Well, welcome back, WELcome back! I seem to be in yet another strange mood swing, so I'll let you chaps get on with the reading. I DO hope you like it. Oh, and I'm REALLY sorry for the errors in the last chapter- I'm going to fix them right after uploading this chapter!


Last Chapter:

As if she had only deigned to come out to offer those few people those glimpses, the moon slid back behind the thick clouds.

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Manny and Wood definitely had been very lucky- not only had Heero been unable to stop them, but the short time the moon was out was the time they had been pulling Dorothy through the streets of the town. The revealing white light had been kept from them by the tall buildings, so their 'guest' was still none-the-wiser about what her 'hosts' might be.

Dorothy was currently sitting in a long boat, being rowed to the hulking black ship that had invaded the harbor. If her captors had expected her to be nervous or scared, they were disappointed. Her face was a smooth and serene as the boat glided beneath the figure head of the feared ship.

Incongruently, the carved figure was that of a maiden, releasing a dove from her out stretched hand. Bits of gold paint were visible on her hair, and the wave tracks on her face gave the haunting illusion of tears- as if the maiden was weeping from sorrow over who sailed her ship.

Dorothy didn't let the shiver she felt at this thought show. What was the matter with her? She'd never been this fanciful before. These were merely pirates, nothing more- there was no need to invent ghosts.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

On deck, a swarm of pirates manned the cannons to trade shots with the fort. Their activity was watched by a figure standing on the upper decks.

He was clad in tattered finery that seemed at once distantly formal and vaguely menacing. A small monkey swung onto his shoulder and began to chatter restlessly, playing with his long hair and beard. As he reached up to stoke it, an abnormal movement from the deck caught his eye. Some of the lower members of the crew seemed to be hauling a young woman aboard. This was new- and against his orders. He had specifically said only loot was to be brought from the shore. Removing his hand from the monkey's back, he strode down to investigate.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

As Dorothy was pulled over the railing by her two escorts, a large black man, with peculiar scars and tattoos all over his body, strode up to them. His name was Anacod, and he was the enforcer of the Captain's rules among the crew. He was strong, stern, and completely unbending to anyone save the Captain himself.

"I dinna know we was takin' on captives," he spoke, glaring at the offending pair.

"She's invoked the right of parley with Capin' Barbossa!" Manny yelped, not wanting Anacod's displeasure to fall on him. Dorothy took this as a cue, and recognizing a figure of authority when she saw one, she stepped forward.

"I'm here to negot-" she began, but was interrupted by a vicious backhand slap from the man in front of her.

"Ye'll speak when spoken to!" he snarled while Dorothy clutched her cheek in shock. No one, no one had ever struck her before in her life.

Before either of them could do or say anything else, either to continue to enforce authority or to speak out in outrage, a hand came down and grabbed Anacod's still raised wrist.

"And ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley," Barbossa drawled with an almost friendly air. But everyone listened.

"Aye, sir," Anacod growled, with a last glare at Dorothy before he stepped back into the growing crowd that was surrounding this spectacle.

"Apologies, miss," Barbossa said, turning to Dorothy and running his eyes over her.

Dorothy took a deep breath to regain her composure, then raised one of her eyebrows at the new comer, who was obviously the Captain. She addressed him with the natural assurance- bordering on arrogance- that she always used when she was involved in a debate or contest. "Captain Barbossa," she acknowledged. "I am here to negotiate cessation of hostilities against Port Royal."

The pirate captain merely raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes in a parody of innocence. "There's alot of long words in there, miss, we're naught but humble pirates. What is it that you want?"

Dorothy felt her own eyes narrow. This talking vermin wanted a translation? Very well. "I want you to leave and never come back." The venom in that single sentence could have killed three cobras in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it had no effect on Barbossa.

"I'm disinclined to aquiest to your request," he replied. "Means 'no,'" he added. There were sneering chuckles from the watching pirates. Dorothy narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Bloody bastard... But she wasn't going to be beaten that easy.

