A/N: I'm sorry this took so stinkin' long! *sobs*
Will had gone to the Las Vegas police the minute he had completed his conversation with Norrington. It had taken quite a bit of explanation, how he knew that Elizabeth and that Sparrow man were there, but they were ready to believe him at the promise of being credited with assistance in the rescue in front of thousands of people... Quite frankly, the LVPD wasn't doing very well when it came to popularity, and they were hoping to get back into the citizens' good books.
Anyway, there were twelve volunteers, besides our friend Mr. Turner, and together they had panned a very nice scheme over donuts and coffee. Will and an officer named Mike -- actually, he was Mike VII, as there were nine "Mike"s on the force and people were running out of nicknames -- would stand outside room 358 in Caesar's Palace and use Will's phone to call the hotel extension. Then they would wait until someone picked up the phone.
When they did, Will and Mike VII would kick the door open, pull out their guns, and order that Elizabeth be released from her kidnapment. Just in case the perpetrator tried to... oh, jump out the window and escape, there were five squad cars surrounding the area.
Will felt very clever as he held his cell phone to his ear, the ringing sound barely beginning.
Jack didn't feel very clever as he answered.
The phone began ringing at a very inopportune moment. Jack glared at it from the floor, hoping that it would shut up. He had a sobbing girl in his arms, for heaven's sake! People don't just call other people during times like these!
And then he remembered... He hadn't given anyone the number. Or the location. Or the pseudonyms. Which could only mean...
He slowly wriggled closer to the nightstand, still holding Lizzie, and reached up for the biege reciever.
"What do you want?"
"Mr. Sparrow?" An English accent answered. And it wasn't a slang accent. It was smooth, clear dialogue... like Liz's.
Damn.
"Mr. Sparrow, this is Mr. Will Turner with the police," he voice continued, sounding faintly amused. "I'm here to negotiate the return of Miss Swann to her home..."
Before Jack could answer, the door was kicked in and Will Turner appeared with Mike VII, guns aimed between poor Captain Sparrow's eyes and glares on their smug faces.
"This hardly looks like a negotiation, Mr. Turner," Jack said, in stoic imitation of Will's accent. "Unless you're too thick to comprehend the meaning of the word."
"Very funny," said Mike VII, in a gravelly voice.
"Mike..." said Will.
It was then that Lizzie looked up from her crying, her eyes red-rimmed and watery. She glanced at the door, then at Turner, and then at Jack.
"Oh blast," she breathed, making Jack the only one able to hear her.
I completely agree, Jack thought.
"Mr. Sparrow," Turner continued, "release Miss Swann this instant, or I'm afraid my associate and I will be forced to open fire."
Jack smirked, his brain whirring into gear. "You're not a real cop, are you, son?" he asked, adding a chuckle for effect.
The look of determination on Turner's face faltered slightly, which is how Jack knew to continue.
"If you were a real officer of the law -- which you obviously aren't -- you would know that the first step in getting back a 'hostage', so to speak, is negotiation. You want to placate the criminal as much as possible, get him to give the victim up willingly. You only threaten as a second-to-last resort... Actually firing is if the victim is in danger."
He gently took Lizzie's head and turned her to face them, "Does our darling Miss Swann look in much danger to you?"
Turner's arm dropped, and the bleedin' idiot urged Mike VII to do the same.
That was when Jack grabbed Liz around the waist, stood, and made a mad dash for the door.
A/N2: I'm sorry... I won't be able to acknowledge reviews today. And I'm not sure how frequent updates will be. You see, I have been enlisted to make 18 ballgowns for a musical the community college is doing. Unfortunately, said musical takes place during the French Revolution, and opens very, very soon. Ballgowns still need to be made.
My deepest apologies if the next chapter doesn't go up until the show is open/over.