Disclaimer: The characters and concepts in this story pertaining to The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl are the property of the Walt Disney Corporation, and as much as I do enjoy borrowing them for fanfiction, they are not mine. This is an amateur writing effort meant for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Fifteen: An Accord

Jack held his hands up in the air, map piece still clenched inside his fist. He beamed at Morgan, and then made a grab for it.

Snapping the case shut, she shoved it back inside her bodice and closed her jacket.

"You really think that location has stopped me before?" he said sassily.

"It was never incest before."

"And what in God's name does incest mean?" he snarled.

She didn't really feel like giving him a lesson in vocabulary and loathed the idea of repeating what she had just said in more primitive words, so she changed the subject. "Before I shake on something, I want to know exactly how much you owe Bateman. And don't you dare say, 'Not much,' because no one, especially not the most feared pirate in the Caribbean sends every bounty hunter after one weasly captain for a small debt."

Jack considered the figures. He had borrowed the money from Bateman just after the Pearl had been stolen, an attempt to buy his own boat. So that was what? 400 shillings? 500 shillings? He figured it was safe to safe to say that Bateman had given him an incredible amount of money, much more than was needed to procure a tiny vessel. Jack distinctly remembered stating that rum was also a necessity for an ocean voyage, a statement Bateman had laughed at whole-heartedly. On top of that there was the growing amount of interest, almost eleven year's worth, that Bateman would more than likely demand.

He did the math twice, just to be certain, although he knew his calculations were flawed. And then he finally said, "5000 shillings…and that's with interest."

Morgan stared at him suspiciously. "Are you quite sure?"

"Yes," Jack said, and then changed his mind. "No…yes? Maybe. No."

She rolled her eyes. "How much did you originally borrow from Bateman?"

"400 hundred…no! 550! Exactly!"

"Are you positive?"

"Only fools are positive, love. I'm fairly certain my original debt was only for 550 shillings."

"And how many years ago was that?"

"Almost 11."

"And how is the interest compounded: monthly, quarterly, or yearly?"

Jack cocked a brow. "In English?"

Another roll of the eyes. Morgan kept forgetting she wasn't in London anymore.

"How much interest does Bateman get every year?"

"I have no idea," Jack said. "It's safe to say the amount doubles every year I don't pay."

Her eyes widened. "Every year?"

"Roughly."

She performed the figures in her head, with uncertainty, knowing that Jack was definitely miscalculating. Still, she had only his word, and as worthless as it sometimes was, she had to assume it was correct.

The amount was astronomical in pirate terms: over 6000 shillings, and that was with a propagation of error.

"That's ridiculous," she replied. "Do you even have an idea of how much you owe him?"

"None whatsoever," Jack answered candidly. She sighed deeply. "But father's treasure has over thirty years of plundering, so it's safe to say I can repay my debt and have plenty of treasure for rum and women afterwards."

"And what of my share?" she asked.

He obviously had thought of that. His smile faded and he shifted his eyes about confusedly. "Your share?" She wasn't entitled to one, was she?

"There are two map pieces and two captains. The treasure should be split 50/50."

Jack's life returned to him, and he nodded, grinning madly. "Of course! You're share! How on earth could I have forgotten?" the smile faded. "80/20."

"What on earth are you going to do with 80 of a thirty year old treasure?"

"Obviously a lot more than someone only getting 20."

"There is no way I'm risking life and limb and only getting 20. The price Bateman put on your head is probably more than 20 of that treasure! I'm better off just killing you."

"70/30," he said. Seemed like a fair enough deal to him.

"50/50, Jack," she warned, not enjoying this haggling one bit. "We sail, we split, end of story."

"60/40?" he offered, hoping she would see reason.

She didn't.

"50/50, or I hand your ass over to Bateman."

She'd trumped him with his only weakness at the moment. After making it obvious to him that there was no love lost between the Sparrow siblings at the present time, she had stopped all her lies and just decided to go in for the kill. And Jack knew she wouldn't hesitate to hand him over to Bateman, especially with the other piece of their father's map in her hands.

Against his better judgment, he agreed.

Morgan extended her hand. "50/50 then. We have an accord."

