A/N- *bashes head against wall* I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!! I'm
horrible at updates, I know. Please forgive me. Honestly, I have been
unbelievably busy. So... whaddya say? Give me another chance?
*~*~*~
The remanding time spent at the Faithful Bride was rather tense. Jack was doing everything he could to keep the conversation away from the piece of parchment he now carried. This was proving to be difficult, as not only was Mr. Joshamee Gibbs being as nosy as possible, but Jack was running out of offhand subjects to talk about. Currently, it was the weather.
Unfortunately, there was only so much you could say about it, and he knew that Gibbs would mention it to the rest of the crew. He wasn't one to keep secrets for very long, much to Jack's displeasure. Eager to get back to the ship, and examine it more closely, he drained his glass, and abruptly stood up.
"I think I'll be heading back to the ship." Gibbs blinked up at him.
"But we've only just got here."
Jack shrugged. "Not askin' you to come along. I just miss the ship so much, I-"
He was cut off by someone behind him grabbing his shoulder and throwing his into the wall. His head connected with the surface hard, and he nearly lost his balance. Dizzy, he blinked, trying to focus his eyes, and looked around. Three men stood in front of him, tall, with tanned skin. Their faces looked different than anyone's he'd seen- just the shape of them seemed to be peculiar. The forehead was sloped a little differently than the rest of the people in the tavern, although what else was different, he could not place.
"Who in the blazes are you?!" Exclaimed Gibbs, standing so quickly, he knocked over the chair. Making a movement to where they were standing, the man closest to him pushed him squarely in the chest, forcing him backward. Jack didn't need to try to be confused, but he did try to look nonchalant.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" The man with the gold ring through his ear drew a knife. In glinted in the nearby firelight, and Jack grinned. "Gold dagger, eh? Haven't seen one of those before." This obviously did not sit well with the strangers, as the one holding it pressed the point to his throat.
"Are you Jack Sparrow?" His voice was low and dangerous, and the accent he had was again, hard to place. Frowning, Jack tilted his chin upward and with one hand pushed the man's hand away from his throat.
"You just ruined a perfectly lovely conversation about the weather, and you don't even bother to introduce yourselves first? Did your mother ever teach you manners, or did you grow up without one?" This earned quite the reaction from the man with the dagger, and he grabbed the front of Jack's shirt, twisting it and lifting him a few inches from the ground. Jack's hands flew to the man's arm, trying to loosen his grip.
"Are you or aren't you?" He growled, again raising the dagger. His voice was barely above a whisper, and with all the other fights going on around the tavern, it was unlikely he was about to get any help.
Shooting Gibbs a quick look, Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Am I Sparrow?" He forced himself to laugh, and once he'd recovered himself, he grinned. "Wait- you think *I'm* Jack Sparrow? Sorry, mate, but you've got the wrong man."
All three of them looked uneasily at one another.
"His ship is docked. He is here. Would you know where?"
"Let me down, and I'll see what I can tell you." He was dropped. "All I've heard is that Sparrow and his crew are headed to Port Royal, probably to do a bit of plundering."
"Is that so?"
"Just do a little digging around here, and you can find out anything." The man smirked, satisfied with something.
"Port Royal burned not two days past. Half of it is gone. We were there, looking for him."
He felt sure his heart stopped beating for a few seconds, but made sure his disbelief was not shown on his face.
Jack shrugged.
"Sorry, but that's what I've heard. There's a man on the other side of Tortuga who'll sell information." This, of course, was a lie, but they need not be any the wiser. "S'a bit of a walk, but if you turn right after you leave here, there will be a pathway after about...hmm, what do you say, Gibbs? Four hundred meters, or so?"
Gibbs nodded.
"Well, something like that. Anyway, follow that, and there's a small cottage. He ought to be there. He knows pretty much everything."
They studied Jack for a moment, then nodded, wrapping their cloaks around themselves, and left. As soon as they had exited the tavern, Jack swore.
"Bloody hell, we've got to be getting out of here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "C'mon Gibbs, we're leaving Tortuga."
"Where are we goin'?"
"I don't know, can we figure it out once we're back on the ship?" Jack started to the door, with Gibbs following him. "I want you to find the others. Only about five left the ship, and they're probably having something to eat down at the inn." Gibbs nodded.
"Alright then. See you back on the ship."
As the pair walked outside, Jack paused, and said in an undertone,
"Don't mention this to *anyone*. Not Will, not Elizabeth, and certainly not Ana. Got it?"
Gibbs nodded, and began to make his way toward the inn. With an uneasy glance around, Jack pulled out his pistol and cocked it, walking quickly toward the docks. He smirked.
So the hunt was on, was it?
Well, they'd have to catch him first.
*~*~*~*~
^^ I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I wanted to get this posted ASAP so I didn't leave anyone hanging. Expect one or two more chapters within this week!
O- please review! One of the reasons why I've been having difficulty writing this is because I haven't been getting a load of feedback...sorry if that sounds selfish, or anything, but I seriously need to know what you all are thinking! Get your friends to read it, and force them to review, if you wouldn't mind. That would be lovely.
