A/N: Normal chappie length again, guys. Sorry for those who like long chapters. Anyway, I got this one up faster! Woot! XD I really WAS planning on getting this one up earlier, but circumstances did not permit. *Sighs* Ah well, hope y'all enjoy!

A/N2: Due to certain… activities that Jack has been up to that have really tired him out, he shall not be making an appearance insulting my chappie as he is apt to do. *Eyeroll* He should be back next time, all! :-D

            ***Special thanks to Pendragon and Kizume for betaing

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Leah sighed and collapsed into a free chair at one of the few free tables left in the Raging Rum. Bitterly, she mused over what an original and insightful name it was for an establishment such as this, but really, she didn't much care. It wasn't as if it was her first time visiting the place after all. After a half hour of searching, she'd only been able to locate two of the crewmembers, two fairly new crewmembers, Pickpocket Pete (gee, what another original name!) and Silver Tongue. It was a little ironic. Many pirates did not even have such eccentric nicknames, she had come to find, while these two did.

Sharply, she'd sent the two away from their game of cards and to the Pearl. True, she supposed she could have been kinder about it… and not snapped at the pair… and not drawn her sword… but in the mood she'd been in, still was in, who could blame her?

"Anythin' the matter, Leah?" a voice inquired, interrupting her angry musings. Startled, Leah jumped in her seat, but then relaxed upon seeing just who it was.

"Aye, 'Lise, I'm fine. Just… well, let me put it this way. If Jack were here right now, he'd be dead a thousand times over."

"Cheers to that," 'Lise, or Elise as everyone else called her, smirked, taking a seat across from the infamous pirate captain's wife with a flourish and flutter of skirts. "So what'd 'e do now?" Leah and Jack seemed to fight off and on monthly-at the very least-and even though they had been getting along far better as of late, their all-out battles were still fairly common.

"Oh, nothing too surprising," Leah informed her, smiling sardonically. " He's only made our entire marriage null and void and completely renounced any and all love for me at a time when our children have been kidnapped, and, to make things even better, he won't tell me why."

"What?!"

"That was my reaction at first, too."

"Holy… how did this 'appen?"

As one of the "working women" of Tortuga, i.e. working the men, Elise had met Leah after "completing" a job, and although Leah had been predisposed to strongly dislike her from the onset, especially since she met said woman right after watching Jack take two brunettes up to a room for some entertainment, she had soon found her to be a trustworthy and downright wonderful person. The night Leah had met her, her arms crossed as she leant against a wall near the stairs to the second floor, Leah had watched the three move up the steps and out of sight scowling, and so enrapt was she in this fine activity, she hadn't even noticed the approach of someone who was presently not drunk nor involved in a bar fight.

"Friend o' yours?" Elise had asked, coming up beside Leah and leaning against the wall beside her, her waist-length mahogany locks up in a messy bun. She had had an idea as to just who this young lady glowering in the direction of the notorious Captain Jack Sparrow's exit, but she wasn't entirely certain…

"Perhaps," Leah had responded shortly, only sparing the whore a glare. With her lips rouged, her face powdered, and that extremely revealing jade dress on, it hadn't been difficult to determine just what this young five foot six woman's occupation was. "Why is it any concern of yours?"

"Oh, jus' curious. I don' mean any offense by it, doll. Promise."

"Uh…huh," Leah had replied, eyebrow raised, and then she'd pushed herself off of the wall. "Well, it was a real pleasure speaking with you," she'd said, inclining her head in Elise's direction, and just like that, she had begun her walk towards the exit.

After only a moment's hesitation, Elise had called after her, no longer any doubt in her mind as to this strange young woman's identity. No one in Tortuga, especially no woman who would frequent a place such as this, spoke that way, so eloquently and in such an educated manner. Slang was far more common, and the "crispness" in that young lady's tone, a lady about Elise's age, actually, was very uncommon for "commoners" like herself. "Eh, wait! You're Leah Swann, aintcha?"

