The first thing Jack thought when he came back to the conscious world was that he had had too much to drink again. His head pounded and he wanted nothing more than to lay there until it went away. It was with a great deal of reluctance that he sat up, reaching up to rub his head. As he did so, however, his fingers became tangled in the wig and he pulled his hand away, shaking it so that the wig would come off. After a good amount of winging it around, the wig finally came off and he glared at it with a look of disgust.

Nearby, Will finally stirred as well, raising a hand to rub his aching head. He hissed as he touched the bruise forming on his temple and jerked his hand away. Jack got to his feet, wobbling unsteadily for a moment and nearly toppling into one of the nearby tables.

"They took her!" The voice that carried through the ballroom was angry and fearful. "The pirates took my daughter and I demand something be done now!" Governor Swann shouted, waving his arms in the air. Commodore Norrington stood before him, trying to reassure the man that they'd make every effort possible to get Elizabeth back. The governor was not having any of it. He wanted Elizabeth back and he wanted her back now.

Around the ballroom, servants were checking on the bodies sprawled on the floor to find the living and unconscious. Jack noticed that there were a few bodies that they pulled off to the side and covered with the tablecloth. Hell was going to be paid for high-ranking members of society being killed in the attack. Most likely any pirate that happened to have the bad luck of being in the presence of the British Navy right now would suffer greatly. Which included him and William, standing here in the ballroom of the governor.

He reached down and grabbed Will by the collar, pulling him to his feet and heading towards the door. Will groaned, still rubbing his aching head as he walked. The pain in Jack's head had subsided to a dull roar and he knew that rum would be in order later to take care of that. He kept his head low, passing by a few of the servants who gave him strange looks as they caught sight of his hair, no longer hidden beneath the wig. Will followed along after him, keeping his complaints down to a whisper and watching out for anyone who might see fit to turn the two suspicious people in. Once out into the hallway, they made a break for the doorway. No one seemed to question them, occupied by their own troubles.

Once they were out the front door, Jack stripped off the heavy outer coat and let it slide onto the ground. He undid the first few buttons of his shirt and breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't be completely happy until he was rid of the wretched clothes, but it was a start.

The two men started off down the dirt road that led down the hill and back into town. Will turned to regard Jack as they walked, a curious expression on his face.

"So that was the Black Pearl?" He asked suddenly.

Jack nodded. "Aye, that was she. I'd recognize those cannons anywhere mate. Finest in the Caribbean." A proud smirk appeared on his face. "Soon to be mine again." He pulled the necklace out of the pocket of his breeches, holding it up in the sunlight so that the sun caught the precious stones and made it sparkle. "And now we have some incentive on our side." He tucked it back in his pocket and turned to look at Will, but found that the boy was looking at the ground. "What's wrong with you?"

"She took my medallion." Will said, glancing up at Jack. "The one my father gave to me before he died." With a shrug, he went back to looking down at the ground as they walked. "It just meant a lot to me, I guess." Jack could hear something else in his voice, something that Will was reluctant to say and he made a pretty fair guess at what it was.

"You fancy the lass, don't you?" He asked, crossing his arms. "You're startin' to fall for that Elizabeth and you want an excuse to go rescue her." There was a faint tone of disbelief in his voice.

"I do not." Will protested and clenched his fists. "I just want my medallion back." Jack stared at him, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "I do not like her."

"Then why are you gettin' so defensive about it?" Jack asked him. Will could find no answer for that and instead started walking faster, shoving his hands into the pocket of his coat. "You're walkin' a dangerous path, William. Love will get you into danger more times than naught. Think about this while you're at it: You're a pirate and she's the governor's daughter. You think he'll just pardon you so you could be happy with his daughter?" Instead of responding, Will lengthened his stride. Jack decided that he'd try to talk some sense into the boy later and became quiet.

------------------

The town was a complete mess. The bodies of the dead lay all around on the ground and Jack noticed that not a one of them was pirate. Most of the buildings had been burned in some way or another and people were cleaning up what they had left of their possessions. Children wandered the street, looking for their families and lower ranking members of the British Navy were picking up the bodies and removing them from the street.

The tavern where they had been staying was one of the buildings that was in better shape, but wasn't without it's losses. Joseph had been killed during the attack and his wife badly injured. The building was empty when Jack and Will arrived. They headed upstairs and into their room, quickly discarding the fancy clothes and getting dressed in their own, familiar clothes.

