This alley looks a bit shady. I bet they're both thinking this is a bit shady.

I was fairly certain of where I was going. Gibbs could be hard to find, but where there's rum there's Gibbs. Or me. But I wasn't looking for me. I knew exactly where I was. So, to locate Gibbs it was a matter or going from one rum-filled place to another. Will and Isabel looked laughably out of place as I lead them to Gibbs's usual haunt. He wasn't inside but someone muttered something drunkenly about him being round the back. I hoped he didn't mean it in a dead way. We went to check.

What is that God awful stench? Oh, it's just Gibbs.

"Aha," I muttered, proud that my brilliance had found him so quickly. He wasn't dead, just lying in pig muck with some pigs. Real pigs… not really ugly people. I wasn't being rude, I genuinely meant of the animal variety. The snoring indicated that he was asleep. I picked up a pale of water and threw it over him. He jumped awake. Immediately angry at life and everything it stood for.

"Curse ye' for breathing ye' slack-jawed idiot!" Rude. Slowly he focused on my handsome features. His anger ebbed away. Obviously. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck."

Oh Gibbs… such a fool.

"Ah, but fortunately I know how to counter it." I smiled at him. "The man who did the waking does the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks the drink while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

I waited while he thought it through painfully slowly. What was so difficult to understand about that? It seemed a perfectly reasonable statement. I'm offering you a drink, fool. "Aye," he smiled eventually. "That'll about do it."

I extended my hand to my old friend and helped him to his feet. No sooner had he stepped back than Will stepped forwards and doused him in another bucket of water. Eunuch… what are you doing? Throwing water at people is not a way of greeting someone. Is that what you thought? You massive idiot. Gibbs won't be happy.

"Blast it I'm already awake!"

Told you.

"That was for the smell." Will replied.

Ah... seems reasonable.

I turned and was about to walk away and back into the tavern when Isabel stepped forward, her eyes were fixed on Gibbs. "Joshamee Gibbs," she murmured. Her voice was soft and quite. I detected a mild hint of affection.

"Miss Norrington?" Gibbs sounded shocked beyond belief.

I didn't like this. It was too unexpected. "Do you two know each other?" I frowned at them both.

"Aye," Gibbs nodded. He and Isabel exchanged tentative smiles. It was bit awkward. "That's James Norrington's sister. I used to be part of his crew. What are you doing here?" Gibbs addressed her but something made me speak first.

"Barbossa and his crew took her friend."

"It was Elizabeth," she added, not wanting to be outdone.

Gibbs's attention was back on me. But not because of how good looking I am. "Barbossa," he repeated, looking at me with shock and disbelief. I just nodded, hoping that he'd drop the matter. He didn't of course, because he is a buffoon. He tried to speak so I grabbed him and pushed him in the door before he could arouse any suspicion. I glanced behind to check that Drowned Girl and Eunuch were following. Both of them looked a little bit confused and concerned about their surroundings. I guided Gibbs to a table and sat him down. Will and Isabel approached. If this was going to work I was going to have to keep them as far away from Gibbs as possible until I had a chance to explain the situation. I stood up and gave them a winning smile.

"You two, come with me, I need to talk to Master Gibbs on his own, he may take some convincing," I left Gibbs, leading them away from the table. "Keep a weather eye," I looked around the tavern as if I was suspicious of something. If they thought there was a reason to suspect suspicious people then they would turn their suspicions towards them and that would take their suspicions away from the suspect motives behind my conversation with Gibbs.

I got Gibbs and me some rum and sat back down. Gibbs took a refreshing swig. "Now, what's the nature of this venture you're on?"

I leant in closer so that nobody could overhear. "I'm going after the Black Pearl." Gibbs almost choked on his drink. Calm down and stop looking at me like I'm crazy. It's really rude. "I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it."

"Jack, it's a fool's errand…" I'll let it slip once but don't call me a fool again. "Why, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."

"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew." I tried to be patient with him. Some people just don't understand that I always know exactly what I'm doing… well, most of the time.

"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one."

Rude.

"Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh? I said sharply.

"Prove me wrong." Gibbs challenged. "What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"

I felt myself smile. I loved these moments when I proved to disbelieving people how brilliant I am. "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" I nodded towards Will. Gibbs looked confused. Because he's an idiot. I nodded towards Will again. It took a while but eventually he got it.

"The kid?" he frowned.

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child, savvy?" A glint appeared in Gibbs's eyes. Now he understood.

"Is he, now? 'Leverage' says you… 'I think I feel a change in the wind,' says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."

I choose to take this as a compliment.

