(A/N: Sorry for the long long delays in updates, but don't worry, I haven't abandoned this fic! Quite the opposite actually, I've made some pretty big changes to some of the previous chapters! I read over the whole story again before I started on this new chapter, and I realized that my writing style has changed a bit since when I started. It's kind of cool, really, to go back and read your own writing – also kind of demoralizing, but that's okay. Well, I discovered that I, being younger and more innocent when I wrote certain chapters back in the day, completely missed out on some of the innuendo and sexual tension that was building up. So I sort of edited the previous chapters and added a bit more of that in. Nothing to make the rating change – still Disney – but a little more… satisfying, shall we say. Mainly in the "Persuasion" and "Curiosity" chapters. So before you read this new chapter, I highly recommend going back and reading through the previous ones first. And then come back to enjoy this one!)

The Brethren Court
When the Pirates Lords gather at Shipwreck Cove, in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Jack watched the other Pirate Lords drop their pieces of junk into the plate that Ragetti was bringing around, and again eyed the entrance to the Cove. There wasn't a sail in sight. He sighed in impatience. What was the world coming to if even Pirate Lords were found incapable of the simple task of sailing to places in a prompt and punctual manner? Because that was obviously the only reason why Sao Feng wasn't here – because his ship was slow. Not because anything had happened to them on the way.

But still, Jack couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of – what? Not worry, surely. More like…curiosity. Curiosity as to what could possibly be taking Sao Feng so bloody long to reach Shipwreck Cove. Because for several reasons as yet unfathomable to him, Elizabeth Swann was on board that floating snail Sao Feng called a ship. And he did not feel at all…satisfied (yes, that was the word, satisfied) knowing that Elizabeth Swann was in the company of pirates such as Sao Feng for a protracted length of time.

He knew she could take care of herself – she was a near-perfect pirate herself, smart, ruthless and cunning. But that wasn't the point, in his opinion. The point was that she shouldn't have to. That was what fiancés such as Turner were for. But apparently nobody had the brains to suggest that at least Turner should go along to protect Elizabeth, if nothing else.

At the moment, Will Turner was Jack's least favorite person. Although the boy had earned his grudging respect over the time they had known each other, Jack's opinion of him had severely deteriorated after finding out the whelp had done nothing – absolutely bloody nothing – to stop his fiancée from walking straight into the jaws of danger. Add that to the fact that the boy had tried to steal Jack's ship, and Jack found himself wondering what in the world had possessed him to have let Will escape the ship alive.

It had just been his sympathy coming out again, that's what made him aid Turner's leave. Curse his wretchedly warm heart that forced him to feel sorry even for people like Turner, who was continually thrusting a wrench in Jack's schemes. But the boy was so inept at this trickery, and yet was trying so hard, that Jack had to feel sorry for the whelp. On one side, he was desperately trying to save his father, without even thinking of a proper plan, but on the other, he hadn't even thought to consult his best aid - his very own fiancée, who could have given him a lesson or two on how to get what he wanted. And that was why Jack thought so little of Turner - what kind of man sees fit to leave his future wife out of his plans to free his father by murdering a tentacle-faced monster?

In fact, Jack had no idea what anybody saw in Will Turner. Smart though the boy was - he'd escaped from the Pearl's brig in about five hours flat, after all - he kept messing up Jack's plans, even though they were ostensibly on the same side. First with this steal-the-ship-and-save-my-father act, and then with that drop-a-body-to-leave-a-trail-for-the-enemy idea. Although even Jack grudgingly admitted to himself that it had been a rather ingenious idea.

Still, he couldn't have a self-confessed traitor seeing the way to Shipwreck Island and leading Beckett right to the unsuspecting pirates. It had felt very satisfying to see Turner bobbing up and down in the water, cold and shivering, after all the trouble and worry he had cost Jack. After all, what kind of fiancé didn't even bother to protect his girl from scurvy-ridden, scallywag pirates like Sao Feng?

According to Gibbs, Elizabeth had agreed to go – which was all very well, but agreeing was not the same as wanting, and neither of them was the same as staying safe. Which is what Jack preferred Elizabeth to remain so long as they sailed in pirate-infested waters.

He didn't quite know why it was any of his business whether Elizabeth remained safe or otherwise. It was only because, having rescued her so many times before, it was only natural he preferred his hard work not to go wasted. Or so he had told himself, so he could go on worrying – no, he corrected himself mentally, wondering - about what was taking so bloody long.

