(A/N: Here we go, next chapter. Last time, Jolene made an escape from Smee and the other pirates, and now she's on the run. And Jack and his crew are about to head out. Will Jolene be able to find him in time? And if she does, what are they going to do about Hook? Find out now.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Meetings and Swordfights

As far as Jack was concerned, he didn't have a care in the world and everything was going his way. He was currently making his way back to his ship with a new crew to set sail on an adventure that would make him and his men richer than the richest man in the world. Absolutely nothing was going to dampen his evening, not even the giant ruckus that sounded as if an explosion had gone off in the middle of town.

"What do you suppose that was?" Gibbs wondered out loud, looking over his shoulder.

Quite frankly, Jack couldn't care less. There was always something exciting happening in Tortuga, and this was just another one of those things. "Whatever it is, Gibbs, it's none of our business. We have our own problems to worry about, and so we shall not worry about…"

He trailed off as rush of water ran down the street, soaking their feet. Jack looked down at it curiously, then back at Gibbs, before looking down again and splashing his feet in it.

"That's interesting," he commented. "Do you suppose there was a tsunami?"

Gibbs cut his eyes at him. "Doubtful. A tsunami would more than likely wash away the entire town. Looks more like someone spilled a great amount of water."

"Perhaps it was from that big explosion we heard," Murtogg suggested.

Mullroy gave him a look that he thought this theory was ridiculous. "How could an explosion flood the streets? Explosions are fire, not water."

"Then maybe it wasn't an explosion. Maybe it was something that was just a loud noise that sounded like an explosion, like a crash, or something collapsing."

"And what could cause a crash that could be that loud or make something collapse that would flood the street?"

"Maybe an explosion. That could have be what caused it."

"If there were an explosion that caused the loud noise, then we would have heard the explosion before we heard the noise, since an explosion causes a loud noise. But we only heard the one noise. Therefore, there couldn't possibly have been an explosion that caused the loud noise that could have possibly resulted in the streets to flood."

"Men!" Jack said loudly, feeling a headache coming on from their arguing. He turned to them, his hands held up and his fingers wiggling, as if he desired to strangle them, but was trying to remain patient. "It does not matter, what the big boom-boom sound was. It has nothing to do with us, and we are right now leaving so it has even less to do with us, then it already does. Savvy?"

Both Mullroy and Murtogg nodded. "Aye, Captain," they said together.

Looking frustrated, Jack turned around and continued on his way, leaving the two of them looking dejected. As Pintel and Ragetti walked past them, the latter paused and tapped Murtogg on the shoulder. "I think it were an explosion that caused the loud noise too."

Pintel looked back at him. "It weren't no explosion. Now come on, we're finally rejoining the Pearl."

Looking giddy, Ragetti and Pintel rushed on ahead with Mullroy and Murtogg hurrying after them. Jack had quickened his pace some, more eager to get away than before. He didn't know what that explosion-like sound had been, but if it meant trouble, then he wanted to be far away from it. Things were going his way, and he wanted to keep them that way before they went wrong. Hopefully, Scrum, Cotton, and Marty had the ship almost ready for departure; he wanted to set sail before whatever was happening here decided to involve him in its affairs.

"Gibbs, tell the men to pick up the pace," he ordered, barely looking back. "You know the code. Fall behind, stay be-"

Someone came rushing down an alley, colliding with Jack, and they both went down with painful groans. Jack landed face down in the flooded street, and his frustration increased further as he ended up getting all wet and muddy.

"Sorry!" the person who crashed into him exclaimed, and he could tell by their voice that it was a woman. "Sorry, that was my fault! I'm in a big hurry!"

"Are you now?" Jack snapped irritably, and looked back at the woman. "Trying to make off with something you stole, are you?"

The woman opened her mouth to reply, possibly to deny his accusation, but then closed her mouth and wobbled her head. "Sort of. Hey, it's Tortuga after all, right?"

The others hurried over, and Gibbs held out a hand to help the woman up. "You all right there, Miss?"

She accepted his offered hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet, and gave an appreciative nod. "Yes, thank you. Again, I'm sorry."

Gibbs just chuckled. "Don't you worry yourself about it."

