"Come with me." James Norrington stood there, having just opened the small door to the cell. When no one moved, he seemed to become more exasperated than before. "Quickly." Elizabeth kept her face impassive, not knowing whether to trust her former friend or not. And yet, the first mate looked to her, and she knew if they wanted to get off the Dutchman, they ought to trust him, despite his crimes. She nodded, and the crew quickley filed out, speaking quietly to each other. For the last hour, they had stood there silently, though no one was down in the brig to see them doing so.
"What are you doing?" She was the las one to leave, coming face to face with the man she had almost married. She could not believe he had allowed her father to be killed! How could he?
"Choosing a side."
They climbed through a hole in the side if the ship and along the side to the bow, whee lines had been strung up between the two ships. Behind them, the damaged Empress was being towed, and the crew hastily began shimmying down the lines to reclaim their ship. Elizabeth, however, was pulled aside, Norrington speaking hastily and with much urgency in his voice. "Do not go to Shipwreck Cove. Beckett knows of the meeting of the Brethren. I fear there may be a traitor among them."
Was he trying to earn her favor once more? She had no idea, and yet a bit of her wanted desperately to trust the man she had once known. 'He let your father die!' The voice in her mind screamed. "It's too late to earn my forgiveness."
"I had nothing to do with your father's death. But that does not absolve me of my other sins." He truly looked sorry, and as if when she had told him the news it had been the first time he had heard of it. Though he might, as he said, have other sins, being a liar was not one of them. No, he simply had made the wrong call, and was in need of another chance. Though the air between them would never be completely empty of mistrust, she was willing to at least spare his life.
"Come with us. James, come with me."
A shuffling was head on the balcony above them, and he quickly shoved her behind him. Bootstrap emerged, a strange look in hie eyes. "Who goes there?" His voice cut across the dark, shattering their need to whisper. The entire ship would know their location soon enough.
It was not the crew of the Flying Dutchman that Norrington was afraid of, rather the Navy. Though of high rank now, there was still much distrust between Mercer, Beckett, and himself, and it was well founded. Norrington had, after all, struck an alliance with the devil himself. The Dutchman would not hurt him, so long as he helped break the bonds the EITC had on the cursed captain.
"Go. I will follow."
"You're lying."
"I am not, as it is. The crew of the Dutchman will not harm me."
Elizabeth shook her head, not believing for a moment what he said. "Just because you are part of the group that controls them does not mean they will not harm you!"
He shook his head in a way that clearly said that that was not his point. "I have struck a deal with Jones."
Elizabeth could feel her eyes widen with shock. First Jack and Will, then Cass, and now James? Once she thought about it, was Beckett's drive simply to control the seas with Jones's heart? Now, with the goddess Calypso in the mix, everything was going to the dogs. Everything had suddenly become about the tenticled sea captain, and most of it was not in his best interest. No, it seemed Cass was the only one who seemed to truly want to help him.
Elizabeth had heard pieces and parts of the other woman's story, but never her motivation as to why she wished to help Jones. From the way the girl clammed up a bit at the mention of her past life, she could tell it was not the best of subjects, and the truth would come out at its own time. The only thing she had to worry about in terms of her friend was her actions, which were slowly becoming more and more violent, especially as her anger built up. She seemed to nurse a sore spot for Jack, sending a glare at him each time he got too close. For that Elizabeth could not blame her. The captain seemed to have his own agenda, even if it ended up hurting the rest of them. If Cass had gotten in the mix with that, and especially in the fragile state she was in before the Dutchman as well as after, she could understand the motive. Yet, killing Jack would not accomplish anything accept adding his name to the list of those she had killed.
It was always about Davy Jones, wasn't it? And yet, the man had little control over his own destiny. Rather like Cass. Even as the thought entered her mind, she decided to dwell in it later on, as it seemed to be something that might take much brainpower.
"Sailor, tell the Captain K have taken my leave when he returns."
"Aye," Bootstrap replied in a rather hushed voice. "Will you be needing a diversion?"
"Nay, simply keep an eye on Mercer will do."
Elizabeth was in shock, watching as this interaction took place. Somehow, it was all starting to click into place, yet the gaps between the significant bits became all to apparent. "We must go to Shipwreck Cove. I must find Cass and piece some things together, and we must warn the pirate lords of what is to come."
"Elizabeth-" but she was already climbing the railing and latching on to the ropes. Norrington quickly followed behind her, and she watched as Bootstrap's silhouette disappeared.
