Chapter Twenty Nine:
Negotiation


Jack grinned wickedly as he stared across the wooden table at one of his new crewmen. The older man, who simply went by the name Hagen, immediately knew he had a losing hand and dropped his cards to the table.

"Bloody good thing we're not playing for money," he muttered with a good natured smirk. Like the rest of the crew, he was wearing dirty rags and was unkempt from his years at sea. However, he still held a thick Irish accent and had rich auburn hair that was just beginning to show signs of graying.

"I think I'll have a celebratory drink," Jack quipped as he downed the rum that was sitting in front of him. He had decided that the crew might be a little more forgiving with him, if he showed them that he was the kind of captain they wanted to have in charge of things. Now the deck of the Pearl was aglow with lantern light as the entire crew sat around playing cards and drinking rum. Most pirate ships forbade gambling because it led to far too many fights and subsequent deaths. However, enjoying a a friendly game of cards had certainly never harmed anyone.

"As if you need an excuse for a drink," Ana said sarcastically.

Hagen picked up his mug and held it in the air. "The lass is right, who needs excuses?" He said and then downed his rum as well. Ana smirked as the rest of the crew agreed wholeheartedly and then disposed of their own drinks.

"I told you there were advantages to having another woman on the ship," Kaitlyn said as they watched the men continue to laugh, drink and begin another hand of cards. Ana glanced at her and nodded in agreement. She had to admit that since Kaitlyn had lost her prissy demeanor and became more a part of the crew, Ana had found some amount of relief in having another female presence there. She could hold her alcohol as well as any of the men, but sitting around and drinking herself into a stupor wasn't something she felt the need to do. And having at least one person that wouldn't be drunkenly groping her by the end of the night definitely had it's advantages.

"If we wait another hour we could probably rob them blind," Ana quipped. Kaitlyn laughed at the idea, because it was likely very true. Jack had sent Dallin below deck earlier in the evening to bring up as much rum as he could find and the crew was taking full advantage of it. Both women had indulged in a bit themselves, but neither had intentions of impairing their judgment. At least in a pub, if things were to get out of control there was almost always a way to get out of the situation. No matter how much trust they put into the crew while sober, a ship wasn't a place for women to press their luck. Ana Maria had learned early in life that she not only had to be physically tough to handle men, but often she had to be smarter to keep herself safe, even on a relatively docile ship like the Pearl.

Finally, she rolled her eyes and sighed then turned and headed up to the helm, Kaitlyn following behind her. Dallin had offered to keep a watch over things since none of the other men seemed to have any intention of doing so. Ana also suspected that his age and size also set him apart from the other men and wasn't sure he had any real desire to drink amongst them.

Jack watched as both of the women went up to the helm and then he returned to his game of cards. While he had enjoyed having a few mugs of rum, he was making sure to keep himself much more sober than he typically would. He had been mutinied upon once before and he wasn't going to put himself in that position again. His other intentions were slightly less obvious. As his new crewmen drank more they also talked more, giving him a better idea of the kind of men they were and just how much trust he could truly put into them. While Hagen seemed rather good natured, Jack wasn't entirely convinced that he trusted some of the other men, including Jasper.

His gaze moved from the cards in his hands to the rustling he heard on the deck. Perhaps, he had simply grown more accustomed to Pepe than almost anyone else had, but he recognized the slight sound of his scurryings when no one else seemed to be aware of it.

Before anyone else even realized the monkey was nearby, Pepe grabbed something of Jaspers and attempted to run. The pirate pulled his cutlass and nearly ran it through the small monkey but was stopped when his sword was violently knocked out of his hand and it slid across the floor. He turned to see Jack standing, his cutlass drawn with obvious intention to keep harm from coming to the small creature.

"He stole my time piece," Jasper said, unsure what had just transpired. Most pirates wouldn't tolerate thievery on their ship, let alone when it was committed by lowly vermin.

Jack looked up toward the crow's nest, where Pepe had run off to, and then shook his head. "He's a monkey," Jack stated obviously.

"He's a thief," Jasper countered.

