A/N: I lied by accident at the end of the last chapter. I didn't state the pairing anywhere (I thought I had) and now you're probably even more confused. But I've changed the description anyway now, so if you're new to this, you've probably got a better idea of where this is going. If not, read the new summary. Also, I updated the rating to M just to be safe, though I don't plan for anything too graphic to happen, I'd rather be safe than sorry. And in any case, if anything that might really warrant an M rating does happen, it's unlikely to be until much later in the story.

CHAPTER FOUR: Pirata Codex

Jack was leaning over the edge of the ship. It was the middle of the night but the storm had become so violent that sleep was impossible. He let the flecks of water hit his face, cold and aggressive. He'd sobered up hours ago and was back to worrying about Angelica.

"Damn Spaniard." He mumbled to himself. He recalled the first time he'd met her, accidentally bursting into her bedroom at the convent, the way her dark hair had tumbled over her shoulders onto the virginal white nightgown. She hadn't screamed or shouted for help, but had aided his escape. He had gone back to that place every day, drawing her into his web. He'd known very well he was seducing her, taking her away from the church, but he hadn't cared. He'd been successful and he remembered night after balmy night, when he had devoured her body. And he remembered long days spent teaching her to swordfight, with her teaching him how to be considerate and gentle. Those were lessons he had kept with him in future dealings with women.

He was sure he wasn't in love with her anymore. Those… stirrings that had returned to him had been nothing else. She was vengeful and cruel in her dealings, nothing like the girl he had once loved. He couldn't stand a hypocrite, and she was certainly one of those. She never said what she meant but expected his honesty and devotion…

Katie always said what she meant. He thought of her now as a close friend, someone he trusted, because she was truthful and had helped him. She also had a spine of steel. Why had he kissed her? He was kicking himself mentally even thinking about it. The kiss had been hungry and passionate, but all wrong. He had decided he would never betray another friend after Angelica, but he had betrayed her by coveting her, even if only for a moment. Luckily she had been forgiving. But he wasn't sure he was willing to forgive himself yet, either for kissing her or for leaving that jezebel Angelica somewhere she could escape from and wreak havoc.

"Don't beat yerself up, son." Teague seemed to appear out of nowhere beside him, like always. Jack barely jumped.

"What?"

"Katie was all in a fluster earlier too. She didn't say anything but I weren't born yesterday."

"Oh… that…" Jack shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Any luck with that compass?"

"I 'ave an idea of where the Dutchman is. Only you can find the Pearl though, Jackie."

"I can't get the Pearl back without Will anyway. He can raise her from that bottle." Jack pointed out.

"Well that's all the more reason to find Turner isn't it? If I know you, Jackie, all you really want is your ship back, if only to run away from us." Teague gave him a knowing look. "Spent half your teenage years running away from me, in particular."

"I was a rebel." Jack grinned.

"You're still a reprobate."

"So are you." Teague grinned back at this, patting Jack on the shoulder and laughing.

"Aye, that I am. But I never beat myself up about the past, Jackie, and that's what you're doing. I can see it in your face, boy. I know a little about Angelica, and I know she's a force to be reckoned with. Nobody blames you." Jack nodded and Teague walked away, probably to bed, despite the rumbles of thunder and the violently tossing waves. The rain was becoming heavier too, but Jack ignored it.

"Nobody to blame but me." Captain Jack Sparrow was many things but one thing he'd never been before was self-pitying.

It took a few weeks before they neared the Caribbean, and those weeks felt far too long to Jack on the uneventful Atlantic Ocean. At least with their original plan, he and Katie would have been ship hopping and seeing different sights. But now he had no choice but the constant watchful gaze of Teague and the mounting dread he felt as he knew he drew closer to the day he'd have to confront Angelica. That might not be for a long time yet but he knew it was coming, and that was quite bad enough. Not to mention the Brethren Court. Katie was interested in knowing more about the latter now, and Teague consented to show her the Pirate Code. The thick volume travelled with Teague wherever he went and it was important Katie understood the long and short of it, especially when it came to parley and the distribution of treasure.

"The articles vary from crew to crew, but generally captain gets two shares of the treasure, as does the first mate, and the quarter master and boatswain get one share and a half. The rest of the crew gets a share and a quarter." Teague informed Katie. Jack was wandering around Teague's office as they spoke, picking up random objects and examining things. "The most important thing to remember is, if you're marooned you get one pistol with one shot. If you come to be captured by another crew you have the right of parley, where you get to talk to the captain without harm comin' to ye."

"I hadn't even thought about treasure." Katie said truthfully.

"Your mind's been elsewhere." Teague nodded. Everyday Katie had helped Moss prepare the food for the crew, and she had also taken to crow's nest duty. She was also not above helping to scrub the deck, though Teague had caught some of the crew members staring at her behind as she bent over to do so and had set her to less vulnerable tasks. The crew had in fact behaved very well towards Katie, considering, and were only now starting to get antsy. He thought they'd better make port somewhere soon as they needed supplies and to blow off some steam.

