So obviously I didn't get this out within the same week of my last chapter… or month. Why? School. I was assigned six presentations, three big essays, a portfolio, and four exams that all had to be completed in one month. Combine that with the ups (many ups for this month, actually) and downs of my life and you get… STRESS OVERLOAD! But now that's all done and I'm on summer break. Yippee! So I'll let you all have another long chapter as both repentance and reward.

ANYWAY, this story is somewhat-ish almost over; probably about four or so more chapters remaining, counting this one. When this story is complete I will definitely have an installment for the third movie. I mean, what kind of person would I be if I left you all hanging?

Dalonega Noquisi: Haha, I'm glad you liked the line! Because it's probably one of my favorites as well! It popped into my head as I was writing and I thought: "Evelyn needs to show some sass." So that's how that got there.

M: Oh Whitaker. He's lost and confused. At least his ties have officially been broken with Evelyn! Sometimes I question why I made him up, but then I'm like: "Nah, he belongs here… even if he is a Beckett minion." And thus Whitaker Davis lives on! Haha! And terribly sorry for such a long wait. Thanks for checking up on me though!

Ruby: Hello again! I'm so glad I was able to introduce you to the awesomeness of Imagine Dragons. They are seriously my all-time favorite band. I saw them in concert two months ago and died. Just died. I'm still flipping out about it xD If you get the chance, I highly recommend you go to one. It was the best concert I've ever been to.

itsjustm3: Oh goodness your review made my day! I'm glad you were able to bear through my earlier, still unedited writings, and I'm sorry for accidentally putting our life on hold. Heh. Tell your mother I'm sorry xD BUT ANYWAY. I'm happy you were entertained nonetheless! Feel free to release your "inner barbarian" whenever you wish, especially with Whitaker because, let's be honest, he is quite condescending. He's very full of himself. So he definitely deserved Evelyn's wrath, haha! Oh, I see you've also noticed Jack's shippery (I really hope that becomes a word someday) of Evelyn and Will. Yeah, that's just how he rolls. And don't you worry; there will be a final installment (as I said above). I have the spoiler bit all planned out and I'm hoping it will leave you and the other readers satisfied. There are only a few bugs I have to work out, but that's for future me to figure out. Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you further enjoy the adventures of Evelyn and Will!

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed! Each letter means so much! That may sound a bit cheesy, but it's true. So please, by all means, feel free to keep them coming. Happy Reading!

~MisticLight

~.~.~.~.

A bell began to chime shortly after Elizabeth and I passed through the line of trees. I assumed they came from the church probably lying in ruins somewhere on the island, but how they began to ring I did not know. Nor did I care, actually. Each chime felt as though it shook my bones, pounded through my ears and straight to my jumbled mind. I was beyond exhausted at this point and desperately needed to stop, if only for a moment.

I tried to ignore the temptation to rest, but the continuous ringing only made the urge more inviting. When I could no longer push aside my thoughts I abruptly stopped and forcibly pulled my hand from Elizabeth's grasp. I gasped deeply, placing my hands upon my shaking knees. Only when I noticed the sound of Elizabeth's heavy breathing joining mine did I turn my gaze from the grass to her face. She didn't exactly appear pleased. Her narrowed eyes spoke to me before words even left her lips.

"Evelyn, what are you doing? They're getting away!" Her hands motioned to the trail ahead where the forms of Pintel, Ragetti, and Whitaker were slowly disappearing down.

I momentarily glared up at her, allowing a few seconds to pass so I could catch my breath. "Oh let Whitaker take care of the pirates. He loathes them anyway. We'll just challenge him later."

"Two against one? I know you don't approve of such situations, even if they are in your favor." Elizabeth shook her head with a sigh. "Why are you giving in so easily? You've defeated cursed pirates, survived both Tortuga and some sort of Cannibal Island Jack referred to, and returned to the living after serving aboard the Flying Dutchman. Surely there is some strength left within you to take back the chest and help Will."

Will. My chest nearly flew from me at the mention of his name and I felt my eyes widen, though I prayed Elizabeth hadn't noticed such an obvious reaction. Of course I wanted to help him take back the chest! Helping him would ultimately free Bootstrap, something I myself wanted to see occur. Both father and son were honorable men that deserved a life free of any burdens. As I thought about helping the Turners though, my mind latched onto Will. More specifically: his expressions as of late. There was really no reason for him to have appeared so upset when Whitaker kissed me, especially since he had been reunited with Elizabeth moments before.