He had noticed her absence as soon as he returned to the Pearl after negotiating with Beckett. Even old woolly-brained rancid-breath Sao Feng had wanted to keep Elizabeth, for some reason – or at least, he had inquired after her. Why was it that every single male creature that met Elizabeth Swann had to become infatuated with her?

Every male creature excepting himself, of course. Jack was nowhere near infatuated with Elizabeth Swann. But still, something about Beckett's leer when he said Elizabeth's name had incensed Jack, and he had been rather curt with Beckett. Not that he regretted anything he said to that particular stuffed codfish.

It had taken only a few minutes on the Pearl before Jack noticed that there was no sign of Elizabeth's forceful personality anywhere on deck. And after a few minutes, when nobody said anything regarding that conspicuous absence, he had remarked upon it himself, quite casually, of course. And then he learned that they had traded her – Elizabeth Swann, of all people – to Sao Feng. Apparently, nobody on the ship had the word 'negotiation' in their vocabulary. It had rather upset him to know his crewmates were such idiots, and he had spoken to them rather sharply about improving their parley skills. It would not do for other pirates to think of them as weak and easily coerced.

From his quick conversation with Turner before leaving him for the seagulls, Jack had easily surmised that there had been some sort of fight brewing between the two lovebirds. Which wasn't any of his business, really, but still – it was human nature to be curious. Jack had almost felt sorry for Will at that moment. He could sympathize with Will's plight, somehow - caught between what he had always wanted and some new course that fate was steering him towards.

But still, sympathy or not, Turner should have minded his fiancée a little better, in Jack's opinion, especially considering the bevy of men always buzzing around Elizabeth. None of those men – from Norrington to Beckett to Sao Feng to Beckett – could handle a woman like Elizabeth Swann. Jack had thought that at least the whelp would be able to keep her out of harm's way, but apparently, such a task was beyond his obviously limited capabilities.

Even among pirates, Sao Feng was reputed for his interest in women. And Elizabeth Swann was, unfortunately, a woman, and a regrettably good-looking one at that. But then, she was also not the type to be easily persuaded into doing someone else's bidding, thankfully. If Sao Feng tried to take advantage of her, there would be some kicking and screaming involved.

"Sparrow!" someone called, and Jack looked up, distracted from his brooding. As all eyes in the room turned to him, he realized they were waiting for him to put in his piece of eight. He was the only member with a true piece of eight in his possession. Jack fingered the shiny gold coin, and realized that he was rather reluctant to put it down in the center of a circle of thieves.

"Might I point out that we are still missing one Pirate Lord, and I'm as content as a cucumber to wait until Sao Feng joins us," Jack stalled, smiling lazily. After all, it would be the height of rudeness to begin without Sao Feng and his crew.

"Sao Feng is dead!"

The clear, decisive call rang through the room, cutting through all other conversation. All eyes looked towards the doorway as Elizabeth Swann strode into the room.

Startled by the familiar voice, Jack turned around. A huge wave of relief washed over him to see Elizabeth looking better than ever, but he kept his face carefully neutral. Absently, he noted her change of clothing, and how she seemed to lead the band of pirates standing behind her, and how deferentially they were treating her, but it all seemed so natural that it was easy to forget she was relatively new to the world of pirates.

His eyes met hers, and Jack instantly noted how tired she looked. And it bothered him. Something big had happened on board Sao Feng's ship. And he wasn't sure he was going to like it.

The room was filled with pirates, more people than she would have thought possible to fit into a place of this size. And at Elizabeth's declaration, every single face turned towards her, all pairs of eyes shocked, questioning, suspicious. Elizabeth felt her stomach lurch nervously, but she kept her gaze steely. For her father's sake, she had to look strong.

One face drew her gaze instantly, like a needle to a magnet. The inscrutable dark eyes of Captain Jack Sparrow were the first that she met. She couldn't read them, couldn't instantly tell what he was thinking of the way she could with Will, but somehow, his eyes, with that familiar gleam of interest brightening the deep brown irises, meeting hers as though they were equals, enabled her to square her shoulders and lift her chin with renewed purpose.

Elizabeth surveyed the room, committing to memory the faces seated around the table. These were the other Pirate Lords. And she was now their member, thanks to Sao Feng. "He fell to the Flying Dutchman," she informed them, and the room was in instant uproar.

Quickly, she entered the room, sticking her sword into the stand along with the other Pirate Lords' swords. Jack, watching her, was instantly distracted. "He made you captain?" he asked indignantly. "They're just giving the bloody title away now!" Honestly, had everybody in the world gone insane after his death? She had only sailed as pirates for a few months at the most – what in the world had given her, a bloody sheltered governor's daughter, the right to the title?

