AN: Finally! I can upload the first chapter to the story! Well, for those who are reading this just now, read The Beginning. For those who have read that, welcome back! This time, it's nothing but originality so I hope you'll be entertained with the plot I have in store for our lovely characters. Reviews shall be much appreciated!


"You're not joking with me are you? You really believe that I come from another world." - Carrie Lockheart

Chapter 1 - Surprise Surprise

Commodore James Norrington hated surprises. Unfortunately for him, he has experienced nothing else but that. It all started a month ago, with suddenly finding Jack Sparrow in the docks at Port Royal. What surprised him there was the fact that Jack Sparrow had saved Elizabeth Swann from drowning and thus made his presence known before the Royal Navy, something most pirates don't normally do. Then other pirates, specifically from the infamous Black Pearl, suddenly came into the port and attacked the town, taking Elizabeth with them as a result. He never expected the blacksmith Will Turner to free Jack Sparrow from the dungeon cells in order to go out there and save Elizabeth. Therefore he was caught off guard when Jack Sparrow stole-or commandeered, as the pirate would say-the Interceptor.

So he, together with Elizabeth's father the Governor, immediately went out to sea and looked for any sign of them. He was greeted with a very high, very large and very black smoke signal coming from a small little island a few days later. He expected to save a few sailors who had crashed onto the shore by accident, but instead he saw Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann stranded on the island. Another shocking but good surprise was when Elizabeth had agreed to his proposal of marriage. He soon learned that the young woman had simply used the idea in order for him to go and save her dear Will. He had been foolish; to have been so gullible as to fall for a simple lie as that.

And that was how he had found himself riding on a small rowboat to the caves of Isla de Muerta together with Jack Sparrow then. He had no choice but to listen to the pirate and let him lead him and his men to wherever he chose; more likely to their demise. More surprises came to him when his ship fell to a surprise attack by the cursed pirates. Norrington almost didn't make it back to the ship. In the middle of the losing battle, Norrington saw that the curse had been lifted and the pirates had become mortal once more. They were lucky to have survived that attack.

Norrington thought things were going to get better after that. Elizabeth came back to the ship with Will, Jack Sparrow and the other notorious female pirate, Sharpshooter Marine. They came to Port Royal without any trouble at all and Jack Sparrow was scheduled to be hanged that very next day. Things were going so well with Norrington, that he never expected it when Marine suddenly disappeared in the dungeon cell or when Will Turner suddenly showed up at the hanging and confessed his love for Elizabeth or when Jack Sparrow escaped death through their help. He had become a pathetic Commodore, one who would be laughed at behind his back. Well enough is enough. James Norrington will not allow anyone, especially pirates, to shame him further.

"Commodore sir!" One of his men cried as he ran into Norrington's office with a letter in hand. "We have news of the pirates you seek." Norrington calmly stood up from his desk and placed his hands behind his back. This is what he has been waiting for ever since that day the two pirates escaped his grasp.

"Speak."

"Although we haven't found the person herself, one of our men has found out, from reliable sources, the location of Sharpshooter Marine's current place of living. If we go there and secure the area, we will have better chances of capturing her as soon as she came to her home. Jack Sparrow is still nowhere to be found, though. We assume that he has not landed on the larger and well known ports in the Caribbean. Further news shall be sent as soon as they spot him."

Norrington pondered on this newest piece of information as he stared outside the window. Yes, they could go on to Sharpshooter Marine's home and wait for her there. As for Jack Sparrow...

"Take 20 of our men and send them to this location. I want Sharpshooter Marine captured alive no matter what the cost. I will not take any chances with these pirates. The other pirate can wait. Continue to keep an eye for Jack Sparrow and send word for me as soon as you have news of him. It will not be long now; Jack Sparrow will be forced to land on a British Port. That is when we get our hands on him." He said. The guard saluted Norrington then with his leave, walked out of the office as fast as he could. Norrington gave a heavy sigh and fell back to his chair. His work as a Commodore was never finished no matter how much he'd do in a single day. He looked at his table and was about to get the papers he needed to sign when he noticed an invitation card lying somewhere in the pile. He moved some of the papers away to get it then stared at it sadly.

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were going to get married in less than a month, and he had been asked to become the Best Man for their wedding day two weeks earlier. It was not to irritate him or mock him of what he had lost, although he was still a tad bit sore about being rejected right after Elizabeth had accepted the proposal. He knew because the blacksmith told him the very words as he handed the invitation to him personally.

