Usually I like waiting a couple of days to let the reviews flow, but I'm feeling generous, so here's a quicker update.
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25.

When Jack got the Pearl back, the first thing he ought to do was clean the brig, Will thought to himself bitterly.
The ship's current crew were mopping the floors. And making them a lot worse than they had been before.

Cotton's parrot seemed to agree, for it squawked out a stereotypical pirate catchphrase that completely gave away the fact that Disney, and not a company concerned with historical accuracy or realism, had produced this film.

"Cotton 'ere says you missed a bit." Gibbs translated helpfully.
He was sprayed with oily black water for his cheek.

William spoke to the man with the ridiculous bald head, noticing that he was part of a comedy duo founded on humorous stupidity, and hoping to get an easy answer out of him. "You knew William Turner?" he enquired, in a low and serious tone that matched the lowness and seriousness of his bad mood, due to his discovery that his long-lost father was, in fact, dead.

"Ol' Bootstrap Bill?" the bare-skulled idiot answered, "We knew him. Never sat well with Bootstrap what we did to Jack Sparrow, the mutiny and all. He said it wasn't right with the Code. That's why he sent off a piece of the treasure to you, as it were. He said we deserved to be cursed - and remain cursed."

Oh, William thought. Well, that's cleared the plot up a bit.

"Stupid blighter," the other stupid pirate piped up.

Will began to get angry, and the author of this story decided that it was time to move on.
Now we may leave Mr. Turner looking glamorously beautiful and pristine, despite the fact that he is a blacksmith and a pirate, and get back to the heroes of this particular narrative.

Apologies, William. We love you dearly, but there is a massive lover's tiff going on over at the other ship, and it's really far more interesting. You get to reappear very soon, we promise.

Still aboard the Dauntless, with men preparing to lower the longboats, the Commodore looked Jack up and down in what could only be called severe disdain.

Elizabeth stood beside James with her head turned away from the pirate.
She dared not look him in the eye, for fear that it would give her away. But she needed to be close. She needed to ensure that Jack regained his ship and escaped with it.

If he didn't, things were going to get more complicated, and she was going to have to do a lot more sneaking about, and practise an awful lot more self-control.

"I don't care for the situation." Norrington drawled, his tone antagonising Jack awfully, "Any attempt to storm the caves could turn to an ambush."

Jack tried not to roll his eyes. This man was interfering with every aspect of his brilliant plan to get the Pearl back.

His brilliant plan being, let the navy storm the caves, get Elizabeth to help him escape, row to the Pearl, free his crew and be off while the lot of them battled each other to a bloody end.

He was going to have to change tactics now. And fast.
And come to think of it, if Plan A had gone ahead there would have been a danger of her being captured by Barbossa's bilge rats again, and who knew what they would do to her this time.

He would have been happy to drag her to the Pearl to safety. And her dearest Daddy too.
He brushed away the notion that her father might be so grateful as to offer Jack her hand in marriage as reward.

It was the silliest and most dangerous idea he had ever had.
Dangerous, because of the way his heart leapt at the very thought.

He turned his attention to Norrington again.

"Not if yer the one doing the ambushing. I go in, I convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats." for once, he was telling the truth - sort of, "You and your mateys stay here, and blast the bejesus outta them with your little cannons, eh?"

He threw a very casual arm around the Commodore's shoulders, but his fist was clenched. If nothing else, he wanted to irritate this rival as much as possible before he sailed away from the whole situation, and left Elizabeth to him. "What do you have to lose?"

He stole a glance at the lady herself over Norrington's neck. She was wide-eyed and obviously ruffled by his show of arrogance and abrasiveness.
He cast her a wicked grin as the Commodore peeled his arm away in disgust.

"Nothing I'd lament being rid of." he replied, rather plainly.

"I take it that you plan to have the curse lifted before we send the pirates out?" Elizabeth interjected solemnly.
The Commodore politely but firmly ignored her.
Jack, who was part-time blanking her anyway, pretended that he had some dust on his shoulder.

He was directed towards a longboat, flanked by two burly, mean-looking soldiers.
He glanced at them disapprovingly, a little annoyed that they would be getting in the way of things, but entered the boat with aloof finesse that somehow managed to put them below him in everybody's esteem.

Elizabeth moved to follow them, but Norrington caught her arm.

"Where are you going?"
"With them. I have to make sure that Will is properly rescued." she half-lied.

"You are not stepping one foot upon that island, Elizabeth. It is my duty to ensure your safety and I cannot go with you, I have too much to do here."
"I can take care of myself." she growled, baring her teeth at him. He looked slightly taken aback, but held his ground.

"You are betrothed to me now, Elizabeth. Where your safety is concerned you shall do as I say, do you understand?"
She really riled at that remark.
Jack could see her point, as well.
Handed over from her father to her fiancee, with no freedom between, save for a week of being frightened half to death by the wrong sort of pirates.

He would rather drown himself than succumb to a fate like her's.
It was a mystery that she had decided to bear this, that she hadn't agreed to run away with him already.

The fact that she was voluntarily giving herself up to this kind of treatment soured any pity he may have felt for her.

He didn't want her getting in his way on the island, anyhow. If Will was in danger she was bound to interrupt and spoil his plans.
She may forfeit him the Pearl through her tendency towards altruism.

"To be quite honest," Jack directed his narrowed gaze at her again, enjoying her guilty blush, "there's still a slight risk for those aboard the Dauntless which includes the future Mrs. Commodore, here."

She opened her mouth and actually looked straight at him in her dismay and anger.

"How dare you!" she fairly yelled, "How dare you take his side! I am coming with you - with the - men. I have to ensure Will's safety, as I'm certain you won't!"

"Gilette, please secure Miss Swann. She seems adamant to go, and I cannot allow it." Norrington ordered cooly, but glanced at Elizabeth with a softer regret.
She glared balefully at him, regardless of his intentions or the reassuring words he tried to offer her.

It made Jack fiercely glad. She could only be so angry because she wanted to be with him. She was still fighting with herself.

Then it occurred to him that she wanted to accompany him so that she could be certain he escaped with his ship.
So she could place aside any guilt she felt for him, and then leave him far behind.

Regardless of whether he was intending to leave her behind himself, he felt a cruel stab to his chest at that thought.

It just wasn't fair - she was constantly coming up trumps, while he floundered behind her.
She had the class advantage, the wit, the irresistable seduction that came so naturally to her; she had turned him down, she had replaced him, and now she was planning to abandon him.

Women weren't complete mysteries after all. They were really just very clever men.

"Get off me!" Elizabeth demanded as two soldiers, one being Gilette, practically lifted her off the ground and hauled her away to the Captain's mess.

"Sorry, but for your own safety." Jack caught Gilette chuckling.

"James!" she tried, one last time, "The pirates! They cannot be killed! JACK! Tell him!"

The Commodore turned to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Go on, Sparrow. What do you have to say to all this?"

Jack made a mighty appearance of being perplexed, as he sat down in the boat.
"I've no idea what she's on about. Must have been the sun, got to her a bit on the island." he remarked so she could hear.

"Bastard!" he heard, just before the doors were locked behind her.

"Right. Let's be off!" Jack cried, gesturing to his soldier companions to hurry the blazes up.

His heart was hardened. He was ready.