Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry! I am so sorry for taking so long to update, but here you go. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm really self-conscious of the end.

Jack, Will and Lula arrived in Tortuga just as night fell.

The Captain and Tallulah had silently agreed that they were not a couple, or anything of the sort; Lula just wanted to have some fun for once in her boring life, and Miss Swann had captured Jack's interest, a rare accomplishment. They told Will nothing, and kept their hands to themselves when he was around.

Once they were ashore Jack warned, "Tallulah, stay by my side at all times, and don't wander. Also don't stare at anyone for too long, especially men, they can be pretty hard to shake off. Will, never let Lulu out of your sight and don't do anything stupid. Ok, let's go."

The threesome walked towards the centre of Tortuga, and after short while they found themselves in the rowdy town square.

"… More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? … What do you think?" Jack finished as he gestured with the polished cane he stole from a drunk walking past.

"It'll linger," Will commented as he took in the drunks and prostitutes scattered about.

"It's objectionable!" cried Tallulah, staring at a rather dirty wench with her particularly large breasts hanging out, "and it smells," she added. Suddenly a sparkly twinkle entered Lula's ocean blue eyes and a mischievous smile curved her rose lips. "This is so exciting! Just think what Father would say if he could see this … not to mention the scandal-loving princesses at home; they'd most likely drop dead from shock! Just imagine … ahhh … I hate all those spoilt brats, they're always talking about me and whispering some new and ugly rumour behind their perfectly dainty hands." Tallulah gushed with an exceptionally sour look adorning her perfectly dainty features.

Jack chuckled warmly at Tallulah's antics as he rested his arm on Will's shoulder as he said, "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted."

Spotting a pasty girl with outrageous red hair and a blood red dress, Jack took several swaggering steps forwards and called, "Scarlet!" then he pulled his mouth into a charming smile that he directed at the excessively red girl. Scarlet strutted up to the Captain, slapped him hard round the face and then strutted off with a look of triumph on her pallid face.

"Not sure I deserved that" Jack informed his two companions. He then swung back around to face a skinny but pretty blonde.

"Giselle!" Jack purred, once again drawing his mouth into an attractive smile.

"Ooo was she?" Giselle asked.

"What?" Jack said just before he received a second slap. "I may have deserved that," he confessed with a wrinkle of his nose.

"Uh-huh!" huffed Tallulah, raising her eyebrows. "Can we please go now?" she asked in a slightly angrily tone.

"What's the matter, Love? … Are you jealous?" he asked with a cocky smirk.

"What of? The pasty, overly made up red head, or the scrawny, flat-chested blonde?" she replied bitterly with a resentful expression tainting her face.

"Of the fact that they've had a piece of ol' Jack, and you haven't … yet." Jack drawled as if he were drunk.

"Shut up!" she hotly said, crossing her arms forcefully over her chest.

At that moment a grimy, chubby man strolled by and spotted Tallulah, "Want a go around, lass? I'd pay well for a beaut like yous." He drunkenly called. Jack aggressively grabbed the man by his shirt collar and angrily muttered something to him, before he hurriedly backed off, into a tavern. Jack then protectively wrapped his arm around Tallulah and towed her through the crowd, with Will trailing behind them.

.

Jack brought Tallulah and Will to a pigsty round the back of the town. He and William, with two buckets of water in hand, approached a man sleeping amongst the pigs. Tallulah lingered behind them, the smell putting her off.

Jack then threw his bucket of water over the grimy man.

"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" he yelled as he sat up and brandished a knife. He then realised who it was, "Mother's love! Jack! … You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck."

Jack walked forward and crouched before he man as he drawled, "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

After a confused expression passed across the older man's filthy face he said, "Aye, that'll about do it," and Jack pulled him to his feet.

William then threw the second bucket of water over the grey-haired man. "Blast! I'm already awake!" he yelled, blinking as the water dripped off his bedraggled facial hair.

"That was for the smell." William simply explained and the soaked man nodded in understanding and forgiveness.

The damp man walked out into the light and Tallulah looked him over properly thinking she recognised him from somewhere; then she realized who he was. "Mister Gibbs?" she asked very shocked.

"Aye, do I know ye, lass?"

"Sort of …"

"Miss Tallulah? Is that you?" he realised.

"Yes"

"You've grown a fair bit in ten years … what are you doing here?" he asked not understanding why a Governor's daughter would be in the company of a pirate.

