"No fever...she's not ill." Ella said, putting a wet cloth to Liz's head. "Are there any smelling salts?" She asked, looking at Will. He shook his head. Jack crouched down.

"I'd be happily obliged to loan you my boot love, but I fear the lass would die..." He chuckled and Ella glared at him, irritated, but before she could retort in her quiet way, Elizabeth's eyes began to flutter.

"Ugh, why is the ship rocking so much?" She asked, weakly putting her hand over her eyes. Will frowned, touching her cheek.

"It's not Elizabeth, and since when do you get seasick?" He asked, sitting beside her with his legs crossed. Ella sat back on her heels and leaned against the armchair behind her, running a hand tiredly through her hair.

When she blinked, she noticed the captain studying her half drunkenly with half a grin.

"What?" She asked, irritated.

"Eh, nothing love, but for the fact that you are entirely too uptight and I'm willing to wager that if you wore your hair down more often, you might actually have a good time, as it were." He said, pulling his hat down over his eyes and holding his bottle of rum up before taking a swig. She cringed in disgust, but caught a quick glance of herself in a small mirror on the wall. She looked aghast, her long hair tangled and her normally ivory cheeks reddened from exposure to the sun, but she was surprised to see she liked the way she looked like that. Feeling guilty for almost having a good time, she looked back at the wet cloth in her hands.

"I think...I am going to be...sick..." Liz managed to sputter out and proceeded to turn over and thanks to the quick wit of her husband, throw up into a waste bucket. Jack stopped drinking and looked at his drink, wincing.

"Suddenly, my beloved rum does not seem so appealing..." He said, setting it aside. Ella studied Liz for a moment, having a gut feeling as to what ailed the girl.

"Liz..." She said softly and her friend looked at her. "How long have you and Mr. Turner been married?" Elizabeth looked confused, but began to sit up.

"Almost two months but I don't see how this has anything to do with..." Will's face lost color as he realized what the girl was indicating.

"I think she means...that she thinks you're...we're...oh God." He said, reaching for Jack's rum.

"Would somebody please explain what is going on here?" Elizabeth asked, bringing her knees to her chest. The captain nodded, distractedly admiring his rings.

"For me as well...I don't quite follow Miss Ella..." He slurred and Ella cleared her throat a bit nervously.

"What I was trying to get at, is that I think you may be expecting, Liz." She said and Elizabeth tilted her head.

"Expecting what?" She asked, looking at Will's stricken face.

"A...child." Ella finished. Liz's eyebrows raised but her mouth simply formed a small oh, as she looked at Will.

"Oh." She finally said aloud.

Clearing his throat, the captain stood and brushed himself off.

"Well, much as I'd love to continue this awkward conversation...we've got to be off to the nymph's house...she's 'specting us..." He said and swaggered out of the room. Ella looked shyly at the couple.

"Is he always that way?" She asked and Will looked to where Jack had just left.

"Do you mean in the sense that he runs from any sort of feelings and is trying entirely too hard to remain completely detached from some inkling of normal human life?" He said a bit sarcastically as Ella, pulled herself up.

"Actually," She said, cleaning up a bit around them. "I meant drunk. Is he always drunk?" Elizabeth and Will looked at each other then back to Ella as they both nodded.

"Oh." She replied. "Well then..."


"Jack...I 'ave been expecting you...where eez she?" Tia Dalma asked upon opening the door to her cottage for them. Shyly, Ella emerged from behind Will and Elizabeth, but before the nymph acknowledged her, she turned to Will and smiled.

"Congratulation Mr. Turnah..." She said and he looked at Lizzie confused.

"For what?" He asked. She grinned devilishly with her angelic face.

"You goin' ta be a father..." She said and turned to Eleanore.

"'Dis is de girl?" She asked Jack, who shrugged.

"You tell me love...the compass did a sort of ticky when I saw her and it's been spinning slower ever since."

"Ah ha...dat is de sign...though der is not much time...if de compass es not fixed wit in tree mont's time, den de owner shall forfeit his soul to Hades..." Jack's eyes widened.

"Hades...as in, Lord of the Underworld...? Pardon my asking love, but why did you fail to mention this to me when you gave me the blasted trinket?" He asked her, pulling out the compass and tossing it on the table. Ella's mouth dropped open. All of this was overwhelming to her, as she had never believed in anything of the supernatural.

"I did not Jack...you failt ta listen..." Tia Dalma said. "I told you dat wit takin' de compass came great responsibility and great consequence...but if used correctly, it would lead you to de greatest treasure in de world."

"Yes…I remember all that…and what does this have to do with anything?" In his frustration, more proper English than he would have liked, slipped out of his mouth. Tia Dalma picked up the compass.

"Dis compass were a gift from Aphrodite. De goddess o'love." She explained. "She tell me to give it to a deserving person who were in need of it…and you were dat person Jack. I know what dey did to you in dat awful company…and it weren't your fault…"

"Tia Dalma…please…" Jack said quietly and soberly, anger burning in his eyes. Elizabeth clutched Will's hand at the sight of it.

"You been runnin' from you feelin's ever since…you still do." She said, her blue robes flowing in the wind. "When I tell you 'bout de greatest treasure…der is more to it den just riches…but you 'ave to find out for yersef…"

Jack leaned over to Will and said,

"Did you understand a bloody word she said then?" Will shook his head and Jack nodded. "Didn't think so…good deal, mate." He stole a glance at the girl, Ella who was sitting uncomfortably at the opposite end of the table from him. She looked tired…upset…confused. She looked exactly the way he had when he'd left Port Royal for good.

"Isn't there any way to reverse this?" Elizabeth intruded, sitting beside Ella. Tia Dalma looked up and shook her head.

