A Jack/Elizabeth fanfic for DMC (For Us Believers!)

Ok basically i worte this a while ago after seeing DMC...

I basically re-wrote the DMC parts that Jack/Elizabeth are in together to make it into a shipper happy experience! 💃 (not that it wasnt before 😛 )

What happened between Jack/Elizabeth when they were OFF SCREEN to cause them to have so much chemistry when they were ON SCREEN? ...maybe they were having a little adventure of their own?

(Which basically means whenever they werent onscreen (example; when davy/will or beckett were onscreen instead) what was happening off screen? lol)

There is no dirty stuff in it....MILD swearing (no really bad words though!) 🙂

Ill do it chapter by chapter and put it all up, so if you want to read it then you can 🙂
I don't expect reviews or anything lol , the only reason i put it up was for the people who are like me and believe in our AWE shipper ending after seeing DMC! .... and plus, its nice to re-live those hott moments between the two characters!!!! 😛

Enjoy (hopefully lol)

*_*_*_*_

*Muse*

Chapter One

*_* Lost All Sense of Fear,
Feeling's Insincere,
Can I be Your Memory? *_*

"You are so ignorant! Why is that?"

"Pirate"

"Manners would not hurt, Captain Sparrow. Common courtesy costs nothing, you know"

"I hear it costs alot these days, actually...men have been hanged for less."

She rolled her eyes and decided to focus on something other than him. For the past two days she had been aboard this bloody ship, and now she was beginning to grow rather restless. She wanted to find Will, she wanted to hold Will...and at this moment in time she was quite sure that if she got her way then she would be on her way to fu-

"LAND AHOY!"

"What?!" Yelled the Captain, running from starboard to port as quickly as possible and looking out to the horizon. "How the bloodyhell did we end up near land?!" His head turned quickly to look at Elizabeth, and his dreadlocks smacked him in the face as he did so.

He knew he couldn't trust her with that bloody compass.

Elizabeth took the compass in her right hand and flipped it open. She could not make heads or tails with the stupid thing lately. Either she was reading it wrong, or her thoughts were allover the place, as the needle decided it was not going to stay in one deffinate place. She wanted to find Will, and so admittedly she needed to concentrate hard. Maybe it was WILL moving allover the place? Maybe she was following his directions? She was not too sure.
she snapped it shut again, like she had done so many times that day. However, she did find it seemingly interesting that although the compass had not exactly pointed her in the direction she had wanted to go; she had actually found land with the compass.

'I guess that has to be something' she mused to herself.

Jack strolled over to her and held out his hand. "Give me that compass back Luv. Your like a cow with a gun with that thing"

Elizabeth sneered at him, and then thrust it into his chest. "It's not like the stupid thing works anyway. It's temperamental and it never seems to make any sense, just likes it's bloody owner"

Jack smiled, bearing his black and gold teeth, gleaming in the sunlight for all to see. "On the contrary Lass, my compass works fine. Perhaps it is you who doesn't make sense?"

Elizabeth walked away from him hastily, ignoring his sniggers from behind her.
"Go to hell, Mr Sparrow"

Jack, overhearing her last threat, smirked to himself. But not before shouting after her;
"Been there, done that...and it has to be said that it would be a damned sight better down there, that it is bein' up 'ere right now."
A voluntary shudder at the thought of Davy Jones escaped him.

'Bugger' he thought to himself, running back to the deck of the Pearl. 'Where's me jar of dirt?"

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

He said it would be a short stop. Unplanned, ofcourse considering she had lead them there by accident. He had told her the food was running low...and the rum, ofcourse he could not forget the rum. So, Pirates doing what they do best, Jack intended on taking what was unrightfully his and taking it without caring. As usual.

Elizabeth was Livid. HOW was this supposed to help her find Will, like Captain Sparrow had promised?
For now he was submerged within a game of polka. This was NOT Tortuga; this was a million times worse.

"Port Corvanya" came a familiar voice behind her. "Think of her as the wicked step sister of Tortuga, and you will no doubt come to the conclusion as to what kind of place you are walking around in"

Elizabeth turned and saw Norrington staring out at the sight's before him from where they stood; upon a balcony to a backstreet Public House, looking out at the surrounding dirt and clusters of mangy 'forgottens' who seemed to find their interests lay within the bottom of a bottle of 'Captain Morgan's finest rum'.

"It intregues me to know how you know about these places, seems as though you were once a naval guard protecting my fathers port."

Norrington smiled lazily. She noted to herself that he seemed to do that alot more now than he did when he was Commodor. Odd really, what a spot of Piracy can do to someone's persona.

"It is not wise to ask a man about the knowledge he knows. However, it is more unwise to repeat the knowledge, if the knowledge can lead to that which would make a lesser man more knowledgeable"

Elizabeth stared at him blankly. Only Captain Sparrow could pull that off.

"I did not understand a word of that"

"Good. Then you are not as insane as I first thought"

Elizabeth turned her back on the views and chose instead to look back into the Pub, where drunken vaggabonds were chasing unmodest women around tables with ale in their hands. If this really was the life of a Pirate then no wonder Captain Sparrow liked it so much.

Jack meanwhile, sat at a round table, staring intently at the hand he was given. Life was not good to poor ol' Jack lately, he had decided.
First, a horrible beastie was after his soul...and not to mention the Kracken awell.

THEN he had to go and seek said terrible beasties heart from a box.

AND THEN there was the added factor that he did not actually know where the box was.

And ofcourse ON TOP OF THAT he had to entertain another (admittedly more attractive) beastie in the form of one Miss (soon to be Turner but at the moment she was still a MISS and therefore there was no harm in meddling with her prissy little head) Swann.

"Pay up or fold, Jack" Gibbs whispered to his Captain, obviously sensing he was in deep thought.

"I think I'm onto something, Gibbs" Jack whispered back.

"And what may that be, if you don't mind me askin'?" From what Gibb's could see, Jack stood no chance at all.

"When I say 'Now', don't wait for a signal, just run" Were his only words before looking up from his hand and looking at the others around him. "Gentlemen, as i have no money to go on to win this game, i see fit to only divest you from your own winnings and take them as my own. NOW!"

"Now?" asked Gibbs, looking around; no one seemed to be moving, obviously still taking in what Jack had said.

Jack looked at him. "Yes; NOW! And take the rum!" With that Jack lept up from his chair, took out his pistol and started pointing it at the other's around the table.

Gibb's left Jack's side and rounded up the other crew members, ordering them to pick up the rum and as much food as they could find. He looked back at Jack to see him surrounded by men, their swords all pointing at him. He really was a bad pirate at times.

Suddenly gunfire was heard from outside, and then the lampshade hanging above the table where Jack was occupied came crashing down, forcing the men to jump back. Jack saw his opportunity and dived under the table, sensing that a fight would explode, and he would therefore have a chance to escape.

Elizabeth ran through the room, followed closely by Norrington, who was the one toting the smoking pistol. As the crew started to fight, Pintel and Ragetti carried crates of un-used food out of the Public house and into the candle-lit streets, right behind Elizabeth and Norrington.

As she looked back, she could see men being thrown from the balcony. Fires were starting, and the noise was steadily growing louder. Whatever happened in there, she knew that Captain Sparrow would be hiding somewhere until the fight was over.

'Coward' she thought venemously. 'And you call yourself a pirate'.

...chapter One Continued below

Chapter One continued....

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"And you call yourself a Pirate?!"

"A Pirate will do whatever deems necessary to save his own Hide. The sooner you realise that, the sooner you will realise what being a Pirate actually means" Jack told her proudly. He would not have her telling him what he had to do to be a bloody Pirate. He WAS a Pirate...he should know what it takes to become one.

"I thought Pirates were the scourage of the Seas? Fearless against anything that stood in their way? Not HIDING UNDER THE TABLES until the fight is over?" Elizabeth put her hands on her hips in a repremanding way, trying to look more furious than she actually was.

Jack did not look at her. Instead he kept looking out to sea, looking at the clouds heading in the way they were going. 'Ha, I just made a sheep', he thought gleefully, forgetting for a moment what he was saying.

"Captain Sparrow?" Came her voice in his head again.

He looked at her then and smirked. "You've known me for some time now Elizabeth, why do you still insist on calling me Captain Sparrow?"

Elizabeth thought for a minute. Why DID she still call him Captain Sparrow? There was no need for courtesy on a Pirate ship...and there was the answer she was looking for in one of her earlier conversations with Captain Sparrow. He did not accept courtesy because he did not need it, not because he did not have any.

" I thought you were a Captain. Am i wrong, Jack?"

This made him smirk even more.

"That I might be, Luv. But I am not YOUR Captain"

"Oh please" Came Norrington's voice, as he scrubbed the deck with a filthy-bristled brush.

"Something wrong, Norrington?" Asked Gibbs, standing beside him, looking down at his handywork. Apparently Gibbs seemed more of a Captain than Jack; He seemed to be the one making the crew actually work.

"No Sir. I just find it fascinating that Miss Swann could be taken in by such a pathetic one-liner like that"

Gibbs kicked over the water bucket. In Norrington's face. Salt water washing into his cuts and grazes. Ouch.

"I am not naiive, James. I am not stupid enough to even comprehend whatever Jack is trying to say"

Jack smiled. "Good, then we are under no illusions of what is and what isn't. Savvy?"

Elizabeth did not even know what he was talking about. But for a peaceful and relatively pain-free life she nodded her head in understanding.

Jack looked back out at sea once again, watching the rolling currents splash against the ship. It was oddly calm for night time.

"Calm before the storm" Said Gibbs beside him, as if reading his mind.

And Jack knew exactly what he was talking about.

Chapter Two:

*No One Knows What Its Like
To Be The Bad Man
To Be The Sad Man
Behind Blue Eyes*

Jack examined the damage. It wasn't that it was bad...could have been worse. But she still insisted on screaming like a banshee in mating season.

"IT HURTS!"

"It will if you get salt water in it! Look at me! My face was in agony for days-"

"-DAYS?!"

"Well no...that was an exagguration...it FELT like days-"

"Oh Lord, I want to die...just kill me now, the pain will go away!"

Norrington got up from Elizabeth's side and went below decks.He was probably after the same thing Jack already decided to get.

"'Ere" He said, shoved a bottle of rum in her face.

She looked at him with wide-eyes. "Do you honestly think i am in ANY fit state to even dream of drinking that vile-putrid smelling-foul-"

Jack sniggered. "It's not for drinkin' Luv, it's for puttin' on your leg."

She was thinking about it. He could see the cogg's turnin' in her head. She popped the cork and the tipped the bottle slightly, allowing a small droplet to drop from the tim of the neck-

"No!" Jack shouted, and then closed his eyes. He'd forgotten to tell her to NEVER pour the liqueur on the wound...

He watched her face contort. In pain or anger he wasn't quite sure. Then suddenly she began screaming again, only this time it sounded like a banshee was giving birth...which was even more painful.

"You're not supposed to pour it...you're supposed to dab it in with a cloth-"

"Which you completely neglected to tell me you...you-you pirate!"

Jack smiled at her. "Not exactly an insult you're givin' me there, Luv"

"Oh do shut up" She breathed, closing her eyes against the sun beating down on her, and the pain that was no throbbing very badly on her knee cap.

She blamed Jack, natraully. If he hadn't of let her go up that bloody mast pole to grease down the ropes in the first place...although he didn't agree to it at first, this was true. But she wanted to prove herself.

But why? What did she need to prove? She was a Governers daughter...

A Governers daughter in league with Pirates.

How ironic.

It was only a graze anyway. But there was alot more blood initially...and she didn't like blood very much...very at all actually.

Something was above her. The sun had been blocked. She opened her eyes and squinted up, to find Jack standing there, looking down at her. He was holding something out to her.

"What's that?" She asked him.

"The make-shift bandage from my hand. Use it to dab the rum with" He let the cloth float down and it landed in her lap. Then he was walking away again with that swagger.

"Thankyou" She shouted after him.

He turned around and nodded, and then was off to the helm.

"Here" Came Norrington's voice, shaking her from her thoughts.

But he noticed someone had already got there first.

"Oh" He said, taking a seat next to her. He looked at the bottle of rum in his hands. "Oh well, waste not, want not" he stated, as he opened the bottle and took a few gulps, letting the liqueur smooth its way down his throat.

"Thankyou anyway" Elizabeth told him, smiling at him.

She attempted to dab her leg with the cloth, but on nearing the gash, she wussed out and had to take a few deep breaths before attempting it again.

Norrington rolled his eyes. "Christ woman. Give it here"

He took the cloth from her hands and began to dab the wound for her, finding it utterly astonishing how much Elizabeth found his company more comfortable now than she ever did when she was his fiancee.

Jack looked on indignantly.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The cool sea breeze began to set in. Twighlight was the best time of day for Jack. He had time to think; time to relive past adventures, think about his next ones...think about anything but what would happen when there was nothing left.

Because when there was nothing left, there was nothing there. And to be a Pirate there had to be something there or there would be no means of Piracy to get the thing that was there because there would be nothing left there to get.

*You think too much, mate* He noted to himself, taking a large swig of rum.

Davy Jones? Bah, whatever happened would happen.

The Black Pearl? Well...it was his home...his life...his pirates life...

Life here-on-in? Bugger to it all...if he died he knew he'd had a decent life for a pirate anyway..most didnt live after the age of 30.

The wind had coaxed the sails into full bloom. He wasn't too sure where they were heading, but he knew they were going somewhere. Probably wherever bloody Elizabeth took them. IF she actually used the compass once in a while.

