"Move, whelp, ye're blockin' me sun," he muttered, closing the eye again and languorously waving Will away.

"I could move," He said and the tone made Jack squint up at him out of both eyes. "But I thought you might be interested in the rumor I just heard. Seeing as how it concerns a pirate-killing Commodore of our mutual acquaintance."

"James?" Jack said, raising himself up on his elbows. "What about 'im? Ain't gone and turned pirate, has he?"

I wish, Jack thought and gave Will an offended look when he said, "You wish."

"So what is it?" Jack asked

Will offered Jack a hand up and he stood. Will slid an arm around him and kissed him on the lips before moving his mouth to Jack's throat. "Mmmm, sun-toasted pirate. My favorite."

Jack drew back a bit, arching an eyebrow in a way that Will found disturbingly reminiscent of a certain Commodore. "I believe you mentioned a rumor?"

"Did I?" Will said and Jack found a hand squeezing gently at his rear.

Jack grinned and grabbed Will by the front of the shirt, pulling him around so they were belly to belly. "Talk, man, or I'll have to start torturin', savvy?"

Will stepped into Jack, trapping him against some of the rigging. "I like the sound of that. What sort of torture were you considering?" Jack's grin turned malevolent. "Keel-hauling."

Will looked around at the folded sails, the gentle creaking of the belaying pins as the tide tugged at the Pearl, as if trying to steal her. "Somehow, I thought the ship had to be moving for that to work."

Jack laughed. "Who said anythin' about the Pearl, mate?"

When Will kissed him this time, Jack grabbed his lower lip in his teeth, applying just enough pressure to make Will say, "Ow! Jack!!"

Jack raised his eyebrows, mumbling around the lip in his teeth, "The rumor?"

At Will's heavy sigh, Jack released his grip. "All right, all right. It seems that Black Bart has put a bounty on that wig-bearing skull of his. Red Pete Durant mentioned that he knew where Norrington was and was going after him."

"Interesting," Jack said, playing disinterested though he was already plotting a rescue attempt should one become necessary. "An' did ol' Red Pete say where he was?"

Will grinned surprisingly. "Yes. He said that Norrington was in Petit Goave."

Jack glanced off in the direction of the port town. "Didn't realize the place was big enough for me t' miss them shiny buttons o' his. Well, whelp, guess you an' me are takin' some shore leave fer our ownselves, aye?"

Will's grin was gone but he still wore a smirk as he bowed his head. "Whatever you say, Captain."

Going anywhere with Jack Sparrow, Will had learned over the past several months, was not something that you did covertly. Jack did not travel incognito. Will could have, and often did, make his way obscurely about town, taking the time to do serious digging for information while Jack distracted everyone with his shiny, swervy ways. To his constant amazement, though, Jack often came up with the very same information he did. All Will could guess was that Jack's eyes held as much power over others as they did over himself. He actually liked that notion; it made him feel almost average in a way.

Today, for a change, Jack had decided to forego the hat and greatcoat. It was rather warm and the threat of a storm on the horizon made it far more humid than was comfortable. They stepped into a small bar called le Batard Anglais and Will felt his hand immediately fall on the hilt of his sword. Every last man in the room wore a naval uniform. Some were French, a number were Spanish and there were even a couple Portuguese, but the vast majority were British. As he looked around, Will found himself wondering where they all had come from—there were less than 10 ships in the harbor. But what was more interesting was the reaction of the men to Jack. For a few tense seconds, all movement and sound ceased as all of them turned to look at Sparrow. Jack stood, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at them all. Then, abruptly, he spoke.

"What? Have ye never seen the Governor's cousin before?!"

At that, all eyes shifted back to their own activities. Will felt the tension leave the room like gunpowder from an open barrel, and Jack began to swagger his way to the bar. When Will caught up with him, he leaned close to speak into Jack's ear.

"The Governor's cousin?"

Jack smiled slightly. "Aye, the Governor's cousin. 'Least that's what he said when his wife walked in on us in the same bed. She was a good sport about the whole thing, really. Even joined us fer a bit."

Will sighed. "I knew it. I should never even bother to ask, Jack, should I?"

