Disclaimer: I don't own any POTC characters, only my OCs.

Hey guys! I just wanted to give a physical description of the two main OCs.

Joey: Hair: light brown, curly, long

Eyes: Chocolate brown

Skin: tanned

Extra: tall, slim.

Jared: Hair: light brown, spiky, short

Eyes: Baby blue

Skin: tanned

Extra: well-built, tall

Chapter 9

Sodom and Gomorrah

In most of the movies I had watched as a child, the pirates were always the heroes. Okay….maybe not the heroes. Maybe, they were the self-conflicting individuals who fought the British navy, buried treasure on desolated islands and had a habit of replacing their limbs with twigs.

Overall, pirates were the fantasy of every little boy.

However, this was not the movies.

Tortuga was a hell mouth of spit. The lowest of life leeched onto the filthy streets, vomit and blood splattered against the sidewalk like paint. The roads were made of thick mud, the sludgy boulevards sucking against the soles of boots. Dirty men littered the streets; some sprawled over drunk-dead while others were fist fighting in drunken stupor. Pale-faced women with excessive make-up and spilling cleavages accompanied them, fondling, groping and doing much worse to their pathetic pirates. Savage music trumpeted throughout the port, the drunken fools dancing and smashing windows to the beat. Shrill screams tore through now and again, but everyone was too drunk or too stupid to notice.

"This place is cursed," I hissed, imitating the guy from the movie 'The Mummy Returns'. Beside me, Jared rolled his eyes.

"This place isn't cursed, Joe," Jared grunted in disgust, swerving aside to avoid a tumbling pair of fist-fighters, "It's disgusting!" His face screwed up as he gazed at his surroundings.

"Nay, mate," Captain Jack Sparrow called back to us, "Dis place is de good life!" He walked freely among the drunkard idiots, sauntering about in his odd manner. He easily ducked a flying man; a nearby brawl had sent a man soaring in the air, having being flung by the other party.

"Oh, he's definitely in his element," I whispered into Jared's ear, drawing a sigh from him The sky above was pitch black, the firelight from the pirate haven casting out the blinking stars. Angry, red clouds gathered in the east, promising rain; maybe a gale of rain could wash the filth away from this place.

Hey, a girl could dream.

It had taken 2 days for us to sail here, to this shit hole. Captain Sparrow had navigated us all the way through, and somehow, by some miracle, our sorry-ass ship had prevailed till the end. The weather had been blissful, thankfully, and we met with no other ship until….well, until at the port.

I sighed and cautiously wrapped my arms around my chest. Despite the tropic weather, the night was chilly. A cold wind bustled at us, like a wave of cool water. It pressed my -ok, not exactly mine- loose shirt against my bandaged wound, tickling the sore spot. I hoped that there was no infection, or, as I had said earlier, I would be in a lot of trouble in this dung of a century. In front of us, the Captain reached down and pulled out a bottle of rum from the grasp of a drunkard who was asleep on the road. I rolled my eyes.

Bloody pirate.

"Hey!" I called to him, flipping my brown hair behind my shoulders, "where we're going?!" He just grinned at me and said nothing, sipping away at his newly-acquired bottle of rum. I began to drag my feet against the grimy floor.

"You know, "Jared whispered in my ear, "I can't help but wonder why he hasn't killed us yet. I mean, he doesn't even believe us. He thinks we're crazy!" I looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

"Do you want to get killed?"

"No!"

"Then? We're alive, Jared! CELEBRATE!" I threw my arms into the air to illustrate my point, a flinging arm slamming into the jaw of a drunken pirate. At my hit, he fell down to the mud and didn't stand again.

"Ummm….Jared…"

"C'mon, Joe!" my brother grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the crime scene, his grasp hard and cold. I gave the fallen man another look before turning around to follow the Captain, who was swerving his way through the filthy crowd.

Tortuga was the18th century Sodom and Gomorrah.

Hey God, can you hear me? It's me, Joe. If you are really there, please send stones of fire, floods and horrid plagues down on this damned city. Thank you.

Captain Jack Sparrow finally stopped in front of dirty-looking, two-storey building. People filed into the front door, the building's windows brightly lighted. From inside, loud music crashed about, the smashing of glass and shouts of drunkards joining in the melody. Hanging above the front door and flapping in the wind was a green-painted, wooden sign that read, "The Virgin Lady." Below those words was a very crude painting of a woman, scantily dressed.