"I just want us to push aside our differences or whatever else had come between us in the past and become good friends Norrington." Will had told him. "Honestly I would have asked Jack Sparrow to become my Best Man. But seeing as it is currently impossible for that to happen, I would like to ask you to take the role."

"Why?" He asked. "Is it to mock me Turner? Perhaps you would enjoy making me watch you and Elizabeth get married while I stand idly by looking like a rejected fool."

"No, I didn't invite you for that reason. If I wanted to annoy you and make a fool out of you I would not have invited you to the wedding, picked a place for the wedding where you will get to see it, then visit you after the ceremonies were done and remind you what a gullible, desperate man you've been. Then I'd finish it all off by telling everyone in the Royal Navy that you let a pirate go free just because the woman you loved and the man she loved prevented you from killing him." Norrington gritted his teeth in irritation and tried not to get his hands on Will's throat. Will sensed the annoyance but smirked at him.

"But like I said before, I'm not here to make you an enemy of mine. I want to become your friend Norrington. Both Elizabeth and I do." Norrington stayed silent as he looked at anything but the man before him. Then after heaving a heavy sigh, he turned his attention back to the blacksmith and took the card he was holding out to him.

"I thank you for the invitation. I...would be honored to become your best man Will Turner."

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts as he placed back the card on top of the messy pile on his desk. And as if thinking of them had magically called them to him, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann entered his office. He stood up from his desk and tried to rearrange his wig which had become a bit ruffled after a few days of neglecting it. His face reddened with embarrassment but neither of the newcomers seemed to notice it or simply ignored it.

"Commodore, my father and I would like to invite you to a small party at my home." Elizabeth told him, long golden blond hair framing a face with a friendly smile. "Mr. Turner would appreciate coming to the party together with a familiar face, as I'm sure you would be if you accepted." Norrington recovered from his initial reaction and made a small bow.

"I would be more than happy to come to this little party Miss Swann. Allow me some minutes to refreshen myself before I engage in any sort of social activity."

"Thank you Commodore. Mr. Turner and I shall wait for you downstairs if you do not mind." With a last short but polite bow, the couple went out of the office, leaving Norrington alone to his thoughts. He knew he didn't have much time before Elizabeth lost her patience with him so he immediately brushed his wig and straightened out his clothes as best as he could in his current state. After taking a deep breath, he grabbed his tricorn hat from the stand beside the door and walked down the stairs to the entrance of the building where Elizabeth and Will waited.


Carrie opened her emerald green eyes and found herself lying on filthy ground, staring up at the blue, cloudy sky. She sat up and groaned as her head throbbed in unexplainable pain. She couldn't remember what happened to her. The last thing she saw was a bright light coming from Vanessa's Aztec coin and then...nothing. She looked around and inspected her surroundings as her headache subsided into a slight and irritating pounding. Dark and dirty stone walls surrounded her from three sides; two beside her and one behind her, with doors and windows along them. The ground she sat on was very dusty and was filled with many crates of useless pieces of junk. She peered forward at the only way out and saw an old house across the road. People and carriages of all sorts were passing by the opening without taking any notice of her. From what she could make out of what she saw, she assumed that she was in an alleyway. She widened her eyes as what she thought of sinked into her mind.

"How the hell did I get here?!" She cried to no one in particular. Her mind began to whirl about in panic as she stood up so fast and almost lost her balance through the sudden rush of blood in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to diminish the dizziness that came on her. At the same time she battled with her thoughts and attempted to calm herself down as she took deep breaths.

Calm down Carrie. There's no reason to run around screaming in panic. Now, think. Did someone just drop me here in this alley? If no, then how? If yes, why? They couldn't be robbers or rapists, else I would either have been tied up or stipped off my clothing. Dragging me all the way to this alley makes no sense. And just how did I become unconscious? Was it because of the coin? It seems impossible that some stranger would get a hold of that coin and place some kind of device or gas that would knock me out. And did that flash of light mean anything important? How long was I even out cold? Whatever knocked me unconscious must have been strong for me to have slept through the whole time they brought me here.