Jack sneered. He observed her hand with about as much zeal as one would a victim of a flesh eating disease, with the same amount of disgust written on his features. Wincing visibly, he reached and gripped her hand in his, shaking it viciously.

She took his abuse in stride, tightening her grip on his hand painfully. They doubted they would ever be able to use their hands again after that.

With one finally exertion of strength, Morgan yanked him towards her and whispered menacingly into his ear.

"I'm not lying this time: you try to screw me over and I'll have you chewing lead."

She released him and whipped around, waltzing back to her cabins. Jack mocked her behind her back in a high pitched voice. She either didn't hear him or ignored him, because the only way she responded was turning and smiling pleasantly.
"Oh, and we take the Wayfarer."

She tossed the comment over her shoulder flippantly.

"Like hell we do!" he said.

"The whole Caribbean's looking for the Black Pearl, whereas the Wayfarer is flying under British sails. We'd stick out like a soar thumb on your ship."

"We sail, we split," he mimicked her. "I want my crew on board."

"Captain," Ridley intervened. "I really must protest…"

Jack shot him a look of pure poison. "Who the hell do you think you are, whelp?"

The look of venom was returned, courtesy of Ridley, and they would have had an all out brawl on their hands had Morgan not intervened.

"Your protest is noted," she replied, then turned her sights back on Jack. "Your request is granted. There's an island several leagues off that completely deserted. Half of my crew and half of yours will remain ashore; the others will come aboard and sail under my command."

"We sail under my command or not at all."

"I didn't realize you were in a position to make decisions?"

Jack grinned sadistically. She was getting catty, impulsive, just the sort of mood he wanted her in. Morgan was more likely to make brash choices when she was frantic to best him.

"They sail under me or I give the order for the Pearl to blast you to Davy Jones'."

Now, he was winning again. Morgan could turn him over to Bateman, it was true, but his ship was finally making its way around the Wayfarer's portside, an advantageous position; one that kept Morgan's pistol at her thigh, anyways.

"Captain…" Ridley tried to intervene again. Morgan held up her hand, irritated with their bickering, especially now that her first mate saw fit to get himself involved. She walked back over to Jack and sighed deeply.

"Very well, under your command. But I'm acting quartermaster."

"Ana Maria's boatswain," he added quickly, trying to cut a deal in a hurry to avoid agreeing with anymore of Morgan's demands.

"The Ridley is as well."

"I've never heard of a ship with two boatswain's before?"

"One for your crew, one for my crew then. Good?"

"Good," Jack shook her hand, less ferociously this time. "We finally have an accord."

Author's Notes:

Short chapter this one, but they'll be getting longer as the hunt starts. At last, they have reached a decision – hasty and fragile as the democracy is, it's the only one they have.

The ranks used to denote Morgan, Ridley, and Ana's positions are all borrowed from Internet research done on pirate ranking. The captain would hold veto power over the ship, while the quartermaster was essentially first mate, one who divvied order out to lower ranked seamen. The boatswain is a lower level than a quartermaster, but is in charge of keeping people in line while they're doing their jobs. They were also in charge of repairs.

I've tried to tie in Jack's debt as best I could with the original storyline.

And William is returning. He's just catching up on some sleep before the storm hits.

Reviews:

Nicole: Morgan's past has not yet been divulged. In later chapters, however, everything becomes a lot clearer.

WhiteRosesforme: Terribly sorry about Jack being serious all the time! I'm trying to work in a little more sarcasm though, now that things have started to look up for him. Your concern is greatly noted, since I really strive to accurately portray the characters. Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I will also try to post chapters more regularly, although cliffhangers are fun. They even make me squirm sometimes.

BlkPearl: Hope this was soon enough for you!

Alexwacrap: I love the enthusiasm from readers! I know for a fact my dad has been to St. Petersburg and Moscow, but I can't clearly recall if he's ever been to Perth or not. Is that where you're originally from?

And if you love snow so much, feel free to take as much as you want from here. I haven't seen the grass since the end of last October!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I cannot even express how amazing it is to know that people are reading and enjoying what I'm posting! You're feedback makes me write that much faster. THANK YOU!