Author's Note --- Sorry that it took me so bloody long to get this chappie up, but track is finished for now and I have a little more time at night to write now. I hope you like the chappie and reviews are welcomed as is harsh critism. Until the next chapter...

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Chapter Nine --- A Change In the Wind

After dinner that evening, Ed and I went up on deck to watch the stars. Jack showed us where blankets and pillows were kept and we grabbed a few, bringing them with us. Will sat at the rail, staring into space, probably thinking of his bonny lass. Jack stood at the helm, keeping us on course.

"Aren't they beautiful?" I sighed from my place on the deck.

"I wish we could stay here," Ed replied, glancing over at Will.

"Good luck, Eddie," I whispered. "He's still head over heels for Elizabeth."

"I can still dream, can't I?"

"Ya know, I've been thinking," I started.

"Uh-oh."

"Shut up. Just listen to me. To get back we need the medallion, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"We have to role play through the movie, the entire movie," I said. "Once the curse is lifted..."

"We can go home!" She paused and then said, "But being here is so much nicer."

"Just wait till we get to Tortuga," I replied.

"Jack gets slapped."

"True. That's always great to watch."

"Ya know what?"

"What?"

"Jack's really digging you."

I sat up fast as a bullet and checked to make sure he didn't hear. Then I leaned towards Ed in interest. "What do you mean?" I whispered.

"He's always staring at you when you're not paying attention to him."

"Tortuga, there'll be so many women around that he'll forget all about me, so drop it."

"Ah, sweet Tortuga," Eddie sighed before drifting off to sleep. I couldn't sleep just yet though. Thoughts of Jack and our secret kisses and the medallion kept piling up in my mind.

The next evening at dusk, we arrived in Tortuga's port, where we anchored and recieved many nasty looks at the H.M.S. Interceptor. We piled into the rowboat and headed towards the town.

Jack had issued a brief warning of what the town was like and of course, Edana and I had full warning from the movie. But in the movie, Disney apparently decided to cut a lot out. Yes, the man was in the well spewing water and everyone was drunk and or fighting. Not only that, but men were groping the whores out on the street and they were all about half dressed. I even passed a couple doing it right in front of a house that probably had plently of rooms for them to go into. Edana looked absolutley terrified and Will covered her eyes, leading her through the town. I, myself, was in awe, and Tortuga seemed so much more of a sex and drinking port than Disney was ever going to show. Of course, it had to be kept PG-13 for the kids. Nobody closed my eyes for me and I watched in horror as some drunk idiot accidentally fired off his pistol, shooting another drunk in the leg. The shot drunk started beating on the man who shot him, all-the-while bleeding profusely.

A hand wrapped itself around my waist and I found myself entangled in the arms of another drunk. He smirked down at me and stroked my breasts through my shirt, saying, "It don't take an idiot ta see a woman in disguise."

"You're a pig!" I shouted.

A gun cocked next to my head and I was frightened into not moving.

I heard Jack snarl from behind me. "Let the girl go."

The drunk pulled me even closer, placing his hands on my ass, and I couldn't breath because of his stench. "Ye can 'ave yer turn when I'm done makin' 'er into the woman she'll be."

"Jack," I moaned, even more frightened.

"Say goodbye then," Jack replied coldly, his finger on the trigger. The drunk, seeing that he was serious in his threats, pushed me into Jack as he uncocked the pistol. "Thank ye very much."

I was breathing heavily and when he attempted to remove his arm from my waist, I stopped him. "Please, keep it there." He gave me this look that basically was out of pure confusion. I added, "Just till we get to...wherever we're going." He nodded and pulled me to him, snug and close.

A redheaded woman stepped in front of us, her breasts on the verge of falling out of her dress. ""Scarlett!" Jack exclaimed in a friendly tone as she got closer. Without warning, she bitchslapped him. His head flew back so that he was facing Will as I ducked. "I don't suppose I deserved that," he said after she had strutted away, satisfied. Before we could start off again, another wench stepped in front of Jack. "Giselle!"