As soon as she could stand up without needing any sort of support, she began to walk towards the opening of the alley. She poked her head out and looked around, squinting and blinking against the glare of the light as she adjusted to the brightness. When she could see clearly, her face went pale and her body froze in fear. She was looking at rows and rows of old, rundown houses. People in clothes that should have been out-of-style for centuries walked about their businesses. Carriages rushed past the crowded road instead of cars or taxis or buses. What really sent her panicking though, was the fact that she couldn't recognize anything about her surroundings. She took a step back into the dark alley and stared with glazed eyes. Her knees felt too weak all of a sudden, and it took her everything she had to keep herself upright.

"Just where am I...?" She whispered.

"Hey you! The lass over there! What are ye doing near my house?!" A man yelled behind her. Carrie spun her head around and widened her eyes when a man came out of one of the doors carrying a cudgel in his hand defensively. She raised her hands up and shook her head at him as she slowly backed away.

"N-nothing sir! I-I was just..."

"Get out of here and leave my house alone if ye know what's good for ye lassie! Now!" He stepped forward and swung his cudgel around wildly. Carrie gave a short scream and began to run out of the alley and away from the man. She blindly ran forward, bumping into whatever crossed her way, without any regards to where she was going. She could catch a few curses and a few angry calls as she ran past the people but she ignored them all and never stopped running until she couldn't take another step. When she decided to take a break from all that running, she realized that she was standing at the top of a stone fort that overlooked the docks where all the ships were stationed at. Little tiny dots that she knew were people moved about in an ongoing stream as busily as ants. Beyond the port, the water spread farther and farther into the horizon, where she caught a few ships heading towards the docks. She gazed at everything she could see before her and was stunned. She found the place familiar to her for some reason.

"So, what do ye think of the town lass?" A voice spoke behind her. Carrie turned around cautiously and saw three men standing a few meters away from her. She didn't need to look beyond the dirty, worn out clothes they wore and the messy, unkempt look they had to tell that they weren't the best people to be associated with. The man in the middle, the one who spoke, flashed his yellow teeth in a lecherous smile that sent shivers of disgust down her spine. "It's pretty isn't it?"

"It is..." She murmured hesitantly, barely loud enough for the man to hear.

"Yer not from around 'ere are ye lass?" He asked, taking a step forward. "I can tell by yer looks and by yer accent." The other two men followed in the footsteps of their leader and began to circle around Carrie, blocking her every means of escape. Carrie looked around her frantically as she backed away from them step after step.

"I...I guess I am a foreigner in these parts. Can you tell me where I am?" She asked them. The leader of the group stopped then gave a small chuckle.

"Where ye are? That be a strange question yer asking lass. But I'll play along for yer sake." He gave her another perverted smile that made Carrie want to gag and barf over the stone edge. "Ye be in Port Royal lass. Have ye ever heard of it? How's about ye spend the nigh' with us while we show ye around." Carrie widened her eyes at the name and ignored the rest of what the man said.

Port Royal?! That's impossible! How can I be in Port Royal? No wait...maybe it's the real Port Royal. I mean, not the one in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. But how the hell did I end up here?! I was at New York the last time I checked. Was I that out of it? This is getting weirder by the minute...unless...

Carrie suddenly felt herself explode into laughter, shocking the three men from going further towards her. They looked at each other in puzzlement then stared at her warily. The leader began to think if it would be smart to go on with this woman. He was about to signal his men to leave when Carrie recovered from her outburst and looked around her with a smile.

"Oh that was good. You almost had me going there." She began as her laughter slowed down to a chuckle. "I thought I was going nuts from all the stress I'm having. But the jig is up. I know your little plan now. So where's the cameraman huh? I know he's hiding here somewhere. Vanessa and her parents are probably in this too. Are they hiding over there?" She asked, pointing over the columned posts lined up behind the three men. "I want to give them a piece of my mind for making me worry sick over them." The three looked at each other once more. One of them shrugged while the other scratched his head in confusion. The one in the middle glanced at Carrie and crossed his arms, peering at her intently with one eye.

"Yer not drunk are ye lass? Or maybe yer gettin' sick."

"I'm not sick and I'm definitely not drunk!" Carrie cried indignantly. She narrowed her eyes at them and mirrored the man's arms. "This isn't funny anymore. I found you out. You're supposed to laugh along with me and tell me that I was fooled by whatever show I'm on right now. Then Vanessa will come out of her hiding place and laugh with me, telling me what a gullible fool I've been. Why do you persist on this acting?"

