Chapter 10

Author: PiratessDesire

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

A/N: Hey everybody! Thank you so much to all of the new readers who have been very generous with reviews, favorites and follows. Special thanks to titaniclover91 for doing all three. And another special thanks to ShellyJ88 for being so faithful to this story, reviewing every chapter. I want you to know that I really love everything you guys have to say, and I respond to every single gesture that you guys make for me. So please keep doing that, it really makes my day. And now... Chapter 10!

Summary: Tortuga is known for its bar fights and immoral freedoms. But will this trip be far from the regular trivialities that come with the port?

~•~

The Pearl bobbed in the shallows of the dock as its occupants slowly unloaded. They were here to rest for the time being. Their captain had been very unenthusiastic about sailing. Though odd and unexplained, the crew had begun to accept his decision and took it as a chance to engage in the wonderful trivialities of Tortuga.

Jack waited for the last of the crew to depart before approaching Elizabeth. They hadn't spoken at all since Will had returned. An occasional glance was exchanged, but it was often awkward and short. The uncomfortable interactions were beyond intolerable.

"Elizabeth?" He asked as gently as he could. Elizabeth turned around, but looked down at the floor almost immediately.

"What is it Jack?" She asked uninterestedly. Jack frowned. Not the reaction he was hoping for. But he was no fool to enter this scheme unprepared. He took a hold of her hand and opened the fist so that their palms were touching. She was prepared to pull away when he placed a piece of paper in her hand and closed her fist once more.

"Read it once I'm gone," he instructed, before practically running away from the scene. Elizabeth's eyes stayed glued to him until he ran off the dock and into the ever bustling town. She unfolded the note and smiled when she saw the beautiful calligraphy that had been on the letter sent with his gift. She traced her fingers over the script, before legitimately reading the words.

Elizabeth,

I didn't know how exactly to say this in person, so I decided to write this letter. I have noticed that you have been a bit unhappy and confused lately. I wanted to take you somewhere that I thought could help. Come to the other side of Tortuga at eight tomorrow morning. I will not be on the ship tonight, and so will not be able to take you. Please come alone.

Love, Jack

There was that word again. He couldn't have found a better way to end that letter? But she was overwhelmingly curious about what he had planned. She couldn't handle suspense. She had to tell someone. She spotted Will on the port side of the ship.

"Will! I have something to show you!" She called out, waving him over. Will arrived confused to a very excited Elizabeth.

"What is it Elizabeth?" He asked as if there was some kind of problem. Elizabeth held the note up and gave it to the man.

"Look at this," she said innocently. Will's brows creased and his lips contorted into a smirk.

"Perfect," he whispered to himself.

~•~

"Gabriel, have you finished my order?" Jack asked the local jeweler, and long term friend. The man stood up proudly and pulled a beautiful box from a shelf beneath the counter.

"Just how you wanted it. A sparrow and a swan. I made it so that the two pieces have to be connected to form the full picture. They just won't look as good alone." Jack took the two necklaces in his palms. The images were etched into the gold with amazing skill and all the art was colored with encrusted pearls and the most precious gems the world had to offer.

"Great work Gabriel. Though I expected nothing less," Jack complimented, placing a pouch of gold coins on the counter. Gabriel took the pouch and placed it into his cash drawer. When he looked back up, Jack was still adoring the charms intently.

"Are those for you and a special someone Jack? Could it be that governor's daughter you saved from Barbossa few months ago? Elizabeth Swann, wasn't it?" The jeweler guessed. Jack frowned at his precision and placed the pendants in his coat pocket.

"That be my personal business Gabe. I don't feel the need to divulge such information to you," Jack said defensively. Gabriel began to chuckle and Jack left the shop. He had a lot more work to do before meeting Elizabeth tomorrow morning.

~•~

"It will knock anybody out for twelve hours. Won't even remember how it happened," explained the shady dealer in the corner of a bar. He held up the tiny jar filled with brown powder.

"All I have to do is burn it? And if I wear a mask, only the other person will be affected?" Will asked, examining the container. The hooded man nodded.

"And you can wake them up by splashing water on them?"

"Yes."

"And even if they do wake up, they won't remember what happens during that time?" The man nodded more urgently, annoyed with the number of questions the young man had, and stuck out his hand. Once a shilling was placed in his palm, it was like he'd never been there. Will hid the jar, as well as a matchbox in his jacket, and made a hasty exit from the scene.

~•~

Jack had gotten everything set up so that tomorrow would be uninterrupted. He'd practically rented out the entire south side of Tortuga for the first half of the day. Now, wanting to avoid Elizabeth's insatiable curiosity, he was staying at tavern that was rather decent and minimally occupied. He sprawled out on the mattress, though a bit hard for his taste, rather welcome after the soreness of body that he'd obtained through the day's activities. To be fair, he was a man who could sleep soundly on a prison floor. He tossed his coat and effects onto the lone shelf in the room. He'd decided to keep most of his clothing on to save some time in the morning.

He reached over and doused the lamp, letting darkness shroud the room. Just as he was closing his eyes, a clatter sounded through the space. He shot straight up and groped for his sword. Once certain that he was armed, Jack stepped out of bed and grabbed a match from the drawer, lighting the lamp again.

"Who's there?" He asked authoritatively. He shined the lamp around the entire area, but there wasn't a single sign of anything out of the ordinary. He frowned and set the lamp down.

