A/N: Hello, me hearties. Thank you for being so patient with me. I've been in and out of the hospital this week and my computer's been giving me grief on top of it. But I know that you don't want excuses, so read your long awaited chapter, and enjoy!

Chapter Five: Bad Luck

"Elizabeth! What are you doing here?!" he loudly whispered. She pushed him out of the way to re-conceal her vehicle.

"Well, I hope you didn't think that you were the only one who wanted answers. And, unlike you, I was smart enough to not only hide my vehicle, but turn it off a good distance away. Lucky for us, I think he's too drunk to know that anyone's here," she said with an air of superiority about her.

"Hey, just because you want to hide from him, doesn't mean that I want to. Unlike you, I came here to talk to him, not to snoop around," Will shot back. He was getting a little annoyed by her snobbiness. Why does she always have to put me down like that?

"What do you mean you're here to see him? You can't just waltz into the house of a crazy man and expect to come out with everything you went in with!" Pretty jocks are always such idiots! Will began to walk briskly towards the front steps, so Elizabeth hurriedly followed.

"For your information, he invited me. He offered for me to join the Pirates and so...well, I'm gonna at least talk to him about it," he said, still a bit unsure of what his final decision would be.

"Are you crazy??! Since when do you run about joining gangs, robbing people, killing whoever gets into your way??!" she hissed at him with her hands on her hips and a stomp of her foot. He almost laughed. She's kinda cute when she's angry...

"I'm a grown man, Elizabeth. I do what I want," he said and pounded on the door.

"Wrrrahk!! Juuuust a minute!! Wrrraaahk!!" They looked at each other, both with a raised eyebrow. Jack opened the door with a colorful parrot resting on his shoulder. They looked at him, silent.

"Hey, now, don't look at me like that! It's not my fault 'ol Cotton left his lil' pet here last night! Don't know how he's been getting along without him, the blessed mute that he is..." Jack trailed off, muttering to himself and taking swigs from yet another bottle of rum. Liz and Will took the fact that he didn't slam the door in their faces or shoot them with his hanging pistol as a sign that they were allowed to come in.

"Jack, I need to talk with you. In private," he said, with a look shot toward Liz on the last statement.

"Hmm...maybe he got another parrot. Or, sign language, perhaps?" Jack rambled on to himself as he went up the stairs.

"I'll be back," he told Elizabeth as he followed Jack.

"I want to come to! I didn't come out here for you to be the only one to get answers!" she whined, her bottom lip sticking out slightly. She's even kinda cute when she's being really, really, annoying...he thought as he dismissed her request.

"No. Stay here, or at least, don't follow me," he said and took the steps two at a time to catch up with the captain.

When he entered the room, Jack was already laying comfortably on his bed, shoes and all.

"Welp, I've been expecting ya, lad. Take a seat," he said. Will sat on the red lounge.

"I s'pose ya have questions, but before I answer them, I need to know...do you plan on joining me crew??"

"Well, I don't know yet...would I miss any work?" Will asked, the thought just now running through his mind.

"Ah, bloomin' Santa Maria, lad! Yeh can't be worryin' about those things!"

"Why not?"

"Because! They're not important! Now, listen closely. You're either a Pirate, or yer not. Plain and simple."

"Fine, fine, whatever, I'll join your crew. But first..."

"There's always a but first with people these days. Can't they just trust a man?" He took another swig of rum.

"But first," Will continued, "I want to know why you want me in your gang."

"Crew."

"Ok, crew. Why me? Elizabeth was there and you didn't ask her."

"Don't need another woman. They're bad luck."

"Fine. But why me?"

Because ye found me treasure and I need to keep an eye on ya. "Because, Turner, you're a good swimmer. And you've got guts. A captain like me needs more crew members like you," he said. "So are ya with me, or are ya with me?"

"Alright. I'm with you. What do I have to do?"

"Ah, we'll worry about that later," he answered with a wave of his hand. "Right now I think we should go check on the bonnie lass before she finds somethin' that I'd rather her not be findin'," he said and Will followed him out of the room.

When the pair returned downstairs, Elizabeth was gone.

"Here, let me check outside. I know that she has things she wants to ask you, too," Will suggested. Jack stayed in the house, and Will immediately ran over to the bush to check for her bike. It was gone, but there were tracks in the dirt. Tracks that led off of the property. And she made such a big fuss...He shrugged his shoulders and went to give the captain a farewell.

"I'll call ya when yer needed, lad. Till then, sayonara," he said, and as he closed the door, Will could hear a rough echo of "sayonara! wrrraaak!". Will then turned around, got into his car and headed back into the city.

Meanwhile, Liz was about to get some answers "in private", too. In private. In private! Who does he think he is? Two can play this game! she fumed inside as she stomped out of her hiding place and began to climb the ivy growing around Jack's window. Not only was she angry, but she was also soaking wet. She had made tracks with her motorcycle leading off of the property, but then had half carried, half dragged it through the grass to lean it up against the back of the house. Suddenly, Will had come running across the front yard as she was about to hide in some of the overgrowth near the front steps. In a haste, she darted around his car and slipped into the lagoon as quickly and quietly as she could.