"Listen missy, we're not 'acting' an' no one's hidin' from ye." The man said, annoyance clearly evident from the tone of his voice. "Why don't ye just keep quiet while we take ye with us?"

"No! I'm tired of playing with you. Tell me where Vanessa is!" She demanded. "If you don't tell me where she is I'll beat you all up until you can't stand up anymore." She threatened. The three men stared at her for a few seconds then suddenly roared with laughter. Carrie's face turned red and she clenched her fist in anger, knuckles turning white from the tightness of her grip. Then without any hesitation she charged at the man in the middle, pulling back her arm then swinging it hard at the man's cheek. He never expected the woman to punch him, and was stunned in surprise as he fell to the ground on his back. Carrie stared silently, anger quickly subsiding, and when she realized what she just did, she turned red; this time from embarrassment. She had never meant to raise a fist against anyone, especially if that man was simply trying to do his job. She opened her mouth and tried to apologize for what she did but stopped when she sensed a sudden change in the mood of the talk.

The other two men had stopped laughing when they realized what had happened and looked behind them to check on their leader, who lay sprawled on the ground. When they turned back their angry gazes to Carrie, they decided that playtime was over.

"Why you little-"

What passed within the next few seconds happened so fast that Carrie could do nothing but stand there in stunned shock. One of them took out a dagger from the inside of his shirt then came at her like a hound at a cornered fox while growling angrily at her. Once he was close enough, he raised the silver weapon up in the air and slashed downwards at the same time some shadowed stranger rushed towards the man, pushed him and sent him flying to the side. The man with the dagger was taken aback, but since the movement was too late to stop, the dagger he held ended up brushing across Carrie's left arm. The two collapsed in a tangled heap and struggled with each other right there on the ground. The stranger wrestled impressively with the other but the man's accomplices weren't just standing there doing nothing. In no time at all, the three men were standing free from any hands and began to make a run for it. The sound of a whistle brought Carrie out of her reverie. The voice of a man could be heard shouting over the noisy commotion.

"Do not move any further."

All three froze at the familiar sound of the man's voice. They could hear the slow and casual sound of his footsteps as he walked towards them with his hands clasped behind his back. They turned to face him and paled as they took in the sight of the man before them. That and the other dozen uniformed guards running towards them from afar. Carrie turned to look at the man as well and widened her eyes. Although his clothes and hat were not as fresh and his wig not as well combed, his presence was still overwhelming. And despite his relaxed form, he emitted an aura of alertness like a dangerous wolf that was not yet sure of its safety. A young woman dressed in an elegant white dress rushed up to the man's side and when she saw Carrie, walked closer to her.

"Oh dear! Are you alright miss?" Smooth and gentle hands took hold of her own as the blond haired woman inspected the bloody, shallow gash on her arm. She frowned at the wound and turned a grateful gaze to the man who was standing up from his previous brawl with one of the men. "It was a good thing that Will saw those three men going after you. If he hadn't gotten there in time you could have been seriously injured." She said. The man called Will fixed his hair, which was tied back in a short ponytail, and brushed the dust off from his clothes. Then he walked up to them and looked at Carrie in concern.

"Don't worry miss. We shall accompany you to Miss Elizabeth Swann's home and take care of that gash on your arm. I am sure that Commodore Norrington will be more than happy to send escorts to take you back home afterwards." He said, turning his gaze to the other man. Norrington's lips curled into a small frown at the plan but it disappeared instantly as he saw Carrie looking at him.

"It is no problem at all ma'am. I shall even escort you there myself." He said, making a polite bow towards her.

Carrie was still speechless as she stared first at the three men who were being clasped into chains then at Will, Norrington and Elizabeth. Her mind was running like mad, assessing facts and events that happened all within a few minutes. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly as she tried to say something but somehow couldn't with everything dropping onto her without warning. Then after swallowing a lump that somehow appeared in her throat, she spoke in a hoarse voice.

"You're...you're all real aren't you? Those men back there...they would have killed me...they..." Elizabeth widened her eyes and caught Carrie before she could fall to the ground. Will and Norrington rushed to Elizabeth's aid and sighed in relief when they found that the young woman had just fainted.

"What did she mean by real?" Will asked to no one in particular. "Did she actually think that those men wouldn't hurt her or do something to her?" Norrington shrugged in reply.

