Pirates of the Caribbean – Blood is thicker than Rum

By Princess-Pirate

Email: lz_iceprincess@yahoo.co.uk


Summary: What if Jack and his friends got betrayed by someone they thought they knew. An old friend returns to help and they must rely on a woman and superstitious crewmate to save them. But the question is – Will they be in time to keep someone from death?


Disclaimer: All the characters, ships, and places in the Caribbean belong to Walt Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, as well as the dialect in the flashbacks from the movie. I don't own any of them (I wish). Some of the new characters are my own creations and therefore I have some ownership over them.

A/N: This is my first fic, so cut me some slack. But reviews and ideas on coming chapters are most welcome.

The fic starts somewhere in the middle of the journey. But the characters have flashbacks about what happened to give it an interesting twist.

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Chapter 11 – The Bonds of Friendship

"Glad to see tha the whelp's finally awake and alert" Jack said as he leaned on the wheel while looking at William.

"I would prefer you not referring to my husband as a whelp," a crisp voice said from the stairs.

Both men turned to see Elizabeth standing at the top of the stairs.

"What in hell's name happened t' ya Beth" Jack said as he looked at her. She was no longer wearing a dress and had a pair of pants on.

A white shirt fitted her loosely and her hair was tied back with a black bandana. Black boots as well as a sword finished the picture.

"See what I meant Jack" William teased "She'd be able to pass for a pirate any day."

"Aye William" Jack said, "She's a feisty one that she is."

~~~~~~

Elizabeth recovered from the fall and quickly walked after Commodore Norrington. "Commodore, I really must protest," she said as he and Gillette chained Jack.

Norrington ignored her and looked at Gillette. "Carefully, Lieutenant."

Elizabeth turned to her father for some support. "Pirate or not" she protested "this man saved my life."

Norrington looked at her. "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness."

Jack looked at Gillette cuffing him and then at Norrington. "Though it seems enough to condemn him" he offered.

Norrington looked at Jack in disgust. "Indeed" he replied. Gillette moved away from Jack.

Jack got a plan. "Finally" he breathed. He moves behind Elizabeth and throws his irons around her neck.

Governor Swann gasped. "No, don't shoot!" he covered.

Jack smiled wickedly. "I knew you'd warm up to me" he sniggered. "Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat."

They all stood frozen.

"Commodore!" Jack tried again, tightening his grip for effect. That got their attention and Norrington gave his effects and hat to Elizabeth. He looks at her, noticing her defiance. "Elizabeth. It is Elizabeth isn't it?" he asked.

Elizabeth was turned to look at him. "It's Miss Swann" she hissed.

Jack only smiled. "Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind." She glared at him. He had his pistol to her head and she knew she had to dress him. "Come, come, dear. We don't have all day" he said and looked at her. "Now if you'd be very kind."

She straps on his sword, puts on his hat, and throws his jacket over his shoulders. "Easy on the goods, darling" he joked.

Elizabeth still glared at him. "You're despicable," she said.

Jack was a pirate and he only smiled at her. "Sticks and stones, love. I save your life, you saved mine, we're square." He slowly backed up with Elizabeth. "Gentlemen, m'lady, you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow "

With these words he pushes Elizabeth away and escapes, swinging around and landing on a beam above their heads.

Commodore Norrington catches Elizabeth and she hides at his side.

Governor Swann is fuming. "Now, will you shoot him?" he asked.

~~~~~~

Jack flinched at the thought of Elizabeth driving her sword through him. He knew she still had a little bit of disgust towards him and she had made sure that Will found out because the lad had nearly skewered him alive in the blacksmith's shop.

"You look fine indeed lass" he said to make her calm down. 'Hell can't any one of the two take a joke when you make it' he sweared but put on a smile instead.

Elizabeth nodded and walked towards the men. Suddenly she threw her arms around Jack.

"What the…" he started as he was engulfed in a hug.

"Thank you for saving Will" she whispered in his ear and he nodded.