Although he supposed, if Turner could be called captain, so could she. Elizabeth Swann was more of a pirate than William Turner any day, despite Bootstrap Bill's blood in the boy.

Said captain was now desperately trying to get the attention of the rest of the pirates assembled. "Listen. Listen to me. Our location has been betrayed. Jones is under the command of Lord Beckett. They're on their way here!"

Looking at the quarrelling, ragtag bunch of smelly drunken men, Elizabeth felt her hopes sink slightly. For a collection of the most fearsome pirates in the world, this was a very disorganized bunch, in Elizabeth's opinion. She would have imagined the whole thing to be much better orchestrated. Maybe in a different, larger room too. This room was absolutely too stuffy to bear.

"Who is this betrayer?" one particularly fierce-looking pirate asked angrily.

"Not likely one among us!" Barbossa retorted defensively.

Suddenly, Elizabeth noticed a rather conspicuous absence – one she should have noticed earlier, she realized with a guilty pang. "Where's Will?" she asked, out of the corner of her mouth. Was he still angry at her?

"Not among us," Jack drily replied, not a whit of remorse in his heart. He really hoped she wasn't going to start on the whole 'find Will' thing again. Glad as he was to see her safe, he would not hesitate to gag her if she started on such a topic at such a time, especially considering his displeasure with Turner at the moment.

Elizabeth, picking up on Jack's insinuation, was about to rush to her fiancé's defense when she realized that for all she knew of Will, what Jack alluded to could very well be true. Will had changed in ways she could not understand.

"It matters not how they found us!" Barbossa roared before the din could start again. "The question is, what will we do now that they have?"

"We fight," Elizabeth replied simply. It was quite obviously the only solution. If the cramped stuffy room was any indication, they had men aplenty. And this wasn't even all of them! With numbers like these, with ships of such reputed swiftness, they could very well match up to Beckett. And Elizabeth wanted very much to see Beckett ruined forever, or at least die, much the same way he had seen Elizabeth's own father die.

Unfortunately, not all the rest of her fellow Pirate Lords saw it her from her perspective. As one, the whole room began to laugh gently, mocking the newest Pirate Lord for her ignorance.

Jack felt a stab of sympathy for Elizabeth, even as he chuckled half-heartedly along with everyone else. She should have learned, after so many days on board the Pearl, that pirates these days were a lazy lot. They didn't want to do difficult things like fight for their freedom. They preferred the easy way out, with as little exertion as possible.

Elizabeth looked around the guffawing room, completely bemused. A scary-looking lady with a completely white face was the first to speak. "Shipwreck Cove is a fortress – a well-supplied fortress! There is no need to fight!" Loud murmurs of agreement came from the rest of the room.

Jack looked at Elizabeth, considering. Somehow, the option of sitting and waiting didn't seem as appealing as it should have been. Jack had always been a man of action, despite his love of shortcuts and evasion of direct swordfighting. In his opinion, he much preferred action to idleness. He got bored easily, and Shipwreck Cove was a very boring place. He didn't think he could wait out a siege, days after days after days, just waiting. Especially in light of current company. The more time he spent with the other Pirate Lords, the more the chance someone might remember the money he owed them.

In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that waiting out the siege was just a recipe for disaster. None of the Pirate Lords were very patient. Any excuse for a fracas would do, and by the end of a day, their number would probably be halved.

Only Elizabeth's plan so far made any sense. He didn't really want to fight – he was much more fond of parley and spirited debates. All Jack really wanted was freedom, sailing away with his Pearl, and perhaps a nice store of gold. But then, freedom couldn't just be taken, could it? All these years, he had tried so hard to just run away from all his problems, all his debts, and yet, they always seemed to catch up to him, sooner or later. Maybe true freedom could only be earned – through struggle and battle. It wasn't a very comforting thought, in Jack's opinion, but if that's what it took to get some peace of mind, he was ready to do it.

And maybe, while the fight was going on, he could go on board the Dutchman, find the heart -

"There be a third way," Barbossa's sly drawl interrupted Jack's thought process, and Jack felt vaguely irritated by the man. Jack had shot him, killed him, slapped him, argued with him, crossed swords with him, and yet, the man continued to be a pain in a tender region.

Unbeknownst to Jack's bitter thoughts, said pain continued speaking. "In another age, at this very spot, the First Brethren Court captured the sea goddess and bound her in her bones." Murmurs of approval echoed through the room. Barbossa smiled and shook his head. "That was a mistake."

What nonsense is that painful excuse for a pirate spouting now? Jack wondered irritably. He had been doing so well until those words. All signs of approval immediately ceased.

