Disclaimer: PoTC does not belong to me. (Aha! A rhyme.)

Author's Note: Sorry to keep you waiting for this next chapter. I must confess, I got a bit sidetracked (hintGo read my new stories/hint). Anyway. Yeah. Chapter four.

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Mr. Gibbs rose from his seat, practically trembling. After seeing the state Beckett came out of that office in, and after witnessing Pintel and Ragetti declare they were going to Cambridge (Oh! The horror!), Gibbs was scared - terrified, even - to enter that room. But Madeleine was smiling, and she seemed so young, too. What could harm could she possibly do?

Madeleine closed the door behind Mr. Gibbs once he stepped inside the office, and she motioned for him to sit.

"Have a seat, Mr. Gibbs," she said cheerfully, placing herself gracefully into her own chair. She eyed the frightened Gibbs curiously. "You can relax, you know. Your case is a pretty simple one." She said this while flipping through the papers tacked on her clipboard, and when she came to the right one, she nodded. "Now, let's --"

Madeleine stopped mid-sentence, finding Gibbs muttering something to himself under his breath. It was difficult to make out just what he was saying, but she was able to catch a few words. 'Deliverance' and 'salvation' where among them.

"Um. Mr. Gibbs?" No luck. He just kept on talking to himself. "Mr. Gibbs?" Still, he didn't answer. She was starting to think he'd been posessed or something of that nature. "Mr. Gibbs!!" That brought him back, and he nearly leapt out of his seat with surprise. "Now, if you're paying attention," she paused for effect, then went on, "we can get this over with quickly and painlessly."

"Painlessly..." Mr. Gibbs repeated, and he seemed to relax a bit. Madeleine ignored him.

"Well. First I want to address your drinking problem."

"... Drinking problem?"

"Yes. Drinking problem. It seems you have one. Have you ever thought what all that alcohol is doing to your liver?"

Gibbs didn't quite understand. "My... liver?"

"It's destroying your liver, Mr. Gibbs. It's as simple as that. Plus, if you drink too much at once you can die. Do you understand that, Mr. Gibbs? Die? It's when your body stops working and you're not alive anymore. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Silence.

"Hm." Madeleine was pleased that Mr. Gibbs was cooperating after all, but she wasn't sure this analysis was getting anywhere. Just as she was preparing to continue, there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" she asked angrily, unappreciative of the interruption.

It was Norrington. "Um, Doctor?"

"Yes?" Her tone was venomous, as she was still waiting for him to explain himself.

"We're, um, having a bit of an issue out here."

Just then violent shouts erupted from outside the office. Both Madeleine and Mr. Gibbs jumped up at the same time, Madeleine rushing to stop whatever was happening and Gibbs seizing this chance to escape. Outside in the waiting room, Will and Jack had their swords pointed at each other, shouting, while Elizabeth stood off to the side shouting back.

"I can't believe you did that, Elizabeth! And right in front of everyone!" Will yelled, fuming with anger.

"It was so we could get away, you idiot!" Elizabeth yelled back at him, clenching her fists.

Jack grinned half-heartedly. "Well, to be honest, I didn't mind it much at all."

Will gripped his sword, clearly prepared to use it should he be provoked further. "First you almost had me killed my blood-thirsty cannibals," he seethed, glaring at Jack, "then you trick me onto Davy Jones's ship, and then you think you can take Elizabeth away from me?"

"Well, techically -" Jack began to explain himself, but Will wouldn't hear it.

"Oh, shut up," Will hissed. "You make me sick."

"Oh, you both make me sick!" Elizabeth shrieked. "I don't know what I ever saw in either of you. I would have been so much better off if I'd just gone and married Norrington in the first place!"

At this, Norrington looked pleased, but Madeleine didn't want to hear any more of this.

"Stop it! All of you!" the doctor shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. She took a breath and returned her hands to her sides. "Just calm down, and let's settle this quietly."

"I don't want to settle this quietly!" bellowed Will.

"Shut up, Will! You always have to go and make things complicated, don't you!" Elizabeth screamed at her fiance (Ex-fiance? Who could tell. She changed boyfriends every three days, it seemed), but stood her ground. Will was holding a sword, after all.

"Yes, can't we settle this quietly?" Jack asked meekly, appearing to shrink backwards.

"Enough!!" This time it was Madeleine who was yelling, and she brandished her clipboard in the air as if it were a weapon. She had no sword or pistol, but office supplies could be just as deadly. Beckett could attest to that. "Be quiet, all of you! Just shut your mouths and keep them shut!!"

And they did.

"Now," Madeleine went on, more calmly, as she lowered her clipboard, "Jack, if you would kindly sit down. Will, Elizabeth, come with me."

Elizabeth made a face of disgust. "Both of us?"

"Yes," Madeleine replied with forced control, "both of you."

"Why both of us?" Will demanded. Madeleine didn't like the tone in his voice, but at least he wasn't holding his sword anymore. Besides, she still had her clipboard.

Madeleine answered Will as calmly as possible. "Why? Because I think you two are in desperate need of some marriage counseling."