"Aphrodite es a goddess…I am a nymph. Her powers is far greater den mine. Der is nutting I can do…I am sorry…" She held her hand up when they all began to grumble. "But do not lose hope Jack…you may be surprised at what you will feel if dis girl es truly de one destined for you."

"What es your name girl?" Tia Dalma asked her and she looked up, answering just above a whisper.

"Eleanore…Norrington." She said hesitantly, unable to take her eyes off of the nymph's beauty. Tia Dalma's eyes widened.

"You are not de new wife of de Admiral are you?" She asked, eyeing Jack suspiciously. Jack smiled ironically.

"His darling baby sister actually… snatched her right out of her fiancé's arms." He said, a bit too proudly, his slur returning. Tia Dalma looked down at Ella.

"You is engaged?" She asked and Ella nodded.

"To Lord Cutler Beckett." The smile left the nymph's face.

"Dat does complicate tings…don't it?"


"My lord?" Cutler Beckett looked up from his desk at Lieutenant Anders.

"Any news?" He asked coldly. The young man nodded.

"The Pearl was spotted this morning…our men inspected the ship from the H.M.S. Prestige and could see no signs of a woman on board." He replied. Lord Beckett looked at him a moment before sighing.

"I still have a feeling she's there…was Sparrow spotted?" He asked, setting aside some documents. The Lieutenant shook his head.

"No. They assumed he was in his chambers. They did see one strange thing though…" He said and Lord Beckett raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes? What?" The young man cleared his throat before answering.

"The crew…they were…they seemed to be bathing…shaving and such."

Lord Beckett looked up with new determination in his eyes.

"You go back to the General and you tell him that I want that ship inspected from top to bottom…in fact, I will accompany them as well as Admiral Norrington. All men are to be fully armed." The young man nodded and bowed slightly before leaving. Beckett grinned, satisfied with himself.

"Don't worry Ella…you'll be safe and sound with me soon…"

"Excuse me, captain?" Jack looked up from where he sat with his father after telling him the entire sordid tale of what Tia Dalma had revealed. He'd opted to bury himself in alcohol induced oblivion for the remainder of the day. Sea Sponge looked up as well, and nodded to Jack.

"I'm gonna go try ta beat the filth back into the men…" He said with a wink and disappeared through the door.

"What can I do fer ya luv…?" Jack asked, rubbing his temple. She bit her lip nervously.

"I brought you a bit of food…I was not sure if you would want it…but here it is…" He gestured for her to sit.

"Why the sudden change of heart, love?" He asked, eating a piece of meat. She frowned.

"It's not so much a change of heart captain, as it is…well…curiosity I suppose." A sly smile came to his face.

"Curiosity always gets them…would you like some wine first or would you like to just get to the point, savvy?" He said, winking at her and nodded toward his bed. Her face reddened.

"No! T-that isn't what I meant…I…"

"You want to know about Beckett." He finished for her. She nodded, turning pink again.

"Well, I do suppose you've a right to know…you are marrying the man after all…" Her eyes widened.

"Is he dangerous?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Cutler Beckett is nothin' but a blasted run scared jellyfish. S'why he sits behind that desk of 'is. Always 'as been. Only person he's dangerous to is me." He stopped, taking a swig of rum.

"Why?" She asked, sounding like a frightened child.

"You won't believe me love, but I used to work for him…I wasn't born a pirate…least I never wanted to be…never had a reason to…had a good job, a home."

"You worked for the East India Trading Company?" She asked incredulously. He shrugged.

"I did…mostly odd jobs like deliveries…and transporting goods and it was all fine and sunshine until Beckett wanted to start transporting a different kind of goods." Ella tilted her head, completely lost as to what he meant.

"What do you mean?" She asked, "What kind of goods?" His face went completely stone cold serious.

"People." He said and she bit her lip.

"People? You mean you brought people to the new world…right? People who wanted to move to the new world?" He shook his head.

"People, love. Slaves. From Africa."

Her hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"Y-you mean…those poor people they auction off in the town square once a month? Who are beaten and starved and God knows what else?" She buried her head in her hands. "Oh, how could you Captain? How could you?" She heard him sigh before he replied,

"I didn't. I couldn't…they lied about it…they told me I was going to bring back a new type of cargo, but they didn't tell me what and Beckett promised me a promotion. I was twenty years old. When I found out what it was…I let the captured people go…I couldn't do it…"

"What did he do to you?" Ella asked hesitantly. Jack shrugged nonchalantly as if he were telling the story about someone else.
"Nothin' really…he called me a traitor…branded me a pirate and sent me on my way." Jack pulled his shirt sleeve up, revealing the "P" on his wrist. She gasped in a mix of horror and sympathy.

"Did it hurt?" She asked him and he shook his head.

"Honestly pet, I don't remember…" The look in his eyes told her he did. "But don't you fret for old Jack…I left him with a pretty mark as well…I caught the brand out of his fireplace as I was bein' thrown out of the office and got him on the back of his neck, just below the hair line…only the "P" was upside down…and didn't come out right, so it ended up looking like a "J."

He grinned at the memory and took another gulp of rum. Ella stood up.

"Captain…I believe I owe you a sort of apology and would like to call a truce." He frowned.

"Why? It's so much more fun when you're chasing someone who loathes you love…" She folded her arms, speaking quietly.

"I misjudged you Captain…and I want to thank you for revealing the truth about Lord Beckett to me…though forgive me if I am a bit wary of your truths. I will, however give you the benefit of the doubt. Now, we should just try to get through these next few days without a hitch so that we can try to figure out this compass mess…savvy?" She tested with a smile. He held up his rum, his forgotten intoxication returning.

"Tell me love…have you ever been to Tortuga?"