I assumed by 'crazy' he meant brilliant."One can only hope." I replied, even though I doubted he'd find anyone as close to brilliant as I am. Perhaps just people who could see and understand my brilliance would do. I raised my rum to his, "Take what you can?"

"Give nothing back," he tapped his off mine and the deal was done.

I was feeling a bit tired as we walked back to the Interceptor. All this planning was taking it out of me. I never usually do this much planning.

"Where's Gibbs?" Isabel asked. Nobody had spoken the whole way back and so her voice, although it was quiet, gave me a fright.

"Gone to find us a crew," I acted nonchalant, hoping she hadn't seen my slight jump. "We should be ready to sail by tomorrow morning."

"That's good," she sounded relieved. "Isn't it Will?" I detected a hint of falseness about her voice and question. There was a reason she was trying to make him talk to me. Will scowled before he slammed a door behind him.

I wish you'd slammed that door in your own face.

I sighed. "Am I detecting a little hostility between me and William?"

"Erm…" she squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm sure it's nothing personal… He's just a bit… preoccupied at the moment."

She was so easy to see through it was laughable. Not literally see through, you understand. It wasn't like her clothes were see-through… although that could have been interesting… Unfortunately it was just her words that were see-through. Not that you can really see words anyway but you know what I mean.

"You are the worst liar I know," I said truthfully.

"Well, I'm sure you know very many," she retorted. Bit cheeky for your kind is it not love? Keep it up…

"True, love," I felt myself smile as I could see her own shock at her sudden boldness was written all over her face. "True."

There was a moment of easy silence. She looked me in the eye. "I appreciate what you're doing for us, Jack."

That was almost like a 'thank you'. Not that anyone from such a class as hers would ever thank anyone. Ever."Do you now?"

"Yes. You could have stabbed us in the back a thousand times by now, but you haven't you've stuck to your word." She sounded a bit too surprised.

"Did you not expect me to?" Because if you did you're an absolute fool for coming. Her silence said it all. "I thought as much. Like brother, like sister."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said sharply. No need to get bitchy, it was meant as a joke.

"You made up your mind up about me before you knew me, just like your brother," I explained, trying not to let her rattle me.

"Hypocrite!" she narrowed her eyes. "That's exactly what you've just done!"

It's different when I do it because I'm right.

"Well, I know you're type."

"What do you mean 'my type'?" She was easily angered. Even for a woman. Well if she thought I would treat her differently because she had a dress on she had another think coming.

"I mean that you are nothing but a snooty little rich kid that has everything handed to her on a silver platter by doting parents." She was stunned into silence and I couldn't resist rubbing salt in her wounds, "Oh sorry(!) Did I offend you precious mummy and daddy?"

There was a moment's silence and then she raised her eyes to look at me. All the fight was gone. "My parents are dead."

Oh shit!

She said it quietly. Her voice didn't crack or come out all high-pitched like you might have expected from a woman. But the pain was all there. In her eyes. She turned away from me. I'd stopped enjoying this now, being right felt all wrong, "I'm sorry, love."

Why is it that when someone's bereaved we always apologise as if it's our fault? 'Sorry' seems like the least helpful thing to say. I wasn't sure if I was apologising for her loss or apologising for bringing it up in the harshest way possible.

"Yeah," she sounded like she forgave me but she'd heard all this before. She walked away. Her barriers were up now. I knew how she felt.

Catch her up, Jackie.

I did what the small voice in my head told me to do because I can usually rely on it to be right. It usually agrees with my compass and I trust that immensely. "My mum's dead too," I admitted, knowing that it was the only way to salvage whatever kind of almost-tolerating each other that had been going on before this argument.

She stopped. "Really?"

I didn't think this was the right time to point out how stupid a lie it would have been if it was one. Which it wasn't.

"Yeah, my dad keeps her head on a piece of string." She laughed. \It wasn't meant as a joke. Her eyes widened with the surprise of it all. I didn't understand why she was surprised but laughter was better than anger.

"I suppose it kind of sweet," she said after she'd finished laughing at my father's disturbing behaviour.

Sweet? Why do women find the most bizarre thing attractive? Like baby animals instead of a good sail on a big black boat. Even so, a head on a string was a bit of a leap from a baby animal. She's an odd one, this one.

"You're a bit odd, love," I said honestly.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Didn't say it was a bad thing," I winked and her blush deepened. This is fun. I like making people squirm. "'odd' can be good."

I put my arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. She seemed quite happy now. Angry and upset one minuet, happy and finding creepy things sweet the next… women, eh?

Thanks for reading, I know it was a bit long :P

Love you guys :)

LV xx