Talk about irony; I'm willing to bet that no one in there was a virgin.

"We're not going in there!" Jared growled at the captain, his brows scrunching together. His lips were drawn in a thin line. I don't why but he suddenly wanted to very clean.

"I don't really care, lad," the Captain answered us with a smirk, then, tipping his hat, he disappeared into the building. Jared sulked as he watched the empty space angrily. He leaned against one leg.

"I'm not going in there," he said again, face red. I shrugged and walked towards the door. My boots felt heavy.

"I don't know about you, Jared, but I need a drink."

With that, I walked in.

"The Virgin Lady" was a greasy, good-for nothing pub, much like the land it sat on. It was packed with half-baked pirates and call girls, all of whom were, at the very least, slightly drunk. Brawls happened at every corner, people flying above our heads and rolling on the filthy floor. Laughter rang through the air, along with that music. The bar stood at the end of the room, the bartender dirty with sweat. The place smelled foul, the lingering odor of rum, blood, sweat and urine pushing bile up my throat. Seriously, I would have puked.

Jared trailed behind me; he had decided to enter after all. With his hands tucked in his pockets and his eyes watching his surroundings warily, we followed Captain Jack Sparrow through the throng. We squeezed our way through the smelly crowd of hookers and pirates; I swore that if anyone so much as touched me, I'll kill them.

The Captain walked all the way to the end of the room, walking in his funny manner. He then finally stopped in front of a small table at the corner of the room, a piece of furniture tucked in the dark quite cozily. Sitting at that table was a small, pudgy-looking man. Like everyone else in the pub, he was tanned as the sun. His jaw was covered in an unruly beard, which was whitening with age. He sipped something out of a dirty, black mug; his sleek, oily hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Captain Jack Sparrow helloed as he lifted a leg and slammed it down on the chair just opposite of the man. The cubby guy looked up in surprise then, with a grunt, charged to his feet, stuttering.

"C-Captain?"

The captain showed off his spangling gold teeth and reached forward to place his orange hand on the plump's man shoulder. The man-Mr. Gibbs- gaped back at him, cheeks trembling.

"Aye, Gibbs," the captain croaked, patting the shoulder slightly, "I see you've been doing well for yeself." His thighs, all of sudden, hit the wooden table slightly, spilling the mug of beer onto the wood. Yet, neither man cared; they hadn't even noticed the spilled beverage. Mr. Gibbs just as suddenly put on a grin, laughing.

"Jack!" he laughed, grasping the captain's hand tightly and shaking it, "Ye…I never taught I'll see ye again! I mean, after ye stole Harry's boat, I thought…"

"What?" Captain Sparrow raised an eyebrow, leaning back, "What ye thought? That I just let Barbossa take me Pearl away?" He grinned grimly at the man.

In the stuffy, crowded pub, he was already beginning to sweat, fat drops rolling down the side of his face. He pinched his finger tips and held it in front of himself.

"The fight ain't over, mate. The Pearl is mine, only mine. And I pledge, on dem forsaken Turner's soul, I'm getting it back."

Mr. Gibbs threw a fist into the air in triumph and laughed again, displaying his yellow teeth. Dimples played on his cheek.

"AYE!" he shouted over the loud music, "Finally! We're getting the Pearl back! And then, the….

"The Fountain," the Captain finished for him, grinning away.

"Aye, the Fountain," Mr. Gibbs agreed, eyes wide with fascination.

"What the heck are you two talking about?!" I practically shrieked, interrupting the two pirates' get-together. Honestly, I didn't care for them. I was cold, tired and very, very hungry; all I wanted to do was to take shower, eat some pork and get to bed. These two idiot's ramblings did not make things any better.

The two pirates jumped at my shout, turning towards Jared and I. Mr. Gibbs eyes widened at the sight of us.

"Hey Jack. Who-…"

"Aye, forgive me, mates," he grinned, swinging his arms about. He motioned at his friend and beamed at us.

"Lad and my lass, meet me first mate, Mr. Gibbs."

He then did a vice-versa, turning on his hips to point at us.

"Gibbs, meet the two crazies who keep following me around," his golden teeth glinted at this, his dark eyes flashing.

