A/N: Welcome back, to those who happened to stumble upon this story and somehow retained interest! It's nice to be back. Thanks to whomever has read this story and we hope you like it. And I'm an idiot, by the way (This is , whereas is my counterpart); I watched the movie several times to write my own script to these scenes when I could have just found a script online.

And to all you YGO - The Abridged Series lovers, the reference is there on purpose.

FYI: For the sake of this story, we have raised Elizabeth's age during the crossing from England from around twelve to about eighteen. Will will be around the same age.

Chapter 1: A Pirate's Life

It was a dreary, grey morning. One could barely see past his or her fingertips, much less navigate a ship. But alas, the crew of this unfortunate vessel was trying its best not to get any of the passengers killed in this frightful weather..
It was silent as a mausoleum. If you listened closely, however, you could hear a faint voice singing a haunting tune.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me

The young woman, Elizabeth, ignored everything around her except whatever she was imagining in the fog, as that was where she was looking and there really was nothing to see there.

We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot

Drink up me hearties, yo ho

We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot

Drink up me hearties, yo ho

It was nostalgia, mostly, that made her sing. When she was a little girl, she was extremely fascinated by pirates. Now, she had lost that interest. She considered them... well, she didn't fear them, but she didn't care for them either. She believed that people who couldn't do an honest day's work to earn the food on their tables and the clothes on their backs didn't deserve her attention. It really was hypocritical of her, as she was singing the song.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's -

"Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. You don't want to bring 'em down on us, do you?" Mr. Gibbs, the superstitious man she tried to steer clear of had grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a little. He stared at her with wide eyes that seemed never to blink and she couldn't help but look away.
"Mr. Gibbs, that will do!" James Norrington, her savior, had arrived. No, he wasn't really her savior, but really, she couldn't be gladder to see someone right now, even if he looked at her a little oddly at times. It wasn't that she hated Joshamee Gibbs... she just didn't like to be around him. She wouldn't realise until later that he would be handy in a tight situation.
"She was singing about pirates. Bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog - mark my words!"
"Consider them marked," said Norrington. "On your way."
"Aye, Lieutenant," said Gibbs, "It's bad luck to have a woman on board, too... even a miniature one." he muttered.

"I think it'd be rather exciting to meet a pirate," she said. "Maybe it would give father a reason to let me learn to fight." She smirked.

Norrington smiled a bitter smile at her. "Think again, Miss Swann. Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves - a short drop and a sudden stop."

Elizabeth scrunched up her nose. She had never approved of hangings, and to hear him talking so casually about such things irked her.

"Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervor, but I'm, uh, I'm concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter," said her overprotective father. He always thought he could shield her like a little child. He never realised just how much she already knew about the world.

"My apologies, Governor Swann."

She sighed and turned to her father. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, but you don't have to protect me from everything."
Her father wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "There are things in this world you need protecting from, Elizabeth. Things that even you couldn't dream of." He squeezed her and let her go, crossing the deck to talk with Norrington.
She did believe her father, but it was annoying to be cooped up all the time like a pet. Women were not just the property of men! They deserved to fight and work and be independent like men were! Oh, but her father didn't understand and probably never would. He was a man, after all.
She stared down at the water, looking for something (anything) to interest her. The journey thus far had been very long and very grueling, and it showed no sign of getting better.
There! A... what was that? An umbrella? What was that doing there? No one would just throw an umbrella overboard - what was that? There was a board in the distance with something on it. Was that..?
"A man! Look, there's a man in the water!" she shouted. The lieutenant and several crewmembers looked over the side of the ship.
"MAN OVERBOARD!" shouted Norrington. "Man the ropes. Fetch a Hook! Haul him aboard."

Several men cast lines and in no time, they had the man on the boat. Norrington raised his chest from the floor and listened. "He's still breathing."

Meanwhile, Gibbs looked in the same direction Elizabeth had previously been watching. "Mary, Mother of God!" he declared.

While Elizabeth stayed and watched the unconscious man, the governor and lieutenant followed Gibbs' gaze.

"What happened here?" said her father.

Norrington replied, "It's most likely the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed."

Gibbs snorted. "A lot of good it did them! Everyone's thinking it, I'm just saying it. Pirates!"

Weatherby Swann laughed a nervous laugh. "There's no proof of that. It was probably an accident."

"Rouse the Captain immediately!" ordered Norrington, "Heave to and take in sail! Launch the boats!"

