Three Favors

By: Kimmie-Sama

Allegiances

"Je cherche le maître de dock."

Jack Sparrow did a blatant double take. The man whom spoke was none other then Hector Barbossa, the man who Jack was sure had no other qualities other then being able to deal with smelly monkey's. Yet there he was, speaking perfect French to the man who had been standing at the end of the docks. The man spouted off something in return and pointed north. Without a thanks, Hector turned and walked past the small group that had just left the long boat.

"More to him then meets the eye, eh?" Jack muttered, never really talking to anyone but himself and not really needing an retort.

It just happened that Gibbs was staying close to his Captains side. "Aye, I heard Barbossa spent quite a few years in the Mediterranean Sea, most likely picked up a few choice words sailin' those parts."

Jack gave a outlandish look as the group followed behind the other Captain. "Failed to mention that bit of information when I took him on me crew." Shaking off a distant memory, Jack took a look around the docks. Mostly fishermen, but in parts like these he didn't expect more. The town ahead looked new and relatively small.

As much as Jack tried his best, he was drawn to give a glance to Elizabeth like a moth to a flame. She had been as silent as a ghost ever since his comment on the boat and he wondered if the words he used had something to do with her quietness. Not that he would care that much what she thought on his questionable relations with women. Even if he silently envisioned her more then half of the time he was with said women.

Eyes of copper were not in his direction so he did as he should and kept his mind elsewhere. Suddenly the weather seemed to effect him, it was muggy and hot, like walking through a thick cloud of invisible burning fog. His clothes seemed heavier and almost carried their own humid temperature. It reminded him of a summer swamp, so he could only guess these lands were marshes that not many dared to tread.

Perfect place for a long lost fountain.

More French words were spoken between Hector and a man that carried a small book and quill. No doubt this man was the dock master, who they would need to talk to about repairs. Letting the other man take care of the haggling and exchange of gold, Jack did his best to stray behind the group. The compass was in his hand within moments as he flipped it open and observed it.

It was locked on a spot directly in front of him, where a blonde woman stood. He swayed to the side, the arrow stayed locked on her. To be sure, Jack took a wide step the opposite direction. It still stayed strong on Elizabeth's back and with a loud annoyed groan, Jack snapped the compass shut.

'Bugger.'

'Jackie, ignore the compass all together!'

'Have her and be done with it.'

"Jack?" Her voice broke him from the repartee in his mind. He must have been a little too loud with his objection because all eyes were on him. Falling into her eyes was easy, but pulling himself out was hard. "Something wrong?"

"Why would you think something is wrong? Nothing's wrong." Jack sputtered out, looking rattled. Before the woman could return a word, Jack pushed away from the group and headed off the docks. "I'll find us a place to hang our hats, savvy?"

Half expecting it, Jack was not too surprised when he heard a set of footsteps follow him. Gibbs was a loyal man, keeping to his Captain's side whenever possible. The land was foreign to him, but the ground was solid as Jack stepped onto the earth and headed out around the diminutive town. The layout was simple enough, so it wouldn't be to hard to find a place to get what he really needed right now.

"Off to find your paltry strumpets, then?"

The footsteps behind him paused when he did. Why did she have to follow him, when all he wanted was to move as far away from her as possible? Jerking his body to face her, he closed the gap between them in a few steps. "Would that not be acceptable to you, Lizzie?"

"Of course not. Our purpose here is not to philander cheap floozies!" Her anger made him more intrigued then ever before.

It was her eyes that really got him. "Seeing how I have not yet told you my true purpose here, 'lizabeth, I must inquire of what your meaning is behind that assertion."

Narrowed daggers bore into his, but a small lingering smirk was evident. "Captain Sparrow, I was suggesting the repairs to your ship and nothing more." As if she won a small battle Elizabeth stood a little taller. "Now I have to inquire, what you meant by your assertion."

Knowing exactly how he fell into that trap, Jack cursed his self for being so easily manipulated into her game. She defiantly knew how his mind worked and in a dark way Jack loved and loathed it. "Of course I was thinkin' the same thing Lizzie. But if Jack want's to have a little merrymaking while we wait, nothin' wrong with that, eh?"

"Don't dare change the subject Jack. I know you have somewhere you want to go and that it's importance is great."

Standing in the middle of a beat path of a small port town was not a place to argue with her. A few of the locals were staring, not really caught up in the words but the tones the two exchanged. Never really liking the center of attention, Jack leaned in closer to her making her own head to lean back in surprise. "Lizzie, if you prove to me I can trust ye... I'll tell."

Leaving her to follow him, Jack turned heel to find a place to get what he really wanted. Rum.