"Let us save the questions we have now for later and take this girl to Miss Elizabeth's home first."


Carrie blinked her eyes open and stared up at the ceiling confusedly. She couldn't check if she recognized the room she was in because it was pitch black. The scenery outside showed her that it was night time, with the moon covered by the clouds and the rain pelting against the windows. The sounds of rain falling onto the rooftops calmed her somehow, and kept her from screaming with panic and fright. As she lied there on the unfamiliar bed, she remembered what happened to her earlier; recalled the meeting with the three men, to be rescued a few minutes after by three people who weren't supposed to exist outside of the movie she had recently watched and adored.

Was it all just a dream?

She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she did, and noticed that her left arm was wrapped up in bandages. As soon as she saw it all her hopes of what happened being just a dream shattered into little pieces. A headache from all the thinking and confusion appeared and she made a soft groan as she massaged her forehead. Right at that moment she heard the sound of the door opening and turned to where the sound came from. She had to squint her eyes as sudden light coming from a small lamp flooded into the room. She couldn't see who had entered but knew by the sound of the other's voice as soon as they spoke.

"I am glad to see that you're finally awake." Elizabeth told her as she set the lamp on a table and sat down on the edge of the bed. Carrie's mind was still hazy from her sleep as she watched Elizabeth set down something on her lap. She examined it and felt cloth as she held it out. A few minutes later she realized what she held and took off the covers from herself. She was wearing a white nightdress, although it wasn't exactly a perfect fit, Elizabeth being just as tall as her friend Vanessa who was 5'7. The dress was supposed to reach only up to her ankles but it stretched out to her feet.

"I had the maids change you and clean up your clothes for you." Elizabeth explained to her as if reading her mind. Carrie stood up from the bed and looked nervously at Elizabeth.

"Um...thank you. Can I wear them now? I don't feel comfortable wearing other people's clothes..." She told her, turning slightly red from embarrassment. Elizabeth smiled comfortingly and nodded as she stood up from the bed as well.

"Of course. There is a screen over there where you can change in without anyone seeing." Elizabeth said as she pointed towards a folded up object at the corner of the room. "I hope you don't mind. I would like to ask you a few questions that I feel must be answered as soon as possible." She explained. Carrie smiled back at her and nodded.

"It's alright I don't mind answering. But..." She began as she unfolded the screen and went behind it. It was dark, but the light the moon casted down from the window made soft silhouettes on the thin paper screen. Elizabeth could see her moving about as she changed from the nightdress into her jeans and plain shirt. "I would like you to answer one of my own first. Just one question before you start interrogating me."

"Of course. What is your question then." The shadowed form of Carrie stopped in the middle of pulling up her pants. She peeped from the side of the screen, revealing her pale skinned face, and looked at Elizabeth warily.

"Are you really Elizabeth Swann? Did Will Turner and Commodore Norrington save me earlier and is this truly Port Royal?" Elizabeth was startled by the question and couldn't answer her for a few minutes until she recovered herself and gave Carrie a small smile. She had been hesitant of her decision at first, knowing that it would have been very embarrassing if she had made a mistake. But now the young woman's question made it clear to Elizabeth that she was not wrong in her suspicions.

"Yes. I am Elizabeth, but you can call me Liz. You were saved by my fiancee Will and the Commodore, and you are in Port Royal." She answered. "I can tell from your clothes that you are not from around here so I understand if you are not so sure of that."

"You have no idea how right you are in that." Carrie muttered as she went back to the screen to continue changing herself. Elizabeth heard that comment though, and gave a soft chuckle.

"Oh I believe I do have an idea." She said, making Carrie blush in embarrassment. She had not known that her voice had been so loud for Elizabeth to hear. Elizabeth gave a soft chuckle, and told her that she was not angry or offended by the comment. Then she went on explaining to Carrie what she meant. "If I may be so bold as to ask, are you from another world? I know this may sound weird but somehow there is a feeling in me that tells me it is so." Carrie widened her eyes as she placed her shirt over her head, her mouth gaping open in shock. When she realized what she was doing, she closed it and began to stutter at Elizabeth.

"But you-how did-it's not-" Carrie took a deep breath to calm herself down, pulled her shirt over her head, then looked at Elizabeth past the screen seriously. "You're not joking with me are you? You really believe that I come from another world." Elizabeth nodded to her.

