CHAPTER NINE

"Thank you, Will." Amber told the blacksmith after the men had left the smithy and it was just the two of them. "Norrington never did like me…He would've arrested me in a New York minute if you hadn't spoke up."

Will paused in the polishing of his sword. Glancing up at Amber with a quizzical expression he asked, "A New York minute?"

"Er…" Amber stuttered. "It means quickly, without hesitation…It's an expression said in…" She trailed, trying to remember the name of the island Jessie had given Jack. "…St. John. They say strange things there, because they're strange people."

Will nodded his head, and resumed the polishing of his sword. "You don't deserve to go to prison, you've done nothing wrong, committed no crimes. But I can't help but wonder…" Will trailed off, and his eyes met Amber's. "…Why you were even in the company of pirates in the first place."

It wasn't a question, but Amber could tell from his gaze that he wanted an explanation. To stall for time, Amber inhaled a breath, and letting out, she breathed. "Will…"

Will cocked an eyebrow at Amber addressing him so casually. Amber noticed his gaze and immediately recognized her mistake.

"I…I'm sorry…Mr. Turner." To Amber, the name sounded wrong on her tongue and she blushed.

"It's quite alright, Miss Reece." Will accepted her apology. It was strange hearing him addressed so formally, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was how Elizabeth felt everytime he called her 'Miss Swann.' No wonder she didn't like it. "You may call me Will."

It was Amber's turn to cock an eyebrow. "I can?"

Will nodded and put down his sword. It was obvious he wasn't going to finish polishing it anyway. "I suppose, with you being so young, it wouldn't really make a -"

"Shut up." Amber interrupted and had to grin at Will's astounded expression. "I'll call you Will, but you must call me Amber."

Will nodded his head, and for a moment they stood in silence. Amber began to study the swords the young man had made. When Will finally spoke again, he had changed the subject. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Tell you what?" Amber asked, turning to face him again.

"Why you were in the company of pirates in the first place."

Amber sighed and wrung her hands. She didn't want to get tangled in a web of lies, so she decided to tell Will the truth…Some of the truth, anyway. "The girl, Jessie, she's an old friend. My family knew her family back when we were younger, and lived near each other."

"And she chose to engage in a life of piracy?"

Amber flicked her wrist dismissively; "Jessie's found herself a new hobby, is all." She turned more serious and asked Will, "Why do you hate pirates so much?"

"Vile and desolate creatures, the lot of them." Will said distractedly. He had picked his sword back up, and was again shining it.

Not only did Amber want to smack Will upside the head for quoting Norrington, but she also wanted to grab him by the shoulders, and shake some sense into him, all the while yelling, 'Do you know who your father is?!'

But she didn't. Instead, she asked casually, turning back to the swords, "Surely there's a better reason than that."

"I can't give a specific reason on why I hate pirates. I've never had anything to do with them, and don't wish to. It was sort of bred into me."

Amber tried to contain her bark of laughter, and instead it came out in a snort. Will looked at her astonishingly, and Amber burst out laughing. She couldn't stop. It was just Will saying that it was 'bred into him' was funny, with his father being who he was. Ironic, really.

"Do I amuse you, Amber?" Will asked, his eyes twinkling as well.

Amber wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, but before she could answer him, the door to the smithy was opened, and a customer walked in.

Amber studied him out of the corner of her eye. He was a bear of a man, complete with facial hair. Stout, too. He didn't look very friendly, his eyes stern and a frown line permanently etched between his brow. When the smell of rotting meat reached her nostrils, she curled her lips in disgust and immediately disliked the man.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" The sparkle was gone from Will' eyes, his tone brisk and professional.

The man didn't answer. He was studying Amber, sizing her up and judging her, just as she had done to him. His intense gaze and fierce look frightened her, and she recoiled a little.

"Miss Reece," Will began, once again addressing her formally, since they were no longer alone. "Perhaps you should return to Governor Swann's house?"

Amber nodded and gave a feeble curtsey in response. "I enjoyed talking to you, Mr. Turner." With one last glance at the burly man, she left the shop. As she was leaving, she heard the man finally address Will, "The sword you made for me, I'd like it now."

--------------------

"Now look at what you've gotten me into!" Jessie huffed, kicking at the dirt of the jail that she had just been placed in.

"You?" Jack asked almost lazily, readjusting his hat on top of his head; before leaning back against the stone wall and pulling it over his eyes. "I'm the one bound for the gallows."

"That bloody Norrington plans on hanging us too, ye know." One of the grubby men in the cell next to Jack and Jessie's pointed out, before turning back and whacking another man on the back of the head and whispering, "Stretch farther. Ye have to reach them."

"So we're all gonna die." Jessie sighed; plopping down crossed legged in the dirt and watching as one of the men tried desperately to reach the keys that the guard had dropped when he fell asleep.

"No, no, no, no, no." The man cried out, as the prison's dog trotted by and scooped the keys up in his mouth. "Bloody pooch."

"The bone! The bone!" The other man hit his companion on the back excitedly. " Grimes, tempt 'im closer wif dat bone!"

The man called Grimes nodded ecstatically, and reached his grimy hand between the bars for the bone. Once it was in his grasp, he told his partner, "I got it, Pete! Whistle 'im over."

When the two men fixed their attention on tempting the dog to come within their grasp, Jessie lost interest in the scene and glanced over and Jack, who appeared to be asleep.

