Disclaimer: Pretty standard if you catch my drift. I, the author, am just borrowing these characters without permission, with all intentions of returning them. Nor do I own the lyrics to Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves. So get off my case and go sue somebody else. I hear the doughnut shop is a good place to start. Pirates of the Caribbean ® All rights reserved, Disney 2002-03.

Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves

Chapter Three- Squared

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Jack stumbled out of a bar, his heavy coat slung over his shoulders in a heap. He slurred his greetings to the lovely ladies standing outside the tavern door, their brightly painted faces smiling back at him. He tipped his hat to them as passed on by, their smiles fading. He picked his way through the crowded streets, the bodies of several drunken men scattered across the dirt.

He shook his head and made his way up a dark alley, the path taken memorized in the back of his mind. He sidestepped a few crates, tripping in the process, the half-empty rum bottle in his hand falling to the ground. He cursed to himself as he bent to pick it up, his dirty fingers scrabbling for the bottle.

A crack from behind brought his head up, his hand fingering the hilt of his sword. He swung around, his dark eyes narrowing, "I know you're there- show yourself."

A buffed figure stepped from the shadows; the dark outline every bit as chilling as the cackle that accompanied it. Jack tensed as the figure came into the light, his hand gripping his sword firmly. "Well if it ain't the rat from the tavern," the person quipped. "Are ye lost pal?"

Jack stared at him. "Are you blind?" he asked back. "Or just plain stupid?"

"Ye think you're funny, don'tcha?"

"No more than you are ugly," Jack retorted, his hand gesturing to the other man's face. "Now what can I help you with?"

The shadowed figure growled. "I don't think ye know you're place, scum. Allow me to show ye," he offered pulling his fist back and letting it fly.

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He staggered through the dark streets, grumbling and cursing as he went. A small line of blood trickled down his lip and he wiped it away, wincing as he did so. The grumbling continued as he walked on, a whispered 'bloody fool' here and there as he kicked at the loose cobblestones. He had been on his way to see a friend, whose location had been revealed by a trusty source, Gibbs undoubtedly, when he had been so rudely interrupted in the alley.

Despite the several tankards of rum he had become quite close to throughout the day, he wasn't as drunk as he appeared to be and was thus able to defend himself, though it looked like a bloody cat fight by the time it was over. He smirked, his swagger momentarily swerving too far to the left as he thought, Drunk! Why I'm never dru- he trailed off as he slumped against a wall, his mind fuzzy as he shook his head. Now what was I saying- Oh yes! Why I'm never drunk! Ok, there was that one time with that bearded lady, but that doesn't count. He shuddered at the memory as he pushed himself from the wall and slowly continued his way up the dark path.

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Anamaria stood in the middle of the room, small rays of moonlight splashing over her feet. She clutched the towel closer to her as she ran her fingers through her wet hair, her nails raking out any unwanted tangles. She crossed the floor and stood in front of a small chest of drawers, her hands scaling the drawers for the right one.

She pulled a shirt over her head allowing the towel to fall to the floor as she pulled on some breeches and combed out her hair. She turned to blow the candle on a nearby desk out when a sound that ironically sounded like a rock thrown against her window, caused her to look up, her dark eyes narrowing. Leaning over, she withdrew a dagger from under her pillow as she tiptoed across the floor, her bare feet making no sound.

Standing in the shadow of the tattered curtain she stared out the window to the ground below to see an empty street. Shaking her head telling herself it was her imagination she turned to leave, when once again another rock against the window pane accompanied by a muffled voice calling her name stopped her. Pulling the curtain back, Ana opened the window and stuck her head out.

"Anamaria, down here."

Anamaria peered down and squinted, the moonlight uncovering a figure standing hidden in some bushes. "Jack? What are you doing? How'd you find me?"

Jack stumbled out of the bushes cursing as he stopped to pick a thorn from his bottom. He dusted himself off and stared up at her, "An old friend told me. Now are you going to let me in or not?"

"Not," Ana replied as she stood back, her hand reaching to close the window. "Goodnight Mr. Sparrow."

"Oh come on, Ana! It's bloody freezing out here!"

