Well, boys and girls, this has been by far the most challenging chapter to write. I can only hope that everything I've written thus far has conveyed exactly what I want it to bring to you, the readers. I know it's taken a long time to write this chapter (and many thanks to those who threatened a mutiny and did not follow through due to their patience :) many thanks indeed) and your patience has been rewarded. You know the routine, feedback is most welcome and encouraged!

Will was standing before Calypso, surrounded by his crew and frozen in fear. She shouldn't be here. His eyes must have been deceiving him. Being torn from the land of the living for so long must have begun to distort Will's sense of reality. He would gladly accept any excuse, no matter how inconceivable, if it would translate to Calypso's presence not being aboard his ship. Will's eyes shifted around and fell upon each crew member near him as they knelt down and muttered the goddess's name. He too knelt before her, but it was due more to the fact that his knees went weak and he could no longer stand.

Calypso's eyes still held an angry glow even though her tearstained cheeks betrayed her and showed her true emotion. She clutched the heavy cloth around her shoulders and pulled it tighter as her shoulders slumped with the shaky breath that escaped her lips. She lifted her skirt enough for her to walk and stepped towards Will. Her many bangles and trinkets clinked and chimed as she walked. Her hips did not sway with the same rhythm as they once did. Her movements were almost snake-like, as if she had just been woken from a deep sleep. Calypso's eyes were cast towards the ground. They were now narrowed in response to the stinging of her tears. She curled her fingers around Will's chin and grazed the scruff of his jaw with her thumb.

"William... Turner. A touch of destiny," she said softly, eying the scar across the left side of his chest. Her index finger traveled the length of his neck and traced across where her eyes looked on. She saw his Adam's apple bounce slightly as he swallowed.

"Calypso... why have you come here? I am remaining faithful to the duty what I have been charged. Jones is dead. You must have known that or else you would not be here." He watched Calypso's red-rimmed pupils dilate as her composure weakened.

"I cannot go back." Her words were wrought with sorrow. Calypso's jaw tightened and she stood silent. Her bottom lip swelled and then turned inward, disappearing under her upper lip and behind her teeth. The only sounds were that of the sea, and the ship that sway upon it.

"You don't belong here. How did you make it back here alone? You're not..."

"I cannot go back. There is... I..." Whatever little composure Calypso had managed to hold onto was now gone. Her features became twisted as she continued. "You... Stabbed him heart. My love. Him heart belong to me. I could not bring him back, and so I shared... But him greed had filled him where his heart should be. My love had overcome the betrayal, but the love him have... Replaced by anger. Revenge. In this, this human form, Davy Jones had taken..." She paused briefly and clawed at her chest. "Him send me here. The waters be more dangerous." Calypso stared downward and continued to speak in fragmented thought. "I no longer belong with the living." Her eyes grew wild. "My place has been taken." She cowered back when Will touched her shoulder as if he were burning her.

"Are you saying Davy Jones is alive?"

"And him send a message to you. You stab him heart... and now him stab yours in return. You must stop him. If Davy Jones captains this ship once more, him stop at nothing to take the seas over. The seas will be a cursed place and all will be punished by fate worse than death."

"No! Jones must be stopped!" Bootstrap spoke up. He had remained silent until the terrifying thought of losing his son to the very being who placed him in this position forced the words out of him. He kept his hand at the helm, but faced away from his station. Other crew members were shaken from the eerie silence amongst them by his sudden powerful voice, which echoed across the ship.

"How? You know that I am bound here for ten years and cannot step on land or abandon my duties." How could Davy Jones stab his heart without knowing where it was? Will's thoughts then traveled to his wife. He felt as though all of the air had been punched out of his lungs. Elizabeth was guarding the chest. Jones would not think twice about killing her. That was it. Hers was the heart he would stab in revenge for his own. He would then find the chest and control the sea. "What do I do? Can I send you back?" he asked Calypso.

"No." She walked to the portside rail and looked out to the lost souls in the waters. Crew members bowed the heads to her and shuffled back to give her room. "I still have the power to release you from your duties. You must go back and stop him from finding the chest. Heed me well, William Turner." Calypso turned to Will and stared him down. "Davy Jones corrupted his purpose and so became not a man, but a monster. You may step on land as long as you uphold the purpose I send you with. If you stray from this path, you will meet him fate... become a corrupted shadow of you self. I will stay here and keep these lost souls in my care. You must bring him through the farthest gate and keep him here."

