A/N: This picks up right where Dead Man's Chest left off and, presumably, where Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End will start and continue on through. I hope I don't disappoint any of you POTC fans! X)

This will be written in the third person, contrary to what the title may suggest. XP I just used the same title because it served its purposes for my one shot and I'm too bloody lazy to think up another one.

Oh, and just to let everyone know, if you didn't know, Marty is the midget in the Pearl's crew.

"So tell me, what has become of my ship?"

Elizabeth stared through her tear-filled eyes, barely able to believe what she was seeing. Barbossa was standing right there, on the stairs in Tia Dalma's hut, like he'd never been shot dead at all.

"You," was all she could manage before her throat closed up again. Barbossa was smiling that eerie, toothy smile of his, a half eaten apple in his hand and some of it in his scraggly beard. His eyes scanned the lot of them but came to rest on Elizabeth herself, that grin of his widening.

"Miss Swann. I never fancied you'd actually give in to your own wishes and become a pirate. You were ever so proper with me when I was captain of the Pearl." Elizabeth felt her face flush and she frowned deeply.

"I'm a pirate in the best sense of the word while you, Captain Barbossa, are in the worst sense of it." Elizabeth practically growled out her retort as rage flooded her eyes. Barbossa couldn't help but smile; she'd not changed much since they'd last met, had she? Next, the pirate captain turned his eyes on Will who was, needless to say, glaring daggers.

"Onto you, Mr. Turner. I find it odd that, after displaying such fervor in rescuing and claiming the lovely miss here-" Barbossa motioned to Elizabeth, "-that you are still unmarried." Will's eyes narrowed.

"And just how are you sure we're not?"

"My dear boy, you take me for an unobservant man. Really, I'm quite the opposite." It was easy to see in Turner's eyes that he didn't understand. Barbossa couldn't help but grin.

The boy's still an idiot, same as before. All heart, no brains. Barbossa gestured towards Will's hand.

"You have no ring."

"Perhaps I thought it best not to have a ring. Might get me caught on something."

"The lady has no ring, either, and I doubt that if you were indeed married, you would have allowed Miss Swann out here with you. You were ever so protective of her, I must say." Elizabeth rose, a biting remark on her tongue, but Tia Dalma stepped between Barbossa and the subject of his taunts.

"Enough!" she shouted, her face a mask of anger. "Dis id pointless! Captain Barbossa, you were brought 'ere so dat you might help in de finding of Jack Sparrow, not to fight wid dese people!" Will's face had taken on a certain smugness, as had Elizabeth's, but it disappeared when Tia Dalma whirled around to face them.

"And you two!" she chastised, her voice lowering from a shout to a growl. "You claim to be Jack Sparrow's friends, yet you would sit 'ere and argue while Jack lies in hell, in de Locker of Davy Jones!" Will carefully out a window while Elizabeth stared at Tia Dalma. Still, the accusations in the sorceress's eyes could not be ignored, and Elizabeth soon averted her eyes, staring at a knot in the wooden floor.

Satisfied, Tia Dalma huffed and swished back over to her chair.

"Now," she began in a calmer tone, "de end of de world 'as no bearing. You cannot use de usual compass and map to find what you are looking for; de only compass you can use is de one you 'ave in your possession, lady." Elizabeth brought her eyes slowly up from the floor and met Tia Dalma's gaze. "Dat compass… you know what it does, yes?" Elizabeth nodded and a slight smile graced the sorceress's face. "Den you will 'ave no problem finding Jack Sparrow. The problem lies in what you must do to get 'im back. Davy Jones's Locker id filled with unworldly creatures, tings from hell and deeper. You will 'ave to fight or outwit his monsters in order to save Captain Sparrow."

Gibbs, who'd been silent until now, stepped forward into the hut and nodded to Tia Dalma. "I know I speak for Cotton, Marty, and meself when I say we'll do just about anything to bring back Captain Jack."

"Us too," Pintel agreed, nodding towards Ragetti and himself. "After dealin' wit the curse an' all, we're not scared a much anymore."

"'Cept losin' our immortal souls," Ragetti said under his breath, earning a slap in the arm and a glare from his partner-in-crime. Elizabeth smiled at the remaining crew of the Pearl and couldn't help but feel her heart swell a little bit; they were devoted to Jack. It was nice to know there were still good-hearted pirates out there.

