Sparrow's Bargain

Summary: A different take on AWE. How would the story differ if there had been a different Pirate King? If Beckett couldn't make a deal with Jack and instead tried to hang him? If Norrington objected when he saw his true face and survived instead of dying on the FD? If more enemies were thrown into the fray? Read to find out! Sparrington

"James!" A voice joined the frantic knocks a second later, followed by barks and what sounded like a dog scratching on the door. "Open the door, James!"

"Theodor!" The ex-Admiral cried in relief, moving his companion out of the way so he can let Groves slither in, along with a mutt that looked suspiciously familiar. It had a ring of keys in its mouth and it made a straight line for Jack, licking his face as soon as it deposited the keys in his awaiting hands.

"Good Doggy," Sparrow praised almost affectionately with a little scratch to the dog's head before getting to work to free himself. The dog calmed down and just sat next to the pirate, waiting patiently.

James turned to his friend. "How did you find us?"

"I didn't. The dog led me here." Theodor replied, pointing to the said animal now licking Sparrow's face and asking for pets as soon as his hands were free. The Lieutenant's eyes grew wide when they fully took in the pirate's current state. "Captain Sparrow?" His voice was shaky, drawing Jack's attention. You could feel it when both ex-navy men slumped in relief as the man's usual smile lit up his face.

"Hello, lad. Fancy seein' you 'ere!" It would seem that the water and food had done him quite a bit of good and the animal pining for his attention was definitely a plus. "Down, Doggy, down. I need t' free me feet." Strangely enough, the mutt that Norrington was now pretty sure was the same one from the prison in Port Royal listened and sat by Sparrow's side, letting the pirate work on his feet. "Now, if I may ask, wot in the world got in'o you two to risk yer lives for ol' Jack?" His eyes sprang up for just a moment to regard them both before going back to the task at hand, one foot free and dealing with the other one. "Last time I checked - and that may be a long time ago, fer all I know - the Navy hung pirates, not 'elped them escape. Not that I'm complainin' or nothin'. Jus' sayin'."

"We don't support Beckett," Theodor replied immediately, only for a partially scandalized James to cut him off.

"Theodor! Don't say it like that!"

"But that's how it is!"

"Yes, but it makes us sound like mutineers!"

"James," the other said a bit hesitatingly. "We kind of are, now. Mutineers, that is. We did overrule our commanders direct orders by freeing Captain Sparrow."

"Some'ow I doubt anyone told ye you are not allowed to free me, mate." The said Captain piped up, now free of his shackles and petting the dog again. "Good Doggy. Here you go. Off wiff ye now." The dog let out a bark before disappearing further into the house. Even a few minutes later it didn't return, so it must have left on its own.

"It's an obvious, unsaid order."

"Are ye mind readers?" The dark man arched an eyebrow at the young officers.

"... I see your point." Jack just smirked cheekily at them, causing Theo to guff out a laugh and James to roll his eyes. "So, any ideas how to get all the way down to the ships? Anyone?"

"We should jus' get movin' while there's still cannon fire." Jack said a lot more seriously. "Not even the Ghost and the Pearl can keep yer Navy boys away for long. We won't 'ave much time so we better get goin'."

"Right," the two ex-navy men replied, getting to their feet. Theodor paused, revealing a sack he'd been carrying around from underneath his coat and presenting it to the pirate.

"Your effects, Captain Sparrow."

Jack smiled up at him as he took out his coat, tricorne hat, pistol, sword and, most important of all, his compass. "Th'nk ye, lad. Ye jus' saved me a boatload of trouble. An' provided us wiff a way out, too! An' you should jus' call me Jack. You did save me life, you two did."

"What do you mean?" James and Theo synchronized and Jack smiled at them. When he saw that the Black Pearl's Captain was opening his mouth with a raised finger to spew out some drabble, Norrington rolled his eyes. "The compass, Sparrow. The compass and the way out."

"Jack," said man reprimanded, shaking above mentioned finger in Norrington's face. "Me name's Jack. And ye already know me compass is unique, that it points towards what ye want mos' in the world. An' right now wot I want most is to escape 'ere, so it will show us a way out! Handy thing' this one." He said with a cares to his compass before quickly putting his effects into their right places, compass still in hand. "Right. Off we go."

James caught him just as he tried to stand but his legs gave out from under him. After five days of no food and very little water, it was no surprise that he couldn't hold himself up even after he ate and drank. His body didn't have enough nutritions to help him function properly and he had lost a lot of weight. It will be quite a few days before he can do any of his usual stunts without getting himself killed or simply collapsing. "It would seem I will have to carry you like a sack of potatoes, Sparrow."