The air felt very thick, almost suffocating. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the room was nearly blue with smoke. He coughed trying to expel the vile substance, but it quickly turned into an unstoppable fit. He grabbed hold of the headboard, feeling his knees grow weak. The coughing persisted, and before long, blood was spurting from his mouth. He saw the world begin to spin and tumble in front of him. Finally, his legs collapsed underneath him, and he crashed to the ground.

~•~

Will knelt down before the Jack, trying to pull him up and off the floor. He needed to get out of here before anyone came to check on the commotion. He brought out a large sack and stuffed Jack into it. Once he fastened the knot, he continued to take his captive's belongings as well. He peered out the window and, just where he'd left it, a hay-filled donkey cart stood. He was grateful that the room had only been two stories up.

Jack's body was carefully lowered into the wagon first, followed by his assets. Will scaled down the wall and landed in the driver seat.

"Heeyah!" Will ordered as he snapped the reins. The donkey brayed and trotted through the dark. All the way to his destination, coupled with the donkey's clicking hooves, Will's thoughts troubled him. Was he really doing this? A few months ago, he would have been to afraid to raise his voice against Mr. Brown. Now, he had a man, Captain Jack Sparrow nonetheless, completely knocked out and in the back of his cart. All for what? For Elizabeth. He had to have her, and he was willing to do anything for that to happen.

The wagon halted in front of a debilitated shack, long abandoned by the looks of it. Will leaped off and tied the donkey to a peg. He went around to the back and pulled the bag onto the ground. It landed with a thud, making him wince. He really didn't want to cause any major injury to Jack. It would raise suspicion.

He dragged the sack into the shack along with the items. Once he latched the poorly built door, Will opened the bag and peeked inside. He pulled Jack out of the burlap and shouldered his limp body as best he could until he reached a support beam in the hut's center. He leaned the man against the wooden pole and produced a pair of shackles from his coat. He clasped the manacle onto one of his wrists and wound the chain behind the pole before fastening the other. Will knew better than to give Jack any form of mobility. He would surely use that to his advantage. A rope was tied exceptionally tight around his ankles, stifling any and all movement.

"Wake up!" Will barked, as he threw a bucket of freezing water on Jack. The pirate coughed and sputtered as the chilling shock brought him back. His eyes were bleary and his head was throbbing. His body ached way worse than before, and to top it all off, he was freezing and soaking wet. He looked up to where the harsh voice had come from. His eyes began to adjust as he saw who it was.

"Will? What the hell is going on!?" He mustered. Will gave him a cocky grin and squatted down to his level. His hand grasped his chin firmly and forced him to look up at his captor.

"Did you really think I was going to let have Elizabeth?" He asked with as much venom as a human could manage to spit. Jack squinted at him, brows knitting together in confusion. Before he could clear his doubts with words, he received a hard blow to the side of his face. He groaned as he felt a bruise form on his cheekbone.

"What..." was all he could say before a fist landed on his nose. He breathed out heavily and moved his hand to grip the cartilage, but found that his hands were shackled behind the pole he was leaning on. He could feel the blood seep from the infliction and down to his mouth. Tasting your own blood was not a sign of an small problem. He arched his neck trying to escape the hits aimed towards him, but soon found that to be a mistake. Will's fingers took a vise-like grasp around his throat. He craned his neck, trying to catch some air though his crushing windpipe.

"What are... you talking about mate? She doesn't... love me!" Jack sputtered out. The hand dropped, letting Jack wheeze and gasp for the lost air.

"That doesn't mean you don't love her. And that's enough for me to take you out of the picture." One last punch to the head turned the world black again.

~•~

Will shook his hand, trying to ease the pain from the cuts that adorned his knuckles. Even being the one who was doing the hitting hurt, which made him feel moderately guilty about the amount of pain Jack must have felt. But he shook it off, and continued with the rest of his plan for the night, now that he'd taken out his anger on the pirate.

"All right then Jack. What did you get from that jeweler today?" He asked rhetorically, knowing he would never receive an answer. It didn't matter if he were unconscious or not. He stuck his hand into the pocket of Jack's coat. Something, no, two smooth, cool objects rubbed against his skin. He pulled them out and discovered them to be charms. He held them each in a different palm, admiring the beauty of the pendants. But his admiration quickly transformed into scorn as he realized what the charms symbolized.

Though his mind loathed the act of doing so, he placed the medallions in the same hand. As if drawn to each other, the sparrow and the swan latched together. Will watched the phenomenon occur in his hand, all together shocked at the display. He gritted his teeth and began pulling at the chains. They refused to budge for some time, before they finally gave away. Will was still astounded by the happening, and felt a sense of humanity wash over him. He dropped the swan half into his pocket and stared at the sparrow part for a long while.

"You at least deserve this," he said, looking over at Jack. He walked over and knelt down beside the insensate man. He dangled the sparrow in between their faces, before fastening the medallion around the pirate's neck. He hid it inside the shirt's neckline and stood up mollified. He examined the shack once more, before departing by foot from the area. The donkey brayed as its former master left. And, for once in its existence, Tortuga was absolutely silent.

~•~

To be continued...

A/N: Ok, just so you know, this chapter is a bit on the shorter side for a reason. I know exactly what's going to happen next, but this seems like the perfect place to end this chapter. Chapter 11 will be out sooner than most so please don't mind the length. And if this was unclear, the powder Will used was opium. I had to change some of the effects though. I had a unit on drugs at school, and I guess it went to my head. Just putting it out there. Hope you liked it!