A/N: Somebody asked about how you play Deception:

This is how I've always played it. You have five dice apiece and you can see your own but nobody else's. You start off: "two threes," for example. That means you're guessing that between the dice of all the players, there will be at least 2 threes. The next player has to either call your bluff and demand that everyone show their dice (which would be stupid, because it's pretty likely that there will be 2 threes somewhere), or up the bid. He can up it by either betting on a higher number: two FOURS, for example, or making a bigger (riskier) prediction: such as THREE ones or FOUR fours. Jack bets on sixes whenever possible, which is a smart move because when he says "four SIXES," six is the highest number on the dice, so Davy's only options are call liar or up the bid to five of something, which is a riskier bet.

It gets very complicated when you're playing in cahoots, the way Elizabeth and Barbossa were playing earlier. You can't swap secrets and technically you're not supposed to communicate at all except for making your bets. You run into the problem they did, where Barbossa's bluff fooled not only Davy but also his ally Elizabeth.

It's a pretty fun game.

Oriana8: Oooh, you brought up the S-word! What a bad girl(boy?)! In fact, despite all my very best intentions I have been thinking of a sequel lately. It takes place ages down the line, when Lizzie has a 19-year-old son, and her beloved husband has just recently perished (being a hero, of course. How else?). I HATE writing sequels, I find I always develop monster writer's block halfway through them, so I probably won't. Let's finish this story first, and we'll see if I can resist the lure of an even older, crustier Barbossa. He's very... persuasive. But I have excellent resistive powers. We'll see.

The change that eighteen hours of sleep had wrought in the captain was amazing. He was lucid, had managed to partially dress himself, and was now capable of staggering in an almost-straight line out into the sunlight.

Jack looked up from his cards and a smile lit his face. "'Ello, beastie."

Elizabeth, though, had not seen him at his worst and thus did not realize that this was an improvement. She gasped and took a quick step towards him, all ready to fuss, before she remembered that she was supposed to be avoiding him. She resolutely turned her back and did not ask how he was feeling.

Barbossa looked puzzled. "What's eatin her?"

Will answered him. "She saw what you did to Lord Beckett."

Barbossa walked towards them slowly, trying to figure out what that meant. "Beckett? If she had a problem with me killin that cockroach she ought to have told me so before I did it." He reminded Elizabeth's back: "I told you I had it in for him."

Elizabeth turned to glare at him and forgot to continue with the silent treatment. "Well yes but I thought... I didn't think you were going to stab him in the back!"

Barbossa was silent for a moment. "So ye would not object to my killin him, so long as I did it while I was fightin him face to face?"

"It sounds ridiculous when you put it that way, but... well... yes."

"I see." He paused. He asked, in a tone of perfectly innocent curiosity: "If I did it that way, would he be any less dead?"

"Don't make fun of her," Will cut in. "She's absolutely right, there's a difference between killing somebody, and murdering them in cold blood."

Jack had to interject his two cents too. "A lesson you learned all of one day ago," he pointed out, "when you were about to run Davy Jones aground and kill him while we were in the midst of a playing a friendly little game together." Nobody noticed Barbossa's double-take at that little tidbit of news.

"In the end I didn't do it."

Elizabeth took his arm as a show of support before continuing the conversation. "I understand what you're saying," she told Barbossa. "If you'd fought Beckett fair and he'd hurt you, you'd be stupid. I'd be distraught. I know that. I know you did the smart thing." She wondered how best to convey the whole notions of kindness and morality and respect for human life to a pirate in a few words. "It's just... not very empathetic of you. How would you like someone to do that to you? It's uncaring, and cold in a way I don't like."

Barbossa looked to the sky for patience. "Have I ever said to ye - suggested, even - that I ought to be called empathetic or caring? Has anyone? Ever?"

Elizabeth thought about it and realized that that was fair. "Wishful thinking," she said at last. "I suppose you did what's right by pirates. I'm sorry I was upset about it." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and vanished into the cabin.

He stood staring after her, his hand brushing over where her lips had been.

It took him at least thirty seconds to notice that she'd kicked him out of his own cabin – again.

Barbossa resigned himself to spending the rest of the day lurking on deck. He asked around about the events he had missed, then looked for a spot to pace in. The ship was fairly crowded but a space magically opened up for him, because it was clear that he wanted to be alone, and now that he looked like the living dead everyone was even more afraid of him.

He had been getting his wish for barely an hour before Jack appeared and took it upon himself to start up a conversation. "You know when you've really succeeded with a student, mate?" he asked out of the blue. Barbossa produced a look of disinterest that was not convincing, so Jack continued: "When they take everything you've ever taught them, and tell you to go straight to Hell with it."

"Well, I seem to have had total failure where you're concerned, then." Barbossa did not sound at all playful. "Because here you are."

A moment passed in silence. "Here I am," Jack agreed, then returned doggedly to the topic he had come to discuss. "It was going to happen eventually, you know that."

"What, Elizabeth? I suppose so. It was all an accident, you know - I didn't mean for her to take to me."