Jack's eyes narrowed and he gave an annoyed pout. He was Gibbs' captain, and she had been the one who crashed into him. Why wasn't anyone helping him up? "Speak for yourself. I think some compensation is in order."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes at that and told the woman, "Don't mind him. Jack's much tougher than he looks."

"You could at least help me up!"

The woman's eyes widened and she looked at Jack in astonishment. "Jack? Jack Sparrow?"

Sitting up, Jack wiped some mud off his face. "Aye, the one and only. You've crashed right into greatness."

Jolene stared, surprised by this unexpected encounter. Here was Jack Sparrow, the man she had heard so much about and had been seeking for months. He was… not what she expected. He looked more like a clumsy oaf rather than the charismatic Pirate Lord he was supposed to be. All the stories she heard made him out to be a great man of legend, but as she watched as he stuck out his tongue and tried to use his muddy fingers to pick off the mud on it, making it even muddier… Well, it was very different from the image she had in her head.

It was strange. She had been preparing for this moment for so long, but now that it was here… she wasn't sure what to say. And she had so much to say. About why she came to see him, about Hook and the Jolly Roger, about so many things. Where to start? Perhaps the immediate problem would be the best place to begin.

"Sorry again about crashing into you, but I'm glad I did," she told him, taking a quick look around to make sure Smee and the others weren't after her. "We have a real problem."

Jack got to his feet and began brushing the mud off himself. "Of course we do. I'm all wet and covered in filth."

"Not that," Jolene said impatiently. "Someone's after me. And you. Us."

Jack paused in shaking his hat out and glanced off her. "After me? Do I owe them money?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned to his crew. "All hands make a run for it."

Then he took off, leaving Jolene taken aback with his sudden departure. The others rushed past her as well, and she snapped out of her stupor and quickly hurried after them, pushing those in front of her out of her way as she rushed to catch up to the captain.

"Wait, Captain Sparrow! Hold on a second!"

He briefly glanced back at her, not slowing his pace. "Want to join the crew?"

She opened her mouth to reply, then paused and slightly wobbled her head. "Something like that."

"Sorry, love, but I'm not taking women. Every time I bring a woman onboard my ship, it's been no end of trouble for me."

Jolene cut her eyes at him. "Isn't that more of a reflection on you?"

He paused and gave her a somewhat appalled look. "How dare you speak that way to your captain."

She placed her hands on her hips. "So does that mean I'm on the crew, or not?"

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but then seemed unsure of what to say. He then shook his head and changed his tactic. "Sorry, but who are you, and what do you want? And who exactly do you know that is after me, and how much do I owe them?"

She let out a sigh. "My name is Jolene. Until a short while ago, I was a prisoner of the Jolly Roger."

She thought the ship's name would strike a cord, but instead Jack just turned away with a dismissive wave of his hand and began walking away. "I knew a bloke named Jolly Roger. Had a skull for a face. Not the nicest sort."

"No," she said impatiently. "The ship the Jolly Roger. Its captain is after you. Captain Hook!"

Jack nearly trapped over his own feet. Apparently, the name rang a bell, and not just with him. The other men gave pause as well, and most began muttering uncomfortably.

"James Hook," Gibbs said in a quiet voice. "The immortal pirate who sails on a ship that rides on the wind rather than the sea."

Jack processed this for a few moments, then a cocky smile crossed his face and he turned around to face Jolene again with a small shake of his head. "Not possible. I've seen some rather strange things in my day, but a ship that flies." He shook his head again. "Such a thing doesn't exist."

With great effort, Jolene reigned in her frustration. "Considering that I've been on it, flying through the sky, for about a week now, I beg to differ."

It seemed that Jack didn't have a retort to that. His eyes darted to the left and the right, as if he were searching for a way to counter a claim, but in the end, he settled for, "You're lying."

Slap. Jolene had acted before even thinking about it. It wasn't that hard of a hit, his head didn't even snap to the side, it was just hard enough to let him know that she didn't appreciate the accusation. It did, however, remind her of something else.

"By the way, that was from two women who were upset about something you did," she told him. "But whatever women troubles you have, they're not as big as the men troubles you have, because Hook is looking for you. And me too since I was supposed to help him find you."