"Am not!" I defended, quite immaturely if you ask me. An old man with a peg for an arm watched from the other corner. Jared was still scowling.

Unlike those goddamn navy soldiers back at Port Royal, Mr. Gibbs saw no concern with a female in male's clothes. He didn't double-back, gawk or even put me in jail. In fact, no one since Port Royal had questioned my pants, even with my sandy curls spilling over my breasts. Honestly, I think Lord Errol was right; girls in pants must be pirates.

Wait a second…does that make me a pirate? I mean, I haven't looted any ship nor found any treasure. I'm not a pirate…..yet….

Does hanging out with a pirate make me one too?! Jesus Christ, what kind of shit have I gotten myself into?!

"Jack," Mr. Gibb's husky voice threw me out of my daydreams, "I don't understand. How ye came to know 'em? I thought that ye went to get the Verdad…"

"I did. The lass has it, "Captain Sparrow explained, pointing a lazy finger at my bulging pants pocket; I had hidden the Verdad de el Corazon in my oversized pocket. With a grin, Captain Sparrow commented.

"I needed a crew."

With that, Captain Jack Sparrow sat down and began to tell his first mate the entire story, excluding the part of us 'believing' we're from the future, for some reason. Mr. Gibbs sat down opposite him, moth open and ignoring the beer that was dripping through the table and onto his pants. Jared and I stood as we were, standing before the table. My legs ached from all the walking and working but I wasn't about to pull up a chair and join those two pirates with a mug of beer. I'm not about to become chummy with these sea thieves.

Oh, who am I kidding?!

Ignoring a scowling Jared, I turned around and headed to the bar.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I though you said that your first mate stole your ship?" I muttered to Captain Jack Sparrow as we shuffled down the crowded streets. The wind reeked of burning wood and musty perfume, the chimneys coughing out black smoke above our heads. Prostitutes lined the walls of the damp street, their colourful and elaborate dresses flaunting patches of white-powdered skin. They called at us as we passed, cooing lustfully at Jared and our companions. A couple of drunkards danced past us, singing in joy.

"Aye, lass," the captain glanced at me with those dark eyes, lips smiling, "Mr. Gibbs is me first mate. But it was me other first mate, Barbossa, that stole me ship. Stole me Pearl."

"Pearl?" I inquired, rubbing my hands together and puffing warm breath between them. Behind us, Mr. Gibbs and Jared talked away, voices hushed. The night was late yet the moon did not peek down at us from above; it was missing in action.

"My ship, lass," Captain Sparrow turned away from me to gaze cheekily at the women that surrounded us, "Me Black Pearl. The finest and fastest ship in all of the Caribbean." He patted his hat unconsciously as his eyes wandered about, yellow teeth winking. The cold numbed until my bones, the chilly wind kissing my skin gently.

"Whoa, whoa, wait! How many first mates does a pirate need again?" I held up my hands, cocking an eyebrow. My voice drowned out the other two behind me.

The Captain turned an irrated face at me; His hands went down to his black belt-holster.

"Luv, has anyone told ye ye're annoying?" he asked. A wind blew.

"Well, yes," I replied, folding my arms across my chest, "Everyone always says that. They always say that I talk too much, too much for my own good. In fact, there was this one time-…"

"We're here!" Mr. Gibbs' voice interrupted me, catching me off guard. Stopping in my tracks, I spun around to look at the face of the wall on our right.

In front of me, imbedded in front of a tall building with dark shutters was a long, wooden door. It stood two meters high, the mahogany wood rotting at its hinges. A little closed opening in the door lay at eye level, its edges bordered with nails. Jared shuffled away from an incoming call girl to stand directly behind me.

"Well, here we are, "he murmured into my right ear.

I didn't reply.

"Jack," Mr. Gibbs spoke, running his fat hand over his dark hair, "Maybe dis ain't de best idea."

"Nonsense!" Captain Sparrow leaned back a little and then strides towards the door. He hit his brown knuckles against the wooden door, making the wood shake and moan. With that, he swerved on his heels and turned back to us, smirking.

"O'ld Seadog and I go way back, mates. Way back, even before ye're was born, luv."

"Oh great," I did an orbital eye roll, "That just shows how freaking old you are."

