A/N: I was able to get this chapter out quicker than I thought. Enjoy!
"Why is it always Tortuga?" demanded Violet, sitting next to Gibbs at a table they'd set up smack in the middle of the tavern. "I've been here twice in the last few days. Twice. To my least favorite island in the Caribbean."
All around her, drunken pirates sang loudly and coarsely, flickering lanterns and tankards of beer everywhere she looked.
"Aye, Violet, but you know the best place to find ninety-nine disorderly souls is here," Gibbs said, flattening the piece of parchment in front of him. "Ah, our first customer! Hello, sir," he said, turning to watch a bedraggled man make his way up to the table.
"'Ello," the man said, and Violet raised an eyebrow at his appearance. He looked far too old to be going anywhere, let alone sailing on the Black Pearl.
"What makes you think you're worthy to crew the Black Pearl?" Gibbs asked, attempting to sound menacing, and the man gave him an imploring look.
"Truth be told, I never sailed a day in me life. I figure I should get out and see the world while I'm still young," said the man, shaking his head sadly, and Violet gave him a winning smile.
"Sounds like a plan. Welcome aboard!" she sang, pointing the ship.
"Next!" Gibbs called out, and another sad-looking pirate made his way to the table. They waited through listening to three more men, encouraging each to join. Groaning, Violet looked down at the list. Four names. Four. There was no way they would get ninety-nine in time.
"How are we going?" asked Jack, and Violet turned to see him lounging on a chair next to the table.
"Terribly. We've got four names, Jack," Violet said sadly, putting her head down on the table. She should have gone. That would have at least gotten them ten. And Jack didn't even seem to be at concerned. You'd think he'd at least care about-
"And what's your story?"
Violet raised her head at Gibbs' voice, face to face with another scruffy pirate. Although this one was different. He looked… somehow familiar, with his ragged gray hair in a frizzy halo around his face, dirt smudged on his nose, and a stormy look in his eyes. She could have sworn she'd seen him before.
"My story?" the man snarled, and suddenly he turned to Violet with a look of such rage that she felt it in her core. "It's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a pirate through the seven seas. And there was another who disappeared completely."
Suddenly, Violet's heart sank. His voice belonged to no pirate. The clipped vowels and crisp tone told her that much. This was none other than Commodore James Norrington.
"The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life," he spat, his eyes full of fiery rage now.
"Norrington?" asked Gibbs breathlessly, and Norrington turned on him, his mouth twisted into a wicked smirk.
"Yes, Mr. Gibbs. Remember me? I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would've, if not for the hurricane," hissed Norrington, before swinging his attention back onto Violet. "And you. You always thought you were so high and mighty, didn't you, what with all your talk of giving up what you love. And yet here you are, back following Sparrow around like a lost little puppy."
Violet stood up, slamming her hands down on the table.
"And I see you've come to tell me you've turned, have you? As I recall, I was to be the first to know," she sneered, and Norrington moved so that his face was inches from hers.
"Maybe I have turned. Would that make you happy? I'd so love to make you happy," he hissed, and she did her best not to recoil from his closeness. "But we shouldn't let our past get in the way, should we Captain? Am I worthy to sail on the Black Pearl? To serve under you and your precious Captain Sparrow?"
Violet snatched a pistol she'd found on the table, putting it to Norrington's temple.
"I'd watch what you say, Commodore. Oh, wait, you're not a Commodore, anymore. Isn't that right?" Violet smirked, and Norrington snarled, pulling a gun from his own belt and slamming the table over in one quick motion. Violet scrambled out of the way as both the wood and Violet's gun crashed to the ground, and Norrington advanced on her, his pistol trained on her forehead.
"Maybe you should watch what you say, Charles," he said, laughing cruelly, and Violet gave him a wicked grin, spotting a bottle of rum on the table in front of her.
"That's Captain Charles to you," she said, picking up the bottle and slamming it down on Norrington's arm. He cried out as glass shards cascaded from his sleeve, and Violet snatched her gun from the ground, taking off towards the crowd of people in the tavern. Suddenly, hiding behind a potted plant, she spotted Jack, crouched in the middle of the floor.