"Oh, we tamed the seas for ourselves, aye. But opened the door to Beckett and his ilk!" Barbossa's voice roared out.

The venom in his voice instantly caught Jack's attention. All right, Jack grudgingly admitted, Barbossa had his good points. He was nowhere near as bad as Beckett. Barbossa was a good pirate. He was a traditional pirate, nothing like Jack, but he had a fierce love for piracy. It was in his soul, same as Jack and Gibbs and Elizabeth.

Barbossa glared around the room fiercely. "Better were the days when mastery of seas came not from bargains struck with eldritch creatures, but from the sweat of a man's brow and the strength of his back alone - you all know this to be true!"

And Elizabeth, at least, did know this to be true. That was the vision of pirates she had had when she was younger. Masters of the sea, choosing their own destiny through their own hard work. She could see that happening in her imagination again, and grudgingly, she admitted that Barbossa, despite his numerous faults, was a true pirate. Everyone could see his fervor, his passion for his way of life lying beneath the surface of his words. Surprised, Elizabeth felt a rush of camaraderie for her one-time archenemy, and realized with a shock that Barbossa could be as persuasive as Jack, in his own way. They both had that same quality of saying words that could paint pictures in the minds of everyone, pictures that inspired, pictures that made things happen.

Turning his head solemnly, Barbossa intoned, "Gentlemen. Ladies. We must free Calypso."

There was silence for a moment – one long moment. And then pandemonium, as six Pirate Lords vehemently voiced their protest against Barbossa's plan.

Oh, look, Jack noticed, pleased. Barbossa finally got to the point of his long touching speech. Because it was touching, it was sentimental, but the one thing it wasn't was practical. Jack understood that yes, mastery of the seas should come from hard work, and he could do that. He could earn his freedom. After all, nobody had said anything about honest work. But Calypso? Jack wondered if Barbossa had any idea what he was getting himself into. Calypso was unpredictable, temperamental, sentimental, unreasonable – in short, a woman.

Women. Such delightful creatures when they liked you. But when they didn't – Jack mentally shuddered. One moment, they'd happily get drunk with you, and then you blink, and they're throwing the rum into a bonfire. One moment they'd kiss you, and the next they'd leave you as a snack for some horrible sea beastie. Better to stay clear of women altogether, in Jack's opinion.

"Shoot him!" one Pirate Lord called out, pointing at Barbossa.

"Cut out his tongue!" called another.

Now these were good ideas. "Shoot him, cut out his tongue, then shoot his tongue! And trim that scraggly beard!" Jack helpfully suggested.

"Sao Feng would have agreed with Barbossa!" shouted Tai Huang, who had obviously not yet accepted Elizabeth as his captain. Elizabeth looked at him indignantly, rather hurt by his obvious lack of faith in her leadership skills.

"Calypso was our enemy then, she will be our enemy now!" the tall, dark Pirate Lord announced.

The French Pirate Lord agreed, chiming in, "And it's not likely her mood's improved."

One short, blustery pirate slammed his gun down on the table. "I would still agree with Sao Feng, we release Calypso!"

"You threaten me?" the French Pirate Lord asked, stepping closer to tower over his unfortunately short rival.

"I silence you!" he replied arrogantly, and with those three words, all pandemonium broke loose. Elizabeth watched in amazement as men who had been standing peacefully side by side only minutes before, turned with voracious fury upon their neighbors.

"This is madness," she murmured, too astonished to be horrified by the spectacle.

"This is politics," Jack reminded her. This was what happened when too many pirates without morals or scruples were cooped up in a room together. And this would be happening with alarming frequency if Mistress Ching were to get her way about remaining in Shipwreck Cove while it was under siege. No, Jack decided firmly. If Beckett and his lot were ever to be defeated, it had to be them the pirates fought, not each other.

Well, what do you know? he realized ruefully. The girl was right. Maybe she was more deserving of the captaincy than he had given her credit for.

"Meanwhile our enemies are bearing down upon us," Elizabeth commented worriedly.

"If they not be here already," Barbossa drily added. A golden goblet came whizzing over their heads, and they all instinctively ducked. "That's it!" Barbossa decisively declared, and pulling out his pistol, he climbed on top of the table and shot towards the ceiling.

It was effective, Jack grudgingly admitted. The whole room fell silent just at one shot, apparently the trigger that restored sense into their blessedly thick-skulled brains.

"It was the first court what imprisoned Calypso, and we will be the ones to set her free, and in her gratitude she will see fit to grant us… boons," Barbossa stated.

