Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine

Chapter 1

Captain Jack Sparrow sat quietly in his cabin on board of his ship, the Black Pearl. He had been sitting there for nearly two days now, an untouched bottle of rum swinging lazily from his hand and his gaze lost in the dim light of the cabin. He ignored the shouts and sounds coming from deck. Even the sound of Barbossa shouting orders from his place at the helm didn't make him flinch at the moment. It had been just five days since the others had rescued him from the locker and they made it back to the real world. Five days of pretending he hadn't changed, that the locker had left him untouched. Five days of fighting with Barbossa for command over his ship. Five days avoiding Elisabeth who did feel the need to incessantly apologize to him. Five days of pretending he didn't wish to go to Shipwreck Cove when truthfully it was about the only place where he wanted to be at the moment.

For the three first days Jack had pretended that everything was alright, he had taken turns at the helm, he had ordered his crew around, he had fought with Barbossa and he had bantered back and forth with Gibbs and William. But his carefree mask was crumbling. Hour after hour, he tried to keep himself together, he tried to keep himself in the now, not allowing his mind to slip back into the locker. On the fourth day he had given up pretending. He had just locked himself in his cabin and allowed Barbossa to take command of the ship. He felt there was little danger in it at this time. Their destination was clear. Barbossa was the one who insisted the most on it. And there was hardly a chance that he would be marooned along the way, since he was needed for the court. Sure in the knowledge that things couldn't really go wrong in the next few days, Jack locked himself up in his cabin, refusing to let anyone get in. A few people had tried the first day, even if it was just to bring him food, but he had sent them away with a few curt words. He was not hungry. He had tried to sleep a few times, as he was feeling exhausted, but every time he closed his eyes he had found himself in the locker. So here he was. He had barely slept in three days, he had not eaten in two and not even the unopened bottle of rum appealed to him.

His quiet contemplation was broken by a firm knock on his door. Jack slightly moved his head towards the locked door, but otherwise he remained motionless.

"Captain!"

Gibbs then. The man was certainly persistent. This was the fifth time in the last two days that he had tried to get him to come out. He probably was the only one aboard the ship who Jack considered a friend. He briefly wondered if that was enough to get him to move and answer, but in the end his sluggish mind was too slow. With a soft click, the door was unlocked from the outside. Jack frowned, wondering how Gibbs had managed to get hold of a key to his cabin. But then he remembered that the man was his first mate, and as such he had a key to every door in the Pearl, including his cabin. Jack idly noted that he would have to change that at some point, before focusing his gaze on the man entering the cabin. Gibbs entered, carefully balancing a tray in his hands. As soon as he stepped through the door he closed it behind him. Jack could see a few faces trying to peer into the dimness of his rooms, but Gibbs made sure they had little chance to peek. The older man turned around as soon as the door was firmly closed. Even though there was little light filtering through the closed curtains hanging in front of the windows, Jack could distinguish the frown gracing the man's features and the set shape of his mouth. The Captain nearly let a resigned sigh escape his immobile lips. He was familiar with the expression his first mate wore. It meant there was no way the older man was leaving the cabin before he was satisfied. And Jack knew that that would only happen after he had eaten something and been put to bed. Even though Jack knew more or less what was coming, he was feeling too lethargic to really care, so he remained impassive as Gibbs put the tray on the table in front of him and immediately moved to the windows. Bright sunlight suddenly filled the cabin as the curtains were yanked open and the windows opened a bit. Finally Jack forced himself to rouse a bit from his apathy.

"I actually prefer those curtains closed."

Gibbs frowned towards him but ignored his statement. The older man moved to his desk and crossed his arms, adopting a firm position in front of his captain.

"And I actually preferred it when you were up there captaining this ship."

Jack closed his eyes tiredly. The man had a point, he should be out there. Letting Barbossa take over command was not a good idea, but at the moment he simply couldn't do anything about it. He needed time to deal with everything that had happened. The captain missed the worried expression that crossed his first mate's face, because it was gone as soon as he opened his eyes again.

"I know, Josh, I know. But I can't right now."

Those words worried Gibbs even more even though he didn't allow any emotion cross his face. Jack Sparrow admitting he was not able to captain his ship was about the worst sign of how the man was doing.

"Maybe you can't right now, but we will need you there as soon as possible. The crew is not very happy with Barbossa taking over command. Even Pintel and Raggeti are muttering that he's taking too many liberties. We need you out there Captain. And I think the first step is eating. You will do no one any good if you starve yourself."

Jack though didn't make any move to reach for the tray. The only sign that he was even listening was the soft frown that now crossed his face. So, the crew was not happy with Barbossa? That was good news for him, of course, because it meant less chance of mutiny in the future. On the other hand he didn't understand why. Even though he would never admit it out loud, Barbossa was a good captain. So, something had to be wrong. Maybe he really should go out there and check what was going on. Decision made, the captain stood up in a swift move, only to crumble to the floor before he had even taken a step.

