Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind. A/U Story

Title from a song by Temptations

Chapter 12: Error of Our Ways

Becket and Mercer were the first at the room and he had ordered every officer in the town to find them. "Why didn't she yell sooner?" snarled Becket furious that Jack had escaped with his leverage right under his nose and his damn luck still held fast.

Mercer scanned the room seeing little signs of struggle but did see something shining on the desk leading out to one of the balcony's. "It would seem maybe she remembers something regardless of how brainwashed she may be." he lifted the ring to examine it and returned it to his master.

"Damn him and her both." He was furious, everything about him read murder and Mercer smiled glad to be the one to accomplish it in the future. "This isn't over, she may be gone and he may get her back but this isn't done." he threw the ring not caring where it went, all he wanted was two pirates strung up and hanging dead out his front window.

Once they were sailing again Jack had turned Maddison loose in his cabin and locked her in. She furiously banged on the door screaming and cursing him to the depths. It was no different than he was used to and he let her stew going about his duties for the time being.

It wouldn't be long before Becket was on the water looking for them and he would have to keep ahead of the threat.

"LET ME OUT!" furiously Maddison beat on the door before surrendering seeing her knuckles were bloodied, black and blue. "Ow, damn it all." she felt mortified at what had left her lips, it wasn't proper to swear like the pirate that had yet again abducted her. "I'm Madeline, you are crazy Jack Sparrow!" she tried again with no response.

She remained on the floor in the middle of the cabin, her eyes focused on her now caking bloodied hands. Sore and angry she gently wiped tears from her eyes and stood. At the very least she could examine her prison. Slowly she moved around the cabin, it was full of books, shelves, trunks and various crates. His bed off to the side made her uneasy before she turned and began to examine his desk.

Various tools lined the area along with maps and many rum bottles. Gently she picked up one glancing it over the familiarity of it troubling her before she set it aside and glanced down at the crunch under her feet.

Further off behind the desk she saw more broken bottles, she reached down lifting a piece and found it smelled of rum. Dropping it among the many others she walked to the large captains windows and peered out.

Regardless of being a captive she felt safe and at home. She lifted a jacket off the side of the desk and twisted it looking over the dark blue material and the silver buttons. It was small and too feminine to be Jack's, she moved her hands through the pockets before finding a bloodied blue bandana, it was folded gently and seemed very familiar.

Jack watched her lost in her examination of her jacket, he had hoped that something would jog the memory she had lost. He was hoping anything on the ship would return Maddison back to him, regardless of the issues they had before.

"It's yours Maddie, you left it with me when you ran away. You used it to cushion my head when I was poisoned." she whirled dropping the garment and gripping the bandana for dear life. "I'm also the reason you don't remember anything. I was imprudent when I gave you some of that cursed liquid. I wanted you to forget you had feelings toward me and it…

"Backfired?"

"Aye, very badly." She still didn't believe him and his way of man handling her to bring her to his ship did little to make her want to try to believe him at all.

"You have a strange way of showing you want to help me." Her tone was angry, but somewhere he detected some relief in her voice.

"This coming from the woman that can no longer pronounce fiancé with Becket in the sentence." She balled her fists up angrily sending a fierce look his way. "You left me little choice to plead my case to you love, you yelled for that bloody bastard."

She went to remark on both accounts but instead refused to speak. She leaned down gently retrieving the jacket before twisting it between her hands again pondering it. She was aware of Jack walking up behind her but refused to feel threatened, he gently placed something on the desk beside her and started to leave.

"You're real clothes Maddie." he left glancing among his crew, he still had no idea on how to get Maddison back.

What bothered him most was he wanted her back, it meant he had some sort of attachment to her and he didn't want to admit that at all. Will come up to his side seeing how troubled Jack really was.

"Does she have any idea who any of us are?"

"No whelp, she doesn't" Jack snapped before going up to the helm, he was agitated and hated questions at present. "Send Lizzie in to help her with that dress she's wearing."

Maddison stared at the garments Jack had left for her. They were clearly feminine and her size, she gently stroked the white shirt and blue corset, the black pants intrigued her and then she saw the various daggers and straps, one dagger among her boots caught her eye and she examined it feeling a sort of pride for the blade.

"Maddison can I help you?" She turned to the soft spoken voice and saw a woman with light brown hair and dark eyes, she wore a white shirt and tan pants, the shirt seemingly a bit big for her and her hair braided behind her.

"Who are you?"

Elizabeth sighed wishing Jack undid whatever happened to her. "Elizabeth Turner, Will's wife and your friend."

She laughed darkly at the word 'friend'. "If you're my friend then why did your husband help that blasted pirate kidnap me?"

"Because that wasn't you and we're trying to help." She eyed the clothing again knowing what Elizabeth was there to help her with.

"Does he worry about my virtue, is that why you're here. I had thought by now he would have taken advantage of me." Elizabeth frowned at her sarcastic tone before coming over to unlace the dress and other garments she wore.

