Heartbeats

Chapter Three: Leverage

After 10 years at sea, if Elizabeth remains faithful to Will and he continues ferrying souls to the next world, Calypso will release him of his duty to the Flying Dutchman. Set after AWE

A/N: References to Calypso freeing Will from the Flying Dutchman are all TRUE. If you don't believe me, search IMDb or Wikipedia. This idea was meant to be a deleted scene on the DVD.

So sorry for the delay! I've been really busy!

The rolling waves and cries of seagulls drowned out the sound of heartbeats. Elizabeth, still clinging onto the barrel, waited, as the Black Pearl grew bigger as it drew closer. What on Earth had she gotten herself into? That question had been running through her mind for the past half hour. She should've stayed in Port Royal and found her own way to Shipwreck Island. She should've known that getting tangled in the upside-down world of Jack Sparrow and swashbuckling pirates would only screw up her life. Again. It was all his fault and that it would be twenty years until she saw Will again.

Her lips were purple, her clothes weighing her down, and she was shaking uncontrollably. This must be what hypothermia feels like, she thought bitterly. Realizing that if she didn't start moving around, she'd freeze to death, she began paddling in the direction of the Black Pearl.

"Barbossa! Barbossa!" Elizabeth cried at the top of her lungs, as the ship was only a few feet away. She hoped that her voice was loud enough for a crewmember to hear. Suddenly, the freezing water was the last thing on her mind.

Out of nowhere, Pintel's head popped up over the edge of the railing, "Why lookie here! It's Cap'n Swann!"

"Pintel!" she was filled with restored hope. Maybe all wasn't lost. "Go get a rope! Pull me up!

"'Old on!" he disappeared for a few seconds, and then appeared with Ragetti. The rope they tossed landed right in her hands. Quickly grabbing hold of it, the two bumbling pirates hauled her to the edge and pulled her aboard.

Her teeth chattering, they draped a thick, wool blanket around her shoulders.

"Mrs. Turner," Elizabeth looked up at the shadow towering over her and the slowing footsteps. Barbossa was smirking, his arms folded over his chest and Jack, the monkey, sat on his shoulder. "I thought you'd be on Shipwreck Island with Mr. Turner by now. Or is it Captain Turner now?" He gave her a toothy grin, which showed horrible yellow shapes that vaguely resembled teeth.

Although she was still shaking, she still managed to throw him a harsh glare, "I-I w-was supposed to be on my w-way by n-n-now." She couldn't help that her teeth kept chattering.

Barbossa frowned as he heard her swear under her breath and mention something about 'that goddamned, bloody Jack Sparrow'.

"Now, what's this that I hear somethin' about witty Jack, eh?"

Remembering her true purpose on the Pearl, Elizabeth braced herself on the edge of the ship and struggled to stand up and look composed. "I come here with a trade," her voice now loud and clear.

Barbossa raised an eyebrow, the smirk still on his face, "Ah, a trade now, is it? This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with ol' Jack wanting to get his hands on the Pearl again, would it now?"

"Uh, yes—no, maybe--," Elizabeth stuttered, surprised at herself for not seeing this sooner. Of course Barbossa knew what must be on Jack's mind. They were crewmates for years, before Barbossa led the mutiny against Jack, of course. And any accomplice of Jack's in his plans was Barbossa's enemy.

Throwing back his head and letting out a high-pitched cackle sounding exactly like "HAHAHAHA", he ordered Pintel and Ragetti to his side. "Perhaps Mrs. Turner would find it suitable to stay in the brig until we meet up with old Jack, eh?"

The two pirates, giggling and snorting, grabbed her by the arms and led her downstairs. "Come along, poppet. Don't make a fuss."

Barbossa followed, his footsteps loud and defined. Grabbing her shoulder bag, he slowly began laughing again, "Hahaha…now this chest wouldn't by chance be carrying your husband's beating heart, now would it?"

Elizabeth froze. Will's heart. She could be getting him killed! The only sound to her ears was the beating of his heart in the chest that had now landed in the hands of Barbossa. She suddenly was very thankful for all the layers of clothing and her messy hair that covered up the key, which hung from her neck.

She was pushed into an all too familiar brig, the door clanging loudly as it closed and was locked. "Barbossa!" she screamed after him.

He only stopped for a few minutes, his head turning and laughing again, "Just know that should you go back to dear old Jack...well, you might as well call me the next Davy Jones." He stalked off, howling.

Elizabeth sank to the floor, burying her face in her hands.

POTC

She had spent two days in the brig and it had been simply unbearable. She only had six days to get to Shipwreck Island and she wondered why of all the times in the past couple years this could've happened, why it just so happened to be now.

Elizabeth spent every waking minute on her escape plan, but so far, she'd come up with…nothing. On the third day, she finally gave up and began reminiscing about her wedding day and those endless hours in the smithy with Will while he taught her how to use a sword.

She missed the feeling of his strong arms around her and his warm hands on hers, guiding the movements of her sword, even though she found it extremely difficult to concentrate while his breath was on her neck. She could feel goosebumps rising on her neck just by thinking about it.