Jack grinned broadly at him and hoisted a tankard that was set before him. He leaned back against the bar to drink and watch the crowd. Will ordered an ale and made himself comfortable. "See, love, when ye been around as much as I have, ye learn where t' make friends. Here in Petit Goave, bein' the Governor's cousin counts fer somethin'. Now Port Royal, there ye're better off bein' the Commodore's black-sheep brother. 'Course I only had to use that one once. Ah, 'scuse me, pet, but I jus' spotted a familiar face."

Will followed Jack at a distance, mostly to keep an eye on his back. When he first came aboard the Pearl, he and Jack had argued over his "official position." Jack thought that "Captain's Concubine" was good enough but Will was adamant that he needed an actual job while aboard. After much discussion, Jack added "Ship's Metallurgist" to it ("metallurgist from the Greek for metal-worker, savvy?") and introduced him for several weeks as "Will Turner, Ship's Metallurgist and Captain's Wanton." The only problem with this was that he inevitably ended up spending more time explaining what "Captain's Wanton" meant than he did "Ship's Metallurgist." The last time he spent more than ten minutes explaining in somewhat lurid detail Will's duties as a "wanton," Will conceded the point. Thus he had been returned to "Will Turner, Captain's Concubine." It was true enough.

He watched Jack strut up to a dark-haired man in a midshipman's uniform. The man was busy looking at something else, unbelievably, and didn't realize Jack was there until the pirate captain leaned in and fastened his mouth to the man's. Will closed his fist about the hilt of his sword and waited for a reaction, violent or otherwise, to Jack's behavior. Instead, the man responded quite willingly, a hand fisting in Jack's braids to hold him fast.

When the two finally parted, the man's blue eyes raised to Will. "Ah, Mr. Turner, nice to see you again."

"Lieutenant Groves," Will smiled genuinely. "Jack, unhand the man."

"It's 'Captain'-Captain Groves now, ain't it? An' I don't have to, whelp, if I don't want to," Jack made himself comfortable in Ellis Groves's lap and pulled the broad-brimmed hat off Groves's head to place it casually on his own. "Didn't yer mum ever tell ye wearin' a hat indoors is impolite, man?"

Groves sighed and tilted himself to look at Will around Jack, waiting until the pirate was distracted to wink conspiratorially at Turner. "So, tell me, do you often let him go around molesting innocent sailors?"

At the word "innocent," Jack said, "Hah!" then turned to look at Will. "Innocent, my arse. 'E showed me a trick or two last time."

"And that," Will responded, "is saying something."

Will sat down at the table with Groves and Jack transferred his rump from Groves's lap to Will's. "So, Ellis, why are ye here dressed so far below yer station, eh?"

Groves sighed. "I'm trying to find Commodore Norrington. He left Port Royal over a month ago in search of something—which he failed to specify—and disappeared. When I heard about the bounty on his head from the pirate brotherhood, I decided someone had to do something. As Captain Groves, I stood out too much to have any success. I finally traced him here but I've not seen him."

"Ye're worried?" Jack asked, leaning back against Will and putting an arm about his neck.

"Concerned," Ellis answered. "Primarily because of all the secrecy involved. You know James. The only thing he's secretive about--."

"Is me," Jack added, after a minute or two a wolfish grin appeared. "Well, maybe now I've made me presence known, we'll see some progress, aye?"

James Norrington panted for air and glanced back up the alleyway to see if the two men were still in pursuit. He couldn't justify the expenditure of naval resources on the situation but he couldn't sit idly by when there was something he could do. If Jack Sparrow had been marked for assassination by the French, he was going to make every effort to prevent that.

It was at that moment that the clouds above him spit lightning, the wind picked up ferociously, and thunder shook the ground under his feet. Shivering now as the air cooled his sweat-dampened body, he decided it was finally time to locate a suitable room for the night. He started back up the alley and had a sword emerge from a doorway to slap against his chest. Before he could react, the point of the blade was at his throat and a voice from behind him spoke.

"So, what do we have here?"

The voice was familiar but he couldn't quite place it. It was only when the hand emerged from the shadow of the doorway, the silver and emerald ring on the forefinger, that he realized who it was.

"You have a man who is very, very relieved," James said, trying to keep from grinning like a fool. "Mr. Turner, please ask Captain Sparrow to lower his weapon."

"Jack?"

Jack stepped out of the entryway though he kept the sword-point against the tender flesh just under James's jaw. "Ye know, love, ye're actin' a complete idiot. Runnin' off t' the Lord knows where to do Lord knows what without lettin' Ellis or me know where and why? Not good, mate, not good."

