Jack wasn't sure whether it was his own scream or Ella's that he heard following the shot. The pistol in Cutler Beckett's hand gleamed in the stream of sunlight and was still smoking from the freshly fired pellet. Blood stained Beckett's shit but to Jack's horror, he realized it was not Beckett's blood. It was Ella's. She'd fallen limply onto the bed, facing away from them. Jack could hear her labored breathing as she gasped for air and when she turned, both of them realized it had hit her just below her ribs. Beckett laughed cruelly at her.

"Don't you see Sparrow? I always win...she'll be dead within the quarter hour." A strangled sound came from Jack's throat as his brown eyes turned black.

"So will you..." He whispered and dropped his gun, and lunging at Beckett, sending both of them reeling to the ground with Jack in control, his hands around the man's neck as he beat his head on the wooden floor. Beckett reached for Jack's discarded gun and had cocked it when Jack craftily pulled his dagger from his belt and gracefully skimmed it across Beckett's throat, blood spilling from the man's neck as he dropped his weapon and gagged for air. A moment or two later, he stopped gasping and Jack stared down at him, not one bit sorry.

The shock of killing Beckett was forgotten when Eleanore's slight whimper of pain came from the bed. Rising from the ground, he quickly moved to Ella's side and pulled her into his arms, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"I'm...sorry..." She managed to choke out, wincing. He couldn't find his voice, but shook his head at her. "I shouldn't have come out after you..." She whispered. Her eyes were beginning to look a bit glassy as she fought for breath for a few moments.

"No..." He said, finally, "I should never have left you alone..." His voice choked in his throat and he began to sound rather like a child as a sob escaped him. "It...it wasn't supposed to end like this." She coughed violently, a bit of blood coming out of the corner of her mouth as she shivered.

"Jack, I...I...love...you..." She said and he managed to kiss her, but before he pulled away, her lips softened and she went limp.

In utter horror and disbelief he stared at her for a long while. Ella, his Ella, was dead. Gone. Her skin had gone white and the life was removed from her lovely face. Her face was wet, but from whose tears Jack could not tell. The door to the Cabin was thrown open as Mr. Gibbs and Jack's father burst in, ready for attack.

"Cap'n." Gibb's began, "We 'eard the gun shot, is everything all..." The man stopped, seeing the Captain hunched over with his back to them. When he turned around, the lifeless girl dangling in his arms, Gibbs let out a tortured cry, seeing the dead Beckett on the floor,

"No..." Grant said, eyeing the red stain on her chest.

"She isn't..." Gibbs began to say but the look in Jack's eyes told him otherwise. Jack sighed, setting her down gently.

"It's over..."

"'Ere we are miss! Two new dresses...from your mother's closet." The maid told Elizabeth when she returned. Liz felt a sudden chill. The sky outside had gone black and thunder clapped in the distance. The maid sighed, helping Liz into the dress. "I 'ate storms...always makes you feel somethin's gone wrong in the world." She curtseyed before leaving the room. Liz looked at herself in the mirror, but before she could even formulate a thought, the sound of bounding footsteps startled her as Will fell breathlessly into the room.

"Goodness Will! What is it?" Elizabeth asked, fearfully. His eyes were dark with sorrow.

"It's Eleanore...she..." He stopped, trying to catch his breath as what dangerously sounded like a sob emerged from him.

"She...what?" Liz asked but he shook his head.

"She's dead!" He said, "Beckett killed her!" Elizabeth lost her footing and actually fell into his arms when her knees seemed to give out from under her.

"After all Jack went through to find her...after all she endured...and she's gone? She's really gone?" Her voice broke. "Where is he?" She asked, referring to Jack.

Will sighed.

"He is downstairs with James..." She nodded, taking his hand.

"Well, we must see to them..." She said but she was not prepared for the state Jack was in when they found him and it literally frightened her. He was not crying, he was not speaking, he simply stared straight ahead and though he looked at Elizabeth in acknowledgment, he seemed to look through her. James, however, was a visible wreck, still in tears, his shaggy hair mussed, his clothes wrinkled.

"James." She said quietly, touching his arm. He reached for her and they held each other in the long embrace of two old friends. She moved to Jack next, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, but he remained stiff and did not touch her.

"So, what now Captain?" She asked and his eyes listlessly focused on her. He didn't respond. Will bit his lip and came forward, putting his arm around Liz's waist.

"We have to do something...there must be something..."

"No." Jack said finally, quietly, his voice devoid of hope. "It's done...it's not like she is at world's end...her body is lying on the ship right now! Tia Dalma can't just wave her bloody hand and..."

"Wait!" Elizabeth interjected. "What if she could?" All three men turned to look at her.

"What?" It was amazing that they all said it at the exact same moment.

"She brought Barbossa back, why not Ella?"

Hope filled James's eyes.

"Do you really think she could?" He asked. Elizabeth shrugged.

"I know Barbossa's deal was to return to the Underworld, but there could be some way to bring her back...I mean, we all know Ella wouldn't bargain with Hades..." She said softly. Will nodded.