"I can explain that," Jack said as he ushered them into a near by tavern.

.

"Keep a sharp eye, and look after Lulu." Jack ordered Will, as he and Gibbs made their way to a table in the back.

"Now, what's the nature of this venture of yourn?" Gibbs inquired as he brought his tankard to his dirty lips.

"I'm going after the Black Pearl." Gibbs began to choke on his rum as he took in what Jack had said.

"I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it." Jack explained simply.

"Jack, it's a fool's errand. Why, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl." Gibbs said worriedly as he shook his head.

Jack carried on, "That's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew."

"From what I hear of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one." Gibbs commented.

"Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?"

"Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?" he inquired.

"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" he said as he nodded his head in Will's direction.

It took a few tries for Gibbs to understand what Jack was trying to say. "The kid?"

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner … his only child, savvy?" the Captain explained with a wide smile.

"Is he now? … Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock as crazy as you."

"One can only hope." Jack said as he picked up his tankard, "Take what you can …"

"Give nothing back." Gibbs replied as he bashed mugs with Jack.

Throughout Gibbs and Jack's meeting, Tallulah and Will were standing a little way away, watching the chaos unravelling around them.

Tallulah pushed her hand into Will's after a very drunk, very odious man approached her and started grinning suggestively. Will wrapped his arm around her protectively, trying to shield her from the leers and comments of the drunken men. Lula was receiving quite a bit of attention from the drunks stuffed into the inn, her figure and her prettiness earning many comments.

She felt reasonably safe until a large brute of a pirate stumbled over, clearly drunk, and started talking to her, trying to persuade her to come upstairs to his room with him. William was no help as he was trying to fend of an overly enthusiastic prostitute who had latched herself onto his right elbow.

"Jack …" Tallulah nervously called over her shoulder when the drunken pirate grabbed hold of her bare arm with his blackened hand.

"Jack!" she cried slightly louder as the man started pulling forcefully.

"JACK!" she screamed as the pirate tried to close the distance between their faces.

"Lulu!" the Captain exclaimed as he jumped to Miss Swann's rescue, grabbing an empty bottle and smashing it over the brute's baldhead. He fell to the wooden floor with a loud thump, releasing Lula's delicate arm.

Jack then twisted the frightened girl into the safe cage of his muscled arms. "You alright, love? He didn't hurt you?" he murmured lovingly into Tallulah's ear.

"Th-thank you Jack … and I'm f-fine" she stuttered as she softly buried her face into Jack's dreadlocks and neck.

After Tallulah's breathing and heart had slowed to a normal rate, with the help of Jack's callused hands running up and down her back, she pulled out of his embrace but kept hold of his left arm and asked "Shouldn't we rescue William now? He seems to have landed himself in a situation."

A few feet away, Will was still struggling to fight off the overly enthusiastic prostitute, who had now been joined by two of her friends.

Tallulah giggled, and Jack chuckled as William squirmed his body out of the groping hands. Jack then yanked Will out of the whore's reach and pushed him to the table Gibbs was still residing in. He then guided Lula to sit between him and Will, and then wrapped his defined left arm around her diminutive waist.

"Are you three going to spend the nigh' here? Or maybe the White Horse down the street, bit nicer to sleep in, y'know? Less chance someone'll sneak in or steal somethin'." Gibbs asked.

"I think we'll end up at the White Horse, Gibbs. Especially after seeing the trouble Miss Swann can cause in less than five minutes." Jack smirked, as he squeezed Tallulah tighter to his body. "And I don't think I'll be letting her sleep in a room by herself."

"Fine by me Jack" she whispered, still worried about how much attention she had drawn in such a small amount of time. The thought that a stranger might sneak into her room at night scared her senseless.

.

After another rambunctious hour in the Black Tankard Inn, Jack, Tallulah, William and Mr. Gibbs found themselves in the White Horse. Overall the inn was much quieter than any they had walked past and seemed a fair bit cleaner.

Jack sauntered up to the main desk and asked, "Two rooms?"

"Aye, Jack … I'll jus' grab the keys." The innkeeper announced and bustled into the back room.

"There we go, love. No worries. William you take a room and I'll take the other with Miss Swann." Jack informed a sceptical Will. "Gibbs, you go and find me a crew."

"Hang on, Jack. Shouldn't I share a room with Tallulah? I mean, I've known her for eight years, and she's my best friend. She's only known you for a couple of days. And you're a pirate!" he exclaimed.