"Or you to her."

A beat. "Best watch yourself, Jack."

"Who - me?" Jack laughed. "Preaching to the choir, mate, honestly. But don't fret over dear Lizzie, she's not quite... you know... one of us. Almost, but not quite."

Barbossa glanced over at him, noting how his hands and face were almost black with dirt. "And we thank Heaven for that," he muttered.

"I have to say, you really did a good job with her. Another three or four weeks and she wouldn't have cared who you killed or how. You could've gutted Beckett with a grappling hook and she would have just made eyes at you and said, teach me."

Barbossa didn't think so, but he kept his mouth shut. He thought that if he defended the strength of Elizabeth's character it would sound like he was besotted with her... which he was not, thank ye kindly. So he just shrugged and gave a noncommittal "Mmmm."

But Jack was smiling and looking altogether too crafty. Barbossa suddenly realized that Jack had trapped him on purpose: Defending Elizabeth's autonomy would have been the natural comment to make, and that by not making it, he had just admitted to Jack that he had something to hide where his feelings for the girl were concerned. Sometimes Jack was entirely too clever for his own good. "Arrrr."

Jack seemed to feel that he owed him for that little trick, so he asked how the shoulder was doing and then gave him a chance to scold. "I shouldn't have gone back for you."

"No, you shouldn't. Although I can't say it surprised me." This was a bald-faced lie. "Ye'll never learn. You've made that mistake more times than I can count."

"Mistake, eh?" Jack faced him defiantly and put his hands on his hips. "Tell me you didn't stay behind purposely to save me and the girl. Tell me. And then you can give me a proper earful about how a pirate's first duty is to take care of his ownself and to blazes with everyone else. A speech I know by heart, by the way. But first you have to say you didn't stay to cover us. Look me in the eye an tell me you didn't."

Barbossa made eye contact immediately. "I didn't," he answered without strain. "I wouldn't get in the boat, and I thought: well, there be no reason for the rest of them to die just because… now what was it?... just because I'm afraid of fish."

There was nothing in his voice or his manner to suggest he wasn't telling the truth, but Jack cast a suspicious glance his way anyway. Barbossa tipped his head back proudly. "Call me a liar."

"Last time I called you a liar we were playing Deception," Jack reminded him, "And I won a whole season's treasure off you."

"Aye, and the time before that we were not playin Deception, and you were fifteen years old, and I beat you bloody."

Jack winced at the memory, but he didn't give up because he knew he was on to something. "You could have run. You stayed on the beach and stalled them on purpose."

Barbossa gave up arguing with him and just pointed out, "You're just as guilty – you came back."

Jack suddenly found (to his intense chagrin) that gruff half-admissions of friendship were not going to be enough for him this time. Praying that Barbossa wouldn't hate him for it, he leaned out of slapping distance and confessed, "I couldn't leave you."

Barbossa was caught off guard and for a split second it showed in his face. He took a deep breath found the strength not to bite Jack's head off and throw him off the ship. Instead, he took out his dagger and started picking at the railing with it. It took him awhile, but eventually he managed to answer, "Considering I bet Davy for your freedom, I can hardly give ye the lecture ye deserve, now can I."

Then there was a long silence during which Barbossa did a lot of thinking. "Jack..." he began heavily.

Jack could read his tone so clearly there was no need for him to finish. "Yeah. We're in a lot of trouble, mate, aren't we."

But they didn't get to finish their talk just yet. Will had been watching their conversation, and from the captain's unusually approachable and non-fearsome demeanor he drew the wildly inaccurate conclusion that this would be a good time to talk to him.

"Excuse me. Captain."

They both turned to face him. "I don't know if you've heard the news," Will said to Barbossa, "But I thought I should mention this anyway: when you went below, I cleaned up the battle as you said, but..."

"- But you disobeyed my direct order to make peace with Davy. Or rather, you made peace and then tried to kill him. I must confess meself surprised."

Will's jaw dropped. "How did you-"

"Your Navy friend." Barbossa grinned. "You didn't think I'd believe you or Jack about what happened, did you?"

"Well. Be that as it may... I wanted to apologize. And also to make sure that... you know, that things are all right between us."

Barbossa knew what he was getting at, and in fact had used up a good portion of his brooding time on this very subject. He slung his arm about Will's shoulders. "I'd like to forgive ye, Mr. Turner," he said sweetly. His tone made Will's skin crawl. "But as I recall, there be some very specific promises on the books about what would happen the next time ye crossed me. Promises. I'm sure you understand."

"Norrington managed to convince me that not all promises need be kept," Will answered immediately.

Barbossa noted that the boy's verbal riposte was coming much quicker these days. Good for him. Not that it would help him this time, though. "Norrington? You don't seriously think I'd take advice from him?"

"You won't harm Elizabeth." Will swallowed. "You won't."

"Wrong answer, mate," Jack purred from beside him. "If he still wasn't sure - which I doubt - then you just decided him in the wrong direction."

Barbossa hissed orders to several pirates. He stayed where he was, motionless, burning into Will with his eyes until the pirates came back.