As the captain opened his mouth to respond, the opening behind his head slided open, making a whooshing sound. Captain Sparrow swung back around at the sound. Peering through the opening was a pair of cold, blue eyes, a jagged scar slashing down across one eye.

"Oh. Hello," the captain grinned back at the icy cold eyes. I gripped my arms tightly.

"What ye want?" a voice cracked harshly behind the door, the eyes scrunching together slightly. A wagon trottled past behind us. A hard whip striking the poor donkey that led it. The smell of smoke tickled my senses. Captain Sparrow cleared his throat.

"Tell Captain Seadog that Jack Sparrow has come to see him." There, he paused and in his dark, beautiful eyes, something moved. Something flickered in those dark pools like a cat with a twitchy tail and ignited in a shroud of flames that danced in the dull firelight like gysies under the wanning moonlight.

Captain Sparrow had a plan.

The pair of blue eyes began to shift away from the door, still glareing when the Captain's voice made it stop in its tracks.

"Oh, and tell ye're captain that I come with payment, hey sav'vy?" the captain said, grining like there was no tomorrow. He hooked his thumbs at the bridge of his belt.

The cold, blue eyes stared back for awhile and then, with what seemed like a muffled sigh, pulled back. The shutters over the opening then snapped shut, joining wood back to wood.

"Alright then!" Jared clapped his hands together, swinging his arms, "Time to go!" He turned around to walk back down the street but Mr. Gibbs stopped him, yanking him back by his collar.

"Not so fast, lad," Mr. Gibbs said, my brother staggering backward at his pull, "Give 'im time. Seadog always takes his time to make decisions." My twin sorely nodded in reply and stood where he was. With a slight smirk, I turned back to the Captain.

"What payment are you talking about?" I queried, cocking an eyebrow high to my hairline. A pretty, blonde prostitute sauntered her way towards us, cooing, but Mr. Gibbs waved her away (surprisingly.)

"Jack owes Old Seadog money," Mr. Gibbs explained, half -murmuring to me. He tucked his chubby hands into his pant's pocket.

"Ohhh…." I smirked back at the captain, pushing my hands onto my hips, "So the pirate borrowed from a pirate. How bloody noble." Captain Sparrow glared at me and was about to comment when the tall wooden door behind him pulled open, thick smoke billowing out from within. It creaked as it pulled open, firelight washing through the opening. Standing in the gap between the door and the wall was a tall, muscular man. His long, black hair clung to the nape of his neck as thick droplets of sweat rolled down his pale skin (I wondered why, in this frigid cold weather.) A pair of icy blue eyes pierced through us like a sharp blade.

Without a word, the man pulled the door open even more widely and stepped back, gesturing for us to enter. A weak wind swept over us once again, making my blood chill. A piercing scream tore through the night, followed by the loud bangs of pistols. Somewhere, in one of the houses nearby, a baby cried.

God, I hate this town.

With a shudder, I followed Captain Sparrow inside, into the smoldering smoke and into the heart of Captain Seadog's den.

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Compared to the outside world, where the chill of the sea had crept into the sea town as fingers of mist and the wind of the ocean had crashed down on all like a hammer, Seadog's cavern was blissfully hot.

Giant, burbling cauldrons of burning logs were stationed at each corner of the hall, billows of smoke pouring out of their gaping mouths. Cinder ashes as hot and red as the sun danced to the floor while the black, vulgar smoke climbed to the ceiling, darkening the world above my head. A fire tucked neatly in a small fireplace at the center of the room added to the heat, the gentle flame casting shadows in ember onto the wooden floor.

Circumferencing the room were pirates. Dirty, half-drunk pirates. They lounged about on long, cushy chairs, laughing crudely with long pipes sticking out of their lips. Prostitutes surrounded them as well, laughing in their shrill voices, their dyed hair clipped neatly above their heads. Soft music played in the background, a lively tune that sounded folk than…um…pirate. Smoke stings my eyes as my nose inhaled the sweet smell of opium.

Sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by pretty women was a large, bald man. He was as tanned as the fire that surrounded him, his glassy green eyes wide and huge. He was a fat man, whose huge belly stuck out of his green shirt and over the ridge of his pants. Rings of dirt adorned his chubby neck, his flabby arms draped around the waist of a skinny brunette. His cheeks were red and ruddy, the twin pieces of flesh hanging over his jawbone and down his neck. Covering most of his rotund face was a thick, dirty-blonde beard that dripped with sweat; his bald head was shiny with sweat as well. He laid against a red couch, hands on the prostitutes and a long, smoking pipe sticking out of his mouth.

