Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Flashback
"Barbossa, while you weak men sleep I'm going to keep searching for Jack." Elizabeth told him as she pulled on her coat, still dressed in her pirate clothes.
"Now why would ye be wanting to go out when there be no light?" Barbossa had a way of ridiculing everything around him, and Elizabeth was no exception. He frustrated her on purpose; any type of reaction was reason enough for him to keep on.
"Because Jack is out there and the more we search, the faster we find him and can get of here," Elizabeth retorted. She was growing more tired of Barbossa by the second and wished for the old captain to be back. The one who made her laugh, and get flustered with his flirtations. The one who knew who she really was.
"Fine. But don't be expecting anyone to follow you to make sure you're safe."
"Will is accompanying me." Elizabeth finished putting on her shoes, and was pulling up her hair underneath her hat. It was a nice hat, one that Jack would like.
"No, Will is staying here. If we need to leave, I need to have my first mate here." Barbossa looked over to Elizabeth's glaring eyes, "I'm sorry lass, but he is unable to acquiesce your request on my orders."
"You are insufferable!" Elizabeth scolded, "I'll just go alone then, but if you think that Will won't kill you if anything happens to me then you are sadly mistaken."
And with that Elizabeth made her exit. She grabbed her cutlass and straightened her hat on straight and then stormed out of the ship, and rowed herself onto the desolate beach that seemed to turn into a desert on all sides. She took a deep breath and made her first step onto Davy Jones' locker.
It was uncommonly hot, and as she looked around she could see no end to the vast desert that surrounded her. She struggled to breathe; the stifled air seemed too thick to make its way to her lungs. The dark night, which was illuminated by nothing, made Elizabeth feel as if her search was hopeless. It was completely black, with no light being emitted from any place other than what the lantern that she had brought shown. She took a few steps in and started to get a quick walking pace down.
She walked for hours, and during this time she thought about everything that had happened. She killed Jack. She actually chained him to the ship and left him to be the Kraken's mid-afternoon snack. She abandoned him, and even though she knows what she did was the right thing to do for the greater good, she couldn't help feel guilty for leaving Jack there. He had come back and saved Will. He didn't deserve to die, however the crew that were killed by the Kraken certainly didn't deserve to die either. It was all Jack's fault really, if he hadn't made the deal with Davy Jones, if he hadn't lied to the entire crew, including her, if he wasn't a pirate then none of this would have ever happened. But, as she stopped in her tracks, he is a pirate. A good one at that, and she could not blame him for risking everyone's life, because that is all that he has done his entire life. He wasn't bad in any sense, he was being true to himself, and that is all that you can ask for.
Elizabeth continued to walk, and began to feel herself getting lost. She couldn't remember which way the ship was, and with no stars to guide her, it was impossible to tell. She had been winding through the sand for a few hours now, and was far into the desert. She began to panic looked around frantically to see if she could see the black sails, but with only the light of her lantern showing any glimpse of the land in front of her, she could see nothing. That was when it hit her- she still had Jack's compass. She could use it to find her way back to the ship where Will was.
She grabbed it from its place on her pants, and with one hand opened it, while guiding the lantern over it, so she could read its direction. The needle spun for a moment, but found its way toward the Northwest. She looked toward that direction and with one deep sigh began her way back. Jack would have to wait until morning, when she could adequately search for him.
She kept on that path for the next hour, never straying from where the needle continued to point. She thought that she must be getting close, because she was growing more and more exhausted with each passing second. She looked up wearily towards the black sky, and the next step she took startled her, because she felt something move underneath her foot. She jumped back startled, and took a few seconds to catch her breath that had left her when her foot came down. She moved the lantern over where her foot had gone and saw a body. However, as she looked closer she saw that this was no ordinary body, but Jack Sparrow. She had found him.
She quickly got on her knees and placed her ear at his heart. It was still beating, and she felt a sigh of relief escape her lips.
"Jack." She whispered. He didn't stir.
"Jack" she spoke louder "Jack wake up." She nudged his shoulder and he turned over not waking up. Elizabeth let out a frustrated moan and sat still for a moment.
"Oh look," she said, "Is that a bottle of rum?"
