A PIRATES TREASURE

Disclaimer:- POTC belongs to the Disney Corporation along with it's characters. I have no claim to any of their work and make no money out of my stories. I have introduced some characters that belong to me to fit with the story.

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A Pirates Treasure

Chapter 5

It was early evening, the parlour now once again sparkling; Elizabeth placed a lamp on the table and fetched the map she had found. Unrolling it, she thought that it seemed old, the leather worn and well handled. She puzzled over how long it had been hidden above the fireplace and marvelled that it had not been burnt.

The map was crude in parts, in others showed great detail which seemed unusual. Most maps had as much detail on them as possible. She had seen her fair share when at sea. This certainly wasn't a chart used for safe passage, but something far more out of the ordinary.

Sighing, her mind turned to Jack and to what had happened earlier between them. She still couldn't believe that he was seriously going to set sail and leave her behind, although he had seemed to be as immovable from his views as she had been from hers. What was it with men? Why did they presume that they were in charge? Why on earth did women let them? she mused. More to the point, she had said things in the heat of the argument that she didn't mean. Things designed to hurt, to barb Jack with feelings of guilt. Thinking back she had allowed her head to rule her heart. She had told him not to come back until he would allow her to sail with him. She was wrong. Knowing Captain Jack Sparrow, his pride wouldn't allow him to back down. It was, she decided, up to her to place their relationship back on an even keel…and she now had exactly the leverage she needed.

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Jack, meanwhile, was well and truly drunk. He sat at his desk, chair tipped back on two legs, so that its back rested against the wall, his booted feet stretched out on the table, ankles crossed, while he recounted Elizabeth's words. How on earth was he going to get out of this one, he thought. She had been furious with him, angry enough to issue an ultimatum. Take her with him or forget her. Neither option was acceptable to him. He could forget her as much as he could forget to breath…it would never happen, but to put her at risk, knowingly put her in a situation where, if they were defeated by another ship, she would likely be raped and abused by every man present before being tossed overboard, alive or dead, was a scenario he couldn't contemplate. He would have to talk to her again, he acknowledged. It wouldn't be easy. He placed the rum bottle to his lips and tipped it back. Empty! Dropping the empty bottle onto the growing pile to the left of his chair, he leaned down to the right to pick up a fresh bottle. As he did so, the door flew open causing him to lose his already precarious balance, and causing the chair to fall out from beneath him

Elizabeth walked into Jack's cabin and her eyes widened as he disappeared from view, arms flailing wildly as his legs shot up into the air and he was deposited, unceremoniously on the floor of his cabin beneath the desk. She hid a smile. That, she thought, would do nothing but bruise his already massively inflated ego, even more than it would his backside!

She walked further into the cabin, and surveyed the empty pile of bottles beside the desk. That's right, Jack. Sort your problems out while staring into the bottom of a bottle, she mused. Some things would never change.

Jacks head suddenly popped up from behind the desk and smiled at her. "Lizzie." he purred, a delighted smile on his face. "Ye came to see me. Does that mean ye saw the sense in what I said t' ye?"

"No, Jack. It does not…but if you can manage to get yourself off the floor, I have something to show you."

Jacks eyes dilated in an instant and a smirk appeared from nowhere. "Oh, Lizzie, luv." he managed, before he disappeared abruptly once again and muttered oaths drifted up from behind the empty table, before he rose up into view. He quickly stepped out from the table, his relief evident that she was there. He swayed across the cabin towards her, keeping his eyes glued to hers, and Elizabeth realised just how inebriated he was. This would be easy, she thought.

He stopped before her and reached for her, obviously misinterpreting her intentions. "So, what is ye plannin' on showin' me, luv?" he whispered, and she was immediately hit by a wave of his rum fuelled breath and noticed that his eyes were squinting slightly, a sure sign that he had been drinking all day.

