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PLUNDERING THE CAPTAIN'S TREASURE Author: Charli Disclaimer: I do not own anything PotC related- it all belongs to Disney and the mouse! Summary: Piracy is in your blood. Pilfering, plundering, pillaging and raiding are your professions. But if you think Captain Jack Sparrow would be the perfect pirate to take your fancy you’d be wrong. Funnily enough, Jack’s not best pleased when Commodore Norrington steals the heart of the woman he loves and all his attempts to win you back fail. Author's Note: This story is the response to Lil Sparrow’s challenge that I said I would do ages ago and haven’t got round to it, so it’s finally here now! This is set during Dead Man’s Chest because if I’m doing a Norrie fic it’s going to have to be with scruffy Norrie! For the purposes of this story, Jack will not die in the end and the debt will be forgotten. As I said above it is only set during the film because of the unkempt Norrington and I know there is a plot hole! Please don’t be put off though! Also sorry if I’m not exactly on with the character’s actions because I can’t remember everything from the sequel, although I’m hoping it’s pretty accurate. Hope you enjoy it and read and review! * * * * * CHAPTER 1 Jumping as a gun shot explodes near your head, you duck and scamper back inside the tavern. Perhaps it was best to talk to people on this side of the door! You lean back against a pillar to search through the new customers entering the tavern. It doesn’t take long before a man with short dark hair and a lean build takes your eye. After spotting your prey, you stalk through the drunks and skirt round tables before pouncing on your target. He turns in alarm at the hand on his arm and stares down at you in confusion. “What?” He asks gruffly. Flashing him your most persuading smile you begin. “Hav’ yeh ever fancied a life of piracy?” You ask, sticking your bosom out a tad further than usual. “You trying to sell me something, lass?” He asks, eyes peering down your cleavage as he smiles seductively. “Nothin’, sir,” you reply in a heavy London accent that pronounces nothing as ‘nuffin’. I’m trying to make you sell something, to be more precise. He rolls his eyes, exasperated. “Well what do you want then, wench? I’m a busy man,” he tells you, one arm sweeping round the table at nothing particularly special. He cringes, obviously not having noticed that earlier, and looks up at you again. You perch on his knee muttering, “Haven’t you heard the stories of Captain Jack Sparrow? Sacking Nassau Port, sea turtles, that kind of thing?” He nods quizzically, one hand sliding up your skirts whilst his mind remains on your story. Batting his roving hand away, you smile, continuing, “He’d be your Captain. Think of the plunder yeh’d discover and the reputation yeh’d earn from being part of the Black Pearl’s very own undead crew.” A chuckle of delight passes your lips as he nods eagerly at the thought. Tortugans are so easy to manipulate. Slowly rising from his lap you finger his sleeve and he finally gets the hint. You wink at Gibbs upon reaching the table that the crew commandeered, and he eagerly follows the approaching hat with his eyes. From the corner a low drawl breaks you from your thoughts and you look in astonishment at the pirate. What was he doing now? Shaking his compass furiously, Jack is chanting, “I know what I want,” Then in a hopeful spirit he opens the compass quickly, and you assume nothing has happened judging by the disappointed expression on his face. “Next!” Mr Gibbs calls as the man you had snared approaches and you gesture for him to come closer. “Why should yeh sail aboard the Pearl?” You ask. “Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to sail the seas. Forever,” he says wistfully, and you swap amused glances with Gibbs. Gibbs coughs slightly, pushing a parchment across the table at him, “Sooner than you think. Sign the roster.” Another delighted smile passes over your face as he does and murmurs, “Thanks very much.” He then turns to you, trying to approach but another mate grabs his arm to lead him away. Rolling your eyes, you slump back in a chair against the wall and look over at Jack who is still shaking his compass. “How are we going?” He asks. You look at Gibbs hopefully, maybe more had signed up whilst you had been tempting people. “Including those four? That gives us… four.” Wincing you see Jack sigh and start shaking the compass even more vigorously. You’re going to need that, mate. “Karla?” Jack asks, looking up at you between hopeful shakes, and you look at him questioningly. “Why are you still sitting there? Go find me some more souls.” “Captain, I don’t think I can…” you trail off miserably, and are confronted by a pair of dark eyes and an annoyed expression when the compass still doesn’t show anything. “Course you can, luv, do you want to see ol’ Jack go to Davy Jones?” He asks, and you shake your head in a sulky expression. “No,” you reply and Jack smirks. Gibbs sighs at your bickering and looks up as a shadow casts over him. You also turn to look in surprise. Someone came on their own accord? “And what’s your story?” He asks the scruffy figure. A low voice cuts through the air with an answer, “My story?” Gibbs nods, and you pay more attention. There was something in the tone that told you it probably wouldn’t be a good one. “It's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a man across the seven seas,” he replies bitterly and your eyes widen as you recognise the voice. Casting a quick gaze at the pirate in the corner, you see him close his compass swiftly and shuffle towards a leafy plant. “The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life.” Norrington then grabs Gibbs rum bottle from the table and takes a long swig. You