There was a brief lull in the fighting.

"I'll buy you the hat," said Jack, "The really big one,"

Barbossa's gaze drifted upward to the ragged black brim, as he thought back to that day...

He'd been walking along a dirt road of Tortuga, slightly drunk. Kicked a flock of chickens out of the way as he tried not to fall over.

Then it caught his eye.

A gorgeous, wide-brimmed headpiece adorned with trimmings of various colors and several feathers. Now there was a hat.

He wanted it.

There was only a thin pane of glass between he and it. He could have it on his head and be gone before anyone noticed.

He took another swig of rum and walked up to the display window.

He brought back his fist, about to give it his full power when he realized he was not alone. There was a person standing right next to him, watching.

Looked like the piratey type, with a few dreadlocks and gold teeth that gleamed from the grin he wore.

Barbossa gave the person an annoyed glance. "What do you want?" he muttered.

The man didn't stop grinning but snapped out of it (he'd been thinking how the sight struck him as funny) and motioned toward the glass. "I'm not bothering you, am I? By all means, do continue."

Barbossa rolled his eyes and threw the punch.

His hand was an inch- no, a half-inch away from victory when he was interrupted a second time.

"You're going to steal that, eh?"

Barbossa did an innocent, slightly confused expression. "Steal what?"

Again the man's fingers fluttered in the air to address the subject. "I personally find the tricorn more appealing but it's all a matter of taste, really."

Barbossa let out an empty chuckle. "Nay, 'tis the big one I'm after."

"Ah..." The annoying man cocked his head to one side. "You're getting it for a sweetheart, then?" he said, and put a finger to his lips. "Unless you like women's hats,"

Barbossa rolled his eyes again and said, "No, no. Not the big one. The really big one."

The man raised his arms in the air and rolled forward to his toes to accentuate the point. "The really, really big one?"

"Aye, the really, really big one." said Barbossa.

"The really really big insanely huge gigantic one that is so big it can be used as a boat in times of great distress and/or double as a fishing net and that if taken care of properly is so be-endecored with feathers from exotic birds and precious stones and ridiculous fluff that it makes people stare in awe because it's practically screaming 'look at me I'm rich enough to buy this hat and wear it on me head and you weren't so haha now get out of my way or I'll run you through with my even more amazing gazillion-pound cutlass-?" He ended his rant and took a long-awaited breath. "Eh?"

Barbossa squinted.

"Er...no?" said the man, taking a wild guess.

Barbossa lowered his hand from where it had been frozen a half-inch away from the glass. "What do you want?" he repeated his first question.

"Well there's a question..." The man thought for a moment. "But right here and now, I'm looking for chaps to crew me ship, now that I've got one. Sailed much?"

"Aye, piratin's me profession." Barbossa smirked. "Or else I wouldn't be here in Tortuga."

"You've got a point."

"Just what are you plannin' once you have this crew?"

The man leaned forward and said in a secretive tone, "I'm going after some, you know, treasure."

"What treasure be this?" asked Barbossa.

The man looked around as if someone might overhear. "Isla de Muerta. Spanish gold. More than enough to last a lifetime."

Barbossa's mind began to whirr. An idea took shape. "I'd be willin' to sign on, depending on how much gold I'll be getting."

"Everyone will be paid, have no doubt of that. Then we go our separate ways, rich as Cleopatra. Savvy? You'd be a start, if you know where I can get said deckhands to aid in perilous voyage."

"Done." said Barbossa, "First mate?" he asked, hopefully.

"Aye." said the man.

They shook hands.

"Now I shall need a name if I'm not to go around calling you 'The Man With The Frankly Awful Beard.'" He stroked his own chin. "You should get that trimmed or something."

"Hector Barbossa. And no, I'd really rather not get my beard trimmed."

"Ah, well then. Captain Jack Sparrow. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Hector."

Barbossa bristled at the use of his first name, but outwardly put on a pleasant smile. "And yours, Captain Sparrow."

Soon to be ex-captain.

"Shall we be off to get that gold? It's all a fair share, of course." He made sure to add this assurance, lest he be suspected.

They took off down the streets of Tortuga, Barbossa smug as he smirked behind Jack Sparrow's back.

He may not have gotten the hat, but with all that gold he could buy an even better one, as well as just about anything else.

~xTHE ENDx~