Another rumble of thunder above them and a sudden brief sprinkling of raindrops made them all look up. Without another word, Jack slid his cutlass back into its sheath. "Come along, Jamie, we best be gettin' t' the Rose or we'll be soaked t' the skin."

James opened his mouth to respond but it was Will who said, "So wouldn't hurrying be defeating your purposes then, Captain?"

He turned to regard Turner with a bemused smile. He had spent precious little time with Will Turner since the whole incident with the cursed Aztec treasure. What's more, prior to the whole misadventure, the contact between them was limited to what business the fort purchased from Mr. Brown's smithy and the occasional casual encounter on the street. That made it all the more puzzling that they both had courted Elizabeth Swann and were now gentle rivals for Jack's affection.

"Not in th' mood," Jack muttered with a pout.

James glanced over at Will, who said, "He hasn't had any rum since noon. Makes him especially cranky when we're on dry land."

Norrington couldn't avoid a slight smile and the lift of an eyebrow. "Then by all means, let's get Jack to the inn. We can't have a cranky pirate, can we?"

To his surprise, Will smirked in response. They headed for the Faded Rose with some alacrity, stepping in the door just as the storm hit. Will and James headed for a table while Jack went to order their beverages. He returned with a bottle of wine for James and Will and a bottle of rum marked "Old Stag." To James's amazement, the rum in the bottle was a brilliant shade of green The grin on Jack's face was huge and indicated that he was immensely pleased about something. He set both bottles on the table and made great sport of pulling the cork from the top of the rum bottle.

"So, what's made you so pleased?" James finally asked.

"Ah, loves, I have finally managed t' find the one thing that's eluded me for longer than the Pearl did. I been waitin' near twenty years t' find this," He pulled the cork and raised the bottle to sniff deeply at it. "Heaven should smell like this, my friends."

He offered the bottle to both Will and James who shook their heads. James spoke first after giving Will a questioning look and seeing that Will had no more answers than he did. "Why is the rum green? Isn't it traditionally brown?"

Jack shook his head. "Nay, love. Traditionally, it's amber, much like dear William's eyes over there. Part o' his charms, ye know."

When Jack said the last, he winked at James, who noticed that Will, who once would have turned crimson with embarrassment, had a wicked grin of his own. When a barmaid brought over three heaping bowls of stew, James realized he was tremendously hungry. A quick glance at his compatriots showed them both plunging into the stew. Saying a brief, silent prayer of thanks that Jack had found him, he began to eat his own meal.

Over the next few hours, Jack polished off two plus bottles of the green rum. James and Will were a bit more judicious in their consumption of wine. They were working toward the bottom of their second bottle when James realized that Jack had never answered his question about the rum. Will was looking at him in a peculiar manner by this time.

"Mr. Turner?"

"Call me Will, Commodore," Turner replied, the merriment no longer present on his face. "I was going to suggest that you and Jack take advantage of the opportunity. I'll stay here to see if Groves will return."

"I- Very well," James answered, wondering what Will was thinking. "Jack, are you ready to retire for the night?"

Jack raised his head and had to let it tilt back almost awkwardly to let his eyes focus on James's face. "Retire? Don' think so, mate. Gotta few good years o' piratin' left in me, ye know."

"I was referring to going to bed, Jack," James said, extending a hand to him. "Come along. You need some sleep, I believe."

Jack placed his hand in James's and as he was drawn to his feet, swayed forward and fell into James's arms, barely saving the rum bottle from crashing to the floor. He looked up into James's eyes and the Commodore smiled at him slightly. "Yes?"

"Wanna dance, love?" The alcohol content of Jack's breath surprised him and he wondered why Jack hadn't set flame to himself with all the talking he'd done.

"No, Sparrow, I merely wish to help you up to your room," James realized again that the warmth and vitality of Jack's body made him want to throw his arms about him and ravish him here and now. Instead, he realized it would be better to wait until they got upstairs. He managed to hook Jack's arm around his shoulders and his own arm around Jack's waist. "Here we go."

"Third room on the right, sir," Will volunteered. "I'll be up once Groves arrives. Meantime, take care of him?"

James cocked his head at the sound of those words. "Mr. Turner, is there something you want or need me to know?"

