Chapter 12

Ana paced back and forward in the cell, kicking at the bars and ignoring the looks form her crew as she groaned in frustration. What was she supposed to do now? There was at least half an hour until James would hopefully come to the rescue.

A crunching from the wall behind her and some scared Chinese mutterings caused Ana to turn and come face to coral with Bootstrap Bill Turner. Curling her arm around a post and allowing her crew to surround her, she looked on in disbelief as the face moved away from the wall to form a body.

"Bill Turner? That's my name. How do you know my name?" the figure asked as it advanced towards Ana, causing her to tighten her arm on the post for comfort, "how do you know my name?"

"I know your son," she stammered, momentarily taken aback by the figure, the coral and sea creatures forming the face more frightening in person than in picture, "Will, he's trying to get to you."

The man seemed to think for a minute and then opened his eyes wider, smiling and beginning to laugh in a manner that suggested he hadn't done so in a long time, "my son! Will, he's going to come get me," the laughter fell away from him and he seemed to really look at Ana, reaching out but pulling back at the last minute, "but he won't come. He can't, it's because of you!"

"Me? No, he wants to come save you, he's tried already," Ana tried to comfort the man as he sat back down, "he chose you. He chose you over Jack, he will come."

"Tell him not to then," the figure roared and spun back to face Ana, "he has to pick you Elizabeth, I'd pick you. Serving life in the dead seas isn't something I want for him."

Ana frowned and opened her mouth to speak, words failing her momentarily before she thought of what to say, "I'm not Elizabeth, I'm Ana, Georgia, my sister and I know Will. He wants to save you, nothing I say will stop him."

"More reason," Bootstrap said as he sank back into the wall, "you're part of the crew you're part of the ship. Why become ship parts when you have a woman you love and two more to protect, he has sisters now. Tell him not to come."

Ana stared at the wall with the head protruding and turned away with big, sad eyes. Now she would help Will save his father, but she had to figure out who should stab the heart first. It couldn't be Will, she realized, and Jack wouldn't do either. Lizzie couldn't do it, and she and Georgia had to get back and that was not the way.

**********

Georgia watched Will cut the rope he had used to tie a dead body to a barrel, and then watched him turn his knife over in his hands, pinching herself to stay awake since she had been hiding there for over an hour, just watching and waiting for Jack to make a appearance.

Without fail he had climbed down from some rigging and walked across a protruding ledge, laying himself down on it lazily and without making any noise, much like a cat. She also knew he was probably aware that she was there, having to have seen her from the rigging as he made his way down.

"You escaped the brig even quicker than I expected," he finally called to Will over the noise of the ship, smirking from his place near some sail ties and using the rope to quickly pull himself to his feet, beginning to talk again as Will pointed the knife at him, "William, do you notice anything? Rather, do you notice something that is not there to be noticed?"

"You haven't raised an alarm," Will said quickly, aware that Jack could do so at any minute and most likely thinking that that was precisely his plan.

"Odd isn't it? Odder than the fact that young Georgia over there hasn't either, but not as odd as this," he said with a smile, gesturing to where Georgia was hiding and then coaxing her out before pointing to his feet and the body tied to the barrel that was resting there, "come up with this all by your lonesome, did you?"

Will gave a twisted kind of smile and turned from Jack to Georgia, looking back at the barrel body and answering Jack's question, "I said to myself, 'think like Jack'."

"And this is what you arrived at?" Jack asked with a look of distaste on his face, glancing to the bodies and then back at Will and Georgia, "Lead Beckett to Shipwreck Cove to gain his trust accomplish your own ends? Its like you don't know me at all, mate."

Georgia scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Jack a pointed look and then looking towards Will, shrugging her shoulders and giving a smile that should have read something along the lines of 'don't ask me, I'm not getting involved'.

"And how does your dearly beloved feel about this plan?" Jack began again, balancing extremely well on the rounded support beam, "Ah. You've not seen fit to trust her with it."

