Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Notes: Hullo! I'm finally back with a brand-spanking new chapter that I'm actually kind of proud of. I really liked writing the council in this chapter, but I couldn't remember all their names, so I only used the ones I could remember. Sorry.

Also--this jumps two months further from the first two chapters. Elizabeth is six months pregnant, in other words.

What One Must do for Love

By: MJ

Chapter Three: Jack's Mistake

"Order! ORDER!" Elizabeth shouted over the masses that had once again formed in the council room at Shipwreck Cove. "I call this Brethren Court to ORDER!" She shouted again, slamming the ball and chain on the table as Barbossa had those eleven years ago. The masses continued, the pirate lords from all over making noise as arguments began to heat up. "As Pirate King, I order you all to CEASE!"

Suddenly, it was quiet, and Elizabeth wasn't ready for all those eyes to be focused on her. She felt a hand at the small of her back, causing her to breath in and out sharply before she continued.

"We were called here, as—once again—the seas are dangerous for all those; pirates and non-pirates, alike."

"Well, who gives anything about non-pirates?" One of the Lords called out to her, and she couldn't quite make out whom. His scratchy, raspy voice was met with a chorus of laughter. "After all, they try and kill us every other day; what would be the use of trying to help them?"

"I agree with Barbossa!" Captain Armand roared.

"Barbossa—'e's dead!" Jack had appeared out of nowhere, looking around for Barbossa suspiciously.

"But his son's not!" Mistress Ching smiled, motioning with a large swoop of her arm towards a young man with red hair and piercing green eyes.

"Son?" Jack's mouth went dry.

"Aye, Jack, don't tell me ye forgot about me," the young man grinned. "Don't'cha remember me mum?"

"Yer mum? Ye mean Josephine?" At the young man's nod, Jack grinned. "Well, I'll be damned, an' 'ere's me thinkin' ol' Hector was a righ' bit smarter than goin' an' gettin' some girl wif child," he said with a smile. "Guess not."

The young man rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Oh, shut it, Sparrow. You always did prattle off about nonsense."

"What th' 'ell do you know abou' any'fin, anyway?" Jack sneered. "You look ol' enough to be Elizabeth's child," he motioned towards Johnny, who was sitting in the corner with his father, who was now glaring at Jack. There goes an entire day of planning out the window. He turned back to Elizabeth. "Ye were sayin'?"

"The seas are no longer safe," Elizabeth whispered over the deathly-still council. "Calypso is back to her previous ways, and we are all unable of sailing until we learn how to control her again."

Someone snorted further in the back, and now both Elizabeth and Jack turned to regard Hector Barbossa's son. He raised a fiery red brow and leaned back in his chair. "I jes' think it's rather funny tha' th' only one who knew how to bind her is now dead," he looked at his nails, distracted. "And he only left the information on to one other person."

"Who?"
"Me, you idiot," Barbossa glared at Jack before smirking. "And why should I help you lot, anyway? Ye never said why she's angry in th' first place."

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked at Will for only a second, but Barbossa had seen enough.

"Ah… so William Turner finally came home," he said with an evil grin. "And now Calypso's upset that her latest playmate had moved on. I'd be touched, really," he paused, looking around the council at the other Captains, who were all looking at Will with disbelief, "if I didn't know that the only reason King Swann--"

"Turner," Elizabeth spat, slamming her hand on the table.

"Only provin' my point, here," he said with a snarling grin. "If the only reason King Turner wanted to help us out is so that her loving husband could stay with her." He looked around the council. "She wants us to make sacrifices so she doesn't have to."

"I've made many sacrifices—sacrifices I don't expect you to understand!" Elizabeth shouted as the crowds began to rumble with hurried mutterings. "I have lived ten years without the man I loved—I raised a child by myself, hoping that we both remained in good health just so I could see him another day… He was killed before my eyes, and I could do nothing to stop him. I've lost my father—I've lost everything. How dare you accuse me of not making sacrifices!" She glared fiercely at Barbossa, trying desperately not to cry at the idea of all of her struggles being lost by his witty slander. She placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it; she was nearly six months along now, and she knew she was showing. "If you are asking me to sacrifice my husband one more time so you all can go gallivanting off like a bunch of cowards, then I will simply warn you to never cross paths with the Empress. If you refuse to show me mercy, don't expect me to show you any."

She walked away, her eyes stinging as she felt pain in her lower abdomen. Her baby was kicking it's own fury towards the fellow captains, and as overjoyed as she should've been, the idea of that little baby growing up the same way Johnny had—without a father—made her sick. She walked out of the room and down the hall, finding a bucket and throwing up inside of it.

Back in the council room, Will had stood up with Johnny in his arms, flying out after Elizabeth in his worry, not bothering to address the room, which was now in shambles anyway; each Captain was shooting out ideas as to how they should handle the situations, each one more rash and unpredictable as the last. Jack stood at the head of the table where Elizabeth had been and glowered at the lot.