"I hate to break it to you Maddie girl but you have no virtue to protect. You've been with Jack before and I know this because of what you told me. Also in your current state of mind because he's a good man regardless of being a pirate, he wouldn't take advantage of you." She left in a huff leaving Maddison staring after her wide eyed.

"Lizzie!" Jack noticed her haste and ticked off body language.

"She's insufferable!" he managed to catch the angry woman by the arm and Will come over to calm her as well. "She was worried about her virtue and you taking advantage of her!"

For a minute Jack blinked, he then began to laugh. Granted it wasn't a funny situation but the fact Maddison would worry about such things when she had been creative during their times together amused him. He managed to contain himself seeing the couple eye him strangely.

"I do not see how this should be amusing Jack." Will didn't understand anymore than Elizabeth.

"I don't think you want me to share either Whelp." both saw a sort of mischief in his dark gaze and both went about their duties.

They didn't want or need to know.

Maddison stood there in her 'clothes' she admitted they felt more right than the dress had. She had freedom and felt more comfortable then she remembered. Slowly she turned looking over her reflection before her fingers lingered on the dagger strapped to her wrist.

"I remember…" she tried to recall why it seemed so familiar, almost like she used it recently.

"You gave it to Elizabeth when we were trying to get free of Becket the first time. Large cat distracted the bad guys and we got away." she remembered black fur and something else but again felt dizzy.

"I don't remember Jack." Sighing he allowed his gaze to trail over her, he was actually glad to have her back but didn't dare say so. "If I don't mean anything to you, why did you come get me and why do you want my memories back?"

He didn't know how to answer that, it would mean saying something he couldn't. "Friends love, I couldn't just leave you."

She didn't believe him, he was hiding something and again his eyes gave that away. "Clearly you aren't going to tell me why," she again glanced over her reflection. "Why do I have so many scars?"

He gazed at her confused expression watching her focus on the scars on her eye and one on her chest just above her shirt line he hadn't seen before.

"You never told me Maddie, you were to furious to do so." She believed that, something about her and him felt very unresolved.

"That I believe. You don't tell the truth much do you Jack?" he chuckled bowing mockingly.

"Pirate."

She felt herself smile at that, something in the way he did that also seemed so memorable to her she couldn't help herself. She lifted the bloodied scarf in her hand examining it again. He told her how she had tied off his arm and how unpleasant he had been. He told her everything including about the liquid and his stupidity in disguising it with he rum.

"You are the reason I don't know anything then?" He nodded seeing she seemed docile compared to what he would expect.

Lost in thought she allowed her gaze to linger on the bandana in her hand, she then walked up meeting his dark gaze and let her strange urge take over.

CRACK

Jack hadn't forgotten that and felt his head snap to the side. "Oiy, that is common for you too." he rubbed his face seeing her eyes had hardened like the sea on a stormy night. "I am sorry for once love."

"How do I remember?"

"I don't know." He waited for another hit to come but nothing happened. "Love?"

Maddison turned away from him lost in her dark thoughts, how could she forgive him so easily if she didn't remember him? She was furious with herself and even worse confused by everything that had happened so far.

"Where's the liquid?"

"No, that's what started this…

"Jack it may be the only way and because you did it, you have to undo it." His mouth went slack when her gaze met his. "I don't care about your feelings, I know that for some reason you came back and that's reason enough to know you can undo what you done."

"She's right mate, you know what you have to do."

"I won't." he tried to wave of his voices, she caught his hands meeting his infuriated gaze.

"You have to, otherwise I will remain Madeline Lamont and end up Becket's wife. You have to prove what you say is true Jack. If you don't I will find a way and you seem to know what I'm capable of." he grit his teeth staring her down.

"I have a brig I could lock you in, your quite familiar with it."

"So you say, you can but someday I will get free and then you know what will happen." he cursed the day he met her all over again, this was one challenge he wasn't getting out of.

This time the compass wasn't involved, the one thing he hated most come into play and he had sworn them off. He didn't want to face it but he did care, he wanted Maddison not some girl claiming she didn't remember their life. Their adventure and his stupidity. He missed the familiarity of them and her confounding way of vexing him to no end.

Shaking his head angrily he went to one of the many trunks, unlocked it with a set of keys and yanked out a glass pouring rum into it. He read the scroll again before eyeing the bottle, he dropped in the same amount he had before messing up her memory and nearly threw the drink at her.

She sniffed at the drink before meeting his dark gaze. "You know not everyone can hide forever, eventually it all catches up to us." he gave her a hostile look before waving her to drink the stuff. "Will you care if it kills me Jack?"

His anger faded to surprise and then he went to reach for the glass not wanting that to be the case, she had it gone before he managed and stood there watching him. She dropped like a stone, he flew around the other side of the desk and knelt down lifting her head into his lap.

He waited thankful she was still breathing, all he could do was hope that it would work and Maddison would come back being the menace she always was.