"Yes, I believe you even if you had not mentioned it first. Your reactions tonight and earlier on told me that you knew us from before, even if we had never met you before in our whole lives. You see, I had a friend who came upon the same predicament you are in presently. She's gone now, we don't know where, but I shall never forget her, or what happened during my time with her. She told us her story about how she came from a different world and how she knew most of what would happen to us because she read a book about it. The only difference in you two though, is that you came here as yourself while she came here as another person who lived here in this world and in truth, is still a part of her own self." Carrie blinked at the last of Elizabeth's explanation and massaged her head from all the pain the overwhelming of information was giving her.

"So there was someone else who came to this world...who you guessed came from my own world...who lived the life of another person...who is in fact, a part of this world and a part of her own self." She repeated. Elizabeth nodded in reply. Carrie gave a weary sigh and shook her head as she went back to the bed and sat down on it unceremoniously.

"If I wasn't a part of all this mess I would claim this whole thing was insane." She said. Elizabeth giggled softly as she sat down with her.

"I must admit that this is a bit farfetched to believe. But after being taken by cursed pirates and fighting the undead, nothing at all would surprise me any longer." Carrie widened her eyes at her.

"So, does that mean you've met Jack Sparrow and killed Barbossa?" Elizabeth was a bit startled at that. She wasn't used to people knowing without even being there physically. It felt strange and awkward to hear their story from another stranger's mouth. She recovered quickly though and nodded.

"It's been a month since it happened. Jack's probably in some port drinking rum or looking for some new adventure or something similar to that." A smile came to Elizabeth as she remembered the sly, mischievous, irritating pirate with that cocky grin of his. Carrie smiled and giggled. Then she remembered a question she wanted to ask.

"So are you and Will Turner getting married soon?" Elizabeth blushed at the question but as she answered, a bright smile lit up her face.

"Yes...we're getting married in less than a month from now." Carrie clapped her hands cheerfully and congratulated her. She liked the pairing and felt sorry for Will when Jack and Elizabeth kissed in the second movie. Then she realized that if they were going to get married soon, then the second movie was close to coming. She bit her lip nervously. She didn't think she was up to facing Davy Jones and the Kraken in real life. Sure it would be fun to pretend to be a pirate hero swinging ropes and slashing about with a sword but she stuck to the reality that she wasn't strong enough for those kinds of things and had no skill to fight anyone. Maybe her best friend Vanessa would, but she wasn't her. Fortunately Elizabeth didn't see her face in the dim light and so she was saved from the trouble of being questioned about it. "I was hoping to invite Jack to the wedding, but that won't fare well with everybody else." She said with regret.

"But why should it matter if they don't like Jack?" Carrie asked her as she crossed her arms. "It's not their wedding they're attending. It's yours. And since you are the host here, they shouldn't have a say in who comes to your wedding and who doesn't." Elizabeth widened her eyes at her then smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. But unfortunately even if we did invite Jack to the wedding, Commodore Norrington and his men are sure to be there waiting for their chance to capture him and send him to the gallows. And even if they won't, I don't have a clue as to Jack's present location. I cannot tell him about the wedding if I can't send him a message about it." Carrie frowned slightly and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Oh. That's right. I haven't thought about that." She said with a small pout. "Too bad I won't get to see Jack Sparrow. He's my absolute favorite character from the movie." Elizabeth looked at her and tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Mo...vie?" Carrie widened her eyes as she realized what she said. If she remembered correctly, Elizabeth had mentioned being told that they were in a book, not a movie. Now that she thought about it, that would have been for the best. She didn't think she could explain to anyone what a movie was. She smiled at the other woman and shook her head.

"Forget I said it. I was thinking of something else. What I meant to say was, Jack Sparrow is my favorite character in the book I read." She said.

"I see..." Elizabeth said. She looked at Carrie, then was about to ask her another question when she remembered something. "I'm sorry...I've been speaking to you all this time and I still don't know your name. May I ask what it is?" Carrie looked at her then smiled brightly.

"Of course! My name is Carrie Lockheart. But I prefer to be called Carrie if you don't mind."