-------------

The docks were a flurry of activity as the Interceptor was loaded with supplies for the trip out to sea. A mission had been planned to retrieve the governor's daughter and to bring in the crew that had kidnapped her to be hung. Men carted food supplies and ammunition onto the ship under Norrington's watchful gaze. Although it didn't show outwardly, he was fearful for Elizabeth. If the pirates took her and made no demand for a ransom, that meant they were in it to do her some harm. He hoped that they found her before such a thing could be done.

He glanced down at the checklist in his hands, noting that they had almost all the supplies on board and would be able to make way soon. The sooner they started chasing the Black Pearl, the less time the pirates had to harm Elizabeth. She had yet to give an answer to his proposal, but it didn't make him feel any less about her.

"Sir!" He glanced up to see one of his Lieutenants running towards him. Groves, he believed the man was named. "Sir, there are two men trying to steal the Dauntless!" He said, coming to a stop beside Norrington and holding out the spyglass for him. Norrington took it and unfolded it, peering through at the Dauntless. Sure enough, there on deck were two men trying vainly to get the big ship under way. Also, not a few feet away, Gillette was standing in a lifeboat, waving his arms wildly over his head and shouting to shore.

"It's Turner and his brother." Norrington slammed the spyglass shut. "Get the Interceptor ready to make way." He told Groves, who nodded quickly and hurried towards the small ship. Norrington gave the ship one last look before heading up onto the Interceptor as well. As soon as he was aboard, Groves barked out the orders for the anchors to be pulled up and the sails raised. The men worked quickly and soon they were moving out into the bay and headed straight at the Dauntless.

Jack smirked as he saw the smaller ship heading their way. It was what he had wanted, after all. After throwing the lieutenant and his men overboard, he'd made Will put on a show of trying to get the ship underway so that they would draw attention and the commodore would be forced to bring the Interceptor over. He'd had his eye on the ship for the past two days and decided it would be the best one for their mission.

"Go." He told Will, hopping down the steps of the quarterdeck. Will let go of the line he had been playing with and they both climbed into hiding as the Interceptor approached. They waited quietly as grapples were thrown on board and planks were set between the two ships. Men stormed the Dauntless, searching for the two who had dared to try and take the ship from them. Norrington was the last on board, shouting for them to check below decks and in the captain's quarters.

Will moved out of hiding and Jack followed right behind him. The lines the younger pirate had been playing with earlier easily came undone from their knots and he handed one to Jack. He hopped up on the rail and kicked off, swinging down to the ship below. Will followed after him, but his landing was a lot less graceful than Jack's. He slipped on the deck and landed in an ungraceful heap of arms and legs. Jack shot him a warning look and nodded to the lines binding the two ships together. Will nodded and grabbed the small hatchet from his belt. As Will took care of that problem, Jack headed to the wheel and waited.

The ship was completely empty and the thought sent a shiver up Norrington's spine. If they weren't on board the Dauntless, then that meant that they were somewhere else. The only other place for them to go was...

"Back to the Interceptor!" He shouted and there was an abrupt change in direction. Men turned away from searching the decks to head back to the Interceptor, only to find that the ship had pulled out of range with another man at the wheel. Norrington felt the anger grow within him and slammed a fist down on the rail. Groves jumped and eyed him nervously.

"Sir?" He asked.

"We're going after them. Give the orders." He said. Groves nodded and quickly moved away, glad to be out of range of Norrington's wrath. There would be hell to pay later for this, that much was certain. As he watched, the man at the wheel turned and took off his hat, making a mocking salute.

"Thank you, gentlemen. You've just been gracious helpers in adding to the legend of Captain Jack Sparrow!" Jack shouted to them, enjoying the chaos taking place on board the other ship. The look on the Commodore's face was amusing as well. He looked as if he had just eaten a very sour lemon.

"Jack...Sparrow." Norrington said through grit teeth. He had heard the legends and knew more than enough to realize that there had been two pirates walking freely around Port Royal and he had done nothing about it.

"Sir, the rudder chains been disabled!" The call from the helmsman was the last straw. Norrington's shoulders slumped and he watched as the small ship grew smaller still as it headed towards the horizon.

"Groves get that rudder chain fixed. I want to leave by tonight." He said with a tone of quiet menace. "We're going to get that ship back and see that those pirates hang."