"Aye," Jack agreed. "But in case you haven't noticed, mate, we're on the open sea. That monkey won't be selling off your valuables anytime soon. The first rule on my ship is that we don't kill the monkey..."

"Kill the monkey!" Jack turned abruptly when Cotton's bird spoke up. "Kill the monkey!"

"Don't...kill the monkey," Jack repeated.

"Awk! Kill the monkey!"

"We do not kill the monkey." He said as he stepped closer to Cotton.

"Jack," Gibbs finally broke in as he stepped between Jack and the bird. "You're arguing with a parrot."

Jack looked at Gibbs and then let his glance move back to the bird before giving a childish smirk. "He started it."

"He started it!" The parrot squawked. Gibbs quickly braced Jack so that he wouldn't lunge for the mouthy thing. Jack watched it for another moment and then turned and sat in his seat again.

"The second rule on the ship is no one teaches that bloody bird any new words," he muttered as he picked up his cards again. Gibbs looked at Cotton and grinned before turning and offering Jack a serious nod. Jasper stood staring up at the crow's nest before retrieving his cutlass and then his cards. There was no point in pressing the issue for the time being. After a few moments of awkward silence the rum began flowing again and all thoughts of monkeys and parrots were gone completely.


The sun seemed to rise extra early the following morning, simply to punish the crew for their night of fun. Jack had decided to stay up into the morning hours when the others had finally gone below deck to get sleep. As the day wore on, the men returned to their duties but the foreboding feeling that had been bothering Jack finally came to a head mid-day. There was a ship waiting for them on the horizon and he didn't need two guesses as to who it was.

"Cap'n?" Gibbs questioned.

Jack shook his head and then looked to his first mate. "If you have any suggestions, now would be the time to hear them."

"Think we can outrun 'em?" Gibbs questioned. Jack stared at the approaching ship. Even if they did try to get away there was no where to get to. The ship was under crewed and wasn't capable of moving at it's full speed. Eventually, Ackhart would catch up to them and Jack would need to deal with the consequences.

"Ackhart won't give up so easily, I'm afraid," he informed his first mate. The tension aboard the ship was almost thick enough to cut through. A moment of total silence passed before Jack finally spoke up again. "I'll give him the Pearl."

"Jack?" Gibbs gasped at the very thought. "You can't just hand over the Pearl."

"I seem to be running out of options that will leave me anything less than dead," Jack responded curtly.

"Just give him the statue," Gibbs argued. "Then we'll still have the Pearl for plundering."

Jack looked to his first mate and smirked. "The way I hear tell, if I give up the statue, I lose the ship regardless," he said. Gibbs averted his eyes but said nothing to dispute that fact that most of the crew would likely vote to have him stripped of his title. "I'll hand over the Pearl under the condition that the entire crew be returned safely to Tortuga." Gibbs watched as Jack slowly descended the stairs and stood on the deck waiting for Ackhart. He realized that Jack would rather give up his ship than to have his own crew vote him out of the position of captain. His pride would be far more damaged if he were demoted and had to work amongst the crew while still on his own ship.

Not more than quarter of an hour later, Ackhart was once again boarding the Pearl. Several of his crewmen followed him and waited patiently for orders.

"Where's the rest of your crew, Sparrow?" The amusement the other captain's voice was nearly enough to make Jack reach for his pistol.

"A good captain can sail a ship with a minimal crew. Each member gets more of the spoils that way, it's common sense, really," he replied.

"And a bad captain sails with a minimal crew when half of his walk off of his ship," Ackhart replied and then gestured towards his own ship. Jack saw that at least three of his former crew mates were on deck watching. He now realized that Ackart had been keeping tabs on him and likely knew where he was going. Since Jack hadn't been in a particular hurry, Ackhart had managed to intercept him before he made it to Arigate Isle.

"I'm prepared to come to an accord," Jack said. "You can have the Pearl, but not her crew."

"You're in no position to bargain," the other captain scoffed. "I know that you already have the statue. If you intend to rid yourself of crewmen, in the future I would recommend they either leave the ship well compensated for their silence or see that they don't leave the ship at all."