The young woman paused and sighed, "Fine. Meet me at the back door," she gave in. She watched Jack head that way before she called out, "And watch out for the thorn bus-" her warning was cut off as she heard a curse and a small yelp followed by 'Stupid bloody thorn bushes!' Shaking her head, she closed the window and hurried downstairs to let Jack in.

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It seemed like an eternity that Jack waited for Ana to open the door as he began to drum his fingers on the door impatiently. He heard shuffling inside and finally the door opened with Ana behind it as she shooed a scrawny brown ball of fur out into the night.

"Sorry, had to put the cat out," she commented with a sheepish smile. She swung the door open a bit more allowing Jack to step inside when she exclaimed, "My God Jack! What happened to you?"

Jack brushed past her into a small kitchen area as he stated, "I ran into your little buddy Benny on the way here." He sagged heavily against a wall, the anger in his eyes as he explained what had happened, how he had run into the same guy from the tavern several nights before when he had first met Anamaria.

Ana sighed apologetically as she took his arm and braced his body against hers as she led him upstairs. "I'm really sorry about that, Jack. Ben has always been like that- he thinks he owns me and he'll stop at nothing to make sure everyone knows it," she helped him to the bed and stepped back motioning for him to remove his shirt.

Shrugging out of the shirt, Jack watched her, "Yeah but you don't belong to him, so why-" he let the sentence trail off hoping she'd catch his drift.

And she did.

Retrieving some bandages from her desk she turned back to him, her dark eyes filled with resentment. "Because I'm the only girl this side of Tortuga whose reputation he hasn't destroyed."

Jack's mind filtered back to his first night back on the island; the memory of him and Ana at the tavern, Benny, the blockhead who tried seducing Ana and had drug Jack into the mess by way of a bet to which Jack had no participation in. Sure, the gentlemen at that particular table had offered him a deal in it, but he had declined, something in the back of his mind telling him it was a mistake; and for the first time, Jack Sparrow listened to reason.

But he had still fallen victim to the bet regardless of his will, or lack of.

"You know I didn't agree to that bet," he suddenly blurted out as Ana dabbed at a cut on his chest.

Her face wrinkled in rancor followed by a shadow of apology. "I know," she answered as she ran a finger over the small cut.

Jack's head came up as he stared at her. "You do?" he asked incredulously.

"Aye, I do," she replied as she continued to tend to his other various cuts and scrapes. "Gibbs' the old fool, he scouted me out days ago to, as he put it, talk some sense into me. Said that you never had a part in the bet and that you were a good man- as good as they came."

The pirate captain chuckled. "Not so sure about the good man part," he teased.

Ana ran a cloth over his busted lip causing him to jerk back slightly. "That's what I said," she agreed as she poked at his bottom lip to see if it still bled.

"So even though you knew that, you refused to find me and tell me, eh?" Jack weaseled with a grin.

"I didn't refuse to do anything," she snapped at him. "Tortuga is a big place, how was I too know which bar you would be frequenting!"

They sat in uncomfortable silence as Ana went about finishing her task before she spoke up. "I'm sorry, for doubting you. I should have listened to your side of the story before storming off."

Jack waved her off, "No harm done."

Ana chuckled, "Except to maybe your pride."

"Aye, except to my pride," he echoed.

She stood up, done with her task, a small smile on her face. "So we're square then?"

Jack replaced his shirt as he too stood up, his dirty fingers tracing the bandage on his chest. "Aye, we're squared."

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Author's Notes: Quick notes, not much to say- more on the next chapter. Story still not moving that much, I'm doing the best I can- had to get a little motivation back. And now that the holidays are seemingly over, hopefully things will start out better and get interesting or what not.

Also… a few small 'plugs' as you call them. Looking for some enjoyable reading…? Well look no further- a few stories to satisfy those grown up tastes!

Midnight Rescue by Lykosdracos

First Mate & Best Friend by BlueWolf2

Salt Water by Arien Star

A few for right now- now if you are an author and read any of these stories listed, be a good reader and for every review someone has submitted to any story you have written- be kind and repay the favor, every writer likes feedback, regardless.

Review Thanks in the next chapter.

-J