"Very well," she said calmly. In one smooth motion, she yanked the twine from around her neck and strode to the side. Manny made a little movement as if to stop her, but didn't quite dare.

Dorothy thrust her arm over the edge of the boat, letting everyone get a good look at what she was holding over the water: a small, gold medallion. "I'll drop it," she threatened coldly. There was a ripple of movement among the pirates, but not the reaction she needed. She didn't drop her poker face, though- there were still cards left to play.

The person who had showed the least reaction was Barbossa himself. Now wasn't that telling... After a moment, he turned to look at his crew. "Behold the mysterious matters that have nothing to do with us." With a sharp turn, he looked back at Dorothy. "Why?"

Barbossa was a good player. But Dorothy was a better actress- and the double standard was in her favor. Letting her eyes widen helplessly, she started to stammer. "It's what you've been searching for. I recognize this ship, I saw it 8 years ago on the crossing from England."

"Didja now?" asked Barbossa. His tone was strange... a bit of wonder, a bit of discovery, a bit of greed... but Dorothy could read no meaning in it. The crew, however, stirred ever so slightly.

Inside, Dorothy smirked. Time to call their bluff. "Fine," she sighed. "Well, I suppose if really is worthless, then there's no point in me keeping it." She let the twine slip through her fingers.

But only for a few inches.

It was enough. As one, the pirates on the deck, even Barbossa, started to lunge forward in a futile attempt to catch the bit of gold.

Dorothy smiled sweetly and arranged her features into a look of pleased discovery. Words were unnecessary in a victory like this one.

After a moment of silence, Barbossa chuckled and stepped forward, acknowledging defeat. "You have a name, missy?" he drawled.

"Dorothy... Turner," she said quickly. Relena's words about kidnapping were still ringing in her ears, and the first person she thought of was Will. "I'm a maid in the Governor's house hold," she added as a reason for being there.

Had Dorothy been looking at Barbossa's face when she said this, Dorothy might have seen a quick flash of triumph before it disappeared behind an unreadable expression. As it was, she was looking at the medallion in her hands, trying to give a little credence to her act as a maid.

"Miss Turner," Barbossa said, turning to his crew. It was almost like he was confirming it with the crew... and their chuckling reaction when he did...

She distinctly heard Manny mutter "Bootstrap!" to one of the pirates next to him. Damn, what had set them off!?

Barbossa turned back to her, a smirk on his face, and Dorothy refocused on him.

"And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that, family heirloom, perhaps?"

Dorothy could see no point to his questioning. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean," she hissed.

This seemed to satisfy him. "Very well, ya hand it over, and we'll to put your town to our rudder- and ne'r return."

A long moment passed before Dorothy dropped the bit of gold, worth so much, into his outstretched hand. With an odd smile, Barbossa handed it to the small monkey that still sat on his shoulder. The little beast immediately jumped up into the rigging and scampered away.

Dorothy watched this little show before turning back to the captain. "Our bargain?" she snapped.

Barbossa turned to the crew, and gave a quick nod to Anacod before striding away.

His first mate instantly began to bellow the orders. "Still the guns an' sto' em'. Mid-ship men, set the-" Dorothy ignored him after this, and went after Barbossa.

"Wait!" she snarled. "You have to take me to shore! According to the Code of the Order of the Brethren-"

"Firstly,-" Barbossa interrupted her, "your return to shore was not part of out negotiation or agreement, so I must do nothin'. And secondly, you have to be a pirate to the pirate's code to apply, and your not, and thirdly-" here he smirked with an odd, smug look, "- The Code is more what you'd call guidelines then actual rules. Welcome aboard The Black Pearl, Miss Turner!"

As Barbossa turned away again, Dorothy started for the nearest railing.

When she had first come to this island, she had recognized the foolishness of living surrounded by water but not being able to swim. Against her father's orders, she had snuck down to the beach everyday to teach herself. Now, unhampered by a corset or heavy dress, she was a top rate swimmer. She had no intentions of staying on this ship!