"Well, this is great fun." She mumbled with absolutely no emotion at all. "The pirate sleeps away his last day as he waits for death to come collect him in the morning."

Jack grunted in response, and pushed his hat up higher on his head. "There will be no killing the pirate tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah?" Jessie challenged, cocking an eyebrow. "How would you know?"

"Lass," Jack flashed the grin that Jessie loved. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Oh, of course." Jessie said sarcastically. "That'll solve everything."

-------------------------------------

As soon as she left the smithy and turned the corner of the alley, entering the streets of Port Royal, Amber knew she was lost. She'd seen the movie often enough, but had never paid any mind to where anything was in the little port. And now it was coming back to bite her in the butt.

"Okay, I swear I've passed that before." Amber told herself out loud, nodding towards a building that could be a shop.

Examining the street signs, Amber wondered if she should go into one to ask where the Governor's house was. After checking out a few of the Taverns, though, she decided she'd rather not.

The Whale and Waterspout seemed to be a hotel of sorts, complete with drunken sailors and angry, heart-broken drifters just looking for a place to stay. If Amber went in there, she probably wouldn't be very well received.

The Chymist and Druggist freaked Amber out, especially after she witnessed a woman coming out of the store carrying a bottle of potion and muttering "This will keep Jackson from trying to leave me and his son again."

The Bit 'n' Stirrup looked harmless enough, but just the site of another burly man much like the one she had seen in the shop was enough to cause her to shrink away from the door.

Finally, Amber came upon a stone building that stood straighter than the simple wooden shops. It had no name, and Amber decided it save. Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked in and looked around.

There wasn't much to it, really, and when Amber realized that the building was empty, she deflated. Her spirits immediately brightened up again though, when she noticed a set of stone stairs in the corner, disappearing to wherever the heck it led too.

Holding her skirt up just enough so that she wouldn't trip over them, Amber walked cautiously down the stairs. Her shoes made little noise on the stone, and she found the silence unnerving.

The first sign of human life she saw was a snoring man, obviously asleep, and assumed to be a guard.

"You're not doing your job to well there, buddy." Amber whispered to the sleeping man. His only response was deep snort that was exhaled in a giant sigh that shook his body. "Ugh." Amber said, her nose crinkled in disgust. "Your breath doesn't smell to hot, either."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"What was that?" Jessie asked, springing up on her feet. "Did you hear it?"

"I don't 'ear nothing but yer mouth, lass." Jack replied, his hat still over his eyes. "And I wish I wasn't hearing that."

"Honest, Jack." Jessie said, gripping the bars. "I heard someone." She waited, listening intently, and finally she heard something.

"Hello?"

"Amber?" Jessie called, recognizing her friend's voice. "That you?"

"Jessie?" Amber's voice was shortly followed by her head, and then the rest of her body as she entered in the main body of the prison. When she saw her friend behind bars, she grinned and couldn't resist being a tease. "Aw, poor Jessie's in jail. What did you do, you bad, bad girl?"

Jessie didn't find the remark funny. Slumping back against the wall she muttered, "It was Jack's fault…"

Suddenly, Jessie brightened and stood up straight again. "Hey, Amber you think you can get those keys from that dog…"

"No! Come back!"

The cries of Pete were heard just moments before the site of the dog rushing up the steps, the keys still in it's mouth.

"Just kidding." Jessie told her friend, watching the dog's tail turn the corner and disappear.

"You idiot."

Amber and Jessie turned just in time to see Grimes receive another heavy smack on the back of the head. "Why did ye 'ave to kick the irons with ye foot?! You scared it away you-"

"It'll be back." Jessie said calmly, interrupting the bickering two.

"Says you." Pete growled, lying flat on his back. "Now I gots to come up wif anofer escape plan."

"Or you can just give up." Jack suggested, still not raising his head. His hat covered his eyes, so he couldn't see the dirty look Pete shot him. When no one did or said anything else, Jessie turned back to her friend.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Elizabeth?" she demanded, keeping her voice low.

"I can't find the mansion!" Amber said, making sure her voice was still a whisper, despite the emphasis it held.

"You retard!" Jessie accused. "All you have to do is follow the main road. It dead ends at the Governor's gate!"

"Only you would pay enough attention to the movie to know that." Amber said, before flashing her a grateful smile and turning to go. Just before she started up the steps, she turned and asked her friend, "Do you want me to get you out?"

Jessie shook her head. "Nah, I'll wait until…" She trailed off, and Amber nodded, understanding. Wait until tomorrow, when Will comes for Jack.

"Um, will you be going with Elizabeth?" Jessie asked, telling Amber with her eyes that she meant 'will you be kidnapped when Elizabeth does?' Once again, Amber understood, and it was her turn to shake her head.

"Lord, no! If I have a choice, I'd stay and go with the Will any day!" She waved good-bye, and when Jessie waved back, Amber took it as permission to go ahead and go. Quickly, she turned and rushed up the stairs.

Jessie flopped down next to Jack. The pirate hadn't paid any mind to the conversation between her and Amber. Chances are, he didn't really care. Or, Jessie mused to herself; he could just be grouchy because he hadn't any rum in awhile.

Either way, it didn't matter. As Jessie slumped against the wall and closed her own eyes, she replayed Amber's words "If I have a choice…"

"You may not have a choice, Amber." Jessie mumbled, eyes still closed. "The pirates may take you anyway."