"No, I don't. It is a pleasure to meet you Carrie." Before they could say anything else they both heard a loud thump outside of their room. Elizabeth stood up from the bed and walked towards it in caution. Carrie followed Elizabeth and walked right behind her reluctantly. Her hands found their way to Elizabeth's shoulders and her whole body trembled in fear as they neared the door. Her knees grew weak and felt like jelly as she forced them to walk. Her heart pounded loudly through her chest so hard that it felt like the heart was trying to burst out of her chest. The pounding rain outside of the house, and the deafening roar of the thunder only made her fear get worse. Elizabeth seemed to sense her anxiety as she stopped and turned to hold Carrie's hand and squeezed it in a comforting manner.

"Everything will be alright. Just stay close to me and don't make any noise." She told her. Carrie nodded silently and knotted her brows in determination, taking deep and calming breaths as she followed Elizabeth. After giving Carrie a reassuring smile, Elizabeth took hold of the doorknob and twisted it open as softly as she could. Before she could go out though, someone pulled the door out of Elizabeth's grip and entered the room forcefully. Elizabeth tried to scream but the stranger quickly placed a wet hand on her mouth and began dragging her back in as he closed the door behind him. Carrie widened her eyes and was about to call for help as well but stopped when she saw a glint of something silver, its reflection caught by the light from the lamp, placed to Elizabeth's throat. It felt like something got caught down her own throat. Carrie couldn't scream or shout even if she wanted to. She stood there frozen still as the drenched man walked towards her, dragging Elizabeth as he did, with a large and mischievous grin on his face.

"Well hullo there poppet."


After a 'lovely' night at Governor Swann's, Commodore Norrington was happy to be back in his office, doing paperwork and the like. The party itself wasn't that horrible. Will willingly and gladly kept him company through the whole night. He enjoyed conversing with the blacksmith, as much as he hated to admit it. Perhaps after a few more months of reovery from his 'heartbreak', they would become quite a pair. But the reason he did not like the party that night, or any other party for the past month for that matter, was the fact that Governor Swann and his friends were trying to set him up with some other appropriate lady to be his wife. He met up with woman, after woman, after woman, who all seemed to be as snooty and stuck-up as their rich and power-hungry fathers. Norrington tried to evade most of their attempts at matchmaking but couldn't hide from all of the women that whole night. Will had been very amused as he watched it all happen, making Norrington feel even worse. To his amusement, the storm arrived, matching his mood perfectly.

Fortunately for him, the night was almost over. He looked forward to going to his nice, soft, warm, comfy bed as soon as he made some last minute signing on some of the more important reports that had come to him while he was away. These were simple reports, though important for him to approve or know of. As he was working on a last few that he planned to finish, a loud pounding erupted on the door. Norrington stood up from his chair quickly and grabbed his sword which was lying on the table. He walked towards the door cautiously as it continued to shake violently. He was pondering on whether to open it or not when he heard the familiar voice of Will Turner.

"Norrington open the door!" Norrington heaved a sigh of relief as he recovered himself and walked to open the door for him. He was surprised to find not only the blacksmith but the governor as well, barging into his room like some madmen. He turned around and faced them as they paced about restlessly. He immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong when he noticed that the two men were in their nightgowns and were soaking wet.

"What has happened Turner?" He asked. Will looked at Norrington with a very pained and raging face, heightened by the sudden flash of lightning outside his office window. It reminded Norrington of the time Elizabeth had been taken by pirates. He realized what he had thought and paled slightly. "No, don't tell me..."

"Someone has kidnapped my daughter!" Governor Swann cried angrily as he looked at Norrington. His wig was missing and his hair was so damp that if it weren't for the situation, Norrington would have thought it funny. "She has disappeared from her rooms together with that other woman you supposedly saved. She must have taken Elizabeth while everyone thought her weak and defenseless. I shouldn't have agreed to let the despicable woman stay within our homes. Commodore we must do something!"

"Calm down sir, we do not know of the details, so let us not jump to conclusions. But I shall do everything in my power to rescue your daughter."

"Like the time you helped when Elizabeth was kidnapped the first time?" Will asked him as he narrowed his eyes at Norrington. "Pardon me commodore, but I don't quite agree to your way of rescuing my fiancee. If you can't do something about this then give me permission to do it myself! Give me a ship or a boat at least so that I can go after whoever took Elizabeth."

"Simply going into a ship to rescue someone is not as easy as you think Turner." Norrington replied icily. He was starting to get more irritated at Will as the night ticked on. "Especially if you have a town to consider protecting as well. For, unlike you, I have my duties to every single civilian in Port Royal. It would not be fair for me to dance attendance upon one more than the other. Neither would it be easy for me to hand you a ship or a boat. But Miss Swann is the daughter of the governor, and she is a good friend. Do not assume that I shall simply abandon her to her captors."