"I assume they've also told you that there's a curse on said statue," Jack questioned. Ackhart nodded to one of his men, who headed towards the captain's cabin.

"It was the rumor," he admitted. "I've also been told that there is only one person affected by it." The other crewmen came back out of the cabin seconds later, shoving Kaitlyn out onto the deck.

"It's true, Captain," he said. Ackhart met Jack's eyes for a moment before he walked past him to where Kaitlyn stood.

"It seems I didn't get to collect my debt of blood after all," he mused as he looked her over. He was well aware that he had seen her on the ground not breathing and there weren't many explanations as to why she was standing here staring at him now. "Though, I am a man of logic. It's quite possible that this isn't the same woman at all. Perhaps she had a sister that was hidden elsewhere on the ship. That does seem like a ploy you would contrive to keep me from taking the statue."

"Your men searched the entire ship, as I recall," Jack pointed out. Ackhart turned and looked at him before turning back to Kaitlyn and smiling at her.

"So they did," he murmured as he eyed her up suspiciously. "Perhaps a demonstration?" Kaitlyn's eyes never left his. She refused to let him see the nervousness that was boiling inside of her, despite the fact that she knew he wouldn't hesitate to harm her again. "Turn around."

The entire crew watched as Kaitlyn slowly turned her back to him and closed her eyes, unsure what he would do. The sound of him unsheathing his blade caused her breath to catch and her heart begin to pound wildly. Even if the curse would see that she revived after being killed, she had no desire to die by a blade and there were no absolute guarantees that she would be saved from death a second time.

He grabbed a fist full of her long hair, that she no longer kept tied up, and pulled her head back roughly. With one quick motion, he sliced off most of her hair, leaving it barely long enough to brush her shoulders. However, he had gotten what he wanted. Jack was standing behind him, unable to see what he was doing to Kaitlyn. As soon as the blade had sliced her hair, he turned and saw Jack's expression. It was obvious that Jack believed he was using the blade to slit her throat and his expression was enough to expose his weakness.

"You can keep the ship and your crew," Ackhart informed him as he dropped Kaitlyn's hair on the floor. She immediately ran her fingers through what remained. It was the first time since she was a small child that she hadn't had hair long enough to be pulled up the way a proper woman would wear. "I will be taking the statue."

Jack met Kaitlyn's gaze and then nodded. At the very least he would get Ackhart and his men off of the ship. He could always steal back the statue at a later time if it became necessary.

"I will also be taking her," he said and motioned toward Kaitlyn. "If we take the statue without taking her, it's possible that she'll pass the curse onto me or my crew."

"The lass is part of my crew, that wasn't part of the bargain," Jack argued.

"As I said, you're not exactly in a position to bargain," he repeated and walked closer to Jack, his sword still brandished. Jack quickly reached for his cutlass but Ackhart anticipated the move and drew his pistol quicker than Jack was able to draw his sword. Jack's gaze was fixed on the barrel of the pistol, trying to think up a way out of the situation that didn't involve anyone being killed or taken to the other ship.

Kaitlyn stood helplessly watching. She wanted to speak up and volunteer to go without an argument, but she realized that thing wouldn't be pleasant for her if she was taken onto the other ship.

"The last time I was aboard your ship, you didn't attempt to save her when she was thrown overboard," Ackhart reminded him. "Why would you now object to losing a whore when you are willing to give up your ship?" Jack stared into his eyes for a moment. What possible explanation could he give? What could he possibly say that would end his multitude of problems? If he lost the statue, the crew would take his position and ship from him. If he bartered with the Pearl, he was losing his livelihood. And if he allowed Kaitlyn to be taken, there was very little doubt as to the sort of punishment she would be subjected to.

"That's a very nice pistol," Jack commented offhandedly. "It seems a bit familiar." A sick smile crossed Ackhart's face but it quickly faded when he heard the unmistakable click of a pistol behind him. He turned to find Kaitlyn pointing one directly at him. Hagen was standing not more than five feet from her now and without giving thought to her actions, she had grabbed his weapon when everyone else was watching the both captains.

"You intend to shoot me, lass?" Ackhart questioned with a threatening chuckle.

