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Author's note: The next two chapters are dedicated to my friend, love2rite, who suggested the idea! I tip me tricorn and raise a tankard of rum to ye, mate! I had to divide one chapter into two, so I hope to have more for everyone tomorrow! Enjoy! Pirate Cat

It was August of 2006, and "Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest" was breaking records all over the world. The motion picture was causing a lot of talk about pirates, wenches, ships and plunder, loyalty and betrayal, and Captain Jack Sparrow felt like he had fallen right into the middle of a maelstrom of his own. It was mostly self created, it was certain, as every time he would go by a theater featuring the film or picked up a magazine or a newspaper with an article about it, he would see a photo of Johnny Depp as himself and would feel his old insecurity rear its head like a huge, malevolent dragon. Johnny had pleaded with him to be patient, he remembered... that the next motion picture would make things right, but even Johnny would find himself feeling badly for this man who was "descended" from the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow for the way that things were ever so subtly changed from how things really were.

They had shared many a pint in London more than once, as Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom had contacted them during the filming of "The Curse of The Black Pearl", and it was truly uncanny the resemblance the four men shared. Oddly, Johnny had already developed his take upon the characterization of Jack Sparrow, and all were quite amazed at how much of the real Jack Sparrow came forth in that portrayal... it was as if fate had intervened, as William and Orly had agreed. Their meetings would be kept secret, and a different pub or tavern was chosen each time, and it was agreed that Jack and William would be made privy to the everchanging storylines prior to anyone else... but even knowing ahead of time what the motion picture industry would do to the story of the Pirates of the Caribbean did not make it any easier on a man who already had problems coping with real life, as it was.

Jack sighed deeply as he turned his gaze out over the calm, summer seas before him... the moon was out tonight, and they were traveling to England from a quick voyage to Sweden... Teague had made arrangements for a sizable shipment of expensive Russian vodka to be picked up and delivered to London... never mind that Jack, William and Gibbs took on much more than was originally planned, thanks to a good bit of smooth talking from Jack and some clandestine pilfering by hands that were paid off in cold hard cash (and fine liquor) to clean out the dockside warehouse, into the hold of the Sparrow's Revenge II. It was a wonder that the small, swift craft did not founder for the weight of it, and Joshamee had joked that it would be a fine thing that the Revenge would be scuttled for the weight of vodka. Jack screwed up his nose at the thought... he did not care for vodka, and cared less to think of losing his ship to it!

Jack's eyes turned upward to the crystal clear skies above. Not uncommon for these northern waters, even during the summer, and he tucked his thumbs into his two leather belts and leaned a hip against the steel railing, as he searched out the North Star... his hand rested on the butt of a pistol that was tucked into those belts, as well... the seas were still a wild place, and his aim was still true, even if he had to learn to use a more modern weapon than his trusty flintlock pistol. How he missed the black canvas sails snapping above him, when he felt as low as this... for when they were leaving Clifden, one of their dockside mates had goodnaturedly teased him... he had just seen "Dead Man's Chest"...

Jamie Finn had waved to him as they prepared to take the Revenge out of her slip and out into the harbour... Jamie was a good friend of young Wills', and a jolly sort, but on the morning that they departed his jokes cut Jack to the core, and Wills knew it, this time.

"Hey, Jack! Been swallowed by any squids, lately? Stolen yer best friend's girl?" He laughed, as Jack forced a smile and swept his hands out to his sides, head cocked to one side and proclaiming, "Gotta remember, Jamie, tha' me ancestor managed t' find 'is way back, or I wouldn't be 'ere, aye? An' th' governour's daughter was correctly combined in unholy wedlock wif th' right man, or we wouldn't be graced wif th' presence o' two Turners upon this ship t'day, savvy?" The last word was said one of the captain's trademark grins, but that grin did not reach his eyes.

Jamie had winked at him, amiably and said, with his thick brogue, "Well, yer ancestor was a luckless bastard, wasn't he? Luckless wit' life an' luckless wit' women... some of 'em slapped 'im silly, and another kissed him an' then shackled 'im to a mast!"

Wills had emerged from the wheel house... he was on summer holiday from the University of Galway, and was sailing with his family, and his normally warm brown eyes took on a hardness at hearing these words coming from Jamie...

"Leave him alone, Jamie!" he called down, as his fists began to clench and his jaw set. The captain turned and looked at his youngest cousin... the young man was actually a twin for his father at this age, Jack thought, impulsiveness and hot temper overruling his reasoning powers, once in a while. Jack sighed, again... remembering how calm and serene this boy's father was since leaving the Flying Dutchman - almost with a marvelous surreal quality about him that brought out the best in all of them.

"It's alright, Wills... leave it alone... Jamie is just makin' jokes, lad," Jack shook his head, stopping an angry Wills from going down the gangplank to discuss this matter with the other young man who had gone back to his own work... Jamie had meant no harm, and Jack knew it, but Wills was incensed.

"He's making jokes at your expense, Cousin Jack!" Wills nearly jerked his arm out of Jack's grasped slender fingers, anger being brought under control and his frown deepening.

