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. This is an amateur writing effort meant for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Scourge of the Caribbean

"We really should be heading back," Will said, visibly shaken by the town. They had just passed a third whorehouse with equally as many sexual propositions as the last. Jack's face was mottled with red welts in the shape of handprints where women had scolded him for flirting out of place. For all intents and purposes, he was just competition, another flip-tail on the lookout for a customer, say for his obvious interest in those of the same supposed gender.

"If Jack takes one more hit to the head he might lose whatever sanity he has left," he thought to himself, keeping a watchful eye on the advancing women. Missing teeth and naked breasts were in abundance here, and William was wary to keep his head bent low. He hadn't even been married yet, and he was waltzing around one of the most heinous ports in Tortuga. If the Governor could see me now, he thought with a laugh. Yes, if the Governor could see him now, traveling in the company of pirates would be the least of his worries.

"That's where we're headed," Jack said, pointing a shaking finger in the direction of a ramshackle pub by the name of The Beheaded James, most likely a reference to the King himself. Will's eyes widened at the blatant inference to regicide and his heart skipped a beat. As a former Londoner, such a statement was taken a bit personally, despite his broken connections to his homeland.

They made their way across the cobblestone street, pausing every now and then as another drunken buccaneer wandered his way towards the houses of ill repute. Will averted his gaze as every manner of gentleman was immediately accepted, for a price of course. Coins clanked against the pavement and women screeched with laughter. Will just wanted to go back to the ship.

Turning his sights on the tavern, he thought he caught sight of Morgan heading inside. He blinked and shook his head. No, Morgan wouldn't have taken a detour to a tavern…would she? She didn't seem the type, whether as a man or not. The 'Sir Andrew' part of her was too classy for such a place.

"Ah…finally," Jack said, catching the familiar scent of rum.

"Jack, I really think we should…" Will began, but alas, no dice. The pirate captain was already wandering inside, drawn by the sight of wooden mugs containing his drink of choice.

"Look around first…" he trailed off, and simply followed Ana Maria inside. Talking would do him very little good at this point. He decided it was better to just accept it. This was Captain Jack Sparrow after all.

"Barkey, RUM!" Jack demanded, only to receive a very offended look from the man behind the counter.

"Bugger off you bloody wench. I don't serve flip-tails," the bartender started to walk away, but Jack was not about to ignored, not with rum on the line. Jack grabbed the bartender by the sleeve and yanked him back in front of him.

Will winced, fairly certain the captain would be slapped again.

"On any other occasion I'd agree with you. But…" Jack yanked one of the hairpins from his hair and slammed it down on the counter. The bartender's eyes widened at the jewel. Knowing Morgan, it was probably worth more than his tavern saw in a year. "I do believe that this is a fair price for an unlimited supply of rum," Jack finished his statement.

The bartender licked his lips and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He snatched up the hair pin before Jack could change his mind, and, clutching the jewel as if it were a lifeline, he emerged with several bottles of rum from his supply under the bar.

Jack could barely contain his excitement. He ripped out the cork of the bottle so fast his hand movements were a blur. He emptied the first bottle quickly and had pounced on a second before Ana Maria could help herself. She shot him a dirty look, shifting her harrowing gaze to the bartender.

The colour drained from his pudgy face and he appeared to be caught in the middle of a panic attack, induced more than likely from Ana's stare. She had the ability to bring a grown man to his knees with her 'look'. Gibbs lived under the permanent belief that Ana's 'look' caused weak men's hearts to stop instantaneously. He'd never look her in the eyes for fear that he'd be next.

Another bottle of rum produced itself from under the bar within seconds, and this time, not even Jack was quick enough to snag it away from her.

William, who had never been fond of drinking and more than likely never would be again, especially after feeling the cruel effects of a hangover just hours before, took up his usual post as lookout. He scanned the crowds, attempting to discern friend from foe. However, in such a broken neighbourhood, he doubted if such labels could actually exist. The entire room was a threat really, and each individual was just a varying level of danger. Some of the more drunken ones were arm wrestling in the back, shouting in guttural Irish. Boisterous conversation rang out from his right, where several shipmates toasted to old tales from the high seas. Will sighed deeply, trying to calm his nerves. They would stay five minutes, long enough for Jack to satisfy himself, and then they would head back. Morgan wouldn't even notice they were gone.

Speaking of Morgan…Will thought to himself, looking off into the dimly lit corner of the tavern. One of the gentlemen had glanced casually over his shoulder, and in a split second, William thought he saw her again. His eyes narrowed. He had already thought he spotted her once before. Twice in a row meant that he was either looking straight at her or he was obsessed. Seeing as how the latter of the two was unlikely, he considered that the first was true, and took shifted around to get a better look.

