A/N: Merry Christmas! Here's the next chapter.

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Chapter 6

Elizabeth Turner stood at the railing of the Black Pearl, gazing out at the ocean, which was reflecting the orange haze of the setting sun. There was a somber and longing expression on her face, in addition to a wrenching feeling inside her heart. It had been at least one day since Calypso had taken Will prisoner, but to Elizabeth it felt much longer than that. In the absence of Will, Elizabeth had tried her best to be strong for both Michael and herself but she found that she just couldn't shift aside the heartsickness brought on by Will's abduction. In Will and Elizabeth's eight years of marriage, the couple had hardly been separated from each other for a long period of time, especially under such dire circumstances. Elizabeth recalled the time eight years ago when Cutler Beckett had forcibly taken her from Will to use as leverage during the crew's journey to World's End and how much she had longed to be reunited with Will...this instance was considerably worse. It was worse because there was no guarantee that Jack could find the person who apparently had the ability to kill Calypso in the window of only one week. There were seven seas in the world, and this savior could be living in any one of them. And even if they did find him or her, would they even accept their destiny or believe the tale for that matter? There were just so many questions and as far as Elizabeth could tell, the answers to those questions were unattainable at the moment.

Behind Elizabeth, the crew of the Pearl went about to and fro, either busying themselves with ship work or simply doing nothing. Bootstrap was still aboard, as he had demanded to come along on Jack's latest escapade since this particular one concerned the well-being of his own son. At the moment, Bootstrap was standing at the opposite side of the ship, leaning his back against the railing with his elbows situated upon it. He was eyeing Elizabeth with a concerned expression, silently debating whether to go over and try to comfort her or not. Bootstrap looked around the main deck and saw that Jack was currently at the wheel, also regarding Elizabeth with curiosity. But from the look on Jack's face, Bootstrap could tell that the pirate captain was not intending to talk to Elizabeth about her problems anytime soon, mainly because Jack was the reason why Will was now being held captive aboard Calypso's ship. So, with that in mind, Bootstrap took a deep breath and headed over to stand beside Elizabeth.

The moment Bootstrap came up beside her, Elizabeth briefly glanced at him and gave him the weakest of smiles. She then re-occupied herself with staring blankly out at the ocean.

"Where's Michael?" asked Bootstrap, deciding to slowly ease into the topic.

"In our quarters," Elizabeth replied somewhat hollowly. "He wished to spend some time alone."

"And Jacquelyn?"

"She wants to try to take Michael's mind off of this whole thing, but Michael is adamant about being alone."

Bootstrap grimaced slightly, not wanting Elizabeth to take the following question wrongly. "Then, shouldn't the two of you be together at the moment? I mean, trying to help each through this until we regain Will?"

Elizabeth didn't give any visible bodily gesture of internal hurt at the mention of Will's name, but Bootstrap could tell that her heart must have skipped a beat. "But that's the problem. Is there really any true guarantee of Calypso giving Will back?"

Bootstrap sighed. "I honestly don't know. Calypso never once gave up what was rightfully hers in the past, so who's to say she won't abandon that belief?"

"But is Will rightfully hers?"

"Aye," said Bootstrap gravely. "I'm afraid so. Jack gave William to Calypso fairly, so he's now her prisoner until such a time when she's ready to give him up."

"You're wrong," said Elizabeth, her voice laced with emotion. These two words caused Bootstrap to give her a confused look. "Will isn't Calypso's. Will is mine. He's my husband and believe me when I say that I'm prepared to do anything to get him back."

"The term 'anything' can be used against desperate people whenever they vow to do anything in order to accomplish something they hope can bring them inner peace."

"Love can cause people to go to extremes in circumstances such as this, Bill. I've vowed to get Will back because I love him with all my heart and in that sense, anything is an acceptable condition."

Elizabeth's heartfelt words made Bootstrap swell with pride and admiration for his daughter-in-law. Determination and devotion such as Elizabeth's were difficult to find in many people, and to be in the presence of someone who possessed both these traits was something to remember. Bootstrap and Elizabeth then spent a few moments in silence together, staring out at the setting sun; the image was able to instill a deeper, more potent sense of longing inside both their hearts. Someone very close to each of them had been taken, and both Elizabeth and Bootstrap knew that it was their duty to do everything in their power to get William Turner back in their company.

Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes of silence that had passed uninterrupted, a thought occurred to Bootstrap which caused him to chuckle slightly.

"You know," he began, "it's a curious thing. I think about the friendship Michael and Jacquelyn share, and I immediately associate them you and William."

Elizabeth turned her head to look at Bootstrap as he said this, the orange light from the sunset playing perfectly across her face as it made Elizabeth's beauty even more obvious; the sight of her at that particular moment proved that Elizabeth Turner could be beautiful even when she was going through moments of heartache. Seeing her face and the absolute attention she was giving him, Bootstrap continued on.