"If you don't mind me saying, sir, this wasn't your fault. Jack Sparrow has to be one of the best pirates out there and..." He realized he didn't have anything to say after that. "But I'm sure you'll catch him easily enough, sir." He said with a nod and after saluting, turned to go find someone who could fix the rudder chain.

Norrington continued to watch the ship disappearing over the horizon. "Indeed."

-----------------------

"Jack, I have an idea."

Jack glanced up from where he was tightening one of the sail lines to see Will standing over him. He gave the line one last tug and secured it before getting back to his feet, looking him in the face.

"Let's hear it." He said before turning and heading back to the wheel. Will followed after him, waiting until Jack had taken his place at the wheel to start.

"Once we take the Pearl back, we should ransom the governor's daughter back to him." He said. "Think about it, Jack. Not only would we get the Pearl back, but we'd have the necklace and the extra coin from the ransom." He looked thoughtful. "That is, if the pirates haven't done anything with her yet. But Governor Swann would be able to pay a large amount and would do so just to see his precious daughter returned."

Jack took his eyes away from the horizon and looked over to Will, studying his face. He didn't know quite what the boy's angle was. Was he really in it for the money or was he doing it to save the girl? Jack came to the conclusion that either way, he was going to get some kind of money from it. That didn't mean he liked it any better that Will had fallen for some high class girl either. He hoped that it was just a phase that Will would quickly outgrow once he got a taste of life on the sea as a real pirate, not just hopping from ship to ship chasing the Black Pearl and stealing a few purses to make do.

"You might have something." He said finally. "But making a demand for ransom is tricky. You have to figure out a way to make the deal without being shot or arrested or hung." He gave the wheel a slight tug to the right. "If you can do it, then we'll ransom Miss Swann back to her father. Ask a very high price for her though. We'll call it a fee for rescuing her and bringing her back."

Will nodded, smiling. "I can do that."

--------------

The rest of the journey to Tortuga was uneventful. The Interceptor had left the Dauntless way behind and there had been no other ship around, until Jack had guided the ship into the Tortuga harbor. From there, they took the last lifeboat and headed back to the shore. There was only one man that Jack could trust enough to get him a crew to man the Interceptor and that was Joshamee Gibbs. Granted his information last time had almost cost them the necklace, but people were entitled to be wrong. Or they could be wrong, just not very often.

The nights in Tortuga were chaos. Pistols firing, men drinking, fights breaking out, and wenches wandering around looking for a few coins to earn. Jack and Will decided that splitting up to go find Gibbs was their best chance. Jack had taken to the streets, questioning a few on the ex-Navy man's location, but he couldn't seem to get a straight answer. Most of the men he asked just slurred at him in some unrecognizable language and stumbled off.

"Jack Sparrow!" He heard the shrill voice behind him and winced, turning to face the approaching woman. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and it was even worse when it came to wenches. The hand cracked harshly across his face and for a moment he was disoriented as to just which direction he was facing. After blinking a few times, he finally focused in on the woman standing before him.

"Scarlet." He said, rubbing his cheek. She glared at him and raised a finger, shaking it in his face.

"You said I was the only wench you were with." She said, her voice shaking in anger. "And all this time, you've been with Giselle too!"

"And Mary, and Harriet, and Vera..." He trailed off as the look of fury on the woman's face grew. She raised her hand again and this time put her full weight behind it, making Jack stumble back a few paces.

"Bloody hell, lass! You're allowed to bed different men, but I'm only supposed to be with one woman?" He grumbled, backing out of her arm reach.

"Aye!" She shouted at him. "This is my profession to be with different men, but most of them stay faithful to me. Unlike you!" People were starting to stare at the two of them, and Jack figured he needed to put an end to the scene soon.

"It's my profession too!" He bellowed back at her. "Nowhere in the pirate constitution does it say anything about remaining faithful to a woman you bed." He told her and she raised her hand again. This time he caught her by the wrist. "Do that again and I'll throw you down a well." He threatened. She glared at him and yanked her hand back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Smug bastard." She growled. "Someday you'll get yours."

"Already have, love." He told her. "Speaking of, have you seen Joshamee?"