Jack's boots barely made a sound as he walked down the beam and jumped off, landing next to Will who had turned away from him and was now facing Georgia, head downcast.

"I'm losing her Jack," he stated sadly, "every step I make for my father is a step away from Elizabeth."

Georgia watched Jack as Will spoke and softened her look, seeing how compassionate the older pirate could be and wondering how she had never seen that conveyed to quite the right extent in the movie.

"Mate, if you choose to lock your heart away, you'll lose her for certain," Jack said quietly, showing slight empathy as he accomplished his own ends, "if I might lend a machete to your intellectual thicket…avoid the choice altogether. Change the facts. Let someone else dispatch Jones.'

"Who?" Will said stupidly and Georgia shook her head, stepping forwards and moving her hand from her brow, walking to Will and putting her hand to his face, catching his chin in her fingers and turning his face in Jacks direction, "you?"

"Death has a curious way of reshuffling ones priorities," Jack said as he wiped the smile off his face and walked back towards Will, "just ask An…"

He trailed off and looked around, shaking his head and then looking back at Will, continuing his previous train of thought, "I slip aboard the Dutchman, find the heart, stab the beating thing, your father goes free form his debt, you're free to be with your charming murderess."

"Forgetting one thing," Georgia tried to put in, but was cut off by Will as he pondered Jacks idea and put forward the consequences.

"You're willing to cut out your heart and bind yourself to the Dutchman," Will said in slight disbelief, more anger showing through at the thought of being so close to having everything he wants only to have it ruined, "forever?"

"No, mate I'm free forever," Jack said, squishing all Will's worries and showing just how upset about dying he really was, "free to sail the seas beyond the edge of the map. Free from death itself."

"You have to do the job though, Jack," Will stated a little harshly for the situation, ignoring Georgia as she tried to say something again, "you have to ferry souls to the next world. Or end up just like Jones."

Will moved his fingers over his chin to describe a beard and Jack groaned, showing a slightly disgusted expression, "I don't have the face for tentacles. But immortal has to count for something, eh?"

Jack pasted on a ridiculous grin again and made a weird noise, rummaging over his sash and pulling his compass off, handing it to Will, gaining the response he thought he wouldn't receive, "what's this for?"

Georgia sighed again and rolled her eyes at Jack who smiled back in recognition of what she was trying to convey, "think like me and it'll come to you," he advised Will, stepping into his personal space and breathing right in his face as he looked up, causing him to pull backwards and tumble off the side of the Pearl.

Georgia ran to the side with a gasp and watched as Jack pushed the body and the barrel overboard, turning to her and stepping forward.

"No way, nuh uh," she said loudly, waving her finger back and forward, "what did I do to deserve that?"

"Didn't raise an alarm love," Jack smirked, stepping a little closer and moving his hands about, "I know why I didn't, but I'm afraid I can't trust you. Hopefully your sister'll forgive me. My regards to Davy Jones."

Georgia screamed as he pushed her overboard, sending her plunging into the water and then spluttering as she rose to the surface, holding her hat to her head tightly as Will pulled her to the barrel.

"Fine mess you've gotten us in," she snarled as he held her to the barrel, compass in one hand and the other clinging to a rope, "is thinking really so hard Will?"

"I hate him," was her only reply as she coughed up a little water and finally shut her eyes, listening to Wills rhythmic breathing and ranting as he opened and closed the compass, "I really hate him."

A/N: hmmm, trouble in paradise, two crew members overboard, a pirate with bad breath I think I added enough to that last bit, hopefully anyway. As for Ana's parts insolence, empathy, ranting madmen; everything seems to be right there. Please let me know what you think. I have to say that this chapter has given me my favourite line yet, "Fine mess you've gotten us in," she snarled as he held her to the barrel, compass in one hand and the other clinging to a rope, "is thinking really so hard Will?" so like someone I know, if you're reading and know I'm talking about you; I love you. Thanks for reading, Ange.