He was by far the filthiest man I had ever seen.

Well, except for Captain Sparrow of course.

"What is this place?" I whispered into Mr. Gibbs' ear, cupping my hand over my nose; I sure as hell did not want to breathe in the toxic air. Behind us, the tall man with pale blue eyes shut the wooden door, trapping the heat and blocking the cold out.

I suddenly felt like a trapped animal.

"Captain Seadog's opium den," Mr. Gibbs replied back in a low voice, trailing slowly behind Captain Sparrow deeper into the room, "Old Seadog's always been good friends with de Chinese pirates down at Singapore. Gets dem opium for cheap, yes he does! Lucky bastard if you ask me!" I cocked an eyebrow at him while Jared snorted in annoyance behind me. I knew my brother better then anyone else and I can always read him like a book; he was fed-up with pirates.

Hey, at least we finally have something in common!

"Captain Sparrow!" the man in the middle of the room suddenly blurted me out of my thoughts, his voice low and slurry. In front of me, Sparrow grinned back at us, his gold teeth glinting in the firelight. Jabba the Hut-he looked just like that fat alien in Star Wars-stretched out his feet as he grinned in our direction. With a chubby hand, he withdrew the opium pipe from his mouth, trailing silvery treads of saliva. The other pirates around him continued on with their business with the ladies but kept one eye on their Captain, in case of trouble. The blue-eyed man who had opened the door for the others and I had receded back into the shadows. I coughed and my eyes began to water.

"Seadog!" Captain Sparrow replied, sauntering foreword to the big man, "How ye been?"

"Aye, mate, well!" Seadog laughed out, drool splattering all over his shirt. He reached back with a fat palm and scratched his butt unglamorously. The ladies on the couch watched us curiously. Some of the pirates on a nearby seat guffawed away, their laughter savage and cruel. The hot smoke pressed down on us, suffocating us in a blanket of heat. Sweat rolled down my back.

Captain Seadog leaned his head on the couch as his eyes did a lopsided roll. The ladies beside him cooed and played with his beard. Jared leaned in close behind me and whispered in my ear.

"High?" he nodded his head at the older pirate who was lopped over the couch.

"Oh yeah," I grinned back most maliciously; there was no doubting how high on opium Seadog was. Beside us, Mr. Gibbs glared at us to be silent. Back at the main couch, Captain Seadog readjusted himself and gazed at Captain Sparrow with glassy eyes.

"Last I heard, Jack," Seadog slurred, grinning at the younger pirate in front of him, "Ye stole Harry's boat."

"Borrowed," Sparrow insisted, grinning slyly, "I merely borrowed his boat."

At this, Captain Seadog laughed out again, his laughter short and gaspy. There was just something about him that I disliked, something that made my senses go on red-alert. I shuffled closer to my brother, not really caring if he liked me being so close or not. The heat from the burning cauldrons was enough to drive me mad; Ironically, I now wished for the cold of the outside wind.

"Y-ye…Hoho, Jack! Borrowed!" Seadog laughed, snorting as he did, "Borrowed! Always the joker, Jack! Always!" Here, he reached over to the table in front of him and dragged a full bottle of rum towards him; seriously, what is with pirates and rum?!

"Borrowed! Just like how Tia Dalma used to call ye, Witty Jack! Haha, very witty! Witty Jack!" he chugged down a gulp of rum, casting aside his pipe. His crew carried on with their talk but one closest to his Captain kept a sharp watch on us. The ladies were silent.

"Witty Jack…wait, who the heck is Tia Dalma?" Jared whispered in Mr. Gibbs ear as Seadog carried on his little performance for Sparrow. My brother crossed his arms across his chest somewhat protectively, his eyes still kept on Seadog.

"She was a witch, living near the slumps not far from here," Mr. Gibbs whispered back, his breath hot and laced with rum. Sweat dripped down the side of his pudgy face.

"Witch?"

"Aye, lad," the first mate nodded as he leaned closer to us, "She was. That is… until not too long ago, when she was released from her from the prison of her human body and then turned back to her original form as Calypso, Goddess of the Sea." He spoke with such seriousness, his face hard and emotional except for a flicker of worry in his eyes.