--------------------

Will pushed his way through the crowded tavern in an effort to make it to the bar. Men fell backwards in their drunken states or leaned on him. One even spilled half his mug down Will's right leg. He made a face and shoved the man aside, finally coming to the bar. Flagging down the tavern keeper, he asked if the man had seen Gibbs. Like all the rest he'd asked, they said they'd seen him around scrounging for a few coins for a drink, but not lately. He sighed and pushed away from the bar, turning to head back outside.

Instead he bumped into a woman. A smile appeared on his face as he recognized the woman who had comforted him after his first attempt at a robbery gone wrong.

"Anamaria!" As he said her name, she glanced up at him. For a few moments, she didn't seem to recognize him. Then it dawned on her who she was and she gave him a small smile in return.

"If it isn't little Will." She said. "Are you still running around with Jack Sparrow?" She inquired, gazing up at him.

He nodded. "Of course. He's been teaching me a..." His sentence was never finished as Anamaria's hand shot out and grabbed hold of his ear.

"Where is he?" She growled at him, squeezing his ear painfully. "Tell me!"

"Why should I?" Will replied obstinately and winced as her grip tightened.

"Because he and I have business to discuss. About a boat. Where is he?"

"What are you going to do to me if I don't?" He questioned and soon found out the answer as she grabbed hold of his nose and pulled his head down so that they were at eye level.

"Look, I don't have a problem with you. I need to talk to Jack and you're going to take me to him, aye?" To reinforce what she had said her grip tightened on his ear and nose.

"No, I'm not." He replied, trying to pull her hands off but couldn't get a grip with the right amount of leverage. With a growl, Anamaria dragged him out of the tavern and into the street.

"Then we'll go find him together." She said, letting go of his nose and tightening her grip on his ear. "Come on."

-----------------

Jack cocked his head to the side slight, looking down at the man sleeping. He looked so peaceful, despite the fact that his pillow was a living creature that stunk worse than anything Jack could think of. Picking up the bucket, he upturned it over the sleeping man.

Gibbs sat up, spluttering and brandishing a knife. Jack jumped back, just barely missing being caught by the blade. After a few moments, Gibbs stared up at him, blinking in shock.

"Jack?"

"Aye, it's me. I need you to do me a favor." He said, crouching down so that he was eye level with the man. "There's a drink in it for you." At the word 'drink', Gibbs snapped to attention, waiting for what Jack had to say. "I need you to find me a crew. I'm going after the Pearl."

"Now?" Gibbs said, looking wary. "Jack, you know Barbossa doesn't suffer fools. If you go in there right now, that's what you'll be."

Jack smirked. "I'm not a fool." He glanced around. "I believe I've got things going in my favor. I've got a Turner's blood and I know where the ship is headed, not to mention a fancy necklace that alone is worth quite a lot."

"But Jack, that boy..."

"Won't be harmed except maybe the prick of a finger, although he knows nothing of this yet. He'll be used as bait, negotiations, and eventually the curse breaker, but I won't let any harm come to him. Now, do you think you could find me a crew?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Gibbs stared back at him for a moment before nodding, a smile crossing his face.

"Aye. Now about that drink." Jack grinned and got back to his feet, holding a hand out to Gibbs. The man took it and pulled himself to his feet, making a vain attempt at brushing the mud off his clothes. "Where are we...?"

"Ow! Let go!" Both Jack and Gibbs turned to see Ana pulling Will down the alleyway towards them. Spotting Jack, she let go of Will, hauling back and slapping him for the third time that night.

Jack swore solidly for two minutes. "What is this, Hit Jack Night?' He muttered, glaring at her.

"You stole my boat." She said angrily, pointing a finger in his face.

"Borrowed without permission because I had intended to bring it back. But I did you one better, love, and exchanged the boat for a bigger one." He said, stretching out his arms. "That I will personally give to you once this little adventure is over." Ana stopped, frowning in confusion.

"So what you're saying is you exchanged my boat for a ship that I'll get after you're done using it?" She asked. Jack nodded.

"I'll even offer you a job on the crew until I'm done using her, honest." He raised a hand to show he would even swear on it. She fell silent, staring at the wall behind him as she pondered taking the offer. "I won't need her long. Just till I get my negotiations done." He promised.

Reluctantly she decided to take the offer. "We have an accord then." She told him, sticking out her hand. Jack grabbed her hand and shook it.

"Glad to have you aboard then." He said. "Although, even if I didn't give you a ship, it would be fair since you did steal that purse from me." The sound of another slap echoed down the alley.

"I don't think I deserved that."