"Elizabeth is right. We've got to try..." Jack gave a slight nod of approval, though he looked skeptical.

"Fine." His curt reply came.

"I'm coming too." Elizabeth said, but Will shook his head.

"The hell you are...you're staying right where you are and resting with your father." When she began to protest he said, "You're carrying our child..."

"But I..." He silenced her with a kiss.

"I love you Liz...do this for me." Finally, she relented and agreed to stay, watching them walk toward the docks until they were out of sight.

Not surprisingly, Tia Dalma was expecting them.

"Let me see 'er." She said as Jack gently laid Ella's body on the table at her gesture. Tia Dalma leaned over the girl's form, gently extracting the bullet with magic and cleaning the blood.

"Is there nothing you can do?" James asked fearfully. Tia Dalma's beautiful face was grim.

"'Dis is out o' my 'ands..." She replied regretfully. Jack's head began to lower into his hands before she said, "But 'der is someone who may be able to 'elp." She moved to a container of something and pulled out a handful of the same pink dust from before. She let it fall into the heart shaped jewel box and closed it. As it had before, the pink light appeared in the dim light, and the beautiful Aphrodite appeared.

Her tinkling voice, so like Ella's came. In fact, it hurt Jack to look at her.

"Calypso, what..." She stopped when Tia Dalma gestured to the table. Aphrodite glanced at Jack. "Your love...?" She asked and he nodded as she put a delicate hand on Ella's face.

"She looks...like me." She said softly, surprise in her voice. James had to swallow the lump in his throat because it was true. They could have been sisters.

"She was taken from you..." She mused. Again, Jack had to nod, blinking furiously to keep the stinging in his eyes at bay. With a small sigh, Aphrodite went to Jack, who had to look away because it seemed the resemblance grew every moment.

"Have you the compass?" She inquired as Jack fumbled stupidly for the ruddy thing, which had stopped working all together. Aphrodite whispered something that Jack was unable to hear and set the compass on Ella's chest. After a moment, another light appeared, this one blue, before a black haired being appeared with light amber colored eyes. She too, was beautiful, wearing a crown of flowers upon her head. Aphrodite smiled.

"Persephone, how lovely to see you..." A lovely smile appeared on her face as her hand took Aphrodite's. "Persephone...this man discovered the true purpose of my compass...but she's been taken from him...to the Underworld."

Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, nodded as she touched the compass and the face of it became cloudy as it turned into a window to the Underworld, showing Eleanore...awaiting her judgment, frightened and alone. Persephone looked at Jack knowingly.

"She is your treasure..." She said in a flowing alto voice. Jack looked at her confused.

"W-what?"

"The treasure...that this compass's prophecy foretells...she is your treasure." He nodded in agreement as Aphrodite smiled proudly.

"You have learned that true treasure is not gold or riches, but true honest love...and since you have broken the compass's spell...you will get the treasure you were promised."

"I...I will?" He asked in disbelief. She nodded as Persephone continued for her.

"The power of true love...now you must take both of her hands in yours..." She instructed as Jack complied. Ella's hands were cold and clammy even. Funny, how hours before she'd looked completely different, yet it was still her features and her hair. He closed his eyes. Please let this work...

Elizabeth paced furiously, biting her nails between fits of crying. She wanted to be there with Will and with Jack now...not cooped up in her father's house. What if Ella couldn't be saved? What then? Would Jack just go back to his old ways? Would he fall apart? And what of dear James, who would be a father not long after Will became one? Elizabeth sighed, staring longingly at the sea. Again she thought of their child as her hand came lazily to lay over the ever so slight curve of her middle. When would she be able to feel the child? Thoughts of her baby swan through her head, and of course, all that came to her mind were images of a little boy with black hair and brown eyes who looked just like his father and would no doubt be named for him. It was then that she figured out what she wanted to do.

"What you must do Jack, is bow your head and hold her hands in yours...Aphrodite and myself will each put one of our hands on yours. You must concentrate on your love for Eleanore...keep your eyes closed." Jack nodded at Persephone, utterly dumbstruck as to what he was doing. He did as she instructed, squeezing Ella's hands, praying he would feel her squeeze back soon. The warmth of the two goddesses' hands seemed to fill his entire body. Thunder rolled in the distance and a great wind filled the small cottage as a small light emerged from the compass. Jack tightened his grip on Ella's hands, hoping for a twitch, anything, as he thought of Ella. Their first kiss that night on the beach...their night in Tortuga and the rain...her confession of not wanting to be alone anymore...their second kiss...their wedding...their wedding night...her voice when she would sing. Oh, what a lovely singing voice it was...He thought of how she'd used her patience and kindness to enchant his crew of pirates. He realized he'd never loved anyone that much and suspected he must have loved her from their first kiss, when strands of her pinned rust colored hair had escaped in the gentle night breeze. The wind in the cottage became increasingly violent as lightning began to flash outside the window before everything went eerily still and silent until a gasping sob broke the calm.