Once more, Jack didn't seem to know what to say as he rubbed his cheek. Gibbs, however, walked up to him and spoke in a low voice. "Jack, you've heard the stories. After the things we've seen, is the idea that they might be true really that hard to believe?"

Jack pointed a finger at him as if to say that he had a point "If they are, then all the more reason to embrace the most oldest of traditions."

Gibbs considered his words. "Fight to run away?"

"Actually, I think we can just skip straight to the running part."

"Aye, couldn't agree more."

And then they were off again, heading for the docks. Jolene ran right alongside them, constantly looking over her shoulder for any sign of Smee and his crewmembers. She took solace in the fact that even if they did find her, she now had comrades to help her.

Or did she? Pirates weren't always trustworthy, and she was a stranger to Jack and his crew. Even if she had given them a warning about Hook, she had yet to earn a place among them, at least as far as her standards went. Would this be a good time to play her trump card, or should she save that for later?

"There she is!" Jack exclaimed when they made it to the docks. He pointed at the ship that was still a distance away. "A beauty like always. And not a flying ship in sight."

Jolene came up next to him, trying to guess which of the ships was the Pearl among the ones tied up to the various docks ahead of them. "The Jolly Roger isn't flying right now. Hook had them bring it down so he wouldn't draw attention. Or frighten you off."

Jack turned to her. "Let me make one thing clear. I do not get frightened off. I simply strategically withdraw." He seemed to consider something, and then gave her a strange look. "By the way, didn't you say that you escaped from that ship? Why is Hook after me? I don't even know the bloke."

A feeling of guilt overcame Jolene, and she bit her bottom lip uneasily. "Sorry, that's kind of my fault. He may be after you because of me."

A look of frustration and outrage passed over Jack's face, and he threw his hands up in the air. "I knew it! I told you, every time I bring a woman aboard my ship, it causes me trouble."

Jolene looked down at the dock they were standing on. "We're not on your ship."

Jack's lips thinned out in annoyance. "You know what I…" He folded his hands together, attempting to reign in his frustration. "You mean to tell me that you're the reason Hook is after me?"

"That she is," a loud voice declared.

Everyone turned. Jolene's stomach dropped out from under her. She didn't even need to look to know who the voice belonged to. But why, why was he here? She had thought she convince him to stay on his ship so as to not draw attention. Had he grown suspicious or impatient and decided to come looking anyway?

He wasn't alone either. Several members of his crew were with him, and they all had eager looks on their faces that made Jolene feel uncomfortable. She desperately wished she had a weapon with her, but no such luck. At least, as far as she could see, the members of Jack's crew were armed.

Hook stepped forward, his left hand hidden in his coat. He slowly pulled it out, revealing his hook, and Jack visibly tensed upon seeing it as the captain of the Jolly Roger approached. "So you are real. That's interesting."

"Jack Sparrow," Hook greeted with interest. "What a pleasure it is to meet you. I've heard so much from Miss Jolene here."

His red eyes settled on her, and Jolene swallowed nervously. "Captain, I can explain."

"No need to, my dear. I had my suspicions from the start. But while I had you searching for the man himself, I decided to scout out for his ship. I may be recognizable by my hook, but it doesn't take much effort to conceal it. You, however, should work better on your deceptive skills. Convincing as your words were, they left room for doubt. And it seems that doubt wasn't misplaced, because here you are, trying to make an escape." He chuckled. "In fact, I'm willing to bet it was you who caused that explosion we heard."

Murtogg nudged Mullroy. "Told you it was an explosion."

"You don't know that," his comrade replied. "And he wasn't there, so neither do he."

Hook ignored them as he raised his hook up to Jolene. "But I'll show you what we do to traitors later. For now, I have some business with Jack here."

As Hook turned to him, Jack immediately attempted to talk himself out of the situation. "Ah, if it's business you want to discuss, then I know a nice little tavern called the Faithful Bride where-"

Hook suddenly latched his hook into the collar of Jack's shirt and pulled him forward. Then he began rummaging through his jacket, pulling out items and tossing them aside.