--

"At least I know where I can always find yeh." Hector Barbossa stood in front of Jack, his arms crossed over his chest. Annoyance was across Jack's face as he looked up at the taller man. The tavern in which he had found himself was not a very populated one but it served its purpose well enough. Upstairs were rooms to rent, in which the lady of the group was already stationed.

Jack tried his best not to think of wandering up to her room. "Rum is where I am beckoned and so I go. How fairs the repairs then?"

Without invite Hector took a seat across from the other Captain. Around the table no one sat, Jack could only guess it was because of the way he and Hector both looked. Pirates were not hard to spot if you knew what to look for. "Underway starin' in the morning. I hope yeh don't mind me sendin' Mister Gibbs back ta the ship... Must keep an eye on what is important, am I right?"

"Right you are mate. Shall I offer you a drink?" Jack was doing his best to act hospitable, even if it made him squirm on the inside.

A wave of a hand made Jack glad he did not have to give up the bottle in his hand. Barbossa leaned back, taking another glance around the darkened tavern. Night had fallen quickly, making the place an oddity to Jack. Usually places like this were filled at nightfall, but maybe that was only in Tortuga. A chattering monkey brought him out of his mind, looking behind him to see the little animal with the same name crawling up his chair.

"Oi, beat it ya flea infested maggot!" The monkey jumped at Jack's hand, it had been going for the hat that rested on Jack's chair. "Keep your pet on a leash mate."

"Jack's free to do what he will." Barbossa seemed pleased with Jack's frustration. "Now Jack don't yeh think it be the time we discussed the real matter at hand?"

"Whatever it is your thinkin' I want no part in it." Rum went down his throat and as it burned Jack felt a little more at ease. "Besides, what makes you think I am even doin' anything of importance?"

"The charts you took." Hector leaned in again, placing a hand on the old wood of the table. "Yeh know they lead to many unique places. And as much as I hate ta say, I know yeh and yer way of thinkin'."

Twisting his face in disgruntlement, Jack was silent for a moment. "Then tell me what it is you want out of this little enterprise."

Hector took a moment to really study Jack and then spoke hushed. "Aqua de Vida. Yeh know its out there. If our goals be the same then why not call a bit of a truce for the time bein'?"

The thought of Hector homing in on Jack's fountain made him uneasy. Hector Barbossa was not one to trust so easily, but then again Jack knew for once the older man had a point. Allies working towards common goals were better then enemies stealing them. Besides he had the compass, the charts. Hector needed them in order to find the place in question and therefor needed Jack's assistance.

If only that compass would work the way it was supposed to. "The storm flew us off course." Jack stated, knowing that would give Barbossa the answer. A smile came over the ex-first mate as he leaned back in triumph. For now, Jack let him have it. "So until the ship is fixed I am not sure we can continue."

"We're on the main land, just not where we should be then?"

Shaking his head, Jack ignored the familiar jingle from the jewels and beads in his hair. "New Spain is where we should be. Florida is what the Spaniards call it." Something felt oddly familiar. Giving up bearings, trusting a man who is not worth trusting. A sudden wave of dread past over Jack making him continue. "..But I have an inkling it's not where the map says it is."

Slightly confused, Barbossa tilted his head and scowled. "No?"

Jack made a nodding gesture, then a lazy smirk. Perhaps the other man wouldn't notice the jittery sensation that took him. "Still have a few things to work out mate. If we pair up we need to lay out a few ground rules."

"Fer once I agree." Taking a deep breath Hector kept speaking. "One, I demand return payment for fixin' the Pearl."

Jack couldn't help but smirk. "When I get it mate, for now I owe ya. Two! I propose that if we are to sail I shall be the Captain in command!"

"Then all command on foot shall be given ta me and yeh shall be de ranked as.. Chart man." The man smirked and Jack felt like hitting him across it. Nodding once to give agreement Jack slumped back to listen to the next. "Three, I will choose the crew members to come along with us on land."

"That may need to be changed mate. A few of my crew would need to tag along to make things even." Jack raised two fingers. "Two from yours and two from mine?"

"And of course Mrs. Turner would be part of this group, correct?"

There were numerous things he didn't like about that statement. One, the fact that Barbossa knew Jack well enough that he would have picked Elizabeth as one of the members to tag along. Two, Mrs. Turner was the name he used, making Jack feel more pessimistic about her current status as a wife. Trying his best to seem put off at the idea of Elizabeth coming along, Jack raised from his chair and to his best degree gave a sideward's shake of his head.

"If ye really want her taggin' along mate she can. More trouble then she's worth that one."