"To me, Michael and Jacquelyn seem to possess that special bond and sense of understanding between each other that only exists between those destined to be with each other." Bootstrap saw the new expression on Elizabeth's face and concluded with: "Wouldn't you agree?"

Elizabeth shrugged, momentarily looking away but shifting her gaze back to Bootstrap a second later. "Yes, there is something between them that reaches far beyond the realm of ordinary friendship. Will and I have been able to see that ever since Michael and Jacquelyn first met."

"They're the spitting images of you two."

Elizabeth nodded. Suddenly, she raised her hand to her mouth in order to muffle the sobs that had abruptly overcome her. Bootstrap figured that it was because of her thinking of Will in such a way. As a fatherly gesture, Bootstrap stepped closer to his daughter-in-law and enveloped her in a comforting hug. Elizabeth returned it graciously.

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Meanwhile, below deck, Michael Turner was sitting inside his parents' cabin on their bed, staring down at his crossed fingers that were resting in his lap. Michael's thoughts were centered around his father, and the fact that he was currently the hostage of some woman named Calypso. Michael so desperately wanted to get his father back, and he knew that his mother was prepared to go to any lengths to rescue Will as well.

Suddenly, there came a soft knock at the door, which stood ajar. Michael turned his head to see who was there, and saw Jacquelyn standing in the now open doorway, her face of concern and apprehension. It was clear that she wished to help console her best friend, but his request to be alone was still in her mind.

"Michael?" Jacquelyn asked a bit cautiously. "May I come in?"

"What for?" Michael replied shortly.

"I think you know what for," said Jacquelyn as she stepped fully inside the cabin, closing the door behind her. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

Michael sighed. "Fine."

Jacquelyn walked over to the bed and sat down beside Michael. "Michael, listen, we've always been the best of friends and we've always been there for each other. So, what I'm getting ready to say...I'm saying it as your closest friend. You can't shut yourself out from everyone just because you miss your dad. If you choose not to ask for any help, then people won't even try to anymore. Michael, you need to share your feelings with someone."

Jacquelyn gently took Michael's hand and held it between both of her own.

Michael briefly glanced at this action and then averted his gaze away from it just as quickly. "It's just that...my dad has always been with me, telling me what's the right thing to do, giving me advice, and telling me how to be the 'proper' gentleman. And now that he's not by my side, I don't know what to do. I mean, are we really going to find this person we're after."

"I don't know," Jacquelyn admitted. "But because your dad has always been the person to give you advice, that doesn't mean that you can't go to your mum for advice or in this case, comfort for that matter. Your mum loves you too, Michael. And sometimes it's like you take that for granted because of some of the pranks you and I like to play on her."

"I love my mum!" Michael snapped in protest. "Those pranks...they don't mean anything! They're just ways for me to have fun with her. Me and my dad have things like dueling practice, but me and my mum don't have that much to share such as that."

"So...your pranks are really sort of a way for you to try to get closer to your mother?"

"Sort of," Michael nodded.

"Well, haven't you ever tried just talking with your mum? To try to see if you can find a common interest?"

"You know me, Jacquelyn. I'm not one for talking things out."

"But you're doing it now," Jacquelyn pointed out. "And you're doing a good job." When Michael tried to turn away, Jacquelyn squeezed his hand so that he looked back into her eyes. "Spend time with us. We all care for you, Michael and we can't bear to see you like this."

Michael looked at his knees for a moment and then he finally nodded. "Thank you, Jacquelyn. You've always been a great friend."

"That's what friends are for. To help you through rough times."

Jacquelyn proceeded to hug her best friend and Michael returned the hug.

Outside the door, Elizabeth had been listening in on this conversation. Currently, she was peering inside to see her son and his closest friend embracing as only two people as close as them do. Elizabeth was smiling sweetly, touched by how Michael had found someone special...and he just didn't know it yet.

She decided to give Michael and Jacquelyn their privacy, so Elizabeth retraced her steps back to the main deck. The sky was darker now since the sun had set permanently, casting everything in a shade of dark blue that exists only in the earliest hours of the night. Elizabeth stopped at the top of the stairs and stared ahead into the window of Jack's cabin. The flickering candlelight from the inside made the cabin visible to anyone standing outside on the main deck, and Jack's pacing was visible as well. Seeing Jack inside, Elizabeth exhaled smoothly and walked over to the cabin door and opened it.

Upon stepping inside Jack's cabin, Elizabeth felt a sudden wave of aggression toward Jack overcome her. As a result, she slammed the door hard behind her, causing Jack to turn around and look at Elizabeth.

"Can I help you?" he asked smoothly.