Well I never did shut my eyes. Perhaps he mistook my unexpected, uncomfortable expression for distress and thought he could help… I felt my nose wrinkle at my evading thoughts. Oh of course that's not it! By now Will is fully aware of my strength. Besides, his face was far too powerful for the meaning to be something that simple.

Despite my confusion, I couldn't help but feel a bit… lighthearted. I couldn't necessarily explain how the feeling arose or why it did, but I easily welcomed the warm sensation nonetheless. The last time such an emotion passed through me, shockingly enough, was on the Flying Dutchman… after Will had unexpectedly kissed me…

"And therefore take them by surprise," Elizabeth explained, drawing my attention away from my thoughts. She expectantly looked at me through shining eyes, but I could only gaze back at her with embarrassment. I had not comprehended a single word she might have said prior to that final sentence.

"Beg pardon?"

"All three men are running at a slight angle," she sighed, motioning after the men again. I was pleased to notice only a small amount of displeasure in her face at having to explain herself once more. She then pointed into a different direction. "So if we go this way, we'll eventually intersect them and therefore take them by surprise."

I looked from Elizabeth's pointed figure to the path she was suggesting, frowning when I noticed the distance I allowed the three men to gain on us. "We'll have to run rather fast in order to do so."

She nodded with a soft smile. We both knew their distance was my fault. I was thankful to Elizabeth for not saying such aloud, but simply standing in silence wasn't helping our situation in the slightest. I sighed. "Then what are we waiting for?"

We shared a nod before running in Elizabeth's new direction. I allowed her to take the lead again, figuring she understood the new plan more than I did since she was the one who thought it up. We pushed ourselves to our limits as we ran, to a point where I no longer felt exhaustion. I was filled with such determination that my weariness held little effect on me. However, it was quick to return once Elizabeth slowed down to scour our new area and duck behind a tree.

Although confused, I did the same to the tree directly beside her. I expected her to explain why we were now hiding, but she frustratingly didn't do so. Rather than meet my eyes, she peeked around the side of the tree. I tried my best to sound content when I addressed her. "Elizabeth, what exactly are we doing?"

She quickly spun back to me with a pointed finger firmly placed upon her lips, the universal sign to be silent. As a reaction I bit my lip, which seemed to draw some sympathy from her because she muttered: "We passed by them a few moments ago… Listen."

Shutting my eyes, I strained my ears to see what noises I could pick up. Sure enough, the bragging of Pintel was quickly detected: "We got it! We got it! We got it!" He giggled amongst the chuckles of his friend and the absurd proclamations of Whitaker, who didn't sound too far behind the pair. His glorification of Beckett and bitter cursing of how vile pirates were could easily be detected by my ears. I bet he appeared as deranged as he sounded.

Pintel and Ragetti didn't sound as though they cared much for their pursuer though. In fact, the only time they acted fearful of being caught was when Elizabeth nodded for us to emerge from our hiding spot and we glided into their path. All three men stopped in their tracks to simply stare at us, but all Elizabeth and I could do in return was glare while deeply breathing in fresh air. I assumed they were baffled over how Elizabeth and I, who were significantly far behind, were able to surpass them.

I looked to her, a triumphant smile crossing my face as I reached for my sword. Elizabeth's face matched mine as we exchanged smirks, though hers fell into terror seconds later. I was alarmed as to why her face suddenly morphed, but then we looked down. To her sword loop. Where her hands feverishly brushed over the empty contents.

Her eyes lifted back to mine. "… Will."

Although I understood our current predicament was Will's fault, he was not here to receive my frustration. So ultimately I became upset with Elizabeth. Our plan had been working perfectly! We ran hard and were able to surprise everyone. What we were supposed to do afterwards was battle the three men, which I was confident wouldn't be too much of a problem for us… probably. Then we would take back the chest and carry it to where it was originally found to wait for Will. However, with the loss of Elizabeth's sword, we were done for. There was no way I'd be able to take down all of them! Whitaker alone had already proven to be difficult.

"Elizabeth!" I found myself glaring. The woman sheepishly smiled back at me while her face turned slightly red. She was clearly embarrassed. I would be too. So I felt some sympathy towards her. However, one look at the three men prevented such pity from crossing my face.