With that thought, he travelled down the stairs and away from the helm, walking towards her majesty; and her jester sleeping soundly *And in a drunken state too, if i am not mistaken* beside her.

She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She certainly had no recollection of him looking at her. Them pouty lips that shot so much venom at him, that boody mens costume he had TOLD her to take off (For his own sake more than hers) and that stupid hair that looked more ridiculous than his...sometimes.

He shoved her.

"What-"

"Oi, Elizabeth" Came his voice from his own mouth, sounding rougher than he intended.

She seemed dazed for a minute, but then her eyes settled on him as he came into her focus. "Oh...its you"

"'Ello Luv. I need a hand if you will...need a direction to steer in you see, and seems as though you seem to know where is best to point this bloody boat...I hoped you might want to hold my compass for a minute or two?" Jack's voice was a whisper now, although half of what he said seemed to be unheard over Norrington's snoring.

Elizabeth, still a little dazed only heard half of the conversation. One which stated;

"Luv, i need a hand...you seem to know to hold my compass"

"Jack sparrow!" She shouted, startling a few of the crew. "How dare you even assume that I would even consider thinking about something like that! You are out of your-"

He clasped his hand over her mouth, and then put the compass into her hand. Then it dauned on her...and she felt very embarrassed.

"Sorry" she said through his hand. He shrugged, he'd been called worse.

She lifted the compass and opened it. Jack pulled back and stood above her, looking in the direction the needle was pointing at. It seemed to be pointing west...which was exactly where he was standing...so therefore the chest must be west of where they were heading.

"Cheers" He told her, before he was off again to turn the boat around.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at his retreating back. She then looked back down at the compass, to find it swivelling again. She sighed. Nothing of Jack's worked. He was a time bomb of disaster.

She kept the Compass open in her lap...not even noticing the needle swivell in a North-Easterly direction...the whereabouts of someone that was not William Turner.

Chapter Three:

*We've Never Been So Many,
And We've never Been So Alone*

Staggering her way to the side of the ship, Elizabeth threw up her breakfast overboard, allowing her leftovers to be churned in with the waves.
She had to say she was glad of the change in weather; the sun was making her almost as nauseous as the rolling waves were.

And she knew they were due for a storm.

"Where are your sea legs, young missy?" Gibbs asked her from the helm, steering the ship into the waves. The wind was growing fierce, and the darkened clouds were following them, gradually picking up pace, just as the ship seemed to be.

"I would only need sea legs if i intended to spend my life on the sea, Mr Gibbs" She shouted up at him, feeling a little better now her stomach was emptier.

Gibbs grunted a response, but she could not understand a word of it.

There were footsteps on the stairs from below deck, and suddenly Jack appeared; hands on hips, eyes squinted, looking at his surroundings. Then his eyes settled on Elizabeth.

"Where be Gibbs, Miss Swann?" He asked her, walking towards her; that irritable swagger making her smirk everytime she watched him.

She nodded past him, up to where Gibbs was.

His head swivelled round, and he spotted him. He then looked back at Elizabeth; "Right then...be a doll and fetch me some rum...I can feel myself sobering up, and a sober pirate is not a pirate if he intends on becomming sober whilst commiting an act of piracy...savvy?"

With that he took one last look at her, and then made his way (ungracefully) up the stairs towards Gibbs.

Elizabeth studied both men; they obviously seemed to be in deep conversation. Maybe there was something worth knowing? Then again; this was Jack, and Jack had nothing worth knowing.

Elizabeth looked over at Norrington; he was still pleasantly asleep, bunched up in the far corner of the ship...holding his bottle of rum.
She grabbed the rum and then made her way towards Jack and Gibbs...who lowered their conversation on her arrival.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh for goodness sakes...I am here to help, you know"

Both men looked at her. Gibbs started at her intently...Jack just jeered.

"Did I, or did I not tell you that it was a dress or nothing?" He asked her, a smirk spreading across his dirt-smudged face.

"Do not change the subject" She told him sternly. Now becomming more aware of the fact that Jack had actually been eyeing her up and down, rather than jeering.

"I'm not...I'm just re-stating a fact" He told her, now beginning to circle her.

She tried to ignore him.

"Mr Gibbs, do we have any idea where it is that we are?" She asked, although the nerves in her voice were starting to appear. He was behind her now. She wasn't sure whether to be terrified...or intregued.

"Jack has the wind in his sails about somethin'. Not sure what though...you'd better ask the man himself" Gibbs paid no attention to Jacks seemingly un-noticed predatory assaults upon Elizabeth. It was no place for him to say anything, the Captain was wise enough to tread where he dared, and suffer the consequences.

Elizabeth did not need to ask Gibbs where Jack was, although she did notice that he was no longer standing directly behind her. She turned to see him heading down the stairs.

"Jack? Do you know where we're going?" She asked, following him.

Jack turned and looked at her. He smirked.

"We're going wherever you and that bloody compass takes us, Elizabeth"

She suddenly brightened up. "You mean we are heading for Will?"

He turned his back to her for a moment, almost suspicously. "Aye...something along those lines..."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Look at that...she's as bright as a button, this one"

Ragetti sniggered.

Elizabeth glared at him, and then back at Jack once more. "I am adding my own thoughts here, I am trying to be helpful -"

"Then be helpful and kindly wake the 'Commodor' from his Ugly sleep ..he's been out for almost a day now..." Jask mused thoughtfully.

Gibbs leaned over and whispered to Jack; "The men thought they could smell wrotting corpse...now, i am not one to point the finger...but the smell was comin' from his general direction..."

Jack wrinkled his nose.

"Men" Elizabeth said to herself.

She had no intentions of waking up James, and nor did she like Jack's way of trying to steer a topic of conversation into another direction.

"I need to know Jack. Did Will say anything to you about Beckett before he was captured by Jones?"

Jack shuddered...again. Only this time it was the mention of the name Beckett rather than Jones.

Jack looked seemingly dis-interested, and deftly decided that his fingernails were presently worth more attention. "He may have mentioned something..."

"What?" She asked him urgently.

He ignored her question and took off once again.

But to his annoyance, she followed him.

Gibbs saw her take something from the bosom of her man's-jacket, and was about to shout to Jack to 'duck for cover!', before he realised it was not a pistol she was holding...but a leather binding.

"I have a full pardon" she shouted to him. Her voice sounded more urgent than before. "There is one for you here too...but only if you help me, Jack"

The whole deck of the ship was silent. Even Norrington had managed to rouse himself from sleep to watch the show...to the disappointment of the hungry cannibal that had been watching his pray with a beady eye all day.

Jack looked at her, smiling all the while.

Now this was more like it...she sounded like she was actually begging him...and he could not turn down a lass that begged him...

"And why would i need a pardon? I'm a pirate, Luv...the scourage of the sea, remember?"

Elizabeth was steadily deflating. There was just no winning with him at all.

"I thought you wanted to help me?" she said in a small voice.

"It depended on what was in it for me..." His voice was low also..menacing...electrifying.

Elizabeth thought a minute. She held the leather binding close to her chest. What would Jack Sparrow want so badly that she would never of thought of?

Then she found the answer. Bravely, she held her head high and looked at him dead in the eye.

"Me" She said, without a moments hesitation.

Chapter Four

*I walk a lonely road,
The only one that I have ever known.
Don't know where it goes,
But its only me,
And i walk alone*

"Beckett!" Gibbs said lividly.
"Yes, they're signed, Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company." Elizabeth told Jack over his shoulder as he glanced at the signed documents.
"Agh" Jack felt his wrists unconsciously, shuddering at that name.
"Will was working for Beckett, and never said a word." Gibbs added scandelously, ignoring Jack's outburst.
" Agh..."
" Beckett wants the Compass. Only one reason for that." Gibbs looked at Jack knowingly.
"Of course. He wants the chest." JAck said darkly.
Elizabeth could see the wheels turning in Jacks head already. She knew he was thinking about the prospect of having another battle to fight before he found his prescious chest.

"Yes, he did say something about a chest" She told both men.

Jack gave her a quizzical look. She decided it would be better to avoid his eyes, and so she looked to Gibbs instead.

"If the company controls the chest, they controls the sea." Gibbs told her, his voice going quiet.
"A truly discomforting notion, luv" jack added, looking around him at the crew. Suddenly he felt a little more vulnerable than before.
"And thats Bad for every mother's son what calls himself a pirate. I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails. Brace the foreyard!" Gibbs shouted to the crew before walking away.
Leaving Elizabeth on her own. Again. With Jack.

Just spiffing.

He presently had hold of the pardon papers, looking over them intently.

"Might I inquire as to how you came by these?" He turned around and looked at her.

"Persuasion." She told him mater-of-factly.

"Friendly?" He asked, smirking at her. If he knew her half as well as he thought he did, then he knew the other half of her would do what ever was necessary to get her beloved William back.

"Decidedly not" Elizabeth said flatly, noticing that Jack was inching towards her.

At this Jack became a little more intregued. She she had comendeered these letters by act of...piracy? Now that was interesting...
"Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honor. Yet you're the one standing here with the prize. Full pardon, commission as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company. As if I could be bought for such a low price."

He then turned back around, putting the leather binding within the frills of his dirt-trodden shirt.

"Jack" She said admantly, following him along the ship. "The letters...give them back"

He stood stock still, and she almost crashed into his back.

"No" He told her in an ignorant tone, she could tell he was enjoying this. "...persuade me..."

She did not know whether to run or cry.
But then...would that not be what he would want her to do? And if she did that...then he would win...

*Lead him on* she said to herself. *You told him he could have you...make him believe it or this is not going to work, and you will never see Will again!*

With that thought in mind, she decided that the only way to win Jack Sparrow over was by using something he did not have...femanine charm.

*Although admittedly he seems alot more femanine than me at times*. Oh..sometimes she was so funny she could laugh at herself.

She leaned in closer, her chest millimeters away from his back. He was not expecting her advances, as he seemed to seize up.
She leant over a little more, so her mouth could just reach his earlobe. She felt him shiver.

"You do know Will taught me how handle a sword?"

Ok that was rather tactless, she had to admit.
She could have sounded alot more like a harem..but that was not her thing.

However, her attempt did not go completely un-noticed.

Jack turned round, without giving her a chance to stand back. He was looking straight at her, taunting her into doing her worst.

She really was her own worst enemy.

"As I said..." He drawled, letting his eyes roam over the pretty features of her face. "Persuade me"

And she was completely dumbfounded.

The only way she could top him would be to do something drastic...something so overly unthinkable that even he would not see it coming.

She could always kiss him.

It was not a completely brainless idea...it would sweeten the deal-

Dear god no! she berated herself. No way on this earth would any amount of physical contact commence between me and Jack Sparrow! Stupid brain, never even think about it

But that was too late. The idea was there now, and the imagery would not be too far behind.

Jack could sense her internal anguish. The crew were all looking, and Elizabeth was not one to stand down...but she wasn't likely to put her vanity in danger just to best Captain Jack Sparrow...but he could tell she was thinking about it.

Suddenly she came back to herself. With one last glare at Jack, she stamped away from him, her impatience rolling off of her in droves.

Jack watched her walk, never having had such an intense moment in all his life.

Could he actually call it sexual?

He decided not to think on it, and instead decided to make his way back to Gibbs, needing a male companion to speak to after Miss Swann's latest charade.

*_*_*_*_*_*

She gazed down at the sea lapping at the ship.

She had a smile on her face, and she could not shift it.

She felt over-powered, almost like something had crawled out of her, and her own body felt elated at the feeling of freedom.

She could feel her sexuality.

Who knew men could buckle under the gaze of a woman? No one had evr taught her such things.

She was not niiave, she knew exactly how to push the right buttons to get the right reactions...but there was something about pushing HIS buttons that she could not explain...it was like she had almost been craving it...something to let her experiment with...see what she could get away with.

And from where she was standing, it seemed she could get away with more than she thought she could.

So she had told Jack he could have her...she would never let him, ofcourse...but that was all part of the game. She knew that, and most importantly...so did he.

But it did not stop her from wondering...what would it be like to be in the arms of a pirate? His arms...his scent...his enigma.

Yes, that must be it. He was an enigma. Everyone knew him...but no one knew him...maybe that was why she had all these thoughts lately.

She hoped so, anyway.

"It's curious thing.." Came James' voice from somewhere inside her head.

"There was a time when i would have given anything for you to look like that whilst thinking about me..."

At this she looked up.

Caught she thought. No, this is absolutely fine. You were not thinking of anything but Will...and anything you happened to press upon when it came to Jack only appeared because you cannot quite figure him out. So there...you are innocent...sort of...a little bit.

Who was she kidding?

"I don't know what you mean" She was meant to sound confused...but she ended up sounding indignant.

"Oh, I think you do." Norrington was smiling at her. She decided it was an unfriendly smile.

"Oh, don't be obsurd! I just trust him, thats all" She told him indignantly, looking back out to sea.

Norrington smiled, knowing that she was obviously deeply in denial. He pushed himself from the side of the boat and walked around the otherside of her, before walking off.
"So you never wondered how your latest fiancé ended up on the Flying Dutchman in the first place?" He smirked at her when she looked over at him.

That would give her something to think about.

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. It was obvious Jack had something to do with it...he always did. But exactly how much? Maybe it was best not to ask? James wanted to get her back up, that was all....after all, Jack had promised it had nothing to do with him...or so he said.

Will she said to herself, grasping the compass in her pocket and pulling it out.

She opened it, watching the needle flick allover, until it rested North-East. Had Will moved again?