"Goddess-of-the-sea…." My brother said slowly, breaking each word up.

"Wow, pirates are loony!" I commented in return, arching both eyebrows.

"Listen lass-…" Mr. Gibbs began with a scowl but the sudden dying of the other pirates chatter and the muting of the music interrupted him, stirring his head back to the middle of the room. Smoke swirled above his head.

Captain Seadog a.k.a Jabba the Hut had arisen, standing on his thick legs. All eyes in the room were on him as the famous pirate dragged himself off the seat clumsily, pulling his opium pipe to his lips. His glazed eyes had suddenly become clear and the lopsided grin he had just won but a few minutes ago was replaced by a much colder grin. I couldn't help but marvel at the sudden transformation. To his left and right, his pirates were silent, their hookers for the night joining in the hush. There, in that inferno of an opium den, a chill crept over me.

"Me good man Tom tells me ye're brought me payment," he smoked his pipe, a puff of white cloud whispering out of the pipe's opening. He spoke this to Captain Sparrow, who stood with a smile but two meters from him. Sparrow's grin widened in reply as he unhooked his thumbs from his belt and leaned backwards lazily, against some invisible wall. The plan blossomed in his eyes. Jared coughed.

"Don't worry, mate," Sparrow replied, flinging his arms, "I got ye payment. In fact, more then the borrowed amount, actually." As Seadog's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Captain Sparrow turned side long back to us and waved at tanned hand.

"Love, come here," he called at me, yellow teeth glinting. The fires from the cauldrons reflected in his dark eyes.

"No way," I retorted, folding my hands across my chest. If he thinks that I'm going to be part of Seadog's payment, I swear I'll-

"The ball, love," Captain Sparrow said, slight impatient in his voice, "Bring it here." Then, realization dawned on me. With wide eyes, I reached down into my pocket and pulled out the glowing Verdad de el Corazon, heat kissing my palm. It shined like the sun, the golden threads swimming about sleepily. At the sight of the ball, everyone in the room sprang to their feet, gaps of surprise feeling the air. Some cursed in surprise while others ran to their captain, eyes widened in disbelief. The silent room became noisy, the pirates alive and all of a sudden, no longer high on opium.

"Captain! Do ye not see this? It is-…"

"Unbelievable, sir! It's supposed to be lost forever!"

"Never in all me years, in all of the Flying Dutchman's-…"

"VERDAD!" Seadog's voice drowned out the others, his attention full on Sparrow. His eyes were widened to an unbelievable extent as drool splattered against the floor at his last word.

"Aye," Sparrow replied calmly, somehow silencing the men in the room with his words, "Verdad." He held up a hand parallel to his shoulders, fingers curled inwards. Taking my cue, I strode towards him and rather regretfully, placed the golden orb in his hands. His tanned fingers clenched it and pulled the warmth away from me; the warmth was still desirous despite the hot air in here. Yielding the globe in front of him and staring back at the throng of surprised pirates, he smirked at them.

"I want to make a deal."

Bloody hell, he copied my line!

"What deal?" one of the faceless pirates queried but Captain Seadog waved his comment away, eyes bulged out like an insect.

"How on earth did ye find it, Jack?" he questioned, cheeks trembling and ignoring Sparrow's statement, "It was supposed to be long gone….I've searched everywhere-…"

"Aye, mate," Captain Sparrow nodded his head, his black braids brushing against one another, "Ye did. Ye only forgot to search de most obvious places….but all of that does not matter now." He playfully bounced the Verdad in his hand, the pirates' heads bobbing along with it. Their faces were etched with unbelief, astonishment. The women that surrounded them watched too with shock, their once open mouth silent and their usually merry faces, stoned. Sweat dribbled down my face as I slowly backed towards my brother and Mr. Gibbs, suddenly very wary of the heaviness of my footsteps. Upon reaching them, Jared gripped my arm and held me back, refusing to let me go.

After what seemed like forever, Captain Seadog finally spoke.

"A deal, ye say?"

"Aye," Sparrow grinned triumphantly, "A deal."

"And what would that deal be, mate?"

"The Verdad in exchange of the clearing of me debt and ye're ship."

