Chapter 7: Back Home (Part 2)

Portia and Emily were not anywhere to be found on shore, although Jack and Will did stumble across one of Portia's friends- James. However, they stumbled upon him in a rather unfortunate situation. Jack felt terrible for the boy; Will could not have looked more like dying when he had opened the door to that bedroom. No harsh words had been exchanged, but from the way Will had locked himself in his cabin on the ship, Jack was pretty sure Will and Elizabeth's engagement was off as of the moment.

"Uh, it's Jack isn't it?" James tentatively asked as he approached the brooding man.

Startled, Jack turned to face the man who was looking just as lost and confused as Will had been. "Yes, do you need something?"

"Well, actually I was wondering if you could explain why I know you from when I saw you in New York, but why I also seem to know you by reputation while I worked as a thief along the coast here. I can remember two different lives perfectly as if they coincide, but they never mixed before."

Jack gazed at the man for some time. "I really don't know mate. It has something to do with a sort of curse that has been set down on me. For some reason and somehow that I don't know Will and I were taken to where Portia, you, and Emily live to help me fulfill some kind of prophecy." There he stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"When we pulled Portia and Emily back here, you for some reason came as well," Will said, his voice low and heavy. "I, we can only assume that you live in our world as well as your world..." he trailed off.

"So when I was 'brought' here I sort of popped into myself that lives here?"

"Sure," Jack said.

"So then where are Portia and Emily?" James wanted to know.

"They would have ended up the same way you did, inside themselves wherever they last were in this place." Jack said, his brow was crinkled in thought. He was desperately trying to think if he had ever see anyone who looked like Portia or Emily in his travels.

"The first place I suggest we look is Tortuga," Will offered.

Jack nodded. "Aye, that was where we were when the lady came to see us. Gibbs?!"

"Aye Captain!" Gibbs called from the upper deck.

"Ready us to sail. We're heading for Tortuga."

"Tortuga! Aye, Captain!" Gibbs smiled widely.

When the Black Pearl arrived in Tortuga three days after Portia had woken up to find she was a tavern maid, the whole town was whispering with tales of Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew. Portia enjoyed listening to the crazy adventures her customers had to tell her, and besides the lap time she spent with them earned her extra money. She had been expecting Jack or Will to eventually wander in through the front doors of the Rose Thorn, but not James. He was rather dirty and looked like he had not slept in days, and the sight of him made Portia almost drop the mugs of ale she was carrying.

Slowly he looked around the crowded, smoke-filled room until he met her face. A small smile cracked at the bottom of his lips and he made his way to a table near the back of the tavern that was empty and removed from most of the commotion and noise. Once she had delivered the ales to the rowdy group of pirates she had been enjoying tales from for the last few hours, she pushed their hands away as the tried to make her stay and she went to get James' order.

"Anything for you tonight?" she asked him.

Judging from the dark outside and the Portia's appearance, James was sure that he could order himself a room with her for the night and then they would be able to talk. "Just the pleasure of your company for the evening." He said, casually laying a small bag of gold on the table in front of her.

Portia gave him the same low smile she would have given any other man who asked her that question and made her wave to Jon to signal to him she had found a customer for the night. Jon smiled with his yellowing teeth and waved her away upstairs.

Playfully she led him up to the room that was hers for when she had company. Pushing him softly inside she closed and bolted the door as she always did. Then, heaving a large sigh of relief she sat down on the bed next to him.

"How the hell did you get here?" she asked in a quiet, seductive voice. A certain noise level needed to be kept up at least for the first few minutes they occupied the room.

"Same way you and Emily did I suppose," he replied.

"Emily?!?" she stifled her exclamation. "What is she doing here?"

"Jack and Will brought you back here for some curse, or prophecy or something."

"Oh. I heard them talking about that one night, but I didn't hear what they were saying exactly."

"Once we find Emily Jack and Will are going to explain everything. How long do I need to stay in here before I can go find Jack and Will?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"How much you paid."

Jack and Will had made their way around most of the taverns in Tortuga without finding a sight of Portia or Emily. After some time James had disappeared, and Will voiced the thought that maybe he had found one of them and he would be busy until later that night. Jack had laughed at the time, but upon seeing the look on Will's face he had stopped abruptly.

Jack had rather been hoping to find Portia first though. Something about her had caught his eye that first night he and Will had dropped in on her house and it had not left his mind since.

Finally the rum took hold and he slumped back in his chair with Will sitting alert beside him to wait out the night.

Will woke to the feeling of soft arms around his neck. His eyes opened to see Portia's rich brown hair tied up hastily with a leather strip at the nape of her neck. "I'll personally kill him for you," she mumbled into his ear and then pulled away. Her green eyes searched his to see if he was all right. She saw sadness and some anger, but it was nothing she really needed to worry about at the moment. Jack was watching them bemusedly.

"Done?" he asked. Portia could tell that was not all he had wanted to say, but he had stopped himself to spare Will another blow to the heart.

In response Portia flashed Jack a sweet, seductive smile that she used on men who obviously had money they could be rid of. Jack's heart flip-flopped.

"Well, now that you've found me and James has explained some stuff, where are we going to look for Emily?" Portia asked as she removed her weight from Will.

"Port Royal luv," Jack replied. "Will seems to remember seeing her there before all this crazy stuff happened. Now let's get to the Pearl."