A Rebel's Treasure

Chapter Three

Will looked over the side of the ship, noticing the Interceptor setting sail towards them. "Here they come."
"You better have a bloody good plan, Jack Sparrow," Eleanor hissed.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "When have I not?"
"Landing yourself in jail would be one..." Eleanor muttered. Jack winked at her before the three of them hurried up the sails and grabbed one of the swinging ropes.
They watched from their perch as the Interceptor came up beside the Dauntless. Eleanor watched with keen eyes as Norrington and his men boarded the ship. He looked around him, obviously searching for the three of them. "Search every cabin, every hold, down to the bilges." He looked slightly guilty, "Eleanor! If you come out, I give my word you will not be held accountable." Eleanor gulped, ignoring the interested looks from Jack. She could tell that he wanted to know why the Commodore had such an interest in her. "Please, Eleanor – "
"Now," Jack whispered, signalling the three of them to swing across and onto the Interceptor. Eleanor ran along the side of the ship, cutting the ropes that connected the men to the Interceptor, hindering their return. Jack instantly took to the helm and started to pull up the anchor.
It was then that Norrington noticed his ship sailing away, "Sailors, back to the Interceptor! Now!"
"Quickly men!" Some of the sailors shouted, and actually tried to swing back onto the ship. Only the gab between the two ships were too great, and they fell into the water below.
Jack stood at the wheel, taking off his hat and calling to Norrington, "Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves."
Norrington looked excessively angry as he stared at Jack, his eyes then fixed on Eleanor as she walked up beside Jack. There was a small smirk on her face and a sense of recklessness around her that concerned him. "Sorry, James, but I need to save my sister. I'm taking the matter into my own hands."
Norrington's face flitted with pain as he stared at the women he had proposed to, only to watch her run off with two men – one of which a pirate. He quickly recovered, and shouted to his men, "Set top sails and clear up this mess."
"With the wind at quarter astern, we won't catch them," his lieutenant told him.
He set his jaw, "We don't need to catch them just get them in range of the long nines."
"But, sir," Gillette said with wide eyes. "What about - ?"
"Just do as I say!" Norrington ordered. Gillette paled slightly. "If we aim low, then it will give her time to jump off. We can pull her out of the water."
"But sir – "
"Get the long nines ready!"
Gillette nodded, "Hands, come about. Run out the guns." He turned back to his Commodore. "We are to open fire on our own ship, sir?"
"I'd rather see her at the bottom of the ocean than in the hands of a pirate," Norrington growled, his eyes still fixed on Eleanor as she stood at the helm of the Interceptor.
"Commodore, he's disabled the rudder chain, sir!" one of the sailors yelled.
Norrington clenched his fist, slamming it down on the railing. He was angry at the pirate for stealing his ship, or William Turner joining ranks with the said pirate, but most of all he was angry, frustrated, and hurt that the woman he loved was aboard that ship, willingly, consorting with Captain Jack Sparrow.
"That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen," Gillette said with awe.
"So it would seem," said the Commodore, darkly.

The Interceptor was well underway to whatever destination Jack had in mind. Eleanor, in all honesty, didn't care just as long as they made it to her sister before something dreadful happened. She leant on the railing of the ship, looking out at the sea as the wind whipped her hair back. She no longer noticed that she was only in her underdress, nor did she care that she was so inappropriately dressed in front fo a pirate or Will (he only had eyes for her sister anyway).
Will was sharpening his sword, most likely relishing the idea of cutting down a few pirates. His voice cut through the silence that had settles on board, and Eleanor didn't mind. "When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father." Eleanor turned around to look at him.
Jack looked at him, only briefly, "Is that so?"
Will continued speaking, and Eleanor had a feeling she knew where that was going, "My father, Bill Turner." He looked hard at Jack, trying to discern some kind of answer, "At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. I'm sure Eleanor noticed it to." Eleanor nodded, moving away from the side so she could see Jack's face. "Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father."
Jack didn't look at Will. Eleanor half expected him to come up with some intricate and embellished lie, but instead he told the truth. "I knew 'im." Will perked up. "Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."
"Bootstrap?"
"Good man," Jack said. He looked at Will, obviously expecting a reaction, "Good pirate. I swear you look just like him."
And Jack got his reaction. "It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law."
"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag," Jack pressed. Eleanor wasn't surprised by that revelation. After Elizabeth and her had found that medallion it was only natural to presume that he had been given it by some pirate relative. Will seemed to take it rather hard.
"My father was not a pirate!" he took out his sword and pointed it towards Jack.
"Will!" Eleanor jumped forwards, putting herself in between the two men. Will didn't even look at her, as he continued to glare at Jack.
Jack took a small step towards Eleanor, placing his arms around her and pulling her out of the way. Eleanor made an indignant sound, but Jack cut her off from any remark she had planned. "Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again."
Will sneered at him, "You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement." He stabbed the sword towards him mockingly. "In a fair fight, I'd killed you."
Jack scoffed, "Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" He walked towards the wheel and spun it, causing the main sail beam to swing around. Eleanor stumbled to the side, managing to duck as the beam swung over her head. Will was not so lucky. He was caught around the middle and swung out, over the boat, and dangled above the sea. It was quite obvious that that was Jack's intention.
"Will!" Eleanor exclaimed, trying to reach over the railing to pull him back on board. "Jack – "
Jack cut her off, ignoring her pleas. "Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention." Eleanor looked at him aghast. Was he seriously going to endanger Will's life? "The only rules that really matter are these – what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't." Will grumbled as he struggled to keep a grip of the beam. "But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday." Jack stepped forwards and pulled Eleanor against him. She was still so shocked she didn't struggle. "Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, even if I have a dominant woman like Eleanor, savvy?"
"Jack – "
Again, Jack ignored her. "So..." he swung the wheel again, holding onto Eleanor so she was out of the way as the beam swung back and Will landed on the deck. Jack took a step forwards (still holding her) and, much to Eleanor's surprise, offered the hilt of the sword to Will. "Can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?"
Will stared at the sword for a moment before taking it. "Tortuga?"
"Tortuga," Jack grinned, finally letting Eleanor go.
She continued to feel the warmth of his body against hers as she turned to look at him. "Did you need to grab me?"
Jack smirked at her, "Most certainly, love. Could have you knocked out."
Eleanor rolled her eyes, "I'm sure that was at the forefront of your mind."
"Can't blame a bloke for looking," Jack said, his eyes raking Eleanor up and down. Eleanor flushed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, looking like that, you'll fit right in at Tortuga."