"Ye've still left me question unanswered," Barbossa said, his voice ringing in the momentary silence. "What's happened to the Pearl?"

"Swallowed by the Kraken," Will said lowly, his voice gravelly and laced with anger. "Along with her captain."

"I always knew I was a better captain than that man."

"That captain was a better one than you," Elizabeth barked. "If I remember correctly, he was also the one who shot and killed you on the Isla de Muerta." Barbossa turned an amused smile on Elizabeth.

"Much good it did, Miss Swann. I'm still here, aren't I?"

"This hardly qualifies. Who better to lead us to a realm of dead sailors than a dead sailor himself?" Elizabeth made sure to place extra emphasis on the word 'sailor'; she didn't want Barbossa getting any high and mighty ideas about being a captain again. He would help them steal… commandeer a ship, and he would direct them to the end of the world, but if anyone was going be captain, it would be Will or herself, not Jack's seditious first mate.

Though I'd rather I was captain without debate.

Tia Dalma's sigh brought Elizabeth back to the present and she glanced at the voodoo sorceress, noticing the tired look that graced her features.

"'Tis too late tonight to do anyting about Jack," she said wearily as she rose from her chair. "You 'ad best stay 'ere tonight, consid'ring you've no longer a ship to sleep on. In de morning, de people 'ere will provide you wid a larger craft and you may make your way to de nearest port. From dere, all is in your 'ands." The men all bowed their heads to Tia Dalma, a silent good night, but she did not proceed directly up the stairs of her hut. Instead, she went to Elizabeth and took the woman's face in her hands.

"Come wid me," was all she said, and Elizabeth followed her out of the hut and down to the little wooden quay where the Pearl's longboat was tied. When Tia Dalma turned, Elizabeth saw there was a certain sadness in her eyes, but also sympathy.

"It id easy to see dat you care deeply for Jack Sparrow," Tia Dalma stated. "I did not wish to bring William Turner more despair by discussing dis openly. It id obvious 'ow much he cares for you." Elizabeth nodded.

"He's been good to me, Will has. Better than I could've hoped for. Still…" Elizabeth stopped and looked at her hands.

"You cannot make yourself love a man whom you do not love."

"I do love him," Elizabeth said quietly, "but just… not in the same way anymore. Will's a good man. He risked a lot to come after me when I was taken aboard the Pearl the first time and I'm… I'm betraying him. Betrayed him. What's worse is that I did it with a lawless pirate." Tia Dalma smiled.

"Jack Sparrow may be a lawless pirate, but he id a good man. You've seen dis, I can tell. 'Tis a rare side of Jack and he does not often reveal it, but when 'e does, one cannot ignore it. Besides," the sorceress smiled and touched Elizabeth's chin so that their gazes were level, "'tis not all bad, loving Jack Sparrow." Elizabeth's eyes widened and she took a step backward, making the dock move in the water.

"Love? No, no. I don't love him. Maybe I enjoy his company and… various other things about him, but I don't love Jack Sparrow." Tia Dalma's smile widened.

"Of course not."

"I don't!" Tia Dalma chuckled lightly and stepped closer to Elizabeth, holding her skirts up.

"You may not love 'im now, but tings chance. As it is, try not to be too 'ard on yourself or on de Turner boy. 'E may end up saying tings to you dat you would not appreciate, but 'e is frustrated and confused. Be gentle wid 'im. And don't hate yourself because you feel someting for a less dan reputable man. We cannot 'elp what we feel, or 'oo we feel it for." With that, Tia Dalma proceeded back up her rickety stairs and into her hut. Slowly the lamplight dimmed inside, but Elizabeth did not return. Instead she pulled off her boots, rolled up her trousers, and sat on the edge of the dock, letting the cool river water swirl around her tense muscles. As she sat there, her eyes watching the stars, she couldn't help but think about Jack and her last moments with him on the Pearl.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she finally whispered to the sky, her eyes welling up though no tears fell. "I'm so sorry… I did what I thought I had to. Please forgive me when we find you." She squeezed her eyes shut and a tear leaked out. Her last words into the night were whispered and pleading, her voice strangled as she said them.

"Please forgive me."

A/N: So! First chapter of my first POTC fanfic! I would love reviews on this, though I won't endeavor to beat them out of you.

Really hope I hit this dead on. Took me a while to write it.

I know. I'm weak. XP