Leah had halted mid-stride, chewing the inside of her lip while debating whether or not to stay… and had finally turned, deciding to speak to this woman who knew who she was. And it was a good thing she had, for, after learning more about Elise, she quickly grew to like her, and visa versa. In fact, the two became the best of friends.

And this was why Leah's utterly repugnance of the "working women" diminished, and why Leah could talk to Elise now. This was why she was able to actually tell her what ailed her. She could always talk to Elise.

But (and there was always a "but", wasn't there?), this wasn't the time.

Sighing, Leah closed her eyes for a moment, putting a hand to her forehead, but then opened the gray-blue orbs back up, allowing her hand to fall to the table. She really didn't have time for this, not at all. The lives of Claire and John depended on her, and she couldn't just go off talking to her friend because she felt bad.

Leah was about to get up, make her farewell, and leave, her arms already braced against the tabletop… when she suddenly went slack, putting her head down upon the dull, scratched, and chipped wood. She couldn't do this, she couldn't handle this. She just… this was too much. Jack, she could handle. Being a pirate, battles, all of that, she could handle. But this, her children, taken from where they had supposedly been safe… it was just too much.

"Leah, you alright, doll?" 'Lise asked softly, and with a rustle of the jade that made up her really very low cut dress, she moved to the opposite side of the table, kneeling down beside Leah and putting a comforting hand on her back.

"No, no I'm not," she whispered brokenly, and Leah began to sob.

"Oh Le'," Elise murmured, and took her friend into her arms, tightly embracing her. If there was something Leah needed right now, more than anything else, it was a friend, and, perhaps even more importantly, a hug.

Before long, the tale came out, everything that had happened. Leah told Elise about how, while the Black Pearl was away on a particularly dangerous venture, Claire and John had been left with Elizabeth, Will, and her father in Port Royale. She then told her about their kidnapping at the hands of "Eric and Swanson", the former of whom had left that damned note. Last, but nowhere near least, however, was, well, Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow, scourge of the Spanish main, the legend, the captain of the Black Pearl… a cold, heartless bastard who seemed to enjoy making his wife suffer as much as humanly possible.

"God, Le', I'm so sorry," Elise said, now sitting beside Leah on a chair she had pulled over, her arm still wrapped around the female pirate.

"Not your fault, 'Lise, but thanks," Leah smiled, occasional sniffles now the only traces of the brokenhearted sobbing that had overtaken her just moments ago. She truly was thankful for her friend's company, and would probably have been in a far worse state had Elise not been there.

This conversation would have continued on its current path for a good while… had it not been for what happened next, had it not been for a certain someone who came up to their table (how he found the two of them in this crowd, the two females would never know), cocky as always.

"Havin' fun, ladies?" he grinned, grabbing the chair Elise had discarded and turning it so that its backside faced the table. He then took a seat, his arms resting on the back ofit with one leg on either side of the seat. He absolutely oozed arrogance and good humor… though when he saw Leah's bloodshot eyes and tearstained face (it was bloody obvious she'd been crying), his smile quickly evaporated. "Leah, you all right?" he asked.

Ah Kevin, he never failed to cheer Leah up.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

"Uh huh, and I'm the Governor of Port Royale, which'd be really disturbing if you thought about it." Heh, he was right. After what they had done before Jack had caught them, and seeming that the Governor of Port Royale was her father… Leah actually laughed. A trace of his smile had now returned, and Kevin continued. "So wha' happened? You an' Jack argue 'bout what to argue 'bout again?"

Leah's face darkened, and underneath the table, her right hand clenched into a tight fist. If, out of sheer necessity, her nails hadn't been short little stubs, her palm would have been bleeding out of minute little crescents already. Hell, she'd have little crescent moon scars in her palm already. "You could… say that."

The man's mirthful expression softened. "That bad, huh?"

She nodded.