Then something caught her eye. There was movement in the direction the needle was facing.She followed the arrow until her eyes came to rest on something she was not pleased to see.

Not very pleased at all...

Captain Jack Sparrow.

Chapter Five

*How will you feel when theres no sun?
How will you feel when the rain clouds come?
You're on you own again.
How will you feel when there's no one?
Am I just like you?*

The ship rocked from side to side, the waves throwing the crew around with great force. The rain spattered against the sails; the deck, and everywhere it could reach to. The waves were coming upon the deck and almost drowning the crew who were attempting to take control.

"This is so bloody obsurd! Can we not just find land?!" Elizabeth shouted to the Captain.

"To what point and purpose, young Missy? A good storm is what this ship needs...break her into her stride"
Jack began to stroke the helm, looking at it lovingly.

"If we do not head for land there will be no ship left!" Elizabeth shouted back angrily, attempting to keep hold of the side of the ship.

"On the contrary, Elizabeth. This ship has weathered far worse than this!"

"S'true" Gibbs told her, slipping along the floor as he attempted to walk. "This ship has seen things no other has...it has been to the ends of the earth...twice" He made his way past her, but when he let go of the side he lost his footing, and reached out for the nearest possible thing he could to steady himself.

Which happened to be Elizabeth.

It happened so fast.

one minute she saw him fall, and the next minute the force of his body trying to hold itself up had pushed her into the side of the ship so fast that she herself lost her footing.

Instead of falling forwards and falling straight to the floor however, her body toppled backwards, sending her flying overboard and into the depths of the ice cold water.

*_*_*_*_*_*

The strength of the under-tow was pulling her under, and every time she managed to force her head above water, she could see the ship sailing away from her...just that little bit more out of reach.

Was she going to die? She had lost the feeling in her arms and legs.

Maybe she should give up and let herself sink to the bottom of the ocean...she could feel the pull of sleep calling to her...maybe if she let it consume her she would be rid of the awful things her mind was telling her...

No one is coming for you....they do not care enough about you to save your life...you are just a woman...

The waves were too strong for her to fight for much longer. She was going to have to let the tide take her...and then she herself would be lost to Davy Jones locker.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Not again... Jack moaned to himself. In this weather he really didn't feel upto taking a dip into the ocean...it was cold enough to freeze his barnicals off.

He looked over at Gibbs, who seemed mortified at causing her to fall overboard.

"I've killed her!" He shouted, aghast.

Jack rolled his eyes. So he had already resigned Elizabeth to her fate?

Bah! Jack thought, trying to keep control of the ship. He was attempting to turn the ship around and get back to her, but the tide was making it increasingly difficult. That stupid bloody woman has my compass! I can't exactly leave her to drown if she has one of my posessions...

Yes, that was exactly the reason he was rescuing her from the water...yet again.

"She'll of gone to the bottom by now, Jack" Gibbs told him, finally grasping hold of something more stable and hoisting himself up.

"Nah" Jack told him, denial undeniably etching his features. "She's a tough lass is Elizabeth...no sea beastie could match her in a battle of wills"

Gibbs shook his head. "It'll do no good, Jack. She won't be there. Its too late"

Jack grew desperate. His compass was NOT going to lie at the bottom of the ocean for an eternity.
And neither was she, if he was honest.

He looked at Gibbs. "So I don't suppose you'll be saving her then?"

Gibbs looked at him with wide eyes. "I can't swim Jack!"

Now why did that not surprise him anymore?

If you want something doing...

And with that last thought in his brain, he ran from his place at the helm, and dived straight from the ship, and into the murky water waiting for him at the bottom.

*_*_*_*_*_*

She was not actually that far away from where the ship had left her. The waves must have carried her towards it. The only thing that concerned him was how long she had been under the water for.

Getting her back to the ship was the hard part. It took him a good ten minutes to actually grab the ropes offered to him by the crew.

Hoisting her up was also a little tricky, seems as though she was unconscious and therefore a little dead in the weight area.

Fat cow He thought, smirking to himself.

Oh how she would love him for that little quip.

Once he had managed to grab the ropes tight enough to be pulled up, he flopped up on deck like a fish, and dropped Elizabeth onto the floor, hoping that the pain may somehow wake her up.

It didn't.

She was out cold.

*_*_*_*_*_*

She Was still breathing, so there was a good thing, he supposed.

Ragetti and Pintel had been told to carry the damsel below deck and settle her into one of the bunks with a few blankets to keep her warm.

He questioned whether to divest her of her clothes, but decided that if he wanted to actually live after she had woken up then he would have to leave them.

Although it was tempting...

Norrington was sat with her now, watching her sleep.

Hopefully he would have news soon.

Very soon.

Jack was anxious. Although admittedly he now had his compass...so he should not technically care about what happens to her...at all...nope, not one bit...

But he did.

Oh bugger it all .

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

It was his shift to keep watch.

Not of the ship, but of her.

It had been several hours and she still had not woke. He wasn't sure whether to be troubled or not....

She had moved in her sleep, so that had to be a good thing...right?

Then again, her sleeping state brought more peace to the ship than what she did when she was awake...

He watched her breathing in and out, peaceful and un-touched.

He would have to kill himself for even thinking like that...pirates didn't think of pretty words to go with women, they thought of dirty, disgusting words like whores and slags... not peaceful and innocent...

Bloody women! He thought to himself, angry for the new words she was unconsciously bringing into his unconscious.

"I should have left you there..." He said, more to himself looking down at the bottle of rum in his hands.

"Then why didn't you?"

He looked up to see her looking at him, her eyes heavy with sleep.

"A re-lapse, I think" Smirking at her.

It was like she had never been away.

A/N: I wrote this before I knew that Tia Dalma was actually Calypso and the estranged spouse of Davy jones....Basically this was written before i started posting on this board lol

Chapter Six

*Time it passes,
it tells us what we're left with.
We become the things we do*

"You do realise the longer you stay down here, the more likely it is that you will eventually get scurvy?"

"If that is your way of attempting to get me out of your bed Mr Gibbs, then I do not quite think you realise whom it is you appear to be talking to" She told him matter of factly, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Gibbs glared at her, but didn't say a word.

3 days she had been rested. It was high time she decided to get out of HIS bed and got on with whatever she appeared to be doing on the ship.

"Gibbs, can you leave me and Miss Swann please? I need a little word in private...if you get me drift"

Jack stood behind Gibbs looking straight at her. He looked oddly serious...it didn't suit him at all.

Gibbs nodded, before leaving his shift.

"Really Jack, there is no need for everyone to remain on watch for me...I am feeling alot better now" She told him as he took a seat next to her on a wooden crate turned upside-down.

"Then you won't mind handing over Gibbs bunk? Hes complainin' of a bad back from sleeping on the deck...I'm starting to get tempted enough to want to actually strangle him"

Elizabeth smiled.

"He can have it back tonight. I should thank him really" She then looked him dead in the eye. "But I needed to thankyou first"

Jack avoided the eyes. Eyes were never good...they gave away too much.

Look at the decking...yes, thats good...
"What would you need to thank me for?" He asked her as if he was avoiding the answer.

Elizabeth was looking at him curiously. "For saving my life...again"
What the hell is wrong with him? why will he not look at me? Do i have something on my face?

"No problem" He said quickly, now deciding to look at the ceiling of the deck below. "I would have done it for anyone you know, if there was anyone in the water; even if they were just enjoying a midnight swim in a storm-trodden ocean...I still would have jumped right in and saved them reguardless of my own life because that is th kind of man i am-"

Was he babbling?

"-and the compass is really important to me and if anything happened to it the Tia Dalma would kill me and that would be a terrible shame because the Caribbean would be a plain place to sail if it wasn't for ol' Captain Jack Sparrow"

He looked at her then.

So it was the compass all along? She thought to herself. That selfish bastard did not save me because he actually might of cared a little for me, he saved me because of his stupid bloody compass that DOES NOT WORK!

That stupid bloody compass that did not work had deffinately made her decide that she had changed her mind about Jack Sparrow.
And to think that she had actually thought that the needle was pointing in his direction! She had actually contemplated it!
Thought about the way he had looked at her on deck just the other day! Thought that it may actually MEAN something!

Well it meant nothing to her.

"You loathly, mangy, scurvy riddled, dirt coated-"

"Pirate" He finished for her.

"You saved my life for a compass?!" She asked him angrily.

He smirked at her. "What else, Luv? There would be nothing else worth saving"

She glared at him.

"Unless...."

And there was that stupid half smirk-half grin he always seemed to do when he was trying to insinuate something disgustingly sexual.

She came forward from the filthy pillows behind her head, and her eyes met his in a stern lock.

"Jack Sparrow...the day I ever give myself to you freely will be the day that hell freezes over"

His eyes (for once) did not flinch from hers. This time he was really looking at her. He was seeing what she was made of. This time he was looking into her and trying to find something...something that told him what she really wanted.

Then he found it.

He leaned in closer...his nose was touching hers now.

In a small voice, barely above a whisper he said four words to her that made her look at him completely differently for the very first time.

"Some time soon, then"

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"LAND AHOY!"

"This is not going to turn out like last time, is it?" She asked Gibbs, who was standing at the helm.

Gibbs shrugged. He never knew what to expect anymore.

"We'll be going on land for a rum run....it seems we've ran out...again"

At this the crew stopped what they were doing, and looked directly at Norrington.

"Also is the matter of a little visit i need to pay to an old friend...private business" Jack told his crew, and then looked behind him and nodded at Gibbs, who put a finger to his lips and smiled.

"Bloody pirates..." Elizabeth whispered.

She had spent the past few hours ignoring Jack. After what he had said to her some hours ago, she did not find she could look at him without blushing.

How the hell did he manage to see right through her like that?

But he did not know that she had seen him in that way...only she knew. That seed had been planted long ago, back when her fascination with Pirates had begun...she just did not realise that not the fascination would become a possible sexual one...God she hated her brain.

"Elizabeth if you plan on joinin' us I suggest getting off the ship" Mr Gibbs shouted from the plank that had been put down for the crew to walk across.

She sighed.

When was she going to find Will?

chapter six continued below...

chapter six continued....

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"You're comin' with us" Pintel told Elizabeth, smiling toothily at her.

She glared at him, and then looked to Jack and Mr Gibbs. "Am I not allowed to go with you two?"

"No" They both told her simultaneously.

She became stubborn.

To stubborn.

And then got her own way...again.

Off the three of them went to a secret destination whilst the rest of the crew went rum-running.

"Where are we going?" She asked quietly.

This island was almost like Port Corvanya...only decidedly worse.

It smelled funny, and no sun shone here.

"I do not like this...there is something not right here..."

Jack laughed. "Where a Pirate is concerned...nothing is ever right"

Elizabeth stayed close to Mr Gibbs. She felt she should not stand too close to Jack without fear of him trying to insinuate something.

The streets were cobbled and dirty. The houses they passed had no windows and it looked as if no one had lived there for a very long time.

"What are we looking for?" She asked Gibbs in a whisper.

"Not what..but who" He told her mysteriously.

Now he was a true Pirate. Thank god for men like Mr Gibbs...they give pirates like Jack Sparrow a bad name.

Suddenly she saw a light. It was coming from a house infront of them. There were actual windows within this house, but it still seemed as dirty and ultimately dangerous as the rest.

Jack smiled eerily, the light illuminating his face, and for once she saw something she had never seen hidden within the dirt-riddled crevices; excitement...pure excitement.

"We're here"

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Wait here...don't come in any closer. Just wait for me to return and we'll be on our way"

And with that he disappeared inside the house.

The pair stayed outside. Elizabeth was tempted to peek through the window, but it appeared that to actually see anything she would have to pile three or four empty ale crates ontop of one another to be able to get a descent view. So instead herself and Mr Gibbs remained on the dirty streets, wondering off into their own little day dreams whilst Jack tended to his business inside the house.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Celest?"

"I'm in 'ere, Jack"

He opened the door and saw her standing there. He smiled widely. "What a site for sore eyes you are!"

She smiled back at him; she was sat in a rocking chair, her flaming long hair spread all around her. She seemed to be doing some kind of needle work.

"Its been alongtime, Jack...You've only ever been here a few times and yet...I seem to remember everyone of them...." At this she smirked at him knowingly.

He couldn't help but smirk back.

"That might be the case, Celest...but i'm 'ere for different reasons tonight...I'm havin' a bit of trouble with you estranged ex....it seems he's taken a shine to my soul....but i'm rather fond of it you see, and-"

"I can't help you there Jack" Shed told him, her tone of voice changing at the change of conversation. It seemed colder in the room all of a sudden. "You knew the rules when you played the game...what Jones wants, Jones gets..."

"But I want don't him to" He told her matter-of-factly.

"Its not about what you want anymore, Jack. If your time is up, then your time is up"

She sounded final.

"Well" Jack started, knowing he was treading on thin ice. "I was actually thinking you could help me there. You see, ol' Mr Jones has never quite gotten over you...and if i were to say...reunite you? I think it would go undeniably in my favour"

She stood from the chair, tipping it over with force. She marched upto him, meeting him eye to eye.

Jack winced. He knew it was a good idea not to touch the subject. She was still rather sore about it. She had been for the past 100 years.

"You think I would want him back now?"

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Elizabeth could not help herself. She was bored beyond belief. Mr Gibbs had actually fallen asleep in the alley next to the house. How on earth he managed it she did not know.

She wanted to know what was going on in that house. What was so secretive that she was not allowed to see?

Well, she would be damned if Jack Sparrow ever hid anything from her.