When Eleanor stepped onto the dock of Tortuga, she instantly knew that it was on the other end of the spectrum to Port Royal. It was excessively dirty, and everyone who walked by where either pirates, privateers, prostitutes, or thieves...and all of them were drunk. It was certainly one way to make Eleanor feel utterly uncomfortable. She had always joked how outspoken and inappropriate she was compared to the other women in Port Royal, but here, she was overdressed.
Jack led them through the bustling crowd of people, and Eleanor made sure to stick close to Will the entire time. Both men were keeping a close eye on anyone who seemed to get too close to Eleanor, and though Jack did not look as intimidating as half the men, he was able to hold a very good 'back-off' glare.
"It is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?" Jack had to raise his voice to be heard over the noise of Tortuga. "What do you think?" he looked over at Eleanor and Will with an excited expression. He was suddenly holding a cane, which was not there before, indicating that he had somehow pickpocketed someone rather quickly already.
Will raised his eyebrows, "It'll linger."
"It sure is – er – interesting," Eleanor acknowledged.
Jack grinned at her, enjoying watching her squirm slightly, "I'll tell you, mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted."
Eleanor scoffed, rolling her eyes at him, "Mhmm."
Jack's eyes caught onto something to the side of him and he spun around to see a redheaded women striding up to him. "Scarlett!" he called in excitement. The excitement soon died down when Scarlett rose her hand and slapped Jack across the face. Jack, who had whirled around after the slap, frowned in confusion, "Not sure I deserved that." Eleanor crossed her arms, watching as yet another girl approached. This one was blonde and looked rather angry with Jack too. "Giselle!"
"Who was she?!" Giselle asked, plain jealousy behind her words.
"What?" Giselle slapped Jack across the face too. He winced, looking at Eleanor and Will again. "I may have deserved that."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow, trying her hardest to block out the sudden surge of jealousy. Why on earth would she feel jealous? "Definitely looked like you did." Eleanor looked around, "Is any women safe from you, Jack Sparrow?"
Jack chuckled, leaning into Eleanor, "Why? Worried you'll be next?"
Eleanor snorted, "Hardly."
Jack smirked, "Shame."
"So, what are we doing here, Jack?" Will asked, frowning at the conversation between the two.
"Ah, now we find an old friend of mine," Jack explained, looking around him. He spied two buckets. "We'll need those, too."
A little bit later they were standing above a passed out man in a pig sty. He was utterly muddy from the sloppy floor, and smelt like stale rum and pig shit. He wore an old Navy jacket and there was something about him which sparked recognition in Eleanor. How did an old sailor end up here? She wondered.
Just then, Jack threw his bucket full of water onto the man, which caused him to wake up spluttering and cursing. "Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" the man roared, causing the pigs around him to squeal. Then it clicked, Eleanor recognised him from the ship eight years ago. Mr Gibbs. The man who had told her and Elizabeth not to sing songs about pirates. So this is where he turned out. Gibbs blinked his eyes, looking up at the trio before him, focusing in on Jack. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck."
So he was still superstitious.
"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it," Jack grinned, his remarkably frantic mind working. "The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink." He knelt down in front of Gibbs. "The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."
Gibbs looked rather confused for a few moments by Jacks words, before finally understanding what he was offering. "Aye, that'll about do it." He held his arm out to Jack, who set the bucket down, and helped his old friend to his feet. As Jack walked back over to Eleanor, Will threw his bucket of water at Gibbs. "Blast!" he yelled, rather surprised. "I'm already awake!"
"That was for the smell," Will admitted, but he looked rather amused by it.
Gibbs stood there for a second before shrugging in a 'you're right' way. Then his eyes landed on Eleanor and they widened slightly. "Miss Swann?"
Eleanor smiled, "Hello again, Mr Gibbs."
Gibbs beamed at Eleanor, walking forward with his arms open before thinking about it again and deciding he was too muddy. "My, look at how you've grown up." Gibbs squinted at her, "Did you lose your dress?"
Eleanor blushed, "Something like that."
"But what are you doing here?!" Gibbs asked, shaking his head. "Surely, you aren't doing business here?"
"Oh, god, no!" Eleanor said, quickly. "Nothing like that at all!"
"That is a relief, that is," Gibbs nodded. "A proper lady like you don't wanna get mixed up in business like that."
"Certainly not."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Well – "
Jack threw his arm around Eleanor, winking at Gibbs. "Miss Swann here has come to learn the tricks of the trade." Eleanor looked up at him suspiciously. "Oh, and she's carrying my child."
Gibbs, Will, and Eleanor blanched. Eleanor shoved Jack away from her, "I most certainly am not!"
"Worth a shot," Jack grinned.
"Bloody pirates," Eleanor snapped, cheeks red. She stormed off towards The Faithful Bride, the men following behind.
"You sure messed that up, mate," Gibbs chuckled.
Jack shrugged, though he seemed slightly put-off by Eleanor's reaction to his joke, "Women. Never know how to take a joke."
"I heard that!"
Jack grimaced.