Elizabeth said nothing; she merely walked over to Jack's desk, where an open and half-full bottle of rum sat near the edge. Elizabeth, still without saying a word, picked up the rum bottle and threw it down so that it smashed entirely all over the floor.

"Well...you're obviously in a mood right now, seeing as you just obliterated my current source of happiness. Care to account for said injustices?"

Elizabeth wheeled around to face Jack, her tone set and stern. "Jack, I need you to look me directly in the eyes and assure me that you're going to do everything in your power to get Will back." Elizabeth's voice carried all of the emotion that was presently sweeping through her entire body.

Jack regarded her with a knowing expression. "Lizzie, you can answer that question yourself by answering this one: have I ever not completed anything I set out to do?"

Elizabeth listened to his words and looked away from Jack momentarily, her face slightly lightening.

Jack, meanwhile, smiled. "Precisely. Luv, you can believe me when I say that I intend to regain brave William before that treacherous heathen goddess Calypso can harm him in any way."

Elizabeth looked back at Jack, her eyes narrowing instantly. "Jack...you aren't planning one of your tricks again are you? Because we can't afford to take any chances whatsoever. Will's life depends on us locating this 'chosen one' with the ability to kill Calypso."

"'Lizbeth, I'm well aware of the consequences should we fail our little mission. I know what I'm doing here. You're just gonna have to trust me."

"I'll trust you when we're in the process of rescuing Will."

Jack shrugged. "Fair enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going below deck so that I can get myself another bottle of rum. You always seem to be the cause of me losing any of it in the first place."

Jack picked up his hat from its hanging spot, placed it upon his head and made to exit his cabin, but turned to Elizabeth once more before doing so.

"Relax. By this time tomorrow, we'll be in the company of our dear friend Tia Dalma and she can tell us more about our godly enemy and how to find the mortal destined to bring her down."

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The brig of Calypso's vessel constantly had a guard who was given the task of keeping a watchful eye over the prisoner locked behind the iron bars, so Will Turner couldn't employ his knowledge of leverage this time. He sat upon the bench inside his cell, holding his head in his hands out of frustration. Will had been locked in the brig ever since Calypso and her crew had taken him hostage and departed from Port Royal. And ever since then, Will had been treated like a prisoner; he was given rather detestable-looking food for meals and had been forced into some minor slave duty from time to time. With each passing day, Will grew more and more desperate and frustrated, as well as eager; eager to be back in the company of Elizabeth, Michael, and his other pirate allies. However, seeing as Jack was responsible for Will's current situation, he wasn't feeling any desire to come face-to-face with the pirate captain anytime soon.

The sound of feet coming down the small stairway leading into the brig caused Will to raise his head from his hands to see who it was. But he needn't have wondered; of course, it was the sea goddess captain herself, probably intending to make Will do another something he wasn't in the mood for.

Calypso, flanked by two muscular henchmen, came to a stop in front of the iron bars separating them from Will and stared at her prisoner with purposeful eyes. "Open the door so I can enter," she said to the brig guard without letting her gaze go astray.

The guard did as he was commanded and removed a ring of keys from his belt, found the right one, and dutifully inserted it into the keyhole of the jail door. Calypso and her two crew members stepped into Will's cell, and Will stood up.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"To spin a tale. That is, if you'll indulge me."

Will narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What're you on about?"

"Listen, and you'll discover that."

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At that very moment, many miles away, the crew of the Black Pearl had arrived at Tia Dalma's shack and were currently standing around the mysterious bard's table, having just informed her of the situation at hand.

Tia Dalma, sitting in her chair, nodded. "Indeed, there is such a mortal with the ability to kill the sea goddess Calypso. This person was chosen at birth by the Gods of Mount Olympus to serve as a warrior who would combat Calypso if she were to ever get consumed by violent ambition."

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"You see," said Calypso back on her ship, "the Gods believed my power to manipulate the oceans of the world was too vast and dangerous, should I ever have decided to use those abilities to accomplish my own ends."

"Which is exactly what you're doing right now, isn't it?" countered Will.

"Silence!" spat Calypso. "Anyway, this...destined mortal, if you will, would not know of this second identity of theirs until such a time when said services would be needed. Not even the parents of this chosen one would know about this little fact. The Gods named the mortal 'The Angel Assassin,..."

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"...because when the time for him or her to fulfill their destiny came, they would be possessed by an angel from the Heavens who would guide them through the process of killing the goddess Calypso."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Tia Dalma, are you daft? You can't kill a Goddess!"

Tia Dalma in return gave Jack one of her trademark looks that combined the traits of knowledgeable and mysterious. "But someone with the destiny to can. Someone with the destiny to become The Angel Assassin at the opportune time."

"So there is such a person," said Elizabeth. "Can anything about this person identify them to us, since we're on a quest to get to him or her?"