Her plans were thwarted, however, as two sets of hands grabbed her arms. Manny and Wood leered at her from either side.

"Capin's got a nice place fo' you!" Manny chortled as they hauled her away.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

It had taken Duo a miserably long time to get back to the fort. Between the herds of people racing every which way, and the debris from the cannon battle, it was quite an obstacle course. And the fact the he kept being distracted by the memory of a pair of cobalt blue eyes didn't help.

He reached the hole in the wall just as the Pearl had started to sail away. Declining to gain any more bruises from the tight fit back into Jack's cell, he simply hopped into the other one.

"The story?" Jack questioned as Duo went to work on the lock with his picks.

"It looks like they were goin' after the last medallion," Duo said as he worked on the lock. He'd been able to eavesdrop on a few pirate groups on the way back and get a better picture. "And they wouldn'ta left without it. By the way, the curse is not bullshit."

"I did notice that, yes. All they would need now is Turner's.. blood..." Jack trailed off as the memory of Will in the smith shop came back to him. "...and we now have ample reason to be after them. So: how to be about it, then?"

Neither pirate was stupid enough to suggest that they sneak out now- everyone was still on edge from the attack. Their adrenalin was rushing, and they were hyper-alert. Trying to get out now would be next to impossible. In the morning, when everyone would be tired and sluggish from a long night awake, would be the time to move.

And besides, they still needed a ship, and needed to get it provisioned. Easiest way to do that? Let someone else do it for them.

Duo continued to work on his lock as he and Jack discussed ideas and plans. By the time they had everything all worked out, Duo was hidden away in another corner of the jail, to wait for morning.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Heero's night had been little better the Duo's. By the time he'd gotten back to town, he'd seen no less then five pirates he distinctly remembered giving 'fatal' wounds to. The incident with the moonlight had left him disturbed enough that he hadn't challenged them to fights- what good would it have done, anyways?- but hid and snuck by them. It grated badly on his instincts, though, so that by the time he found Will comatose in the street, he was in a roaring bad mood. Heero spent a good 15 minutes debating what to do with him, before stomping back to the smithy and collapsing. If Will was still out in the morning, he'd wake him up then.

The fact the one Duo Maxwell was nowhere to be seen throughout the trek certainly didn't help matters, either.

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

Will woke up to Heero shaking him. The first thing he noticed was his splitting headache. The second was the morning light, which was making the headache worse. The third was the realization of what 'morning light' meant.

Forgetting all about his head, Will lunged to his feet and stared out at the bay. The black ship was gone- all that could be seen now was repair crews working on various damaged places. Ignoring everything else, Will turned and ran for the fort. Sighing to himself, Heero followed. He really should have left him on the ground...

(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)

The fort was a hive of activity. Soliders were running everywhere. Some were carrying message tubes, some were carrying bodies, and some had no discernable purpose. Heero noted, however, that none of the bodies were pirates. No one else seemed to have made this observation.

The one calm spot in the madhouse was the planning table, where Commodore Norington was bent over charts while Governor Swan paced in the background. Several soldiers were at attention around them, two of them being Murray and Jacob. Will headed strait for this spot, Heero trailing along behind.

Upon reaching his destination, Will blurted out the thing that had so galvanized him. "They've taken her! They've taken Dorothy!"

They Commodore's reaction was, to say the least, less then satisfying to the young blacksmith. "Mister Murtog, remove this man." He didn't even look up from his charts as he ordered Jacob to play bouncer.

Will jerked his arm out of Jacob's reach and continued. "We have to hunt them down, we must save her!"

It was the Governor who stepped in to try and reintroduce Will to reality. "And where do you propose we start?" he demanded in a voice that just missed desperate. "If you have any information concerning my daughter, please, share it!"

When Will remained silent, the distraught father went back to his pacing.

