Disclaimer: Seeing as, this disclaimer thing has gotten way out of hand, I, the insane author of this 'fan'-fiction will allow you, the reader to improvise. So without further ado I present the new and improved method of crediting disclaimers. At the beep… please fill in the blank with your favorite disclaimer (so that I won't have to fill it in for ye.) BEEP (fill in the blank with your disclaimer now.)_______
The Joy of the Hunt
By: Dragon Demon
Rating: PG-13 for violence, brief language and sensuality.
Summary: Set in motion after Jack's escape from Port Royal, the crew of the Black Pearl pay a visit to Tortuga where Jack repossess a valuable trinket he left behind. In doing so, he has unleashed a chain of events that will lead him on a wild goose chase for treasure, love and survival
---
"We've hit the jackpot." Jack exclaimed as he set the wagon wheel on the floor.
A small metal door stuck out like a sore thumb in the wall revealing a safe compartment.
Anamaria found it hard to contain her excitement and soon stood beside Jack as he took the keys and unlocked the small safe in the wall that had been hidden behind the wheel.
"Finally, after all these years." Jack murmured as the safe door swung open with a light jingling of the keys.
Anamaria placed a hand on Jack's arm. "Seems things are lookin' up for ye, Captain."
A small smile graced Jack's lips at the title as he carefully withdrew several items- a velvet pouch containing doubloon's, several pieces of parchment consisting of a will and a picture- from the confines of the safe and set them aside.
The last item Jack withdrew was a small leather-bound book old with age and dust. Anamaria frowned. Jack had placed every thing inside the safe aside on the desk, she of course, had gone through everything set aside as well.
"Jack, where's your treasure?" she asked at last, a look of confusion on her face.
The pirate had stood silently nearby the book still gripped firmly in his hands. "Right here." he whispered.
Anamaria furrowed her brow before her face contorted with fury. "A book?!" she asked in an irritated tone. "Ye drug me all the way out here for a- for a BOOK!" Her voice rose as did her hand.
Jack turned to look at her but instead was met by her fist. He stumbled back and tripped over a chair, the book dropping to the ground and opening to show that several of the pages had been cut to form a tiny compartment within.
Anamaria knelt, picked up the book and began flipping through the pages. "Jack, all the pages have a hole in them."
Jack, rubbing the sore spot on his chin where Anamaria had decked him answered, "I know love." He sat up and flexed his jaw a bit before adding, "I'm the one who cut the hole out."
"But-- why?"
Taking the book from her, he looked it over. A look Anamaria couldn't place flickered across his features as he inspected the book front to back. He shook his head muttering something but before Anamaria could ask what was wrong he stated, "It's gone."
"What's gone, Jack?"
Jack stood up and looked around the room. "Me treasure." He said. Anamaria rose to her feet and tried taking the book but before she could get her hands on it Jack yelled, "The treasure is Gone!" and threw the book across the room where it knocked a vase off a table causing it to shatter on the floor.
Anamaria cringed inwardly as the sound of the shattering vase and turned back to Jack. "I thought that book was your treasure."
Jack laughed sardonically. "No! The book wasn't me treasure! It was what was inside the book that I was after."
"What was inside the book?" Anamaria asked as she began to place everything back inside the safe. Instead of answering her, Jack began to pick up anything he could and hurl it across the room knocking books off the shelves, lamps off the tables and pictures off the walls. Anamaria ran over to him and stopped him from throwing the flower vase he held in his hands.
"Jack! What was inside the book?" she asked again with a firm tone and a strong grip on his hand. Jack staggered back until he landed softly in an armchair. Anamaria shuffled her way across the littered room and kneeled in front of him. "Jack, tell me what was inside that book of yours."
Jack hung his head and finally began to speak in a muffled voice. Anamaria had to lean close to even catch the words. "It was… a key."
"A key?" Anamaria echoed with curiosity.
"Yes. A key." Jack gestured with his hands as he sat back. "Two years before I was marooned by Barbossa, my crew and I stopped over in this port, some where in between here and Tortuga. We had run into a nasty storm, one that not even I was daft enough to sail through, so we docked for the night." He paused and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
"It was strange, by any means. A port I had never 'eard of or seen before, just out there in the middle of nowhere. So me and ole Bootstrap went ashore to have a look see. There wasn't a body in sight; the place was deserted. No lights on anywhere, not even at the cantina. We thought it was odd, no lights, no people, not even a wench. We had decided to return to the Pearl and leave dock as soon as possible. Something wasn't right about that little town, and we knew it." Jack sighed, his hand pressed firmly to his forehead.