"Rum?" Jack sprang up from his sleep and looked around for the bottle. He looked around, and seeing none, lay back down. It was only a few seconds later that he realized that someone had to of mentioned where the rum would be in the first place. He shot back up and looked to his right to where Elizabeth sat with the lantern shining light onto her face. She smiled weakly at him, as if urging him to speak first.
"Elizabeth?" Jack questioned cautiously, "are you dead?" He made his question blunt and to the point.
"No, I'm not. I have been looking for you for hours."
"Hours, eh? Well someone feels sorry for their previous actions."
"You have no idea." Elizabeth said with sorrow in her voice.
With her last remark Jack stood up and looked around for the black sails, seeing none he turned to Elizabeth who also stood up.
"Where's my ship?"
"Oh well, I have been walking for a long time before finding you, so"
"So you don't know where it is." Jack finished her sentence.
"Not precisely." Elizabeth winced knowing that Jack would not be happy to find himself rescued without a ship. "However, I do have your compass, and was using it to get back to the ship."
"Oh," said Jack eyeing the compass, "Well, then by all means, lead the way." Jack slightly bowed, extending his arm to let her lead the way.
"Alright," Elizabeth stepped out before Jack and began walking in the Northwest like she had before.
They walked silently; neither Jack nor Elizabeth wanted to speak. Jack was too angry at Elizabeth to speak, her actions had proven what he hoped wasn't true, and Elizabeth was afraid of what Jack would say to her if she spoke. He didn't seem to be in a good mood.
So the walked. They walked for hours and somewhere along the way the light had made its way back into the sky. Their steps became slower as there energy withered away, and you could hear the occasional sigh slip from both Jack and Elizabeth's lips. Both were concentrated on their thoughts, and neither would look at the other.
Jack was still upset that Elizabeth had left him on the Pearl to die. How dare she? He was the captain of the ship and he had come back for them. He did something good, and what did he get for it? The kraken. Not quite the reward he had hoped for. He didn't leave her there; he went back and fought for her. Er, for the ship. He came back for the ship, not Elizabeth. Most certainly not for the person that killed him. He thought back to the awful experience… except for the kiss. The kiss was good; the being eaten by the kraken was not. She was a pirate, and a good one at that. She did was she thought was right by her and had no regrets. He made her into a pirate and he wasn't sure if he was proud or saddened by the notion. So he blocked all thoughts of Elizabeth from his mind and focused on finding his ship.
Elizabeth, however, was not so willing to give up the thoughts of Jack. She continued from where she had left off earlier before she found him. She had killed him, but she found him. Does that make them square? No of course not; what I did requires much more than saving him. He won't even look at me.
Elizabeth turned to Jack as if to say something, but then look back straight ahead dejectedly. Jack turned his head in response to Elizabeth's previous action and stopped walking. Elizabeth took a few more steps before turning to her side to look at Jack, but upon not seeing him she stopped and looked behind her. She gave him a puzzled look and made her way back.
"Are you sure that we are heading in the direction that would get us back to me ship?" Jack asked Elizabeth with a hint of hostility.
"I haven't strayed from where the compass pointed." Elizabeth responded.
"That isn't what I asked," Jack bluntly stated. "Where is the compass?"
"Right here", Elizabeth unhooked the compass from her pants and brought it to her hands.
"Open it." Jack ordered.
"Jack-"
"No I need to know the way back to me ship, and the way you are taking us hasn't been working too well." Jack seemed more upset than Elizabeth had ever seen him. It was an unusual sight, and Elizabeth felt fear creep into her.
Elizabeth looked down at the compass for a moment, and then back at Jack. His eyed didn't soften, but were stern with his order for her to open the compass. She looked back at the compass and with a deep breath prayed that she could get back to the ship so she wouldn't have to stand here. Her hand open the compass with one swift movement, and the needle only spun for a moment before landing right in front of Jack. She closed it quickly before Jack could see where it landed.
"Why did you close it?" Jack questioned
"Because I saw where it pointed and no longer need its use anymore." She looked at Jack and then continued, "It pointed in the opposite direction, so I suppose we should stop arguing over a compass and start heading back to the ship."
Jack glared at her, and she avoided his look and began to walk. He couldn't do any more, so he followed her cursing under his breath.
A/N. I'm happy you all like the story, but instead of making the flashback a two chapter affair, I just shortened it and made this chapter longer. Please RR.