"Get up, coward," she growled, throwing the plant aside, and Jack stood up reluctantly, holding up his hands.
"In my defense, love, he hadn't spotted me yet, so I wasn't really running away from a fight," he said, and Violet opened her mouth to reply.
"And now I have!"
Norrington burst forth from the ground, his pistol raised at Jack, who quickly turned on his heel and began towards the stairs.
"Time to go!" he chirped, and Gibbs arrived out of nowhere, scurrying up the stairs alongside Jack. Violet followed, looking over her shoulder to see sailors grabbing Norrington's arm. Angered, the Commodore fired, the shot hitting someone's bottle and igniting a brawl through the tavern.
Violet pushed past sailors up the stairway, following behind Jack, who was doing something incredibly stupid with a bunch of hats. She groaned, dodging past Gibbs to push Jack across the floor, causing him to lose his footing and nearly topple to the ground.
"Leave the hats alone, you idiot!" she demanded, and Jack gave her a fake pout, throwing the hat he was holding to the ground.
"Mind if I take yours, then?" Jack yelled above the fray, and Violet glared at him, pushing his hand away as he reached for her hat.
"Over my dead body!" she screamed, pushing him out of the tavern. "Like you said, it's time to go!"
Finally, they had escaped the tavern and out into the dark Tortuga night, blending in perfectly with the ragged bystanders out in the streets.
"What was he doing there? Or… here. Or anywhere," asked Jack as they stalked down a dock towards the Black Pearl, the rest of the crew waiting for them aboard the ship.
"I don't know, but he hates us with a vengeance," Violet said, shaking her head and remember the rage in Norrington's eyes. "He's gone off the rails, I'd say."
"Captain Sparrow?"
Violet and Jack both turned at the voice to see a skinny boy, a hat low over his eyes and his clothes loose and dirty.
"Come to join me crew, lad? Welcome aboard," said Jack, gesturing to the ship. So that gave them, what, ninety-four more souls to find?
"I'm here to find the man I love," the boy said defiantly, and Violet raised an eyebrow, looking from him to Jack.
"I'm deeply flattered, son, but I'm afraid my heart is already taken," Jack replied flippantly, gesturing for Gibbs to take the boy away. Violet couldn't keep herself from smiling at the comment. It was so out of place for Jack Sparrow, the fabled pirate captain, and it made her want to plant a kiss on his cheek right there and then. Pull yourself together, Violet. You're Captain Coldblood, not some little schoolgirl in love.
"Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow," the boy said, and suddenly the voice clicked in both Violet and Jack's minds. Could it be?
"Elizabeth!" Violet exclaimed, running towards her, taking in the familiar lines of her face. "Skies, I've missed you. But what are you doing here?"
"It's good to see you, Captain Charles," Elizabeth said, stepping forward to embrace Violet, who put her arms around the girl. And she realized that she had, in fact, missed Elizabeth Swann. "And I've come in search of Will."
"Oh, Elizabeth. You've returned. You know, these clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin," Jack said flippantly, turning away, and a stormy look crossed Elizabeth's face.
"Jack. I know Will came to find you. Where is he?" demanded Elizabeth, and Violet shifted uncomfortably, shooting a look at Jack. Elizabeth would be murderous once she found out that Will was- well, sold to the sea, to put it mildly.
"Well, he is- indisposed. At the moment," Violet said, chewing her words slowly, and Elizabeth gave her an uncomfortable stare.
"Darling, I am truly unhappy to have to tell you this, but through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with us, poor Will has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's Crew," Jack said, waving a hand, and Violet stalked over to him, gripping his arm and digging her nails into his skin.
"Jack, what are you doing?" she hissed, but Jack simply put a hand over hers absentmindedly, making her rip it from his grasp.
"Davy Jones?" asked Elizabeth, and a retching noise behind her alerted Violet to another's presence.