Any respect Jack had been feeling for him disappeared at those words. Enough of this nonsense, he decided. It was high time someone listened to sense around here. "Whose boons? Your boons? Utterly deceptive twaddlespeak, says I," Jack pronounced scornfully.

Barbossa glared back at him. "If you have a better alternative, please, share," he retorted, sarcasm dripping from the last syllable.

For a second, Jack considered the situation. How should he best put it to his dear unenlightened compatriots so they listened to sense instead of Barbossa's grand, imaginative words?

"Cuttlefish," Jack said suddenly, grimacing at Barbossa. Raising his voice, he addressed the whole crowd. "Eh? Let us not, dear friends, forget our dear friends the cuttlefish."

Puzzled, Elizabeth suspiciously watched Jack circle around the room. As usual, she had no idea where he was going with this cuttlefish idea, but knowing Jack, there was some scheme lying in wait. Somehow, she was glad Jack finally stepped in. His words, even though they sounded like rubbish at the moment, were probably the most sensible words spoken in this room in the past hour or so.

"Flippant glorious little sausages. Pen 'em up together and they'll devour each other without a second thought," Jack told two huge men, really getting caught up in his metaphor. This was quite a good analogy, even if he did say so himself. "Human nature, isn't it?...Or... or...fish nature."

He laid two hands on Mistress Ching's shoulders, ignoring the way her guards' hands immediately leaped to her blade. He knew she was a sensible woman, more so than most Pirate Lords. "So yes, we could hole up here well provisioned and well armed and half of us would be dead within the month. Which seems grim to me any way you slice it."

Watching the doubt cross the other female Pirate Lord's face, Elizabeth felt that twinge of admiration she had come to associate with Captain Jack Sparrow. He had made his point. Nobody would be in favor of waiting out a siege in Shipwreck Cove anymore, especially not after that sudden brawl.

"Or," Jack raised a finger. He turned and came face-to-face with a particularly ripe-smelling bearded pirate, and he gagged for a second before he continued, edging around the man, "As my learned colleague so naively suggests, we could release Calypso, and we can pray that she will be merciful." Jack's lip curled as he told Captain Villanueva's first mate, "I rather doubt it."

Turning towards the room once again, Jack roared, "Can we in fact pretend that she is anything other than a woman scorned, like which fury hell hath no? We cannot."

He has a point, Elizabeth noted. No woman liked being scorned, after all. No reason to assume sea goddesses were any exception. But if Jack wasn't going to agree with Barbossa, then - ?

"Res ipso loquitur tabula in naufragio, we are left with but one option," Jack said decisively. The Latin was a good touch, he thought, pleased. Made him sound smart. Now, much as it pained him to say it, he had to come to the crux of the matter.

It was rather belittling, to think that a girl who had scarcely been a Pirate Lord for a few days had come up with the best solution in this case. But then, it was Elizabeth Swann. After all that he had seen her do, he was rather inclined to believe she could do near anything.

"I agree with - and I cannot believe the words are coming out of me mouth -" he grimaced. "Captain Swann." To think that rum-burning girl became the captain of a pirate ship! "We must fight."

An uproar rose at his words, but Elizabeth scarcely noticed it. They were becoming rather common, after all. Jack agreeing with her - now that was unusual. But she was right. She had known that from the beginning, and his agreeing to her plan only made her more certain. No matter how much Jack liked twisty complicated plans, this time, the only option was a head-on fight. The beginnings of a smile hovered at the edges of her lips, and Jack automatically took note of how it softened her features.

"You've only run away from a fight!" Barbossa incredulously yelled up at him. That did sound true, Elizabeth conceded, remembering how he had run when the Kraken came.

"Have not!" Jack retorted, the picture of wounded dignity, although he knew perfectly well this was true. Well, death changed a person. He had tried to run from the Kraken, had tried to escape his fate, but somehow, everything had caught up to him eventually. Maybe it was time to stop running and start fighting.

"You have so!"

"Have not!"

"You have so!"

"Have not!"

"You have so, and you know it!"

"Have not, slander and calumny!" Jack swore righteously. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Everyone knew he was lying, he might as well just admit it. But although she tried to bring up that old anger she used to feel when he lied to her, she only felt a rueful sort of resignation. Lying and running away were part of Jack's idiosyncrasies, she had already accepted them as a part of his personality.

"I have only ever embraced that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions," Jack explained enigmatically. "I submit here and now, that is what we all must do." Jack paused, his eyes flitting around the room. It was a rather genius stroke on his part, turning that old rum-brained geezer's words against himself. "We must fight...to run away."