"Then pray tell us, what on earth are we supposed to do?!" Governor Swann demanded more than asked. Norrington sighed and massaged his throbbing head. As if to make matters worse, one of the guards patrolling that night entered into the room and saluted at Norrington.

"We have a very urgent report sir!"

"Well? What are you waiting for? Out with it man!" Norrington snapped impatiently. At that exact moment, lightning and thunder erupted and gave a frightening image of Norrington's hard, angry features. The guard seemed taken aback at Norrington's sudden outburst and almost felt afraid at one point, but he recovered himself and looked once at Will and Governor Swann before speaking.

"We have spotted a ship not far from the port sir. They are not doing anything as of now but some of the men have reason to suspect that Sharpshooter Marine is under command of it...or perhaps is in command of it." Norrington swiveled around so fast that the guard almost didn't see him move.

"She's here?! Is she in the town or is she on the ship?" He asked.

"We believe that she is on the ship sir. Not only that, we have just received a report about a stolen rowboat that was headed in that direction. We don't know who stole it or for what but..." The guard didn't have a chance to continue as both Norrington and Will rushed out of the office and raced together towards the docks. They became soaked with the rain from top to bottom, but neither of them cared nor did something about it.

Norrington was the first to arrive and he immediately asked for the harbor master. He asked him about the stolen boat and listened as the man explained to them about how one of the small rowboats suddenly disappeared and how one of his helpers found it headed towards a ship a few miles away from the dock. Norrington gritted his teeth and turned to one of his other guards who had come up to them worriedly with an umbrella in hand.

"Head for one of our ships and tell them to prepare to set sail. Then get me two dozen men as fast as you can and tell them to meet me there as soon as possible. My last order for you would be to tell Gillette that he shall be in charge of things here while I am away. I want everything to be prepared and ready once dawn arrives. Is that understood?" He stated more than asked. The guard gave a quick salute and after giving Norrington his umbrella for protection from the rain, immediately ran as fast as he could to do what the commodore asked from him. Will looked at Norrington and was about to open his mouth when the commodore beat him to it.

"You can ease your worries a little Turner, I plan on bringing you along with me even if you hadn't asked." He said as if reading the blacksmith's mind. Will closed his mouth, then gave him a smile that never reached his eyes. His hair was plastered to his face because of the rain and the sweat from all the running, giving him an insane, mad look. Norrington was almost afraid of the blacksmith before him, and wondered what would have happened had he disagreed to letting Will come along.

"What about your duty to the town Commodore?" He asked him. Norrington's thoughts of Will's intimidation disappeared as he frowned at him irritatingly, then gave him a smile of equal sentiment. He was probably looking a bit insane too, with his own wig soggy, soaked and plastered to his own face along with his coat.

"Capturing pirates and sending them to their deaths is part of my duty to the town Turner." Before any of them could say anything else, more of his guards came up to him. This time, they held a bruised man in their arms, wrapped up in a long, dark coat that was too long for him with a small tricorn hat perched on the top of his head. Norrington barely took notice of him as one of the guards spoke.

"We found him lying unconscious near a stack of crates where the stolen rowboat was sir." He explained. "What do we do with him?" Norrington widened his eyes then narrowed them at the man. A grim determination was plastered to his face, and if the unconscious man had seen it, he would have shaken so hard his knees couldn't keep him upright.

"Take him to the ship we are preparing to set sail in. I plan on bringing this man along with us for interrogation and for further information." The guards saluted and began to walk away, carrying their unwanted burden with them. Norrington's vision suddenly blurred and with his free hand, he rubbed his eyes off sleep as much as he could with a soft curse. He can't take a rest now, not when pirates have roamed the town and taken hostage of a resident. That was when he remembered Will and turned to him with a grim face.

"I suggest you go to your own home Mr. Turner and change into something more appropriate for the trip." He said. Will looked down at himself and turned red with anger and embarrassment but he didn't say a word and went running away from the port. Norrington took this chance to take a look beyond the horizon, even if he could barely see anything from the thick curtain of heavy rain, and gripped the hilt of his sword so tight that his knuckles began to turn white.

Oh how he hated surprises.