Jack really didn't like the grin Hector gave. "Very well, then we should prepare ourselves for the long venture. And Jack we will be needin' some bearings before the Pearl is fixed."

Wanting to get away from the man as quickly as possible, Jack walked off with a soundless reply of his right hand towards Barbossa. If he needed to get bearings then he needed some fresh air and the sound of the waters to calm his nerves. The rum in his hand would dab onto that ease as well.

--

Waves hit the sands with the repeated sounds of crashing waters. Even after years of the same sound filling his ears Jack Sparrow always found himself soothed by its mitigating nature. The only problem he had with this current situation is that the rum was gone, but he could overlook it for now. As long as he got the peace he needed to clear his mind he could work out the issue with his compass with no problems at all.

'The truth is simple Jackie, but you don't want to hear it.' Of course peace would include the constant voices of his own.

"It is simple but its also deeply befuddling to me." Speaking out loud was nothing to him now, he had done it so many times before to the voices in his head Jack wasn't sure if anyone paid him heed anymore. "Why is it that she disorients me so?"

'You know exactly why. That's why you helped the whelp stab that heart, isn't it?'

"To save him." Jack looked downcast at the sands he sat on. Even in the darkness the moon gave enough light to observe the tiny grains. "For her sake is all."

'And why is that Jackie? For her sake but what did you gain from it?'

Struggling to find some kind of answer to that question, Jack's face twisted in many ways. "All matter of perspective." But he didn't gain anything from his act to save William. He had done something selfless and in the long run Jack didn't have a large record of doing such things.

'Lizzie was the main reason behind it. Thought yer only love was the sea... guess we were wrong mate.'

Defeated, Jack looked upwards to the starlit sky and took in a deep inhale. "Aye, suppose we were."

"Who's 'we'?"

The voice was annoyingly alluring and blissfully inconvenient. Here he wanted some time to sort out this mess that had been vexing him the past few days when the whole reason for his delirium was now within earshot. How long she had been standing there he wondered, if she heard him mention anything that would lead her to know his mind was on her engaging form and lingering smile.

"'lizabeth, please inform me of something." He didn't need to turn to look at her, he could hear her come closer then almost feel the soft touch of her skin as she sat on the sands next to him. It felt like that night that seemed so long ago. "If I was sitting here, alone mind you, then what makes you think I need someone to converse with?"

Glancing in her direction, he really wished he didn't. "Do you want me to leave then?" Her voice trailed on the last syllable, almost hesitating to show that she really would rather be next to him. The long front of her hair was pulled back by a single thread and she wore the same old sailor's outfit but in a way Jack saw her as magnificent.

Feeling the corner of his lip twinge with a bit of annoyance at the feeling in his chest, he spoke. "Stay if ya want love. Your free to do what ye want."

Off in the distance, floating on the calm waters was his transcendent Pearl, her form only visible due to the fact that the lanterns were lit. She didn't look right, her mast still hanging limply at the side. It made him cringe when he envisioned it falling once more. Without knowing it he had winced as he shifted, not only because of the thoughts he had but the actual pain of healing broken ribs.

Elizabeth noticed and sighed to herself. "I was worried about you, during the storm. Yet nothing that trifle could destroy Captain Jack Sparrow."

She was grinning at him and he did his best to return his own. "Nothing the sea has brought to me has yet, but we all know what could do in good old Jack." Giving a reassuring wink, he tried to show he didn't mean anything hostile with his words. Yet she still had a look of shame on her face. A bottle was in her hand he noticed then, as she lifted it from her side and passed it on to his own.

Taking it without a word, he popped the cork and smelled the sweet sent of his favorite drink. "You're bribing me, aren't you dearie?"

"Not at all. Just wanted to... apologize to you."

He took a mouthful of the rum before tilting the bottle in her direction, offering some. Surprised she took the offer, Jack let a real smirk come through. "Apologize for what, 'lizabeth?"

The look on her face made him chuckle softly, she was the worst at hiding her distaste for the alcohol. It too her a moment to retort, her voice clearing her throat. "What happened between us. The morning of the storm... My intentions were not properly enforced."

"Lizzie, if you really think I need your apology for kissin' me, then you don't know me at all." Taking the bottle back from her hands he forced his eyes away from hers. "If I was an honest man I would tell ya I quite enjoyed every impassioned moment of your inaccurate intentions."

Not needing to see her face to know she was taken back by his words, Jack laughed into the rum bottle as he took another swig. Silence lingered between them as they both took in the night sky and Elizabeth dare not take any more of the alcohol in Jack's hands. A light voice broke the silence, the owner seeming to amble on the name she spoke. "Will... owes you a debt."