"I know, Wills, but he doesn't know tha', does he? It's not worth brawlin' over, especially wif a friend... believe me, friends are hard t' come by, an' ye've known Jamie fer years... tha's 'ow 'e is, boy, an' he means nothin' by it."

"But what about you? How can you just take all of the jokes and comments that you've been hit with the last few weeks?" Wills looked at Jack, who turned away, not wanting the boy to see how much it really did bother him.

Looking out into the bay, as the gulls called overhead, all that Jack said, softly, was, "Let's jus' 'ope tha' your mum an' yer Cousin Janie can get t' work on those books tha' tell 'ow it really was, Wills... no matter 'ow much I believed tha' I was outta Janie's life during those dark times, I never tried t' kiss your mum. Not once. She belonged, heart an' soul, t' yer dad, an' no matter how much of a pirate I've tried t' be, I would never, ever cross tha' line wif them...I only tried t' make 'er see wot she could be if she would let her spirit go free, an' she tried t' convince me tha' I still had worth as a good man... but things weren't good, fer a while..." Jack's voice trailed off.

Wills put an arm around his slight cousin's shoulder, whom he was already taller than, and Jack looked up at him, a bit sadly. So that was it, Wills thought. It bothered Jack more that the world thought that he and Elizabeth were attracted to each other, and that they had both betrayed William, when it had all been a misunderstanding, and that the world thought of him as a dirty coward, even if he had come back to try to save his ship and crew at the end of the motion picture. All of this bothered Jack more than reliving his own death at the teeth of the Kraken. Was it any wonder that Jack was not his cheerful self, and that any smiles about the motion picture except for the most humourous scenes were forced smiles? Wills even wondered if this was the way that Jack was when he lost his ship to mutiny... he seemed to feel helpless to stop a force that was much bigger than he was, and his sudden, and very obvious, lack of self-esteem was worrying them all.

As they set about starting the engines and pulling away from the piers, Wills realized why his beloved Cousin Jack was so glad, every time the open sea called ... Jack loved his home with Janie deeply, for it was home upon land, but the boundless, open sea, even at her most unruly, could sometimes be just as healing to a damaged soul and mind, as the magical Waters in Connemara could gently heal the body... the only thing that Jack lacked at sea were the warm arms of his woman, which always made homecoming to Eire that much sweeter.

But as the shores of that green island country fell away behind them upon this trip, Jack knew that William, Wills, Joshamee and their two man crew of Pintel and Ragetti were watching him very closely, as he gazed out at the endless ocean for hours at a time, all alone, like as if he expected to see another Kraken burst from the waters to drag him down, again.

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"We're wot? Izzy said we're doin' WOT on the phone?" Jack's eyes were as large as dinner plates, as William hurried out to rejoin his cousin, his son, and Joshamee Gibbs upon the main deck of the Sparrow's Revenge II as it made it's was along the eastern coast of England by night... the diesel engines were purring smoothly, no thanks to a fit of mechanical hiccups that had caused a great deal of concern and some choice words for the Norrington Shipyard by the captain.

William could barely contain his own excitement, his own face grinning and his hands busily preparing another round of drinks for his mates. "We're to meet Janie, Elizabeth and Katie at the docks... sorry, Josh," William paused, ".. but Meg said that the pub wouldn't run itself... it seems that there will be a limousine there to take us to luxury accommodations, and from there Joshamee, Wills, you and I will be taken out to Twickenham Stadium as special guests of the Rolling Stones!"

Wills nearly fell out of his chair and did spill his bottle of Guinness as the shocked overwhelmed him. He finally managed to sputter, "The ROLLING STONES? Why? What..." Wills was an aspiring drummer and belonged to a small band at university... he and his mates called themselves the Jailhouse Dogs... and Wills absolutely idolized Charlie Watts as the best drummer in the world.

Jack reached over and helped Wills straighten up, as he excitedly said, "So Papa was really tellin' th' truth! Keith Richards got th' part playin' Captain Teague, at Johnny Depp's recommendation! Papa said tha' Keith has been invitin' 'im along wherever he's bloody goin' so's Keith can study a real ancestor o' th' father o' Captain Jack Sparrow!" He could barely contain his glee as he said, "So we're goin' t' a concert, aye?"

William leaned back in his chair and propped his laced boots up on the railing. His handsome face took on a look of a cat that had swallowed a very tasty canary, as he announced, "Not only are we going to a concert... we will be watching from the bloody STAGE!"

Wills choked on his Guinness, and went into a fit of beer induced coughing, and as he slapped Wills on the back with great enthusiasm to the point that his own hat nearly fell off, Jack tilted his head to one side, and his face became puzzled. "Wait a minute... why aren't our lassies goin' wif us?"

"Because," William said, leaning forward and taking a long slurping swallow from his own bottle... he belched quietly, and said, "... because THEY have already been spending time with the band the last few days, as guests... they have been watching rehearsals and said it was nearly as good as a private show! They are opting to let us have a night out with the Stones, and Teague is sending them to the marketplaces to shop whilst we're partying! Can you imagine turning Janie, Elizabeth and Katie loose in London? It seems that Janie has already turned down a job offer of being an on-the-road chef for the band!"

