Chapter 9 - The Ball, the Brothel and the Bar

After 4 consecutive nights of Jack pulling regular disappearing acts Elizabeth was starting to become more than a little curious about where he was going. This was after all captain Jack Sparrow and he had stopped in Port Royal for a reason. She had tried to ask him a few times but it seemed whenever she did he became more concerned with the lack of rum in the house than anything else. However besides finding out what Jack was up she had spent the rest of her time with Louise. Elizabeth had in the last week got Louise out of the house and convinced her the ball was a good idea. Because of this Will had taken to reminding her that it had been her triumph for the week, at moments when she became particularly antsy about Jack's endeavors.

"Don't worry about it, Jack knows what he's doing. He wouldn't do anything stupid, it's me that does that remember", Will comforted her as she sat a rhetorically questioned his whereabouts. She couldn't help but smile at his words.

"I just wonder what he's up to. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't like to know what he's here for?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He got up and smiled down at her contently, "of course I would, it is Jack after all. But I can settle for going to work and forgetting about it".
As she watched him go she debated waking Jack up under the pretense of offering him breakfast and using the opportunity to question him, however knowing Will was right she too settled for getting on with her day.

Will had just finished up a order and was wiping his hands when he heard the door behind him open. Being a blacksmith he was used to people coming and going, either ordering or picking up but when he turned around to see a woman standing there he couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

"Can I help you?" he asked almost cautiously.

She smiled at his bemused expression, "Will Turner I presume?".

He opened his mouth but she preempted his next question and continued, "My name is Louise Roberts, I'm a friend of Lizzy's".

"Oh, Louise of course. Elizabeth has mentioned you before. What can I do for you?".

"I've heard you are one of the best blacksmiths in the Caribbean, I wanted to enquire about your services" she said as she stepped down to look at some of the swords hanging from the ceiling.

He watched her for a moment, "would this be for yourself?".

"Indeed. Could you have it done by Monday?".

"Erm, of course", he walked over to the workbench a little curious about why she would need a weapon but happy to help none the less.

She tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a handful of coins, "this should should be enough, I'm sorry I have to go I'll come by Monday". With those last words she rushed out of the door and left him standing there with more than enough money for one sword and a confused look on his face.

Saturday morning came sooner than anyone expected least of all Louise who got up and almost forgot that she was to spend the night avoiding conversation with snobs. After eating breakfast she sat on the balcony off of her bedroom looking out onto the garden until a knock on her bedroom door interrupted her. Since the door opened without waiting for her to answer she knew it was Elizabeth and she knew she had probably come to bug her.

"Morning Lizzy", she said without looking.

A cough caught her attention and she looked over to see Governor Swan, "Good morning Louise".

"Oh I'm sorry Governor, it's usually Lizzy", she appologised quickly.

"That's quite alright. I simply came to give you a gift. It seems harder to dote on Elizabeth these days and I know you need a new gown for tonight", the maid beside him put the box she was holding onto the bed.

Louise looked at the box surprised a little, "I couldn't accept that, after all you've already done for me".

"Don't even think of it, I will hear no arguments on the matter", he smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you", Louise said sincerely before he left. She opened the box to find a elegant formal gown in a pale blue colour and she wondered how it would look. She ran her fingers carefully over the stitching, looking at the intricate designs she couldn't help but smile. As if coming from nowhere she looked up moments later to see Elizabeth pouting.

"I see somebody got a new dress", she chimed with her hand on her hip.

Louise grinned, "you'll just have to get your own father now won't you?".

Elizabeth had arranged to get ready for the evening at her fathers where Will would pick her up meaning Louise and Elizabeth had the day together. Not unusual for them but Elizabeth still had not picked her moment to ask about Louise's strange behavior when ordering a sword from Will, or why she needed a sword at all.

"So are you going to put it on then?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. Stop rushing me, we do have the entire day. I know, I know it's not quite the whole week you wanted to get ready", she smirked as she took out the dress and swished it about the room for a moment.

Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed watching her, "At the rate you're going we really should have started last week".

Once through with the hellish task of getting into the dress Louise wondered whether getting out of it again was really a possibility. The corset underneath the dress kept her bound and while the dress itself looked lovely it felt like a second skin. She was at least thankful she could breathe beneath the fabric. Elizabeth however seemed to be at home in her dress. As they continued to get ready Elizabeth enjoyed herself more and more. She attempted to teach Louise the art of talking with a fan but it was lost on Louise who preferred using it to actually fan herself vigorously.

By the time the sun was beginning to set they both stood ready, not a item out of place.

"Ready?", Elizabeth asked with a grin as she ran her hand over a her hair as if flattening some stray hair that Louise couldn't really believe existed.

"As ready as I'll ever be. How do I look?".

Elizabeth looked her up and down and somberly replied, "acceptable" before grinning widely. It was at this point that Louise hit Elizabeth's arm with her fan.