Inside The Faithful Bride fights, laughter, drunken kisses, and prostitutes were abundant. As Eleanor walked through the crowd, she had to dodge a few stray hands from some of the customer's, all calling after her as she pushed past disgusted. Jack and Gibbs stopped near a table that was near the corner of the room, shrouded in shadows. Will and Eleanor waited just away from it, each taking watched on different posts, and both out of ear-shot just how Jack intended.
Jack sent Eleanor a small glance before he passed Gibb's his promised drink. She was looking around in frustration, and he could tell she was slightly pissed off. Women.
"Now, what's the nature of this venture of yours?" Gibbs asked, narrowing his eyes at Jack.
Jack didn't hesitate as he replied, "I'm going after the Black Pearl." Gibbs started to choke on his drink. "I know where it's going to be," he continued, "and I'm going to take it."
"Jack," Gibbs said in disbelief, "it's a fool's errand. Why, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."
Jack nodded, lowering his voice even more, "That's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew."
"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa , he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one."
"Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?" Jack said.
"Prove me wrong," Gibbs challenged. "What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"
Jack got a wicked gleam to his eye, "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" After a few continuous nods of his head in Will's direction, Gibbs finally seemed to pick up on just what Jack was trying to tell him.
"The kid?"
Jack looked rather pleased with the news he was about to reveal, "That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner." Realization dawned on Gibbs' face. "His only child, savvy?"
Gibbs looked over at Will, noticing Eleanor glancing back at them with suspicion. He whispered, "Is he, now? Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I." Gibbs grinned, "I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."
Jack grabbed his pint, "One can only hope. Take what you can..."
Gibbs slammed his own pint against Jack's."...Give nothing back." They both tipped back their cups and sculled the rest of their drink. As they slammed the cups back down on the table, they heard a scuffle near to them. Jack looked up to see a rather burly man pressing himself against Eleanor. She was not pleased.
"Leave me alone!" She snapped, her eyes furious.
The man grinned down at her, "Oh, come on, darling, just a couple minutes."
"I'm not a bloody prostitute!" she shouted.
The man laughed, only infuriating Eleanor even more, "Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before."
"Hey," Will said, putting his hand on the man's arm. "Back off."
The man looked down at Will's hand and then at Will's face. "Get your hand off me, or lose it." He pulled out a knife from his pocket and made a move towards Will, who took a step back. Jack and Gibbs watched on not knowing what to do. Eleanor knew she was going to have to take the manner into her own hands – literally. "Now, darling, as I was saying. I can get us a nice room," his hands slid down Eleanor's body and she sprang into action.
Her hand flew to his family jewels and she gripped them as hard as she could. The man's eyes bulged in his head and he let out a strangled cry. She slitted her eyes, "I told you to leave me alone." She squeezed harder. "I suggest you turn around, leave Tortuga and never come back or I'll cut off your balls and force-feed them back to you." She twisted her hands slightly and he screamed in pain. "Savvy?"
The man nodded, his face going red as he cried out in pain. Eleanor let him go and watched with hard eyes as he waddled away, clutching himself. She wiped her hand on her dress, it was already pretty dirty, before turning back to the men. The three of them were staring at her with open mouths.
"Thanks for the help," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"That was terrifying," Will admitted, still staring at her gobsmacked.
Eleanor tilted her head and smirked, "He only need a firm hand."
"You nearly ripped of his – "Jack gulped. "You are one special lass."
Eleanor's lip quirked, "That I am."