Disclaimer: I do not own POTC. Unfortunately.

Robin Sparrow: Thank you so much for your kind words, this is my first bash at a FanFic so its nice to get some encouragement….. constructive criticism very welcome also.

Chapter 2 – Reservations

Today William Turner was a nervous man. He paced the floor, showing none of his usual calm and poise, instead he felt uneasy and restless. He had a bad feeling about this Barbossa fellow and Jack wasn't listening to him. A journey to the infamous Isla de Muerta to seek out the treasure of Cortes himself – 882 identical gold pieces locked away in a stone chest, hidden on an island that could not be found, except by those who already knew where it was. The temptation to go was overwhelming although there were stories galore about that treasure, stories of a terrible curse placed upon the gold by the Aztec Gods. This alone made William a worried man, even though he was as eager as Jack was to see if the legend was true. He had readily agreed with the Captain's reasoning that they needed more men for this voyage which was after all, no ordinary journey. Battling the angry seas and trying to find an island that could not be found anyway, well, they needed all the crazy sailors they could find, true enough. And they would have their rewards when the treasure was found of course. Every man an equal share, Jack had always been very clear on this point. God knows they would deserve it for their troubles. But to take on a man like this, a man who had known of Jack's intentions, a man who was obviously trouble – it made no sense. No sense at all.

But then Jack didn't make sense at the best of times, William knew that. This was what made him so very good at what he did. He took chances, he did the wrong thing constantly and he always, always remained unpredictable. Jack Sparrow had never given William any reason not to trust his judgement, although it did seem a little skewed at times. As William paced, Jack sat back with his feet propped up on the table, leaning back in his chair, his hat slightly wonky and his grin more so. His concern appeared non existent. As William glanced at him every now and again, pausing for breath in the process, he could not be certain that his friend had not fallen asleep.

But Jack was listening to William's concerns and to be fair to the man, shared a few of them himself. This Barbossa fellow was a mighty strange one, that was a fact. He would appear to have known that Jack was planning a visit to Tortuga for the last three nights if what William had said was true, when in fact The Black Pearl had docked only the day before – not only that, he had also known about Jack being in possession of the bearings to the island. A fact Jack was quite sure he had told no one, and certainly there was no way of the man knowing before Jack had arrived. No, there was something very suspicious afoot indeed. Only William had known about the bearings for sure, and even then exactly how Jack had come by them was known only to himself.

And this Barbossa was surely an educated man of sorts, the way he spoke and the way he held himself was in complete contrast to the way that he looked. This could be an intentional thing on his part of course, an attempt to blend in with the locals so to speak, or to hide from something or someone. He was certainly stronger and more agile than his appearance gave him credit for. Sharp too.

Everyone knew of the tales of Isla de Muerta and its priceless treasure – but most folk spoke of it in terms of its legend only and few seemed to want to actually try and find it nowadays. The voyage was too difficult and the price too high – if the rumours of the curse were to be believed. This had always made it all the more attractive to Jack Sparrow however. There was no sense in chasing something that was easy to find. And once had a mind to go after the treasure, he had never had a problem selling the idea to his friend and trusted companion. William Turner was as keen to find this island as Jack was – his intentions were slightly different in that he wanted the riches to give his family a better life back in England. Cursed treasure or not, it would surely bring the same comforts. William knew that many a good man had lost his life on the very voyage they were looking to embark upon. But he also knew that Jack would not have wasted so much time and energy on this venture if it was hardly worth it. To William, that treasure was a key - a way to make his wife and son proud of him. Rather than bringing nothing more than stories of plunder, battles anddanger. What a disappointment that would be.

Jack was a young, cocky Captain with his own ship and he knew he was good at what he did. Better than a lot of pirate captains who were older and had more experience. He had a good eye for what was going on around him and thinking on his feet, even when he was drunk, or appearing to be in order to gain the upper hand when people mistook him for some silly fool who was not quite the full shilling. He was lucky to have had a few good teachers along the way and he learned fast. Apart from his rather unfortunate brush with the East India company he thought himself pretty much uncatchable. What let him down, and it was probably the only thing, was that he did tend to be more open with his men that was wise. He would share information too easily and he trusted people quicker than he probably should have. And Jack knew this too but he thought that mostly, he was a good judge of character and his men would come through for him. Pirates were good men, save for the few who really weren't. And they would have been bad people in whatever profession they had chosen. So he figured it was all relative really.

But Jack was battling slightly with this Barbossa fellow. To take him on the voyage was one thing that needed to be considered, and he would be subject to the same scrutiny that anyone would. It went without saying. But to take him on as first mate, ah well that was slightly different. That role was special, usually trusted to those that – well – could be trusted. The fact that the man was willing to bring along two of his own men, well that was no bad thing surely? Possibly. William claimed otherwise. But if Barbossa was as experienced as he had said he was, he would certainly have his uses on this voyage, there was no use arguing with that logic. And who was Jack to question a man down on his luck? Hadn't he himself been down on his luck once or twice, and where would he be now if it hadn't been for someone with the upper hand taking a chance on him? And if William hadn't agreed to take a chance on him too, he would have been less one good friend today. So there was a lesson, he thought to himself.

Jack's attention shifted back to his friend who had stopped pacing and was now standing in front of his captain, awaiting some kind of response from him. Jack raised his hat slightly.

"What's that you say William?"

This was the problem with Jack. Always in the room, but never quite in the same place. William sighed, "Mother's love man, do you never listen? I was sayin' that I didn't think it wise to take on this gent without knowin' more about him." He shook his head and looked at Jack hopefully, "I daresay this is what you were thinkin' anyway?" Please, William thought, let this be what he was thinkin'………

Jack's eyes widened in mock innocence, "Course I was. You forget one very important thing mate…….."

"Your Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes it's a fact I'm made aware of most days Jack, thanks to yeh remindin' me. Are yeh ready to go?"

Jack grinned, straightened his hat a little and suddenly sprung up. "Thought you'd never ask William." He raised both his hands and waved dramatically at his friend. "To the tavern!"

TBC