As if he could hear his father's thoughts, Jack piped up, "We can't be more than a few day's hard sailing from Tortuga now."

"You're right, Jackie, if we bear south-east and the wind is with us it should be three days."

"I'd never heard of Tortuga." Katie said mildly. Jack smiled, flashing his gold teeth at her.

"It's the best place in the world, love." He informed her, then paused, "Maybe not for a woman, though."

"Definitely no place for a lady." Teague agreed.

"I stopped being a lady when I left London." Katie informed them firmly, but Jack shook his head.

"Nah… you'll be alright with us, love, but it's full of the bilge of the rest of the Caribbean. Criminals, exiles, wenches." Katie frowned up at him as he circled the desk she and Teague were sat at.

"When did you get all protective?"

"I believe back in France, when we agreed we'd pretend we were married." Jack retorted playfully. Katie rolled her eyes, having almost forgotten that farce, though not quite the incident of seeing Jack partially unclothed. His leg had healed almost completely now, with the regular application of alcohol to prevent infection. The skin was knitted back together, though there was still a dip beneath where the bullet had gauged him.

"That agreement could come in handy." Teague announced, getting to his feet and seizing the guitar leant against the desk. He made his way towards his sleeping quarters.

"What do you mean?" Jack called. His father looked back at him.

"Think on it, Jackie. By the way, when we get to Tortuga don't even think about running away. You have to start preparing for the idea Calypso might turn against us again, unless we catch up to Angelica first." The door shut behind the old man, leaving Jack staring after him, apparently aghast. He turned around slowly after a moment and stared instead at Katie, who was still examining the Pirata Codex.

"Angelica," He muttered, "Us. Married. Aha!" Katie jumped at his last exclamation as she hadn't been listening. "Katie, you and I should pretend we're married again, to ward Angelica off!"

"Ward her off?" Katie giggled, "Like she's a vampire?"

"She might as well be a vampire!"

"Come on, it makes sense Katie. I can't let myself be swept away by her… sorcery." He muttered the last part. Katie felt a strange prickle of annoyance, but she wasn't sure why. Ignoring it, she looked at the practicalities: if Jack was her supposed husband, and they really were heading to a town of debauchery, she'd probably get along a lot better than if she appeared as she really was, a young, unmarried woman.

"Alright, I'll do it." She agreed. Jack squeezed her shoulder as he sauntered past her.

"I need to get some sword-fighting practise in, so excuse me." He said, exiting through the opposite door to Teague's. Katie sighed before getting to her feet herself and heading towards the kitchen, where Moss was sure to be preparing dinner.

It occurred to neither of them that Teague had put this plan of action into Jack's mind so that he would behave himself on Tortuga and not be distracted from the task at hand.

They made port in Tortuga on schedule around three days later, just as the sun was setting. The crew were excitable and had been talking of nothing but drinking and women since their stop-off had been announced. Teague had warned them that they would be setting off the following night and that any man who fell behind would be left behind. The old Captain didn't disembark himself though. Katie was reluctant to step off the ship either, given what she'd heard about the town, but Jack insisted and she couldn't help but see the benefits of standing on solid land for the first time in weeks.

The crew had all agreed to go along with their fake marriage and to spread the word in the hopes it would get back to Angelica; it was bound to, in a town full of pirates, so now it was just up to Jack and Katie to act the part. He took her into an inn called The Faithful Bride, where everyone seemed to know who he was and he knew everyone. Katie could feel every eye on her, particularly those belonging to females, and was both amused and slightly mollified to feel that their gazes were jealous. Jack was attractive and many of these women looked forward to his visits.

Jack seemed to finally be realising that he was unable to partake in his usual activities in Tortuga. He took it in his stride, buying rum for himself and a glass of wine for Katie. She still wouldn't touch rum and he was interested to see the effect alcohol would have on her. They sat in a corner and Katie watched as the prostitutes touted their business without shame, flirting indiscriminately with disgusting old men and nervous looking younger men, some of them barely out of their teens.

"How do they do that?" Katie wondered aloud as she watched a blonde woman kissing a man, her tongue entering his mouth.

"What do you mean, love?" Jack asked.

"Just… I mean, she looks as if she… well, is enjoying it. But she doesn't know him."

"You barely knew me." Jack pointed out, though he spoke before he'd thought. Katie's eyes went very round; since the event, neither of them had mentioned their kiss. And she distinctly remembered Jack's tongue on hers now, and the way she had wanted his hands on her… he watched as her face turned red. "I'm sorry," He said sincerely, unused to seeing her embarrassed, "I didn't mean it that way."

"Jack you know if you… want to… do… something," She struggled, as the prudishness her upbringing had taught her had not faded, "You can… I'll go back to the Troubadour."

"I can't do anything, love," He said calmly, "We're married, remember?"