"Oi, those are my effects," Jack objected. Hook then pulled out the golden hand and the map he had obtained from the museum and threw them away as well. "I need those for my next-"

"Be silent," Hook snapped. "Where is your…?"

His gaze landed on the string around Jack's neck, upon which the small box containing the compass he was searching for was. Hook's hand slowly came up and popped it open to reveal the small object he had come all this way for. He held it in his hand and watched as the needle on it slowly turned and pointed.

Hook's eyes slowly shifted from the compass to the direction it was pointing in. His gaze went up to the sky, landing on a star. A very familiar star, one he always followed to get back to the mysterious island where his prize was. His eyes then returned to the compass, and a smile spread across his face.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, his red eyes shining with excitement. "It really does work."

Jack took a step back, and the compass fell out of Hook's hand and settled against his chest once more. "Yes, lovely little thing, isn't it? Doesn't point north though, so I'm afraid it'll be totally useless to you."

An amused chuckle escaped Hook, and he took a threatening step forward. "I can see it doesn't point north. But I'm not looking to go north."

Jack's brows rose slightly as he realized that Hook knew. That didn't bode well for him. As valuable as the compass was, sometimes it caused him a great deal of trouble. And he suspected he knew where that trouble came from, and so gave Jolene an annoyed look, and she looked away guiltily.

"Hand it over," Hook told him. "I've yet to decide whether I should kill you or not. Be best to keep it that way."

Jack held up his index fingers. "And I am in full agreement. But you see, when it comes to this compass, there's this little thing about what you fear the most-"

Hook pulled out his sword and pointed it at Jack. "I am what you should fear the most right now. And if you don't turn that compass over to me, you won't have anything to fear ever again, except for your final judgment. So unless you wish to face it, you better hand it over right now."

Jack's eyes were wide as he stared at the blade pointing at him. "Sword. Yes, quite a thing to be afraid of. But you see," he suddenly pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Hook, "mine may be smaller, but it's definitely faster."

Immediately, the Jolly Roger's crew pulled out their own guns, pointing them at Jack. His own crew did the same, pointing theirs at Hook's men. It was a classic standoff, and Jolene, it seemed, was the only one without a weapon, and so she modestly took a step back.

Hook didn't look the least bit intimidated by the fact that there was a gun pointed right at him. Instead, he smiled, as if he admired Jack's audacity. "Well, well, you're far from the coward you were made out to be."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "I resent that! Who told you such a lie?"

Jolene diverted her eyes before he could look at her, but Jack didn't take his eyes off Hook, who was watching him in amusement. He raised his hook and gave it a little wiggle, and his crew put away their guns. Jack's crew hesitantly did the same, and Jack's eyes darted around uncertainly.

Hook continued to smile, taking a step back and moving his sword away from Jack, but not putting it away. "Let's make this interesting. It's been some time since I've crossed swords with someone other than Pan. So, let's you and I do this, one pirate legend to another. Pick up your sword."

Jack's eyes darted to his sword that had been tossed aside when Hook had been searching him. He hesitated though before glancing back at Hook, and once more tried to talk himself out of the situation. "Ah, see, if you're interested in having a worthy opponent, any other day I would be happy to give it to you, but seeing as I've had a few too many drinks of rum, I don't think you would find crossing blades with me to be of much fun right now, so-"

He cut himself off as Hook pointed his sword at him again, and Jack immediately fell silent as the end of the blade hovered right in front of his face. His crew shifted slightly as if they were going to do something, but weren't exactly sure what.

Hook cocked his head to the side, and an amused hmph escaped him. "Jack… I said let's make this interesting, not fun. Regardless of your current state, I would find facing off against the legendary Jack Sparrow to be interesting. But more importantly, since you are unwilling to hand over the compass, then you will have to fight for it." The amusement disappeared from his face, and he now looked serious. "Now, pick up your sword."