The climb left her muscles aching, and halfway though she had to remind herself that she was regaining her freedom ever as her arms burned and she wished to stop. James clearly was not going as fast as he would have liked, keeping behind her as she set the pace. And keep the pace she did, until her aching legs were back on the Empress. The crew was already setting about getting ready to make way, thought the first mate had watched as they had made their way inboard as well.
"Am I your captain yet?" She asked, sarcasm drenching her words.
The man had seen her do a few things inspiring them to follow her, not the least of which was attempting to help Sao Feng, staying with the crew, and taking the blame for captain though they had refused her leadership.
"Aye."
She had not been expecting that. Yet, a command quickly came to her lips. "Make was for Shipwreck Cove, as fast as possible."
/
"Look alive and keep a weather eye!" They were nearing the port, and already Cass could see why it was called what it was. The entire island seemed to be a gigantic sore lifting from the sea made entirely out of old shipwrecks. As soon as she tried to folks on one thing, another caught her eye. The lights were glowing golden in the darkness, and already she was glad to be there. If she were to settle down anywhere, it would be here, she felt.
Below, on the deck, Jack was speaking with Gibbs about something another, and Cass was watching them. She almost wanted to go down there and try to get the old Jack she knew, the one who had taken her aboard the Pearl in the first place, the one who had comforted her, back. Yet, this softer side of him seemed to hardly exist, not since he had kissed her. Was the whole taking care of her one huge ploy to lure her in? She hoped not. In her own opinion, she had taken enough stress for one girl without Jack's motives in the picture.
She turned her eyes back to the beautiful town, wishing she knew the future. From what had already transpired, she knew that the EITC was going to attempt to eliminate the pirates sometime soon. She also knew that Jones was somewhere with them, and undoubtably unhappy about it. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered how he was fairing. Had news of her and Jack's return to life reached him yet, or was he still thinking she was in the Locker? Would he go try to retrieve her, or was his freedom so restricted that he could not eve do that? In that way he was much like her. Though her fate was much more in her own hands, she still was being tossed around like a rag doll. She would add that to the list of things that made them alike.
Climbing down, she decided it would be a good time to stretch her legs while they still worked. As she passed Jack, he grabbed her arm and swung her back around to face him. "You have been mysteriously absent through all these dealings."
"Or maybe I have simply been in the background, mad ye have been ignoring me," she replied, snatching her arm back. She did not, however, step away, instead she once again turned to face the incoming town. "The stakes are high, aren't they? Much higher than anyone thinks?"
Jack rested his arms on the railing as she had, and nodded. "I suspect there will be a battle to fight, an not everyone will make it alive."
Cass sighed. "Not only that, but this will be what it all comes down to, whether Piracy lasts another decade or not."
He turned to look at her, an almost sad look on his face. "I suppose ye will be fighting, then."
Her grin confirmed it: she had cone slightly mad. "Wouldn't miss it for all the rum in the world."
Jack shook his head disbelievingly. "I would."
It was as close those two would come to apologizing, and they both acknowledged it. They were prideful pirates, after all, and had reputations to keep. Still, they were on much better terms now, and that was what counted.
/
"I do not renege on a bargain once struck. But we agreed on ends only. The means are mine to decide." Barbossa was at the bow, Calypso standing with him. In truth he had known that she was a goddess long before Cass had decided it fit to let the whole ship know.
"Caution, Barbossa. Do not forget it was by my power you return from the dead. Or what it mean if you fail me." As always, her English was poor. It seemed though that he and Cassandra shared one similarity, that they did not particularly care for the fish goddess.
"Don't you forget why you had to bring me back. Why I could not leave Jack to his well-deserved fate. It took nine pirate lords to bind you, Calypso. And it'll take no less than nine to set you free." In truth, he did not want to see her set free. Though she may be appeased for a few minutes, eventually her wrath would once again fall onto the pirates of the globe again. "Masters Pintel and Ragetti. Take this fishwife to the brig."
"Right this way, Mrs. Fish," Ragetti said as he pretended to escort her to the brig.
/
Davy Jones did not know what he would see when he opened the doors to Beckett's office. Would she be standing there, somehow caged once again? Or would She be there, laughing at him as she always was? Neither, as it turned out. The second figure in the room was decidedly male, one he recognized, in fact. "I cannot be summoned like some mongrel pup."
