After a brief visit to Danielle Turner's home in Port Royal, Elsa Sparrow and her father, Captain Jack Sparrow, were off again. Now they were sailing around the Caribbean, looking for their next ship to loot.
As Elsa sat in her cabin, looking over a few maps and journals, she heard the lookout call out to deck: "Ship on the horizon!"
Instantaneously, she left her room, grabbing her pistol from the table on the way. She found Jack at the railings of the ship, calling out orders and already prepared to board, his famous tricornered hat conspicuous among the other pirates.
"Who is it?" she asked him over the noise.
"The Piper." As he said the words, Jack's eyes filled with a fire she had never seen before. It scared her half to death, but was exciting just the same. "Captained by a man named Charles Andrews," he continued, his eyes fixed on the oncoming ship.
The wind was in the Pearl's favor, but something was about to happen. Something even the weather had no effect over.
Elsa looked at him carefully, trying to read his face. She assumed this "Andrews" was another enemy-but it had to be different. This man had done something extreme that had altered Jack's life forever.
She touched his arm lightly, trying to get him to explain. He smiled down at her, sensing her confusion.
"He killed my father."
Shock can be an overwhelming thing, and it can be even more overwhelming when it involves death. But it wasn't just the matter of Jack's father that shocked Elsa into this overwhelming state, but more the fact that he had shared the information so freely.
Jack could tell she was pained by what he had told her. He hugged her gently and whispered, "Don't even think about it. Let's just board. But listen to me, Elsa: leave Captain Andrews to me."
She nodded and grabbed a leech line, ready to board the Piper. She was going to help Jack get his revenge. Or die trying.
Still thinking of what Jack had told her, she swung over to the enemy ship. As she placed her foot on the railings, her boot slipped on the wet wood. She felt herself falling.
But before she had time to think of her options, a strong pair of arms caught her and placed her gently down on the deck. Assuming it was Jack, she allowed him to begin brushing her off while she repositioned her gun and sword in her belt.
"Thanks," she said, smiling and looking up at him.
To her astonishment, it wasn't Jack brushing her off. It wasn't even part of the Pearl's crew! It was someone completely strange to her-one of the enemy.
She punched him in the stomach, surprising the man and causing him to double over in pain.
Though he was one of the enemy, she couldn't help to notice that he was extremely good looking. Golden hair, bright green eyes and-even though he was currently in pain-a gentle face one wouldn't expect to see in piracy.
"Elsa Sparrow," she introduced herself, patting the young man's back as he hunched over in pain.
He smiled up at her, and breathed, "Dominic Andrews."
She laughed and ran off to help her crew with the opposing pirates.
Straightening up, a hand on his sore stomach, he couldn't help laughing himself. She was Jack Sparrow's daughter!
"Wow," he said quietly, leaning against the mast, completely ignoring the ongoing battle that surrounded him.
Elsa Sparrow was a pirate, but she was an attractive girl nonetheless. In fact, her looks had gotten her and Jack out of many scraps they had found themselves in in the past. And if Dominic had spoken to any of the pirates who had previously fallen for her charm, he would have agreed with them whole-heartedly.
As the noise died down, Dominic was shaken out of his thoughts. Something was wrong here; he sensed it. He drew his sword and searched the ship for his father, the captain of the Piper.
He soon found his father amongst a battle with another pirate-Captain Jack Sparrow, if memory served him. The two men were breathing heavy, and had been cut up pretty badly by the other's blade, but neither of them were willing to give in yet.
Captain Andrews brought his sword down across Jack's leg, barely missing his head.
"You're lucky that missed my hat, Andrews! You would've been in for more trouble than you had bargained for!" Jack yelled, ignoring his bleeding leg.
Jack then brought the hilt of his sword across Andrews' head, causing the enemy pirate to lose his balance and fall backwards, tripping over the coiled ropes of his ship. Jack's blade was positioned under the fallen man's throat, ready to end his life in a quick movement.
Dominic threw himself at Jack and knocked the weapon from the pirate. Then he ran to his father and kneeled next to him.
Out of the corner of the young man's eye, he saw Elsa run up to Jack.
She had been watching from the opposite side of the ship and in a moment was with her own father, ready to fight. She looked at Jack quizzically and then directed her gaze to where his own fell. Andrews was leaning up against the rigging and his breath was coming in short gasps. His son was kneeling beside him, his hand on his father's.