Jack stared at the sword in his face for a few seconds before forcing a smile and gesturing with his head to his own sword before uneasily pointing at it. "Right… then I'll just… I'll just…"

Hook gave him a mocking smile as Jack inched over to his own sword and picked it up. He pointed it at Hook, who rested the blade of his sword against his. The other pirates backed away, giving the two more room to fight. Jolene looked at the two of them, and although she knew that Jack was a good swordsman, having faced off against the likes of Barbossa, Davy Jones, Blackbeard, Salazar, and others, she couldn't help but notice that Jack appeared to be nervous.

"Any chance we could work out some kind of accord?" Jack asked hopefully.

In response, Hook let out a battle cry and swiped at him. Jack blocked and the two began crossing blades. Immediately, cheers and calls started to emit from the onlookers as the swords clanged against each other.

Jack backed away as he blocked and deflected Hook's stabbings and slashings. The captain of the Jolly Roger advanced on him, bringing his sword down. Jack brought his up, catching the blade, and Hook suddenly swiped at him with his hook. Jack pulled back to avoid it, and narrowly missed getting decapitated as Hook swung his sword at his head.

Jack pointed at him. "Now that doesn't seem fair," he said in reference to Hook's hook.

The other captain just grinned. "We be pirates, Jack. You know fairness is not in our nature."

"Nor is style in mustaches in your case," Jack taunted.

Hook's red eyes narrowed and he lunged at Jack, who's expression became one of startled fright as he retreated. The crowd parted as Jack darted past them, Hook advancing. He hurried over to a post on the dock, putting it between himself and the other captain, then turned to face his opponent again.

Reaching the post, Hook stabbed at him, but Jack pulled back behind it, popping his head out the other side. With an annoyed growl, Hook stabbed at him again, only to have Jack switch sides once more. When Hook attacked a third time, Jack pulled back and brought his own sword down on Hook's blade, nearly knocking it out of his hand. With a snarl, Hook pulled back, and then stabbed his sword directly through the post. It came out the other side, passing by less than an inch from Jack's face, and his eyes widened and crossed as he looked at the blade.

Hook then stepped forward and practically hugged the post as he reached around it, nearly slashing Jack with his hook. Jack retreated, and Hook took a moment to pull his sword free, placing his foot against the post and ripping the blade out. He went after Jack again, who had retreated over to a tower, grabbing onto a rope. As Hook came at him, he cut the rope, and in one of his signature moves, was yanked into the air as the net full of barrels on the other end of the rope lifted him up as it fell.

As Jack went up, the net full of barrels came down. Hook backed away as the barrels came down, smashing on the dock, nearly hitting him. With a scowl, he looked up at Jack as the captain of the Black Pearl dangled at the top of the tower.

The scowl on Hook's face became an amused grin as he approached him from below. "It looks like the little sparrow is stuck. Too bad he forgot how to fly."

Jack glanced down at him. "Didn't forget, mate, just a little out of practice."

Hoisting himself up, he placed his feet against the tower. Keeping hold of the rope, he began to run around and around it, building up speed, then kicked off it and let the rope go.

Soaring through the air, he landed on top of a pile of sacks, cushioning his fall. He half-fell, half somersaulted down the pile, somehow ending up on his feet when he came to a stop right in front of Jolene. He gave her a smile as she looked at him in surprise, then there was an audible crack, and he placed his hand against his lower back.

"I'm getting too old for this," he commented despairingly.

"Allow me to fix that," Hook declared as he pushed his way through the crowd and raised his sword.

Jack whirled around and brought up his sword as Hook's came down on it. Their swords clanged together as Hook's sword kept coming down, and Jack brought up his to block. With a cry, Hook kicked out, his heavy boot slamming into Jack's chest, knocking him down.

Raising his sword again, Hook brought it down, and Jack rolled to the side, out of the way. Hook's sword became embedded in the dock, and he couldn't pull it out. Jack used the opportunity to jump to his feet, and Hook slashed at him with his hook. Jack pulled his lower body back to avoid it, nearly getting gutted. Letting go of his sword, Hook went after him, slashing at the air with his hook.

Jack backed away as Hook swung at him, then caught the curve of Hook's hook with his blade. But with some surprising arm motion, Hook somehow twisted and swung his arm, sending the sword flying out of Jack's hand and landing on the dock a distance away. Jack hesitated a moment as Hook stood before him and held up his hook. The captain of the Jolly Roger growled at him, and Jack took off, making a dash for his sword. Instead of going after him though, Hook went to retrieve his own sword, and after a few tugs, ripped it out of the dock.

