Jack and Rachel had to be forced onto the ship while Emily and Elizabeth nearly jumped onboard. However, Elizabeth's excitement was due to the fact that she was convinced, the rescue would gladly take her to her dear William.
"We've got to save Will!" She protested as the Commodore and her father walked away from her, again. Emily stood by her side, supporting her position. Rachel would have been there, but she was too occupied with Jack and standing next to him, getting as much time with him as she could. The Governor turned to his daughter and niece.
"No, you are all safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates!" Elizabeth huffed in response while Emily retorted.
"Then we condemn him to death," As she spoke, she missed the spark in James' eyes at her words and the fervor therein. The Governor sighed.
"The boy's fate is regrettable, but, then, so was his decision to engage in piracy." Elizabeth looked defeated. Emily was persistent.
"To rescue us! To prevent anything from happening to us!" James turned back around, ready to say something, but then Rachel stepped up, pushing Jack and his 'professional opinion' back.
"If I might intervene, Commodore, Uncle, I would just like to point out that I also engaged in piracy and yet here I stand, no shackles binding me." James turned away, so Rachel grabbed his shoulder.
"How can you let someone die when you can prevent it?" James got a hard look in his eye.
"By knowing that I am doing the greater good," he walked off. Rachel stood in her spot as Elizabeth threw herself over the railing of the stairway James climbed.
"Commodore, I beg you, please do this," she inhaled. Emily restrained herself. "For me; as a wedding gift." Emily looked away from the scene. She couldn't take it. A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Elizabeth," the Governor was surprised. "Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" James looked at her. Emily was trying to black out the words that she knew were coming.
"I am." She was trying to win him over. Emily knew that her attempts to win the Commodore's heart were all for naught. Emily willed the tears to stay in her eyes and Rachel tried to brighten the mood with Emily's favorite line.
"A wedding? I love weddings!" Jack finished it.
"Drinks all around!" He made a grand gesture with his hands. Everyone turned to look at the two.
Rachel shrugged with a small smile. James walked down the steps towards Elizabeth. He took her hand in his. Emily was nearby listening intently to every word he said.
"Elizabeth," His words were gentle, but calculated. "I know what I said the day of my promotion," He glimpsed at Emily, with tears down her cheeks. "But I must retract my proposal of marriage. I have found my heart captured by another."
He stepped towards Emily. Before he could speak, Emily took her chances.
"James, you can't just let Will die. If you reject Elizabeth," she whispered the last part. "Who else will have her?" He thought for a moment, smile gracing his lips. Emily nearly turned to mush on the deck of the ship.
"I will do this for Elizabeth, but only to make you happy." His eyes held an earnest devotion to the lady standing in front of him.
It would have been a romantic moment, if not for Jack Sparrow speaking loudly and rapidly in the background to Rachel and an audience of soldiers.
"Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta." Elizabeth gave a sigh of relief. "You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave.' Do I make myself clear?" Jack slightly frowned.
"Inescapably clear," He followed the soldiers up, Rachel trailing closely behind.
The Commodore was still standing close to Emily. She had not forgotten that detail. She was the first to break the silence.
"Thank you, James, for helping a dear friend of mine." He nodded. Emily knew it was now or never. It was her 'opportune moment'. She raised her hand and put it lightly on his cheek. "And I would just like to say that Will is only a friend." James sighed or let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Good because I hope my intentions were clear," it was Emily's turn to hold her breath. "Miss Price, I intend to marry you when we get back to Port Royal at any cost." He smiled a bit. "As long as you'll have me, of course," James reached up and whipped the single tear still on Emily's sun blushed cheek.
Emily smiled and let out a laugh.
"James, if I ever denied you, the universe as we know it would end." James smiled. It wasn't his usual grin, the twitching of muscles, a grimace, or any other facial expression. It was a full-out, cheek-to-cheek, lighting-up-his-eyes smile. Emily had never seen him so happy.
A few officers passed by. James straightened up. The twinkle in his eye from his smile was still there, but his face was stoic. He grabbed Emily's hand and brushed his lips softly against her knuckles.
He walked away. Emily stood frozen. Only then did she realize that she was practically engaged to the most perfect man she had ever met or imagined.
Rachel had watched the scene from the railing above them. She had followed Jack up to the helm, but was prohibited from knowing the bearings or any other sort of nautical nonsense. The soldiers had said she was too much of a 'lady'. To this Rachel had scoffed.
"I sure feel like a lady especially in my pants." Her grumbles were dripping with sarcasm as she flopped herself over the railing to eves drop on Emily and James. The men on this ship were so aggravating. Only Jack Sparrow was an exception to that, considering he tried to keep Rachel with himself. She sighed as Emily practically danced away with Elizabeth to get each of them an old navy uniform to wear instead of their undergarments. Emily was more excited than a child on Christmas. She had her man, and she had her pants.
Rachel leaned herself even more over the railing, if that was possible, letting her torso dangle completely over. She could feel eyes on her back and soon her Uncle came up behind her.
"You know, my dear, that isn't very lady-like." She let out a sigh and stood up straight.
"Sorry, I guess, I'm just exhausted from the adventure." The Governor chuckled slightly, sighing.
"You were never one for etiquette. You were always breaking rules as a young child. I should have expected you taking well to piracy; especially when you started to read those books." Rachel let a small smile grace her lips, as she leaned her elbow on the rail. He glanced over at her face.
"I know you don't want it, my dear, but after the end of this adventure, you shall be forced back into the manners of Port Royal." Rachel let out a sigh.
"You mean forced back into a cage of protocol?" She realized who she was speaking to too late. She slapped her hands over her mouth, apologizing for what she said. The Governor laughed.
"You always did have a wild spirit." Jack was pushed out of the way of the table as Gillette tried to look at the map; Rachel frowned; and the Governor became thoughtful. "Yes, a very wild spirit."
Rachel flopped her torso over the railing again. The Governor patted her back as he made to leave her alone.
"Just follow your heart, my dear, and make sure you're happy." Rachel stood up, but her Uncle had already gone. She turned to face the men at the helm.
Two men had taken Jack to the brig leaving Rachel mostly alone on the upper deck. The only officer she knew was Lt. Groves; she began to watch his movements not realizing that she was staring until it was too late.
"You know Miss Price it's rude to stare," Rachel chuckled slightly.
"I insist you call me Rachel, and you know I was never one for manners, Lieutenant." He smiled.
"Then I insist you call me Theodore," Rachel leaned her back against the railing and looked out to the sea.
"What does the phrase 'follow your heart' mean to you Theodore?" He leaned next to her studying her facial features.
"Act upon your feelings, not upon what you've been told." Rachel turned to face the young man thinking over his words carefully. He had an unreadable look in his eyes.
"I see, well thank you." She made a move to go find Emily and Elizabeth but Groves reached out and gently grabbed her elbow. Rachel turned to look at him slowly.
"You deserve someone better; a man who can thoroughly take care of your every need." Theodore smiled and Rachel returned the smile and kissed him on the cheek as a thank you for his concern. She knew that he cared about her, maybe more that he really should, and that he only wanted the best for her, just like her Uncle, but sometimes the best was just never good enough when love was concerned.
She slipped her arm from his grasp and headed down the stairs to spend the rest of the voyage to the Isla de Muerta with Elizabeth. Emily was nowhere to be found. She was off with James no doubt, spending some time with him before he ran off to be the heroic man she knew and loved.