"Jack!"

Gibbs hurried around the table and knelt next to his Captain, who was at the moment resting his weight on his knees and holding his spinning head with a hand.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy."

"Like hell you are. You, my friend, are going to bed right now. You're going to eat, even if I have to force feed you, and then you're going to sleep."

Before Jack could argue, he found his left arm thrown over Gibbs' shoulders and he was dragged across the room to his bunk. Knowing that he was just too exhausted to fight, Jack allowed the older man to push back the covers of his bed and to settle him between them. In less than five minutes, the captain was resting against his pillows, boots neatly tucked on one side of his bunk and the tray of food over his knees.

Gibbs crossed his arms again and waited till Jack glanced at him before talking.

"Now lad, you're going to eat this while I go get something from Cotton to get you to sleep. If by the time I'm back you have not eaten at least half of what's on that tray, I'm going to get William in here so that he can help me feed you. Got it?"

Jack frowned.

"I don't want to take anything to sleep. If something happens…"

Gibbs cut him off before he had the chance to finish. "Captain, if something happens right now I'll lock you up in this cabin myself. You would get yourself killed at the moment, and that will not change unless you get a good night's rest. Tell me honestly, will you sleep if I don't drug you?"

Jack rolled his eyes.

"We're pirates, Josh, we don't do honest."

Gibbs snorted and turned around. "I'll take that as a no then. Now eat."

The older man left the room, softly closing the door after him. He sighed when he saw a few men standing there waiting for him, frowns covering most faces. William, who had been standing closest to the door, was the first one to speak.

"How is he doing?"

"Not good. I don't think I've ever seen him so listless. Not even after years chasing after the Pearl. It's as if Jack Sparrow is not in there anymore and there is only a shell remaining."

The men winced and looked at each other in worry. Raggeti stepped forward slightly. "Do you think he is going to be alright?"

Gibbs wished more than anything to say yes, but truthfully he was not sure. "I hope so, lad. Anyway, we need to get him at least back on his feet. Cotton." The mute man nodded to him. "I need you to go to the galley and prepare some of your tea. Put a bit of laudanum in it. Jack looks like he hasn't slept in days and he basically admitted he's not going to do so without help. Everyone else get moving. Standing around here is not going to help anyone." Silently the men started to disperse. Gibbs though put a hand on William's arm to get him to stay. The younger man looked at him curiously.

"Stay around lad, I may need your help. The Captain's being stubborn and he's refusing to eat."

Will nodded and resumed his place against the door as Gibbs entered the cabin again. He was glad Elisabeth was not around at the moment. She had been feeling worse and worse about what she had done. He didn't know himself how to feel about it. For such a long time he had been feeling betrayed, thinking his fiancée had feelings for the pirate captain. Knowing the truth now left him feeling ambivalent about her. On one hand he was relieved knowing she didn't love Jack. On the other hand he could not reconcile his Elisabeth with the ruthless woman who had left a friend to die just to save herself. Because despite what she said, about saving all of them, the truth was that if she had asked anyone else about their opinion no one would have agreed to leave Jack behind. They all owed the captain too much to even consider it. Will could admit to himself that he had not been a good friend to the older man. He had always demanded things of him, and had given little back. Of course, he had saved him from the gallows, but it didn't seem enough.

His musings were interrupted when Cotton came back with a steaming cup of tea. The mute man nodded to him before knocking on the closed door. Gibbs' firm voice bade him to enter and the sailor quickly did as ordered. A few minutes later the two men left the room, Cotton carrying the empty tray and empty cup.

"He's sleeping then?"

Gibbs turned slightly towards the young man and nodded a worried expression still clear on his face.

"Yes, he should be out of it for several hours. We'll see how he's doing then. Maybe I can get him to come out when he can actually stand on his feet without getting dizzy."

Will nodded and stood straight. "When will we be arriving at Shipwreck cove? Will he be up for the meeting?"

Gibbs shrugged. "It's still a few days away, so maybe. But in the end it won't matter whether he's ready or not. The nine pirate lords are needed for the court and he is one of them."

The blacksmith nodded in understanding. He had been shocked when Gibbs had told them about the pirate lords. He never would have thought that pirates, who loved freedom so much, could have some kind of government. And then that mad Jack Sparrow was part of said government. He still had a hard time reconciling that thought. But when he had quietly voice such doubts in front of the other men he had been surprised. Most sailors had just shrugged; they hardly cared about who their lord was as long as they were left alone. Gibbs and Barbossa though had shot him amused looks. The old captain had shaken his head and just stated: "The only things you know about Jack Sparrow are what he wants you to know. Try to look behind his mask and you will be surprised."

Gibbs had just smiled at that and refused to add anything to it when William had questioned him. The young blacksmith watched as the older man left and wondered what revelations the meeting with the Brethren court would bring.

To be continued…