Jack reached his own sword, snatching it up and fumbling with it for a few moments before turning back to his opponent. Seeing that Hook had regained his sword as well and was coming after him, he once more turned to flee. This time though, he ended up running into a wall of people made of Hook's crew, and when he attempted to get through them, he was shoved back towards Hook.

Hook swiped at him, and Jack stepped to the side. This time, he went on the attack, and the two captains' blades clashed together as the crowd cheered, Hook's crew and Jack's crew alike. It seemed that Jolene was the only one who wasn't cheering for the two. And as she glanced around, she realized that all of Hook's crew seemed to have forgotten about her as they focused on the fight, and so she began to inch further away from them.

It was clear that Hook held the advantage since he was physically stronger and more youthful than Jack, as strange as that sounded since he was far older, and the Pearl's captain soon found himself on the defense once more. But with Hook's crew at his back, he couldn't retreat, and was forced to meet each of Hook's blows.

Letting out a cry, Hook lunged at him, stabbing forward. Jack jumped to the side, and one of the Jolly Roger's crewmen cried out as Hook impaled his own man. Hook paid him no mind as he pulled his sword free and went after Jack again. The death of the crewman though seemed to be enough to make the others back away from the fight.

With the crewmen out of the way, Jack was able to maneuver around again, and he began circling around Hook as the captain swung at him. His foot hit a bucket and he glanced down at it before using his foot to shove it forward. Hook stepped into it and stumbled, and Jack swung his sword, cutting through the large feather in Hook's hat.

Both Hook and Jack's eyes followed the severed feather as it fell to the ground, then looked back at each other. Hook gave an angry bellow and Jack let out a frightened squeak, hurrying away from the captain. Hook kicked his foot a few times until the bucket flew off his foot, then stormed after Jack again.

Knowing that Hook was right behind him, Jack turned around to face him again, and began walking backwards as their swords crashed together. As they moved along the dock, they came up to a wall of small barrels stacked up high. Jack remained on the defense as Hook kept up the offense, slashing about wildly. His sword chopped into the barrels, sending splinters and woodchips flying, and a fluid began flowing out of them as they spilled their contents.

"Not the rum!" Jack wailed in dismay.

Hook lunged forward with his sword and Jack brought up his, catching the blade, but Hook still pushed him back until he was pinned against a wall of barrels.

"Best enjoy it while you can, Jack," Hook told him with a murderous glint in his red eyes. "I doubt there be rum in Hell."

Hook's blade was dangerously close to Jack's neck, but his own sword held it back. "Not entirely sure I'm going there. I'm not really such a bad bloke. Better than you, anyway. Even befriended a missionary once."

Hook scowled at him. "Friendship with a man of God won't save you!"

He pulled back slightly and raised his hook. He brought it down, intending to slam the pointed end through Jack's head, but Jack moved his head to the side at the last moment, and the hook broke through the barrel behind him. Rum came pouring out, splashing onto Hook's face, and he coughed and sputtered, backing away.

"Well, hallelujah," said Jack, just before he slammed into the wall of barrels.

As Jack took off, the barrels came tumbling down, several of them coming down on Hook's head. It only served to buy Jack a few seconds and to greatly anger Hook. He let out another battle cry as he kicked his way through the barrels and rushed after Jack. This time, Jack was cut off by a bunch of large crates. He didn't let that stop him though as he rolled over top of them, then turned to face Hook on the other side of them.

Hook came to a stop in front of the crates as they separated him and Jack. They were still close enough to exchange swords though, and did so with the crate between them. At one point when their swords came together, Hook twisted his arm and brought it down, pinning Jack's sword beneath his own. He lunged forward with his hook and Jack pulled back, and his hook smashed open the top of the crate.

Pulling back, Jack pulled his sword free and swiped at the captain. Hook caught his blade and swiped at him with his hook. Jack ducked beneath it, thrusting his hand into the hole that had been made in the crate and pulling out a large fish. When he rose up again, he swiped at Hook with the fish, and the tail slapped him across the face.