Jack had been concentrating on a red faced Wills, and it took a moment for the last comment to sink in... and when it did, he turned to William and growled, "Janie was offered a job cookin' fer th' Stones?" His lower lip began to protrude, and his eyebrows drew together in a frown, as Wills finally gasped for air, "It's a damn good thing she turned them down! She cooks fer me!!"

And as they all laughed at Jack's centuries old selfishness of his Irish innkeeper, he twitched his mustache, and blinked at them irritably... "No matter how much I admire th' Stones... Janie's MINE."

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In all of their many, many days, none of them had ever seen anything quite as fantastic as the sight that met their eyes as the long, black limousine made it's way into the cavernous maze of scaffolds, temporary buildings, electronics, equipment lorries, and organized mayhem that accompanied the most famous rock band in history... the limousine slowly parted the crowds of workers, and now and then it's occupants could catch a glimpse of the massive crowd of concert goers who were making their way into the stadium. The venue held 55,000 people, and it made Jack just more than a little nervous... the huge stage and it's iron scaffolding rather reminded him of Shipwreck City.

Wills was finally able to find his voice, as his jittery excitement had rendered him nearly mute for hours. Katie had kissed him lightly before they left the hotel, and had said, "I know you will have fun, love! The Stones play great old school rock!", to which Wills responded with waving arms, looking for all the world like his Cousin Jack, "'Old school' rock?? Katie, how can you say that?? The Stones don't play 'old school' rock! They ARE rock!!" Jack leaned over, mischievously, and hummed, "I know, it's only rock 'n' roll, but I like it..."

"Cousin Jack," Wills said, as his wide eyes took in the spectacle before him as the limousine moved smoothly along... he was seeing workers, scaling some rope ladders into the lights like they were climbing the rigging of the Pearl, "I know that your favourite song by the Stones is 'Brown Sugar', but I have often wondered just... why..."

It was true that he had been told of Jack's brutal and nearly fatal imprisonment aboard a slave ship, chained by a small, frail ankle for nearly three years as a small boy, and the experience had left his cousin with a body whose immune system was forever damaged because of illness and malnutrition... He was near death when his father tracked the ship down because of ten year old Janie telling Captain Teague of the fateful night upon which Maggie Sparrow had died and Jack was sold into slavery. It had taken months for him to recover and become anything resembling a small nine year old boy. Jack had grown into a strong man, but he fell ill more often than most, because of the abuse that he had suffered at the hands and the whip of a sadistic slaver captain... a man who was sent to the deep with a round between his eyes by a vengeful Captain Teague.

"I know wot yer thinkin'," Jack answered, as all eyes turned to him. He took another drink from a bottle of rum that had been very conveniently provided in the limousine's bar, and his eyes closed halfway. He paused. They all looked at him with sympathy, for it was also slavery that had caused Cutler Beckett to burn Jack's ship out from under him and forever brand him as a fugitive from society. This despicable institution had nearly killed him, and had been a catalyst for being thrusted into piracy.

"Wills, 'Brown Sugar' seems t' be 'bout a slave girl who is bein' abused... but it's not, really. Each one o' the men who is talkin' 'bout 'er is doin' so wif lust in his mind..." the captain gazed out of the darkened windows of the limousine, as he stretched his lanky legs out and languidly leaned back in his seat. "... wot they don't realize is tha' th' young woman is controllin' them! She might not be able t' escape bein' a slave, but she has managed t' wrest a bit o' control back t' herself by lettin' 'em think tha' they are havin' their way wif her, but she is 'avin' her way wif them... leaving her mark on 'em. They can't stop thinkin' about 'er... they can't get enough of 'er... she controls their thoughts wif her body..."

Turning his face back to his captivated friends, he raised both index fingers for emphasis, as they all began to grin. "Think about it, mates... who's th' slave... an' who's th' master? Aye, lads... th' master, in a way, is 'Brown Sugar'."

As Jack grinned back at his companions, he leaned back with a satisfied look on his dark, bronzed gypsy face, and said, "... ahhhh... Janie hums 'Brown Sugar' t' me in th' night... " he closed his eyes and purred, "... 'Brown Sugar... how come ye taste so good?'... Bugger... I wish she was 'ere right now!"

As silence met this statement, Jack's eyes opened to the amused faces of William, Wills and Joshamee, and he rerouted his thoughts a bit, "I mean tha' I wish me Janie was 'ere t' go t' th' concert... " he cleared his throat, and fluttered his hands, "...not 'ere t' make out wif me in th' limo wif all o' ye watchin'! Tha's not wot I meant... no... not at all..." He winced involuntarily, as he thought of the icy stare that this befuddled statement would fetch from his Pirate Lass, and he decided that it was a good thing that she was not here, after all. William, Wills and Joshamee continued to smile at him.

It was then that the limousine slowed to a stop... the driver, a burly man of Indian descent who had remained silent until now with the glass panel closed discreetly between him and his passengers, finally opened the panel and announced, "... We have arrived at the dressing trailer of Mr. Keith Richards, if you please, gentlemen...I will announce our arrival..." and he jokingly added, "Enter at your own risk... the tigers are about to be let loose, onstage..."

To be continued...