A/N: I started this story quite some years ago and posted it on my livejournal (something with missy_myra, I can't for the life of me remember) and recently re-read it. I have a prologue and two chapters done and I intend to start working on this again. Since it's old it was written after the third movie (At World's End) and before the fourth movie (On Stranger Tides). This is my take on the Fountain of Youth and the ending of AWE. Hope you'll enjoy :)

Prologue

Jack grabbed his bottle of rum, bringing it to his lips with a satisfied smirk. But… the scent of rum was all that could be caught as it mingled in the air, invading his senses. Empty.

"Bloody empty," he growled to no-one as he threw the bottle over board. He looked around for more, but came up with none. He'd just emptied his last bottle of rum. "Great, always gone," he sighed as he opened his compass, looking at the spinning needle.

Why was the rum always gone anyway? It seemed to be his luck really. Anywhere he was, there was no rum in sight. Either Gibbs drank it all, or it had magically disappeared to somewhere. Maybe Elizabeth had been right, maybe he did drink too much.

For a moment his thoughts drifted to the young, adventurous spirit he had had the pleasure of knowing. She was vibrant and courageous, and daft;daft like him. He remembered how her beautiful gold coloured strands of hair swayed in the wind as she looked over the railing. Her eyes seeming to catch so much more than others. And when she would look at him, her eyes would hold this sparkle, magical. She made many men go weak just by looking at them like that, and Captain Jack Sparrow was no exception to that. Although he wouldn't admit it, not to anyone, not even to himself; but that woman had him under her spell. So he knew, he knew that if she asked him to be hers, he would say yes without even having to think for a second. That was before… before she killed him.

Yes, she did come to save him too. But did she come to save him just because she missed him? He doubted it. They needed him, the Brethren did. 'Lot of good that did,' he thought to himself as his hand touched the little tooth dangling on his forehead. He missed his coin. He remembered he had cursed Barbossa for doing what he'd done, freeing Calypso like that, but in end it had been for the better.

He never thought he'd ever admit it, but Hector Barbossa seemed to know what he was doing.

The needle of the compass pointed steadily ahead of him, and Jack grabbed his miniature telescope and looked out at the land he saw.

"It can't be…" he whispered to himself as he realized that the spit of land ahead of him looked awfully familiar. "There'll be no livin' with her after this," he said and shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder why. Why did his compass point to that damned island? But he knew,of course he knew.

Elizabeth.

"Why is it always 'bout her?" He grumbled as he fixed his hat, preparing to face her.

TBC