Hook blinked, so shocked by what happened that he stopped attacking. The two captains stared at each other for a few moments before glancing at the fish. Then Hook let out an angry bellow and swiped at him with his sword. Jack ducked beneath it, then ducked again when he came back up to avoid Hook's hook. Hook swiped at him again with his sword to catch the blade. Then slapped Hook in the face with the fish again. Letting out another angry cry, Hook slashed with his hook again. Jack avoided it, still holding back Hook's sword, and slapped him with the fish again for a third time.

And so it repeated for the next minute or so, with Jack blocking Hook's sword with his own before dodging the hook swipe and slapping him again with the fish. Finally, Hook let out one final angry shout, bringing both his sword and his hook down at the same time. Jack held up his sword, catching both weapons with the length of the blade, and once more slapped Hook with the fish.

"Give me that!" Hook snarled, grabbing at the fish and ripping it out of Jack's hand before tossing it aside.

He then swiped at Jack again, who pulled back, and Hook took the opportunity to hop over the crate. He then advanced on Jack furiously as the other captain backed away, their swords clashing.

As the two continued to fight, Jolene proceeded to inch her way along behind the crowd, keeping her eyes out for anything she could use to put her plan into action. Anything that could float would do. They were by the docks, there had to be something she could use, even if it was a simple-

There! A bucket. That would be perfect. Now she just had to get to it without anyone noticing. That didn't seem like it would be a problem since everyone's attention was on Jack and Hook. And so she nonchalantly shifted along until she reached the bucket, then pushed it back with her foot until it was right on the edge of the dock. She would have to move fast from here, and make sure no one saw her, otherwise this plan wouldn't work.

Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out the other item she had swiped from the shop she had entered earlier, the one she had seen through the window and had initially gone in to get. A clock. A simple ordinary clock, but one she hoped would get the job done. As quickly and discreetly as possible, she held it behind her back as she wound it, then dropped it in the bucket. She didn't need to worry about anyone hearing her since they were being too loud as they egged on the two captains.

Bending down, she picked up the bucket, then carefully dropped it over the dock, making sure to toss it so it went under the dock, hoping it wouldn't tip over. It didn't, and the bucket floated along, the clock ticking inside it.

Climbing to her feet, Jolene looked around. No one seemed to have seen her, that was good, but now she needed to get noticed, and so she began pushing her way through the crowd as she made her way towards the swordfighters.

Jack continued to block and swipe at Hook, avoiding the captain's own blade. But it was clear that Hook was indeed the better swordsman, with possible centuries of experience behind him. And despite being older, his body was more youthful, while Jack was getting up there in years. He couldn't keep up, and Hook slowly gained the advantage in the battle.

Then suddenly, Jolene came bursting out of the crowd, shouting for them to stop. Hook did so, but seemingly only out of surprise at the interruption. He looked annoyed though, and pointed his sword at her threateningly as she stood between him and Jack.

"I'll deal with you later, child," he growled out, letting her know he hadn't forgotten about how she had tried to go back on their deal. "Right now, I'm dealing with another matter."

Putting on her best frustrated and worried face, Jolene shouted at him. "Will you be quiet for a minute and listen! Don't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Hook demanded impatiently.

Jolene didn't answer. Instead, she slowly brought her index finger to her lips to tell him keep quiet, then brought the finger to her ear and tapped it, silently telling him to listen. The others fell silent too and began to listen, and that's when they heard it, coming from beneath the dock.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

The color completely drained from Hook's face. All the confidence and certainty he carried himself with disappeared, and he suddenly seemed like nothing more than a frightened child. It was as if he had become a completely different person, his eyes wide with what could only be described as pure terror.

Jolene thought he might faint. She knew that Hook was afraid, but she had never seen fear to this extent on another person. This was a full-blown phobia, and it rendered the mighty and fearsome captain into a terrified mess. But she supposed being constantly hunted by a giant, monstrous crocodile everyday of your life for decades, possibly centuries, would cause such a reaction in a person.

"No…" he whispered quietly, his voice trembling. "No… No, it can't be here. It can't be here!"