"Aye!" Gibbs faithfully cried, and Jack felt a rush of affection for his first mate as the rest of the room chimed in. Gibbs was the best thing Jack had to a friend, loyal, trusting. He was a good man and a good pirate.

Barbossa's voice rang out as the 'ayes' faded away. "As per the Code, an act of war - and this be exactly that - can only be declared by the Pirate King."

Jack's spirits instantly took a nosedive. If that was true - "You made that up!" he accused Barbossa. If the Code really did say that, Jack and the rest of the pirates were doomed.

There was so much she didn't know about this Pirate Lord business, Elizabeth realized. Like this Code that Jack and Barbossa kept referring to. She knew what it was, the Pirate's Code that was law for all pirates. But what was this Pirate King talk all about? After this Cutler Beckett business was put to rest, she promised herself, she would have a nice long chat with Jack or Gibbs or Barbossa about what exactly this Pirate Lord business entailed.

"Am I now?" Barbossa smirked. "I call on Captain Teague, Keeper of the Code."

The room instantly felt several degrees colder. Bugger, Jack thought. Bugger, bugger, buggerbuggerbugger. This was exactly why he hadn't wished to go to Shipwreck Cove. This meeting was precisely what he had tried to avoid for the last ten years or so. It had probably been more than ten years since he last saw...him. Captain Teague. And he had rather been hoping to make it twenty years, if not more, without meeting Captain Teague again.

A tense silence fell over the whole gathering. Elizabeth, about to ask something, was distracted by the look on Jack's face. He looked...nervous? Captain Jack Sparrow, the Captain Jack Sparrow, was nervous? It wasn't a common occurrence. In fact, as far as Elizabeth could remember, it had never happened before, not even when he was facing death. But here he was, looking like a scared young boy about to get in trouble. It was… endearing, in a way, and for a strange second, she wanted to go over to him and take his hand. She shook off the desire instantly, and put it down to too many liquor fumes floating around the room.

"Sri Sumbhajee proclaims this all to be folly!" one foolhardy soul chose to break the silence. "Hang the code! Who cares - " A gunshot rang through the air, effectively pausing the man's statement forever. Elizabeth winced as the man toppled to the ground.

His killer stood in the doorway, a framed silhouette. But something about that silhouette seemed familiar, although Elizabeth was certain she had never seen this pirate before. The mystery pirate blew on his smoking pistol and, in a quiet, gravelly voice that still echoed around the deathly silence of the room, said "The Code is the law."

The man stepped into the room, and again, Elizabeth felt that feeling, that something about this man was familiar, even though she knew he was a stranger. It was a combination of his appearance and his gait, Elizabeth surmised. He looked... a lot like Jack. Surely they weren't - related?

Looking at Jack's expression, she noticed with surprise that the nervousness had only intensified. He was absolutely silent, frozen to the spot. It was the first time Elizabeth had seen him look anything close to scared, and she was forced again to repress the desire to move to his side and take his hand.

"You're in my way, boy."

Grinding his teeth once more, Jack quietly stepped aside, avoiding Captain Teague's eyes. Blast Barbossa to the depths of the Locker for calling on Captain Teague. What was it about this man that always rendered Jack a tongue-twisted, speechless young lad once again?

Elizabeth, seeing the two men side by side, was convinced beyond doubt that they were related. Was this Jack's father? Did piracy run not only in Jack's soul, but also in his family? With a sudden pang of guilt, Elizabeth realized how little she knew about Jack, despite so many months aboard his vessel, fighting with him, fighting against him. She had always been too busy trying to achieve her own ends, trying to set her own life to rights, to care much about what went on in his. It was something she would have to remedy once all this was over. She wanted to know more about Jack, more about this mysterious man that instilled fear into the hearts of some of the most bloodthirsty pirates she knew, and yet seemed so harmless to her.

Captain Teague gestured once, and two other pirates stepped into the room, carrying a huge, heavy book embossed with the shining inscription, Pirata Codex

The infamous Pirate Code. Elizabeth had heard of it countless times, she just hadn't realized it was actually written in book form. She hadn't even known whether most pirates could read anything more complicated than a map. As far as Pintel was concerned, she wasn't sure whether he could do even that. But this Captain Teague person obviously knew his way around the alphabet, as he skimmed through the dusty volume with his finger.

"Ah," he sighed finally. "Barbossa is right."

Next to Elizabeth, Barbossa made a sweeping gesture of acknowledgement. Jack glared at him and finally found his tongue. "Hang on a minute," Jack stopped Captain Teague from closing the book. "It shall be the duty of the King to declare war, parlay with said adversaries...fancy that."