Though Elise had not as of yet said one word to Kevin, she chose this particular moment to speak up. "Leave 'er be for a minute, eh? Things aren't that great." Though she was utterly smitten with the pirate sitting before her, the only man in all of Tortuga to have ever succeeded in catching her "interest" (in her occupation, her heart would have been broken a hundred times over by now if many men succeeded in this venture), Elise nevertheless did nothing about it. She wasn't shy or timid, no. If anyone ever told her that she was, she would have laughed in their face and thanked them for the amusement. However, she did have a barrier about herself, one that really did not allow for any romance. It was dangerous on account of the "work" she did, because of what she did merely to make ends meet. However, though she was easily able to speak to and carry off an intelligent conversation with the man, Elise nevertheless found herself simply staring at Kevin at times, allowing his words to flow over her and caress her, oblivious to most else. This, though, was not one of those occasions.

There was a moment of silence, between the three of them at least, one in which Elise comfortingly ran her hand up and down Leah's slumped back, the female pirate's head resting on her arms on the rough tabletop, and in which Kevin thought matters over. Finally, the male of the trio spoke.

"Le', I get it if you don't wanna talk about it or ya just don't want me ta know, but-"

"The kids were kidnapped. Claire and John… were kidnapped," Leah interrupted, letting out a whoosh of air as she brought her head up, sliding her arms back towards her.

Kevin blinked. "What! How?"

Ugh, she felt tired. She just wanted to curl up and sleep, to sleep and sleep and never wake up… and she needed to get to the Pearl. What was she doing sitting in a bar with her friends talking about how John and Claire had been kidnapped when the two said toddlers didn't need words! They were in danger of imminent death! They needed bloody aid! So what was she doing here? Why didn't she get up and leave?

The answer was simple. She couldn't get up. She just couldn't. Nor could she speak about this again. Beseechingly, Leah looked to Elise. "Could you tell him? Please? I can't. I-I should be leaving. I have to go, I… can you? Can you just-"

"Sure thing, hun," 'Lise smiled, still unconsciously rubbing her friend's back, and turned to Kevin. "I might get a bit wrong 'ere, but Le' can correct me if I do, so here goes. Basically…" And so, Elise told the young male pirate just what had occurred, sparing no details. All the while, Leah would say little comments, put in little details, or make minute corrections, and so, Kevin gradually found out what had occurred.

After the story was told, he sat with his elbows on the tabletop, his chin resting on his knuckles, contemplative. After he had completed his musings, as best as he could given the current time constraints, that is, he sat up. "Well one thing's obvious," he stated, "Ye can't take the Pearl."

"What? Why-oh." In the rush of getting to Tortuga, in her panic of losing her children, in her fear of losing both them and Jack forever, in her consequent anger with the captain of the Black Pearl, Leah had forgotten that… well… Eric and Swanson wanted the Black Pearl on top of everything else. They couldn't very well take it straight to them!

"'Oh' 's right," Kevin agreed, standing and picking his chair up,setting it down beside Leah, Elise situated on her opposite side. "So I'm gonna take you two on me ship." Before Leah could protest, he continued. "Ah!" he said, holding up his forefinger, "No, Le'! Nooooo. No way you're talkin' me outta that one, and the same goes for Jack. Ok?"

After only a moment's hesitation, she answered hi, defeated. "Fine."

He grinned. "Good. But, I have ta ask you this. Do you have any plan? For figuring out whether or not Claire an' John are still alive? Or did you an' Jack have your dear lover's quarrel 'fore that could happen and jus'… not even talk it over?" He really had a sneaking suspicion-more like common sense and intuition were screaming, really-that the two hadn't spoken about any such thing.