"Who was she?" Giselle asked, before bitchslapping him too. I ducked again as his head rolled around to face Will.

"I might've deserved that," he said as I winced at the red spots on his cheek. He grabbed my waist more tightly and led the way to the Faithful Bride.

Inside the bar, it was even more hectic and crowded than out on the streets. A couple was kissing as if there was no tomorrow walked in front of us. Edana protested that now that we were inside, she should be able to see what was going on. Will removed his hand as she began to claw with her own. A few drunk men, looking for some prostitutes, eyed me and Eddie. I clung to Jack's arm, refusing to move from his side. Jack waltzed up to the barman, with me in tow, and asked, "Tom! Where be Gibbs?"

"Out back," he replied gruffly. "Ye'll need these," he added, handing Jack and Will two wooden buckets of water. We pushed through the crowd to the back door and stepped into the cool night air. I spotted Gibbs laying with the pigs under their shelter and choked back a laugh.

"Phew!" Edana gagged. "It stinks out here!" She was right and I decided that if I wanted to keep living, I'd take small breaths through my mouth and close off my nose.

"This place smells like the Bog of Eternal Stench," I whispered. Eddie nodded her head and giggled softly.

Jack grasped his bucket in both hands and splashed it down on Gibbs and the pigs. He jerked with a quick twitch and sat up. "Curse ye fer breathin' ye slack-jawed idiot!" he cursed furiously. He looked up at the man who had woken him and breathed, "Mother's love, Jack. Ye know betta than ta wake a man when 'e's sleepin'! It's bad luck!"

Jack grinned in repsonse and replied, "Well, fortunately, I know 'ow ta counter that. The man who did the wakin' buys the man who was sleepin' a drink, while the man who was sleeping drinks it and listens to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

Gibbs hesitated, thinking about it. "Aye, that'll about do it." Jack offered his hand to Gibbs and helped him up. Will splashed his bucket with a second wave of water. "Blast it!" he cried. "For the last time, I'm already awake!"

"That was for the smell," Eddie and I chorused, gagging. He considered that too and then shrugged in agreement. Will and Jack grinned slightly and then Jack turned and led the way back into the bar.

Jack and Gibbs took a table in the semi-shadows and sent us to get them rum. Eddie and Will went willingly but I stayed and protested. "Jack," I whined. "Can't I stay?" I pouted my lower lip and gave him the widest puppy eyes that I could manage. He watched me carefully for a few minutes and sighed.

"I suppose. 'Ere, sit next ta me." Will brought the drinks and Edana handed me something bitter smelling. Jack sent Will to go on lookout incase of trouble or eavsedroppers. Ed immediately followed Will, muttering something about keeping him company. "Just the one," Jack said as Gibbs went to take a swing of his rum.

"Betta make it last, then. Now, what's the nature of this venture of yers?" Gibbs asked, taking a dainty sip.

"I'm goin' afta the Pearl."

Gibbs choked on his sip adn wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Jack, it's a fool's errand. Ye've 'eard the tales they tell."

I slowly took a sip of my own drink and discovered the sweet yet bitter ale burned slightly at my throat going down, but was quite tasteful. Who thought that at 18 I'd be drinking already? Jack spoke, after watching my reaction to the drink. "Aye and that's why I know where it'll be and that's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew."

Gibbs shook his head. "A fool's errand."

"Not if the fool has something that Barbossa wants. Let's just say it's a matter of leverage." He nodded his head in Will's direction that Gibbs didn't understand.

After several grunts and nods, I intervined. "Will!" I basically shouted.

Jack shushed me as Gibbs asked, "The boy?"

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill."

"Is it now?"

"Aye and Keelin."

"She's Bootstrap's kid too?"

"No. Betta." Jack indicated that I show Gibbs my necklace. I slowly lifted it up and out of my shirt, where the gold sparkled darkly in the candlelight.

Gibbs gasped and whispered, "That is the medallion."

"Yes, sir," I replied sarcastically.

"What do ye say, Gibbs?" Jack asked.

