Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

A/N: This is fluff and not to be taken too seriously, so don't flame, oui? Inspired by an interview. Warning for very mild slash, if it can even be called slash in this context.

Curiosity and Vengeance

Elizabeth Swann was sulking.

It seems like all I ever do lately, she thought. But then again, she had good reason to. Her fiancé's life depended largely on the crew of the Black Pearl, and as if that wasn't bad enough, Norrington wasn't letting her forget the fact that they were once arranged to be married, and Jack Sparrow…

Oh God.

She was still recovering from their earlier 'chat', and was trying to cheer herself up by staring at the beautiful- but so dangerous, merciless, she thought- ocean from her position at the railing on the upper deck of the Pearl, not caring about the chaotic mess the wind had turned her hair into.

It feels so good not to fuss about such ephemeral things for once.

Unfortunately, that got her to thinking about freedom.

"Freedom… you're going to want it…"

She could still hear him say it.

Speaking of the devil, Jack Sparrow suddenly spoke up from beside her, making her jump.

"Hello Lizzie."

"Jack!…you startled me…"

"Not so hard to do, what with the state you seem to be in."


They lapsed into awkward silence. Eventually, Elizabeth broke the tension.

"Jack, about earlier…"

"You want to pick up from where we left off?" Jack smirked.

Elizabeth smiled. It was typical of him- not showing his serious side if he could help it.

"No, I was… curious," she continued, choosing her words carefully. She had a question she'd wanted to ask someone for quite a while, regarding pirates, and as much as she may have hated to admit it, Jack was one of the only people with whom she felt comfortable enough to ask such things. He just had that air about him- even if you knew better than to trust him, you just couldn't help it.


Wondering why she felt the urge to ask now, of all times, she mumbled it.

"Pardon, love? Speak up!"

Elizabeth suddenly felt particularly whimsical as she suppressed a giggle, and then proceeded.

"What… what do pirates do far out at sea when they're feeling… lonely?"

Jack looked puzzled. "Rum, of course! Did you even need to ask?"

Elizabeth gave him A Look.

"Oh, you mean the other 'lonely'?"


"I was kind of hoping I would never have to explain it to a fine lady such as yourself," Jack stalled.

"Oh, come on Jack!" Elizabeth said in mock indignation, "A fine lady such as myself isn't supposed to play with swords and travel the seven seas either!" She stopped herself from saying 'getting engaged to blacksmiths-cum-pirates' just in time. That statement would have brought just too much awkwardness with it.

Jack sighed, ever the drama queen. "Fine, but you asked, savvy?"

Before Elizabeth could do as much as raise an eyebrow, Jack yelled, "Norrington, get your sorry behind over here!"

Norrington, who was in the process of trying to look busy while tying a reef knot, winced at the way he'd been addressed, but walked over to Jack and Elizabeth with as much dignity as was possible for a man of his position to muster.

"Yes… Captain?" He looked pained as he said the word 'Captain'.

"Elizabeth here-" Jack gestured in the direction of the lady pirate, "-wants to know what it is that pirates do when they get… lonely, if you get where I'm heading."

Norrington frowned. "What-"

Suddenly, his eyes widened as realization dawned. He'd heard some stories of that aspect of pirate life in the duration of his maritime career. "Surely you don't mean to tell her th-that?"

Elizabeth was getting more confused and impatient by the minute. She didn't like being treated like some naïve child with sensitive ears. She was a fully-grown, mature woman, and wanted to be regarded as such!

"No Norrington," Jack said after a brief pause, "I don't mean to tell her anything."

"Jack!" If it'd been anyone else, it would have been described as a petulant cry, but since it was Elizabeth, it was just the result of someone not 'acquiescing to her request'. There was, after all, still a fragment of the spoiled aristocrat she'd once been in her. One doesn't shake off their roots so easily, after all.

"Jack, you can't not-" she started again, only to be cut off.

"I don't mean to tell you, I mean to show you."

Norrington fidgeted nervously, unsuspecting, in the background, as there was yet another pause, in which Jack walked closer to him. Elizabeth, more confused than ever before, thought of saying something to galvanize Jack into showing her what it was that need showing.

However, before anyone could talk or move, Jack grabbed Norrington and pulled him into a kiss.

On the lips, Elizabeth registered, but barely.

She gaped like a goldfish as Norrington flailed his arms around helplessly and the members of the crew in the immediate vicinity stopped what they were doing and stared.

There was a break in which Jack stepped on Norrington's foot and glared at him as if to say, "Keep still and play along, you fool," after which they resumed, but with Norrington reciprocating this time.

And as suddenly as it had begun, it ended, and Elizabeth's brain decided to consider the idea of returning from its holiday back in London. The crew went back to pretending to work, sneaking what they hoped were surreptitious glances at the trio as they did.

"Hmm, good one, my ol' chap," Jack said cheerfully, giving the shell-shocked Norrington a pat on the back. "Run along now!"

Norrington, stupefied and realizing that he had no more dignity left to lose, left, not looking as if he was running away but coming pretty damn close to doing so, affirming his vow of vengeance as he did.

Elizabeth didn't know if to feel sick, to break out in laughter, or to dismiss the whole thing and forget about it (as if). She dimly acknowledged that watching the two men kiss like that was vaguely arousing-

No! Bad thoughts, Elizabeth, bad thoughts! BAD!

"Oh," she said eventually, having gathered her senses once more. "OH. I… see. Yes. Of course."

"Remember, curiosity killed the cat, my dear," Jack said calmly, waving off those of the crew that were still staring.

"Yes… um, Jack?"

"My dear," Jack said, leaning back against the railing, completely relaxed and none the wiser of what was to come.

"Would that be the reason that you run like a ponce?"

Jack stumbled and almost fell overboard. Elizabeth grinned.

"Possibly," Jack remarked off-handedly, trying to regain his composure. "If at all… I run like a ponce?"

"Yes, but you know something…" Elizabeth started, "I thought it would be for something like… that…"

She smirked as Jack promptly excused himself. Satisfied that the score was settled, she then spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to think, re-play mentally, or otherwise, about the kiss. And failing. Badly.