Not really liking where this conversation would lead, Jack spoke up and spoke quickly. "So tell me love, why step down from your distinguished role as Pirate King?"

Eyes closed as she shook her head, Jack's eyes catching each dance from her blonde locks. "Reasons of my own. I only did the role to take down Beckett... and that was accomplished."

With the name of the deceased Lord of the East India Trading Company thrown out, Jack absentmindedly ran his fingers over his right arm where the 'P' was burned forever into his skin. Even with the man dead his mark on the world and therefore Jack would always be there. "That's my dearest Lizzie, use any means necessary to get what you want."

The old scene of them dancing on a beach in their drunken stipulation was clear in his head as if where only a day before. The song she had taught him was still his favorite to date and he almost let himself begin to hum it as he dwelled on the memory. Sands shifted as Elizabeth moved, her body inching even closer then before.

Why did she have to torment him the way she did? It was agonizing and blissful at the same moment and Jack Sparrow hated how he loved her. "It won't work on me twice love, just to let you know now before you attempt anything... sinister."

"Nothing at all sinister. After all, you said I have to prove to you that I can be trusted, am I right?" His hat shifted from his head. How she managed to raise her hand to it and move it without him noticing was beyond him. She placed it carefully on the ground as she leaned her body against his side. "So tell me what I can do Jack, to help you to trust me."

Her words made him shift uncomfortably, or was that because she felt so hot next to him? "Tell me what you want Lizzie." He spoke in low tones mixed with the hunger of his passion. Tilting his head in a slight incline towards her, his eyes caught the pale skin of her face turning towards his at the same moment.

"What I want is freedom."

"Aye, that I knew and that you have." The compass hung at his side and in a moment he pulled it from its spot to hold up between them. He held it tightly, the moonlight giving enough light to give it a soft glow. A flick of his wrist and it opened, for them to both observe. "What is it pointing to?"

Curious copper eyes glanced down at the compass he held to distinguish where the arrow pointed. With a cautious moment Elizabeth then looked back into his eyes that were dangerously closer. "It points to me."

Jack smiled, a true one he barely showed after the hardships he had to face. "Aye so it is. It has been for sometime, dearie. My conundrum is that why that is. When I cannot trust you and more then anything at times I need to be away from you." Eyes locked in hers, Jack felt something stir. "So I am still on edge from your flirtations and my own agitations is making me go a little mad. At night I have visions of you and I not as we are now but in the process of making things a little more personal." Her face was amazing, eyes widened but never moving from his. "So tell me again Lizzie, what it is you want, because my mind needs to be focused on something different from where its been, savvy?"

Shoving the compass in her nearby hand, Jack held it up for them both to see. Its dial twisted and moved like the sea, never once pausing as it did. Aching moments passed as it finally came to a pause, the small red dial coming to a point to the man who ran his finger over her bare hand. Two pairs of eyes locked as they glanced at each other and with a sudden realization Jack saw something he never wanted to see.

Tears flowed as a waterfall as Elizabeth started to shake her head delicately. "What this proves is that I am lonely Jack, nothing more. I want you to trust me as a friend. But not like... this." Lips pushed together, Elizabeth moved away once more. "All I can do is ask for forgiveness for any kind of misleading actions I gave you."

A pain came over his chest then, something Jack had never felt before.

'Its heartache Jackie, ah such is the horrid pain of love.'

"Misleading actions, eh?" Jack repeated her words with bitterness. "Then I want to call in another favor dear."

Eyes caught his once more. "Tell me then."

Narrowed with a dangerous glare, Jack felt his own pain and appetite for her closer take him over in his voice. "Kiss me again, to prove your wants are what you say."

Looking appalled by his tone, Elizabeth tore away from him, pushing her body upwards to stand. In the moonlit sky her form looked like an angel to Jack, but her face was as vicious as a cornered lion. "I thought you were a good man, but I see you own ambitions lead to lewd implications!"

When he stood he couldn't remember. When his hands gripped her fragile shoulders and pulled her against him, he vaguely did. When his lips tasted hers and realized that after a small moment of struggle she herself deepened the kiss and wrapped her hands around his neck, Jack would never forget. Mind clear from all things other then the woman in his amorous embrace he knew that this was what she wanted as well.

After all, he was Captain Jack Sparrow.

A/N: Sorry for the slow updates! Been living life, working hard, etc... I got my new tattoo, if anyone wants to know. Can anyone guess? It does have something to do with Jack Sparrow... first one to guess right gets a short story! ;)

Reviews are always nice to receive. :)