"It was then that we saw the old man. He was limping through the street, his body covered in blood. Bill reached 'im first as the man collapsed." Jack trailed off a bit and took a deep breath. It was then that Anamaria noticed he was shaking. Shaking as if he were afraid of something. She touched his shoulder and Jack went on with his story.
"He had something in his hand, clutching it close to him and he was mumblin' things we couldn't understand. Something about his family and his daughter being killed. Finally he pushed what he had been holdin' into Bill's hand. Told 'im to take it and use it to return what had been stolen, unless we wanted to die and take the world with us. Neither Bill nor I knew what this man was talking about, thought he was delirious. He was rantin' and ravin' about a cursed island that was protected by a spirit that kept their town safe. And that on this island was a treasure so damned by the devil, that the spirit itself was afraid of it. That man died there that night, in Bill's arms. Against our better judgments, we buried him, then made for the ship. We weren't the same after that."
Anamaria pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Meanin'…?:
"Meanin', everyone thinks I went mad on that island I was marooned on. But honestly, I think I went mad that night in that town. After that, things began happenin'. Most of me crew fell ill, some died. I started havin' dreams and visions. Visions of what happened that night on that island. Several ports and towns were being raided, the people slaughtered, everythin' burned to the ground." Jack glanced up at Anamaria and frowned. "Port Maria was one of these."
Anamaria's eyes widened with shock and disbelief as she looked away from her captain. She rose to her feet and turned from Jack, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes or the tears that had begun to form. "What happened after that?" she choked out.
Jack sat back. "I don't know. As quick as it started, it ended. It didn't take Bill and I long to realize that whoever was doing the raidin' was lookin' for somethin'. The somethin' that that old man gave Bill that night. It was a key to the island, to the treasure. In exchange for protection of the village, the village protected the island. Shortly after that, we learned of the treasure on Isla de Muerta. I'd 'eard of the curse it bore, but didn't pay much mind to it. But the story that old man told us, did spark some worry."
"Was it the same island that the old man spoke of?" Anamaria questioned as she wiped her face off with the back of her hand before facing Jack.
"No. It wasn't. We never did find that island, thankfully. Bill gave me the key and told me to get rid of it. But for some reason, every time I tried, I couldn't. So I hid it and left it in Tortuga. Shortly afterwards, my crew turned on me and I was marooned. When I escaped from there, I went in search of me ship. That's when I came across the stories of an island that didn't exist, not even to those who knew where it was. But there was a map. I saw it with me own eye, I did. And I memorized it, and wrote it down."
He pointed behind Anamaria. "In that book. But it's gone too."
Anamaria seemed confused as she asked, "Why do ye need the key and map, Jack?"
"Because love, I made a promise. When I learned of Bill's death, I promised him that I'd get revenge and that I'd find that island. I got me revenge. But findin' that island has proved to be difficult." Jack told her calmly.
"But why? Why find the island Jack when it was responsible for the deaths of all the people in that town?" Anamaria snapped at him. She was confused and worried, and she wasn't sure what Jack was up to, and in her opinion, that was always a bad thing.
"To stop whatever it was that was killin' all those people, Anamaria! Bill and I saw it with our own eyes, the death, the blood. It wasn't natural the way those people died. And, I promised to find that island and return what had been taken." Jack stated with a look of determination. "If I didn't, whatever is killin' all those people will continue doin' so."
Anamaria sighed in exasperation. "But how do ye know what was taken from that island? Or who even has it!"
Jack grinned for the first time since discovering that his book was empty. "Simple love. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. I can do anythin'."
Anamaria shot him a look as he quickly commented, "Plus, I had what was taken. The old man had it that night. Seems they had gotten it back, but never got to return it."
"So why didn't ye return it that same night?"
Giving her his trademark grin he shrugged and said, "We didn't know where it was. No map."
Anamaria growled in frustration. "Ok, but you found the map and copied it. Why didn't ye return it then?"
There was another grin, as he answered, "I didn't have a ship."
"Well ye had mine!" Anamaria spat out angrily.
Jack rubbed his chin. "True, I did. But see, I only had yours after I returned that treasure."
Anamaria stopped pacing the floor and looked at him. "So, ye did return the treasure?"
"Aye- a long time ago, love. I kept me promise to return it. But I kept the key and map to keep it from fallin' in the wrong hands." Jack said in a low voice.
Anamaria grabbed the nearest thing she could find, being a pillow from a sofa, and threw it at Jack yelling, "Ye filthy rat! Ye had me believin' your story about still havin' that cursed treasure!"
He caught it and placed it on the floor as he spoke, "But now someone has the key and the map to this island. Meanin' if they find the island and take somethin' from it-"
Anamaria finished his sentence. "That the curse of this island is goin' to continue killin' until it gets what was taken from it."