"Yes," she answered. He took a step closer, fairly certain that she had never handled a firearm before and was only trying to bluff him off of the ship.

"The only problem is, I'm much quicker with a pistol than you are."

She could tell he was trying to keep her talking so that he could get close enough to take the gun away from her. "You may be quicker, but only one of us won't stay dead," she replied. Her finger was resting tentatively on the trigger and he believed that she was actually contemplating shooting him.

"You only have one shot. Even if you shoot me, my crew will still kill your captain and every other man on this ship," he informed her.

"But...you will be dead," she pointed out. "There's nothing for you to gain through your death."

"And you believe you have something to offer me that I couldn't get from the whores at any port in the Caribbean?" He scoffed.

"My father is William Harris," she said in a confident voice. "He was a respected member of the British parliament when we lived in London and he still has close ties to the crown. He isn't a man to suffer men like you."

"And just what do I gain from this knowledge?"

"If I were to be returned in my current condition; cursed after spending months on a pirate ship, he would turn me away and deny me. But if there's no curse there would be no proof of my whereabouts over the past months, which would mean he would pay handsomely to assure that no one ever finds out. He would pay nearly any amount to protect his namesake and reputation."

"And you intend to bargain?"

"I wasn't alone when I found the treasure. Several of the crew were with me, but I'm the one that found the statue," she lied. "If you take me and the statue off of this ship, the curse won't be ended."

Ackhart smirked sardonically at her. "You say that as if I should care that your curse is ended."

"My father can pay you more than you would get from that statue," she said. "And if you take that statue, and leave me cursed, I promise I will spend every day of the remainder of your life, making you suffer for it." The silence on the deck was nearly deafening as both stood with pistols pointed at the other.

"What are you offering me?" He finally asked suspiciously.

"Let us end the curse and then I'll join you willingly. You can return me to my home and blackmail my father in any way that you see fit," she said. For a moment he stood contemplating her words. He already knew where they were going and would have little trouble keeping a close watch over them, should they attempt to escape. He had heard from Jack's former crewmen that she was, in fact, incapable of death. She had revived on the ship right before their very eyes. He didn't want to risk bringing a curse onto his own ship, if there were other options available to him. Blackmailing a rich, old man was much simpler than trying to sell a cursed piece of treasure.

"And what will you gain out of all of this?" He questioned. Kaitlyn held his gaze, refusing to focus on his pistol. She was aware that at any time, he could choose to shoot her and she would have to die before the curse brought her back, unless the wound wasn't fatal and then she would simply have to suffer the pain of it.

"The money you receive from my father will resolve your debt against Captain Sparrow and his crew," she said firmly.

Ackhart grinned wickedly at Jack then looked back to Kaitlyn. He then lowered his pistol gave a short nod. "Fine," he agreed. After a moment, she slowly lowered her weapon as well, then watched him carefully as he stepped closer to her. "But it's best that you remember that once this curse is gone, there will be nothing protecting you. You will obey orders while you're on my ship or losing your hair will seem like a privilege." She nodded wordlessly then watched as he turned and walked back to Jack.

"It seems that your whore makes a better captain of this ship than you do," he said. "I know your destination and I will be waiting for your return." Everyone remained silent as he and his men retreated to their own ship. Kaitlyn quickly handed Hagen his pistol and collected the handful of long, golden hair that was lying on the deck then returned to the cabin before anyone could question her.

Jack waited until all of the other men were gone before turning to Gibbs. "Stay on course," he said simply and then turned and walked straight to the cabin. Rather than knocking, he simply opened the door and let it fall closed behind him.

"You have some sort of plan, I assume," he inquired. Kaitlyn was sitting on the bed silently, looking down at the locks of blonde hair she had spent nearly her entire life growing.

"Yes," she answered without looking at him.

"Well, this would be the time to enlighten the rest of us, darling," he informed her. She finally looked at him and then laid her hair on the night stand.

"You've already heard it," she said. "Once the curse is gone, I'll allow him to return me home. It will resolve your debt and if he blackmails my father, my family will believe that Ackhart is the pirate I've been with. So you will never need to worry about the Navy seeking you out to charge you with kidnapping."

