1AN—In response to some comments, Elizabeth, Will and Patricia know that Jack was mutinied against on the Black Pearl but don't know about the medallions and the curse. If you remember, Jack was already legendary and Elizabeth knew of him before the movie even began and were even mentioned in the previous story, Things Change.

AND, Ile de La Tortue and Tortue Island is the proper name of Tortuga. And Ile de Muerta, I'm not so sure about. I just used 'Ile' to be consistent with the names of the islands.

Chapter 09:

It seemed like all the pirates in the world were enjoying a night out on the town in Tortuga. There was so much rum being poured in every tavern that one wondered how many fields of sugar canes it must have taken to produce enough of the sweet alcohol for just one night on this decadent island. Not to mention, though Tortuga was the most well known, pirates were drinking their fill on the nearby Margarita and Isla Blanquilla. Innumerable quantities of sugar canes, indeed.

Women in their dirty skirts and rouged lips were looking for some money. One in particular saw a rather dashing pirate sitting at the corner of the Watch, his legs propped high on the table. The girl spied the dreaded black hair and the black boots that dripped mud on the table. His beard was wiry and was slightly organized into two little braids. Under that beard and those kohl-lined eyes was a crease of hidden anger and the whore thought that this one might want to forget his troubles for a few schillings. She sashayed over and dragged her hands down his chest, playing with his open tunic and the brown leather jacket and vest.

"You look a bit glum here, sir," she purred nuzzling her lips against his neck. "How about a little—"

"Not tonight, strumpet," the pirate sulked. He took her arms off him and most unceremoniously pushed her away to the next table of pirates. She fell into two men who drunkenly shrugged her off as well. Feeling the obvious rejection, she walked away in a huff.

"Why, Jack Sparrow," Gibbs said in disbelief seeing the woman leave just as he arrived with a bottle of rum and two empty mugs. He sat down across Jack and popped the bottle open. "That was the first time, I believe, I've ever seen you reject a lay."

"Fifteen years, Gibbs," Jack muttered, ignoring the obvious teasing. "This damn compass is fucking worthless!" He slammed a compass down onto the table with one hand angrily. With the other, he swiped the bottle that Gibbs was about to pour and took a long swig, leaving Gibbs with nothing but two empty mugs.

"It's paining me heart to see ye like this, Jack. Wasting away and drinking my half of the rum, I could almost pity you," Gibbs grumbled. "And it's bad luck to be talking like that about magical objects. Maybe you shoulda taken that whore up on her offer."

"Ahhh… what's the use?" Jack groaned. "After fifteen years, I'm nowhere near as to getting my revenge on that traitorous son of a bitch as I was when he left me for dead on that godforsaken spit of land."

Gibbs picked the compass up and suggested, "Maybe its magic has gone." However, even as he said this the needle began to spin and then halted, pointing south towards the mainland of Haiti.

"Still wanting that slave girl, I see," Jack mused when he saw the needle's direction.

"Folayemi… She was a good one, she was." Silence overtook them.

AnaMaria saw the two pirates from the door and joined them at the table. When neither of them greeted her she frowned.

"Who or what died, ye silly creatures? You look like your mothers have just died."

"More like our hope that we'll ever get what we want," Gibbs muttered.

"You two obviously haven't had much to drink yet," AnaMaria observed taking Jack's bottle and taking a few gulps of her own. "For chrissake, you're pirates, not poets. What the hell are you two going on about?"

"You obviously already have everything you want," Gibbs fought back. He nudged the compass at her direction and AnaMaria immediately realized what this was about.

"Oh…" AnaMaria picked up the compass and held it so that only she could see where the needle pointed. She followed the slow spin of the needle and then watched it stop, pointing at exactly who she thought it would point to. "I wouldn't say that exactly."

"What does it point to?" Jack asked peering over her hand without moving anything but his eyes.

"None of your damn business," Anamaria snapped. Her hand closed the compass and slid it back across the table. "We need to get back on the sea. You two are going crazy here on land."

