(~) To anyone who's been reading this: I'm sooooooooooooo sorry for not updating in forever. But maybe for people that have read it and hate it, that's a good thing. But between getting hit with the love san, school, Florida, and God only knows what other madness, it's been hard for me to get off me lazy bum and write this part. So anyway, here it is.

Part Eight. Lies and Promises

"Look at that sunrise, Joan. Isn't it amazing? There's nothing like looking straight ahead and seeing something as amazing as that," Jack said, resting one elbow on the helm.

"Shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers."

Jack looked over his shoulder, his eyes wide as if startled. He looked to where he had sworn Joan had been standing just moments before and was half-surprised to see Mr. Collins' parrot perched on the railing, not far behind the Captain.

"Joan…?" he said in a confused voice. "Parrot, did you eat her?!"

"Polly wanna cracker. Polly wanna cracker."

"Stupid bird," Jack muttered turning back to the helm.

"You looking for that girl with the black coat?" came Mr. Gibbs voice from the main deck.

"Well, yes…."

"She went below deck about a half-hour ago. You've been talking to Mr. Collins' parrot for a long time." Gibbs paused for a moment to chuckle and shake his head. "I've never seen you talk so much to someone. And then someone actually want to listen."

Jack shifted his shoulders. "Well, she's where I'm getting my coordinates from."

Mr. Gibbs stopped to look at Jack, studying the Captain skeptically. "Uh-huh." He continued to watch Jack fidget restlessly. "Er, sir…"

"What?" he snapped stiffly.

"Would you like me to take the helm for a moment… And we'll just assume I don't know why…" Gibbs offered, seeing the agitation in the other man's eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't know why myself," he replied in a light tone.

"Well, don't you want to go find that Joan girl…?"

Jack sighed and averted his eyes. Then after a while he grabbed his hat and stormed off to go below deck. "Well of course I want to find her! No one just walks away from Captain Jack Sparrow!"

(~*~)

Almour crept below deck, careful not to make the slightest noise, using only a faint lighted candle for guidance. She had seen that thief skirt below deck not too long before the sun had begun to rise. Almour had checked any other level and now found herself in the hull looking for her. This Joan was avoiding her, and she knew it. Not once had she left Jack's side, whether out of fear of being confronted by Almour or actually giving the Captain coordinates.

Almour raised the candle over her head to see better when something caught her eye. Yes, it's what she had been looking for! It was the silver pendant. Joan had apparently decided to take a bit of a nap in the hull. She set down the candle, noting the steady swaying of the ship as she kneeled down. Almour was looking at the side of the pendant with the signs of Zodiac on it. She turned it over, and grinned in finding the proof that she needed.

Elegantly engraved on the back of the pendant were the two letters: "A.D" Andrew Dalman, Almour's father. She had to get it back. Almour's hand slowly trailed to the sword at her waist, with the faintest sound of steel she unsheathed it. She was among pirates, they wouldn't care if she killed someone in cold blood. And even if they did, she could say Joan came at her, after all, they'd all seen her cold nature. And if anyone had seen her aggressiveness, Almour wouldn't have been doubted for even a second.

"NO!"

A moment later Almour had been forcefully grabbed her wrist and yanked upwards so as to pull her away from Joan. Almour threw her head back to see who it was that had stopped her.

"What were you trying to do!?" Jack exclaimed.

Joan had immediately been caused to wake up with a start and instinctively reach for her pistol. "What's going on?" she demanded, upon seeing Almour struggling against Jack's grasp.

"That's mine!" she growled at Joan, freeing one hand to point at the pendant. "You're right, all three pendants would be identical. But not that one. That one has my father's initials on it."

"So what do you want?" Joan asked calmly.

"I want it back…" Almour commanded, her voice as serious as anything. "How did you get it."

Joan paused, down casting her eyes and leaning heavily on a barrel behind her. Her fingernails were digging into the barrel, she was clearly feeling conflicted about something. "I don't know," she said flatly.

Almour's mouth fell open, aghast, her eyes narrowing as she grew angrier. "You're despicable! You are a horrible excuse for a human being!"

"That's enough!" Jack bellowed, spinning Almour around to face him. "Look, I don't have time for this. I can't go and loose my biggest asset because of … pride, or whatever it is you call it! I know you meant to kill her, and if it were anyone else, I wouldn't have had a problem, but I need her!"

A silence fell over the three, and for a long while nothing was said, but Almour could not hold back the infuriated gazes she cast on Jack and Joan. Especially Joan. "This isn't over," she hissed, turning her back and storming away into the darkness.

"Thanks," Joan muttered, finally lowering her pistol, satisfied that Almour had been held off for the time being.

"Don't mention it," he muttered tiredly, his beads falling into his face. Again there was silence as neither bothered to move or speak. Joan eerily clear laugh echoed in the cramped area after a while.

"You need me, did you say?"

Jack rolled his eyes, but even she could catch his ears reddening in the dim light. "Please. I don't need any woman. Not in that way."

"Oh no?" Joan stated, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows.

"Emotionally, no," he said flatly. "Physical's another matter."

She made a disgusted sound in her throat and rolled her eyes in turn.

"If you don't mind my asking…" He stopped short as Joan raised her eyes, a very guarded look behind them. "How did you come by the pendant."

"I told you, I-"

"I know, I know 'You don't know where you got it'…" Jack said sighing in a bored tone, using his hands to further animate his words. "I've met a lot of liars in my day, and that was most definitely a lie."

