It was one of those rare, quiet nights that Joseph Ribold enjoyed so much. His tavern, the Wistful Maiden, was usually a popular spot for drinking and enjoying a good home cooked meal by the working class and the higher class who arrived in port. He was immensely proud of his tavern, working nearly twenty years to keep it respectable and well cared for, just as his father had done before him. The patrons were well behaved, content to share stories and drinks with friends. His wife could cook a meal that made men ask for her hand in marriage yet again. He glanced around the room as he dried off mugs, noting that only a few of the tables were filled tonight. He suspected it had something to do with the ball up at the governor's household.

The quiet of the night was disturbed by a loud thump upstairs and was soon followed by a series of smaller thumps. He raised his eyes towards the ceiling, brow furrowing as he wondered what could possibly be going on up there. From years of practice, he could tell the noise was coming from the room that had been given to the two that had come in earlier that day. Joseph's first impression of them was that something wasn't right. They'd come in laden down with boxes of something and had asked for a room. The older gentlemen had given Joseph some pause until the younger man had explained that his uncle had been out at sea for a long time, hence his appearance. He had then politely introduced himself as Will, the older of the two being Jack. Joseph had given them the key to the last room and that was the last he had seen of either.

Now the noises above his head were quite worrying. There hadn't been a fight in his tavern in eighteen years. He was immensely proud of that fact and he would be damned if he'd let these two out-of-towners ruin that reputation. The mug was down on the counter and the rag thrown over his shoulder as he made his way around the bar and towards the stairway. A few of the conversations had paused after hearing the sounds from above. Eyes followed Joseph as he disappeared upstairs.

"They better not be doin' somethin' too bad or they'll have a lot more to be worried about." One of the older men drawled before taking a puff of his pipe. From around him, men muttered their agreements and went back to their food and conversations. If the two were causing trouble, they would meet Joseph's wrath and not many came away from that less than beaten. He was quite a big man, tall and built solidly. It was rumored he could take a hit without feeling the pain. The old man chuckled and took another draw on his pipe. "Luck be with them if they are making trouble."

Joseph came up the stairs, taking pains to keep the floorboards from creaking. He wanted to get an idea of what was going on first before barging in. No use coming in on the wrong end of the pistol. Quietly he pressed an ear to the door, wincing as he heard another loud thump and this time a barrage of cursing followed it.

"Ow! Bloody hell Jack, that hurt!"

"Well if you'd done it more often, maybe it wouldn't!"

"Turn around and let me do it to you, see how you like it!"

"As if you could even get it through."

At this point, Joseph's mind had begun forming ideas of what was just going on inside the room and not a one of them wasn't dirty in some way. He waited at the doorway, wondering what he was going to do. The only option really was to kick them out because he refused to have this in his tavern. His eye twitched as he heard another grunt of pain from the younger man and placed a hand on the doorknob, steeling himself for what he'd find inside. In his opinion, it was something completely unnatural. They could do what they wanted at sea.

Gathering himself, he pushed the door open, trying to look as fearsome as possible. "What is the meaning of...this...?" He had started out strong, but the scene in front of him had made him waver. All the thoughts of what he was going to find when he opened the door disappeared, leaving him confused and slightly amused.

Will was down on his stomach on the floor, Jack's knee resting in the middle of his back and keeping him pinned down. There was a large amount of Will's hair in Jack's left hand and a brush in the right. As the door flew open, both men stopped and stared up at Joseph. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence in the room, nobody moving.

"Can we help you?" Jack had finally spoken up, staring at Joseph with one eyebrow raised. The giant of a man stumbled to find the right words, fidgeting with the master key in his hands.

"I heard noises and thought something might be goin' on and then I came up here and heard the conversation and thought that you two were...were..." Where words couldn't describe what he wanted them to, the inappropriate hand gesture did. Jack immediately jumped back from Will and the younger man scrambled to his feet and to the other side of the room. The hair on one side of his head stuck out from where Jack had been trying to brush the snarls from it.

"I'd be getting' rid of those thoughts pretty fast, mate." Jack said, waving the brush at him. "We're both partial to the lasses. Not that there's anythin' wrong with havin' it the other way either." He stared at the tavern keeper. "Look, if it'll give us our peace, my brother and I have been invited to the ball at the Governor's house and we were getting' ready. Only problem is that one refuses to wear a wig so the only other option is his hair looks presentable."