"And go where exactly, my lovely Ana?" Jack replied leaning over the table. "My compass doesn't work so we have no direction. Without direction, we have no goal and even as pirates, love, we need to want to get somewhere."

"Maybe there's a reason why it won't point?" Anamaria suggested, resorting to humoring the ill-tempered pirate. "Maybe it's not possible to have your revenge on Barbossa yet."

"Well, then this thing is bloody useless." Jack took the compass and checked it one last time. The needle was spinning again and refused to stop. Gibbs and Anamaria watched the needle as well as Jack took his arm and pulled it back to toss the item out of the frosted glass window. They gasped at exactly the same time when they saw the needle halt.

"STOP!" Anamaria and Gibbs yelled out simultaneously. Jack froze midthrow but still held the compass in his hand.

Anamaria simply smiled and pointed at the compass. Jack took a glance and grinned when he saw the needle being cooperative for once.

"I think this calls for a toast," Anamaria grinned pouring each one of them a pint of the rum. "To finally getting out of this shithole."

"To the sea that we'll finally sail now that Jack's out of his shithole," Gibbs laughed.

"To finally getting back my Pearl," Jack grinned taking a swig of rum and staring at the needle that pointed southwest; the direction of Port Royal to be exact.

"Where is it headed?" AnaMaria asked from her post at the wheel. Jack, who sat beside her, his legs propped on the railings, had gathered up his crew onto the Tempest so quickly that there was little time for a chat. All he had said was that treasure was involved and all who heard, heeded.

"I'm thinking London actually, which would be convenient, eh? Pay a little visit to Bootstrap and Phil's kids and see if they got some wee ones o' their own?" Jack grinned. He was in a happier mood than he'd ever been in the last ten years or so. The L'Mer Rouge that Will, Elizabeth, Patricia and Jack st—cough—commandered (Nautical term.) returned to the possession of its proper owner: Toulouse, in France. Its temporary crew had then bought the Tempest in replacement with the loot they had taken on at Malagua. It was a good ship, the Tempest: sturdy, spacey and speedy. However, it was just not the Black Pearl. That was their reason that they were now on this trip, or at least, that was Jack's agenda. He thought that it was high time that he got back what was rightly his.

"Have you got a plan, by any chance, Sparrow?" AnaMaria asked though she very much knew the answer she was going to be given.

"All in due time, I think, my love," Jack grinned. The female rolled her eyes but kept her senses aware; her eyes searched for clouds and other ships as well as the drift of the sea, her nose sniffed for a possible storm, her skin felt for gustier winds and she listened to waves that crashed too hard to be safe.

"All right, so you have a plan. Now let's hear it," AnaMaria replied, knowing how to translate the pirate's vague words. "I'm not going after Barbossa and his crew of miscreants without even knowing if I'm going to be the sacrificial lamb to the enemy. Now confess yourself."

"Actually, I really don't love. I'm taking this as it comes, and those who do that are usually the ones to survive." Jack took out his compass and stared at the beautiful way it directed to his beloved 'mistress'. "Plans are for sissies girls… like Will!"

"You do love to insult William, dontcha?" AnaMaria said. "I guess you are a bit afraid of the competition when it comes to women. You always were the insecure one… Cap'n."

"Insecure!" Jack gasped, feinting insult. "You would be swabbing the decks with the rest of the men if you were any one but yourself for such undermining, Ana." He stood up and with a bit of fire in his eyes, pressed himself against AnaMaria. "Of course, there are other punishments."

AnaMaria looked up at Jack and thought for a moment about the needle's direction when the compass was under her hold. She smiled and then shook her head.

"It's all right, Jack. You don't have to pretend that you have balls when you're with me." She delivered the line perfectly without the smallest hint of jest in her eyes or voice. She pushed him away and laughed. "Just say where to lead the Tempest, Captain." AnaMaria thought she heard a low grown come from Jack but she ignored it. "Well?"

"To Port Royal," Jack muttered, slipping his compass safely into his pocket. "Let's drop our old friend the commodore a visit, shall we?"