So she gathered the crates quietly, stacking them up ontop of eachother; they looked a little dangerous to attempt to stand on, but she was willing to give anything a go.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Davy Jones is dead to me. He will always be dead to me. He has been since the day we separated..."

Jack was still a little scared of her, if he was honest.

"Just because we've had a thing Jack, it gives you no rights to bring this up to me. Your debt has to be re-paid to Davy Jones...it doesn't matter what you do"

She seemed to be coming in closer to him. She was staring into his eyes...somehow she was calming her speech down..she seemed less angry now, anyway.

Has to be a good thing...lets keep it going... He thought to himself.

"You're a mystery, Jack Sparrow....You're not like any other man I've ever known..."

"I'm not one to keep my heart on my sleeve..."

"Or take yourboots off in bed...if i remember rightly..." She was smiling at him again...that smile that told him what she was about to do...

Could be worse... He thought Davy could find out...

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Elizabeth hoisted herself slowly upon the crates, and grabbed onto the ledge just below the window. She could see Jack's hair.

He had his back to the window, and he appeared to be with someone.

Elizabeth squinted through the dirty glass. Whoever it was had long red hair...

He's with a woman...

He was here to see a woman.

She was close to him...her fingers were reaching up and playing with his hair...

Elizabeth closed her eyes and thought for a minute.

Its just Jack doing what Jack does best...being flirtatious and trying to get all the women he can...you're just another one he would add to a list of conquests if he could....

She tried to stop her brain from thinking. She did not care what Jack Sparrow did. He was Jack Sparrow. He could do whatever the bloody hell he wanted, it was nothing to do with her whatsoever.

She opened her eyes and squinted back through the glass.

Only what she saw made her stomach give a faint squeeze.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Do you remember what we were like, Jack?" She whispered in his ear.

"I'm trying to forget" He said, more to himself than her.

"Fire and ice..." She was nuzzling her face into his neck now.

He giggled.

She lifted her head up and looked at him strangely.

He looked at her, trying to hold in his laughter. "Sorry...I'm just a bit ticklish there..."

She was looking at his mouth now. "But you're not ticklish here..."

Jack closed his eyes. If she was going to do it she had better get it over and done with now.

He had only come to try and bargain with her over Jones...nothing more...this time...

She tasted rancid. Her hot breath covering his mouth, and her hands winding their way through his dreadlocks.

This was his idea of hell...although for some reason, he did not know why.

No other woman came to him lately. Not when he had her on his ship...and god was he regretting what he had said to her lately...she must have thought he was a letch.

I think you keep forgetting what the word Pirate means, mate

It was all true.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Arguing was heard from inside the house.

Elizabeth had knocked the crates over, and was now sitting on one of them in the alleyway next to the still sleeping Mr Gibbs.

The door suddenly opened, and Jack came flying out head first, rolling down the steps and into the street.

"AND NEVER COME BACK TO THIS HOUSE AGAIN!"

Jack got up and brushed himself off.

He looked over at Elizabeth, who was staring at him with no expression on her face. It irked him a little.

"Where's Gibbs?"

"He's down here, sleeping" She told him, looking down at her hands.

"Right" He went over and slapped his first mate awake, before dragging him up and then slapping him again for good measure.

"You know...cold water oddly works better" Gibbs told him sarcastically, rubbing his face.

"I don't need anythin' more 'ere tonight. Lets go back to the ship, we're gonna find ourselves a box..."

Jack and Mr Gibbs walked off side by side, Elizabeth following them slowly behind.

Elizabeth looked on, deep in thought.

So what if He kissed her? He's allowed, its not like hes married or anything....hes free, and thats exactly the way Jack Sparrow should be...It should never matter to you, you should concentrate on finding Will...

But it did matter to her...

Because at the end of the day, Jack Sparrow was exactly what she did not want...but at the same time, he was something that maybe she needed.

Chapter Seven

*Feeling the moment slip away.
Your losing direction,
your losing faith.
You're waiting for someone*

Typical.

Once they reached the ship it was back to business.

But what had he come to expect? She was a woman, afterall.

She seemed quieter than usual. Even when she was being spoken to, her eyes did not radiate that seem spark that usually lit up within them. It was almost as if she was listening, but not quite taking anything in.

He took her in; the sight of her sat on the steps of the ship leading upto the top deck of the boat where the helm was. Again, she looked deep in thought; her musings etching across her features and she seemed to notice no one around her.

She was a beautiful creature, of that he was sure. But something was troubling her...she hadn't been quite right since they had got back to the ship.

She wasn't angry, she wasn't sad; but she certainly wasn't happy either...she seemed somewhere in the middle and that did not bode well for any man on the ship with her.

*_*_*_*_*_*

She knew he was looking at her. She could feel his eyes staring intently, obviously wondering what had brought about her change in mood so drastically.

He should know... Her brain thought against her will.

In truth she did not exactly know the reason for her mood swing. It could not have been Jack, because Jack was nothing to do with her...he was escorting her in her attempts to find Will, and that was all.

Yes, she had been feeling rather strange since that night on the second Pirate island she had visited since her stay on the deck of the Black Pearl, standing there on piled-up crates and staring through a window just to get a look at what he was upto...

Oh, how she had not guessed the outcome.

So now she sat here, unsure of how she was feeling at the moment.

Guilty for spying? No, he had not seen her there and therefore she had no reason to feel like that.

Guilty for hating Jack at the spectacle she had seen? No, she did not hate Jack and she never would. True, he could be insufferable at times, but she had no real reason to comdemn him.

Guilty for the way that kiss had made her feel? Hmmm...now there was a question...

Somewhere inside her she knew she was curious...Will was a good man; she loved him dearly and she could not wait to be a married woman.

But Jack...Jack was something she would never see herself heading towards, but if it would ever happen she knew it would a force to be reckoned with...

Would she stop it?...Something was telling her that maybe she had better leave the subject alone; if she started to think too deeply about things like that she may end up with a complex.

Think of marriage...think of Will...think of marraige and Will....

Nope, did not seem to work.

Oddly; it only seemed to make her more miserable

She saw his shadow on the side of the ship, he was close to her.

Suddenly, almost like a flash of lightening, he was occupying the empty space she had left on the steps.

"My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled." He said rather quickly, a tell tale sign that he may have been intoxicated with alcohol.

And he was still staring at her in the way she found so intimidating.

Make something up..he won't realise the difference anyways... she thought to herself, not wanting to look at him.

"I just thought I'd be married by now. I'm so ready to be married..."

...Maybe that was the wrong thing to say...

Jack held his bottle of rum to her lips. She took it from him and took a large gulp, not sure exactly why she had done it...

However, jack's eyes lit up with curiosity. He may be on the edge of becomming an eccentric...but Jack Sparrow was certainly no fool.
She didn't want the wedding...she wanted the wedding night.

That's why shes so intent on findin' Will...she's all a qiver and waitin' to have a good ol' romp in the sack...

Now then, there was a thought if ever he had one...

"You know...Lizzy... I am... captain of a ship. And being captain of a ship, I could in fact perform a... marriage. Right here. Right on this deck. Right... now

He was so close to her...his face was inches from hers...was it right for her to actually feel compelled by his words?
She wasn't quite sure if she felt violated or completely elated...

She stared at him intently, figuring him out...maybe he thought she was serious when she said he could have her?
Was she serious?

With that thought Elizabeth recoiled from his gaze, and pushed past him to walk (rather too quickly, she knew) to the side of the ship, deciding it would be rather less intense if she looked out to sea, instead of looking at Jack.

"No, thank you." She told him stubbornly, not daring to look at him, even though she knew he was coming closer to her.

Jack was smirking widely. He knew he had her now. It wasn't about actually wanting her, it was about wanting her to want him. He wasn't a stupid man; he wanted her, ofcourse he did...many men who came across her would want her...but right now this little game she was playing was about to backfire on her...and he was going to make her realise that.

"Why not? We are very much alike, you and I. I and you... Us.

His voice seemed too nataural..almost as if he did not mind her knowing what he was thinking...

"Oh. Except for a sense of honor, and decency and-and a moral center. And personal hygiene."

Was he playing a game now? Get her where he wanted her and-

And what? Elizabeth Swann! Do not even contemplate completing that sentence! This is Jack Sparrow...egotistical, simple, pirofied Jack bloody Sparrow!

Damn, she was falling for it...

Play him back then...show him what you're made of...make him want you ...

That should not be too much of a problem.
Jack meanwhile seemed to be smelling his armpits. What did hygiene have to do with anything if they would be rutting around like pigs? ... if he had his way, ofcourse.

"Trifles..." He told her, edging towards her, skirting around her, careful not to get in too close, but close enough for her to know he was near. "You will come over to my side, I know it."

She looked over at him then; her eyes seeking him out. She almost regretted it, her stomach giving a slight twinge when she saw him standing there; masculinity uncorked; in that moment she had never seen him like that before...his sexuality radiated from him.

And her? Suddenly she seemed more lost than before.

Chapter Seven Continued Below...

Chapter Seven Continued...

"You seem very certain..." She said rather tediously, still looking at him.

"One word love: curiosity. You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it. To act on selfish impulse. You want to see what it's like. One day, you won't be able to resist..."

It was too much for her; she felt laid bare for all to see. Why did he seem to know exactly what she wanted? Lay it out for her on a silver platter that she dare not touch? She knew she would not be able to resist; and she had a feeling that one day soon the temptation would rear its ugly head.

With him?...she seemed to be coming to the conclusion that maybe that compass did not lie afterall...not anymore.

Change the subject...he has you where he wants you...

"Why doesn't your Compass work?" Great...yeah, that was a perfect way to get off the subject...
Jack looked away from her then, taking great offence to the question she had asked.

"Uh my Compass works fine." He told her stubbornly.

Now she was the one in control. She needed to lay him bare, just as he had with her not moments ago. To strip Jack Sparrow's enigma would be as great a victory as finding the locker of Davy Jones himself.

"Because you and I are alike, and there will come a moment when you have a chance to show it. To do the right thing."

She was looking at him intently again now. She noticed his shift in stance; he was trying to act like he did not give a shit, but she saw right through that exterior straight away.

He moved right past her; stopping at the side of the ship, almost pretending he had not heard her.

"I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by..."

She kept on at him, not realising that as she spoke she was unconsciously moving towards him.

"You'll have the chance to do something... something courageous. And when you do, you'll discover something: that you're a good man."

She stood right infront of him now, a little to his left so she could get full view of the look on his face. Now this was a good shift in balance...she could see him starting to waver.

She was winning.

But winning what?

"All evidence to the contrary." He told her; concentrating on the waves out at sea.

How dare she? He knew she was more trouble than she was worth, but to corner a man on his own ship and make him question his feelings? That just was not on.

Did he want to be a good man? No.

Did he want to do the right thing? No...although strictly speaking by being a Pirate and keeping to the code, technically he was doing the right thing-

Stupid ***** and her bloody psycho-babble! Where the hell did she learn to confront people?

She was watching his face intently. How many emotions can one man go through within the space of a few short seconds?...She knew she had him now.

"I have faith in you. Want to know why?"

No He thought to himself.

"Do tell, dearie." He smirked at her then, staring her straight in the eyes.

"Curiosity." She whispered it, her face growing closer to his by just a few inches. She knew what he wanted; and she was not afraid to make him want it all the more.

"You're going to want it. A chance to be admired" His face pulled in a few centimetres, his eyes were drawn into slits, listening intently to what she was telling him. She was reeling him in and he was overpowered by her incredible female talent.

"Gain the rewards that follow. You won't be able to resist." Suddenly she found his lips turning ever so slightly towards hers. She was talking; but nothing she was saying was making sense to her anymore. She was looking at him; the look on his face making her aware that if he went for her lips, then she may find herself unable to pull away.

"You're going to want to know... what it tastes like." And there it was...the reason why they had both felt that bond...that bond that found them intoxicated by one anothers aura. She needed his enigma, and he needed her innocence. They both needed that taste; that one thing that would let them into eachothers lives...that one simple thing that would allow the other to see what it would be like...

Their own taste of freedom...

Jack was the first to give in.

"I do want to know what it tastes like..." He told her; his voice deppening and barely above a whisper. He was facing her now; walking her backwards slowly.

Oh god, me too... she thought to herself as his hand reached out to brush against her cheek. His hard, rough hand a complete contrast to her soft, sunkissed skin. She had never felt so unable to control her own body in her life; Jack Sparrow did something to her that Will never could...he made her feel.

His face was so close to hers. His lips were mere millimetres from hers...she could feel his breath on her face...

Just one more movement and i'll feel him... She seemed a little lost to her own free will.

Then she had to think. There was a reason for why she was doing this...although admittedly she had momentrarily forgotten...

She needed him to want her...more. Then she would win.

"But - seeing as you're a good man I know you will never put me in a position that would compromise my honor"

Jack was lost. She stirred something within him that he had always known was there for her...but now it was ten times worse; if only Will had not have gotten there first...she would have been his to rut around with for the rest of his pirating years...and he planned on having alot of them...

He couldn't resist; he wanted to look at her before he pulled her to him and kissed the life out of her. He wanted to see that raw need in her eyes that he was sure were in his. He wanted to know that the way she was being was because of him...and not because she wanted to see how far she could push him.

He opened his eyes to see hers closed...good; atleast she was succoming to him.

Then something out of the corner of his eyes made him look twice at his hand.

What the fu-

She was expecting his lips to crash down on hers instantly...but he was taking his time. She would not give into him and be the first to initiate the kiss...if there was one.