Tia Dalma looked up at her ceiling in thought, trying to remember the answer. After a few short moments of this, she finally looked back down at her guests.

"There is said to be a symbol imprinted on their flesh..."

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"...that appears on the upper chest as a sign that the angel meant to possess this chosen one will soon inhabit their body. This symbol is of an hourglass with angel wings; it most commonly means death. In this instance, it identifies the person born with the destiny to cause the death of a goddess; that's how the angel wings fit into it all. The combination of the symbols for death and angel result in one ultimate symbol that signifies who The Angel Assassin is."

Will's eyes widened upon hearing Calypso's explanation of the legend of The Angel Assassin, and slowly and uneasily, he stared down at the relatively new symbol that was imprinted on his chest: the mark of The Angel Assassin.

He couldn't believe it.

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Elizabeth turned to face Jack, her eyes filled with shock. "That mark. On Will's chest. It...it was that very mark! Will is The Angel Assassin! Will is the person we need!"

Jack's face immediately fell. "And I handed him over to the one person that would want to make sure he wouldn't be a problem."

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Calypso approached Will slowly; Will was still gazing down at the fleshy insignia with wide eyes. Calypso looked at Will slyly, one hand holding something behind her back.

"Yes, William Turner, you are the one destined to become The Angel Assassin at the opportune moment. The one who will have the power to kill me. But of course, I cannot permit that."

Will looked up into Calypso's eyes with a sudden air of understanding. "You knew about this. That's why you let Jack trade me to you. Because you knew that with me as your prisoner, you could take steps to ensure that the one person who can kill you won't."

Calypso nodded. "Precisely. But I'm afraid I must take even more drastic steps to put my mind completely at rest." She nodded quickly to the crewmates on either side of her, and both of them promptly stepped toward Will. The first one to reach Will punched him in the gut, causing Will to double over in pain; this made his attention abandon Calypso's cronies as they grabbed both of Will's arms and locked them into awaiting shackles embedded into the wall. Will tried to resist, but too late; by the time he summoned up any strength to do so, his arms had already been placed securely into the iron shackles.

Once that task had been completed, Calypso withdrew her right arm from behind her back, revealing what was without a doubt a human skull. Next, Calypso approached Will and came to a halt only when their faces were mere inches apart.

Calypso indicated the skull in her hand. "This is no ordinary skull, Mr. Turner. It is the skull of one of the greatest demon warriors whose name I cannot even utter because of his immense power. Now, inside this skull is a collection of said warrior's blood."

"Why would I care about that?" asked Will.

Calypso smiled in a most sinister manner. "Because the blood of which I speak is quite unique. This blood has been enchanted so that it will turn anyone into a vicious and heartless human manifestation of the demon warrior from which it comes. The blood must be consumed as if it were a common drink. So, William Turner, in order for me to feel safe from your destiny, I must turn you to my side."

All of a sudden, the two pirates on either side of Will forcefully grabbed him, restraining him while the other gripped Will's jaw and pulled it open using all the strength he could. Will struggled and struggled, but he was still no match for the two muscular pirates holding him down, with the assistance of the shackles around his wrists. Meanwhile, Calypso raised the decayed skull above Will's head, tipping it at the proper angle so that the mouth of it was directly above Will's.

"Keep his mouth open," Calypso instructed her two henchmen.

Calypso waited a few more seconds while her henchmen struggled hard to keep Will's mouth open. Then, when everything had fallen into place, Calypso took her chance and tipped the skull further until there came a downpour of dark red liquid that originated from the skull's mouth and went into Will's open and helpless one. Calypso didn't stop until she was completely satisfied with the amount that she put in.

Calypso backed away, and her crewmates did the same. They all kept their eyes trained intently upon Will, watching him drop to the brig floor once his arms had been released from the shackles. It looked as if Will's entire body had gone stiff while it started convulsing uncontrollably while sounds of pain came from his mouth. Will switched from side to side as his body continued to convulse, until finally, he stopped when he lay on his back. Seconds later, a flash of pure red light filled Will's eyes briefly before he slowly hauled himself to his feet. A dark and cold expression had now come across Will's face, and his wardrobe had changed as well. Will now wore a blood-red bandanna and a shirt the same color, with black pants and boots as well as an overcoat. A belt containing all manner of sharp weapons encircled his waist. Will no longer looked caring and compassionate; he now appeared cold and merciless.

Calypso calmly yet cautiously approached Will, eyeing him with interest. "William Turner...can you hear me?"

"Yes," Will replied in a dark tone.

"Can you tell me where I may find the crew of Captain Jack Sparrow so that I can take his ship?"

"Yes."

Will Turner had been consumed by darkness, and there was no certain answer of whether he would ever be himself again.