At this, all the pirates in the room burst out in laughter, their voices deep, low and harsh. They bent over and slapped their knees, clutching their stomach as if Sparrow had just told the most excellent joke. Seadog laughed too, his glassy green eyes sparkling alight and his face, lighting up. The hookers laughed too, in their shrill giggles. Smoke pressed down on all of us.

"Ye're joking, aren't ye're Jack?" Seadog burst out, still laughing. I had no idea why they all found it terribly funny; I didn't. Brushing back his snaky black hair, Mr. Gibbs gulped.

"Nay mate," was Sparrow's only answer, his voice taking on a sudden seriousness. Despite the change in his voice, his face still wore that smug, self-indulging smile. At Sparrow's answer, the pirates' laughter diminished into a lull. Seadog too stopped smiling and seriousness returned to his face once again. A singular pirate who was still laughing away at the back of the room had his head whacked by another of his fellow shipmates. The heat pulsed against me in waves.

"Wait, wait, wait," Seadog shook his shiny head, "Let me get this clear….Ye want to trade the Verdad as ye're payment as well as for me ship?! Me Betty?!" A murmur of disgruntlement echoed throughout the crowd. One pirate, a tall, muscular African fellow withdrew his long, blood-rusted sword from his holster.

"The Verdad alone exceeds me payment of 30 gold pieces to ye," Captain Sparrow explained, acting as if it was the simplest thing in world by shrugging his shoulders, " Ye're ship would easily compensate the rest of its value."

Seadog's cheeks reddened and just as he was opening his mouth to answer back, a metal door at the side of the room, to my left, pushed opened most suddenly. Most of the pirates jumped at this, due to the tension in the room and all, and turned towards the newly opened door, frowning.

Pushing their way out of the door were two filthy pirates, their hairs disheveled and wet. Some others followed behind them, also wet and messy looking, their cheeks and nose pink from the cold of the outside world.

Wedged in between the first two pirates, trapped like a mouse, was a petite, beautiful girl. Just like the pirates, she was bone wet, her long red hair clinging to her wet back. She wore a long, typical Victorian-era dress, its pink hue somewhat dirtied by soot and dust. Her skin was pale and clear, probably the clearest I had ever seen. Set in her face was a pair of beautiful green eyes, the firelight twinkling in her dark pupils and reflecting the panic that read clearly in those green pools. Her thick, red lips were drawn in a thin line, her lower lip trembling gently. Her long eyelashes fluttered in fear as she, the strange, pretty newcomer, was dragged forth to us, to the center of the room.

Behind me, I saw Jared's face reddened.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Jared had a weakness for beautiful girls.

"We found her, captain," the taller of the two pirates that sandwiched her announced proudly, cocking his head upwards. Now that they were closer, I could see that both pirates had the redhead's arms pinned down by her side.

She was their captive!

In response, as soon as she was within arms length, Captain Seadog turned away from us and with his fatty hand, grabbed the redhead's jaw and pulled her to him. The girl gave out a yelp as Seadog dragged her towards him, her two capturers having released her arms. Behind me, Jared released my elbow and made to go foreword but I stopped him.

"Lady Errol!" Seadog laughed mockingly, squeezing the girl's cheeks with his fatty hand, "What a pleasure it is to meet ye again!" Around him, the pirates chuckled, clearly enjoying themselves. It seemed that momentarily, the Verdad as well as Sparrow were forgotten.

"LET GO!" the redhead managed to squeal as she flapped her now free hands at the bulging figure before her. The pirates' chuckle had blossomed into a loud round of guffaw. Seadog lifted her higher by her jaw, making her tiptoe on her bare feet.

"HAHA," bellowed Seadog, clearly amused, "Let go, do ye say luv? Try to escape, did ye not? Though Ol'd Seadog couldn't find ye, eh?" The prostitutes on the couch laughed away, flipping back their hair. One pirate made to sit back down among the girls but a glare from the African man with the sword made him jump back up.

"Errol?" Captain Sparrow asked coolly, raising an interested eyebrow. His lips wore a playful smirk. Seadog turned his fat head back to Sparrow and grinned in reply.

"Aye, mate," he said, beaming, "Errol! Dis here de precious daughter of de great Lord Errol himself!" At this, he tightened his squeeze of the girl's jaw, making her squeal again. The pirates laughed. I leaned back to my brother and whispered, eyes wide.