Elizabeth neatly sidestepped his embrace and watched him stagger slightly as the image before him disappeared. He paused for a moment, a pout appearing, as he tried to work out where she had gone.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking I've forgiven you, Jack. I've come because I found something I thought you might like to see."

Jack swung around, again fighting to keep his feet, his confusion evident as to how she had got behind him. "Will ye stand still, woman!" he said. "Ye be flittin' about like a wasp round a honey pot."

Elizabeth walked to the table, produced the map case from the folds in her dress and spread the map on the table. "What do you make of this, Jack?" she asked. "It was hidden on a ledge above the fireplace in my parlour."

Jack eyed the distance back to the table, obviously working out if he could make it back there. Slowly, concentrating all of the way, he staggered back to where he had started from.

Elizabeth bent and retrieved the chair from the floor before he joined it. He sat down abruptly and pulled the map towards him, his head moving about to try and focus on it. Finally, the images stopped running together and he was able to see clearly what was before him. Instantly, he realised what he was looking at and his body threw off the cover of intoxication. Elizabeth looked on, baffled, as a drunken Jack became a sober Jack in a matter of seconds…

How on earth did he manage to do that, she thought.

Jack looked up at her. "Lizzie, ye remember ye told me that a Capt'n owned yer house b'fore ye. Can ye, by any chance remember 'is Monika?" Elizabeth looked confused. "His name, luv. Can ye rememb'r 'is name?"

Elizabeth thought back to the papers she had signed, struggling to recall the dead man's mane. "Er…I think it was Lucas…Lekus…?"

"Lexus?" Jack asked. "Think, Lizzie. Was the man's name Lexus? Capt'n Lexus?"

"That's it! Captain Lexus! But…how did…?" she started to say.

Jack leapt up from the chair and commenced to dance around the room, his joy evident. "Oh, ye darlin', Lizzie. Ye absolute darlin'!" He made his way to her, swept her into his arms and danced her about the cabin.

"J-Jack?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly. "What on earth…?"

Jack stopped twirling her and led her to the desk. "Capt'n Lexus, luv, was a man of legend. He told tales t' anyone who w'd list'n 'bout how, years b'fore, he'd tak'n a Spanish ship laden w'th gold an' trinkets the likes of which 'ad ne'r b'n seen b'fore. No'ne believed it! Thought it a likely tale. But now…we 'ave a map…a map of great value…an' all we need…is t' work out where t' treasures hidden."

"And we sail to find it!" Elizabeth said, pleased to see how her plan had worked.

"No!" replied Jack. "I sail to find it, while ye wait here fer m' t' bring it back!" He smiled broadly.

Elizabeth reached for the map just as Jack popped it in the case and tucked it into his shirt. Oh, not again, Elizabeth thought, thinking back to the time when Jack had lay claim to her letters of marque. "Jack! The map!" she said, holding her hand out for it. "Give it to me!"

Jack looked directly into her eyes, a devilish twinkle in the depths of his. A feeling of déjà vue stole over her. "Persuade me!" he demanded with a smirk, obviously remembering their previous encounter.

"Oh no, Jack! Not again! I'm through playing games! Give me my property back or let me come with you!"

"No. Lizzie!" he stated firmly. "Me views on t' matter haven't changed. Tis too dangerous fer ye t' be galivantin' 'round The Pearl on the high seas. Ye wait 'ere fer me, where I know yer safe! Twill be a couple o' days yet b'fore we leave."

Elizabeth was silent, a fact that Jack didn't miss. "'An don't be plannin' anythin' t' change me mind. I won't be changing it. Savvy?"

"Alright, Jack." Elizabeth agreed meekly, immediately arousing his suspicion.

She was hatching a plan…he knew it…and she knew that he knew it…the only thing they didn't know was who knew what the other knew, he thought. One thing he knew for certain. There was no way on God's earth that she would be sailing with him to find the treasure.

Elizabeth had a plan. There was absolutely no way on God's earth that he would be sailing without her to find the treasure.

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Oh…I smell trouble!

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