"If!" He shouted, garnering the attention of all, "If you think that by forcing a woman who's wif child t' give up 'er husband jus' because ye want t' listen to a lad wif only a mind of revenge o'er 'is father's death," he said wisely, squinting at the lot as if to make his point more viable, "than ye're all a worser person than a pirate. Sure, we're greedy and not very nice," he said, flailing his arms about as he walked around the table, "but tha' don' mean tha' even occasionally we can be charitable," he put his hands on Mistress Ching's shoulders, extending an arm as if to show her the world. "Fink abou' it, luv. We bind Calypso again—the sea be ours… Ye send William Turner back t' th' Dutchman, an'… well… now ye have two enemies, instead of one. Free," he counted on his fingers, "if'n yer includin' Mrs. Turner, four countin' me 'coz tha' girl be a handful when her knickers are in a twist…" He continued to mumble to himself for a moment as he walked back to the head of the table, where he slammed his hands on the table. "Ye'll have four enemies to worry about—The Dutchman, The Pearl, The Empress, and the bloody goddess o' th' sea 'erself if'n ye listen to the likes of one—Captain Barbossa.

"If'n ye listen t' King Turner—if'n ye help bind Calypso once more—ye'll have virtually no enemies besides the East India whatser or another… But," he grinned, "we've defeated 'em once… Who says we can't do it again?"

The hall was silent when Jack finished speaking. They all looked at him hard for a moment before they turned to Barbossa, who was still managing to grin maliciously. "The problem with your plan, Sparrow," he said, standing up as well, "is… who said I was going to… simply give up the way to bind Calypso?" He grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. Out of nowhere, a monkey came and sat on his shoulders, screeching at the Captains around the table. Jack glared at the little monkey with his namesake as Barbossa continued, "And… I really haven't been offered much for… persuasion."

"What do you want?" Jack nearly spat with rage; how could one person be so selfish?

"Water. From the fountain of youth," he said simply with a grin, the rings on his hand glittering; his father's rings, Jack figured out. His father must've told him of the things Jack Sparrow had done. The crowd turned accusatorily towards Jack, who smiled with a fake air of innocence.

"An' wha' makes ye think tha' I would know where t' find that?" He asked.

Bang!

Barbossa had pulled out his gun and had shot Jack in the chest quickly, and Jack felt a mixed feeling of sudden déjà vu. He glowered at Barbossa as the wound in his chest burned, but no blood came out. Nothing happened, except that the hole began to slowly close. The council glared at Jack, each drawing their own pistol. Jack held up his hands.

"I dun' have any more!" He said, shrugging his shoulders simply. "Me crew an' me used it—I coated the Pearl wif it!" He lied through his teeth, knowing that he had a full stock of it in Tia's old hut. The jungle bungalow and its village had been deserted after the goddess returned to the sea. He and his crew used it now to their advantage.

"And why should we believe you—you have deceived us all!" Captain Armand shouted, shooting his gun in the air, and causing a fight to break out again.

Without another glance back towards the group, Jack and his crew made a beeline for the exit. He made a motion as they passed the Turner family—all hunched over a pale, exhausted Elizabeth—that they needed to hurry if they were to make it out alive.

"Will, I'm fine—please don't fret over me," Elizabeth sighed as Will wiped her forehead off with a damp cloth. They were back on the Pearl, the Empress right behind, as they made their way back onto the choppy waters, away from Shipwreck Cove.

"I can't, Elizabeth," he said softly, his eyes full of concern and love as he continued to administer to her. "I love you too much to see you in so much pain," he said quietly, his eyes blazing now.

"It's not your fault," she repeated, and it felt like that was all she was saying recently. "She fell in love with you," she said, her eyes only hinting slightly at the jealousy she felt. She smiled warmly as she reached up a tired finger to stroke his cheek, "I can't say that I blame her."

Will blushed, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips. He pulled away too quickly for her liking, but he ran his fingers through her hair, and that calmed her well enough. His soft touches sent shivers down her spine as their eyes bore into each other's. She reached up cautiously, her hands folding behind his head, her fingers in his curls, before she pulled his head down into a ravenous kiss. His hands were running through her hair as hers flied to his, untying the small ponytail he had and letting the ribbon fall to the ground. He deepened the kiss, his touches more greedy as it continued, until he stopped for air, pulling away.

"Oh, Will, please," she whined, her voice a hoarse whisper. "Please, Will, I need you…"

"'Lizabeth," he shook his head, sitting up and moving away slightly. "I don't want to hurt the baby, or… something," he said, looking worried and anxious.

"Or… something?" She asked, almost mocking him.

"'Lizabeth, how do we know that by… doing… that we aren't hurting… the baby?" He couldn't bring himself to look at her, feeling all red-faced and embarrassed. She smiled.

"I'm sure it's fine…" She was almost begging him now. She had feelings she couldn't control, and every touch he had landed sent wave after wave of magnified pleasure that she couldn't help but want more. "C'mon, Will, I mean…"

"'Lizabeth, please," he said, just as pleading in his voice. "I mean… let's make absolutely sure, first," he said, kissing her brow. He leaned into her ear with a hungry whisper, "And then I'll give you a night you'll never forget…" His teeth grazed her neck, causing her to moan only slightly before he had pulled away completely. He bent down and picked up the ribbon that he had tied his hair, moving away from her and sitting on Jack's desk. He pulled his hair into a ponytail and tied it, all while she curiously watched him.