Calypso rolled her head back and hugged herself with a shudder and went into convulsions. A deep angered cry exploded from somewhere over the horizon and carried itself over the Dutchman. Everyone aboard, including Will, staggered away from Calypso and looked around for the source of the disturbance. Calypso convulsed harder and looked as though she were beginning to hyperventilate. Tears were now flowing freely from her eyes as she writhed and twisted.

"Everyone... take cover. Hold on to something!" A fierce wind began to blow. "Come about! Keep her at a close reach!" he yelled to his father, who gripped the wheel and turned the ship directly through the wind.

Calypso's form began to shift and twist. Crewmen reared back in fear. Will continued to cry out for them to brace themselves. With a great explosive burst of wind, she became nothing but swirling thick black smoke. The smoke revolved faster and faster, becoming a violent twister that stretched to the sky and heaved upward into the clouds.

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"No... you... you're dead." Elizabeth tried to scream, but fear overpowered her and she could do no more than stand silent and continue to stare at the sight before her. The realization that this moment was not one of her repeated nightmares caused her knees to lose strength and she fell back against the cabin door. Her hand was instinctively clawing for a knob to allow her entry into a place of hiding. "This isn't happening."

"Oh, but it is, lass," Davy Jones hissed. He coiled his slippery tentacled hand around Elizabeth's chin and laughed heartily as she turned her head away.

"But... how? He stabbed-"

"Ahh yes, William Turner. He captains MY ship. MY crew. I control the sea. I am the sea. It belongs to me now. Tell me, do you fear death?" Jones arched his brows in anticipation and glared down to Elizabeth. His icy blue eyes shone with fury.

"And what purpose would be served in taking my life? My death is of no value to you." Elizabeth sounded calm, even though her insides were knotting up with fear.

"I believe you possess something of immense value to me." Jones straightened his back and turned his face away. His eyes remained on her. The large tentacles along either side of his mouth twitched and turned. With one brow under the brim of his hat he shot her a look of intrigue. "The chest what contains the heart of William Turner." The frightened look on Elizabeth's face gave Davy Jones a surge of satisfaction.

"You couldn't... you no longer have a heart to take its place." Her next sentence was cut off due to the crab-clawed hand that caught her neck and pressed firmly down on her throat.

"With the heart of Calypso I can control everything within this world and the next."

"You would have to go to the Farthest Gate to get the key. That would require your death and Will cannot come back for nearly ten years. You know the terms that bind him to the Dutchman. Calypso..."

Davy Jones raised his arm and smashed his claw violently against Elizabeth's temple, sending her now unconscious body to the floor. "Calypso is dead. And fool enough to send wretch the message and bring him here." He looked up to the sky, lost in thought for a moment. The moonlight gleamed across a small locket attached to his belt. The sight of it made him physically ill. He closed his eyes and relaxed his features. He pressed his hand to his chest and exhaled. A burst of energy exploded through him. The angered scream that erupted from him echoed across the waters with an eerie vibration. The tentacles around his face quivered and coiled as he turned to the few crewman who were scurrying to the top deck from below. His breathing was heavy and his jaw was now locked. Jones crossed the deck with panther-like movements. Thump. Pound. Thump. Pound. Each step seemed heavier and louder than the last. "Brig," he said through gritted teeth, nodding at Elizabeth. Two men lifted her still unconscious body gently and carried her below. Another man very timidly approached Jones and bowed his head, trying not to meet his icy eyes.

"Or... or... orders, sir?" The man took a few paces back and winced in anticipation of whatever Jones' response would be.

"To the helm, then. A lost bird needs to be found."

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"My Lord," said a young boy with a strained voice. He could be no more than ten years of age. He stood in Lord Elbridge's doorway awaiting a response. His head was down, his chin resting upon his chest. The boy appeared rather disheveled - unkempt sandy hair sticking out in spots and matted across his forehead, his face and clothing smudged with dirt, and his clothing worn out in areas. He clutched a sealed parchment in his small hands.

