The journey back to Port Royal was uneventful, except perhaps for Connolley's repeated attempts to escape from confinement below decks in the Bane's brig. After the third such attempt, Jess paid a visit, and Connolley never made trouble again. What exactly she said to him the crew never found out, but it was the subject of much speculation and no few stories nonetheless.

Jess had arranged to turn the ship over to Tom, her first mate, after the completion of her business in Port Royal. He protested strongly, saying repeatedly that it simply wouldn't be the same without her. In the end, he made her swear that if ever she became unhappy, or if Jack didn't treat her well, he and the crew would be allowed to 'rescue' her, sink the Pearl, and she would remain their captain. She laughed at this and agreed, but said she thought it most unlikely that she would be unhappy.

Will and Elizabeth were traveling home with Jess aboard the Bane. The Pearl escorted them to within a few hours sailing of Port Royal, exactly as planned. Well, perhaps not entirely. Jack insisted on sailing into Port Royal on the Bane, maintaining that if Jess's negotiations went badly, there would at least be someone aboard who stood half a chance of getting her out of Port Royal alive.

"You could be captured, nay, shot on sight, and where would I be then?" Jess yelled.

"Relax," Jack drawled. "I'm going to stay aboard ship, and the British have no reason to suspect I'd dare show my face anywhere within 1000 miles of Port Royal." He grinned. "Besides, if I am, as you say, captured and shot, you'll be master of the Pearl and the Bane, a Commodore- ess, if you will, and captain of the fastest ship in the Caribbean to boot."

Jess sighed wearily. "I'm not going to win this one, am I?"

"Sorry, love, but if you got yourself hanged now after all we've been through, I'd be most disappointed, savvy?" He put his arms around her.

Jess twisted around to smile at him. "Savvy. So, what can you tell me about Norrington?"

"Oh, he's alright," Jack replied, sounding unconcerned. "He's the honorable sort, you know? Very stiff and formal, though. I'd say throw him as far off balance as you can before you talk price for Connolley. You know as well as I the British always advertise more money than they are actually willing to pay."

"Off balance how?"

Jack's smile turned wicked. "Just use your imagination, love. Whatever you think is best."

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"You want me to help you WHAT?" Elizabeth asked, looking stunned.

"You heard me," Jess replied patiently. She had gone to visit Elizabeth in her cabin, where she was searching for something respectable to wear on her return to Port Royal in some two hours' time. Jess didn't think the quest was too promising, herself, as all Elizabeth had were breeches and a couple of none-too-clean shirts that had once been white. Will and Jack were up on deck, arguing about something or other, as usual.

"But why?" Elizabeth wailed.

"I already told you that," Jess replied, her patience beginning to stretch a little. "I need to throw the Commodore as far off balance as possible, and I think this is the best way to do that."

"Hardly worth it if it gets you hanged!" Elizabeth retorted.

"A little innocent resemblance to someone isn't grounds for a hanging," Jess insisted. "Not even under British law. Come on, Elizabeth. You can't deny it'll be fun to watch."

Elizabeth sighed, conceding defeat. "All right, so I can't. I'll help, but on your head be it. Now, where to start?"

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An hour and a half later, Jess strolled out onto the main deck. A murmur passed along the length of the ship as, one by one, the member's of her crew stopped what they were doing to stare incredulously at her. Then someone began to clap, then another, and yet another, until the whole crew was clapping and whistling. Jack and Will looked up from the map they had been studying, and both of them stared in unflattering disbelief.

Jess gave Jack a smile, and spun slowly in a circle, letting him take in the changes she and Elizabeth had made to her appearance.

Jess's hair, once glossy and wavy, was now a mass of dull tangles, nearly dreadlocks. Jess had soaked her hair in a bucket of salt water for almost an hour to achieve the effect. She and Elizabeth had then braided in an assortment of glass beads and small charms, and tied the whole mess back from her face with a faded red headband. Over that she wore a beat-up three-sided leather hat, stolen from Jack's cabin courtesy of Mr. Cotton's parrot. She had used a mixture of soot and candle wax to heavily line her eyes with black. Her smile revealed the small pieces of gold ('borrowed' from the treasure) which she had managed to fit over several of her teeth. She wore her own clothing, plus a faded black coat slightly too large for her. Instead of twin sabers strapped to her back, she now carried a single blade at her side, half concealed beneath the coat, plus a pistol thrust into a wide leather belt. In short, she had made herself into a female version of Jack Sparrow.

"So Jack," she asked conversationally, halting before him and smiling, "Do you think this will put Norrington off balance?"

Will looked from Jess to Jack and back again, shaking his head. "Do you know, I think it might?"

Jack seemed to be over the initial shock, and was rapidly recovering his poise. He stepped forward to scrutinize her closely. "How'd you manage the eyes?"

Jess smirked. "Its soot and candle wax."