"Will," she said suddenly, perking up with interest. She got up from the bed and moved towards him, her brown eyes sparkling curiously. He looked at her confused as his hands dropped from his hair. She stood in front of him before she nudged her way in between his legs, so that she was pressed up against him as he continued to sit at the desk, wondering what was going to happen next. She leaned in for what looked like a kiss, and he closed his eyes waited, but it never came. Instead, he felt her breath against his neck, it tickling his ear as she pulled his hair out of its ponytail. She kissed right below his ear lobe, nipping it slightly, before she pulled away only an inch to whisper accusatorily, "Why are you using my hair ribbons?"

He chuckled lowly, his head turning to nip at her own neck before he whispered back, "Don't ask me… Jack gave them to me."

"Jack?" She asked back, pulling completely away from him now to quirk a brow and smirk. "And… why did Jack have my hair ribbons?"

"You see, a few years into my duty, Mr. Gibbs died," Will began softly, the words suddenly paining him in a way that he had never felt before. He stopped suddenly, his hand flying to his heart as it hammered against his chest. Emotional pain… adrenaline… all these things he hadn't felt when he was immortal now came crashing down upon him. Elizabeth ran her fingers through his hair, whispering comforting words until he got used to the feeling. He smiled softly at her in simple gratitude before he continued, "And… he died at sea."

"Wait," she said, her eyes narrowing as she pulled herself away even more. "Jack saw you?"

"Lizzie," he used the nickname he only used when he wanted her full attention, for she really did not like it. She glowered at him for one more moment before softening up and listening. "Anyway… Jack couldn't tell me anything about you, or else the curse would've remained… so… he gave me your favorite hair ribbon, instead. I've kept it all this time," he said, gazing at the little blue ribbon in her hand. "I normally wear it around my wrist, but… it was really hot in that damn council room," he said, causing her to smile. Tears sprung to her eyes at the thoughtfulness of the action, and she launched herself into his arms.

"Oh, Will!"

He knew that this was mostly because she was pregnant, and even though he knew that her sudden appreciation for all the little things he did was magnified a lot more than usual, he knew that he should still appreciate the moment. He captured her lips in a sweet kiss before the door creaked open and they sprung apart.

"Mum? Father?" Johnny's little voice called unknowingly. "Unca Jack said I should close my eyes while coming into the room… are we playing a game?"

Will and Elizabeth exchanged a look and a collective eye roll. Elizabeth turned to regard her son. "No, Johnny," she said softly, removing the hands from his face. "It's just that Unca Jack likes to play tricks on little children."

"Why?"

"Because," Will said softly, moving to stand next to his son as well. He looked into an almost identical pair of eyes and grinned, "he has no friends, and it makes him feel better."

"Really?"

"Yes," Elizabeth said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "and… you know what would make him feel even better?"

"What?"

"If," Will chanced a glance at Elizabeth, who had tears of mirth in her eyes from trying to contain her laughter, "he had a friend who liked to play pranks on him, too."

"Oh," Johnny said disappointed for a moment, before he brightened considerably. "I could do that!"

"Why don't you go right now?" Elizabeth said suddenly, as if the idea was striking her. "You could—replace all the rum with salt water!"

"Or apple juice!"

Boy, that child could hold a grudge, Elizabeth thought wildly. She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, apple juice."

"But I can't," he said sadly, his face falling.

"And why not?" Will asked, standing up and walking back to the bed. It seemed Elizabeth and Johnny had been reminiscing on another memory that he had missed out upon, and he had to create distance as if to make up for it.

"Because it's raining again, and Unca Jack says we three need to stay inside."

"Oh." Will and Elizabeth voiced together, and Johnny nodded, his eyelids drooping slightly.

They all sighed collectively, moving towards the bed. Elizabeth sat on Will's right, and Johnny at his left. As if on cue, Johnny suddenly yawned. Both parents turned to look at their darling child as he made the most innocent, 'I didn't do anything' look and smiled. Will jerked his head towards the bed, and Johnny nodded. Silently, the family of three—soon to be four—climbed into the large bed and wrapped themselves in the covers. As Elizabeth and Johnny dreamt wonderful, happy dreams of their future as a family, Will stayed up through most of the night, the events of the day playing through his head. He knew what he had to do; he knew what he was sacrificing. He knew that they would forgive him in the long run; that they would understand that he did it for their own good. The only true question that still laid in his mind was—

Could he forgive himself?

I didn't know what to name Barbossa's son, so... if anyone has any ideas, leave them with your review. :)

Also--this chapter was the closest thing I think I could ever write to smut, and I hope you all enjoyed the little taste. The hair ribbon was a request of my best friend, who had read that chapter in One Day and went--how the hell was that relevant?

Let me know what you think in a review!