Whitaker's face was lit with humor while his brows came together in a firm, almost evil-looking arch. In front of him stood the just-as-pleased Pintel and Ragetti. They grinned at our clear disadvantage, their smile somehow growing when their vision locked with one another. In a single motion they allowed the chest to fall to the ground and pulled out their swords. I'm sure the only emotion I emitted was that of panic. How am I supposed to protect both Elizabeth and the chest while fending off this lot?

"'Ello, Poppet," Pintel lightly hissed towards Elizabeth before directing his gaze at me, "and Pierce."

The two pirates advanced on us, confidently chuckling to themselves with every step. Elizabeth began to back away immediately, which ultimately forced me to retreat so as to better defend her if necessary. I kept my eyes well trained on Whitaker though, since he was probably the better fighter of the three. So when he only took the remaining steps towards the chest and paused, I was the only one to notice.

I stopped moving and tightened my hold on my sword. "Wait! Whitaker is about to-"

The clash of metal abruptly echoed throughout the trees before I could finish my warning of Whitaker's intentions. I watched as each person turned their heads to look at something on my left before doing the same, only to be taken aback by what I saw. I tilted my head to the side and felt my brows come together as confusion found me once again.

Apparently Jack, Will, and Norrington were still fighting, except their battle had now escalated to a level of absurdity. Will and Norrington were dueling one another from atop a large, moving wheel while Jack chased after the already odd sight. I had no inkling as to who now possessed the key, but I assumed it wasn't Jack. If he had the key, there would be no reason for him to be chasing after the wheel. And how did Will even get up there in the first place?

I looked back to Elizabeth to see if she had any idea as to what was going on, but she looked just as perplexed as I felt. We shared a shrug of uncertainty before her face dropped to a more serious expression. Without even turning back I knew Pintel and Ragetti were continuing their advance on us. So I retreated another step before my eyes even returned to them. The pirates were doing as I predicted, but I actually felt relieved once I glanced at Whitaker. Rather than picking up the chest and quietly running off, he was still watching the wheel spectacle.

There was still time to take it back.

I remained with Elizabeth until I noticed a tree on my right. With my attention fully trained on retrieving the chest, I quickly slid away from the pirates and pressed myself against the bark. My plan was to allow Pintel and Ragetti to pass me by before grabbing the chest and running off with it. Elizabeth would then either have to fend for herself, which I was suddenly positive she could, or witness the pirates and Whitaker chase after me.

Unfortunately I never got to see the outcome of this plan of mine because as soon as my back rested against the tree, I found myself staring at the crew of Davy Jones. They were charging straight for us, and none of the members appeared pleased in the slightest. I felt foolish for forgetting about their possible appearance onto the island.

Right away I noticed the crewmembers known as Clanker, Quittance, and Greenbeard, though those were all I was able to identify before they noticed me. Quittance, the current member leading the crowd, pointed at me and hollered out a "Pierce!" while Clanker launched an axe straight at my head. I immediately ducked down, allowing an alarmed gasp to escape me as I shut my eyes. Only when I heard the sharper edge latch into the bark with a thud did I dare to straighten myself back up a bit. My heart quickened when my eyes opened because the handle of the weapon rested only inches from my face.

My yelp and the impact of the axe was enough to snap everyone's attention my way. They looked from my crouched form, to the dangerous weapon above me, and finally back to the approaching crowd of roaring sea-crewmen. Some in the threatening party continued to call out my name, which drew the curious glance of Elizabeth back to me. She said nothing though, allowing the crew to come closer while she continued to stare with a scrunched nose. Not that I was doing any better though. My gaze was darting between her face to Jones's crew, unable to focus on any particular thing.

"… You were with them," Elizabeth finally said as realization swept across her face. She hustled over and pulled me off the ground, her hands intensely gripping the sides of my shoulders. "How do we defeat them?"

I wanted to answer Elizabeth. I wanted to tell her there was a weakness to this crew and that defeating them would be simple. However, I couldn't. Although I had briefly served aboard the Flying Dutchman, I learned of no disadvantage. They were strong, determined, and downright cruel: a combination that would not at all work in our favor even with our strong band of five people and four swords.

So instead of filling every soul with hope by releasing the secret of success, I slowly shook my head with wide, unblinking eyes. "We cannot beat them… run!"