Jack broke the silence.
"I won't kill you, Andrews," he said softly. "You have a boy to raise." He eyed Dominic and nodded. "You won't come after the Pearl, though, and we'll sail our separate ways. And," he added, smiling and revealing his gold caps, "I get half your rum. Accord?"
Andrews looked at Jack and replied curtly, "Accord."
"Elsa?" Jack said, next directing his attention to his daughter, who he was leaning against for support. "To the rum!" He began walking towards the ship's stairwell that lead down to the galley.
It was amazing that, even while he was bleeding profusely and could hardly complete a sentence without gasping, Jack Sparrow was still fully capable of thinking of alcohol.
"Not you, Jack," she said sternly, redirecting him to the gangplank at the starboard side of the ship. "You're going straight back to your cabin; I'll fetch your rum-If you really want it that bad."
"Of course I do!" he said stubbornly. "Fine! I'll go! If that one gives you any trouble, shoot him," he said, stabbing his recovered sword in the direction of Andrews and his son.
"Alright Jack, whatever you say," she mocked, and pushed him towards the Pearl. He staggered across the gangplank and disappeared out of sight.
She sighed and headed for the galley.
"I swear: one day, his rum infatuation is going to be the death of him-and me!" she swore, filling a bag with bottles of alcohol.
After she spoke, she heard someone laugh behind her. Elsa spun around and found Dominic standing in the doorway, smiling at her.
"What?" she said, laughing with him.
"You. You're funny," he said, moving closer to her.
"Well, thanks, I guess." After a moment she asked, "Why are you here?"
"I had to make sure you didn't take all of our rum!" He laughed again, only softer, and took another step towards her.
Elsa felt herself flush and felt her grip tighten on the rum bottle she was holding. Her heartbeat quickened. She hadn't really had any romantic feelings for anyone before. She had been so caught up with piracy that she hadn't even thought of thinking of men!
"Well," she said slowly, "I wouldn't cheat anyone I've already made an accord with."
"We-technically-haven't made an accord," he pointed out.
What was he doing?
"Then would you like to shake on it?" she asked, a little angry someone wouldn't trust her. But she was a pirate after all.
"Alright, then."
Elsa held out her hand-which was a little more shaky than she would have wanted-and he took it. Slowly, they shook hands, neither really knowing what they were agreeing on.
Suddenly, Dominic pulled her into a breathtaking kiss. And for a moment, the whole world seemed to stand still. The rum bottle fell with a crash to the floor as Dominic wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
Finally, Elsa came back to reality and quickly pulled away from him.
"I have to go!" she gasped and ran out of the room, leaving the rum behind in her haste.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I think I'm in love."
Once safely back on the Pearl and in her cabin, she collapsed on her bed, heart pounding in her chest, her mind swimming.
"What just happened?" she said quietly to herself. "How could I? He's Andrews' son for Christ's sake!" She buried her head in her pillow. "But he's so...No!" She was unable to explain what she felt about Dominic. "I have to tell Will," she concluded, thinking of Danielle back in Port Royal. "And soon!"
She got up from the bed and rushed into Jack's quarters.
"Jack!" she said, rushing in. His wounds were dressed and he was sitting up in bed, looking at his compass, his pistol laying on a pillow beside him.
"Elsa, luv!" he greeted happily. "Where's the rum?"
"The rum? What rum?" Elsa thought for a moment and remembered she had forgotten his rum! "Oh, Jack," she said, quickly putting a distressed tone in her voice. "They didn't have any rum! Andrews drank it all!"
She held his hand as she saw the look of pain run across his face.
"That bastard," Jack mumbled.
"I will go tell Ana to bring some up from the galley right away."
"No use, we don't have any left. We'll have to stop by Port Royal and pilfer some from Turner." He sighed. "Andrews took a lot of our supplies anyway-we need to restock. And I'm sure you'd like to see Mini-Turner again, aye?"
"Thank you Jack! You don't know how much I appreciate this!"
She kissed his cheek and rushed out of the room and out onto the deck. The salt sea air whipped her hair around her face and she took a deep breath. She grabbed hold of a nearby rope and jumped up on the railing.
Leaning out over the water she thought, "What am I gonna tell Will?"