Gibbs thought for a second and then said, "Leverage says you. I feel a change in the wind says I. I'll rope up a crew. There's bound ta be some sailors on this rock crazy as ye."

"Take what ye can," Jack began.

"And give nothin' back," Gibbs finished. They clanked their tanks and drank a toast. Feeling left out, I took another small sip of my own drink.

That night, we camped out in a small hotel room in Tortuga. Eddie and I had called dibs on the bed, leaving the boys with the floor. Ed and Will decided to escort to a hotel room that was on the upper floor. Feeling slightly clausterphoebic from the lack of space in the room, I stepped out onto the small balcony. It was really no more than a piece of wood jutting from the building with rails. As I looked out over Tortuga, I heard the door creak open again. I turned around, expecting to see Eddie but discovered a smiling Jack instead. (Which, don't get me wrong, is a bazillion times better!)

"Do ye mind?" he asked.

"I don't see why not." He stood next to me, gazing at the riff-raff that was occuring down below.

"What do ye think?"

"Of here?" He nodded and I continued, "Crazy, wild, unorganized but I think I could find a good time here. Somewhere."

"Not in some man's bed?" he teased.

I gagged and made a face that he laughed at. "What do you think?"

"It's not the sea but it's like a second 'ome," he replied. Suddenly, he changed the topic. "So, 'ow was it that ye knew about Will bein' the leverage I need?"

"Alright Jack," I sighed heavily. "You oughta know the truth. I'm from America in the year 2005. We have these moving pictures called movies that tell stories. Well, you and your adventures with Will and Elizabeth are a movie in my time," I said, hoping to get this hard part over and done with. Finished, I watched him for his reaction. He stared at me and then broke out laughing. Not just a soft chuckle that he usually laughed but he laughed hard enough to fall to the ground, crying.

It took him a few minutes to calm down and when he did, he said, "Yer serious?"

"Fine, don't believe me. It doesn't matter. Just don't ask how I know things okay?" I turned to go inside when he reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back outside.

"I don't believe ye, but it doesn't matter," he replied, looping his arm over my shoulder.

"Alright, Rico Suave," I sighed. "Let me go. I wanna go to bed." I tried to shrug his arm off but he wouldn't let me.

"I don't understand ye, Keelin," Jack said randomly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, staying still.

"I mean, that fer a few minutes ye actually act civil ta me and then the next, ye're actin' like a crazy woman."

"So?"

"So? So, can't we just start all over again?"

"I suppose."

"Good." He extended his hand and said, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, former captain of The Black Pearl."

I extended my own hand and replied, "Keelin Burke, former American citizen from the future." He grinned and pulled me to the railing of the balcony.

"Keelin, why do ye...did ye act the way ye did?" he asked, watching a scuffle beneath us.

I hesitated before answering slowly, "I guess I'm just confused about how I feel about you."

"What do ye mean?"

"In my time, an actor plays you in the movie. He potrays you so much more differntly than just as a character," I tried to explain. At his confused look, I added, "I guess it's like a whore. She plays a part for money but could be a completly different person outside of her job."

He nodded, thinking it over. "I could see that," he said abently rubbing his cheek. "So, ye like me? Is that what ye're sayin'?"

"I'm not sure," I paused then added, "Maybe you can persuade me."

He smirked and quickly had me pressed up against the rail. His lips pressed lightly into my neck, sending tingles through my body. His one hand was at the small of my back and the other was tangled in my ponytail. He pushed the tricorn to the floor and took out the ribbon, running his fingers through my auburn curls. I sighed as his lips made their way to mine. Softly, he pressed them into mine, then as he deepened the kiss, massaged them lovingly. I let him kiss me for another minute before pulling away. "I think that's enough persuading for tonight," I yawned. Jack nodded and picked up my things.

As I settled into bed next to Edana, I knew that I truly did like him, not just because he was famous in my time but because he was real and human. Deep inside, I loved his every advance, his every teasing. But even deeper, I knew that I would mean nothing to him compare to the sea.