"Well go on! get back to yer stations!" Gibbs' voice rang out, after receiving orders from the captain himself. The crew ran instantly to their duties; the rigging needed hauling, the anchor needed heaving, and the mast's yearning for freedom was only matched in intensity by that of a certain young crew member, who at this moment was gazing out across the ocean, from the comfort of the ship's starboard railings.
"Elizabeth," a soft voice called in almost a whisper. The dazed young woman half turned her head, but could not attempt further movement; her body was drained of the usual vivacity which so consumed her.
"Mmm?" she mumbled, grudgingly giving part of her attention to the speaker.
"The Cap'n wishes to see you in his cabin," the voice called again, though this time, its impact on Elizabeth was somewhat greater. She stood straight, and turned fully to face the speaker. It was Gibbs. He wore a gentle expression on his face, reminding Elizabeth ever so slightly of her father. This memory caused her to ache, from the pit of her stomach, through to every limb in her body. Quickly she retained her tears and jerked her head back again towards the sea.
"Well you can tell Jack," she snapped, "that contrary to what he believes, not every problem can be solved by finding the bottom of a rum bottle." He had expected the girl to decline the captain's request, but this statement confused him.
"Problem, miss Elizabeth?" Gibbs asked. She glanced at him sourly.
"Surely you've been acquainted with Jack's "tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature" by now?" she smirked sarcastically, then her manner changed so suddenly, as if she had stumbled upon an inappropriate memory. It was brief, but Gibbs thought he saw a faint blush colour the girl's cheeks. Suddenly, Gibbs' own expression changed; his eyes widened in an attempt to catch Elizabeth's gaze, though she was still staring out to sea.
"And you can also tell him," Gibbs cleared his throat, but the determined girl paid no attention, "that if he so wishes to know what is troubling me," at this point she faced Gibbs, glaring at him as if he were Jack. The look Gibbs was giving Elizabeth clearly signalled danger, yet still, the girl ignored it. "He can persuade me to visit the cabin himself…"
"Actually… my dear Lizzy," Jack interrupted from close behind her. The colour on her cheeks returned, although this time undeniably, "I was simply trying to coax your flattering self away from the railings; Gibbs and Cotton are about give it a shiny new coat of varnish you see, and I'm afraid you have located yourself right in their way." The duration of his ramble allowed Elizabeth to adjust to the shock. She glanced briefly at Gibbs in annoyance. He responded simply with a "I tried to warn you," look.
"But, now that you mention it…" Jack smiled coyly, though upon Elizabeth's reaction, wiped the grin from his face. He stared expectantly at Gibbs, whose eyes were wandering in every direction aside from the captain's and the lady's. Once he had eventually caught Jack's expression, his understanding was immediate.
"I'd best be finding Cotton, hadn't I?" he murmured, and stalked off as if it had been his own choice in the first place. Elizabeth's eyes followed him until he was out of sight, at which point the captain broke the silence.
"Now, seeing as you've succeeded in distracting my crewmen away from their duties, what else be on your agenda?" The lady glared at Jack, whose smiling self was only too prepared for this gesture.
"Can't keep your eyes off me, can you?" he grinned. She sighed.
Turning her back on the sea, Elizabeth leant onto the railing and vacantly looked out past Jack. He stepped into her line of vision, with a quizzical stare on his face. Her eyes met his; the connection lasted long enough for each to realise that neither would break their gaze first.
"My dearest Lizzy, I do believe something has you vexed."
Another sigh escaped Elizabeth, although this time involuntarily.
"What do you want Jack?" she asked. Her manner at that point was so riddled with the exhaustion of someone troubled with unanswered questions, that not even Jack could ignore it. Instead of focusing on her eyes, he allowed himself the pleasure of studying her entire image; a concept he soon found less pleasurable than he had once thought. Her skin and lips had become pallid, her expression tired, and though on first glance her face still held its beauty, the glow of energy he admired most about her was reduced to merely a flicker. This image made his heart ache, and he forced his eyes away.
"I want you to tell me what's troubling you."
"Why?" she asked. He looked at her again, certain that he would detect a tone of humour from her face, but she remained serious. Also cynical, somehow.