Again, the man looked over his shoulder, and William nodded to himself in confirmation. It was Morgan. But who on earth was she talking to?

In the shadows, it was difficult to make out whose company she was actually in. He could see at least three faces, none of which he recognized. That and the rigid composure Morgan was maintaining told him that she didn't recognize them either.

He couldn't read lips. The lone lamp on their table didn't provide nearly enough light for that. But something about the silhouettes sent shivers down his spine, aside from their obvious enigmatic air. He had suffered the same attack earlier, upon hearing the name 'Scarlet Nightmare', only this time his hand was reaching instinctively towards his pistol.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," he said to Ana, keeping his voice low.

"Aye, and me as well," she said, taking another swig of rum. She elbowed the captain, nearly causing him to spill his rum. "Time to go," she snapped.

Jack shook his head, still drinking.

"This isn't the time, Jack," Will warned. "We've got to leave. Now."

"Would you relax, whelp?" the captain said with a roll of his eyes.

"Ana…" he was getting desperate. He didn't like this at all.

She looked over her shoulder in the direction he was staring.

The colour drained from her features.

"He's right Jack, it's time to go."

"Oh, not you too."

"I mean it, Jack. Back to the ship."

She rose from her barstool, just as a burly gentleman advanced upon them from the crowd. He loomed several inches over Will with short, dirty blonde hair and eyes the colour of smoke. His pale skin was stretched tightly over thick muscles and the more he stared at Ana, the more he seemed to swell. He stretched his back, towering another inch or two before grinning toothily and laughing in a low rumble.

"Ana Maria," he said.

Jack went rigid. He glanced over his shoulder at the man then back to his rum, eyes wide with sudden fear.

"This certainly is the captain's lucky day isn't it? First his prodigal son returns, and then his wayward courtesan," he eyed her hungrily. "Miss your dear friend, Damian, then did you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she spat. "I was just leaving."

"I don't think so," he said, grabbing her by the wrists and forcing her back against the bar.

"HEY!" William said, a bit too loudly. He'd caught the attention of several tavern patrons with his outburst, even more so when he tightened his grip on the pistol at his waist. "We were just about to leave."

The man smiled even wider. "My God," he said. "You're Bootstrap's whelp then, ain't you?" he laughed. It was a statement, not a question – as usual. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree either. Noble protector of whores, just like his daddy was."

Ana threw him off of her with a grunt, but he pounced down upon her again, only to have Will's pistol pointed squarely in his face. Behind him, Jack had readied himself to join the fight, but Will discretely shook his head. There was no point in this getting anymore out of hand than it already was. Also, his instincts flared at the thought of Jack being de-masked this late into their game. Their only hope for escape was for Jack to remain under the guise of a woman.

Damian chuckled. "Fierce too. By the powers, it's like Bootstrap back from the dead. Gonna sleep with her too then, whelp? Give birth to a bastard just like you?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he shouted, cocking the pistol.

"Not quite yet it isn't. But it soon will be…for you."

Damian released his hold on Ana and leapt for Will's pistol. He grabbed William's wrist and twisted the weapon loose, only to have the blacksmith punch him square in the face, issuing forth an agonizing crack that resounded through the room.

William winced and groaned painfully. The tendons in his hand were on fire, trembling from their injury. Damian appeared to have gone unscathed, despite the amount of force William had applied to his punch. Smiling just as madly as before, he grabbed Will by the neck and lifted him into the air.

Jack was on his feet, but he never got the chance to interfere. A second later, a man's voice filled the silence of the pub.

"Damian Riggs."

Damian was visibly shaken. His grip on Will wavered, then tightened further still, causing the blacksmith to turn vaguely blue.

From the dark corners of the tavern emerged a man dressed fully in black. His coat was patched and stitched in many places, as were the clothes underneath, but his presence demanded the utmost respect, seeing as how the entire world had stopped spinning when he moved.

His jet black hair glimmered in the gold lamplight, pulling back in a loose ponytail. From beneath a distinctly Irish brow gleamed two eyes, pale silver in colour, ones that sent shivers throughout Damian's entire body. He bore chiseled features – high cheekbones, strong chin – causing him to resemble a serpent more than a human being.

Thin lips curved into a cold smile. "Drop him."

Damian glared at Will, but did as he was told. He released his grip, sending Will crashing to the ground with a dull thud. He coughed and spluttered, gasping for breath, already feeling the flesh on his throat start to swell.