Now her hands were cut and sore from climbing, but she didn't care. She was sick of guys always getting what they wanted while the girl had to just accept things the way they were. At least, that's how it was in her family with her and her brothers. Being the youngest and the only girl, she had it rough. At first, she loved being the baby because she would always be taken care of and be able to sway her parents' decisions. But as she got older, she realized the not-so-good consequences of her situation. She could never be seen with a guy without her brothers interrogating/threatening him to death, everyone was way to overprotective of her because of her age, and she never seemed to be heard, let alone taken seriously.

Finally reaching the open window, she slipped inside of the dark room. She had never been in Jack's room but she instantly sensed that it was different from the rest of the house. It has an aura of...mystery. And honor. Suffering...and adventure...She thought of all of the adjectives she could as she tiptoed around the room, running her fingers over all of the gold and listening to Jack's snoring. I'm surprised that he's asleep, it's only midnight. Shouldn't he be robbing someone?? Liz was smirking to herself when she noticed that the snoring had stopped. She froze in an attempt to prick her ears up, but it was too late even for that. She was grabbed from behind and put into a headlock.

"I know the smell of my lagoon, even during sleep, bonnie," Jack said and he laughed as he released her to light a candle.

"Really, Jack," she gasped, rubbing her neck, "why don't you just turn on the light? We're not in the olden ages!"

"Captain. It's Captain Jack, luv," he corrected her with a sigh and a sway of his body as she flicked on the light switch. "Now, would ya like to tell me what you're doin' here so late at night? In my bedroom? Soaked through to the bone in my lagoon water?"

"Sure I would. I'd love to tell you. After you answer a few questions of my own," she said, and to prove that she wasn't leaving until she got answers, she plopped down on his bed and crossed her arms over her chest with a look of defiance.

"Alright, luv. What do you want to know?" He sat beside her.

"I want to know why you live all the way out here by yourself in this fright of a house that you call home." Jack's face went blank as if he didn't understand her English anymore.

"Well...because I like it?"

"Fine. But why do you go around robbing people. Killing people. Participating, no, leading this—this gang! Those poor men probably will never know a better life because of you, Jack!"

"First of all, dearie- "

"It's Ms. Swann."

"Hey now, if you'll remember to call me Captain Sparrow, then I'll remember to call you Ms. Swann."

"Well, you're not my captain, because if I remember correctly 'you don't need another woman, they're bad luck'." With this, Jack's eyes widened and then became squinted in thought as he rubbed his goatee. "Yes, I know that you said that, Jack, because you are not quiet and I am not deaf."

"Ah, yes, now I remember saying that. Anyway, my crew is very loyal to me, ya don't know what we've been through together, lass," he said.

"Ok, well what's with that lagoon that your dog of a nose can smell so well?"

"Ah, I think I'm gonna need a bit o' rum for this." Jack lifted one of his pillows to bring out a bottle, pop it open, and swallow half of it down.

"Well? What's with the lagoon?"

"I like to swim. Now, I'd like ye to get off of me bed before you completely soak it up," he said and she hopped up, mortified at the telltale wet spot in the shape of her butt. "Heh heh. That is rather pretty. A pretty wet spot for a pretty bottom, eh?" Jack said with a rummed up grin that was, suprising to Elizabeth, very sexy. He walked over to a chest and pulled out a rich, expensive looking gown that was, unsurpingly, blood red to match his room. "Yes, I think this will fit you," he said to himself and then brought it over to Liz.

"Oh, no. There is no way I'm about to wear anything of yours! You probably raped a woman and then stole the dress right off of her, for all I know." This got him angry.

"It's time I had this word with ye, for that mouth of yers is a bit too spirited for my taste," Jack growled as he backed her up against the wall. "Now, I know ya don't know me that well, luv, but I'll let ya know this right now. The only thing the lasses fear of me is the day that I might settle down with my one-and-only bonnie lass." The entire time that he spoke, he pushed Liz farther and farther into the corner until she was forced to either be still or be stabbed by his sword. To emphasize his point, he was taking his hands and rubbing them gently over her breasts, her waist, and her thighs while pressing up against her. She was in awe, and heating rapidly. Oh, wow. I think I might be seduced by a pirate tonight...Suddenly, he pulled away. Leaving her practically panting, he smirked.

"Savvy?" he said and tossed the dress at her, knowing he had won. That little...she thought, but began to undress anyway. She didn't want to catch a pneumonia.

Undoing her jacket and pulling her sweater over her head, she didn't notice that Jack was contentedly watching her while drinking his rum. Hmm...that's nice right there. Ah, yes, and those there, too. Hmm...he thought and leaned back to better enjoy the show.

"Jackie? What's going on?" He jumped up, startled at the smooth voice that he knew so well and almost dropped his bottle. Almost. Elizabeth looked up as she was pulling the dress up over her legs.

There stood Anamaria in a silky red robe that had slipped open to reveal some...revealing lingerie. He cleared his throat.

"Now, Anamaria," he began and she stood up straighter, glaring at him with her dark brown eyes, hands on her shapely hips, waiting for his explanation. "Ana, baby. Mia darling," he said softly as he walked slowly, cautiously toward her. She began to stride towards him at full speed. Oh, dear...

A/N: Another chapter for your thoughts? I would give you a penny, but I think Jackie stole it.