"Well…" he began, and then cursed inside after realising he could not put words to his reason. His mental falter was carefully hidden by his ability to feign confidence. "The way I see it is, if it's bad luck to sail with a woman on board a ship, it must be worse still if said woman shares the temper of the seas during the midst of a storm."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Jack took a step closer towards her; though she did not seem to notice, or at least, it seemed that way to Jack, as she hadn't stepped away from him.
"There is nothing left for me now," she mumbled almost inaudibly. Jack blinked, hoping he had not heard her correctly, though the despair in her features confirmed what she'd said. She matched Jack's stare when she realised she had spoken her thoughts aloud, and desperately searched for words to counteract it, but her mind had gone blank. She blushed and turned away from him, clutching onto the ship's railing. This position brought back a faint memory of a more pleasant time, when she had been standing in the same location, thinking thoughts about the same man who had caused her to blush, on both occasions. Suddenly, Jack did something quite unexpected. So unexpected, in fact, that it caused the few prying crew members, who had been watching the exchange while on their way to the bow of the ship, to stop in their tracks. He cleared his throat, and after a slight hesitation, reached for Elizabeth's arm, softly pulling her around to face him. He stood closer to her; so close that not even a breeze could pass between their bodies, their faces nose to nose.
"There's always going to be something," he whispered, "you'll always have the ocean, you'll always have… the pearl," his eyes twinkled. It seemed to Elizabeth as though he had more to say, but instead he closed his mouth, and, after hovering for a moment by hers, he stepped backwards.
"I'll always have the pearl?" she echoed in question, after a long silence. He smiled as she scanned over his pride and glory. His smile widened as he saw its reflection in Elizabeth's face. He nodded.
"Assuming you don't lose possession of it again, of course?" she smirked, glancing at Barbossa, who was at that moment engrossed in a game of dice, far away at the bow of the ship. He was barely distinguishable from the rest of the crew, who also seemed to be gathered around the players, and every so often their cheers and sneers could be heard, faintly. For the first time, Elizabeth felt truly aware that she and Jack were alone, together, undisturbed. It appeared to her that he must have shared the same thoughts, because the grin he was aiming at her was positively devilish.
"If I remember correctly, love, the last time I lost possession of the pearl, it was by your hands," Jack beamed. Elizabeth scoffed and turned away from him.
"Well if I remember correctly, Jack, the plan to abandon ship was decided upon long before I…" she stopped, unsure how best to carry on.
"Kissed me passionately and chained me to the mast, inevitably sending me to a cruel and most merciless death?" He finished for her. A sarcastic stare was her reply.
"Land ahoy!" Gibbs' voice boomed around the ship.
Jack and Elizabeth snapped their heads towards the crew in disbelief. Jack's attention remained on his men, who were scrambling their way towards him, to stand ready and await orders. Elizabeth, however, quickly searched the waters for sight of their destination. Upon finding it, she found herself fingering the compass on her belt, while the realisation of their position caused her stomach to churn in agony. This was shortly followed by a wave of guilt, though for what or whom, she knew not. The duty fell to Gibbs to confirm what all on board were already certain of.
"Port Royal, Cap'n."
Jack began to laugh quietly, in mockery of himself. His crew exchanged glances with one another, then looked back at him in confusion. Some smiled with Jack, for lack of better ideas. All eyes were on him, aside from the pair belonging to miss Swan. Hers, full of secret sorrow, were cast down, avoiding Jack's at all costs. When the laughter ended, he turned to face the girl, and grasped the mast's main line, holding it as if for support.
"You lead us to Port Royal?" He said to her. On the surface, it was merely a question, but not even the calmness in his face could mask the accusation in his voice, or the hurt in his eyes. She lifted her head and stiffened her jaw, yet she could not find her words, nor the strength to meet his stare.
"Cap'n, the orders?" Gibbs interrupted desperately, sensing he should make the captain and the lady aware of the crew's watchful presence. Jack gave no sign of acknowledgement, instead remained focused on Elizabeth, who appeared as if she had finally decided on speaking.
"It would never have worked between us," she breathed, briefly flicking her eyes over Jack's face. He grinned, weakly. This was goodbye.
"Keep telling yourself that darling," he scorned, "maybe some day you'll believe it."