Huggles to Elfie, I love you loads, mate!
~El
*~*~*~
The remanding time spent at the Faithful Bride was rather tense. Jack was doing everything he could to keep the conversation away from the piece of parchment he now carried. This was proving to be difficult, as not only was Mr. Joshamee Gibbs being as nosy as possible, but Jack was running out of offhand subjects to talk about. Currently, it was the weather.
Unfortunately, there was only so much you could say about it, and he knew that Gibbs would mention it to the rest of the crew. He wasn't one to keep secrets for very long, much to Jack's displeasure. Eager to get back to the ship, and examine it more closely, he drained his glass, and abruptly stood up.
"I think I'll be heading back to the ship." Gibbs blinked up at him.
"But we've only just got here."
Jack shrugged. "Not askin' you to come along. I just miss the ship so much, I-"
He was cut off by someone behind him grabbing his shoulder and throwing his into the wall. His head connected with the surface hard, and he nearly lost his balance. Dizzy, he blinked, trying to focus his eyes, and looked around. Three men stood in front of him, tall, with tanned skin. Their faces looked different than anyone's he'd seen- just the shape of them seemed to be peculiar. The forehead was sloped a little differently than the rest of the people in the tavern, although what else was different, he could not place.
"Who in the blazes are you?!" Exclaimed Gibbs, standing so quickly, he knocked over the chair. Making a movement to where they were standing, the man closest to him pushed him squarely in the chest, forcing him backward. Jack didn't need to try to be confused, but he did try to look nonchalant.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" The man with the gold ring through his ear drew a knife. In glinted in the nearby firelight, and Jack grinned. "Gold dagger, eh? Haven't seen one of those before." This obviously did not sit well with the strangers, as the one holding it pressed the point to his throat.
"Are you Jack Sparrow?" His voice was low and dangerous, and the accent he had was again, hard to place. Frowning, Jack tilted his chin upward and with one hand pushed the man's hand away from his throat.
"You just ruined a perfectly lovely conversation about the weather, and you don't even bother to introduce yourselves first? Did your mother ever teach you manners, or did you grow up without one?" This earned quite the reaction from the man with the dagger, and he grabbed the front of Jack's shirt, twisting it and lifting him a few inches from the ground. Jack's hands flew to the man's arm, trying to loosen his grip.
"Are you or aren't you?" He growled, again raising the dagger. His voice was barely above a whisper, and with all the other fights going on around the tavern, it was unlikely he was about to get any help.
Shooting Gibbs a quick look, Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Am I Sparrow?" He forced himself to laugh, and once he'd recovered himself, he grinned. "Wait- you think *I'm* Jack Sparrow? Sorry, mate, but you've got the wrong man."
All three of them looked uneasily at one another.
"His ship is docked. He is here. Would you know where?"
"Let me down, and I'll see what I can tell you." He was dropped. "All I've heard is that Sparrow and his crew are headed to Port Royal, probably to do a bit of plundering."
"Is that so?"
"Just do a little digging around here, and you can find out anything." The man smirked, satisfied with something.
"Port Royal burned not two days past. Half of it is gone. We were there, looking for him."
He felt sure his heart stopped beating for a few seconds, but made sure his disbelief was not shown on his face.
Jack shrugged.
"Sorry, but that's what I've heard. There's a man on the other side of Tortuga who'll sell information." This, of course, was a lie, but they need not be any the wiser. "S'a bit of a walk, but if you turn right after you leave here, there will be a pathway after about...hmm, what do you say, Gibbs? Four hundred meters, or so?"
Gibbs nodded.
"Well, something like that. Anyway, follow that, and there's a small cottage. He ought to be there. He knows pretty much everything."
They studied Jack for a moment, then nodded, wrapping their cloaks around themselves, and left. As soon as they had exited the tavern, Jack swore.
"Bloody hell, we've got to be getting out of here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "C'mon Gibbs, we're leaving Tortuga."
"Where are we goin'?"
"I don't know, can we figure it out once we're back on the ship?" Jack started to the door, with Gibbs following him. "I want you to find the others. Only about five left the ship, and they're probably having something to eat down at the inn." Gibbs nodded.
"Alright then. See you back on the ship."
As the pair walked outside, Jack paused, and said in an undertone,
"Don't mention this to *anyone*. Not Will, not Elizabeth, and certainly not Ana. Got it?"
Gibbs nodded, and began to make his way toward the inn. With an uneasy glance around, Jack pulled out his pistol and cocked it, walking quickly toward the docks. He smirked.
So the hunt was on, was it?
Well, they'd have to catch him first.
*~*~*~*~
^^ I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I wanted to get this posted ASAP so I didn't leave anyone hanging. Expect one or two more chapters within this week!
O- please review! One of the reasons why I've been having difficulty writing this is because I haven't been getting a load of feedback...sorry if that sounds selfish, or anything, but I seriously need to know what you all are thinking! Get your friends to read it, and force them to review, if you wouldn't mind. That would be lovely.
Huggles to Elfie, I love you loads, mate!
~El