fore I go?"

A slight look of surprise registered on her face, as though she hadn't expected he'd back down. "Well…" She thought for a moment. "Did you pack a change of clothes for me?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Why would I do somethin' like tha', dearie? Whose t' say tha' I want you in any clothes?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not a strumpet, Jack Sparrow. If you're going to treat me as such…" Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think of something to threaten him with. He had the upper hand, as he owned the ship and she was traveling with small children. "I'll invoke the right of parley!" It was clear she was grasping at straws.

"You have nothin' I want that I couldn't just take," he pointed out soberly. "Like it or not, Missus Turner, you're going to be aboard the Pearl for a week or more."

She glared at him, clutching the baby tightly to her breast. Fear was in her eyes as Jack approached her, calmly sauntering. "Why are you doing this?" It seemed any memory of what they'd had before was gone, as was the memory of the kiss he'd used to quell her protests before.

"As I said before, luv, all in good time." He smirked slightly. "I'm sorry tha' the accommodations aren't wha' ye'd expect…but this was rather spur of the moment, dearie."

"You're despicable."

"The look in your eyes says you feel differently."

Her eyes widened and Jack felt as though he could see into her very soul. "I hate you." She meant what she said, for the most part, and he could tell. It stung.

"Yes, well, I deserve it." He looked melancholy for a brief moment before shrugging it aside with an elaborate hand gesture. "Is there anything else you need me t' get from town?"

She blinked. "Are you seriously going back?"

He chuckled at the confused expression on her face. "Yes. A chest is no place for a baby, as ye said. Had I been thinking…." He trailed off, only halfway implying that he'd been stupid in kidnapping her like this.

Unfortunately, she picked up on the implication. "That sounds remarkably stupid of you, Jack."

"I know." He smirked. "I've done a lot of stupid things recently. It'd be hypocritical of me t' change colors right now."

She tilted her head slightly to one side. "Oh." It was clear she was trying to figure out what he implied by that.

"If there's nothin' else you're needin', I'll be going back to town."

"If you're going to that much trouble, why not just take us back?"

"Elizabeth, luv, din' you give me a week?"

She frowned slightly, wishing she could answer negatively. Being aboard this pirate ship was a very bad thing. She'd put Jack behind her. "Yes."

"Then I'm going to take it. You can't go back, not until my time is up." The thought of her being Norrington's wife made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He bowed slightly. "I'll be back in a bit. Try an' make yourself comfortable in me cabin."


MeMyselfandu: Thank you for the review an' the evil laughter. I like evil laughter. I think I should become an villain. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter.
savvylicious: It will take a lot to win Elizabeth over...probably. I'm not really at liberty to disclose that information at the moment. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I agree with you. If Johnny and Kiera were to have a child together, it would be very close to perfect. Thank you for the review. I enjoyed reading yours a lot.
ditte3: Here you go.
howlongmustIwait: There you are! I was afraid I'd lost you forever because of the end of The Token. Glad to see that you still exist (and, more importantly, that you're still reading my work). Never fear...I plan a happier ending for this one. At least, at the moment I do. Probably won't change my mind... Anyway, thank you for the review. Getting that really did brighten my day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If not...that's okay.