Why should she want one? She had a fiancee, who happened to be a very good kisser...he was all she would ever need.

Was Jack right? Was she curious? Maybe she was...but it would not be the first time; if truth were told she had been curious for along time... about pirates, ofcourse...not about Jack Sparrow.

Suddenly she came to her senses. Was she really expecting Jack Sparrow to kiss her? Did she really want him to? Did she really have no sanity?

He was a good man...he would never come between herself and Will; he knew too much about their love to even think about the idea...

So, when faced with temptation Jack Sparrow really could resist...all because she belonged to someone else.

God she was stupid! She needed to snap out of this...maybe it was because she had spent so bloody long on the ship with him...maybe she was getting cabin fever.

She opened here eyes slowly and looked up at him.
Jack stared in horror.

The black spot was back. Davy Jones was back for his debt once again.

He did not have time to think about it however; Elizabeth had opened her eyes and was looking at him. He closed his hand and stared at her.

"I'm proud of you, Jack." She told him, her voice almost a whisper.

Proud of you for protecting my honour, when i was willing to throw it away so carelessly...

Proud of me for what? Jack thought to himself, still looking at her; she was still so close to him.

If it wasn't for that damned spot i'd probably have you against the deck right now...Davy Jones be damned!

Jack was about to reply when there was a shout from the helm.

"Land ho!" Gibbs shouted; looking off into the distance to see a tiny Island a few miles from where they were...it looked promising.

"I want my jar of dirt." Jack said more to himself than to Elizabeth, before stalking off without giving her another glance.

Elizabeth stood there alone...she had set out to be the winner in that game...but now she realised that if she ever played against Jack Sparrow; it would be he who won everytime.

She had set out to make him want her; something he had already being doing...

Instead she ended up wanting him....something she never allowed herself to do...

Until now.

Chapter Eight

*Don't laugh at me,
Don't look away.
You'll follow back with the sun in your eyes,
and on your own.
Bedshaped,
to legs of stone*

It was not a very large Island...not from fist glance, anyway.

How exactly did they know that this was the Island they were looking for, when they needed her to help them find it in the first place with that god-forsaken compass?

Now that was mildly interesting....

Although saying that, it was not as if she would come into much use anyway; seems as though the bloody thing did not point in the right directions for her in the first place.

Well...that was a lie, but in the meantime she was in denial anyway.

"Do you think you'll find it?" Gibbs asked his Captain, still peering out at the Island.

The crew were preparing the long boat for Jack to take to shore.

"Well...I've got the girl aint I? She's come in useful considerin' shes probably almost had us killed a few times..." Jack looked back at her, noticing she was standing alone; apparently her feet were talking to her, as she was staring at them intently.

Nothin' wrong with that... He mused to himself. My shoes have kept me company for days on end when I've been on me own...

Not that he was likely to ever admit it...

"Are ya sure ya don' want me comin' with ya? A Captain needs his first mate...it's almost like needin' butter with bread..."

Jack looked at him. The last thing he needed was Gibbs going soft on him.

"I'll be fine...I'll take some of the crew along with me, too...you need to stay 'ere and watch the ship...don't want it bein' taken from under me nose..."

Gibbs gave a nod in recognition.

As Jack walked to the end of the ship where the Crew were readying the longboat, a hand accosted him; turning him around to look directly at his 'attacker'.

"I'm going with you" Norrington spat; his breath stinking of ale.

Jack whacked his hands away from his shoulders, stepping back slightly and wiping them down, almost as if he were getting rid of dirt.

"No can do, mate...I don't entirely trust you. And when I don't entirely trust someone, i find it hard to share my wealth with them...savvy?"

Jack went to turn around.

"If you're taking Elizabeth then I'm coming with you...if she got into trouble then-"

"-Then Captain Jack Sparrow will be there-"

"-Yes, and I would be less that surprised if it was he that as causing the trouble in the first place-"

Jack draw in a short breath. He was in no mood for arguing.

"Fine...you can take the shovel"

And with that he turned to face his crew.

"Ragetti, Pintel...you'll row us to shore and stay there to man the boat. I'm not exactly sure how long we'll be gone...so everyone will have to wait patiently until I return...you can take orders from Gibbs until then.. And Don't make fun of him like you did last time...you know I really hate it when he complains to me about it..."

"Some Pirate you are" Came her voice from behind him.

He rolled his eyes.

Well, atleast she was actually talking to him. That was a start.

He turned around and faced her. "Elizabeth...never question a Pirates actions...the minute you do, you inevitably become a pirate yourself"

"Why do i have to go with you?" She asked him curiously.

He had the compass...he must know where the box is...why should he need her? Or was it just so he could confuse her mind all the more since early this morning?

After thinking about it for a considerable amount of time, she had realised that she had been taken in by some sort of spell he had cast upon her. She no longer wanted anything more than for him to thrust her up against a relatively hard surface and kiss the life from her...but why?

Because he was Jack Sparrow, that was why.

She needed a taste of it; no matter how un-innocent her thoughts had become about the whole thing.

And it was all his fault.

Was she in denial? ...undeniably...

But atleast she could admit to herself that there was a big part of her that did want to know what it felt like...

Curiosity... she realised.

How right he had been.

She was not stupid. She did not love him, she loved Will. But you always want what you can't have...and the thing that she wanted just so happened to be Captain Sparrow....

If Will were there she knew it would be different...Will would be there to hold her and kiss her...

God she missed kissing him...

Although Jack seemed very tempting to her at the moment.

No, no, no...stop thinking of Jack Sparrow; the more you do it, the more you'll end up wanting it more...and that only leads to bad, bad things....

Bad things tasted better.

Chapter Eight continued below...

Chapter eight continued...

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"This is ridiculus...we're going round in circles!"

Jack didn't even look at her. He was content enough to just lie there and soak in the sun.

He didn't really see the problem.

Yes, he needed to find the chest...but they'd been looking for over two hours already, and they'd been through the same tracks a current total of four times...

No wonder Pintel thought he was seeing things that third time... he smiled to himself.

"And you're not even listening to me!" She almost screamed at him, stomping around in the sand.

"I believe its called Pig Ignorance..." Norrington drawled, also campd out on the creamy-white sand, a little way from Jack.

Jack smirked. "Its bliss, aint it?"

Norrington could not help the smile that rose to his lips.

Elizabeth shoved herself back onto the sand. She sat there and glared at them both.

Since getting off the ship she thought this would all be over and done with...until Jack had given her the compass again...She knew that would only spell trouble.

Everywhere she looked, the needle pointed only in his direction.

Ok so she got it...he was what she wanted most...well, for now anyway. Once Will was found she knew it would be him that the needle would point to.

Yes...thats it, go back into denial....its safer there...

So now she sat there in silence. It wasn't so bad...she was angry about the fact that they weren't trying, but she could see why...the sun was hot, there was no water (besides the sea, ofcourse...) and the beach was clean...inviting....

She pushed herself further back, so her elbows were supporting her upperbody as she lay her legs flat against the sand. She peered around her; the blue sea and golden sand...and the two grubby gits accommodating it all with her.

Norrington was dozing off...and Jack was...well...doing something and she didn't care what.

He had covered his face with his arms; sheilding the sun.

He seemed so relaxed.

"When are we going to look for this chest?" She asked quietly.

Without moving his arms, he answered "When I'm ready"

Elizabeth huffed. Why did it have to be convenient to him?

Snores were now coming from Norrington.

"Bloody Pirates..." She said under her breath.

"You just can't seem to resist us, can you Luv?"

She could tell he was smirking under those arms of his.

And what was that supposed to mean? She did not fall for Pirates...did she? Well, she saw Will as a Pirate...but Will was also an honest man...a dependable man....someone she could rely on.

"You need the freedom we can give you..." He was sat up now, looking at her intently. "I felt it earlier today...you wanted it because it made you feel like you were alive...you want to know what it feels like to live...and part of you can't do that with young Mr Turner..."

Elizabeth scoffed. "Oh don't be absurd. I love Will very much. He means the world to me!" She too was sat up-right now; her eyes not looking away from his. "And where do you get off on thinking that I would ever need you to make me feel alive?...I don't need you to make me feel that way"

Jack was smiling.

Why was he smiling? He should be realising she had no intention of even wanting him to make her feel that way.

Which was a big fat lie...but he did not know that.

He was doing that thing with his mouth again..making it so sexy and inviting. She found herself staring...

"Eizabeth...I didn't say anythin' about it bein' me who could make you feel..." He was licking his lips slightly now. "...But if you wanna give me the chance, I'd be more than happy to oblige..."

She shuddered Involuntarily...in a good way.

damn him and his egotistical manhood!

He'd seen straight through her again. And because of her little slip up, he now realised what was going on in her twisted little head.

She wanted him for all the wrong reasons.

And he was more than willing to show her what she was missing.

She looked so tantalizing...how could he resist? He loved winding her up...she was so breath takingly sexy when she got all protective and went into denial. That was what he liked about her the most...she never gave in.

He knew he would never have her; this was as close as he was going to get.
She was curious, he knew that much. But did she have the gutts to go through with what her libido was telling her?...Sometimes he actually wondered.

"You are dispicable Jack Sparrow"

And there was the reason he wanted her so much.

"I have my moments" He almost purred at her, getting up off the ground and walking over to her.

She was staing at him curiously. When he stood directly infront of her, they looked at eachother for a moment or two, assessing eachothers game plan.

Then he bent down; took her shoulders and hauled her up to her feet.

"What are you doing?!" She almost shouted, as he kept hold of her shoulders, making her keep eye contact with her.

"Wake Norrington and It'll be the last thing you do" He told her, his voice almost hushed.

She relaxed a little against him, knowing he wasn't going to harm her. She looked at him; his face was a blank canvas. She knew nothing of what he was thinking...what his mind was telling him to do.

He bent his head then; his lips pressing against her ear. "This isn't easy for me you know...I'm doin' alot of runnin' around after you, and I feel like i aint gettin' anythin' back...but if you aint strugglin' to get outta my grip like I thought you would, then I suppose it's not a cause to be lost..."

Elizabeth sank into his words. For the second time today she was too close to him...too close for comfort. She didn't want to struggle; she didn't want to run or deny it anymore...she just wanted to feel him.

His hand was in her hair now; curling it around his fingers, the rough skin on the back of her head making her feel oddly elated...this was something she needed. For both her and Will. Do it now and she would not have to think about it when she saw him again...

Jack could see it in her face. She was taking it in...digesting it...realising that if she denied herself then it would eat away at her.

His face was so close to hers again. The feel of his breath tickling her cheek...if she turned her face now her lips would come into contact with his.

And she would be lost.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered, her voice sounding hushed and curious.
He knew her eyes were closed.

"Because I want a taste..." He told her, his lips gently caressing her ear; he culd feel her quivering beneath his touch. "...I want the samething that you seem to crave as much as I do..." His left hand came up to circle around her waist; sliding his fingers up and down the small of her back. "...I want-"

"-freedom..." She finished off for him. Her hands (on their own accord) had risen from their place at her sides, and wound their way into his dreadlocks.

He pulled his face back from her, looking deep into her eyes.

His eyes were diluted; the simple black rings surrounded by brown pools. They wanted to tell her something; give her a sign...almost pleading with her to tell him to stop; tell him to get away and not come for her again. If she didn't, if she let it happen; she knew he would never leave this alone.

She licked her lips, inviting him to come to her.

Damnit, she was not going to let this opportunity pass her...she may be a bad woman...but she was only a woman nonetheless.

Jack looked at her lips passionately. Her eyes let him know the answer.
She should have known better than to let him in. Once he had her, he would want her again...she knew that much. But he had to take what he could get...moments like this did not come to him like this every sodding day.

He leaned in slowly...agonisingly slow.

She closed her eyes as she felt his mouth barely a breath away from hers. She knew what history lay within those lips...the memories and the conquests...she was soon to be one herself.

Jack closed his eyes; his lips grazing against hers...not even kissing them properly, savouring them moment.
He moved in closer; feeling her soft, moist lips slightly parting as she felt his first touch. He parted his also, and moved his head to the side before touching them again, only deeper -

"I do hope I'm not interrupting something?" Came Norrington's voice from behind them. It sounded like there could possibly be a smile upon his face.

Chapter Nine

*I'm never alone,
I'm alone all the time.
Are you at one?
Or do you lie?*

It certainly was a curious thing...

And how undeniably brilliant that he had been there to witness it;

The inevitable fall of Captain Jack Sparrow... and all because of a woman.

He just found it a little hard to figure out why Elizabeth had succombed to his charms... maybe she did indeed have cabin fever.

Well, atleast Will Turner no longer had her.

But now someone else did.

What a curious, curious thing...

Elizabeth kept walking behind them both, utterly disgusted with herself.

But not for wanting to kiss Jack....but for letting both Jack and James see that want.

She really did need to keep a check on her dignitiy at times.

After James interruption, Jack and herself had torn themselves apart; almost as if they had burned eachother.

Jack had smirked knowingly to himself. He didn't care...he didn't need to, he had nothing to lose.

Unlike her.

James had said nothing more to them; he didn't need to, his looks of utter amusement playing across his face ever since it had happened. He was obviously enjoying this very much...

She buried her head in the sand (almost wishing it was literal) and pretended she saw neither man infront of her, keeping her distance from them both.

"It has to be around here somewhere..." Came Jack's voice.

She looked up at them; the men had stopped and were looking around.

Jack was holding his compass.

"Well you have one almighty sand-box to cover, Mr Sparrow...I suggest you start now" Norrington told him, amusement showing through his words.