Will's eyes widened, as if in surprise or suspicion, and he spoke quickly. "No, of course not. Good night, sir."

James bowed slightly then began to drag Jack away. "So, pirate, you didn't answer my question."

Jack laughed softly. "An' what, praytell, might that be, navy?"

"Why is the rum green?" James repeated.

"Well," Jack sighed. "'Tis a long story, ye know. D' ye have the time?"

"Only as long as it doesn't interfere with some 'other plans' I made just now," James replied, propping Jack against the wall of the corridor.

He tried the third door on the right and it swung open freely. Just before he brought Jack into the room, he allowed his lips to brush against the pirate's. Jack's free hand threaded its way into his dark hair. The hand gripping the rum pressed into the small of his back. James took advantage of the bad lighting in the hallway to slide a hand down the front of Jack's breeches to massage Jack's growing frontal bulge with his long, elegant fingers. Jack growled and offered his tongue to James.

"Not yet," James said softly then managed to tug Jack into the room and close the door behind them.

"Ye're a lovely man, James Norrington," Jack said and tottered back a step or two until he could prop himself on a chair. "'Twould truly be devastatin' should Black Bart get his hands on that charmin' head o' yers."

"Black Bart?" James asked. "What do you mean? I came here to keep the French from assassinating you, Jack."

"Fancy that," Jack said with a leer. "Mighty big coincidence, eh? An' then fer me t' find one o' the two rums I've not tasted. Worked out pretty good, aye?"

"Well, I must say, the situation couldn't be better from my perspective," James muttered. "But why is the rum green?"

"Did ye know," Jack leaned in confidentially to James, "That there are over 37 varieties of rum currently known t' man? Variations range from those made with cane sugar to some made from the honey of bees that exist only in one place in the world and no other to the common types fer the Caribbean made from molasses. Color variations can happen even within the same batch. Not t' mention the bouquet or nose o' the stuff like you brandy-drinkers think ye got the corner on."

"Jack, you're drunk," James said softly, taking the bottle of rum from Jack's hand long enough to remove his vest and shirt from that arm then handing it back after sneaking a quick sip. "If you're drunk, you're bloody well useless to me, you know."

"Not true!" Jack felt himself falling to one side, overcorrected and ended up bouncing onto the bed, whooping delightedly when a few fingers of rum splashed out of the bottle and onto his chest. "Hmmmm, pickled pirate. Have a bite, love?"

James smiled, hanging his head. "There is just one word for you, Sparrow. Incorrigible."

"Encourage-able!" Jack crowed, saluting James with the bottle and taking a swig. "What a wonderful word. Certainly fits, don' it?"

"Wrong word," James said. He unlaced Jack's trousers then began to tug them off. Jack hooted happily as his body was slid to the edge of the bed then waved his legs in the air so that Norrington could finish the job.

"Where was I?" Jack made an effort to sit up but it was only when Norrington gave him his hand that he was actually able to succeed. When James tried to release him, Jack transferred his grip to the Commodore's wrist and yanked him hard onto the bed with him.

"Nose," James said, taking things in stride.

Jack used his free hand to rub his. "Still there, ain't it?"

"No," James rolled his eyes. "You were talking about the rum?"

Jack glanced at the bottle and smiled then looked back at him. "Ye know, I had the craziest dream t'other night. Dreamt I got me nose cut off and sewed back on. Kep' runnin' around thinkin' it was gonna fall off when I sneezed."

James supposed he shouldn't find Jack Sparrow charming at all, let alone when he was intoxicated, but there was something so playful about him that he was impossible to resist. He chuckled and kissed Jack on the tip of his nose.

"All right, then, the bouquet of rum? Did you want to educate me further about that vile substance?"

Jack squinted at him, their faces hovering very close, less than a hand-span apart, then said, "Ye got the mos' incredible eyes, Jamie. One minute they's blue, next they's green. Ye mus' be bewitched, like the Pearl."

"The only one bewitched, Jack Sparrow, is you," James whispered. "Now, tell me. Why is the rum green?"

Jack didn't answer, instead plastering his mouth to Norrington's. James let himself get lost in the kiss; the taste of rum on Jack's tongue was so powerful it was making him light-headed. He heard a strange sound and pulled away. "Jack, what was that?"

