"Beckett wants the compass. Only one reason for that."

"Of course. He wants the chest." Jack said, turning back to the details of the papers.

"Yes, he did say something about a chest." The girl nodded slowly, although she was still confused to what the chest actually was or what it meant.

"If the Company controls the chest, they control the sea."

"A truly discomforting notion, love." Jack groaned.

"Baaad!" Gibbs began shaking his head, uncomforted by the threat. "Bad for every mother's son what calls himself pirate. I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails." He walked off to see to the sails, missing the way Nicolette peered down at him curiously from the helm as the commands were given. "Brace the foreyard!"

Jack also missed it seeing as his back was still to her and his full attention was on Elizabeth, wondering nothing more than how the girl came to hold such important papers which would not just be left lying around near her jail cell. However, he noticed, the girl was more occupied with who she could see over his shoulder, than with him and so he held onto his question as the girl's lips parted.

"There is something else Jack." The girl said and then her eyes fell to the floor. "Beckett doesn't just want the compass, he wants Nicolette." All too suddenly, any amusement there had been in the air was gone, replaced with an eerie seriousness.

"Nicolette?" Jack scoffed, almost laughing, his tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth. "What exactly do you mean?" His guard had been risen and his ears were all open.

"I don't know. But he asked Will to return with the compass as well as her." Elizabeth watched as Jack eyes changed, they got darker, dull, and he pulled away from her ever so slightly.

"You're fiancé failed to mention this to her I presume, when she agreed to help him in finding me?" The distasteful sourness he used to get at the mention of the boy when they were first introduced returned to Jack's mouth and he found himself bearing his teeth as his glare focused on his minds image of Will Turner.

"I don't think she knows, no." Elizabeth shook her head as she recalled the conversation she had with Nicolette the previous evening, while Jack sighed and his eyes widened worryingly.

"Oh believe me love, you would know if she knew." He glanced back to see Nic still at the helm, keeping them on track with complete ignorance to what target was above her head.

Of course the boy hadn't said anything, Nicolette would have down right refused or even killed him then and there if she had even heard the mere mention of Beckett's involvement. Now she had unknowingly walked into the line of Fire and Will had let her, with every intention of leading her straight to Beckett.

"What would Beckett want with her?" Elizabeth intruded his thoughts and Jack shook his head, turning back around.

"It's not worth thinking about love. And...let me mention this little hiccup to Miss Barker eh?" Jack's eyes narrowed and he was feverishly batting the papers in the palm of his hand when his mood suddenly changed. "Might I enquire as to how you came by these." He said as he held up the letters, smirking, and his smirk only grew as Elizabeth met his gaze and pouted her lips.

"Persuasion." Each syllable was pronounced perfectly through a small smirk of her own.

"Friendly?" Jack quirked an eyebrow.

"Decidedly not."

"Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honour, yet you are the one standing here with the prize." He quirked before going back to the letter and reading aloud. "Full pardon, commissioned as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company..." Norrington overheard as he wandered past nearby and Jack stuffed the letters into the inner breast pocket of his coat. Before turning on his heal to walk away. "As if I could be bought for such a low price."

"Jack, the letters, give them back."

"No." He replied quickly and then smirked as he stopped. "Persuade me." He felt Elizabeth's presence come up behind him and his eyes fell half closed as she leant in closer, her breath skimming his neck deliciously.

"You do know Will taught me how to handle a sword." But that only caused Jack's grin to grow and he turned on the spot to face her.

"As I said... persuade me." They stood there, eye to eye, each of them daring each other to make the first move. They were practically toe to toe and lost to the world by the looks of it.

As Nicolette watched them, as she had been doing for the last five minutes or so, she reckoned she could go down and call for each of them and they wouldn't hear her. From where she stood above them she could see the look on Elizabeth's face, smiling and tempting, and she could guess just what Jack's looked like too.

Without thinking, she sharply swung the helm to the port side, allowing multiple full rotations before catching it again effortlessly. The sudden change turned the Pearl taking them a little off heading, but the force was just enough to make the crew wobble as the deck tilted. It was also enough to alert Elizabeth who she had seen jump and grab onto the railing.

Jack of course barely faltered but the shift was enough to concern him and he looked over his shoulder, squinting into the sun until he saw Nicolette stood there as if nothing had happened. But when their eyes met briefly, he knew what the case was and an odd feeling swelled in his chest.

And not a good odd.

"Ehh excuse me love." Jack muttered to Elizabeth before walking off, leaving the young woman confused and still a little uneasy. However Jack didn't care, for he found himself almost grinning as he climbed towards the helm and noticed Nicolette was refusing to acknowledge his presence.

She knew he was there. He knew she knew he was there. She was keeping track of his movements out the corner of her eye, her gaze pointed towards the horizon and glazed over.

"Are we alright love?" He called out, unable to resist walking right into her eye line. "Have we come off heading?"

"I can get us back on track." She hummed under her breath and, to go along with her words, gave two full turns towards the starboard side. "Must have hit a reef."

"Hmm, yes. A reef." Jack rounded on her, walking slowly until he came to stand by her side. "I think you and me need to have a little chat darling."

At first she thought it was all because she gave them a little jolt. But as she went to tell him to shove it, Nic noticed he was no longer smiling or teasing, and he was looking down at her more seriously than he had in a long time. It was the same look he had given her after she awoke in that doctors home.

"What is it?"