Jack turned to him and smiled. "But...I do believe it is you who has the shovel, Norrington"

James' smile evaporated from his face.

Elizabeth gave out a small chuckle against her will. Both men looked around at her.

Eyes on her...looking at her...making her feel as small as an insect.

"We could always make Miss Swann do the digging..." James' said with a smirk.

Elizabeth glared at him.

"Me thinks the lady doth protest..." Jack added, more to himelf than anyone else.

Instead he walked over to her, grabbing her hand and putting the compass inside it.

The touch of his course fingers sent electric shocks through her.

She should not feel like this about Jack bloody Sparrow!

"Find the chest...and we'll find William" He smirked at her then. "Seems as though you're so...keen to find him..."

Elizabeth felt guilt wash over her. For the last two days William had only came to her mind fleetingly. It was not that she did not want to see him...her mind was just pre-occupied and she seemed unable to concentrate on anything other than what Jack was doing...

To her.

She became angry at her own neglect of her fiancee. How could she be so dishonest?

It was all Jack's fault. Blame Jack...blame Jack and his stupid manly-ness...

and his lips... She thought to herself. Even if they had only briefly touched her own, it was still enough to drive her to distraction.

She pulled her hand from his, and grasped the compass tighter.

She would show him how much he really mattered to her!

Denial is not just a river in Egypt... her brain was telling her.

Chapter Nine continued below...

Chapter nine Continued...

*_*_*_*_*_*

Both men were looking at her quizzically.

Ten minutes she had been walking around in the same spot; compass in hand.

She looked frustrated...like something was distracting her.

"Get a move on, Luv. Jones' will of caught up to us before you manage to get the right direction" Jack told her, getting frustrated himself with the time she was taking.

Maybe she wasn't thinking properly...he did tend to have that effect on women.
He knew that she was cursing him for earlier on...he didn't blame her. But it wasn't like he could help himself, he was a man afterall.

Bloody EX commodor... He cursed to himself. If only the selfish git hadn't of woken up...

Then what? What would have happened?

Well...a kiss for a start. And he knew how badly she wanted that.
Knew how badly he wanted one himself.

And now she was as cold as a fish towards him...torturing herself for actually being caught giving in...by someone other than him.
He knew she felt guilty because of her beloved William...but William was not there...Jack was.

The better Pirate...

The better man.

Now she was avoiding his gaze altogether...he wondered what secrets now lay behind her eyes...

Want? Lust? Intrigue? ... Curiosity...

That word was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

Elizabeth was at her witts end. Everytime she looked at the compass, no matter what way she was facing; it always pointed at him.

Stupid bloody compass with its stupid bloody needle...oh i give up!

She knew no matter what she did she would want him...no matter how much she denied herself.

Lost to lust. Lust did not go away until it was quenched of its thirst...which was a pitty, because right now she could see no possible way of quenching it.

She tried one more time....closing her eyes she concentrated on Will...find the chest, find Will...find beautiful, dependable, honest Will....

She opened her eyes and looked back at the compass. The needle had moved.

She was over-joyed!

Instead of it facing west it was now facing East.

She looked up in the direction hopefully.

Her heart sank again....Jack had moved over to where Norrington was standing...which was East if the compass was correct.

Elizabeth threw a hissy-fit

"This doesn't work. And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most!"

Elizabeth threw herself down onto the sand, the compass lying open next to her.

She felt so angry at herself for not even being able to get her mind off of him.

Stupid Pirate.

Jack spotted something. He looked at the compass for a minute...the needle was pointing directly at her. Yes...he was aware that he wanted her, that was nothing new... but something about the determination of the needle made his suspect...

"Yes it does. You're sitting on it!" He told her, rather excitedly.

Elizabeth looked up at him, very confused. "Beg your pardon?

"Move." He told her rudely, before whistling at her to get up from the sand.

*_*_*_*_*_*

After half an hour it was becomming rather tedious.

Jack had obviously given up, and was now sitting in Lotus position on a nearby sandy slope.

Letting other people find his treasure was one of his favourite pass-times.

Elizabeth looked on at Norrington. Poor man didn't know what he'd let himself in for; coming onto a ship with Jack Sparrow.

Norrington was almost ready to give up himself, when suddenly his shovel hit something hard.

He looked over at Jack, who had opened his eyes to see what the thudding was.

Then he smiled to himself.

*_*_*_*_*_*

"It's real!" Elizabeth said in awe...she had never heard anything quite like it.

The heartbeat was absolutely real...

Norrington sounded just as stunned as she did. "You actually were telling the truth."
Jack looked on indignantly, obviously unsurprised at his find.

"I do that quite a lot. Yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!"
Will...?

Elizabeth turned her head sharpely. He heart lept into her throat.

It was HER Will, and he was standing front of them; plain as day.

This was her opportunity. She could prove to herself once and for all that her lust for Jack was only there because her Will was unable to be.
"Will! You're alright! Thank God! I came to find you!" She told him excitedy.

She ran straight towards him. His arms were openwide; she ran into them, wrapping her own arms around his neck.

Her kiss was bruising. Brutal. But she needed this. Needed to rpove this to herself.

Her passing fancy for Jack Sparrow was through lack of kissage from Will...

So what about the sexual tension? Will that just disappear now Will has come back?

She felt funny.

Will's lips were delicious...but Jack's were curruptable.

Damnit, don't comapre them! They're nothing alike...Will is a good man...

So was Jack when he wanted to be.

Will's tongue seemed timid. Almost like he did not want to press too hard for fear of hurting her...if it were Jack in his shoes she was sure he would kiss the hell out of her and not give a damn about letting her breathe...

Will pulled away from her.

Jack knew it wasn't over. He could tell she was figuring it all out..testing the waters...wanting to see whether her body really was telling her the truth.

He didn't blame her...who would want to believe that Jack Sparrow might actually make any woman swoon at his feet? Well...him ofcourse because he knew it was true...but anyone else would just be in denial.

When Will broke the kiss he saw it in her face. The recognition.

It was destroying her...Loving one man, wanting another...

"How did you get here?" Jack asked Will curiously. Norrington stood still beside him, him obviously not liking what he had just witnessed either.

"Sea turtles, mate. A pair of them, strapped to my feet." Will smiled at him. Oh how he would have such a different expression on his face if he knew...what she was doing...thinking...betraying...

"Not so easy, is it?" He told him, half smirking.

Jack momentarily caught her gaze. She seemed at a loss. But being the stubborn lass that she was, he knew she would not give in without a fight...and he would give her one.

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack."

Jack's eyes returned to Will's then. The contact was broken with her.

"You do?" He asked quizically.

"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones."

Elizabeth's face fell

"What?"

"What?" Jack shouted, copying Elizabeth's shriek. He didn't look at her...he knew she was glaring daggers at him.

"I was reunited with my father."

"Oh!" Jack said delightfully. Maybe he could get out of it afterall. "Well... you're welcome, then."

Elizabeth looked at Jack in disappointment. But also, she had realised that there really was no unexplainable reason for the compass being so contrary with her...it really was all her own doing...

"Everything you said to me... every word, was a lie!" She said to him, seeing him looking at her now.

It didn't surprise her that he was nochalant. Why should he care about how she was feeling? He was a Pirate; he wasn't supposed to.

"Pretty much." He admitted truthfully. "Time and tide, love. "

He knew she was hurt. But why should he care? He was a Pirate, afterall. She should of expected it.

Will stooped down with the key to open the chest infront of him. At this Jack started.

"Will! What're you doing?" He asked him quickly, his voice sounding anxious.

"I'm gonna kill Jones." Will told him, his voice sounding determined.

Jack instantly drew his sword, pointing it at Will.

"Can't let you do that, William. 'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh? Now. If you please: The key."

He had him...

...Until Will drew Elizabeth's sword, pointing it back at Jack.

"I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father. I hope you're here to see it."

At this new turn of events, Norrington saw fit to draw his own sword, also pointing it at Will.

"I can't let you do that, either. So sorry."

Jack looked around in surprise.

"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually."

Then Norrington did something unexpected...he pointed his sword at Jack.

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it, and get my life back."

Jack smirked. Smart man.

"Ah. The dark side of ambition." He mused thoughtfully.

"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption". He answered Jack, a smile lighting up his face.

...And with that, the three-way duelling commenced.

Chapter Ten

*For every tear you cried in shame,
there will be someone else to blame.
For every crime that I commit,
there'll be a punishment to fit.
And I'd accept what's going round,
if i could only lose this sound.
That's been ringing in my ears,
and tormenting me for years*

"Stop it!"

"Be careful!"

Elizabeth was almost growling. "Jack!"

This was totally uncalled for! They were in the middle of an Island and now they all decided to face-off on one another?! Weren't they all supposed to be on the same side?

Well i thought we were...but perhaps not

"Guard the chest!" Will shouted at her.

The other two men looked around at her, noticing she was standing by the chest.

"No!" She shouted impatiently.

The three men resumed their duelling.

Elizabeth followed them along the sand, throwing obscieneties at them as they duelled. She had never seen men act so immaturely.
"This is bar-baric! This is no way for grown men to settle -"

They carried on ignoring her.

" -Oh! Fine! Let's just - pull out our swords and start banging away at each other!"

They were doing exactly what she was saying.

"-This will solve everything!-" She shouted sarcastically, kicking sand up as she went along. The men carried on fighting one another.

"- I've had it! I've had enough! Bloody Wobbly-legged, rum-soaked... pirates!"

Elizabeth picked up a rock and aimed for their direction. It went a little off to the left and missed them completely. This only caused her to become even more angry.

"Will! Enough!" She shouted loudly at him. He ignored her, ofcourse.

Elizabeth started panting madly, fanning her face with her hands.

"Oh! Oh...! The heat!" She exclmaimed before she callapsed onto the white sand, her hat toppling off of her head. This always worked for her.

From sideways on she could see them continuing to fight, completely oblivious to her attempts to make them stop. It was no use.

She sat up then, crossing her legs and putting her hat on top of her head. With her arms and legs now crossed tightly, she began to huff and puff.

Usually men would dote upon her...but obviously not this time.
What the hell had posessed them into this? If they could simply work out a way to solve the issue then there would be no need for swords...men!

She looked at all three of them.

James Norrington; Her ex fiancee...ex commodor...not quite a Pirate. The change in his personality had brought about a new found respect for him, which she found very odd. He was a good man; but she knew that if given the chance, he would glady change colours.

William Turner; Current fiancee...love of her life...still not quite a true Pirate. Will was her Mr Dependable. Say the word and he was there. She loved him dearly, and she would gladly spend the rest of her life with him...but what life would they lead when they were married?
Would she be a blacksmith's wife? Or would his Pirate blood take over him? She hoped for the latter; she was growing fond of Pirate blood...it coursed through the veins and made everything just that little bit more exciting...

Captain Jack Sparrow; Scoundrel...vagabond...a true Pirate. His blood was pure; he answered to no one but the sea. He encaptured everything about Pirates she had always believed to be true...and so much more. He was a force of nature; he made her feel like she could be free when she was around him. He held no rules or regulations...he just was.

And that was the simplicity to him.

She knew when she had kissed Will that it would never be enough. She loved him so much, but she wanted Jack. He was the one thing that made her feel like she was alive... she could feel the rush of life when he was around her, bringing everything he touched into a beautiful rendition of what the meaning of life really was. She needed to keep wanting him...aslong as she had that, she knew she would still be able to feel.

Behind her, Elizabeth felt something move. She turned her head to see Pintel and Ragetti running away.

Where had they come from? she wondered...then realised how close to the longboat they had actually were, having followed the men on their quests to kill one another, only to bring them all back to the edge of the Island once more.
She also noticed the two mangy men were carrying something...

Oh no... She thought to herself, before hauling herself from off the ground and chasing after them, leaving Jack and the others to fight to their deaths.

Bugger them all She thought ignorantly. I told them but they wouldn't listen.

And so she ran after the other two Pirates; further away from the beach, and further into the patch of forest covering the Island on the left side.

She just hoped they would realise she had gone.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

...Jar of dirt...jar of dirt...Where's me jar of dirt?!

"Jar of dirt!" Jack was asking to himself.

He was the first to make it back from the longboat, ever so glad he had been un-caught from that big bloody wheel. He would still be out there now.

Jack found his dirt under a pile of old rags on the boat, and presently opened it. He dug through the dirt, scraping some out of the jar, before forcing the heart in through the neck of the jar, and into the remaining dirt inside of it. He then scooped handfuls of dirt back into the jar.

Just when Jack thought he was safe; a strange smell assaulted his nostrils. He then turned around to find one of the crew from The flying Dutchman standing behind him, ready to attack.

I thought I'd lost you...Pillock He thought to himself, rolling his eyes.
The sea beastie attacked, forcing Jack to use an oar from the boat to protect himself.

Norrington arrived at the longboat, he noticed Jack fighting but he took no attention. Instead he went straight for the jar, opening the top and began scooping through it until he found what he was looking for. He took the heart from the jar, putting it under his vest without Jack even realising.

And you call youself a Pirate, indeed... He thought. At this moment he himself seemed more of a Pirate than Sparrow.

Norrinton stood back as Will entered the scene, also looking for the chest. He saw it within the loagboat, but unfortunately for him, Jack seemed to know what he was planning.

Using the oar, Jack intentionally hit Will over the head with it; also attempting to hit his sea beastie at the same time.