Lord Elbridge had been pacing about his office and now stood with his back to the doorway. The heavy sigh following the boy's words indicated that he had been in deep thought and was irritated by the sudden interruption. He glanced over his shoulder and eyed the boy quickly, turning up his nose in disgust at the child's appearance. Elbridge then noticed the parchment in his tiny fingers and held out his open hand for it at once. The only sound heard now was the scurrying footsteps of the child towards Elbridge. The parchment exchanged hands quickly.

"My Lord," the boy repeated with a curt nod as he vanished from sight.

"Filth., he spat with arrogance. With a crooked finger he slashed through the fold in the parchment and broke its seal, causing bits of hardened wax to flitter to the floor. His narrow eyes scanned the inked message and his jaw instantly hardened. With his eyes closed, Elbridge gripped the paper so tightly that it crumpled in his hand. "Lieutenant!" he bellowed.

Lieutenant Groves rushed into the room moments later. He was quite out of breath and staggered slightly as he came to Elbridge's side. The Lord had regained his composure and glanced to the lieutenant ever so slightly. He still held the parchment with a tight grip.

"Sir?"

"It would seem that the young one can no longer be trusted. Have her followed."

"But, your Lordship, you already know that she intends to sail with Sparrow at Port Maria." Groves' brow furrowed with confusion.

"I was under the impression that you were quite familiar with Jack Sparrow, having served under Cutler Beckett. I assume that you are also familiar with the phrase 'better safe than sorry'. If she is throwing her lot in with Sparrow, she cannot be trusted. Your orders... are to follow orders. Am I quite clear?"

"Yes, sir."

With those words, Lieutenant Groves left Elbridge to his thoughts. Now seated at his desk, Elbridge rested his elbows upon it and rubbed his calloused palms back and forth against one another in deep contemplation. He already knew that it would only be a matter of time before Arabella tried something foolish, and he wanted to be one jump ahead. Beckett was able to control the sea, but his greed became his downfall. Elbridge would not let the same fate become his own.

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A day and a half had passed and Arabella had safely arrived in Tortuga unseen. She had followed Jack through Jamaica across two ports and was most gracious that Jack and the harbormaster at the second were quite immersed in conversation to the point where she was able to board a pirate-crewed vessel to Tortuga without difficulty. Being dressed in some of Will's clothing she had taken with her from the mansion, not a soul had suspected her of being a woman. The only setback was trying to avoid Jack at all costs on that vessel's journey.

Arabella had become oddly comfortable skulking below deck aboard ships, aside from the bilge-littered air. She welcomed the air of Tortuga once she departed the small ship. Jack was no longer aboard and Arabella had little time to search for him. Asking of his whereabouts would draw too much attention, and she had the eerie feeling that she may be being watched. She pulled her hat down further to cover her eyes. Her hair was tucked underneath its brim, making the hat tighter and more difficult to keep her appearance a secret. She kept herself in the shadows as she explored through Tortuga. Surely she would stumble on something, on some small clue that would help her find out where Jack was or what his plans were. Everything was as she remembered it from the day she first came to Tortuga. For a moment she wished that today had been that day, before she knew the truth about Will... before she had gone to Port Royal... before she had met Jack Sparrow. Arabella took in everything. The sights, the smells, the sounds. The sounds. Two men were conversing behind her.

"...interesting venture at that. Best discussed over rum."

"Aye, you have my attention then."

Arabella's eyes darted around searching frantically for a place to hide. She was positive that it was Jack's voice she heard. She knew the other voice, but was uncertain whose it was. If Jack saw her, she would lose her only chance to follow him. Before she had time to think, a highly inebriated wench dug her stubby fingers into her wrist and pulled her into a corner with such force that Arabella nearly toppled over her. Arabella took this to be one of those 'opportune moments' that Jack was always mentioning and did not fight it. As long as she remained hidden, the means by which she did so did not matter. The wench pulled Arabella into a kiss and she was so shocked that she couldn't move. She heard footsteps and tried not to draw further attention to herself.

"Carry on, lad. As you were," Jack said as he and Gibbs strolled passed the two of them. Jack paused mid-step and furrowed his brow, glancing sideways for a moment and pursing his lips. There was something familiar about that young lad.

"Something wrong, Cap'n?" Gibbs wondered. He watched suspiciously as Jack opened his mouth to speak, shook his head, and resumed his strut to the nearby tavern. Gibbs looked over each of his shoulders nervously and then quickened his step to keep up with the captain.