Elizabeth released her hold on me as fear crept onto her face. I pitied her, just as she probably pitied me at the moment. We slowly backed from the rushing crew, our eyes never leaving their stern faces. It was for this reason that I collided into Whitaker, for he had finally decided pass the chest and gap ahead like the rest of us. Elizabeth, however, had the fortune of easily sliding by him. She continued to back away until she crossed paths with Pintel and Ragetti. This time she was not-so-fortunate because as soon as she slid between them, their weapons were suddenly forced into her hands. She fumbled with the swords as the pirates hastily retreated back to the chest, picked it up, and ran off.

My eyes slid back to a wide-eyed Elizabeth. Her hold on the swords tightened briefly while her eyes flickered to me at sporadic intervals. For a moment I thought she was going to charge at Davy Jones's crew, but she must have thought better of it because she quickly spun around and ran after Pintel and Ragetti. It was only as her retreating back faced me that I remembered I still had to follow through with my original suggestion and run from the mighty crew. So I took a step around a dumbfounded Whitaker and ran back the way we came. Whitaker was quick to follow my lead.

I caught up to Elizabeth, Pintel, and Ragetti fairly easily, despite the thick foliage and my still-exhausted self. We leapt over bushes and weaved between trees, taking sudden turns in an attempt to gain some groundage. However, the persistent crew of Davy Jones would not be shaken. They were practically designed for such simple actions and so remained directly behind us the entire time. When Elizabeth realized we were not about to lose the terrifying crew anytime soon, she let out a high-pitched scream. The sudden action had me wincing, Whitaker tripping, and Pintel and Ragetti looking back to see what was happening. The two became so distracted that they paid no attention to what lied in their path, ultimately allowing for a tree to pass between them… and for the chest to drop to the ground.

My heart practically stopped as the chest tumbled through the dirt.

Just as everyone else, I accidentally ran past it before stumbling to a stop. I was not about to leave behind the only item that could lead to Bootstrap's release, let alone what I'd been fighting to protect for some time now. But as my eyes darted from the chest to the closing in crew, my stomach tightened: there was no time to grab it and continue running. The crew was too close.

"We'll have to fight to defend it," I breathlessly announced what I'm sure everyone already dreaded. Whitaker grumbled out some form of complaint from my left, while Elizabeth took a defiant step forward on my right. She appeared terrified, though it was nearly impossible to tell from the way she proudly raised her chin. I became encouraged by her bravery and so forced the feeling upon myself as well. So when the crew did finally collide with us, I was ready.

Elizabeth lifted her two swords just as one of the crewmen lowered his, catching it between her blades. I then took a swipe at the man's middle. Although I knew my attack would do little upon a basically immortal man, my strike was effective enough to temporarily send him back to address his slowly healing wounds. I then moved onto my next target, quickly jabbing at his shoulder.

As another cursed crewmember attacked me, a cry from Ragetti trickled into my ears. I was only able to spot him as I ducked beneath a deathly blow. He was lying defenseless upon the ground with an enemy towering over him. I bit my lip. I forgot he and Pintel gave up their weapons.

"Sword!" The pirate desperately cried out. Sadly, I could do nothing for him. I had my own foe to deal with and needed my weapon. Luckily Elizabeth was close enough to Ragetti that she could toss him one of hers before swinging down upon the arm of a crewman. Ragetti easily caught the tossed blade and stabbed it into the stomach of his opponent.

Satisfied, I rolled away and struck the ankles of the man I was battling. He fell to the ground, but I decided finishing him off was pointless. So I charged at whatever soul was currently trying to take the chest. As my sword closed in on his back, the man spun around to defend himself. And that man proved to be none other than Whitaker.

My mouth fell as our swords clashed for the second time this day. "What are you doing?"

"Taking what's rightfully mine," he scoffed. I glared at him, but before I could rotate my sword and swipe at him again, we each had to turn our attentions to separate crewmen attempting to attack us.

I quickly disposed of my foe, taking a slice at his knee before hitting the side of his shoulder with the hilt of my sword. The action had him staggering to the side. As soon as he was clear, I spun back around to face Whitaker. Apparently he had finished his challenger just as fast because our swords locked together instantly. His face was set in a rather horrid scowl, but that didn't prevent me from challenging his expression with a glower of my own. "You are acting like a fool, Whitaker. Help us ward off these accursed crewmen!"