"There's not been a king since the first court, and that's not likely to change," the French Pirate Lord said resignedly.

"Not likely," Captain Teague murmured, with a meaningful look at Jack. Instantly, Jack's brain flew into action. Not likely wasn't the same as impossible, now was it? The solution had to be simple, some way to get everyone to fight, so this whole Davy Jones mess could be over and done with and Jack could go back to his ship and rum in peace.

"Why not?" Elizabeth asked quietly, confused. It seemed like a good idea. From what she'd seen of this ragtag bunch of rum-soaked pirates, they could use some strong leadership.

"Because the king is elected by popular vote," Gibbs kindly told her.

"And each pirate only ever votes for himself," Barbossa completed the thought.

"I call for a vote!" Jack announced cheerily, ignoring the grumbles of the other Pirate Lord. This could still work out all right, if he was careful. Maybe his father being here wasn't such a bad thing after all.

As soon as Elizabeth saw his face, she knew he had hatched another plan. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. What was Jack up to now?

"I vote for Amman the Corsair!" voted Amman the Corsair.

"Capitan Chevalle, the penniless Frenchman."

"Sri Sumbhajee votes for Sri Sumbhajee."

"Mistress Ching!"

"Gentleman Jocard."

It was Elizabeth's turn. Right on cue, she said resignedly, "Elizabeth Swann." She couldn't see what the point of this was. Why was Jack doing this? At this rate, they were waiting like sitting ducks for the East India Trading Company.

"Barbossa."

"Villanueva!"

Eight Pirate Lords had spoken. Only one remained. There was a moment of silence, where even the notes of the guitar stopped, and in that moment, Elizabeth's gaze met Jack's, she saw the conspiratorial gleam in his eye, and with a shock, she understood what he was about to do. The answer was so simple, so beautiful in its originality, that she just hadn't thought of it. For a Pirate King to be elected, all it would take was one pirate who could see the bigger picture, take into account something other than his own personal glory, to say the name -

"Elizabeth Swann," Jack said, a wicked glint in his eye.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, confused for a moment. She had thought he would call upon Barbossa. Barbossa was the one with the experience, the plan, the authority, after all. Granted, his idea was flawed, and would probably end up killing them all, but still, he had seniority over Elizabeth. Hadn't her plan been ridiculed by the entire congregation only seconds before?

"I know, curious isn't it?" Jack asked, giving her a small smile. He knew she was the best choice for King, and the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that he had made the right decision. He had known from long ago that piracy was in her very nature, and her actions of today had only proven his conviction true. She had strode into the gathering of sea-worn pirates, turned the place topsy-turvy with their news, and then offered them a good plan to fix everything. Granted, nobody had taken her words seriously, but with the authority of Pirate King, she would be heard. He had never coveted the position much himself, too much advance planning required, and Jack was a make-it-up-as-you-go man, but he could see that Elizabeth Swann as Pirate King was by no means a bad thing.

Elizabeth barely noticed the raised voices all around her. She was absolutely shocked, astonished, by Jack's words. Only a few minutes ago, he was complaining about 'giving the bloody title' of captain away! Why in the world had he made her Pirate King? She couldn't lead these people in reality, could she? But as she stared at Jack, and he stared right back, she suddenly understood something. He thinks I can do it, she realized with wonder. Jack Sparrow, the Captain Jack Sparrow, thought she could be Pirate King.

Only one problem, Elizabeth thought, looking around the angry room. It appeared that the rest of the pirates disagreed, Elizabeth's own men included. Tai Huang still hadn't accepted her as Captain in place of Sao Feng. That would have to be remedied, she noted, unconsciously already taking up the mantle of her leadership.

"Am I to understand that you lot will not be keeping to the code, then?" Jack asked innocently. That should shut them up. The twang of a guitar string snapping echoed through the suddenly silent room as all eyes turned towards Captain Teague. It was nearly enough to make Jack feel warm and fuzzy feelings for his father, except that the memory of their past together was still as fresh in their minds as though it were yesterday instead of a decade ago.

"Very well," Mistress Ching spoke at last. Jack looked at her, pleased. He knew she was one of the most sensible pirates present, and he was glad to be proven right. "What say you, Captain Swann, King of the Brethren Court?"

All eyes turned on Elizabeth again, but this time, she wasn't scared. She knew what had to be done, and she was prepared to do it. She knew what she was doing was the right method, the way in which she would avenge her father, the way in which all their lives would return to as before, the way they would all earn their freedom.

"Prepare every vessel that floats," she ordered, a steely glint in her eye. "At dawn, we're at war."