After hearing them leave, Arabella waited as long as she could and then forcibly shoved herself free of the wench. Feeling highly insulted and angry, the stout woman's hand connected swiftly with Arabella's cheek, sending her spinning sideways as the wench stomped away in disgust into the building they were near. Arabella staggered and steadied herself against one of the columns holding up the balcony above her. After stretching her jaw to relieve the pain she followed after Jack. She swiped a small rum bottle from one of the inhabitants passed out along the dirt road and took a swig from it, gagging slightly after swallowing. Jack had ducked into one of the many small taverns on the island. She watched Gibbs follow behind him. Arabella realized now why the second voice held such familiarity. Not only would Arabella have to make sure to keep out of sight from Jack, but she would now also have to hide from Gibbs.

Arabella rested against the stone wall of the tavern, occupying herself by rolling a small stone under the heel of her boot. She didn't want to walk inside alone and be easily spotted. She could hear roars of drunken laughter pulsating from deep within the tavern. It had become a much livlier place since its last two patrons had entered. A small group of men headed towards her. She instinctively slouched sideways and lowered her head. From under the brim of her hat Arabella glanced at them as they shuffled through the door beside her. Still slouching, Arabella pivoted and followed them inside. It was difficult to decipher all of the sounds around her. A loud and deep voice boomed over the commotion.

"Aye! Gibbs has been spinning some mighty tall tales about you, Sparrow!"

Arabella quickly snuck through the crowd and gravitated towards the unknown voice. Seated in a far-off corner, she could see Gibbs. A look of embarrassment and discomfort had washed over his face and a half smile crept up its side. He was hunched over the table and had apparently taken a fascination to the drink he cradled in his nervous hands. Beside him, Jack was staring him down with his slightly wild kohl-rimmed eyes. He was looking at Gibbs from an angle. His coat was bunched at his shoulders due to his posture and one arm rested across the table. His other hand was clawed over the top of his own drink which he had yet to touch. The two of them were surrounded by a group of people. There was clearly a heated discussion unraveling amongst them and Arabella was quite curious to its details. She wove through the crowd around the walls of the tavern and settled behind a few stacks of storage boxes near the table. She was out of sight, but close enough to pick up on the conversation. Apparently Arabella was not the only person Gibbs was loose-tongued around when it came to the topic of Captain Jack Sparrow. Fortunately for him and Jack, mostly for Gibbs, His ramblings came across as beyond far-fetched and not a soul at the table found any truth in them.

"Now if you'll excuse us, gents, we have some matters to attend to," Jack drawled.

The small table soon became empty as the other men dispersed back into the folds of the crowded tavern. Arabella peered through a small space in between the boxes and sighed quietly when she saw both Jack and Gibbs remaining seated. She turned away and continued to listen.

"And now, on to business," Jack said sternly.

"Aye, Jack. This matter of yours... I know that look in yer eyes. I ain't as young as I used to be, nor are you. What treasure is it ye be venturin' after now?" Gibbs leaned over the table to hear Jack over the chatter. He noticed Jack shift uneasily in his chair. Jack had always been first in line to sail after what he wanted, consequences be damned. The fact that Jack seemed this time unsure made Gibbs feel twice as nervous and he took a huge swig of rum to calm himself in preparation for Jack's answer. "For the love of all that's holy, Jack. I can't take the suspense. Spit it out."

Jack coiled his fingers tightly around the handle of his stein, swirling it loosely and watching the amber liquid dance inside it. He knew that no matter how carefully he worded his answer his friend would surely slide right from his seat and hit the floor.

"It has come to my attention that you've met Miss Arabella Turner. I know the truth, mate." Jack leaned sideways and said something quietly to his friend. As Jack had foreseen, Gibbs almost choked himself to death, no doubt salvaging some rum into one of his lungs and pushed his chair back, nearly sliding from its edge.

"You can't be sure. That's not possible, Jack!"

"It all makes complete and ever so perfect sense. I'm taking back The Pearl, again. She's helping me to get it."

"Jack, there's no place for her aboard..."

"All taken care of, mate," Jack replied with a wave of his hand. "Only one minute probelm. You do know Lord Elbridge, I assume. It would appear that he has come to discover Mister Turner's current fate and the dear Misses..."

