Greetings, faithful readers! Here is the chapter I've been promising you, and I apologize for not getting it posted sooner. I appreciate your patience—getting thoughts from inside my head onto the screen is hard to do sometimes!

To my wonderful reviewers: thank you so much for your words of encouragement—its what keeps me going, and I really appreciate you more than you'll ever know.

As always, I don't own any of the characters from POTC and am not making any profit from this little story o'mine, and I have nothing of value so please don't sue me. The only thing I own are the characters that I make up in my poor widdle brain….oh yeah, and the plot line. And speaking of ownership, I call dibs on Johnny Depp if he ever becomes available……sigh

P.S. if my spelling is bad in this chapter, you can blame it on Captain Morgan……I made my hubby go buy me some spiced rum and pineapple juice, an' it's bloody good stuff I tell ya…hic…(Hey, what can I say…when I research a project, I really research a project!) Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 15: A Case of Mistaken Identity….

Stepping out of the apartment building into the warm Vegas night, Jack was suddenly struck with a wave of homesickness for his beloved Pearl. He missed the quiet sounds of his ship on the open sea and the clear night sky of the Caribbean, and he still wasn't quite used to the hustle and bustle of this big city he found himself in. Part of him felt guilty for leaving Jo alone, but Jack was unnerved by the feelings he had for her, and needed a little space to clear his head. …After all, he thought to himself …a fella's got a right to have himself a gadabout every now and then. With that thought in mind, he headed out on foot towards the glittering lights of the strip.

A short while later he managed to flag down an open cab, and slipping into the back seat, he flashed the driver a grin of thanks. The driver glanced at him with tired eyes, asking him the usual "Where to, mister?" before doing a double take, raising his eyebrows when he recognized his passenger.

"If you could take me to an establishment where a pirate like meself could find himself a bit o'rum and a chance to increase the weight of m'coin purse, I'd be much obliged, mate. And it's Captain Sparrow, if you please."

The cabbie flashed him a grin of his own. "Right, Captain…..y'know, I think I know just the place."

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A short while later, Jack was standing at the edge of the crowd watching a crowd of voluptuous beauties wearing scandalously tight outfits as they ran their long, lacquered nails over a bare-chested pirate "prisoner". The action was taking place on a mock up of a frigate ship in a large pool in front of the large casino, and the people around him seemed to be enjoying this flashy, somewhat erotic show. Jack had to admit that there was a time when he wouldn't have minded being in the prisoner's shoes, in a more private setting of course. At that moment, however, the evening's entertainment, although very entertaining, made him feel like a voyeur. Even as his body subtly responded to the scantily clad dancers, there was only one raven-haired Siren that filled his mind…..

Gritting his teeth as the too-realistic cannons fired again, he turned and headed to the entrance of the casino, not noticing the stunned face of a security agent who spoke rapidly into his cellphone/radio. As Jack stepped through the doors into the air conditioned comfort of the Treasure Island Casino, now called TI, he was hit with another blast of light and sound, this time from the huge slot-machine filled gaming floor. Before he could do more than wince at the onslaught, he was greeted heartily by a tall dark- haired gentleman in a suit, who was trailed by a pretty and capable looking blonde woman holding a leather binder.

"Johnny, damn, its good to see you, though I didn't expect you to be back this soon. Thought you were filming in the Bahamas? You should have called—we'd have sent a limo to pick you up!"

The man in front of him was obviously awaiting a reply, so Jack glibly popped off the first thing that came to mind. "You know how it is, mate…figured I'd slip away for a bit on me onesies, get the taste of sand out of me mouth with a bit o'rum, take in a game or two of chance..." Jack's eyes washed over a curvaceous cocktail waitress who winked at him as she sashayed by on incredibly high heels.. "…an maybe try to commandeer one o' the lovely little galleons for a midnite sail."

The man chuckled and rested his arm in a familiar gesture across Jack's back with a grin. " The first two can be easily arranged, my good man, but as far as the third, I'll leave the hunting up to you. Not that you'd ever have difficulty in that department---Don't think there's many women in here under the age of 80 who would be able to resist Johnny Depp."