"No offense, love, but that is probably the most foolish plan I've have ever heard."

Kaitlyn stood and walked over to him. "Jack," she sighed. "After the curse is gone, you intend to return me home anyway. Does it really make a difference which ship I travel on?"

"You have no idea what a man like Ackhart will do, love."

"I know that if I don't go with him, he'll kill you," she answered. Jack watched her for a long moment. There really wasn't a way for him to win, save for killing the other captain. What Kaitlyn had proposed would allow him to keep his ship and he was positive that without the threat of Ackhart lingering over the crew, he could convince them that he was the rightful captain. But, that would mean that Kaitlyn would be left with Ackhart and his crew until they decided to return her to her home.

"Ackhart runs his ship a bit differently than the Pearl is run, darling."

"You don't have to tell me," she said. "I would rather be his whore than to watch him kill you." Jack sighed inwardly. His ship and his reputation as captain meant nearly everything to him. But he knew that he could never willingly turn Kaitlyn over to the kind of men that were on the other ship. He also realized that she didn't fully comprehend what they would do to her if he did. Her only real experience with pirates had been with him and his crew and never with men that thought of women as objects to be passed around and used for their pleasures.

"It would seem that you have a bit more pirate in you than I had originally believed," he said knowing arguing would get them no where. "I never thought that I would live to see the day that you would threaten someone with a pistol."

Kaitlyn smiled slightly then shook her head. "It wasn't loaded," she confided.

"You may very well be just dishonest enough to be called a pirate, yet," he said with a grin. He then ran his fingers through her shortened locks. "I could almost pass you off as my cabin boy now, eh?"

"My mother is likely to kill him herself, when she sees what he did to my hair," Kaitlyn said seriously. "A woman of breeding should never have hair so short."

"It suits you," he said as he studied her face. She looked older and less like a little girl with shorter hair, though he was grateful that it was still long enough that she didn't resemble a young boy either.

"As I recall, you once told me that I would never, even in the threat of death, sound like a pirate," she said playfully.

"Aye, and I stick by that assessment, love," he said. "Just because you look like a pirate, and on rare, yet utterly entertaining occasions, you behave like a miscreant or scallywag, doesn't mean you sound like one, love."

Kaitlyn gave a relenting sigh. Though on occasion she caught herself using slang and less than proper grammar, she realized that almost no one would buy the idea of her being a pirate. She doubted that she could even pass as a believable wench or bar maid. "I suppose it doesn't," she conceded.

For a moment Jack mulled over the situation. He had serious doubts about the amount of trust he could put into Ackhart. His former crewmen could easily lead him to Arigate isle and once the crew anchored the Pearl they would be at a disadvantage. They had a much smaller crew and most of them weren't going to offer up heroics. It was quite possible that many of the new crewmen would simply surrender and join Ackhart rather than fight for the Pearl and Jack.

"I need to go deal with the crew," Jack said absently, as he continued to put together an idea that, hopefully, would solve his problem with Ackhart. As he stepped out on the deck, he was glad that all the men had went right back to work and none seemed to be plotting a mutiny or any other unpleasantness. He unhurriedly climbed the stairs and stared at the horizon along with Gibbs.

"There's been a change in plans," he said finally. Gibbs glanced over at him curiously then back out at the water.

"We have a new heading?"

"Aye," Jack said. "Set a course for Port Royal."


A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay this time. This website was messing up for a couple of weeks, I couldn't upload work and all of the email alerts were down. But all seems to be going well now. Cheorl knows where this plot is heading! I'm putting in a cameo appearance by one of her favorites just for her! lol Don't worry about the other canon characters too much, they might make brief appearances but I don't intend to drag them into the story.

I'm almost at 200 reviews! Help me get there, review, critique, give me constructive critisms or just tell a joke or something! lol I also added another picture to my freewebs site. I'm going to link it in my profile. This one is a more emotional and sensual picture (of Jack and Kaitlyn)

I couldn't resist having Jack argue with the parrot over "not killing the monkey" since he took such fun in killing monkey Jack in the second movie. He loved Pepe too much to let someone hurt him! lol