They were carrying a big slab of some fancy stone - true to form, they had looted Beckett's ship so thoroughly they had even stolen his desktop. They set it down on the floor with an ominous thump.

Will and Barbossa still just stared at each other. Understandably, given it was his neck on the line, Will broke first. He jerked his head towards the stone without breaking eye contact and asked, "What's that for?"

Barbossa was glowing with malicious amusement. "A chopping block."

"Snip, snip," Jack added. "Now you'll really nail that aria."

Will began to sputter incoherent and horrified protests.

Jack was much more articulate. "You are a slimy snake," he breathed to Barbossa in wonder. "You've been planning this for the longest time, haven't you, just waiting for the boy to give you a reason."

"Aye." Barbossa toyed thoughtfully with his earring. "I thought about doing it even before we set out, you know, just so there would be no questions where everyone stood."

"It's good you waited." Jack bit his lip. "Can you really do it? She'll scream."

"Count your scars, Jack." He paused. "Take young William downstairs and lock him in the brig. I don't want him to see til it's done. And Jack... do it right. Don't you dare spoil the surprise. Elizabeth!" She came when she was called and Barbossa dragged her in front of her fiance. "Take one last good look at Elizabeth as she is now, Mr. Turner. Then go on below and cover your ears."

Go below? It took a moment for the command to register with WIll.The snip, snip was a joke, then. Thank God.

But then Will realized that he was in effect rejoicing in the news that it was Elizabeth and not him who was to be the subject of whatever torture Barbossa had in mind. Over my dead body, he told himself clearly. His confidence that the captain would not harm her had completely evaporated. "Captain please, whatever you're going to do, it's me that offended you, not Elizabeth, she didn't do anything, how can you-" Jack was dragging him steadily away and finally just clapped a hand over his mouth.

Barbossa glanced at the assembled crew members. "You know what's coming. Get it all ready."

"Aye, captain."

Barbossa was in a wonderful mood. The boy's panic was hilarious and he knew he could trust Jack to just make it worse. After years of amusing himself on a ship where his closest social equal was a monkey, Barbossa found that having a partner-in-crime made all nastiness just that much more fun. "Now..." He offered his arm. "Into the cabin, miss. We'll talk first."

"Cheer up, mate," Jack told Will from just outside the bars. "It's not really your fault - he would have found some excuse no matter what. Did you really think he'd let her off scot-free after the way she got to him?"

"I obviously have no idea what to think where Barbossa is concerned. Jack... please tell me what's going on." Desperate as he was he kept his tone civil. He was still shocked at what Jack had done to him and did not want to provoke him again.

Jack watched him rub his elbow. "Sorry about the arm," he said gruffly. "You should have just got into the brig like I told you."

"I never figured you for the bullying type," Will snapped, annoyed and embarrassed at how easily Jack had twisted his arm behind his back.

"Maybe Barbossa's rubbing off on me," Jack shot back, equally annoyed about the little fight. Will had sucker-punched him when he wasn't ready, and then refused to be corralled into the cell until Jack gave him some really painful incentive and even then, he'd continued to struggle until his elbow made a soft pop. Jack sighed. "You're an idiot, mate. Do you really think he's going to hurt her?"

"How should I know? If you'd just tell me..."

"... it would defeat the whole purpose of the punishment, and then Barbossa would be furious at me instead of you. Sorry, darling, not going to happen."

Will crossed his arms. "A hint, Jack."

"Why don't you guess?"

"The first time I provoked him it was because I thought he'd taken advantage of Elizabeth. I'm trying hard not to think about that again..." he waited for Jack to assure him that that was not a possibility.

Jack was not very helpful. "Does it still count as 'taking advantage' if the girl... oh, never mind, it's not the sort of thing a eunuch would understand anyway."

"Jack!"

Jack at last took a little pity on him. "Oh all right, I'll tell you it's not that. Oh, don't look so relieved! At least she'd probably enjoy that, this is going to be far worse."

Will was so worried that he didn't even get offended by Jack's comment. "I can't believe this. We were going to have him stand in at the wedding."

"You probably still are. Elizabeth's funny like that." Jack used his sleeve to polish one of the bars, evidencing not the slightest concern about what was going on upstairs.

"Jack. It's me. It's Will. Come on, don't do this to me. It's killing me."

Jack had found he was quite enjoying his part in the torment. "That's the idea."

"He'll hurt her, he won't hurt her, you keep implying different-"

"Maybe I don't know."

At that moment they heard the first of Elizabeth's ear-piercing shrieks of pain. "And there you have it," Jack said over the noise. "Sounds like he's decided to hurt her after all."

TBC. So Barbossa has gone after Elizabeth. A shame in a way, because I had a pretty funny scene in mind for what he would have done to Will, but one can't have everything, now, can one.

Leave me some lovin'!

Obviously, next chapter will be less talk and more action: we'll see what happened to dear Lizzie. And we'll get a little flashback story. But don't worry, there's not a whole lot of gratuitous violence.