"No!" He cried, pushing me into a passing Dutchman pirate. The larger man grunted at our harsh impact and readied his sword to barrel down upon me. I rolled beneath the man's feet right as he began to swing, thereby having him temporarily set in a crouched position that I could kick into Whitaker.

Although my human bullet worked, Whitaker was somehow able to squirm his way out before the larger pirate crashed into a tree. My former friend wasted no time in then charging at me. His face was flushed with anger and his sword movements were wild, so it was very difficult to duck out of the way of his first attack. By some miracle I was able to, but I was afraid of what the outcome of the next swing would be. So I hastily leapt onto the forlorn chest of Davy Jones. Not only did I have a slightly higher ground this way, but I was also able to better keep my eye upon the meddlesome container.

I found my balance myself just in time because only seconds later I had to block another swing from Whitaker. My blade was at a strange angle when our weapons crashed, so the vibrations of the impact had my hand stinging. I bit down hard on my lip to prevent pain from showing, but Whitaker knew me too well and began to laugh at my discomfort. This only prompted me to take a swipe at his head. He was barely able to dodge away, which frustrated me beyond all reason—not that I wanted to kill him or anything… I was simply sick of his wicked arrogance.

"Why won't you help us?" I spat through a clenched jaw. It was all I could do to release my anger.

"I will not team up with pirates," he just as venomously fired back before having to parry with another sea-crewmember. He continued to talk as he fought off the man, and I listened on as I bashed the head of another enemy. "Working under the jurisdiction of Jack Sparrow was a terrible experience in itself, and I was only putting on an act! Norrington and I were treated atrociously, not that I expected any better from a band of miscreants."

"So you would rather act as part of a third party by yourself as opposed to joining a side? Because that sort of thinking practically calls for death." I was met by another one of Whitaker's glares. He had directed so many of them at me within the past hour that they hardly held anymore fire. I sighed, pushing my challenger into Whitaker's so as to better hold his attention. "Who would you rather take the chest: us or the Dutchman crew?"

Although initially surprised by my aiding actions, bits of evil slowly crawled back onto his face the longer he thought. Only seconds ticked by before I once again became is target. "Neither! Every last one of you are disgraceful and-"

"Whitaker!" I angrily shouted. He swiped at my feet, but I jumped out of harm's way. As the blade came back around, I quickened my descent so his weapon was caught between my boots and the chest. Seeing as how he couldn't free his blade, the man had no choice but to look up at me. "Davy Jones or me?"

We momentarily locked eyes, both of us glaring. My narrowed vision proved to be the stronger though because he was first to retreat his gaze. He looked to his caught sword, deeply sighing. "Even though you've soiled the good name of a woman by becoming a pirate… I would rather you have the chest at the end."

I smiled. "Then why don't you assist me in taking down these cursed pirates? Once they're out of the picture you and I can get back to feuding, all right?"

Although I knew Whitaker would not be pleased in the slightest about complying with my suggestion, he agreed nonetheless. Locks of his sandy hair drifted onto his face as he nodded his head, but his shoulders fell at the clear disapproval he had in himself. For a moment I felt sympathy towards him. Our relatively close ties may have severed into a state of near enemies in a short amount of time, but even our violent duel couldn't erase the lighter memories I had of him. Granted there were few, but they still lingered in my mind. So witnessing him as he forced himself to join sides with, technically, pirates, the very beings he so loathed because they murdered his past love, did have an effect on me.

I gently placed my hand upon his shoulder and removed my foot from atop his sword. Once the weapon was free, Whitaker turned his hazel eyes to me. I offered him a half smile. "Just because you're helping us does not mean you are a pirate. If you wish, perhaps you could think of this as a temporary placement to insure the wrong people will not win."

For a moment than man I remembered from Port Royal shone through the foreign dirt smudged across his face. He smirked, raising his hand so it grasped the top of my extended arm. It looked as though he wished to say something, but instead he forcibly pulled me off of the chest. I went directly into a large bush, which wouldn't have been so bad had my head not been knocked over the plant and into the dirt. I was beyond infuriated with Whitaker as I pushed myself off the ground. When I turned back to deal with him though, my anger ceased to exist. The reason he had forced me from the chest was not to take it and run off, but to stab at a Dutchman crewmember who had apparently tried to attack me from behind.