"Oh please. The captain of the Flying Dutchman?" said the figure, emerging from the dark, and Violet glared once she recognized the face. It was Norrington, apparently back for more.
"Damn it, Elizabeth, why did you bring him back?" she groaned, and Norrington sneered at her.
"I just couldn't stay away from you, Captain. As I recall, we have unfinished business," he said darkly, and Violet rolled her eyes.
"Well, you look bloody awful," Jack added, pointing at Norrington. "And I'm the only one who's allowed to have business with Charles." Violet coughed loudly, elbowing Jack, who gave her a wicked grin.
"You're not looking so well yourself, Sparrow," Norrington hissed, and Jack put a hand over his heart in mock outrage.
"You wound me," he said, and Norrington stepped forward, ready to fight.
"Please!" Elizabeth said, stepping between the two fools, a pleading expression on her face. "All I want is to find Will."
"Are you certain? Is that what you really want most?" asked Jack, and both Norrington and Violet turned to him curiously.
"Of course," Elizabeth said, somewhat suspiciously, and Jack nodded sagely, putting a hand on her back and leading her forward. Why had Jack changed his mind so quickly? What was his plan this time?
"Because I would think you'd want to find a way to save Will most," declared Jack, and Violet and Norrington followed behind the two of them somewhat awkwardly.
"So you call me a 'lost litte puppy,' but here you are with Miss Swann," Violet said coldly as Jack began to explain something about the chest that Tia Dalma had told them of to Elizabeth.
"I wouldn't push me, Charles. Tempt not a desperate man," he quoted, glaring at her, and she rolled her eyes.
"If I were scared of you, I'd-"
"What is that?" Norrington asked, interrupting her and pointing towards something Jack had pulled out of his vest. His compass. She hadn't seen him use it recently, now that she thought of it.
"Oh, that's just his blasted compass. It doesn't work, really," she said, and Jack turned around with a frown.
"It does work," Jack scowled at her, his tone like that of a child's, and she rolled her eyes, stepping forward with a hand out.
"Then why don't we have a heading?" she asked, and Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, that's right, I have noticed that we haven't really been going anywhere, Sparrow. Now hand it over."
"Fine," Jack said, passing over the compass. "If you're so magnificent, you get it to work."
Violet took the compass, slowly opening the top with a satisfying click. Inside, the needle spun wildly, going around and around in a drunken manner until it stopped, resolutely pointing in front of her. Fixated on the needle, Violet quickly looked up, and stared straight into the face of Jack Sparrow. Quickly, she slammed the lid shut, pushing it back at him.
"See? Broken," she said hurriedly, and Jack gave her a wicked grin.
"It shows you what your heart wants most," Jack said liltingly, taking back the compass with a triumphant air. "And it appears what you want most is-"
"I'll take it!" Elizabeth said quickly, and Violet gave a silent prayer of thanks for her quick interruption. "I know what I want." Elizabeth pried the compass from Jack's hand and slowly lifted the top, staring at the needle as it whizzed around and around. Finally, it came to a stop, pointing off into the distance.
Jack grinned, staring at the coordinates and signaling for Gibbs.
"We have our heading!" he crowed, and Gibbs rushed over, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Finally!" Gibbs shouted, and he stalked away to begin yelling orders to the crew. Jack ushered Elizabeth on board, and she walked ahead as he and Violet followed, the compass still clutched in her hands.
"So I suppose you want to-" Jack began, but Violet quickly silenced him.
"No, I don't want to. I don't even know what you're referring to, but whatever it is, I don't want to," Violet said resolutely, glaring at him. Jack held his hands up in surrender, skipping away across the deck of the ship.
"Alright love! Whatever you say! But I always knew you loved me!" Jack called, turning on his heel and sashaying away. Violet rolled her eyes as the whole crew turned to stare at her, smiles on their faces. Quickly, she turned to the sailors, wiping the smile from her face.
"What are you looking at?" she demanded, shooting them all dark stares. "Back to work with the lot of you!" One thing was for certain: she needed to stop herself from falling for Jack Sparrow.