"Which means it would still have to be in my head." Will grumbled quietly, but loud enough for Jack to hear and throw the brush at him. The object smacked him in the chest and hit the ground.

"So, nothin's goin' on up here." Jack put a hand against the man's chest and tried to push him back towards the door, but found it was much like trying to push a tree over. He smirked and patted him on the chest. "Now, if you'd so kindly leave..." He nodded towards the door. The tavern keeper nodded, still not knowing what to think of the situation and turned around, lumbering out the door. Once he was gone, Jack slammed the door shut and locked it again. "Forgotten how nosy the common man could be in these parts." He growled before stopping to stare at Will. The younger pirate was still trying to pull the brush through his hair, cursing as he yanked. "Maybe you should've brushed it before you washed it."

"Shut up Jack. Not like your hair has seen one of these in the time that I've been under your instruction." He responded. Jack decided to completely ignore the comment and instead review the plan. They'd gotten all the clothes needed, either by paying for it or when it came to the smaller objects, stealing. He much preferred his own clothes to the likes of the ones he would have to wear. Unlike his, they weren't worn in to just the way he liked it and they were so...

Words escaped him as he picked up the wig he would have to wear and made a face. He reminded himself that it was for the good of the plan and threw it back down on the bed. Turning his back to Will, he began to slowly strip down and toss his clothes to the side. Will turned his back as well, giving off a triumphant 'ha!' when he had finally managed to get the knots out of his hair. They both got dressed in silence, wrinkling their noses at the extravagance of the clothing and how unnatural it felt to be dressing in such fine clothes.

Jack took a deep breath, smoothing down his clothing and reminding himself that after this caper he could have as many drinks as he wanted with the money the necklace would provide. "On the count of three." He said. "One, two..." He turned to face Will at the same time the younger pirate faced him. "...three." The expressions of horror on both men's faces were comical. There were a few minutes of silence as they stared at each other before there was a knock at the door.

"There's a carriage waitin' outside to take you to the manor." Joseph's voice came through the wooden door.

"We'll be right down." Jack called and glanced back to Will. "Are you ready?"

Will nodded. "The quicker I'm ready, the faster we can go through this plan and get out of these ridiculous clothes."

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The plan was one of Jack's simpler ones. The idea was to arrive at the mansion and mingle with the crowd for a while, looking for the woman who would be wearing the necklace. Jack would then proceed to work his charm on the woman and slip the necklace from around her neck while Will kept watch. Once the deed was done, they'd quietly slip out the door and return to the tavern to grab their things. After that, they'd commandeer the Interceptor and head back to Tortuga for a round of celebrating.

Will ran his hands over the clothing he was wearing, wondering why people felt they needed to get this dressed up. He knew he was probably biased, however, after living a good eight years of his life as a thief. When planning to make a get away, it was a good idea to be wearing something that was light and wouldn't catch on anything. The clothes he was wearing at the moment were heavy from the many layers, with decorative embroidery and brocade. It would be just as easy to catch it on something as well.

Jack didn't look anymore comfortable than he did, but he seemed to be dealing with it better. Instead he was watching out the window as the carriage found it's way up the dirt path towards the house.

The carriage was pulled to a stop out front and the door opened for them. Jack climbed out, straightening the wig on his head, and Will followed after him. As they approached, the doors were opened for them, leading into the foyer. From there, they were escorted to the ballroom.

The room was full of bright colors, yet the many people wearing the half masks over their eyes gave it a feeling of mystery as well. On the other side of the floor, the same musicians he had seen at the ceremony played while a few couples danced on the floor. Others wandered around, striking up discussions with old friends and business partners. Will had never felt so out of place in his life.

"Excuse me, sir. How may I announce you?" Will turned to face the man standing by the doorway, hands clasped primly behind his back.

"Announce me?" He asked as Jack nudged him in the ribs.

"Your name." The pirate hissed at him. "Tell him your name."

"Oh. William Turner and this is my brother, Jack Sp...er, Turner." The servant gave him an odd look before turning to face the crowd.

"William Turner and his brother Jack Turner." He called and motioned for them to continue down the stairs. In just that short time, Will's throat had gone very dry and his hands were growing sweaty. Questions assaulted his mind. What if we're caught? What if someone recognizes us? Are we really going to be able to pull this off? They were in enemy territory, just the two of them against everyone else here. He realized that some of his fears were in vain. Being a masquerade ball, no one would recognize Jack, not the way he was dressed. If they kept to the plan, everything would turn out fine.