Weatherby walked over to his daughter. He had to get her away from this somehow. "Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge so take care of him."

She knew what her father was doing, but she didn't really care at the moment. She was curious. She wanted to know who the boy was and what he was doing there. He was really beautiful. And he couldn't have been out there long; he was freshly shaved... she didn't know why she noticed that.

She reached up to stroke his face. His skin was soft. Suddenly, his hand shot up and grabbed hers. He was gasping, shrieking almost, and choking on the water he had no doubt swallowed during his short stay in the ocean. "It's okay," she said to calm him down. "My name's Elizabeth Swann."

In his delirium, he said what had been his habitual response for years. "W-W-William Turner."

He remembered falling, crashing, sinking. There was a weight, pulling, pulling him down. And everything was blue. Wait - blue? Ocean! This was the ocean. Yes, yes! The traitorous cur had pushed him of the side of a ship! But there was something about William Turner that they didn't know. He could hold his breath longer than any man and swim harder and lift more weight. So as he struggled not to breathe in, he reached into his right boot. There was something there - something that would help him. But what was it?

"You're a... pirate!"

Why couldn't he remember?

"Take him inside!"

Oh, a dagger! One gifted to him by his father and one that would save his life. If only he could get it out!

Bubbles escaped his throat. Quickly, he was reaching even his limit. Why were his boots so tight? Or maybe his hands were too big...

His eyes were stinging. Why were they stinging? What was happening? And his mouth tasted of salt for some reason. There was something he had wanted to do... his boot! Yes, his boot!

Suddenly, he felt the hilt of something. He gripped it and tugged and it came free surprisingly quickly.

Yes, now he could escape. He lowered the knife to his bonds and started hacking away at the rope, hoping and praying that it would break soon. He was losing air quickly.
Then he was free. But he had no purchase. There... was nothing here to push off of to get to the surface in time! He wasn't going... to make it. He kicked and pushed and flailed his arms, trying to get up... to the surface... faster... But... it wasn't working.
He couldn't... do this... But... he couldn't die... like this...
No...

"Where?" he croaked. "Where? Water! Please!"
"Sh, William. You're safe here." A soft hand rubbed his forehead before tipping his head up and pressing something - a glass of water - up to his lips. He drank as he'd never done before. "Sh, slow down. It's all going to be fine, William. I'm here. Do you remember me?"
"E-Elizabeth..."

He woke in a small cabin on a rocking ship he would come to know as the Princess. The room was lightened by the sun shining through a porthole window.
"I see you're awake," someone said. He whipped around to find a rather old man sitting on his right, opposite the window.
"Who-" he paused to cough. "Who are you?"
"I am a passenger on this ship, the Princess, as well as the stand in doctor..." the man chuckled for a reason lost to Bill. "Now, are you going to tell me why you were floating about in the middle of the ocean with a knife in your hand and no ship in sight?"
But the stranded pirate would tell him neither who he was nor who he was pretending to be. He assumed that even the most insignificant pirate could be recognized (of course he was wrong; only the most significant pirates were remembered. All others were dispensable to both sides.).

"My name is... Sam Baggins," he said the first thing to cross his mind. "I was... on a merchant vessel headed for England to visit my father when we were attacked by pirates. I didn't have a weapon, just a knife father had gifted to me years ago, so I used it to defend myself. But we didn't stand a ghost of a chance. They quickly overtook us and the few of us who could abandoned ship, as the captain ordered. Then... I remember nothing. All I can recall is waking on this ship."

"I see... Well, Mr. Baggins, I am going to warn the captain; we don't want to be sailing through pirate infested seas, now do we? There is water on the table next to you, so help yourself. But for now, get your rest. On the morrow, we'll put you to work. We need all the aid we can get."

Bill nodded. Once the man was gone, he rose and treaded over to the basin of water. There was a cracked mirror leaned up against the wall and a razor he assumed was the doctor's. It was a pretty thing with a spiral of metal at the bottom. He thought that maybe it was more decorative than for usage, but he didn't care - he had finally escaped that pirate ship and he needed to trim the scraggly beard he had grown to mask his young features. It was so long it almost touched his pectoral muscles.

The razor grazed his skin and he cut himself plenty of times, but eventually the job was done and he looked like a young man again.

"He's waking, father!" Elizabeth ran to the upper deck to reach her father. "William Turner is awake!"