Watching Whitaker actually follow through with our agreement, for some reason, had me frozen. I watched as he sliced diagonally across the pirate's chest before ducking down from a blow and punching the pirate in the gut. Although doubled over, the pirate tried to grab at the chest as he fell. So Whitaker had no choice but to kick the container out of the way.

And then the man noticed my blatant staring. He nearly burst into a fit of laughter despite the tense scene going on around us. "Honestly, Evelyn dear, did you really think I'd go back on our agreement?"

Yes. I thought, though said nothing for the sake of his temper. The last thing we needed was for him to turn into a crazed man again.

"Sword!" I heard Elizabeth call at my side. Without really thinking, I tossed her mine. As soon as the handle left my grasp my eyes widened because, I realized, now I had no weapon.

I reached for my sword in an attempt to take it back so Pintel or Ragetti could offer their blade, but it was too late. The sword was out of my grasp. Worst of all, the lobster form of the crewmember Penrod was heading straight for me. He swung his club through the air, intending to strike my head as he passed by. With a sharp gasp I fell to the earth once more, covering my head for good measure.

"Sword!" I desperately cried out. Seconds later I found a blade gliding through the air and into my hand. There was little time to marvel at the spectacle though because I had to quickly swipe at Penrod before he could attack again, and then pass the weapon off to the next weaponless person in our party.

Our band of five carried on this way as we pushed through the trees: passing along our swords and kicking Davy Jones's chest around so the Dutchman crew wouldn't take it. The goal was to reach the shores so as to locate the boat and see if we could escape that way before the crew swarmed us. It was a faith plan, but it a plan nonetheless. We had to get the chest to safety somehow. Our crusade to do so, however, was proving to be difficult. There seemed to be a constant amount of pirates popping up around us, and all at the opportune moment when one person did not have a sword. They were toying with our disadvantage, but even then we showed endurance. Although physically exhausted, we were determined. So determined, in fact, that we were actually able to gain the upper hand and outrun the onslaught of Davy Jones's crew.

Whitaker and I each had a sword when I noticed we suddenly got an advantage: we had formed a gap. Pintel and Ragetti sent their swords towards Elizabeth when they too noticed and grabbed the chest—which had somehow managed to land a good ways ahead of us. I finished off my foe with a simple kick to his shins before following after Whitaker. We were able to catch up with Elizabeth, though that was only because she had taken a successful backwards stab at two pirates. She smiled triumphantly and I offered her a proud smirk before she jogged alongside me.

Since the cursed pirates were now behind us, we had to make a mad dash for the ocean. Even then Whitaker, Elizabeth, and I had to swing back at an enemy drawing too close to us. We tried to keep them as far away from Pintel and Ragetti as possible, seeing as they had the chest, but the trip to the shore was long and the Dutchman crew seemed unable to become exhausted. So right when our boots hit the sea's waves, the crew was able to surround us. We could not move through the water as swiftly as they could, so we had no choice but to stand our ground and fight them off once more.

Pintel and Ragetti continued on towards the boat while Elizabeth, Whitaker, and I paused to challenge the crew of Davy Jones. Unfortunately some of the members ran right past us and attacked our pirate friends. There was nothing anyone could do to assist them though. We were all preoccupied by some form of threat. I personally was fending off two pirates, with a third one attempting to squeeze in. He had both an axe and a flail, to which the latter he used to whip between the shoulders of my two closer opponents. After dodging from it a few times, and nearly being cut by the others in the process, I decided enough was enough.

After slashing at the stomachs of the closer pirates, I planted my feet firmly in the ocean and tightened the hold I had on my sword. When the flail came at me again, I vertically raised my weapon so the heavy chain would wrap around the blade. As soon as the spiked ball at the tip locked the flail in place, I shot my sword back with such a force that the flail splashed somewhere off in the ocean. The pirate was not entirely thrilled with his new lack of weaponry and so raised his small axe to better charge me with. The other two pirates recovered at that exact moment, ultimately leaving me in a rather troublesome situation. I stood my ground though. If this was to be the end, then at least I'd go to my grave fighting. Perhaps I'd even meet up with Bootstrap again, seeing as I would technically die at sea. Not that I wanted to serve under the command of Davy Jones though.