The serpent man sneered. "Mr. McCreedy, take Mr. Riggs back to the ship for forty lashes for causing a scene."

His icy eyes turned on Ana, who was gripping Jack's wrist tightly.

One of the other gentlemen rose from the back table and strode forward with much the same arrogance as the man in black. He smiled coldly at Will and ushered Damian out into the street with backhanded compliments.

Serpent-man offered Will a hand. The blacksmith took it and was immediately lifted to his feet. Only then did business in the pub continue as usual.

"I must apologize for the behaviour of my crewman," he said, but the sound of his voice told Will that he didn't mean a word of it. "Damian Riggs has a weakness for beautiful women, though I thought him man enough to seek out the uninvolved ones. Turning his sights on one who already belonged to someone is frowned upon on board my ship."

"She's not mine," Will corrected him.

Serpent-man cocked a brow, and cast a glance towards Ana again. The way she was clutching Jack made her look like a lesbian. He turned away.

"Ah, I see," he said with a sigh. "How unfortunate for you."

Ana opened her mouth to protest angrily, but could not get a word in. Jack had already grabbed her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Perhaps then, you will leave your lady friend to hers and join myself and the remainder of my crew for a drink," he said.

"I really should be getting back," Will said, taking a step back towards the door.

"Nonsense," the man said, "I insist."

Will felt the walls closing in on him. Serpent-man was not requesting, he was demanding, and something told William to obey. The man's hand was resting dangerously close to his own pistol, after all.

"Very well," Will replied with a slight nod. Serpent-man grinned sadistically.

"Then allow me to introduce myself, seeing as how I already know your name. I am Robert Bateman, Captain of the Scarlet Nightmare, and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Author's Notes

Well, I'm happy to say that I made it through all four of my wretched exams with my head still planted firmly on my shoulders and not a drop of blood spilled! On the one hand, I am most definitely behind a credit - Calculus was horrible, even with a cheat sheet - but on the other I have changed my major to English which means no more Chemistry or Calculus. It also means no more Bio, but my mother's got quite collection on anatomical charts, so I will not remain completely ignorant.

This chapter's pretty self-explanatory.

Reviews

Ellise: I'm very happy to read that you've enjoyed the story so much. I can empathize as well. There's not a lot of fanfiction that can hold my attention these days, and while I feel bad admitting it, it's the truth. So I'm flattered that you would consider mine so addictive. THANKS!

Alexwacrap: Intro Calculus sucks! Hell, Calculus sucks period. And it sucks even more when you think of how you're never going to use it after High School (or University, if you take it there). Kudos for taking art though. You seem to have a very eclectic mix of classes. What is it you want to go into after you graduate? Nice mantra too. I know a couple of people who follow it. This is definitely going to be a bit of a set-back in Jack's plan, but don't worry, the captain's got a plan up his sleeve. Not saying it's a good one, but that's Jack for you.

Good luck in all your classes!

Lyn: I had no idea they weren't called rifles! Not that I thought they transcended time, but I kind of figured the musket was a completely different breed. I haven't had time to read up on anything yet, but I most definitely will. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

I completely forgot to give Will his sword! I'll fix that as well. Did you know that the scriptwriters said that Will is the best swordsman in the movie, followed closely by Norrington and Barbossa? Funny thing is that they actually said Jack Sparrow was supposed to be the worst.

Captain Annie Finn: That's a relief. I was worried because a few others had left reviews asking if the story extended beyond the first chapter. I'm very pleased to read that the rest of it was accessible. The first chapter doesn't contain a lot of plot!

OolongFinale: Like the pistols it was just a mistake in wording.So sorry to have confused you! I will keep that in mind and go back and edit it!

Sands-Agent: Love you name by the way! Sands was one of my favourite Johnny Depp characters. I'm very happy to read that you're enjoying this. Good luck on your exams though! They are quite frankly the least fun thing about school.

Jack in a dress is not something that leaves your mind easily...especially when you listen to Aerosmith's, 'Dude Looks like a Lady'. I think I may have doodled him on my Chemistry exam as one of the answers when I couldn't remember a certain formula. As for Jack being exceptionally smart, yes, I like that element to him as well. He's quick thinking and witty, but that doesn't make him the absolute brightest crayon in the box. Alas, that is what I think people love most about him.

Sorry about the wait! Summer holidays has just started so, aside from work and social outings, this is one of my main focuses. Hope everyone is enjoying it and I'll be sure to update soon! Thanks so much for all the reviews!