"Jack, she's one of the pirate Lords. If anything should happen." Gibbs chugged most of his rum and stared blankly.

"Aye. He'll stop at nothing to get there first. And I doubt that the East India Trade will turn a blind eye to anyone who gets in their way. I need me a crew and I need it at the quick. I've not time to waste. Are you with me or am I to set off on me own?"

The color had drained from Gibbs' face and he blinked several times before speaking an answer. Arabella had now turned towards the pair and had her face pressed up against the boxes trying desperately to catch everything in the conversation. Jack turned his head in her direction and she nearly toppled over spinning around to avoid being seen. Finally, she heard Gibbs stutter and begin to speak.

"I've said this before, yet I'll tell ye again - you're off your nut, Sparrow. We've sailed with you to the ends of the earth and to hell itself and back. 'Tis true, but a person can only take so much. You're daft. The crew would sooner swing from the rafters than go through this again, even if it is for you or the Turners. No one else in the brethren seems to be alarmed, save for Miss Elizabeth. What makes you so sure that he's strong enough to attempt it?"

"Fine then," Jack said calmly. "Bootstrap's son and his lass will in all probability end up lost to us for good, me not being able to rescue them by my onesies, you know, being without a crew and all. And if the chest is found, and the East India Company control the seas, it's over for us all. Elbridge will more than likely come after meself, then after the girl," he added. Jack stood from the table and glared down at Gibbs. He suddenly became very animated with his hands. "Then, knowing all about me and who I keep company with I'm sure, he'll come after you."

"You give that man too much credit. He barely knows you let alone any of us. He's only after you in revenge for what you did to you know who and for taking the charts." Gibbs took another large gulp from his stein and placed it down shakily. He leaned back as Jack rested his palms on the table and leaned down eye-level to Gibbs.

"You mean what we did. You're leaving out important details. It's alright by me. I'm no stranger to mutiny, nor certain death. My only hope is that you can live with that on your conscience, mate." Jack stretched and turned sharply, heading towards the door. He kept his pace slow and kept an ear out, smiling when Gibbs called to him.

"Curse the day I got meself into this great mess with the man. Wait!"

Gibbs glared watching Jack face him and waltz back to his table at a bounce. If it's one thing Jack knew, it's that Gibbs couldn't turn his back on a good man, a good friend.

"So I take it we'll be setting sail at dawn in two days, then, eh?" Jack asked.

The sudden knot forming in Jack's stomach unclenched a bit when his friend finally complied. Gibbs sighed and rubbed his hands vigorously over his face, as if to shake some sense into himself.

"Aye. I'll hate meself in the morning for this, but aye. I'll gather up the crew, but you can not let that lass come with us, Jack. You know full well the trouble that'll bring."

"Marvelous. I had no intentions of having her aboard. We'd best keep mum on the details. I do believe we're being watched." Jack folded his hands as in prayer and nodded curtly at Gibbs. Then something came to his attention. He bent forward slightly, so that he was close enough to Gibbs' ear to be heard. "One more thing, don't pass any of this on to the young one. I want her to have no part in this."

"No intentions, indeed. Pirates," Arabella whispered to herself. She wondered what 'truth' Jack had referred to. He had to have figured out that Arabella had stricken a deal with Elbridge. She needed to leave and make way for Port Maria before Jack could reach the ship.

She peered through the crates once more and went into panic. Jack was walking straight for her. Arabella pulled a long slender glass bottle from inside one of the crates and looked around. No one had their eyes directed towards her. She flicked her wrist and sent the bottle flying across the scene. She winced as it shattered over someone's head and its contents flowed freely over him. The angered man, already intoxicated to the fullest, turned and swung a large fist at another man behind him and connected with his cheek. A brawl ensued and spread like wildfire throughout the tavern. As Arabella had hoped, Jack had decided to change his course and walk in the opposite direction towards an alternate exit. Gibbs was following close behind him. Arabella bolted as fast as possible through the tavern, avoiding as much of the brawl as she could. She pushed through the entrance and into the street. Port Maria would be at least a day's journey. She now had two tasks before her: reach Port Maria before Jack and whatever crew he could gather, and inform Lord Elbridge.