Barter

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Allright, this is my first POTC fic. This plot bunny has been biting me. Eating at my soul. What did Jack have to barter passage win a n a deserted island? I could really use some constructive criticism, I find Jack horribly difficult to write. (So of course my solution is to do thing from Jack's POV? *rolls eyes at herself*)

Quick warnings- OC/Jack, Non-con, slash.

Okay. On with the story.

Chapter One

Haze. Definitely a foggy haze. But why? Why was there haze? Ah! Rum. Yes. Large quantities of rum. But then, why so much rum? Think. Think... pretty water... right! Island. Island, marooned... almost got it, mutiny. That's it. Captain Jack Sparrow sat up in the sand, smiling, immensely proud of himself for having figured his whereabouts and all the reasons for it in less than... well, it was probably less than an hour. The haze from the rum was doing its darndest to keep depressing things, the passage of time, for instance, from seeming all that important.

Though... if there was this much thought roaming about, he probably needed more rum. "Yes!" he shouted, oblivious, or at least pretending to be oblivious to the part where he was alone on a deserted island, "More rum!" He reached for the bottle and scrunched up his face at discovering it lacking in rum content.

"Well then, that won't do, will it?" he asked a palm tree and grinned, apparently at its answer. Which was of course, silence. Which, of course, meant that it agreed. Jack stumbled his way towards the secret compartment housing his stash, leaning on his friends (other palms trees) along the way, because he couldn't quite stand right. The rum, and the haze you see.

He lifted his empty bottle to his lips and cursed when no rum came. Honestly. What right did that bottle think it had to be empty? He had gotten awfully far from the compartment, hadn't it been.... here last time? Yeah, that was it! Wait... something isn't right... Jack shifted his body a bit in a attempt to break the haze. Something was... ah! A person! A real one?

"Well, hullo are you a hallucination, then?" he slurred at the figure in front of him. If it was a hallucination, it would do well to get that out in the open.

"Not at my last checking," the figure said, apparently amused. "But I haven't checked for at least a year now."

"Now that were cryptic, howm'I to know whether or not your a hallucination if you don' e'en know?" Jack moved in closer to the figure, trying to get a better look.

"That is a good question." The figure, at this point Jack reckoned, hallucination or not, it was a male figure, reached his hand back and brought it across Jack's face.

"Well, that certainly /felt/ real enough," Jack said, stumbling backwards. "I suppose, then, we can assume that either I'm not hallucinating, or I've begun hallucinating sensations. And since if I'm hallucinating sensations, I'm fairly far gone, so either way, we can just assume you're real." This amazing feat of logic caused Jack to smile proudly. Yes. He was getting the hang of this.

"Albert," the man seemed to be calling to someone. "What do you make of this?"

"Ah, well sir," another man, this one was quite portly. Smaller than his first hallucination, who was thin and muscular, yet strong seeming. "It seems we've come 'pon a man in need o' some help."

The portly man had a deep voice. The thin man had a silky one. Jack smiled. If these /were/ hallucinations, he was certainly getting better at it. The thin man was fairly attractive, what with that silver hair and those blue eyes.

"Wonder where I came up with those," Jack mused moving closer to the attractive man. The one not named Albert. "In the middle of the Caribbean and all."

"He seems a bit daft, don't 'ee, sir?"

"I imagine he is where the missing rum has gone."

"Rum!" Jack shouted, suddenly remembering the entire reason for getting up in the first place. "Thas' right, I need to get more rum." He began to stumble past his hallucinations, or try; they seemed intent upon keeping him there. Wait, no, no, they were real. Huh. That was interesting.

"I think, Mr... what is your name?"

"Cap'n Jack Sparrow," Jack bowed, flourishing his hat. Or at least he tried, but he failed to take into account the fact that the portly one, Albert, was holding him from the rum, and just vaguely stumbled some more. Oh well, it was the thought that counted.

"Mr. Sparrow, I believe you have had more than enough of our rum."

"Your rum?" Jack puzzled over this. It would likely follow that the cache of rum belonged to someone else. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had thought about who it probably belonged to before. Who was it that had rum? Rumrunners... a group of pirates he'd met up with before, right?

"Yes. Wait, Jack Sparrow? I remember you, now. I was once a part of the East India Company. You and your band gave us quite the run around once."

Jack stumbled. East India.. wha? Too much. He definitely needed some more rum now. Jack blinked. "Uhm... well then, suppose you'd take me off this island with you?" Hah. That was what he had meant to say upon discovering his hallucinations were real. That'd show the haze. He even managed a quite charming smile.

"What do you think Albert?"

"Well sir, I don' see wha's in it for the likes o' us, takin' him with us, I mean. He ain' got nothin' to offer, and he's already stolen a large 'mount of rum."

"No, Mr. Sparrow, I don't believe you have anything to offer us."

Jack stared as his hallucinations began to walk away. Wait... wait... His rum. They'd take the rum. He shook his head. "I could work for you! I know m'way 'round a ship!"

The tall, thin, attractive man turned around. "Perhaps you can work for us, Mr. Sparrow. Alas, I have crew enough." He turned around.

"Wait!" Jack called, the haze drifting away and desperation beginning to sink in. "Anything, I'll do anything to get off of this island!"

"Anything, Mr. Sparrow?" the man continued to walk towards the ship.

Jack flung himself towards the man. "Anything!"

The man turned around grinning. "Then, come along, Mr. Sparrow. I imagine our voyage will be quite enjoyable."