"William, William. You have no experience with Tortuga. You have no idea what might happen. … And I may be a pirate, but that just means I know from experience." Jack grinned. Will did not seem at all convinced so Jack sighed, "Just do as your told, Son."

The innkeeper tottered out of the back room with their keys and he took the coins Jack offered for the night.

In Jack and Tallulah's room:

Lula eyed the rather small double bed situated in the centre of the simply bedroom.

Oh no. What do I do? … I know I was all for having some fun with Jack. But not this much fun! I can't have sex with him! I just can't! … Oh my God, what if he expects it! I mean he is a pirate after all; he's not exactly pure and innocent. … Lord help me … How do I get out of this? I still like him; I really like him. … He's fascinating and incredible, heart-stutteringly handsome, rugged, sexy, stunning, alluring and completely gorgeous … But I always imagined I'd be in love before I actually slept with someone. … I'm not going to pretend that I'm Elizabeth and say that I'll wait till I'm married; I haven't the patience to wait, but not after only a few days of knowing someone … He doesn't expect it does he? I haven't been sending him any signals, have I? … What about earlier? I acted like a cheap wench, letting him run his hands all over me, and letting him see my naked! God, how could I be so stupid? Of course he thinks he's getting lucky, I pretty much offered my virginity up a few hours ago. This is all moving way too fast! I hardly know him … Wait, that's not true … he told me loads about himself last night in the cell. It all seemed so surreal when we were locked in the prison, like none of it was real. Oh but he's so pretty … and mysterious. Gah! I'm falling for a pirate! … Father would have a heart attack. Not that I've ever worried about his feelings. I'm a terrible daughter! Running off with blacksmiths and pirates, without even a thought about how Father would feel about losing both his daughters in one evening! … I know he's ashamed of me … I know he secretly wishes I was more like Lizzie, the dutiful daughter … Ok, if he wants another Lizzie, I'm going to try to be more like my big sister. Meaning no sex with Captain Jack Sparrow, and all the flirting has to stop! Oh but he is so attractive … and breathtaking! ... Just no more touching then, flirting can be allowed. Now to somehow tell him he has to keep his hands to himself. Well Tallulah, you've always been brash…

"Jack, I'm having second thoughts. Keep your hands to yourself, or loose them" she informed the pirate.

"What love?" Jack replied, completely lost in his own thoughts.

"Jack, I don't want a repeat of earlier, keep your wandering fingers to yourself and your side of the bed," she said exhaustedly.

"Ok, Love … Wait, What?" he yelped after her words had sunken in. "I thought you liked my wandering fingers, what happened?"

"I never thought it through, that's what happened. Now I have, I believe it was a mistake and we should just be friends." Lula replied formally.

"But … But … I thought we were just going to have some fun?" Jack stuttered.

"Jack Sparrow! I am not just some desperate whore who you can use for your own entertainment! I am a lady who needs proper attention and care from a gentlemen, not a pirate!" she passionately scolded.

Jack grinned, a plan forming, "Ok, Love, whatever you want. We should probably get to bed now, it'll be a long and tiring day tomorrow."

Tallulah nodded, a little put out by the fact Jack didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he couldn't play with her. She kicked off her boots and climbed warily under the white linen sheets of the bed.

As Jack mirrored her actions, also removing his belts, coat, vest and shirt, he was starting to plan in his head.

Ok Lulu, if that is how you want it, 'attention and care'. I'm just going to have to persuade you over to my side …

Jack carried on plotting until Lula's breathing slowed, signalling her fall into a much-needed sleep. Jack then carefully manoeuvred her body into his strong embrace, before drifting off to dream of deep ocean blue eyes.

Hey everyone, sorry again for taking months to update. And I really hate this chapter; I just don't know how to fix it. What do you think of the end? I don't think I like it; I just needed some way to slow down their relationship. Now hopefully Jack can become cheeky and flirty with Tallulah, and she can fail miserably at trying to stay away from him. I don't think they will actually sleep together in this story. I fully intend to write the second and third films including Tallulah. But don't worry there will be plenty of sexual tension and juicy moments waiting for Jack and Tallulah.

Please review and tell me what you thought. Constructive criticism is welcome and is actually very useful. If you hate the end of this chapter, just like I do please tell me and I'll try to think of a way of making it better.

Love Evangeline xxx