I never got to see if the three sea crewmen could have killed me because the giant wheel from before suddenly ran over two of my opponents. They were not the only ones to fall either, I noticed. Many of the cursed crew was now submerged under the ocean because of the wheel. Those left standing, in their shock, ceased to fight and instead looked after the contraption. I too kept my eyes trained on it with my brows furrowed and head tilted. The abruptness of it had me thankful, but utterly confused.

It wasn't until the wheel came to a stop and collapsed into the ocean that I remembered Will had been atop it at one point.

I made to dash over to it, but the blasted pirate that once held the flail still seemed to be peeved with me. He leapt over his companions, his eyes full of a washed-out fire. The axe thrashed about in the air, meaning to instantly strike. I simply glared at the little weapon. Through the corners of my eyes I saw two figures emerge from the wheel, and I'd bet anything one of them was Will. I needed to reach him, and the axe pirate was just proving to be a nuisance.

So I took a large step to the side, thereby allowing his landing to be the sea as opposed to me. I then slashed the pirate across the back, kicked him into the water, and promptly ran towards the large wheel.

Will was basically face down in the ocean by the time I got there. His attempts at pulling himself up were failing, so I wasted no time in bending down to assist him. I grabbed hold of his arms, and he tightly grasped mine in return. He began to sway in place once he was on his feet, forcing me to retain a firm grip on his shoulders.

He greeted me with a warm smile and an unexpected embrace. "Evelyn," I heard him sigh into my hair. He almost sounded relieved at my presence.

"Hello to you too, Will," I laughed before pulling away. His eyes were nearly spinning now that I released him, so it wasn't long until he began to lean a bit too far and I had to grasp his shoulders once more. Despite the glare upon my face at having to steady him, I smiled, "I don't know how long you were spinning inside that contraption, but you must focus on staying still!"

"But Elizabeth! She needs my help!" He cried, attempting to take a step forward.

I bit down on my lip and took a look back. Sure enough, Elizabeth and all the other beings fighting out there were slowly making their way over to us. She was fighting a losing battle, even if none of the fouler pirates were able to lay a finger on her.

Perhaps we should go back… I thought as I spun back to face Will. However, after looking at his still-dizzying face, I knew him fighting would not be the best of decisions.

"She'll be fine, Will. She's a very talented swordswoman and has Whitaker fighting alongside her." The mere mention of Whitaker's name had Will scowling and his hands forming fists. He tried to make the action as subtle as possible, but it was too obvious not to be noticed. For his sake though, I pretended that nothing had transpired. "Besides, you are in no condition to wield a sword! I'm basically holding you up, and even now you're swaying. You should probably sit in the boat until your mind settles."

"No, I'll be fine. I can handle this, Evelyn," he protested, removing my hands from his arms.

I shook my head and sighed, allowing my vision to trickle towards the longboat everyone had arrived in. What I then saw had me taking a curious step around Will. "Regardless of how you feel, we definitely need to reach the boat. Norrington appears to be meddling with something inside it. And… is that Jack? Dueling with Koleniko? Either way, that can't be good."

Will's response was silence. I took that for him agreeing with me but being too dizzy to respond. So I took hold of his hand and dragged him towards the longboat. However, Will stumbled from the sudden movement, sending us both into the ocean and allowing Pintel and Ragetti to pass us by. Following after the duo were two members of the Dutchman crew.

I outwardly groaned my frustration as I stood and pushed Will forward. "Take care of them. They have the chest and won't be of any threat to you, even in your current spinning state." He made to protest, but a waved him on. "Go! I'll be fine. I promise."

He tenderly grasped my left shoulder, locking eyes with me for a long moment before nodding his head and diagonally dashing the short distance towards the boat. I looked after him for a moment. Everything he did seemed to cloud my mind as of late, even if the surrounding situation was dire. I had to shake my head clear multiple times, and even then I wasn't entirely prepared when a sword was suddenly gliding towards my face. Instantly I ducked down, slashing my sword behind me in the hopes that it would make contact with the feet of a pirate. It didn't, but the strike did send my opponents back a little, which gave me enough time to stand back up and ready my positioning.

The two pirates were tall, strong, and very fast. Not even my swiftness was able to assist me in my duel with them. Retreating was my only option, and I wasn't alone in doing so. Elizabeth, Whitaker, and now Norrington had already begun the process of withdrawing towards the boat. I just happened to be slightly closer. So when my ears detected a strange thwak followed by a grunt and the collapse of something, I wasted no time in pushing back my foes long enough to see what had happened behind me.