He dropped his sword and reached into his jacket, pulling out a pistol and turning to the edge of the dock. The people in the way all quickly moved as Hook waved around his gun, looking down at the dock as he tried to pinpoint where the ticking was coming from.

"IT CAN'T BE HERE!" he shouted, and began firing into the dock. "IT CAN'T BE HERE! FIND IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!"

The rest of his crew pulled out their guns as well, pointing them down at the dock as well. A few cautiously inched their way over to the dock's edge, carefully looking over the side for any sign of the crocodile that constantly plagued their captain. They seemed to have completely forgotten about the others as they sought out the source of the ticking while several othersgrabbed onto the hysterical Hook, trying futilely to calm him before he shot one of them as he fired wildly.

Jack's bewildered eyes darted over the fanatic crew of the Jolly Roger as they worked themselves up into a frenzy. He glanced over at Gibbs, who gave an equally as confused shrug, not sure what to make of the situation. Jolene didn't bother to explain the situation as she marched over to Jack.

"We have to go," she told him urgently. "That will only buy us so much time."

Jack opened his mouth, as if to ask a question, but didn't seem sure what to ask, and pointed at the rioting Jolly Roger crew. "What is that about? Did you do that?"

"I'll explain later," she insisted, and began pushing him along. "Unless you want to finish your swordfight, I suggest we leave."

"Not without my effects," Jack insisted, and made his way to gather up the discarded items Hook had tossed away, including the golden hand rod. "Gibbs, make for the ship."

His first mate nodded. "Aye. To the ship!"

The crew didn't need to be told twice, and so made a break for it as the Jolly Roger's crew frantically squabbled about as their captain continued screaming to "find it" and "kill it". Jolene had been hoping to frighten him as a distraction, but she hadn't expected this complete and total breakdown of chaos and disorder. She didn't want to stay to watch how it played out though, and rushed along with the Pearl's crew.

"Captain, they're escaping!" one of the Jolly Roger's crew shouted.

Jolene silently swore and looked back to see that amongst the disorder, some of Hook's crew were coming after them. Before she could make a move though, Jack suddenly pushed past her from behind, holding one of the torches that had been along the dock.

"Pardon me," he said, and tossed the torch towards the approaching Jolly Roger's crew members.

The torches landed on the dock, and the rum that had been spilt from the barrels in Jack and Hook's fight ignited. The dock went up in a blaze, cutting Hook's crew off from Jack's. Jack turned and made a run for it after that, and upon seeing the trail of rum the fire was traveling across was heading towards the pile of barrels that was surely full of more rum, Jolene turned and ran as well.

The fire reached the barrels, and a large explosion lit up the deck, causing even more chaos and disorder. It only served to aid Jack's crew in their escape as they hurried away. They didn't stay along the docks though, but instead doubled back through the town, taking a different route to the Pearl. Jolene stayed with them, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. If Hook had been angry at her before, she knew he would be utterly furious when he realized she had tricked him and caused him to reveal such a cowardly side of himself, not to mention Jack's explosive stunt back on the dock.

Since she didn't know where the Pearl was docked, she had to hang back and follow the group. Much to her surprise, Jack fell back a bit to run alongside her. "I don't know what you did back there, but I do appreciate it. What did you say your name was again? Joanne?"

"Jolene," she said, annoyed that he hadn't even remembered her name.

"Well, Jolene, welcome to the crew, love."

She grimaced. "Please don't call me 'love'. How far away if your ship?"

Jack glanced over his shoulder as he ran along. "Apparently too far. Let's save any further pleasantries until then."

Jolene nodded. "Agreed."

(A/N: Ok, so a lot to unpack here. Jolene finally managed to find Jack, though not under the best of circumstances. Unfortunately, now Hook has found him as well, and the two even fought, Luckily though, they were able to escape, thanks to Jolene's distraction and Jack's quick thinking. That's one of the things I love about Jack, you can never tell if he's strategically planning something, is good at improvising the situation to his benefit, or if he just accidentallies himself out of trouble. But they're not out of the woods yet. Hook is going to be furious when he catches up. Let's hope that our heroes can make their escape before things go from bad to worse.)