He glanced down to see Jack was snoring softly, deeply asleep. He lowered Jack to the bed and realized Jack's bottle was missing. He leaned over to see if he could find it and the room began to swim around him. He started to raise up. "Jack?"

The last thing he saw was Jack's black braids obscuring his face. He reached out to brush them back so he could see Jack and black mist robbed him of the sight.

"Jack!" Will's voice seemed exceptionally loud as Jack felt himself lifted in strong hands and shaken. "Jack, wake up!"

"Le-Leggo, whelp, ye're bruisin' me brain!" He pressed his hands to his head as Will pulled him upright to sit on the edge of the bed. "Wha's so urgent?"

Jack wished he could scrape the fuzz off his tongue and tried to do so with his front teeth. Will shoved a mug full of hot liquid at him. The smell, dark and almost nut-like, made his nose twitch. He took a tentative sip and nearly spit it back out.

"What the hell izzat?!"

"Coffee, black and as strong as I could get. Drink! You'll thank me later," Will let his hand rub across Jack's shoulders. "What do you remember from last night?"

Jack grimaced as he got a good swallow down his throat. "I remember Jam-Norrington was with me. Had some rum too. Really good stuff."

Reminded, Jack started to look around for the bottle. He spotted it and picked it up, waving it sadly in one hand as his face assumed a pout. Will took the bottle away. "Call him James. I said it was all right."

Jack shot him a quick grin. "James was with me. Where'd he go--the privy?"

Will scowled. "He wasn't here when I got here, which was over an hour ago. He was supposed to stay with you, wasn't he?"

Jack stood abruptly then sat down just as quickly. "If you haven't seen him and he's not here, where is he?"

"They have him," Will said softly, sniffing at the bottle of rum. "No wonder you've got such a headache. This smells exactly like the stuff Mr. Brown used to calm unruly horses down. It's a good thing you didn't drink it all."

Jack sighed. "I suppose. Still, ye don't think ye might get me a bit o' that stuff from time-t'-time?"

Will shook his head. "It's a miracle you're still alive, Jack. I think we need to move, don't you?"

For a moment, Jack glared at Will suspiciously. He was awfully eager to be rescuing the Commodore, a man who was his rival for Elizabeth Swann once and now for Jack. "Why all the change o' heart, mate, about Norrington? Thought ye didn't like the bloody bastard?"

Will blushed and shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that it would make you unhappy if something were to happen to him. And you're hard to live with when you're unhappy, Jack, savvy?"

Jack grinned, satisfied. "Aye, that I am. A regular sea-monster with a bad tooth. Awright, love, find me trousers an' lets get movin'."

Will breathed a sigh of relief when Jack accepted his explanation. Jack might have recognized the truth for himself had he not taken Will at his word, as always. Still, it wouldn't matter in a little while. By the end of the day, he anticipated that everything would be changed between them. He was glad he had gone with his initial instincts and only drugged the third bottle of rum instead of all three. It was powerful enough to put the average man out with just a few sips, which was what had happened to James Norrington. That Jack had drunk most of the bottle without collapsing was a testament to his tolerance.

"Where's Groves?" Jack asked as he finished securing his sword-belt and adjusted the scarf about his head.

Will came up behind him, straightening the tails of Jack's scarf and drawing Jack into his embrace. Jack leaned back against him. "Groves is doing some 'inquiring.' He hoped to get some information about Norrington's whereabouts and who might have him. I- hate to ask this, Jack, but, what if something happens to him? Say, we don't find him or we find him--."

"Don't say it," Jack said and Will heard him swallow hard. He took Will's hand and turned to face him. "Should somethin' happen t' Nor-Jamie, I'll be goin' after the guilty party. If ye wish, I'll leave ye at the port o' yer choice until the matter is settled."

Will frowned. "Why would you do that?"

Jack dropped his gaze to the floor. "I know ye don't care much fer the man. I jus' need t' take care of me own, ye know. An', unfortunately, James is one of me own."

There was a pause and Will said, "I don't hate him, you know. I just- I'm so tired of worrying that the next time you go to see him will be the last time I see you. Just the thought makes me sick at heart, Jack."

Jack regarded him for several seconds. Finally, he spoke. "William Turner, I love you an' want t' spend the rest of me life with you. The truth, love, is that ye need only say the word and I'll never see James again. Izzat what ye want?"

Will shook his head. "No, not really. I just want you to be safer about it."