Joan bit the inside of her lip, and she looked at him seriously, unlike she had looked at anyone in a long time. "You have to believe me when I tell you… He… He was dying when I found him…"

"Who?"

She shifted her feet slightly. "If this belonged to he she said… Well, I killed him, yes. But he was dying. He even asked me to put him out of his misery… I couldn't help but oblige."

"So you really are…"

"I'm a vampire yes… but I'm only telling you straight out because you've seen me feed and there's no use lying to you." She heaved a heavy sigh. "And as much as I hate it, I have to trust that you won't tell anyone."

Jack smirked, his golden teeth glinting even in the faint light. "Don't worry luv, on my word as Jack Sparrow, I swear I will not tell a living soul."

Joan just cast her eyes to the side. "Could you be any more egotistical. 'On my word as Jack Sparrow!'" She mimicked in a dim-witted voice.

"You don't want to get on my bad side," Jack said calmly. "I don't have to help you."

"You will," she said softly, but not as a command. As if it were just a plain and simple fact.

Jack blinked, looking around him in the darkness, then back to Joan who appeared to be almost serene. "Is this some sort of mind trick."

"No tricks, Jack," she replied softly. "I'm telling you, you can't do this without me."

The Captain felt his heart rate quicken. "A threat then, some kind of threat!"

The Vampire only shook her head, her stray strands of her golden hair falling into her face. "No, Jack. Not a threat." She looked up at him. "I've seen those looks before. And it always ends in heartache."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, turning away from her and finding his way to the stairs that led above deck.

Joan simply shrugged, though she was all alone, and sat down on one of barrels, looking at the pure silver pendant that she held between her thumb and forefinger.

(~*~)

When Jack emerged onto the main deck the Caribbean sun was already beating down upon the crew that bustled about hurriedly. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to look casual as he strolled across the deck, looking as though nothing happened. Almour narrowed her eyes as he passed by, gripping the railing till her knuckles turned white.

"Almour what's wrong?" Rhiannon asked as she came alongside the other woman.

Almour looked towards her, her own eyes flaring with anger, but she had to make herself remember that Rhiannon wasn't on anyone's side. "He's on her side!" she hissed, barely able to keep her voice down.

"The pendant?"

Almour nodded stiffly, looking into the deep, blue sea, wishing that it would swallow her up. "I can't get it from her… Not with Jack on her side." Here she turned her gaze towards the Captain who had taken his place at the helm again. "I don't know what's wrong with him! He's treacherous, filthy scum that should never have been given the opportunity to walk the earth!" she spat.

"Well… he is a pirate," Rhiannon replied, a bit too jokingly for Almour's liking. "Look, if the pendant is yours, just wait for the moment when nothing could possibly go wrong… Wait for the opportune moment."

Jack stood over the helm trying to look casual as his eyes darted around, trying to find Will. He spotted him in the rigging, his elbows hooked in as he gazed out over the sea so that he wouldn't fall.

"Will!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice low, but he didn't seem to hear the pirate. "Will… Will!" He grunted, then cupped his hands over his mouth. "WILLIAM TURNER!!!!"

Will nearly fell out of the rigging when he finally heard Jack bellowing his name. "What!?"

"Get down here!" Jack snarled, feeling very ill-tempered at the time.

The blacksmith climbed down from his place and shuffled over to where Jack stood at the helm. "What is it?"

"That Joan is giving me a hard time… I can't figure her out!"

Will grinned. "You're having… women problems?"

"No, that's not the issue," he replied, feeling irritated. He was trying to figure out how he could put the words and not break the promise he had made to Joan. "I can't seem to figure her out is all."

"Why do you need to figure her out?" Will asked with a shrug.

"She could kill me, for one," said Jack truthfully.

"I suppose that's a good reason… But anyone could want to kill you?"

"Yeah, well, women are harder for me to figure out…" He lowered his voice, looking seriously at Will. "This may surprise you, but I'm not that great with women aside from getting them in the sack."

Will slapped the side of his face in mock surprise. "You're kidding, why Jack Sparrow, I had no idea!"

"I know, it's shocking," Jack replied, thinking that Will was being serious. "But tell me, Will, what is it? How do I find out what's really going on in her head."

"Jack, the only way you can ever find out what's going is being plain and honest with her… You remember the meaning of the word honest, don't you?" He ignored the pirates glare. "Even then, you may not be getting the whole story. They don't like revealing something they don't want to."

"Eh… you sure have an interesting method," the Captain muttered. He sighed, turning the helm and looking away from his friend.

"Is… that it?" Will asked, his voice a little unsure.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Will just shrugged. "It's just… normally when someone wanted to kill you, you couldn't give less of a damn."

"Well this is different."

"How?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"I just can't."

The blacksmith grinned broadly. "I think I know why."

Jack's heart skipped a beat. "You… You do?"

The other man nodded, and swayed childishly. "Jack's in looooooovve."

"That's the last thing I'll ever be!" he snarled, turning suddenly on Will. "Women mean one thing to me, and that ain't it! Besides, what do you know about love? How'd it go with Elizabeth last night?"

Will's face fell. "That's none of your business," he stated softly, walking towards the main deck.

"Bet you she didn't like the idea of you running off again on pirate business."

"Go to hell, Jack!" Will hollered over his shoulder.

The pirate just grinned widely. "Don't worry friend, I'm halfway there."