Author's Note: Getting rid of the original A/N here.  To make a long story short, this chapter is dedicated to MrsPitt. ^_^ Please review! Oh yeah, and I changed the name of this chapter. Teehee.

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Pirates of the Caribbean : The Wrath of Cortez
Chapter Two : Old Acquaintances, New Predicaments

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It was a short journey from Port Royale to Tortuga, and went quite well for having a three person crew; four, with Elizabeth.  The navyman, Mr. Garnet, had come without a fuss, and grabbed two of the younger, inexperienced sailors as help.  However, they had refused to stay in Tortuga upon dropping Elizabeth off, and immediately headed home to Port Royale.

Evening was now setting in on the small thieves' town, and Elizabeth, slightly out of place in her fancy clothes, made her way into the local pub, where she was greeted immediately by the bartender – who happened to be a girl of seventeen, and not your typical pub hand.  The girl's messy brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was clad in a tight fitting red dress that seemed as if it would have been better suited to a whore.  She leaned casually against the counter, surveying Elizabeth as she approached the bar.

"Can I 'elp ye, lass?"  The girl studied Elizabeth over curiously, noting her appearance.

"Er, actually…" Elizabeth glanced around.  "I'm looking for a Captain Jack Sparrow…"

The girl laughed aloud. "Cap'n Sparrow? An' who's ye that wants to know?"

"Elizabeth."

The bartender arched an eyebrow.  "Aye…" She sighed, probably disappointed that Elizabeth wasn't buying anything.  "Try the back room, lassie.  An' next time at least buy yerself a rum…"

"I don't drink…" She spoke idly as she headed toward the backroom, eyes peeled for the Captain.

Lo and behold, there sat Jack – his usual drunken self relaxed at a small table with a few other assorted scallywags. He laughed loudly, lifting his flask of rum as he narrated a story to the others in a rather obnoxious manner. "Aye, an' then 'e says – 'that one!' An' I looked at 'im…" He continued rambling, not even noticing Elizabeth, even though most of the folks in the room had turned to stare.

She put her hands on her hips, clearing her throat slightly. "Mister Sparrow!" Jack looked up, flashing her a drunken, toothy grin.

"Ah, Lizzie! Ye've made it t'Tor…Tor…" His expression went blank for a moment, before he rose, grinning daftly and holding out a flask of rum to Elizabeth. "Tortuga! Tha's it! An' 'ave some rum, lass!"

She backed up slightly, blinking with disgust. "Mister Sparrow, I daresay you've had enough rum, and one of us must stay sober!"

"Stay sober, lass?" Jack laughed heartily, swaying slightly where he stood. "Now wot's the fun in that, eh?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not here for 'fun', Jack." Several of the other drunkards let out 'Oohh…'s as Elizabeth called him by his first name.

"Well than why are ye here? And where's tha' rash husband o' yers?"

"I...don't know." She bit her lip, glancing downwards at this remark.

"Ah…wait, wot?" He set down his flask of rum, actually taking interest in the situation at hand.

"He's gone, Jack! I went to the shop the other day and…and…" She took a deep breath, then pulled the piece of the medallion she had found in the shop from her pocket, holding it out to Jack, whos eyes went wide.

"Where did you get tha'…"

"I found it. In the shop. That monkey had been there…" She glanced up at him, rather sadly. "Oh, Jack, they've taken Will…!"

"WOT?! Who?! When?!" He turned back to the others, grinning in his typical fashon. "'scuse me, gentlemen…" He grabbed Elizabeth by the arm, practically dragging her to a second back room. "'oo's taken Will?!" For once in his life, Jack's expression was serious.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "I don't know, Jack! I got to the shop…and he was gone! But…the medallion…and…" She sniffled a bit, wiping her eyes, as Jack quickly racked his mind for an idea of how to deal with an emotional woman.

"Alrigh', alrigh', calm down now, lass…" He slid an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, and handed her one of his less than 'clean-pressed' handkerchiefs, which she gladly accepted.

"Jack, he's gone! What if…what if I never see him again?!" She turned to him, obviously terrified that this would be the outcome of the situation.

"Aw, now don' say that, luv! We'll find 'im! We just need to…" He thought a minute. He had no idea what to do, and now obviously had to stop his 'vacation' early. He looked at the piece of the medallion once more. "Lizzie…" Elizabeth looked up, too upset to yell at him for calling him that. "We're goin' on a bit of a trip, savvy?"

"A…trip?" Her eyes went wide.

"Aye. Pack yer things…well, tha' is, if ye have any…" He eyed her dress a moment. "And I'll meet ye at the Pearl in an hour or so." Elizabeth nodded. "Ah, an luv?  Go an' get Anamaria…Gibbs…the others. I can't command a ship all by me onesie…" He winked, before flipping a few shillings to the bartender. "See ye' in a few weeks, Mandie, lest ye care to join us!" He started for the door, leaving a confused and anxious Elizabeth behind in the bar.