"Safer," Jack mused. "An' how should I go about that, love?"

"Arrange to meet him on neutral territory?" Will suggested. "Have him come to the Pearl? I'm just afraid that the wrong person will see you and that will be it."

Jack shook his head slightly and raised his eyes heavenward. "Bill, d' ye see what I've come to? I love yer damn whelp so much, I'm about t' agree t' do what he wants. Imagine, the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow havin' t' be circumspect about me lovers. It ain't right, love, but ye have me word, eh? I'll make every effort to only meet with Norrie--."

"And Captain Groves," Will added suddenly, seeing the wheels turn in Jack's head that would allow him to find more loopholes in such a promise than any barrister could conceive of. "Groves as well, Jack, or no deal."

Jack sighed harshly. "Ye drive a much harder bargain than when I firs' met ye, boy. Very well, I'll make every effort t' only meet with Norrie or Groves when it's 'safe.' Satisfied?"

Will grinned. "Yes, sir. Ready to go Commodore hunting?"

Jack pulled Will's face down to kiss him, hard, on the mouth. When he broke off the kiss, he leaned back just enough to see Will's eyes. "Ye're sure ye want t' come, love?"

For a moment, Will fought down the urge to grab Jack, throw him back down onto the bed and set to work having his way with him. "Yes, I'm sure. Let's go find Norrington."

At the words, Jack smiled sweetly and threw an arm over Will's shoulders to escort him from the room. It was nearly noon and some of the hard-core drinkers were already in the Rose, noses poked into their mugs or leaning on the tables consulting other bar patrons. They stepped to the bar and Jack ordered his usual breakfast when on land—a tankard of rum, a lime and a banana. Will watched him cut the lime into wedges and squeeze it into the rum. Once he was done, he began to peel the banana to eat, washing it down with the doctored rum. Jack swore by the concoction but the one time Will had tried it, he had nearly been sick. The only time it had been worse was when Jack thought he was catching a cold and added a raw egg to the rum-and-lime. Will, needless to say, refrained from trying it.

"There's a man I met las' time I was here by the name of Stink. Was quite the talkative type. We'll see if we can find him. He might be able t' give us some information," Jack tilted his mug up for another drink. When he placed it back on the table, Groves stepped into the tavern.

He spotted them and made his way across the room, a vexed look on his face. He arrived at their table and took a seat. "I think I've found him."

"Where?" Will asked, and Jack shot him a curious look. Will blinked innocently in return.

"A small shack a few miles from town. There are three guards so if we hurry, we may have the element of surprise on our side," Groves answered, letting his relief show.

"Awright, lads, we got us a bit of a hike. We'll get a few lads from the Pearl an'--."

"No," Groves said at the same time as Will. Will blushed and Groves smiled gently at him then continued. "I really think we need to move fast. There's no time if we're going to take advantage of the situation."

Jack looked from Will to Groves, his eyes suspicious. "So says you. Well, then, I've changed me mind. Let's get t' walkin'."

It took them nearly an hour to arrive at the little clearing holding the small shack. When they arrived, Jack having been oddly silent for the entire march, they took time out to observe the structure before approaching.

"Ye said there were three of 'em?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowed while he studied the situation.

"Yes," Groves answered. "It looks like they're inside."

"Hmmm," Was Jack's reply. Will heard the tone and felt his stomach lurch with anxiety. What was it that Jack suspected? After a few more seconds, Jack said, "Awright. You two, wait here an' try not t' do anythin' stupid."

Jack stood and advanced on the small house. After a few seconds, Groves and Will rose to follow practically on his heels. Jack reached the door just as they caught up. He was about to knock when Groves grabbed the pistol from his belt and Will removed the sword from his sheath. Jack started to turn but each man took an elbow and they pushed their way into the shack.

"Consider this a mutiny," Will said, holding the sword on Jack as Groves stepped in behind him with Jack's pistol in hand. Norrington was seated naked and bound in a chair in the center of the room, his stunned eyes fixed on Will. "Changes must be made, Captain, and we'll start with this one. Take off your clothes."

Jack glared at them, not moving to do as Will ordered. "Mutiny, is it? Ye know I shoot mutineers."

Will grinned suddenly. "I'm counting on that, Captain. Ellis, go untie the Commodore but don't let him do anything unwise. I'm about to have my way with him to see what the two of you find so intriguing."