"Will!" One of the females broke away from a group standing by the musicians and came hurrying over to him. She stopped in front of him, curtsying. "I'm so glad you could make it." It took him a moment to realize that it was Elizabeth. He bowed slightly to her, smiling.

"I'm honored that you invited me." He responded, noticing that another was joining them.

"Mr. Turner. I almost didn't recognize you with shoes on." Norrington greeted him with a wry grin. "A pleasure to have you here." Will noticed that he was standing close to Elizabeth, as if to say to him that he had claim over Elizabeth.

Will returned the smile, trying to be polite. "Nice to see you again as well, Commodore." He caught sight of something around Elizabeth's neck and froze. Of all the women in the room to be wearing the necklace, of course it would be her. He glanced over his shoulder to try and spot Jack, but the pirate had disappeared into the crowd somewhere.

"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked him, putting a hand on his arm. "You seem distracted by something."

"Oh. No, I'm sorry. I was looking for my brother. I wanted to introduce him to you." He shook his head. "He's always wondering off when we get to a party. Very independent, he is."

The song came to an end and immediately the musicians struck up a new tune, this one livelier than the last. "Commodore, would you mind terribly if I asked Will to dance?" She asked, glancing over to Will and smiling. Norrington glanced at him as well, as if he were debating whether or not it was such a good idea.

"I wouldn't mind at all." He told her finally. Elizabeth wrapped her arm through Will's and led him out to the dance floor.

"So Mr. Turner, tell me more about yourself." She said as they found a spot on the dance floor. "All I have right now is a name."

"I'm a blacksmith from London." He lied to her. "I came to visit my brother here and to find some work." Will wondered if he wasn't beginning to fall for Elizabeth. Thanks to Jack, lying had always come easy to him, but this time he felt guilty about it.

"A blacksmith? You might find a job with Mr. Brown. Of course, he doesn't do much work anymore, prefers to drink his days and nights away. It's hard to find a good blacksmith around these parts anymore." Her attention was caught by the golden coin that had slipped loose of his shirt and was now resting out in the open. "What is this?" She asked him, touching it softly with her fingertips. He glanced down and noticed the coin, cursing himself mentally.

"It was a gift from my father, before he disappeared at sea." That was the truth. Will had received it in a letter from his father. After his mother died, he had come looking for Bill Turner, only to end up finding Captain Jack Sparrow instead. Jack had told him the truth about his father, how Bill Turner had been his best friend and a good pirate, and the rumors of how he had died. Over the years, Will had come to look at Jack as a father figure, as the pirate had taught him many things over the eight years that they'd been together.

"I'm sorry." She said, looking up to him. "It's interesting though. It looks as if it might be something that a pirate would wear. Not that you're a pirate." She said quickly, looking down. "My father and the commodore seem to think I have an unhealthy fascination with pirates. I would like to meet one someday, although that's not the right thing for a proper lady to say." She sighed. "I just want to meet one, even if they are unscrupulous, dirty men."

Will was wondering how she would react if he told her she was dancing with one when someone cleared their throat beside them. He glanced up to see Jack standing there. The pirate's eyes flicked pointedly towards the necklace and then back to Will. Reluctantly, Will let go of Elizabeth.

"Miss Swann, this is my brother Jack Turner. Jack, this is Miss Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter." Smoothly, Jack picked up Elizabeth's hand and gently kissed it. She curtsied politely in response, still looking back to Will.

"Pleased to meet you." She said. "I was just talking to your brother here about..."

"Pirates." Jack finished. "I could tell you many stories, Miss Swann, if you'll allow me the honor." Elizabeth glanced over to Will again. Will smiled and nodded, acting as if he understood.

"I think I shall take you up on your offer, Mr. Turner." She said and allowed Jack to take her hands, resuming the dance again.

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The ship glided silently into the bay, barely distinguishable from the dark night sky behind it. Tattered black sails flapped in the night air. The men aboard the ship stared hungrily at the town ahead of them, thinking of the riches they could acquire there, but none forgot the goal that lay ahead of them either. Earlier in the day, the last coin had called out to them from this place. They were here to take that coin and anything else that they wanted.