Both the lieutenant and the governor stopped what they were doing (looking at several scattered papers - Elizabeth didn't care what they were for.) and turned to her.

"Are you sure?" asked her father. "The last time he just went straight back to sleep."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I think he's coming back to us at last." The three of them headed to the cabin where the boy rested. They were almost there when they heard a loud 'crack!' and a yelp of pain. The young woman paled and rushed back into the room.

William had been trying to reach the pail of water, but it was just out of his reach and he tumbled out of bed and onto his knees, cursing as he did so. The boarded floor was not a comfortable place. Suddenly, a woman was by his side, holding his arm to steady him. He jerked back from the touch.

"Who - where - not again!" William started.

Now he noticed that there were two men - one older and one young - by the door. The woman who had helped him was now crouching before him. She was a beautiful girl, really, and he was kind of glad that she was the first person he saw upon waking. She opened her mouth to speak, but the young man beat her to it.

"I am Lieutenant James Norrington, this is Governor Weatherby Swann, and this is his daughter, Elizabeth Swann," he said, indicating each person with his hand.

"Elizabeth?" he recalled the name. He had heard it in his dreams... "So you're the one who helped me..?"

"Yes, yes I was there when we dragged you out of the sea!" she exclaimed, happy that he remembered her.

Before he could say anything, Norrington started talking again. "You are the last survivor of the ship called Princess. Tell us what exactly happened there."

"Wait - last survivor?" he couldn't be. What about the doctor? and the captain and crew and all the passengers and the little girl who gave him her handkerchief?

His conflict must have shown on his face because the expression on the lieutenant's own face softened and Elizabeth reached over and grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry for your losses," said the governor. "But these waters are dangerous. We'll need to take precautions based on what you've told us. I don't mean to disrespect the dead, but I think it would be a lot better if another ship weren't destroyed as the Princess was.

Bill breathed in deeply.

"It's okay, Will," said Elizabeth. Will? Where had that come from?

He nodded and began. "I was on the boat to visit father..."

He had been on the ship for about a week when he finally familiarised himself with the ship and crew. Many were kind and welcoming and not at all what Bill expected from sailors of any type. Maybe it was just because he was used to pirates.

Cap'n Anthony was a homely, healthy sized man with black hair, beefy arms, and a warm smile. Jeoffrey, the cook, was snarky and sarcastic, but loyal to a fault. Ann-Marie and her daughter were fascinated with his tales of his adventures on the sea (the fact that he was a pirate was left out). They were currently travelling to visit a male relative and were also related to the captain, which was the main reason the crew members kept quiet about their gender. Then there was the doctor. His name was Jonathan Beckett (no relation to Cutler Beckett). The poor, kind old man had lost his wife in childbirth and his sons and daughter to pneumonia and had come out to sea because there was no other purpose left in his life. Bill had immediately taken a liking to him and when he was not climbing from mast to mast or scrubbing the decks or carrying out whatever job the captain had allotted for him that day, he would go back to the cabin that he and the doctor now shared and discuss everything from pirate booty to the flowers that bloomed in the Americas this time of year.

It wasn't until halfway through his third week that things started to go wrong.

In one of his rare moments of free time, Bill could be found eating an apple and leaning on the railing on the port side of the boat. He reached down and raised the medallion from his boot, staring at it pensively.

It was odd. He never really stopped to think about how the curse would manifest. He never thought it would be... like this. He couldn't taste anything. He didn't even know why he was feigning eating anymore. The wind didn't caress his face and he couldn't smell the sea breeze. And the touch... peoples' touches didn't warm him anymore. He couldn't be heated, frozen, or bothered at all. He couldn't feel anything. Well, almost.

The only thing he felt was a gnawing decay that crept up his bones and seized his heart, holding the rest of his body hostage as it expropriated the strength from his soul. He could see it, too. When he was standing in the moonlight in front of his porthole and he looked down at his hands, he could see the rot eating his flesh away. After that, he tended to shy away from the moonlight.

"Mr. Baggins!" he jolted out of his reverie and in his panic, the gold slipped from his fingers and plummeted into the water below.

"NO!" he yelled, shedding his (Beckett's) coat and diving off after it.