It was an unexpected voice that piped up. "That- Jack Sparrow, and Maxwell," Jacob offered. "They talked about The Black Pearl."

"Mentioned it, is more like," Murray corrected him.

Will turned back to the Commodore with a fresh fire in his eyes. "Ask him where it is! Make a deal with him, he could lead us to it!" Heero was startled- it was a measure of just how much Will wanted to save Dorothy that he was even willing to talk to that pirate again.

Norington was less then moved. "No," he stated in a monotone. "Though Maxwell escaped, the pirates who invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell, ergo they are not his allies." He turned away from Will and began to talk to the older man behind him. "Governor, we will establish their most likely course and-"

Will had had enough. With a sharp swing, he brought the axe down on the map in front of the Commodore. "That's not good enough!" he snarled.

"Mister Turner," Norington sighed, turning and pulling the axe from the table. "You are not a military man, you are not a sailor. You're a blacksmith." He grabbed Will's arm and marched him off to the side, Heero following yet again. "This is not the moment for rash actions." As they left the earshot of the other men, the Commodore lowered his voice to add a further sentence. "Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only man here who cares for Dorothy." Will gave no indication that he had heard Norington, but the older man turned back to his charts without waiting for recognition.

Seething, Will turned away, fully prepared to go after Dorothy himself. As they left the main court, Heero grabbed his arm and hauled the older smith down another corridor.

"What-"

"Prisons are this way." Heero had known that the nobles wouldn't help- and he'd known exactly what Will would do from the moment he heard Jacob say that Sparrow and Maxwell knew about the Pearl. Heero already knew this- he'd been making plans to get information from the pirates since last night. It wasn't that he wanted to go with them- it was just that Will was going to go, anyway, and Heero might as well be there to guard his back. Will didn't know the truth about those pirates, anyways. It had nothing to do with the fact that he might see one Duo Maxwell again. Nope. Not at all.

Will wasn't aware of Heero's thoughts, and was too caught up with the ideal of saving Dorothy to notice anything odd about his foster brother. He just knew that Heero was right. With a grin, he started to follow Heero down the side corridor, and quickly took the lead.

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A/N: Well? Howzabout some reivews? If you feel like it, I'd really appreciate some opinions of Will- He's the one I'm having the most trouble with. It is SO hard to write his idealistic naieve hotheadedness without turning him into either a complete idiot or a bigoted jackass. Who'dathunkit? I thought when I started this that JACK would be the toughest- but he's actually fairly easy.

Oh- and coming up soon (in one, two, or MAYBE three chapters), the girls will show up. You know, Scarlet, Gizel, and Anna-Mariea, who give Jack slaps he may or may not have deserved. I want to replace them with different G-girls, but I can't decide who. The candidates for the three girls are Noin, Sally, Une, Cathy, and Hilde. Cast your vote for who you want each of them to be by reviewing and telling me who, AND WHY. It's the 'why' part I'm going to be most intrested in; I always like good reasons for cameos!

NEway, thanks to the people who reviewed chapter 6:

The Elven Archer of Rivendell:
Thanks for saying so, but there really WERE some mistakes in that last chapter... I'll fix it soonest, and I'll try to get a look at that fic! See ya later!

Shaeric Draconis:
Thank you! Don't worry, Heero's gonna save Duo later. Hehehe... I'm going to have fun writing that! I'm glad you liked the moonlight parts. I had to keep looking in the theasaurus (I will bet I just misspelled that) for different discribing (I KNOW I misspelled that) words. Jack- he most definitly is a great character... I love him too, if just for his flair at turning a phrase. And you never figure out just which side he's on... I hope your beta is a fast worker! See ya in whatever chapter comes out next.

Sweet Sere:
I'm glad you do! I update this fic on Thursdays, so you should have it by Friday, at least. Enjoy!

M-python-girl:
O.O I got it right? I mean, of course I did! I AM psycic, after all... ::looks snobish:: And don't sic the fanatics, please- I'm still hiding from them for Kitsune Twins!