At her words, Jack became convinced beyond a doubt that she would do great things as Pirate King. Look at her now, silencing the room with just a few orders and staring down anyone who tried to stand in her way. He liked the way she thought, too. Her plan was nice - simple, easy to remember. The best kind of plans, in Jack's opinion. Yes, she could conquer the world as Pirate King, sheltered governor's daughter or otherwise.

Elizabeth glanced at Jack, to see what he thought of her plan, and was immediately struck by the shining approval in his face. The last time she had seen that expression on his face was when she was pulling her lips away from him after handcuffing him to the mast of his own ship. It was a look of complete support, complete appreciation, and it made Elizabeth straighten her spine with new courage. He truly believed she was worthy of Pirate King. And she trusted Jack's judgment about these things. With Jack Sparrow on her side, she couldn't fail.

The oldest of the Pirate Lords finally stood up. With great authority, he said, "And so, we shall go to war." Elizabeth was instantly taken aback by the high squeaky pitch of his voice, but his words had the desired effect. As one, the room began cheering, loud, raucous, bloodthirsty cheers, and Elizabeth felt a smile break out on her face. They could do it. With this much manpower, this many ships, surely Cutler Beckett would be dead this time tomorrow. She would make sure of it.

...

Jack looked around the screaming room with a sense of fleeting accomplishment. He turned around to go back to the Pearl, stock up for the next day, and in doing so, inadvertently met the eyes of his father. The eyes that looked so much like his own. Looking at him in - sadness? Pity? Eyes that looked like they knew his every thought.

"What?" he asked, slightly aggressively. "You've seen it all, done it all. You survived." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "That's the trick, innit? To survive?" Regardless of what happened to everyone else, regardless of what befell those you loved, wasn't that what his father had taught him?

Captain Teague regarded him gravely. "It's not just about living forever, Jackie." It had been a long time since he last heard that nickname, Jack realized. Ten years or more. It made him feel like he was sixteen again. "The trick is, living with yourself forever."

Maybe a year ago, those words would have mystified him. But now, Jack realized, he knew exactly what his father was talking about. Living wasn't worth it when you were alone - it was a realization he had made a long time ago when he had returned to the Pearl rather than escape the Kraken unscathed. He didn't know what life would be like without his ship, without his crew, without - he broke off the thought before it got him into trouble. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself had all of them been killed while he remained above land. In a way, he was rather glad Elizabeth had done what she had. It was much easier to forgive her than forgive himself. Living with himself, had he caused her death, would have been unbearable. Much like what his father probably felt. Nobody knew the reality of living alone with himself better than his father.

"How's mum?" Jack asked, leaning closer, trying to keep his voice from trembling. He hadn't seen his mother for longer than he cared to remember.

Without a word, his father held up a shrunken head on a string that had been in his belt before. Jack gulped. So the rumors he had heard were true. "She looks great," he lied, trying to smile and failing.

He turned away from Captain Teague, heading back for the Pearl. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, and he had best start trying to sleep as early as possible. Because as his dear Pirate King so forcefully put it, at dawn, they were at war. And it was a war they couldn't lose.

(A/N: Phew! That was long. But it was also a long scene, and I really love the idea of Jack worrying about Elizabeth. Upon rereading it, I realized that I made it really repetitive, but I like it that way, it makes it feel like Jack's worrying about Elizabeth to the point of obsession. Plus, there's a lot that happened between this scene and the last Sparrabeth scene that I really wanted to hint at. Like Jack's relationship with Will. It fascinates me, not so much in a romantic perspective, but in a friends vs. rivals perspective. Just like Barbossa and Jack, which I also enjoyed portraying. Jack and Will's conversation at night right before Jack leaves Will for Beckett really fascinates me - I was thinking of including that in this story, even though it wasn't a Sparrabeth moment per se, but I decided not to. But I'm toying with the idea of making it a separate one-shot, what do you think? And I also wanted to create the impression that Jack had been doing a lot of thinking on the journey to the Brethren Court - not just about Elizabeth, but about life and freedom and priorities. Because Jack's priorities really change a lot in this third movie, especially after Elizabeth's kiss and the kraken and dying and whatnot, and I think Captain Teague sums it up best: "It's not just about living forever, Jackie. It's about living with yourself forever." One of my favorite lines! I had to put in that last little bit about Jack and his dad, even though people advised me to cut it off right there. I don't really know what the next Sparrabeth Moment's going to be. I'm thinking maybe the parley on the sand, because I love that little scene with all the major players in the movie in it. Well, this has been a super long author's note. If you really read all this, please tell me what you think!)