"Jack," Jack insisted but didn't protest when Norrington picked him off his feet into a bridal carry despite his earlier words. Groves held on tightly to his sword and pistol, realizing that he was their only real defense should they run into trouble. The three men exchanged looks between themselves before nodding that they were ready and exiting the house, right onto the somewhat chaotic streets. They managed to avoid any soldiers but a few foolish civilians recognized either Jack or James from the gallows and tried to stop or kill them in a stupid show of 'bravery'. A few of the people Groves had to fight off were pirates, not ones here to help the almost executed pirate, but pirates that either spoke of revenge or using Jack as leverage or a bargaining chip. Groves either cut them off or shot them or they fell to Jack's own pistol as said Captain guided them with his compass through the streets.

Just as they were about to leave the last street before they could enter the harbor, a group of what was obviously pirates jumped out from a side street right in front of them, cutlasses and pistols pointed at them with killing intent. Correction, pointed at Norrington and Groves with killing intent. The leading pirate, a man perhaps in his fifties of African heritage, had his beady eyes trained on the man held in the now ex-Admiral's arms and there was both worry and relief warring in them.

"Kill them," he ordered in a gruff, heavily accented voice and his men moved to end Norrington's and Groves' lives when Sparrow cut them off.

"Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait!" The Pearl's Captain repeated over and over again until the men lowered their pistols and blades from being level with the two uniformed men's hears or throats. "Don't kill them! They saved me life back there! Adam, tell them to put their weapons away!"

"They be mates of yeis, Jacky?" The leader, Adam, asked suspiciously, eying the uniforms Jack's two companions were wearing. Sparrow just nodded.

"Aye. This one," he pointed on bejeweled finger at Norrington's face, managing to smack his nose in the process in a manner that almost made James drop him in retaliation had he not caught on that Jack was trying to vouch for them. He doubted dropping Jack would help his and Theodor's predicament and it would certainly be bad for Jack himself, battered and bruised as he was. "Used to be a part of me crew. He got distressed over me being executed so he decided to help me out. It kind of coincidenced with you guys' actions but worked out for the better. He," he then pointed at the nervous Groves. "He's his mate so he's my mate, too, savvy?" The grin sent Adam's and his men's way was a bit sharper than Norrington was used to from Sparrow but it sent a clear message that he was surprised these pirates followed: he and Theodor were off limits, back off.

"Then let's go. The Ghost will soon leave the port. This is our last chance to get out of here." Adam said grimly and with one final suspicious glance at the two uniformed men he spun around on his heels to lead the rest of the way to the ship. The cannons of the Ghost were still firing from the harbor, assaulting the military and merchant vessels docked there and they stood no chance. The little fort itself was being attacked by both the short ranged cannons of the Ghost that sounded merely as an echo of the long ranged Black Pearl's cannons and the black ships own cannons in an effort to save her Captain a little further out at sea.

"I can't believe I am seeing the famous Ghost!" Groves whispered to James and Jack as they held back while the group of pirates dealt with the last of the marines trying to stop them from escaping.

"Wot? Not excited about me Pearl anymore? I'm offended." Jack joked as he shot a man in the shoulder, the impact causing him to fall into the bay but James was sure he was alive.

Theodor looked flustered and horrified to have implied a lack of respect towards his 'celebrity' pirate's beloved ship and Jack just laughed at him as they finally reached the end of the dock. A boat was waiting for them to take them to the slowly turning Ghost. The Pearl was providing cover fire now and pirates were scaling other ships and boats to get back to the blue ship. The pirate manning the boat swore as he untied the little boat and helped them get in. Within a minute, he and another man were rowing them towards the slowly departing ship. The crew of the Ghost were awaiting them with ready ropes and before either ex-navy man knew it, they were being hauled right out of the sea. By the time the Ghost was clearing the docks completely, the Black Pearl had turned around, catching the wind with full sails, still firing from its back cannons.

The pirates cheered when they finally got out of range of the fort's cannons, even as they only just then began returning fire. The fort was too small and so out of the way of all merchant ways that it didn't need much soldiers to man it. The hanging that was to take place was probably the biggest event in the past few years and an additional insult to Sparrow for being executed in such a, well, dump in comparison to Port Royal. Said man was still in Norrington's arms when they exited the rowboat onto the deck.

The cheering stopped when the pirates saw the two blue uniforms, countless pistols and swords and axes being pointed at them yet again. The two ex-marines froze, awaiting pain or death while Sparrow was being wrestled out of the former Admiral's grip by a tall, muscular man that appeared to be of Spanish or Portuguese origin. He had black hair and sun kissed skin and would have been truly a very handsome man in his early sixties had one of his eyes not been white with blindness and a scar ran down the left side of his face. He was touching Sparrow all over, as though cataloging any damage done to the smaller man while his crew - for the hat he wore obviously declared him the Captain of this fine ship, what with its feather that matched the sails in color - glowered at them.

"Parley?" Theodor suggested rather meekly and Norrington began to wonder just when the hell had they became real, actual, official pirates.