"Errol….as in the Lord-put-you-in-prison-just-because-of-your-pants- Errol?!"

Jared did not reply. Instead, his face reddened even more and he clenched his fist together tightly. If this were the comic world, steam would have been jetting out of his ears by now. I moved back slightly and hooked my arm around he's; it's the only thing I could thing of that would calm him down.

"Funny how things turn out, huh luv?" Seadog hissed to his captive, drawing her face nearer to hers. The girl fidgeted and grabbed his massive arms but was too weak to push him off. Glaring back at him, with anger stirring in her greens, she spat.

"My father will have your neck!"

With that, the entire cavern broke out in laughter, Sparrow joining in. Beside us, Mr. Gibbs chuckled nervously. Jared squeezed my arm. I coughed.

I really hate pirates.

All of a sudden, without much warning, Captain Seadog pushed his tongue into the redhead's mouth lustfully, pulling back her hair with his other hand. The girl-Lady Errol- flinched back but she had not the strength to push him away as the filthy, fat pirate kissed her savagely. She tried to scream against his mouth but as his crew hooted out most wickedly, he bit down on her lower lip and pulled back, laughing

Lady Errol cried at the bite and flung herself away, dropping sideways onto the wooden floor with a thud. The room chorused with laughter. Their voices were harsh and cold. It was so sickening. Behind me, Jared made to rush forward, face set in an angry scowl but I tugged him back with my arm, placing my other hand on his chest to hold him back.

"Calm down, Jared," I hissed into his red ear, "Now's not the time to play to play the hero."

"But-…"

"No."

Lady Errol raised her trembling red head from the ground and glared her emerald eyes up at Jabba the Hut. Blood dripped down the center of her lower lip, the red fluid leaking down her pale jaw. Tears streaked down her cheeks. Her right hand was clenched in a fist. She turned her gaze from the fat pirate for a second and swept the room with those piercing green eyes. For a moment, those trembling eyes settled on me and something stirred in them.

A thought, perhaps.

Then, she turned back to Captain Seadog, teeth gritting.

As the throng of pirates laughed most maliciously, Captain Seadog turned back to Sparrow, still amused. He wiped a thick hand over his sweaty brow and then creased it off on his dirty shirt.

"Well then, Jack," he grinned at Captain Sparrow as the two pirates who had come in earlier with the redhead came forward and hoisted up the lady roughly, " I say ye're lucky. Young missy Errol here got me back in me good mood!" He slapped his round belly with humour. Captain Sparrow responded with a calm smirk.

Turning back to his pirates, Seadog leered at Lady Errol, who was now held on both sides by the two wet pirates, and ordered his crew.

"Take her to me room. I'll deal with her later."

The crew chuckled at this and Lady Errol was dragged away, through another door at the end of the room. The pirates hooted at her as she passed but the pretty redhead said nothing, cocking her head upward and marching past them with as much dignity as she could muster.

A true lady, might I add.

I can only imagine what Seadog was to do to her.

Beside me, Jared had not simmered down. His face was still as red as a tomato and as he watched Lady Errol being dragged out the room, he muttered something beneath his breath that I couldn't understand. His muscles were tensed.

Finally, Lady Errol left and the door at the back of the room slammed shut. Honestly, my heart went out to her. I brought down my hand from Jared's chest and with a sigh, tugged it into my now empty pocket.

I really hate this century.

"Alright then, Jack," Seadog grinned back at Captain Sparrow, beard dripping with sweat, "Ye won. I'm in good mood ye see…and I'm feeling generous. Alright, I agree to de deal. Ye give me de Verdad and I loan ye're me ship. Loan, heh Jack loan. I expect me Betty back in full condition. No damages, no gun holes… nothin'. I want her back just as I give her to ye. Understood?"

"Understood, savvy." Captain Sparrow replied, his eyes glinting like jewels in the dark.

Something tells me that Seadog was never going to see his dear old Betty again.

TA-DA! END OF CHAPTER!

I would like to apologize to everyone for taking sooooo long to write this chapter! I have been really busy studying for my major exams and I really didn't have the time to write! So sorry! And to all Will Turner fans, I promise-pinky promise!-that I will bring him into the story in Chapter 11.

Look out for the next chapter!

Thanks and please comment!