"What?" Jack, who had turned to watch Groves approach the captive, swiveled back to Will, shock in his eyes. "What is it ye're sayin', love?"

"I'm saying," Will sheathed his sword and unbuckled the belt, dropping it to the ground. He stripped off his shirt as he began to pace closer. "I'm saying that I'm tired of letting you have all the fun. It's my turn, savvy?"

"Ellis, I suspect you had a hand in this," James said, turning a mock glare on the Captain. He now stood beside Jack. "Didn't you?"

Groves cleared his throat, uncocked his pistol to set it aside, and began to unbutton his own shirt. "To be honest with you, sir, yes. The last time you and Captain Sparrow—'engaged in strategic maneuvers,' Mr. Turner came to me and asked my advice on the best way to broach the subject of being included in our little circle. My advice to him was to do it cleverly. I think he succeeded, don't you?"

"Indeed," James said quietly. "That's why I found that errant stocking in your quarters the last time we 'engaged,' isn't it?"

There was a pause of a few seconds then Jack gave Will a shove. "Ye cheated on me, ye bastard!!"

"Well, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black!" Groves said with a laugh. "Don't take that from him, Will!"

Will shot Groves a grin, "I most certainly will not."

Will stepped up to James then grabbed him, pulling his mouth down to be kissed as thoroughly as he'd been taught by Jack. At first Norrington resisted but a few seconds into the kiss, he began to respond, his mouth opening to let the younger man's tongue explore him. Will heard the sounds of Jack and Ellis stripping the clothes from their bodies. It was at that instant that Will felt Jack's hands slide around him, the pirate's fingers rolling and pulling tenderly at his nipples.

"So it's yer turn, is it, whelp?" Jack's voice was soft, the breath hot on his nape. Jack's front pressed against Will's back and the warmth seemed to sap the strength from Will's limbs.

"Aye, Captain," Will moaned as a sailor's rough hand, not Jack's or James's as theirs were accounted for, began to massage his love-weapon.

Norrington moaned into his mouth and Will realized Ellis was preparing to enter James. Will felt Jack's hands leave his chest and the pirate-captain's knee nudge his legs apart. When he felt Jack's oh-so-beautiful hand, slick with oil he'd managed to find somewhere, move between his cheeks and begin working fingers up inside him, he was grateful that Jack and James were supporting him. Or was it that Jack and Ellis were supporting both himself and James? At the moment, he wasn't sure and his mind was too occupied by the sensations of what Ellis's and Jack's hands were doing to ponder the question long.

When Jack entered him, he muttered into Will's ear, "If I'd only known, love, I woulda taken ye with me before, hmmm? God, ye feel so good around me. Lessee how Jamie's doin', eh?"

He felt Jack's hand leave his side and drop to take up Norrington's cock. James's mouth had never left his. By the little grunts of bliss he felt James pushing into him, he could tell that Ellis was well and truly riding his senior officer. Will had to marvel at the talent of both Ellis and Jack. It took coordination to hump one lover while tossing off another. Then again, Jack had said that Groves taught him a thing or two.

Will felt James lower his hands to his buttocks, seize them and pull them gently apart. The action allowed Jack to thrust deeper into him and he caught his breath. He broke the kiss with James and lowered his head to rest against James's shoulder. He raked his own nails down James's back and across Ellis's rhythmically moving sides before cupping James's buttocks and easing them farther apart.

"My God," James whispered into his ear. "Oh, my God!"

He wasn't sure who came first, James or himself, but the wave of ecstasy rolled through them all at nearly the same time. A wordless cry was torn from his own throat but he grew aware that James was frantically pressing kisses to his face throughout it. The cry from Jack's mouth as he came--at the apex of a thrust--was the patently silly "Yo-ho!" To Jack's credit, he made it the most enticing thing Will had heard in a long time.

It was James who kept them all from tumbling into a great heap of flesh. Steady and stalwart as always, he managed to keep them all upright until their muscles had recovered, their minds had cleared a bit, and their wildly beating hearts had subsided some. Will held to him for a few extra seconds, understanding a bit better why Jack returned to this man, despite the danger it represented and despite Will's eager presence in his bed. To partake of that strength, that kindness, and that reliability on a regular basis would call Will back time and again as well.