"Apparently, you can." The man mistook his reason for being here. This was not because of some order he had given, rather his own curiosity. "I believe you know each other."
"Come to join my crew again, Master Turner?"
The man in the burgundy shirt turned, a smug smile on his face. He held a tea cup, and looked all the more intolerable. Jones scowled. "Not yours. His." Will Turner gestured at Beckett, who was looking quite amused at the encounter. Will turned away, but then back, as if remembering something. "Jack Sparrow sends his regards."
"Sparrow?" Sparrow was back from the Locker? Did that mean... Could the lass be with him? Had she returned to the land of the living as well? He attempted to hide his curiosity on her behalf from his eyes so she could not be used against him, at her own expense. "Sparrow?"
"You didn't tell him." Turner had this all planned, he could tell. What he could not tell was what side he was on. "We rescued Jack from the Locker along with the Black Pearl."
"What else have you not told me?" What was he hiding? That the Brethren Court had found Calypso and intended to release her?
"There is an issue far more troublesome." The man who had so irked him strode around to a safe distance away, turning his back on him while sipping on his cup of tea. "I believe you're familiar with a person called Calypso."
How could it be? He had thought her long gone, but now... Was it a near coincidence that her name surfaced now, of all times? "Not a person. A heathen god. One who delights in cursing men with their wildest dreams and then revealing them to be hollow and naught but ash." His beard twitched at the memory of how she had betrayed him so long ago. No matter how hard he tried, the image of her with that other man would always be imprinted in mis mind. "The world is well rid of her." And once she had been done with him, she had decided he did not deserve to love again, and cursed the one woman in a thousand years to even remotely care for him, even if it meant she lost her own heart in the process.
"Not quite so well, actually." Turner finally spoke up, then took a sip of his own tea. What the two of them saw in the drink was a mystery. He himself found it to be bitter and slimy, not something he enjoyed. Then again, he had not had need for food or drink in hundreds of years, so it made no difference, really. "The Brethren Court intends to release her."
Had he not been thinking that this might have been the news? And there he was, hoping the nameless girl was there. At least there was a chance she was alive once more. But should the goddess be released, she would most certainly die.
"No! They cannot!" His beard writhed angrily, and his fingers twitched. He had to keep from snapping his crab claw and breaking something. "The First Court promised to imprison her forever! That was our agreement!"
Somehow, Beckett did not know exactly what was at stake here. His vioce, which Jones was getting tired of! Remained quiet. "Your agreement?"
He shrugged, remembering the joy he had gotten to see her fall from her power. "I showed them how to bind her. She could not be trusted. I... She gave me no choice." Just as she gave me no choice but to kill the girl in order to save her. His anger flared up again at the injustice of it all. "We must act before they release her!"
"You loved her." The quiet voice made him turn to look at Turner again. Again, he took a sip of tea. "She's the one. And then you betrayed her." Did he not understand anything?
"She pretended to love me! She betrayed me!" Why was this so difficult to understand?
Turner stood up, facing the enraged captain. "And after which betrayal did you cut out your heart, I wonder." Jones had had enough. He knocked the china cup from his hand, and was satisfied when the tea splattered onto the table and the cup shattered.
"Do not test me."
"I hadn't finished that." The damned whelp was as bad as Beckett! Such anger filled him, he felt as if he would explode. There they were, making him relive these awful memories, while he had no idea of the fate of the one good thing that had happened to him yet. "You will free my father." He would not! The man had chosen his fate, just as his son had. "And you will guarantee Elizabeth's safety. Along with my own." This last bit was directed to the wig man.
"Your terms are steep, Mr. Turner. We will expect fair value in return."
"There is only one price I will accept: Calypso murdered!"
"From what I have seen aboard the Pearl, someone has already attempted to do so."
"And who would that be?" Was it too much to hope for that it was the girl?
"A slightly mad woman by the name of Cassandra Evens. To my knowledge, she was in the Locker with Jack, as well as aboard your ship for a bit of time."
Her name was Cassandra Evens. And she was alive.
"Calypso's aboard the Black Pearl. Jack has sailed the Black Pearl to Shipwreck Cove."
"And with you no longer aboard her, how do you propose to lead us there?"
"What is it you want most?"
What did he want most? To be at Shipwreck Cove himself, and to find the lass he had not stopped thinking about for nigh two weeks. The battle would happen there, and if the release of the goddess went as planned, Cassandra would die there. They must act fast.