Disclaimer: I do not, however much I wish, own POTC or any of the characters in it. If I did, I wouldn't be writing Jack and Elizabeth together as Jack would have me to keep him occupied!

The song 'I Loved Her First' belongs solely to Heartland, who are also not me!

I Loved Her First

He watched as the younger man took her hand, leading her across the deck to the centre of the crowd. He looked on quietly as the man wrapped his arms around her delicate waist, pulling her close to their body. They cradled her gently as she placed her hands across their back, returning the embrace. Her gaze held theirs as they swayed slowly across the deck, lost in each other completely.

Look at the two of you dancing that way

Lost in the moment and each other's face

So much in love you're alone in this place

Like there's nobody else in this world.

He remembered when she used to dance with him. He had taught her how to move smoothly across the floor, and now he watched as she danced with this other man. Her grace, he decided, came naturally to her. She was beautiful.

He could easily see how the two lovers had come together. They were a perfect fit in every way. It seemed as though each knew exactly what the other was thinking as they moved as one being. He couldn't help the feeling of deep loss which resonated through his chest as he watched them.

I was enough for her not long ago

I was her number one

She told me so

And she still means the world to me

Just so you know

So be careful when you hold my girl

Time changes everything

Life must go on

And I'm not gonna stand in your way…

He should have locked the man up, let alone kept him away from his precious daughter. But he hadn't. The truth was, as much as he might argue that the pirate placed her in constant danger, he knew deep down that she was more protected by him than he liked to admit. Yes, she was in dangerous situations but her lover always seemed to know what she could handle and when she needed rescuing. He knew the younger man would protect her with his life. No matter how much he wished that she was still his little girl, he wasn't going to stand in their way when she was so happy.

But I loved her first and I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But it's still hard to give her away

I loved her first…

He though back to the day when his life had been turned on its head. He held his baby daughter for the first time and realised that nothing would ever be as important as her and her happiness. She was crying as her tiny, delicate body was placed in his arms. He had held her close to his heart. Gently rocking from side to side, he soothed her until her cries faded to quiet sniffles. Her brilliant wide eyes had turned on him and he knew he would do anything for her. He would give his life to make her happy.

He though back to her childhood. She had been so carefree and everybody loved her. She would spend the day with her nurse, her energy boundless as she played in the garden, searching for adventure. It was not a shock that she ended up with such an eccentric man. She still craved the adventure which she sought as a child, all the stories he told her as she lay in her bed capturing her imagination.

How could that beautiful woman with you

Be the same freckle face kid that I knew

The one that I read all those fairy tales to

And tucked into bed all those nights

And I knew the first time I saw you with her

It was only a matter of time…

His mind flashed back to the day that the couple had met. Her knight in shining armour had saved her from the depths of the ocean. He had seen the look of complete adoration on her face as she shook his arms from her, stepping forward to defend the man who had saved her life.

Ever since that first meeting he had seen the love that shone from her eyes and he knew that this would be the man who would take her away from him. As fate would have it, the young man would save her life more times than he dared to count. He had always returned her to him, even though the older man could see he was taking her heart a piece at a time. They knew would end up together…he watched, helpless, as it happened.

But I loved her first and I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But it's still hard to give her away

I loved her first…

He could see the love between them. He had always prayed for her happiness. He hoped that she would find a man worthy of her – a man to love and protect her, worship her until their last breath. He just wished that he could still be the one that his baby turned to. He wanted to be the one to hold her in his arms and protect her innocence from the world. It wasn't up to him anymore, though. It pained him to admit it, to let her go.

From the first breath she breathed

When she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

Someday you might know what I'm going through

When a miracle smiles up at you

I loved her first…

No matter what was going on in her life, no matter who she had given her heart to, she would always be his little girl – his miracle. He would always watch over his baby daughter.

He looked down at her as she embraced her new husband in their first dance. He would always be there, looking down on her from his place in the heavens. She would forever be his baby. A tear slipped down his cheek as he watched Mrs Jack Sparrow sway gently in her husband's arms, her head lying against his chest.

'Yes,' thought Weatherby Swann tenderly as he glanced at his wife. He looking back down on his daughter and her husband. 'I loved her first…'

Just a quick oneshot that wouldn't get out of my head until I wrote it down!

Please review!

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