The sight of Will limply hanging over the side of the boat was enough to nearly make me drop my sword. I held on, but disregarded my enemies entirely by running for him instead. Elizabeth had apparently noticed her fiancé's sudden unconsciousness too because I heard her cry out his name. However, I was able to reach him first.

I leaned over the boat to cup his face, relieved to find him breathing. A medium-sized bump was slowly forming along his forehead, but it was comforting to know whatever impact occurred had not been strong enough to kill him. So I crouched down beside him, shaking his arms and calling out his name multiple times to try and stir him back into consciousness. His eyelids didn't even twitch.

"He's out cold," I stated to Elizabeth as she made her appearance on Will's right. Her features mirrored the distress I felt. Rather than look at the face that probably matched mine, I instead turned to Jack. "Did you see what happened to him?"

Jack's eyes shifted from Will's lifeless form to the paddle clutched within his hands, but he said nothing. I skeptically eyed the oar, gritting my teeth as I drew my own conclusion. Jack would definitely knock Will out had Will deciphered something that he wasn't supposed to. However, Jack had yet to say what I already knew. I was fuming at his refraining of admittance. "Jack Sparrow, what did you do?"

This time he took a breath to actually respond to me, but his attention traveled was elsewhere when Elizabeth attempted to hoist Will up. "Leave him lie!" He ordered as the remaining members of our party assembled around the boat. I took a protective stance in front of Will, my sword ready to strike at any of the perusing Dutchman crew. "Unless you plan on using him to hit something with."

Or perhaps Jack would suffice.

"I'd like to see you try," I warned through a scowl. Jack's eyes narrowed at me, despite his lips twitching into that of a smile.

"Even if we did use Will as some form of protection, we're not getting out of this," Elizabeth, her voice full of panic, exclaimed. Although I sensed her fright, I was a bit caught off guard that she had thought about using Will as some form of shield.

A just-as-easily-shocking statement from Norrington wiped that though from my mind though: "Not with the chest… Into the boat."

The former Commodore proceeded to reach into the longboat and take out the chest. I gaped at the notion he was implying. Using himself as bait? That will only result in his death.

"You're mad!" Elizabeth bitterly accused. Apparently she and I thought alike in these sorts of matters.

"Don't wait for me," he said as his eyes drifted towards Whitaker. The men shared a single nod before Norrington trudged through the water with the chest tightly clasped within his arm. I was so absorbed by this shocking turn of events that I hardly noticed the approach of Whitaker.

He lightly stroked my hand, which easily drew my attention because I wanted to recoil from his touch. "I will follow after my superior."

I blinked up at him, "You're as crazed as the former Commodore."

Whitaker said nothing. Instead he drew me towards him and placed a kiss upon my brow. His lips burned my skin, which ultimately left me firing one final glare at him as he pulled away. The rogue, however, only winked at me as he backed up. "Goodbye, Evelyn dear!"

And then he was gone; taking off after Norrington with the entirety of Davy Jones's crew at his heels.

The whole ordeal was upsetting, but overall shocking. It was honorable that these two men were willing to sacrifice themselves for our safety, and I actually felt a hint of sadness at their parting. Neither Norrington nor Whitaker were in anyone's favor, however, so not a single tear was shed for them. We were mostly just relieved that our threat was now gone.

Only a moment's silence passed as we watched them go before Jack spoke up: "I-I say we respect their final wish."

"Aye!" Pintel quickly agreed, to which we all then placed our weapons into the boat.

I was the only exception. My sword I simply thrust into my holder so I could quickly climb into the boat. I was deeply concerned for Will, and the disappearance of the Dutchman crew only seemed to heighten my worry. I found myself cupping his face again, trying my best to revive him. Elizabeth had entered the vessel as well, but all she did was watch my efforts with concern.

"Take hold of his head, Evelyn," Jack softly ordered. I casted him another sharp stare, but did as I was told. Those still outside the boat then heaved the rest of Will's body in so we could better make way for the Black Pearl.

Very gently I laid Will's head in my lap, brushing the damp hair away from his face. Elizabeth sat at my side, tightly clutching his hand. Her head never once turned away from their interlocking hands. My own vision remained locked on his face. If there was any sign of him coming to, I wanted to be the first to know. I refused to leave his sights, even if all he currently saw was blackness.