"People expect it of you. I heard two women saying I was stupid if I thought you'd be faithful." Katie admitted. She wasn't sure why their saying that unsettled her, although it did just that. She was not blind to what Jack was.

"We need to make this," He indicated the pair of them, "As believable as possible. I have to appear so head-over-heels in love with you that I'm totally unavailable." Oh how he wanted to be available. Cracks in the side of the ship were beginning to look interesting to him, though of course he didn't tell Katie that. She seemed to sense his restlessness, though, or she wouldn't have given him permission to find a whore. Katie wasn't sure what to say now, in any case, so she sipped her wine. It was pleasant, but strong, and it was the first time she'd had any in a while.

"So tell me, Katie, somethin' I don't know about you." Jack said, his nonchalant manner returning to him.

"Hmm…" She replied, sipping her wine again, "There's lots you don't know about me."

"Just one thing? I can't be married to a woman I know nothing about." He teased, leaning across the table at her. His eyes seemed to glow then and it didn't occur to Katie that it was because he wanted them to; usually Jack refrained from flirting with her as they were friends. "What about your parents? You've met my Dad."

"My father is a lawyer." Katie said, "My mother was born in Ireland."

"Oh, so O'Connor is your mother's maiden name." Jack remembered how she had hesitated before giving O'Connor as her surname when he first asked her. Obviously she was hiding her association with her father, for some reason, most likely because she didn't want to be as easy to track down.

"Yes." She blinked at him.

"What is your father's name?"

"I've already said too much." Katie responded quickly, shaking her head. "I never meant to tell anybody anything about my family… ever."

"Why not?" Jack enquired quietly, leaning closer, resting one hand on her arm. "You can tell me."

"I can't."

"You can't talk about your family, or you can't tell me?" Katie hesitated. She had learned to trust Jack, and he had certainly trusted her when he told her about his history with Angelica, not to mention his feelings. Now she knew him better, she found Jack liked to pretend he had no feelings at all, so she knew it had been difficult for him. Still…

"I can't talk about my family." She decided finally, "I don't want to talk about them. Can we please discuss something else?" Jack sighed, knowing defeat when he saw it. Katie looked around again. A fight had broken out on the other side of the room, and tables were being flipped over in the process, a large amount of noise involved. Yet hardly anyone even looked twice.

"Tortuga is like this all the time." Jack chuckled, seeing her confused expression at the lack of reaction from the rest of the clientele. The wench nearby was still embracing the same man, though straddling his lap and thrusting in a very crude way now through his breeches. Katie looked quickly away. "They'll go upstairs in a minute." Jack reassured her. Katie shrugged and took a much larger swig of wine than before. Jack smiled at this and raised his own flagon of rum for a moment, before draining it completely. Katie watched in slight disbelief.

"Drink up," He said, "And we can go for a walk. I can see you're uncomfortable, savvy?" He added this when she gave him a questioning look.

"You don't have to-"

"-There's nothing here for me, anyway." He interrupted firmly. "I can take rum with me." She swallowed her wine extremely quickly after that, eager to depart. When she stood up she actually swayed slightly. Jack's hand went to the small of her back automatically, steadying her.

"I'm fine, I just stood up too fast." She lied. A hazy, pleasant feeling was starting to flow through her and she wasn't ready to give it up. She had never drunk just for the pleasure of it before. Jack led her outside and down the narrow street, back towards the dock, just as they had walked through the streets of the town in France which felt so long ago now. Except now Jack was holding her hand, both to live up to the rumour they were hoping to spread and to put off the drunk men who called out to any girl they saw walking down these streets.

Eventually they reached the place where the ground flowed into pleasant, soft sand. Jack let go of her hand here, as it was deserted, but they walked side by side in silence. Jack occasionally placed the stolen rum bottle to his lips. He was a dark shape on a slightly lighter background, his characteristic walk the only identifying feature she could see.

They came to a stop some way up the empty beach, and Katie flopped down onto the sand. Jack sat beside her, cross legged. He was surprised to feel her small hand tugging at the bottle, but he handed it to her nonetheless. Through the darkness he watched her take a swig then heard her cough and shudder in disgust. He laughed.

"Don't be mean," Katie chastised him, "It's you who keeps nagging me to try it."

"It takes some getting used to, is all." Katie took another, smaller sip of it and found she could tolerate the burn a little better that way, feeling it burning in her throat and chest. She took another sip. "You might wanna slow down, love." He told her.

"I'll decide when to stop." She snapped. He shrugged, although she couldn't see this, and turned to face out to sea. Suddenly he felt that this was going to be a very long night, maybe the longest he'd ever spent in Tortuga.

A/N: I realise this is the third upload in less than 24 hours, but I've been doing nothing but write all day because I'm ill! This one was a fun chapter to write though, so the time passed pretty quickly. I decided I might as well post it! The story is hotting up! So please drop me a review, it would be greatly appreciated.