Thanks to the mutinous actions of Bootstrap Bill Turner, the crew of the Black Pearl was cursed. The moonlight revealed them in their most primal form, becoming skeletons of the men that they were. Unable to die or enjoy the pleasures that life provided them, they searched for the last coin that could end it all. Today they had finally gotten lucky and followed it here. It would not escape them again.

Captain Hector Barbossa stared at the city as well, for the first time feeling hope. He lightly stroked the monkey perched on the rail before him, knowing that tonight they could finally find the last peace that would end their suffering and allow them to be free men again. Ten years they had suffered and soon it would come to an end. "Lower the anchor!" He shouted to his men. They needed no encouragement, lowering the anchor and manning the boats, rowing dutifully towards shore. A cruel smile stretched across his lips as he watched them. "Knock on their door, boys." He called out to the gunners still aboard. On the gun deck, pirates filled the cannons and aimed for the small town. Fuses were lit and they stood back, grinning gleefully as the first of the cannons went off, cannon balls raining down onto the town.

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All it took was one lucky cannon ball to crash into the chandelier and send the room into darkness. Women screamed and clutched at the men nearby as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Everyone suddenly wanted out of the ballroom. People were pushing and shoving each other, men dragging wives and fiancées along with them as they pressed towards the door.

Jack held Elizabeth close in the chaos, finding it the perfect time to carefully undo the clasp and let the valuable necklace slip into his hand. She hardly seemed to notice, but unlike most of the other women, she wasn't panicking. Instead she was looking around, squinting in the dark as she hoped to catch a glance of her father, James, or even Will. Outside Jack could hear the cannons and paused, a smile slowly making its way across his face. "I know those guns. It's the Pearl." He drawled to himself.

"What?" Elizabeth turned to face him, pulling out of his grasp. "How would you know such a thing?" She questioned him, giving him a suspicious look. Before he could answer, the screaming started. Pirates were pushing their way through the crowd, killing men and grabbing the woman. People started pushing for the windows or any place where they could escape the room.

Jack spun to find a pirate rushing him, cutlass raised and screaming wordlessly at him. He easily side stepped him and brought an elbow down on the back of his neck, dropping him to the ground. Quickly he stepped on the pirate's wrist and picked up the cutlass. Elizabeth backed up, only to have another person grabbed onto her. She whirled around, ready to strike and just barely restrained herself from slapping Will across the face.

"Jack, we need to leave." Will told him as Jack finished off the man who had attacked him. The pirate nodded and grabbed Will by the shirt, dragging him towards one of the open windows. Not wanting to be left behind, Elizabeth reached out and grabbed for Will in the darkness. Her hand found the golden Aztec coin around his neck.

Suddenly he felt a hard yank on the coin around his throat and turned to find Elizabeth struggling uselessly in the grasps of two pirates. The chain came loose and Elizabeth screamed for help, striking out at the pirates. Will pulled away from Jack and lunged at the one on her left, but he was stopped by a man twice his height and twice his weight in muscle alone. He easily flicked Jack and Will aside as if they were no more than small children. Will's head cracked against the wall and he slid down to the ground, unconscious. Jack got back to his feet, wielding the cutlass at the pirate.

"What do you say we let the lass go..." He paused as he got a good look at the pirate, who had just stepped into a shaft of moonlight coming in through the window. The skeleton leered at him, reaching out. Jack ducked the hand, backing up.

"So there is a curse." He smirked. "That's interesting." Some idiot running by slammed into him, sending Jack stumbling forward a few steps. It was enough of a distraction for the pirate, who withdrew his own sword and slammed it into Jack's face. Jack slumped to the ground next to Will, both men knocked out.

Before the darkness took him completely, he saw the giant of a pirate take a glittering object from Elizabeth as she struggled against those who had her captive. He recognized it as the coin that Will had worn since he'd met him, a gift William had sent him before disappearing.

"We found it on 'er." The shorter pirate said proudly. "She's probably his." The taller pirate nodded and Jack could've sworn he giggled in excitement. He recognized all three of them, members of his old crew. Bo'sun, Ragetti, and Pintel. The damned traitors.

Jack fought against the coming darkness, but it soon overwhelmed him. He could hear Bo'sun order for Ragetti and Pintel to drag Elizabeth away, the young woman fighting with everything she had and calling for help.

Then there was nothing.