finally get a good view of him and gasp in surprise; he couldn’t look further from his normal self. The last time you had seen him was when Jack was at the Port Royal gallows. The crew had decided you would fit best into the crowd, as long as you kept your mouth shut, and sent you in to try and free Jack. It wasn’t your fault that William destroyed your tactics before you got a chance to help. “Commodore?” Gibbs asks in a disbelieving tone and you shuffle to the side to gain a better glimpse. Slamming the bottle back onto the table, his reply is sarcastic, causing Gibbs to shuffle awkwardly in his seat. “No, not any more, weren’t you listening? I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would’ve if not for that hurricane.” A snort of laughter escapes your lips as you see Jack grab a leafy plant and Norrington casts you an annoyed glance. Long ago you learnt it was best to keep your mouth shut, so you smile innocently and look away from Jack, who was sending you a dark glare to shut up. “Lord. You didn’t try to sail through it?” Gibbs asks, his eyes bulging in their sockets. Touching on a raw subject, Norrington changes the subject and glares at Gibbs. “So do I make your crew or not? You haven't said where you're going. Somewhere nice?” He shouts, making easy work of upturning the table and scattering everything over the floor. Gibbs falls off his stool with a loud thud and you jump. Jack, however, takes the opportune moment to walk across the tavern with the plant clutched upright in front of him. Norrington starts strutting around the tavern in a drunken, annoyed manner, letting Jack walk halfway across the tavern before turning to him. “So am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?” He drawls emphasising the Captain Jack Sparrow. His tone is so mocking that you could almost feel the daggers being thrown at Jack on the word ‘worthy’. The whole tavern drops to a tense silence and everyone’s eyes are on the pirate who is hiding behind a plant. Jack freezes and peers through the leaves of the plant, his eyes widening when he sees the end of Norrington’s pistol aimed in his direction. The pirate shifts slightly, glancing out from the other side of a wooden pillar. Unfortunately for Jack, the barrel follows his movements. “Or should I just kill you now?” Norrington asks sarcastically. Your eyes widen in shock at Jack at gunpoint. Sure he’d been there lots of times previously but never with a drunken, vengeful, ex-commodore holding it. That isn’t good. Carefully you leave your perch and silently make your way over behind Norrington. “You’re hired!” Jack tries hopefully, but the dark, sadistic look remains in the other man’s eyes. Norrington smirks, slowing down his voice, intent in enjoying this. “Sorry. Old habits and all that.” Seeing his fingers move harder onto the trigger, you dive forward, grabbing Norrington’s pistol hand and altering the shot. The pistol fires but in the wrong direction; it ricochets off one of the lights and smashes the bottle of an onlooker. Immediately, the man looks round in annoyance, punching the man next to him, and noise explodes once more in the tavern. Without really thinking, you elbow the ex-officer in the groin to hinder his movements and scamper away before he has time to reload his gun. Norrington groans, momentarily distracted by the shooting pain, and by the time he has regained his composure, or as much composure as he had at that time, two men are running at him with their swords drawn. Jack walks swiftly to where you are helping a startled Gibbs off the floor and drawls, “Time to go.” Heaving the portly man off the floor, you both answer, “Aye!” before hurrying over to the stair case in the corner. The three of you carefully climb them, dodging various people lounging on the edge. A smirk plays on your lips as Jack keeps pulling various hats off the heads of drunken men before discarding them onto other heads. None of them appear to suit him as well as the tri-corned hat; well that’s as much as you can ascertain from behind. You chuckle quietly as one man obvious feels the disturbance and touches his head in surprise before shrugging. Finally at the top of the stairs, the pirate seems to find one that fits. “Thanks mate,” he drawls, touching the man on the back but startles as he falls off from his perch with an “Ooh.” Leaning over the edge briefly, you see the man hit the edge of the table and send drinks flying through the air. This is followed by an angry roar and another break out of fights and shots. A sharp groan escapes you as you collide into Jack, cursing him from stopping so suddenly. Peering over his shoulder to see what was happening, you cock your head at the scene. A man is being held between two pirates who are swinging him violently, his obvious fate being the floor below. Poor guy. Jack doesn’t seem particularly phased by the events and quickly swaps his current hat for the one resting on the swinging man’s head. His hand then shoots behind his back to catch your wrist and pulls you both out of the way. “Carry on,” he drawls with a hand gesture to the men, and you press your palms together in a silent well wish for the man as he sails through the air. Jack pauses for a second at a familiar voice shouting drunkenly at his attackers. You both turn to look at Norrington who is surrounded by men. He has a pillar and another man at his back and a sword in his dirty hand. “Come on, then! Who wants some? Form an orderly line; I'll have you one by one. Come on, who's first?” He yells. Rolling your eyes you shake your head at Jack who smirks, tightening his grip on your wrist and leading both you and Gibbs from the tavern. A new hat rests proudly on top of his head as you leave the ruckus behind. Just another Tortugan night. TBC... |