For a long while they held to each other, Will eventually turning to bring Jack into the embrace, Jack drawing Ellis in as well. The warmth of the moment made Will reluctant to think about leaving. Still, he knew they couldn't stay like this for too long. To his surprise, it was Jack who spoke first.

"That, lovers, was truly the finest standin' session of love-makin' I've ever had. 'Cept now, I've developed a cramp in me leg and a powerful urge t' take a piss. So if ye'll excuse me, I'll take a little stroll to take care of both problems then I'll be back so we can come up with a new plan, eh?"

As soon as Jack had left the little shelter, James drew Will against him for another kiss. When they both looked up, Groves was pulling some ropes and a pair of manacles from the knapsack conveniently set in the corner. He looked up to see them both looking at him and grinned.

"I thought we'd surprise Jack when he got back."

Jack chose his tree carefully. He'd had it happen when he was young that he chose the wrong bush to get intimate with and paid for it with the most maddening itching for days. He was not about to go through that again, and certainly not when there were so many opportunities awaiting him back at the cabin. Besides, the sight of a naked James Norrington tied to that chair had stirred up some powerfully appealing images in his brain. He stepped into the clearing where the cabin was and a wall of human flesh sprang up before him. Only, these were not the men he was expecting or wanting to see. He thought he recognized at least one of them as a member of Jack Rackham's crew. At the idea, he had to smile, a predatory leer that, had he been dressed and aboard the Pearl, would have sent these men running for their mamas.

"An' where's yer trug, Miss Madge-cove?" The man stepped menacingly into Jack's space. Jack leaned back a little to better meet the man's gaze. "Or are you somebody else's?"

"Ye know, mate," Jack eyed the man then leaned in close to the man's sudden alarm. Jack glanced down at his privates to see that they weren't all that awesome but the man was obviously intimidated anyway. "There's precious little I take offense to 'cept fer two things: insultin' me ship or insultin' me lovers. Now, bein as me name is Jack an' not Madge, this is obviously a case of mistaken identity. So, I'm willin' t' let bygones be bygones an' give ye a chance t' back down gracefully. What say you?"

The man pulled out a gun, one of his companions drew out a long, thick stick and the third pulled a long dagger. Jack rolled his eyes in disappointment. "I say we give you a lesson in how t' act like a man, Madge. What say you?"

Jack brushed his hand over the tattoo of the Pearl as if he'd just found crumbs there, making sure the men noticed the black sails. He then looked at the sparrow tattoo on his forearm, rubbing at his pirate brand with his index finger. When he looked up, the two men backing up the pistol-waver were looking nervously at one another. "Did ye not notice, lad, who ye're dealin' with?"

Jack held the arm up again so the man could see the tattoo and brand in the sunlight. He covered the muzzle of the gun with his palm and moved very close to the man, wrapping his other arm about the man's shoulders. "The name is Jack, Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl, savvy? An' me lovers jus' happen t' be standin' behind you. While they ain't trugs—which ain't a very nice term, ye know—they do happen t' be molly-boys, like me."

"Nice bluff," The man said, raising the gun again, which caused Jack to smile widely and step calmly back a pace.

He heard a voice, in rich, cultured tones, say from behind him, "Jack, there are only three of them. Are you absolutely certain you require our assistance?"

The trio of brigands turned to see that they each had a sword hovering at their throats. Three handsome but very naked men, all as fine-looking as the naked man behind them but larger, glared at them. When the gun-wielder turned back to Jack, he was alarmed to find Jack holding a small but decidedly still deadly—especially at such close range—pistol pointed at his face.

"Ye were apologizin', I believe, mate," Jack said with a dangerous grin.

The man uncocked and put the pistol away as his compatriots sheathed their own weapons. "I-uh, Ye're right, sir. Case of mistaken identity. We'll jus' be on our way now, hmmm? No harm, no foul, eh?"

The trio started walking away slowly but when Jack called out "Bang!" behind them, they took off running as if to beat the very hounds of hell itself. Jack turned to see all three of his compatriots looking at him with curiosity in their eyes.

"Well?" Jack asked.

"I believe I speak for all of us, Jack," James began, casting sly looks at Will and then Groves. "When I ask just where the hell did you get that pistol?"

Jack looked at the little gun and smiled. After a few seconds, he held up a finger. "Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. An' some things about me jus' have t' remain a mystery, savvy?"