Jack suddenly heard echoes of previous conversations he'd had with Jo…….(((("The pictures of you on the wall of my studio weren't of you, Jack…they're of an actor named Johnny Depp"…….. "Your face is recognized everywhere, Jack"… "you're everyone's favorite scallywag"…)))).

So….Jo was right when she said my face was well known….that's very interesting. For a moment he felt guilty about what he was about to do, but his sense for self-preservation and desire for instant gratification quickly overrode the tiny voice of his conscience. Meeting the man's face with a bravado only he could muster, he replied with confidence. "That's Captain Jack Sparrow, if you don't mind, and I was wondering if you might have some accommodations available for a pernicious pirate like yours truly? My visit here was rather spur of the moment, so to speak, so I would appreciate it if you could direct me to where I could find more..appropriate clothing suitable for a sophisticated man like meself."

The man just laughed. "Keeping in character, ay, Captain? Got to hand it to you, you are definitely tops in your chosen profession. Your usual suite is occupied, so we've bumped you up to the Admiral's Suite. I'll send Sandra up to assist you in the shops, which are at your disposal. Shall I charge it to your usual card?" At Jack's nod, the man patted him on the shoulder once more. "Great seeing you, John—I mean, Captain---if you need anything, don't hesitate to give me or Jenny a call." With a wave and a nod, the man turned and headed toward the stairwell leading to the high roller sanctuary.

The young woman, Jenny he presumed, cleared her throat and favored him with a smile. "If you're ready, I'll escort you to your suite and introduce you to your concierge." With a gesture, she guided him to the glass elevator, and Jack had to close his eyes and bite his lip as they shot skyward. The keycard she used admitted them into a gorgeous suite done in cream and brown with floor to ceiling windows allowing guests a fantastic view of the strip. The thick carpeting sank under every step, and walking towards those windows Jack could only smile and think to himself...Life Is Good.

Two hours later, Jack had been introduced to Robert, his butler, and was relaxing in the jacuzzi tub with a bottle of rum in one hand and a platter of Chicken McNuggets at his other. A fluffy bathrobe hung on the same rack as his heated bath towels, and his newly purchased buttery soft leather pants and a silk shirt awaited him on the king size bed. 'I do believe I could get used to this…fame…' he smiled to himself. ' Call me a sensualist or what you will, but I like comforts like clean sheets, hot fresh meals and the occasional hot bath…' He sighed and sank lower in the water, letting the heated pressurized water sooth his tired shoulders and back. Wouldn't mind having one of these "hot tubs" aboard me Black Pearl…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Hmmmmmph…t'would be hard to keep Anamarie from doing her wash in it tho……bloody female…

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It was 2 am, but the casino floor was just as full as it had been earlier when Jack stepped out of the elevator and headed to the desk where Jenny was waiting. She escorted him to the high roller tables and after signing a few slips of paper, he was ready to try his luck at the blackjack table. He was tickled when Jenny informed him that the casino was giving him $30,000 to play on, "staking him" was the term she used, so he didn't feel so bad about assuming this Johnny Depp's identity. With that out of his mind, he settled back and prepared to let Lady Luck shine down on him once more.

He lost the first several hands, and had begun to think that his luck at the gaming tables had been lost, when suddenly the game began to go his way. The tide went up and down, but when he finally called it quits 3 hours later, Jack backed away from the tables with a big smile and a slip for $125,000 in his pocket.

As he left the high roller pit, he was suddenly mobbed by a group of women who had apparently heard of his presence from unknown sources. After shaking hands, signing autographs, and wiping away about a dozen different shades of lipstick from his now rosy cheeks, security finally showed up and allowed Jack to take his now rich but sore from being squeezed multiple times derriere back to his suite for another well deserved rum and soak.

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( So…..who is the mysterious celebrity that Jack runs into in the hotel the next morning? I have the scene written, but I am willing to change it if you would like to send me a suggestion on who you'd like Jack to meet in Vegas. If you have an idea, drop me a line and I might just take you up on it!)