Jack grinned into the night, his hat merrily placed atop his head, he finally knew where she was. Tonight he would have his chance to convince the girl he had been looking for to lead him and his crew to the greatest treasure they had ever known, he relished in the thought. Whether it was the idea of the treasure, the hunt or a bit of both, he was giddy with excitement and as he avoided the main streets (which seemed usually busy tonight) he knew this was it.

Louise stood at the threshold of the entrance hall, staring in slight disbelief at the attendees. She had never imagined there would be so many people trying to outdo each other with some of the most ridiculous outfits and head-wear she had ever seen, all in Port Royal. Shaking it off she replaced her confusion with a smile which was much too forced to be sincere.

Elizabeth leaned over to give her little comfort, "just give the being nice idea a try".

The music started and Louise felt the urge to dance, however this didn't seem like a situation where she could just get up and dance, even that had a set of rules. Giving up on it her next best option was a common fall back, alcohol. Louise had never been a big wine drinker but somehow the drink seemed to grow on her within this room full of strangers. If anything she was worried that in talking to them she would say or do the wrong thing, Elizabeth had accepted her informal sarcastic conversation but she thought the rest may not be so forgiving. Just watching them she observed the way the women moved, even when not dancing their gestures were still graceful and smooth. The men paraded themselves about the place, their attire seeming to be the deciding factor over top dog. She joined in a few conversations with Elizabeth and Will, but these were brief and not constant.

The evening toiled on and though she had danced with a couple of men Louise couldn't wait any longer to leave. She was tired and the end didn't seem to be in sight. The hour was not too late so Louise told Elizabeth she would walk home, the evening was warm and the journey wasn't far. As much as Elizabeth protested Louise couldn't be swayed, she had drank enough to give her a little dutch courage.

"What could possibly happen? It's a ten minute walk from here", she reassured Elizabeth before leaving.

Upon leaving she hit the cool night air and breathed a sigh of relief, her face was flushed with colour and the cool air was a pleasant counter. She started the journey with a confident stride, taking what she knew to be a longer way but she didn't quite trust herself with the shortcuts yet. She passed through the market square which was quiet except for the noise leaking from a bar at the other end. A few people littered the place here and there some more conscious than others.

However too often her eyes tended to drift towards the sky, something she always loved to look at. It should have then come as no surprise when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry, I didn't see you".

The man she had bumped into looked at her with a glint in his eyes and before she knew what had happened she was pinned against a wall. Her heart was pumping, her breathing got faster, her whole body panicked. She at least tried to keep her brain clear as he held her in place with one great hand around her neck which gave her just enough space to breathe.

"What we got 'ere then? Pretty one aint yah?" his face giving away his drunken state.

She tried to smirk back at him but it came out a grimace in her current situation, "more than I can say for you".

Her surprising confidence bought her a harsh blow to the face, one of his few rings leaving a gash in her cheek.

"And you're so strong too. A complete package", she practically spat it at him as she began to taste coppery blood in her mouth.

"Got quite a mouth on ye. And out all alone", he ran a grubby finger down one arm.

"Not quite", she nodded over his shoulder and he foolishly looked around. Louise saw her moment as used the few seconds to lift her dress with her dangling hands, aim her leg and fire a blow of her own. He fell to the floor clutching his crotch it obvious pain and as her feet met the floor she took off, holding her dress around her knees in a full throttle run.

"Bloody wench!" she heard him call after her, through the loud groans he was making.

Louise almost had the nerve to smile and her run had a little skip to it. She continued to run even when far away enough from the market that she could of slowed down. But the blood was rushing through her veins giving her an adrenaline rush so much so that as she ran past people she added a somewhat cocky "excuse me" as she went. That and the gash on her gash was still bleeding.

Jack had used the evening well, he had the girl, or woman as it were, he needed. Her only term being she was coming with him to get the treasure as this was her one and only chance. He had been surprised as to who he had found when he had eventually found la mañana se levantó. For some reason Jack had envisioned a young woman who held some treasure map or cursed jewel as her only heirloom from her dead father, or something like that. Coming face to face with a brassy older woman who was still in the business of pleasurable company brought a surprising smile to his face.

When he had actually got to asking her about the treasure she had to search through her entire room above the brothel she worked in, having no idea where the map was. She had never really believed it was real after her mother had given it to her to play with as a child.

However at this point in the evening after his successful negotiations with her, he was taking a inconspicuous wander to a bar to meet with a completely inconspicuous man that was in no way Gibbs in an amusing hat. As he did a woman ran past him at alarming speed, saying something as she did. He didn't quite catch it but the situation almost inflamed his curiosity as he casually stepped over a man on the floor in obvious pain.

Finally getting to the bar in question he ordered a drink and felt a familiar slap on the back as Gibbs, hat included, sat down next to him.

"Orders captain?", he asked.

Jack looked up from his rum as if smelling the fresh scent of adventure, "get the pearl ready, we leave in 2 days".

--Authors Notes--

I must say I actually like this chapter. I think I got a bit bogged down but it picked up at the end, it feels like something happened. Of course this is still my 5th re-write and I still got bogged down, but I honestly find it unavoidable sometimes. Oh well. Hope you enjoy it my wonderful readers. No really, you are wonderful :)