"Tis my pleasure luv" Jack smiled as he looked at her. He suddenly felt very guilty. It was his fault that they were in this mess in the first place.

~~~~~~

"Don't look so tense lad" Jack said as he drank another bottle of rum "Ole Jonathan will show an he'll lead us te ya father, savvy?"

"I don't know Jack" Will said as he tightened his hold on Elizabeth's hand. He didn't like the glare that the ladies gave Elizabeth.

"Stop being so naïve lad" Jack said as he pulled one of the girls, Giselle Will remembered was her name, onto his lap. "Did ye miss me lass?" he said.

Giselle just giggled seductively and kissed Jack,

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she saw Jack. He and Giselle were kissing and Jack's hands were resting on the blonde woman's behind.

She uttered a snort and looked at Will. He was looking behind them and she saw a red head waving at them. To her surprised Will smiled and waved back.

"OW, what the bloody hell was that for Elizabeth" he yelled, rubbing his injured cheek.

"William Turner" she said as she lifted her hand again but Will managed to grab it in time "I can't believe you. We're only married a few weeks and you're already following in Jack's footprints."

Jack and Giselle stopped their antics when they heard Elizabeth. "What the bloody 'ell is that banshee wailing about know" Jack asked, not very happy at being disturbed.

"Excuse us luv" he told Giselle. He looked and motioned Anamaria closer. He nodded his head towards Will and Elizabeth and she nodded.

"Come on lass" he said as he grabbed a surprised Elizabeth around the waist and pulled her out of the tavern. Anamaria followed, pulling a started Will around her.

"Now what is this all about?" he asked angrily glaring at the two newly weds.

Elizabeth stood with hands on her hips, glaring at him while Will was still rubbing his cheek. Jack noticed it was red and a thin line of blood was tickling from it.

"What did ye do te deserve that Will?" Jack said smugly as he looked at the blacksmith.

"Oh I'll tell you what he did" Elizabeth screeched as she lunged for Will again. Anamaria grabbed her and held her back. "Let me go. Dear William eyed another woman while sitting in my company."

Jack gasped and looked at Will. As if someone whispered unheard words in his ear, he suddenly stood straight and glared at Elizabeth.

"Why you good for nothing" he started but Jack clasped a hand over his mouth.

"Easy lad" he whispered in Will's ear. He looked at the two and couldn't help a smile. "What happened in there?" he asked again.

"He eyed another woman," Elizabeth said.

"I did not" Will defended himself and turned to Jack. "Scarlet waved to me and I waved back. Is that a crime?"

"How do you know her?" Elizabeth asked.

"I can answer that," Jack said as he sighed. It then took him nearly an hour to calm her down and explain to Elizabeth what happened on the way to rescue her.

Finally she nodded and turned to Will. Now in the light and with her mood fading, she noticed the cut on his cheek, where her wedding ring had caught his flesh.

"I'm so sorry Will," she said as she moved to him.

Will nodded and opened his arms, allowing him to hug her.

"Look what I did," she said as she used her dress' sleeve to wipe the blood away "I'm so sorry."

Will only nodded and smiled at her. Jack was glad to see love shining in his eyes again. The light of anger earlier had scared him.

"Now if ye two can behave yerselves" he said as he nodded to Gibbs and another man, Will didn't know "We need to go and follow Jonathan."

Will nodded and they followed the black haired man through the streets to the outskirts of Tortuga.

He stopped in front of a building and motioned for them inside.

"Ta Jonnie" Jack said as he clapped the man on his back.

"Tis always a pleasure helping you Jack" Jonathan smiled.

He nodded and allowed them to enter the room, unknowing of the danger awaiting them.

Suddenly he heard Will scream in pain and he spun around.

"Sorry mate" Jonathan said as he knocked Jack out as well.

"Get them inside" he told another man and they dragged their prisoners into the building.

~~~~~~

"If you're still thinking about the Tortuga incident" Elizabeth said as she broke away and looked at Jack "Then don't. Neither of us blames you for what happened. How were you to know that Jonathan had betrayed you for a huge amount of money."

Jack just nodded and looked at William and Elizabeth. They were talking and he heard Elizabeth laughing softly.

Something was cooking but he didn't know what. He knew Elizabeth well enough now to know that she was planning something.

"What's in that little head of yers that's put yer in such a fine a mood" Jack said, his head cocked to the side.

"The lass wants te ask ye something Jack" Williams said. He nodded at Elizabeth and then excused himself.

"Alright lass" Jack said, "I'm all ears. What can ole Jack do fer ye?"

"Me and Will want to join your crew Captain Sparrow" Elizabeth said.

"I don't know what yer mean" Jack said.

"I see Will in the evenings and the day. He longs for the ocean Jack."

~~~~~~

Will stood next to Jack, his eyes ablaze in anger. Jack had just told him the truth about his father. "It's not true" he argued "He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law."

Jack was starting to lose his patience with the young blacksmith. "He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag" Jack stated.

Will got angrier with the pirate. "My father was not a pirate" he hisses and takes out his sword.

Jack shook his head. "Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again."

"You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd killed you" Will replied, sword still raised.

Jack shrugged. "Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" He suddenly turns the wheel and moves one of the sails so that the yard catches Will and swings him out over the sea.

Jack looked at his best friend's son trying to maintain his grip. He picks up the sword. "Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these – what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday."

He smiled as he saw some common sense kicking in. "Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy?"

"So…" he continues as he swings him back on board and offers him his sword "Can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?"

Will looks up at him and takes the sword. "Tortuga?" he asks questionably.

Jack grins at Will. "Tortuga" he replies with a smile.

~~~~~~

"So the lad's finally squared with his pirate blood" Jack said and Elizabeth smiled.

"Aye" she said making Jack smile at her.

"Well if ye wish te spend yer life in the arms of a pirate on a ship then so be it lass. I'll be glad te have yerself and young William aboard."

He swayed over to her and put his hat on her head.

"Welcome aboard the Black Pearl Mrs. Turner" he said as he smiled.

A/N – I am so, so sorry for taking so long to update but I haven't even had 5 minutes to myself. Tests, tests and more test. Thanks for all the e-mails and reviews. I really appreciate it. I'll try and update as soon as possible, promise.