Elizabeth watched on around her. Having followed Pintel and Ragetti, she ended up within a battle herself.
The chest ended up being dropped, but by the looks of it Jack had picked it up and taken it with him.
She had been chased back onto the beach to where another fight was taking place-

Well...atleast they're not fighting eachother, now She thought with a sigh.

-and it seemed as if the crew of the Black Pearl were surrounded.

She ran over to the Longboat, fending off Pirates who were trying to pull her back. When she got there she knew something was not right...Will seemed to be bent over the boat, motionless. She went to touch him - see if he was alright-

"Leave him lie! Unless you plan on using him to hit something with." Jack told her sternly. She pulled her hand back, almost as if she had been burned.

"We're not getting out of this." She told the remaining men around her. The other Pirates were closing in.

"Not with the chest." Norrington told her, seemingly coming up with a plan. "Into the boat."

And with that Norrington took the chest from the boat, and began to attempt to run through the water, carrying the chest with him.

"You're mad!" Elizabeth shouted after him, seeing the Pirates from the Flying Dutchman start to retreat from the Longboat and follow him.

"Don't wait for me." He shouted back at her, now getting into shallower waters and becomming more able to run quicker.

"Uh, I say we respect his final wish. " Jack added before jumping into the boat.

"Aye!" Pintel shouted, as the remaining crew of the Black Pearl followed suit.

Elizabeth jumped in too, attempting to drag Will in with her. Jack grabbed his arms and pulled him in face first, then looked over at Elizabeth, who gave him a nod of appreciation.

They were finally going back to the Pearl ... and Will was going with them.

A/N: Ok this chapter is a little confusing...

In the film they get back to the ship and then the Flying dutchman more or less comes after them straight away...well it don't here (only coz i couldn't resist a bit of J/E interaction before the battle with the Kraken..naughty me, hehe!) ...this is before the kracken comes after them...and the dutchman, for that matter...

Chapter eleven

*In a wood full of Princes,
freedom is the kiss.
But the Prince hides his face,
from dreams in the mist*

Will was still out cold.

She had watched him sleep now for over an hour. Watching his chest rise and fall. She wondered if he knew she was there.

"I remember watching you like that...wondering what the hell I was doin'"

Elizabeth didn't need to turn around to know who was speaking to her. That voice had sent tingles down her spine that often that she recognised it all too well.

"I need to makesure he's safe...he had a nasty fall from the looks of it"

Jack smirked. "Aye...by the looks of it"

"May I enquire as to why you've taken it upon yourself to check up on Will's health?" She asked him inquisitively. Not entirely sure his intentions were completely towards Will.

"Lookin' out for a friend, Luv" He told her simply.

He was stood right behind her now.

"I'm sure he would count you as no friend of his..." She concentrated on Will's face, almost willing him to wake up.
She did not want this now...not infront of him...it was too close...she did not want the guilty pleasure.

"Maybe I wasn't talkin' about Will..."

His hand crept to her shoulder, holding there for what seemed like an eternity.
Did he know what he was doing to her?

Obviously, or he wouldn't be doing it... She scolded herself.

She shook her hand off of her. "Jack, don't"

She wasn't doing this for him, she was doing it for her.

He did not try it again....she almost wished he had. Then she would not have to put up with the sound of his shoes walking away from her.

She turned around to look at him, standing up as she did so. It made her feel more righteous when she stood; made her more able to justify her actions.

"I need to makesure Will is alright. I need him" She told him simply.

Jack looked back at her smiling. "You don't need him...you love him"

She gave him a slight smile back. "Yes, and that too"

"You don't need to justify your actions to me, Luv." He told her, walking towards her this time, not losing eye contact with her.

She knew she didn't. He was Jack, and Jack didn't accept justification. He didn't need to.

"I wasn't justifying them...I was just-" Just what? Just letting him know that she cared for her fiancee? He knew that already....So why did she feel the need to make him understand what was going on with her and Will?...did she want to give him the wrong idea?

He knows where he stands...you belong with Will and he belongs...with the Pearl?...

"-Just what, Luv?" Jack was looking at her intensely. How is it that when he looked at her, it was like he was looking into her soul?

She tried to think.

"I-er...I was just...erm -" Yep, that was a brilliant explanation.

She didn't realise how close he had gotten to her until he was standing there right infront of her.
She could hear people above on the deck, stomping around. Besides her, Will and Jack there was no one else down there...no one would know...

Jack reached his hand out and touched her cheek.

Oh god, not again...not infront of Will...

"You're babbling..." He almost whispered, taking in the slight flush that was appearing on her cheeks. She really did look damn sexy when he touched her, the way she seemed to melt into him.

She could not meet his eyes. Instead she closed hers.

Bad move! Her brain told her.

"What would young Will think..." He said quietly, his other hand coming up to twirl her long blond hair between his fingers. "...If he opened his eyes and saw this..." His thumb traced the outline of her lips. "...His fiancee locked in an internal battle with her mind..." He brought his lips just inches from hers. "...and her body"

She licked her lips, and opened her eyes.

She had never wanted it more than what she did right now. With Will just inches from them both.

She looked at his lips..those lips that could destroy her sanity with one touch.

He was looking at her. Looking straight at her. She was looking back, holding his gaze.
She knew he wanted this as much as he did. She could feel his need; see the haze forming within his eyes. He needed this, just like she did. He needed the freedom.

"Why do you want me, Jack?" She asked him, this time her lips went to his ear, his hand within her hair bunching it up.

"Because we're Alike...you and I...I and you...Us..." He whispered.

She smiled slightly against his hair. "I know..."

This time it as his turn. "Why do you want me, Miss Swann?"

She withdrew her head this time, looking at him deeply, bringing her lips so close to his, he thought she might actually kiss him.

"I don't want you..." She said within a whisper. "...I need you..."

Then she did something he did not expect. She withdrew from his touch altogether. She sat down on her barrel by Wills canopy as she had just a moment ago.
Then she turned and looked back at him, her eyes almost looking sad.

"But I've already told you...I need Will, too"

Jack nodded. He knew she would inevitably choose the whelp...she loved him, afterall. But to deny herself of that one moment of true freedom?

She'll be back... He told himself.

And he knew she would.

*_*_*_*_*_*

Will stood next to the helm, watching Elizabeth down on the deck, occupied within a conversation with Gibbs.

"She seems subdued" He said quietly. "I thought me being back with her would make her as happy as it has made me...perhaps I was wrong"

Jack tried to mind his own business. But he had noticed it.

Will had been back on the Pearl for a little over a day now. And Jack was not seeing things when he saw the drastic change in mood of the young man's fiancee.

"Has she said anything to you, Jack?" Will looked over at him, not even finding it slightly curious that Jack would not meet his eye.

"Me?" Jack asked him incredously. "Nah...she's a Lady, she doesn't talk about Lady things with me...although I could see why you would think that..." Jack admitted.

"I just wish i knew what she was thinking..."

Ha! You probably wouldn't like what you heard if you DID know... Jack thought, smirking beside himself.

"A woman's mind should never be undone by a man...too much mess comes from it" Jack added.

"You seem to know alot about women, considering I've never seen you with any" Will told him.

You'd be surprised what I'm like with Your Woman...

Jack smiled. "You learn alot of things about women...and each theory contradicts the next." He said, his fingers playing over the helm of his ship."But there is one thing about women I can tell you...and You will stick to it for life" He said matter-of-factly.

"And what would that be?" William asked, his eyes seeking out his fiancee once again.

"Never ask a woman if she's pregnant" He said, his dead-pan tone making Will look at him once more.

"Except for when you can see the baby coming out of her..."

Chapter Eleven continued below....

Chapter eleven continued....

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

He slid his arms around her waist. She didn't even feel him anywhere near her, so her surprised reaction to him did shock her.

"I've missed you" He told her, putting his head on her shoulder.

"I've missed you too" She answered. Sort of...kind of...

"Jack said you've been trying to help out on the ship"

She turned around at that. "Trying? I've worked my heart out!" She looked over to the helm, only to find Gibbs there instead of Jack.

Bloody Pirate.

Will smiled at her. "I might of guessed Jack would be less than greatful for your help"

He wasn't ungreatful...he just didn't like to show his appreciation much...give too much away...

She didn't say anything, she just stared off into space.

Will knew there was something different about her. When he had come around from his nasty bump on the head, she had been there watching over to him...but she seemed like she was somewhere else.
She was doing it again now, and she was starting to do it more often, like there was something troubling on her mind...He had not been there for the best part of two weeks...he was starting to think that maybe this change had come about because of that.

His relationship with his father had taken the front seat over his relationship with Elizabeth. He knew it should not compare, but seeing his father again for the first time in years (especially after thinking he was dead) had stirred something within him...made him feel like his life was worth a purpose again.

But now he was back on the Pearl, and that meant that until he found a way to save his father, he would spend his time catering to his fiancee's needs.

"I wonder where Norrington took the chest..." Will asked.

Elizabeth had filled him in with what had happened since his little bump on the head, and had explained that Norrington now had the chest...but that meant that apparently he had the heart, too. Which meant that if Jones' crew had tracked him down, then they would inevitably have the heart by now...

Oddly, Jack did not seem too subdued...which she found odd.

Her and Jack were on civil speaking terms. They understood eachother.

She knew that he was first and foremost the Captain of his ship, and his duties came first no matter what his private life was doing.

He knew that she was first and foremost the fiancee of William Turner, and her duties to him came first no matter what she actually wanted to be happening in her private life.

She did want him, she knew it and he knew it.

He wanted her just as much.

But when she had told him she needed him, she did not think about the consequences of her words. She had inevitably set up something between them both that would stand until one day they both decided to give in. And seems as though she was going to stay faithful to Will, she knew that the bond between them would be there for a very long time.

They had their chances, and squandered them too. If things had gone differently maybe she would not be feeling this way; maybe she would be over this, and able to move on to start another part of her life with William Turner.

But things went how she supposed they would, and now she was trapped by the love of a man that she did not entirely want, and the want for a man that she did not love.

Damn that fatal attraction!

"I don't think we will be seeing him again for alongtime..." She said, more to herself than to Will.

He kissed her forehead and headed for the helm, leaving her to her thoughts.

That was not a good idea, seems as though these days most of her thoughts turned to Jack Sparrow.

She looked out to sea, with no idea where they were going. She only knew that wherever it was, they were running away from something.

"I'm curious, Luv. You seem so...distracted. It makes me wonder what could possibly be in that prissy little brain of yours to make you so..off-colour"

She looked over at him. No matter what he said to her, he always seemed to have that smirk on his face.

There were no secrets between them anymore, they both knew what the other wanted. The hard part was allowing themselves to forget about it.

"I think you know what's on my mind, Jack" She told him truthfully.

He was standing next to her now along the rails of the ship, looking off into the distance.

Captain Jack Sparrow, the ever present enigma.

"I don't no what you plan on doin' about it.." He said, his voice low. He wasn't looking at her, he was still staring out at sea. "...I have some ideas up my sleeve...but none of them involve you keepin' your dignity"

She saw him smirking.

"I'm going to marry Will and live a normal life" She told him, her voice almost sounding disappointed.

The smirk remained on his face. "I admire your bravery, Luv. Not many women I know have followed their original path's after they've met me..."

And she did not even contemplate the fact that he was lying to her.

"I have to follow mine. It is the right thing to do"

"For him...but what about you?" He was looking at her now.

"What about me?" She didn't want to look at him. Looking at him would make her think about it, and that was never good for her stability.

"What do you want? Do you want the life of a blacksmith's wife? Do you want to be stuck on land for the rest of your life? You know the sea will call to you..." His hand was right next to hers on the wood of the ship. One more inch and they would be touching...

"You know what I want Jack." She looked down at his hand. Tempted to reach out...stolen touches to ease the burden of that lust that would just not go away. "But I've already told you what I have chosen. Will is a good, loving, honest and loyal man. He's worthy of alot more than I can give him - which is true...but he loves me, and I intend on making him happy"

"Reguardless of your own happiness-"

"-Would I be truly happy living on a ship with you?" She asked him truthfully.

He looked at her face. "I wasn't talking about you being happy with me...I'm not the type of man who could make you happy, Luv. If i get the wind in my sails, then I'm gone...on to the next adventure-"

"-And I don't suppose you'd want to take me with you-"

"-Well take into consideration that you bein' with us on our latest voyages has lead up into extremely back luck thus far-"

"-Your beginning to sound just like Gibbs-"

"-Which isn't such a bad thing, Luv." He smiled at her then. "He knows what he's talkin' about"

She Just didn't get it. Why was it so hard for her to understand? She knew his only love was the sea...they did not even have a sexual connection in that way, and yet it still seemed like they had shared far more than anything she could have shared between her and dear William.

"Look" He told her, grabbing her and turning her to face him. "I'm not the type of man any woman wants to share any sort of life with. I'm more of a ... passing fancy, you might say. This is exactly what there is between us, Elizabeth."

She saw straight through him.

"Inevitably" He continued, incase she interrupted him. "This means that you'll go back to your ordinary little life with Will, and I'll be left to sail the seas with my Crew, just like the last time you left me. I'm only a man, Luv. But I'm a man that's learned enough to know that what you want, and what you actually get are two completely different things."

She understood him completely.

"Then I guess we'll always have the 'what if'..." She said lightly, smiling up at him. His still had hold of her shoulders. She wondered momentarily if Will was watching...a small part of her hoped he was.

Why was this happening to her? And now he was telling her that it could not happen? Only a few days ago she thought he may actually persuing her...