Suddenly, she sat up, her eyes wide in realization. It was all just a matter of, "…Leverage," she murmured out loud. Of course! Will had told her countless times how he had helped the infamous Jack Sparrow escape the gallows by using his knowledge he learned from all those years in the smithy. Why hadn't she thought of this earlier?

Elizabeth stood up, brushing her hands on her thighs nervously as she looked around the brig for something like a large plank or piece of wood. Finally, her eyes settled on a loose wooden column in the wall. That ought to do it, she though. Yanking it out roughly, she checked to see if anyone was around. The person who had swabbed the deck just went upstairs.

Wedging the column under one of the steel bars, she poked her head out once more just to double-check. Pushing down with all her strength, the gate shifted out of place and clambered to the ground with a large clang. Positive that someone was bound to have heard that by now and she had very little time, she quickly stepped over the fallen gate and went immediately for Barbossa's cabin.

Elizabeth slowly opened the door, unsure whether he was inside or not. Thankfully, he was probably on the main deck with his telescope. She tiptoed inside, grabbing her bag off the table, and then began stuffing her clothes with all sorts of her weapons.

Out of nowhere, she heard a squeaky chattering noise. Slowly looking up, her eyes met the two small beady ones on the furry face belonging to Jack, the monkey, of course. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. Jack screamed and bolted for the door, no doubt to go tattle to Barbossa.

"Oh…no you don't!" she ran ahead and grabbed at him, but he effectively dodged her grasp. She quickly locked the door and chased the monkey around the room. The sight would've been positively hilarious, but to Elizabeth, it was just exhausting.

Finally, he stopped, her chest heaving and breathing heavily, then wiped the sweat that had gathered on her forehead.

The monkey stopped too, perched on the table inches in front of her. It seemed to be laughing at her. Panting, she pointed a finger at him, "You..." Then, she lunged at him, grabbing him by the neck. Jack screamed again, thrashing wildly all over. Her face broke into a smile for the first time in days. "All just a matter of leverage…"

POTC

"She WHAT?"

"She…she…well…she escaped…sir."

"Escaped?! HOW?"

"Well she…she, pried the door off…somehow…sir."

Barbossa was furious and pushed the member of his crew who'd delivered the bad news out of the way, almost causing him to lose his balance and topple overboard.

Stomping down the stairs, he literally threw anyone in his way against the wall. He stormed into his cabin, slammed the door, and collapsed, frustrated, into his chair. He rubbed his temples and huffed angrily.

"Captain."

Barbossa was startled. It was a female's voice. He slowly opened his eyes and then carefully looked up: simple black boots and brown breeches, baggy shorts, and a poufy over-sized white shirt and long auburn hair with streaks of blonde from the sun.

He chuckled, "Mrs. Turner. You and your husband are very much alike. Even the same…escape tactics. I should've known better than to lock up the wife of the Captain of the Flying Dutchman and expecting her to stay locked up."

The expression on Elizabeth's face didn't change. Barbossa simply leaned back in his chair leisurely, and chuckled again. His smile instantly disappeared when he saw what Elizabeth was attempting to do. It seemed almost…unreal; in her hand, she was clutching Jack, (the monkey), and was holding him at gunpoint!

Now it was her turn to grin, "Well then, Captain. I can see that he isn't an undead monkey anymore, is he?"

Barbossa immediately tried to cover up his reaction. "What's that you say? He can die? Bah, nonsense! 'Course he can't die!"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Well, then you wouldn't mind if we tried testing that?"

Barbossa scrambled across his desk, "NO!"
Elizabeth shoved her pistol back into her belt. Barbossa also caught a flash of a bomb, two more guns, and a sword. He knew she wasn't kidding.

"Now, Captain, listen and listen closely. You will turn this ship around and go directly towards Shipwreck Island or else the only Jack you'll be seeing is the one with the Sparrow. Understood?"

Barbossa shook a finger at her and smiled, "Now, what makes you think I won't just throw you back in the brig? You ain't got no cage to put Jack in!"

"Because I propose a trade!"

"The last trade you proposed landed you in the brig," he said. After he seeing her expression he sat upright and cleared his throat, "Fine, you have my attention."

"Jack's ship, crew, charts, and compass, in exchange for free fare to Shipwreck Island to see Will."

Barbossa raised an eyebrow, "Can you really double cross Jack Sparrow, though?"

"The wretched man dragged me off in the middle of the night to help him steal a ship, pushed me into the freezing ocean, allowed me to be captured by you, no less, and most of all, is keeping me from my husband! Yes, I think I can betray him and still get a good night's sleep!"

"Well," he extended a hand, "We have an accord…but what exactly is your plan, Mrs. Turner?"

POTC

Will stood at the helm of the Dutchman, looking into the fog of the Underworld and knowing he'd soon be looking at the ever-growing sight of his beautiful wife waiting for him on the same sandy beach he'd left behind so many years ago.

Miles away, Elizabeth could feel Will's heart beating faster with anticipation as she fell into the first peaceful sleep she'd had in days, as the sound of heartbeats echoed in her ears.

To be Continued…

A/N: FEEDBACK APPRECIATED! If you have any suggestions, tell me!