Jack sighed theatrically. "Poor old Norrington, I'm not sure his heart can take this."

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As it happened, Norrington was there to meet them on the docks, along with twenty heavily armed marines. Jess gave him a broad grin as she stepped out of her boat, dragging the unfortunate Connolley behind her. His hands were bound behind him, and he was gagged, once again courtesy of Elizabeth. She and Will stood on either side of the prisoner, behind Jess.

Norrington stared in disbelief as she regarded him with thinly veiled amusement, her arms crossed. Several moments passed in silence, then Norrington seemed to give himself a little shake. "That ship in the harbor, the Bane; does it belong to you?"

Jess gave him a slight smile, "It does now. I've brought you Liam Connolley, as you may or may not have noticed." She allowed a flash of contempt to show on her face, then continued, "You will pay the bounty due to me."

It seemed Jack's plan was working, because the Commodore sounded distinctly flustered as he replied, "Ah, yes, we, ah... That is to say, I would be happy to negotiate a fair price for him, Miss...?"

Jess ignored the question. "Very well. Your men may take him into custody now, Commodore. We can't expect Mr. and Mrs. Turner to stand guard over them all day, now can we?"

Looking thoroughly put out at being given orders by this unknown woman, the Commodore gestured to four of his men, who seized Connolley and led him away. Will and Elizabeth took their leave, waving cheerily to Jess. The Commodore watched them go, his eyes on Elizabeth, his expression misty-eyed. Then he shook his head slightly as if to clear it, and spoke to Jess, "Will you, ah, come to my office, please?"

Jess bowed courteously and replied, "Lead on, Commodore."

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Norrington's office was spacious and luxurious, as befitted his station. He sat behind a large desk, regarding Jess with a mixture of interest and suspicion. Jess sat in a chair across from him, the picture of good-natured insolence. She leaned back casually in her chair, her arms folded, her legs stretched out before her. Jess waited for him to speak.

"Very well, um," he began, clearly having no idea what he was going to say, "So you, ah, captured Connolley all by yourself, did you? That's, ah, most unusual, particularly for a woman... Yes, um..."

Jess gave him a grin that was all teeth (gold and otherwise) and interrupted smoothly, "I can see why you're a military man and not a diplomat, Commodore. But yes, I did." Jess gave him a modified version of the story, making it sound as though she had worked alone to capture Connolley. She implied that her ship had been destroyed by Connolley's crew during the battle at Isla de Muerta to explain her ownership of the Bane. She made no mention of Jack or the Pearl.

The Commodore stared in silence for several minutes after she finished her narrative. Finally he asked, "So you lifted the curse a second time with Turner's blood. And you... you bombarded the caves until they collapsed?"

Jess nodded. "No one will ever be able to reach Cortez's gold now. It is truly gone forever, buried under tons of rubble."

Norrington considered for a moment, then asked, "And Turner and his wife? They, ah, helped you on this venture?"

"They were a great help in Connolley's capture," she said, then unable to resist, she added blandly, "Mr. Turner in particular was a great help to me. I daresay he should be commended for his heroic actions in bringing this fugitive from British law to justice... savvy?"

"Er, yes, of course," Norrington stammered. "In the course of your travels, have you ever encountered a man named Jack Sparrow?"

Jess narrowed her eyes as if trying to recall some obscure bit of information. "I may have heard of him. Why do you ask?"

"You, ah, resemble him rather strongly," Norrington replied, clearly trying to be tactful, without a great deal of success. "The similarities between you are rather startling, actually, so I thought perhaps you might know of him."

"I see." Jess leaned forward in her seat. "Now, to business. You will pay the full bounty for Connolley, alive and unharmed?"

"Ah, well, actually, the government is no longer prepared to pay the full price," the Commodore replied, gaining confidence once more.

"I see. And you'd be willing to pay..."

Norrington named a sum, less than half of the advertised price.

Jess gave an unladylike snort. "That would scarcely buy the rope to hang him with. Try again, Commodore."

Norrington tried again, naming a sum significantly higher than the last one. It was, in fact nearly full price. "However, the paperwork involved requires me to know your name, I'm afraid," he added.

Jess inclined her head in acceptance. "Cash only, Commodore. Have it ready in half an hour, if you please. I'll tell you my name then."

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Jess kept an eye on the marines as they loaded her payment, two chests of coins, aboard her boat at the docks. She gave the Commodore a polite bow, and said, "My thanks to you, Commodore Norrington."

She turned and clambered into her boat, pushing off from the docks.

She was about 1000 feet off, nearly to the Bane, when she heard the Commodore yell, "Your name, girl! What's your name?"

Jess leapt to her feet and turned to face him. "By the powers, I nearly forgot!" she yelled back. "May you always remember this day, Commodore, as the day you met Mrs. Jack Sparrow!" She grinned as realization hit him, and added cheerily, "But you can call me Jess!"