"You know what I want, Luv. If it weren't for your modesty and your damn engagement ring on your finger then I would have it, but I'm not one to actually do the deed if the deed is there to be done by someone else...savvy?" He released her then. He started to walk away.

"So you would? If it weren't for your own damn pride and you thinking that you have to respect me because I belong to someone else?"
She still stood where he had left her.

He looked over at her. "I think we both no the answer to that" He was about to turn around and walk again, but stopped himself before he turned around and added ; "Oh and by the way...everythin' I say; I do mean, Luv. All those times I've made passes at you, I've never played around...I thought you would have caught on by now..."

And then he left her standing there...again.

Everything he had said to her? The Marr-aige he had proposed on the stairs? All those times she thought he was just being insufferable Jack Sparrow?
And what about that Island they were marooned on for a night? He had spoken to her curiously then...maybe he was telling the truth.

But then...she'd come to expect that.

A/N: Yet another confusing chapter...
This takes place JUST as the Kraken is attacking the ship (coz I'm not good with battle scenes...n to be honest its only when im watching the film that i become interested...coz wen u read a book i find it hard to imagine :-S) so there is alot of dialogue from the battle itself...

AND THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.....
*Drum roll...*

T H E K I S S !!!!!

Chapter Twelve

*I will never see the sky the same way,
and I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday.
I will never cease to fly if held down,
and I will never reach too high 'cause I've seen,
I've seen twilight*

"What is it?!"

"The Kraken. To arms!"

"All guns, defend the masts!"

"It'll attack the starboard. I've seen it before." Will told the crew. "Break out the cannons and hold for my signal."

with a deep rumbling sound, the Kraken's tentacles slowly crawled up the hull. As each man stared, their sense of fear seemed to ignite within them.

"Easy, boys!" Will shouted from below deck.

"Will?" Elizabeth shouted from the deck, spear in hand. She was ready to fight; but this waiting game was taking its toll on her nerves.

The tentacles rose higher, the crew noticing the suckers attached to it...it wa truly a ghastly sight to behold.

"Steady! Steady." He looked around him. The men had no idea the danger they were all heroically facing.

"Will?" Elizabeth asked more urgently this time, her voice going a little higher in pitch.

The tentacles had started feeling around the ship, testing the waters.

"Hold. Hold..." The time was getting closer, he could feel it.

"I think we've held fire long enough." Pintel told him urgently.

"Will?" Her voice was almost a shriek this time.

"Fire...!"

The crew fired the cannons, hitting the tentacles and nearly severing some of them, too. It seemed to be going rather well...better than they actually thought.
The Kraken sank into the sea, some tentacles glowing from the blast. It looked as if the crew may have actually be winning.

The crew began to cheer.

"It'll be back." Will told her, his adrenaline still running within his veins. "We have to get off the ship."

"There's no boats." She told him, slightly panicking.

Will looked to his left and discovered what she was talking about; the wrecked boats.
Then sets his eyes on the barrels of gunpowder just a little to the right of the boats.

He had an idea.

"Pull the grates! Get all the gunpowder onto the net in the cargo hold!" He shouted at the crew.
They looked at him for a minute, but then realised they should follow his orders considering Captain Jack was probably hiding somewhere and would be unable to give them.

Will handed Elizabeth a long gun.

"Whatever you do, don't miss." He told her seriously.

"As soon as you're clear."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Jack sat in his rowing boat, striding as far away from the Black Pearl as he could get.
From his place in his boat he could see it all.

The Kraken's tentacles were wrapping itself around his ship. His crew and everything else would be lost to Davy Jones' locker...much like he would be if he went back.
He assessed the situation carefully. Should a Captain not go down with his ship?

Not if he can help it.. He thought solumnly.

[Jack looked back into the direction he was headin, towards the nearest plot of land he could find. He then quickly got out his compass and studied it in great detail...

Apparently there was something he wanted on that ship....

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Step to!" Elizabeth shouted.

Elizabeth ran to the railing, looking out to sea. If she could spot land then the crew could make a bee-line for it. In the distance she could see a small boat...a familiar occupant sitting in it.

It was Jack...

He was rowing away.

"Oh you coward!" She said softly, in disgust.

Everything she had thought about him had been completely wrong.
She had been beginning to change her mind, but now she knew better. First impressions did not lie.
And to think! She'd almost wanted to kiss him...quite a few times!

Atleast Will was still here, fighting for their lives. He was a better man than Jack Sparrow would ever be...atleast he had courage and bravery...all the things that make a good Pirate.

There was another heavy thud upon the ship, and the crewmen began to shout; some in pain, some in anger.

"Not good." Marty said, standing next to her.

The Kraken was attacking again.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Shoot! Elizabeth, shoot!"

Elizabeth hesitated, waiting for Will to fall free.

Suddenly one of the Kraken's tentacles wrapped around her leg and began to drag her backwards.

Her screams were heard by Ragetti, who came to her rescue.
He chopped off the end of the tentacle hauling Elizabeth backwards. She looked up to him and nodded greatfully.
He nodded back at her.

Another crewmember picked up the rifle and attempted to shoot, only to be grabbed by the Kraken and flung around in the air by his legs.

The rifle dropped back onto the deck, just above Elizabeth

Elizabeth tried to pick up the fallen rifle, but someone suddenly stamped down on it, holding it with their foot.
She was about to shout in anger...when she looked up to see who the foot belonged to however, all thought lost her comletely.

Captain Jack was back.

Elizabeth could not help herself. She wound her arms around his legs, almost making sure he would not escape again. If not for the crew...then for her.
He came back. He was a good man after all...how could she have doubted him?

Because he's Jack Sparrow...you havereason to always doubt Jack Sparrow...

Jack picked up the rifle and took aim at the gunpowder Will had suspended just above the Kraken.
Jack fired the ball, and it flew through the air at tremendous speed.

It struck the gunpowder, causing it to explode into a display of fire and victory.

The Kraken finally released its hold, its now burning tentacles withdrawing into the ocean, making sounds almost like a groan as it disappeared.

Chapter twelve continued below....

Chapter twelve continued

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Why did he come back?
Well, that answer was staring up at him from his trouser leg.

He held out his hand, she took it without delay.

Once she was on her feet she stared into his eyes. It seemed like she wanted to say something...do something...but he could not quite put his finger on it...

She was still in shock.

He actually came back... he did the right thing, just like she always said he would.

And then she realised...He'd done it for her. There was no other reason.

She was about to open her mouth to tell him exactly how she felt when -

"Did we kill it?" Marty asked hopefully.

"No." Gibbs said, sounding suspicious. "We just made it angry. We're not out of this yet." He looked over to Jack then. "Captain! Orders!"

"Abandon ship." He said sternly. "Into the longboat."

The crew looked at him. Did he really just say that?

"Jack!" Gibbs said, looking at him with a shocked expression upon his face. "The Pearl!"

"She's only a ship, mate." He answered mournfully.

Elizabeth felt for him. She knew how hard it was for him to give up The Pearl.
He did have a very good point though.

"He's right, we have to head for land." She told everyone, looking around at them.

"'S a lot o' open wa'er." Pintel said anxiously.

"That's a lot o' wa'er." Ragetti answered, looking twice as worried.

"We have to try. We could get away as it takes down the Pearl." Will added, looking around at Gibbs for confirmation.

"Abandon ship." He said, feeling a sense of loss at saying the words.

"Abandon ship or abandon hope."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

So this was it...this was the last voyageof the Pearl...

It wasn't the ship that the Kraken wanted, and it was not the crew either...it was him...

He was the reason Jones' was after the ship, and he was the reason that the vile octopus-like-creature-thing had sent the Kraken to destroy everything within it's path.

Did he realise what this meant? Maybe no one else did either.

As much as she hated to admit it, Jack Sparrow was the best Pirate she had ever seen.

He was a talent to match no other, and his stories were famous. And yet, as great as these stories may be; nothing can live upto seeing the real thing...feeling the real thing.

His mystery was something to behold.
She saw him looking around his ship for the last time, before preparing to depart for the longboat...his love for this ship was something that could not match any other woman in his life...not even her.
Now she saw why he could never choose...his whole world revolved around a life that she had only seen a glipse of.

He'd told her they were like peas in a pod.
How right he was.
She felt like she had been set free by sailing by his side. The ship was her life too, for a few short weeks. When she would look back on this, she would know she made the right choice of being with Will...because Jack could never be kept; he was as changeable as the tide.

She felt sad.
Why should a Captain like Jack suffer so much? He loved his ship, he loved his crew...he loved his life.
And yet seeing him standing there by the ropes to the mast...toying with them, his fingers grasping them and pulling them...she knew he did not want to let this go...

She could not let him let this go.

He had a duty...he had a destiny...he had a debt.

The crew were get readying themselves to leave the Pearl, loading supplies and guns.

Elizabeth walked up to him cautiously. She knew she should not disturb him...but she had to.
It was now or never.

"Thank you, Jack." He heard her voice behind her.

He didn't need to look at her to know exactly where she was. He had an incredible sense for her lately...he could tell where she was from one side of the ship to the other.

"We're not free yet, love."

He turned to her then. His smirk still plastered to his face, even after all this...

Always having the last laugh... She thought, knowing she was right.

she took him in.
All his splendour.

His half smirk, his cocky and arrogant stance...the way he looked at her...they way he felt...

"You came back." She told him, stepping closer to him.
Too close.
Not close enough.

" I always knew you were a good man."

She looked into his eyes, seeing exactly what she wanted.

It was all she needed.

Her mouth reached out for his, her soft lips touching his rough ones. They stayed locked for a few moments, before his mouth opened slightly. Then with one last push from her insanity, she opened her mouth also, allowing him to engulf her.
His lips were so rough...so hard...but she needed it. She needed this closure.
His tongue came out to lick her lips playfully, and she suddenly found herself pushing him back..back against what; she was not sure.

All she could feel was his force of nature. The feel of his tongue coaxing hers into play...the way his lips melted so erotically against hers. This was what she had wanted...she needed to want him to want her...she wanted him to need her...
She needed him so much.
Her hands gently went upto his chest, feeling around; those chest muscles feeling so tantalizingly delectable through the thin of his shirt.
His hands were at the spine of her back again, making little circles near her bottom...no man had ever dared...but Jack could, because she needed it.

Her left hand went up and into his hair, bringing him even closer to her.
No one had ever kissed her the way he did. No one would have dared.
He began to nip at her bottom lip, causing her to moan lightly. She did not care who heard her; she had waited long enough for this and now...well...now was the only time she would get to taste it...

...Get to taste her freedom.

Their breathing was becomming ragged. Jack had deepened the kiss ten-fold, and suddenly she was kissing him so urgently...seeking something...a way out...her tongue entwining with his as his hands gripped her tighter; bringing her closer to his body...feeling every inch of the man that she needed. And she could feel it...feel the hunger coursing through him, just as it did to her...She was so lost; just like she knew she would be.

As her left hand softly caressed his cheek, her right hand slowly made its way down his arm...wanting to hold him...feel him...bring his closer.

Her hand slowly caressed his...entwining her fingers within his own rough ones. It was almost as if their bodies were making love to eachother...without touching intimately.

Clunk...

Elizabeth winced.

He did not start. He did not cry out...he just stood.

She slowly pulled her lips away from his...regretting it as she did so.

She looked up at him then, staring him directly in the eyes.

He did not flinch.

She did not expect him to.

Her mouth was still close to his...her body pressed against his urgently. She still needed him...but he had his own needs...he would have to take care of them first...

"It's after you, not the ship." She told him quietly, her body still feeling his hard one through their clothes. She still needed to feel him, she was not ready to send him away yet.
"It's not us. This is the only way, don't you see?" She asked him, looking at his face, seeing nothing but that smirk that had haunted her since the first time she had seen it...seen him....needed him.

He said nothing...he did not need to...the smirk said it all.

He was Captain Jack Sparrow.

" I'm not sorry." She told him, her lips coming closer to his again. She needed it badly...just one more taste and she could turn around and run from her convictions.

The feel of his breath against her lips sent shivers down her spine.
No man could make her feel the way he could...not even Will.

"Pirate."

His voice was full of acknowledgement.

He sounded proud...did she hear him right?
Jack Sparrow was calling her a Pirate?

And he still continued to smirk at her. He knew what she had done; chained him to the mast...ready to leave him there to go down with his ship...

And he still held that turn-up of his lip for her...almost like a solute...

He had called her a Pirate....and she had never felt more privileged.

Hesitantly, her eyes not leaving his; she took her hand from his cheek and took a step back, still looking at him intently.
He knew what she was doing, and he made no effort to stop her...

A man of honour...

She almost did not want to leave him...but she was doing this for them both...

They had both had a taste...

And the outcome was a bitter one for both of them.

She could not take it any longer; if she stayed there she would un-shackle him. She turned without saying goodbye, and ran to the edge of the ship to where the crew were waiting for them inside the longboat.

With a hand from Gibbs, Elizabeth climbed down. She blocked it from her mind; she had to. If she remembered this now, she would never forgive herself.

He needed this...he had a debt to pay...it's paid now...and we're all safe, the Kraken will not come after us anymore...Thankyou, Jack...

"Where's Jack?" Will asked bitterly.

She did wonder whether he had saw anything....

"He elected to stay behind to give us a chance." She told him, bitterness also creeping into her tone of voice.

The crew looked uncertain.

"Go!" Elizabeth shouted.

Go before I climb back up there and divest him of his dignity...he deserves to go the way the stories say he did...a hero's exit...

And away she went. Leaving him there to die gracefully.
They both got what they needed...the war to end all wars...
That between a man and a woman.