Jack nodded and was about to say something else when they both heard shouts coming from outside in the hallway. Anamaria's head snapped up as the doors jolted and buckled under the weight of the guards outside ramming into it. The doors finally gave in as they swung open to reveal several armed soldiers and the Governor.
"Seize her!" the Governor ordered.
Anamaria looked to Jack only to see he was gone. She turned back to the guards, trapped and unarmed. Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention causing her to turn. The guard in front of her suddenly hit the ground, the remains of a broken vase scattered around his body.
"Jack!" Anamaria yelled with surprise as the pirate stood behind the fallen guard. He grabbed her by the arm with his free hand, a sword in the other and started to clear a path through the guards.
"Don't let him escape men!" The Governor ordered as he stayed out of the way.
Jack pushed Anamaria out the door into the hallway as soon as he was able. "Run." He instructed her as he blocked a blow from a guard.
Anamaria nodded with hesitation and made her way down the hallway only to come to an abrupt stop as several more guards including the Commodore came barreling up the stairs blocking her exit.
"Desist!" Commodore Malone hollered as Anamaria turned around and ran the other way. On her way, she grabbed Jack who was locked in a stare down with a guard and yelled, "Jack! Now is not the time!"
"Where are we headin' love?" Jack asked as he kept pace beside her.
Anamaria pointed to a rope that had been carelessly tied on a hook at the end of the balcony leading to the dance floor below. Jack smiled knowingly and ran ahead to have the rope untied before Anamaria reached him.
Anamaria paused and knocked over a statue in the hallway behind her to slow the guards down. Jack got the rope untied and turned to tell Anamaria to hurry when the sound of a pistol went off echoing through the hall. There were screams below as numerous couples hit the floor. A guard stood feet behind the statue, a pistol in his hands aimed at the fleeing woman. Anamaria stumbled and fell forward, a scream escaping her lips.
---
Author's Corner- (drum roll in background) Dun dun dun… Got you interested yet? How about hanging onto the edge of your seats? Yes! A cliff-hanger. I hate them, but there isn't anyway to get around them, sadly.
Ok, for those of you out there, a cantina is a bar that serves liquor. I figured being, a different place, perhaps they don't call it a tavern. Why not try for something a bit… not out of the obvious.
Also, I guess I should tell you, since fanfiction.net wouldn't allow me a third genre, this does contain some angst/drama. Most fics do, you'll get over it. I hope. (gulps) As for the whole cursed island thing- that wasn't exactly planned when I started writing this. But the entire Barbossa/Isla de Muerta plot has been done numerous times. And while yes (I'm going to ruin it for you all) Barbossa does show up in this story some where along the way, it has nothing to do with Isla de Muerta! And Barbossa isn't exactly the enemy, he is only one of many. (hint hint)
And the enemy isn't an OC either, by the way! Turns out, I didn't have to make my own character. But the Governor Garrison is an OC, but blarg on him because he isn't important. (kicks Garrison)
This wraps up my A/N, I believe. I'm sure you are dying to read chapter 9… and funny enough, I have it right here (holds it up) but I am not posting it yet. (evil laughter) This is like a sitcom, and I, I am like… a chocolate crazed dust-bunny, just waiting to strike. Make you sweat a bit, perhaps make theories of what is to happen. Or to come. So just sit tight… and, um… don't break anything. Yeah… definitely, don't break anything.
Review Thanks-
Jackfan2- Hehe, no Will and Elizabeth won't reappear again for a couple more chapters. Perhaps not until towards the end. They do play a big part though, even if they aren't flitting around the story that much. As for the more intimate moments between Jack and Ana, well… let's just say, that depends on Jack. O.o
Wren- Ok, I don't believe I mentioned you on round 5, so here is for 5 and 7. Thank you! Yes yes, Norrington is on the hunt for Sparrow, or so we would think. (Does anyone really believe that Norrington went after Jack at the end of the movie? He does seem a bit skeptical.) But he will be here, for a brief moment, but here all the same. He finds something that Jack cherishes and brings it back to him. How kind of him! As to when that'll be, I have no idea. So just keep on checking back with me on this, and we'll go from there.
Cal- Cruel and unfair, but needing to be done. I have read several stories where Anamaria is in a dress, but it's usually because someone begged her to and not because it was imperative that she wear it for the sake of the story. But all the same, she wore one. (Congrats to those authors who managed to get that wildcat into a dress) And as for the climbing the tree in the gown- of course not! I wouldn't dream of making her climb down the tree in the gown, especially seeing as, Jack would probably climb down ahead of her, and we all know how Jack can be when it comes to women. A regular peeing Tom he is!
-Dragon Demon