A/N: SeaRose, thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you like it.
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When we arrived in Tortuga, Jack warned Will to keep a close eye on me. When he thought I wasn't listening, Jack said I looked like fresh meat to some of the men here, and Will agreed I was dressed like a prostitute.
"It's not my fault I was transported here in the middle of a pajama party!" I screeched at them. "Somebody find me some real clothes right now before I freeze to death!"
Jack and Will looked sufficiently frightened enough. As we were making our way to Mr. Gibbs, they found me some pants, a new shirt, a jacket, and a rather nice hat. With my hair hidden under the hat and my style of walking altered the slightest bit, I could pass for a pirate.
"I'll tell you, mate. If every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack said to Will as we were walking along.
Right on cue, Scarlett, the redheaded hussy, walked up to Jack and slapped him across the face.
"Not sure I deserved that," Jack said to Will and I.
When he turned around, Giselle was there to greet him with another slap.
"I may have deserved that," Jack admitted.
Then another girl came up to us. I recognized her immediately, but she didn't notice me.
"Who were they?" she demanded of Jack in a very fake British accent.
"Who are you?" Jack wondered.
Carrie slapped him, then immediately looked horrified by what she'd done.
"Oh, Jacky, I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me? Here, let me kiss it and make it all better for you." Carrie covered Jack's face in kisses, and he seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
"Quite an interesting town, wouldn't you agree?" Will said to me.
"Yes indeed. It's a lot like the ride, as well," I commented, looking around myself in wonderment.
"Ride?" Will inquired. I ignored him and grabbed Carrie's arm.
"Carrie, how the blazes did you end up in Tortuga, dressed like a harlot?" I demanded.
Carrie lifted the brim of my dashing hat out of my eyes, her own eyes widening in amazement. "Liz! Oh, it's so good to see you!"
We hugged and both started talking at once.
"Ahem." Jack coughed. We both looked at him expectantly. "If you don't mind, Will and I have some business to attend to. Are you coming with us or not, Liz?"
"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce you all. Jack, Will, this is my good friend Carrie. Can she come along? She's just as reliable and responsible as me," I assured Jack.
"Ah, so this is Carrie," Jack grinned with a twinkle in his eye. He took Carrie's hand and kissed it, never breaking eye contact. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
She giggled nervously. "The pleasure is mine."
So then there were four.
Once in the pub with Mr. Gibbs, Will and I were told to "keep a sharp eye." Carrie, still dressed like a two-dollar whore, was bought a drink by Jack and sat in on their conversation.
"So how did you end up in jail back at Port Royal?" Will asked me, trying to be heard over the roar of the pub.
"Apparently I beat up the British Navy. I don't remember much, though," I replied, frowning as I tried to drag up the memories of my first moments in Port Royal.
Will laughed. "Now that would be something I'd like to see. How old are you?"
Fifteen, going on sixteen," I sighed. "Too young for you, I suppose?"
"Just a little bit," Will teased.
"And there is Elizabeth to consider. I don't suppose she would appreciate if the love of her life had a fling with a teenager," I continued.
"Love of her life?" Will repeated. "Hardly. She's practically married to Norrington already."
"We'll see about that. . ." I trailed off.
"How is it that you can predict what Jack and I are about to say? Are you a gypsy?" Will asked, clearly eager to change the subject.
"I suppose you could say that. I'll tell you the absolute truth, but I know you won't believe me. I'm from the future. It was the year 2003 when I got here. There's this movie called Pirates of the Caribbean. . . it's all about your adventure with Jack," I explained.
Will stared at me in shock. "You're right, I don't believe you. What's a movie, anyway?"
"It's this big moving picture that tells a story. It's like theatre, but it isn't performed live. Anyway, it's too complicated for you. Oh, wait, wait, wait, shhhh. . . listen to Jack. . . "
"What?" Will asked. I silenced him and jerked my head towards the table where Jack, Gibbs, and Carrie were talking.
". . . well then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?" Jack was saying.
"Prove me wrong," Gibbs ordered. "What makes you think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"
"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage," Jack said quietly.
Will glanced back at the two men, then at me. "Leverage? Is he talking about me?"
"You'll see. . . Okay, in the movie, you were listening in on their conversation, and then later you knocked Jack out and rescued Elizabeth. . . my point is, I don't want to mess with fate here," I replied. He looked slightly confused. I just shrugged and smiled secretively.
The next morning at dawn, we were gathered on the dock, looking over the crew Gibbs had assembled.
"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Will and I said.
Jack glared at me darkly, then turned to Cotton. "You there, sailor."
"Cotton, sir," Gibbs and Carrie clarified.
"Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders. . . " Jack and I began. Jack trailed off, leaving me to finish, "and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"
Mr. Cotton, of course, said nothing. "Well, go on, answer her," Jack encouraged.
"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how," Gibbs explained.
"All right, Mr. Cotton's parrot, same question," I urged. Again, Jack glared at me. I smiled sweetly, and Carrie giggled.
The parrot squawked. "Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!"
"Mostly we figured that means yes," Carrie and Gibbs said to Jack.
"Of course it does," said Jack and I. He turned on me and lunged.
"Would you stop doing that? You're going to drive me bloody mad!" He yelled, grabbing me by the throat. I stumbled backwards, surprised by the sudden attack, and stepped off the dock into the warm Caribbean Sea.
"Now look what you've done!" I cried when I broke surface.
"Liz, are you all right?" Carrie asked. I laughed and squinted at Jack, who was framed by golden sunlight.
"Think you're cool, huh? You just wait, Captain. I'll be gettin' you back soon enough. But until then, I promise, no more saying your lines. Now someone help me out!" I demanded. Will offered me a hand and pulled me out.
"Sir, may I ask, what's the benefit for us?" a sailor asked. Jack turned away from me and moved down the line of pirates, stopping in front of one with a large-brimmed hat.
"Anamaria," he said, pulling her hat off, allowing her long black hair to flow down her back. She slapped him.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either," Will and I said.
"No, that one I deserved," he replied. He was about to turn back to her when he registered that Will and I had been speaking in unison. "Girl, you are the devil's child!"
"I said I wouldn't say any of your lines. I said nothing about Will's," I pointed out.
Sighing, Jack turned back to Anamaria, who said, "You stole my boat!" and slapped him again.
"Borrowed! Borrowed without permission, but with every intention of bringing it back," Jack explained.
After they argued for a few more minutes, we finally made it onto the Interceptor and started on our way to Isla de Muerta. . . and the Black Pearl.
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A/N: Please R/R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
-Stacy