"What are you doing?!" shouted someone from the deck, but he couldn't identify the voice for he was submerged in the icy blues of the Atlantic.
Cold. Everything was so cold and numbing and he felt as though his limbs were drifting apart and away. There was no sound but a deep rumbling that sounded as though he were wrapped in a raging lion's maw. His eyes stung, but he couldn't shut them. No, he had to find it!
A shine caught his eye and he reached, stretching as far as he could, and his fingers clasped the chain of his necklace. It seemed as though it were pulsing like a heartbeat and he could hear it calling him, calling them, through the ocean. Quickly, he tucked it into his pocket and forced himself to the surface.
"You blithering idiot, are you mad?!" said Frederick May, another of the sailors, as he tossed a rope down to Bill, who scaled it at an alarming pace.
Once back on board, he plopped his shivering hide on the main deck. He expected no sympathy from the other sailors; what he had done was stupid and he knew it. He shouldn't have even had the thing out in the first place. If he lost it, there was even less of a chance of lifting the curse than before.
"Mr. Baggins?" said a small voice behind him. "Why are you so wet?"
He turned to Victoria, Ann-Marie's eight year old daughter, and smiled. "Because silly old me jumped in the sea."
She blinked naively. "Why would you do that?"
"Because, Miss Victoria, I'm all fluff up here," he knocked his head. "No thoughts to tell me what's stupid and what's isn't."
She giggled. "But why are you still wet? Why don't you dry off?"
"Again, nothing in my brain to help me there."
"Well, you can use my handkerchief." she handed him a little embroidered thing with shades of pink and blue sewn into it. It truly was the oddest handkerchief he had ever seen.
"Oh, thank you, kind lady. I don't know where I would have been without this."
She suddenly looked very sternly at him. "But you had better take care of it! I made it myself."
"You made it yourself? You are quite the talented seamstress, if I may say so myself."

He chatted with her and ignored the paranoid cold that ran down his back at the thought of the ship, that ship, catching up to them. But that was impossible. That wouldn't happen.

Oh, how wrong he was.

It was dark... all was silent. It was one of the few nights he dared venture out after dark and it was only because the moon was obscured by a barricade of clouds. Everything was obscured by a barricade of clouds. He couldn't see past his nose. Great! Now he could see nothing and feel nothing. He supposed the feeling nothing part couldn't be that bad, though. He might not have been able to feel the good things in life, but the same could be said for the bad things.
I suppose masochists would be screwed either way.
BOOM.
There was a sloshing of water to the right, almost too loud to be waves lapping up against the boat. It wasn't until he heard the low whistling of a fired cannonball that he knew everything had gone wrong. The ship was doomed because of him.
"Cannon fire!" he shouted. Shouts from below deck warned him that the crew had heard him.
"Man the cannons!" shouted the first mate.
The captain clambered up onto the deck. "Belay that! Turn her around! We flee!"
"But cap-"
"We may be heavily armed, but that's not enough to save us! That's a pirate ship! It will overtake us and we will be slaughtered!" he bellowed as the crew bustled about, preparing to flee.

"We have to stand and fight, sir! Our dignity will be lost if we run!" said the first mate.

The captain glared at him. "I'll forgive that comment because you're young and aren't experienced in seafare. Pride isn't a concern out here! What matters is surviving!"

But it was too late. Men started swinging from that evil ship to the merchant vessel.

Then Bill heard Barbossa cackling. "Gents, here's a treat for ya! We kill 'em all! And someone find me that blasted medallion!"

The other crew roared with mirth. One of them - Twigg, if he remembered correctly - shouted "Let's get 'em!" and leaped onto the Princess, tackling the captain. Bill tore across the ship towards them and put all his weight into the punch that blew Twigg off the captain.

Anthony looked at him bewildered. "Th-thank you, young man."

"No problem," said "Sam". He then unsheathed a sword borrowed from the ship's cargo hold and attacked the man he had just assaulted. He bashed the hilt into the pirate's skull and dropped him like a stone.

"Captain!" he shouted. "What are we going to do?"

The cap'n took out his pistol and shot another pirate. Bill heard a scream below decks.

Ann-Marie, Victoria, and Jonathan! What was -There was an explosion, a loud 'BOOM'', then everything went silent, save for the ringing in his ears. A torrent of ice water enveloped him and he flailed and splashed, trying to find out where he was, what was going on, and if there was anything to grab on to. There! A piece of... wood, maybe? Yes, it was a slab of wood, maybe a piece of the ship that had been blasted off by the cannon. He heaved himself onto it and let go of everything, dropping onto his savior like a sack of potatoes, losing all will to fight, and slipping into unconsciousness.