"Plan?" she remarked absently, and shook her head, the braids swishing lightly this way and that with the gentle force of her head turning. Well, she was certain that Jack had a plan, but one that he would share with her? Ha! Glancing at Elise, who sat with her hands folded in her lap as she watched the proceedings before her intently with her sharp clear blue eyes, Leah had an idea. A wonderful, splendid idea. A plan of her own. Wickedly, she grinned, looking back and forth between the two on either side of her. "Hmmm… Actually, I myself might just have a plan…"

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A/N: Come on, review, you know you want to! Least I want you to! ;-)

Keira: Yes, yes he is. And glad ye enjoyed! XD

Jinxd: *blinkety blink blink* They did? Oooh, thanks! *Huggles* I'm glad the long long time it took me to write this chappie and the constant edits were worth it. And I think it's either shined or shone… Pretty sure either work. As for beta readers, I could be one, if you like. O.o And your chappies are absolutely splendiferous as is, so hush! :-P

Kizume: Yayios! Rereadings enjoyed even! Woot! *dances* And dontcha worry, closet pass is there to STAY. XD *Prods Jack* He's such a silly goose…. that needs to be smacked at times. :-P Anywayz, REALLY glad you liked! And I actually found time to write! Woot! Chappie was almost up on time. ;-) XD

Shane: Hehe, glad you enjoyed thy reward for reviewing. ;-) And I promised y'all flashbacks, didn' I? :-P Anywayz, glad ye ALSO enjoyed that!

Sara: Yeah, Jack is… special, I'll give him that. *Pokes Jack* I'm glad it was realistic, though. :-D Glad you liked!

venus: Yes, if only Jack was the loyal from the onset type… ah well. Beggars can't be choosers. And I tried to update fast! I really did! I'm sowwy if it took too long! I'm very glad you enjoyed! Hoping this chappie is up to thy standards. :-P

Lauren: Wowzers, you read it all? Thank you! *Huggles* I'm bloody overjoyed you likethed it so much! Here's hoping ye shall enjoy the rest as well! XD

Luny Lady: Yes, I try not to do everything stereotypical and keep it fairly original, but then again, that's what me muse cooks up. :P I luvvle Fred. *Huggles Fred, who smacks her (Fred's mean…)* And all right, it's comforting knowing that even if I don't get a review, you shall be reading, but pweez review? Pweez? Even if it's just to say you read? *Big beseeching eyes* ;-)

TriGem: Ooooooh, two reviews! Nice! *Dances* And lengthy! XD Yousa rock! And yousa read "Toxic" O.o Coolios! Thankees! I'm glad you liked that one too! It was fun to write. I'm awed that that miscarriage scene actually proved to be so intense, though. Hmmm, maybe I'm not such a bad author as I thought. ;-) However, I think maybe you mightta misunderstood one part. She meant to get even with Jack by going all the way with Kevin. In fact, they'd started when, uh, Jack came in… o.O If yousa got this, then completely ignore me as I'm sleep-deprived and don't comprehend things well under said conditions, but if you didn't, now you know. :-P Anywayz, I'm UBER glad yousa enjoyed their past and that it all makes sense now. Hope you enjoy the rest!

M. Sparrow: :-D Thankees! Not just on the AGoL compliment, but also for the cookies! I'm sure that girl will love. Meanwhile, enjoy that closet! ;-)

Riley: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU! *huggles to death* Hehe, sorry… I did mess up on the eye color there… I was debating between the two colors and I guess I kinda… stuck both in… O.o Once I decide on which it is (bah, I need to make up my mind), I shall change it. Thanks once again! XD Glad you enjoyed the extra length! :-P EXTRA closet time for you, mate! :D

Cherish: Eh, it's fine. I understand being busy, believe me. And I DEFINITELY appreciate the review. :-D Mesa happy that yousa still like! As for Jacky… no, mine! *Sticks out tongue* ;-)

Leah: *Glare*

Me: And hers…

Gwyn: Hehe, 'bout TIME you reviewed! ;-) Nah, j/k. And yup, glad I cleared a few things up, even though I really DID tell you. :P And DEFINITELY cya on MSN, mate! Ta!