A/N: My amazing reviewers: thank you very much for your reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC.

Chapter 37

"But-", Elizabeth tried to protest, not really liking the idea of leaving the Black Pearl, and going on some ship, with somebody she barely knew... Well, technically-

"Is there... a problem?"

Elizabeth smiled involuntarily at the sight of Jack, who suddenly appeared. Using the distraction caused by his appearance, she swiftly slipped her hand out of Will's grasp. Will glanced at her, and the sadness mixed with abstract disappointment in his eyes, made her smile fade.

"No", answered Will with restrained irritation. "I just want to show Elizabeth the Flying Dutchman."

Jack shot a look at the Dutchman, and looked back at Will. "The view is quite clear already", said Jack with a half-smile, looking at Will intently.

"If you don't mind we'd like to be alone", said Will coldly, turning away from him, wishing to avoid an argument at the moment, and just take Elizabeth away from here, just take her away-

"I actually do mind", cut in Jack in a low, but resolute tone of voice.

Elizabeth smiled at him faintly. Will turned around, and glared at Jack. "What is that supposed to mean?", he asked sharply.

"It means that the breakfast is waiting", answered Jack simply, with an amused smile, but his eyes remained solemn. "Are you hungry, luv?", he darted his eyes to Elizabeth.

"Yes", she nodded enthusiastically, but again fell silent under Will's gaze.

"So go ahead, luv, go to the mess", said Jack in a low tone of voice, and there was something in his voice that prevented Elizabeth from asking whether he will go with her.

She glanced at Will who was staring at her intensely and concernedly, and brusquely went away, locking her eyes with Jack's for a moment, wordlessly trying to tell him that everything was all right...

...although she was not sure whether everything was all right. Something was wrong, only she did not know what it was. For the first time it occurred to her that the situation was perhaps more serious and convoluted than she considered it to be... Bound to a ship... What did he mean by that? Why did he mean when he said... What was it all about? She felt dizzy only from thinking about it... She slowly walked down the stairs, feeling more and more confused with every next step she has taken. Bound to a ship... Bound... Ship... Part of the... ship...

"Part of the ship, part of the crew. Part of the ship, part of the crew..."

Elizabeth stopped in the middle of the stairs.

"And what do ye think ye're doing?", Jack looked at Will questioningly, not really succeeding in his effort to sound indifferent.

Will tore his eyes from Elizabeth who has just disappeared below deck, and turned to Jack with a angrily grim expression on his face.

"Me?", Will smiled sourly. "Accidentally, I wished to ask you this same question", he said coolly.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Either ye haven't got yer meaning across, or I haven't got it, the latter decidedly more unlikely than the former", he smirked, but the smirk was nigh artificial.

"How is it, that even though you lie all the time, people still believe you, that is until it dawns on them that you're just a vicious liar, who doesn't hesitate to take advantage of an ill person", replied Will through his gritted teeth, staring at Jack steadily.

"Didn't know ye're ill. Ye look quite good, actually", observed Jack with a reassuring smile.

Will stepped closer to him, and hissed: "What were you trying to do? Amaze her with adventure on high seas? Thinking that she will never remember who she was, and then you could just-"

"Perhaps ye should think twice before ye say something that ye may twice as much regret saying", broke in Jack, sense of guilt evaporating miraculously in the heat of jealousy-stained anger.

"I'm taking Elizabeth on the Dutchman. I can stay on the surface long enough to take her to England. I'm sure we will find more trustworthy people to take care of her there, than here", said Will decidedly, trying to walk past Jack.

"You're not taking her anywhere." Jack's firm, low voice stopped Will in his tracks. He turned around.

"I think you're forgetting something. She is my wife", said Will glaring at Jack.

"Doesn't mean you can make her choices for her, does it?", retorted Jack in a serious, steady tone of voice.

"We make the same choices", replied Will resolutely.

A trace of a smile flickered across Jack's face. "She won't go with you, so unless you're planning on kidnapping her, which I don't recommend you trying, then I can't really see how you're going to put your self-centered words into action", he said, a faint smile still hovering somewhere behind his eyes.

"And what makes you think she won't go with me?", asked Will challengingly, his eyes unusually dark.

Jack studied him for a moment in silence, as if considering possible answers to that question, tempted to say something else, but eventually saying only matter-of-factly:

"She didn't look as if she was very fond of the idea."

"Part of the ship, part of the crew..."

Elizabeth stood in the middle of the stairs resting her head in her hands, and grimacing. She could not stop hearing that one sentence. It was almost as painful as the beating sound. The beating sound... Their was some connection...

"Are ye alright, lass?", a scratchy voice shook her out of her strange thoughts. She looked up, and met with Barbossa's dark, curious gaze.

"I'm fine", she whispered, glancing at him briefly, and attempting to continue walking.

"Good thing that cursed ship ain't bringin' the Kraken with 'er anymore", said Barbossa in a low tone of voice, as if he was talking to himself, and walked past Elizabeth up the stairs.

The kraken. She cringed at the word. She cringed, and felt something terrible pulsating in her head, in her mind, something she could not place, but it felt bitter, and ugly enough to make her heart beat faster, and her thoughts spin around in her head, causing her to suddenly feel sick, and weak.

"It's not a reef!"

"What's the kraken?", she gasped more than asked, without even turning around, vaguely expecting that Barbossa was still somewhere on the stairs to hear, and possibly answer her question.

Barbossa sneered slightly, a sneer that Elizabeth could not see, and then turned around, and looked at her motionless figure, nervously clutching the railing.

"Oh, ye don't remember that either?", he asked with fake concern, theatrically raising his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I should be tellin' ye that, then", he said, watching her reaction intently, and slowly turning around, before she turned around to at last face him.

"Does it have anything to do with me?", she inquired hesitantly, not really knowing why she was even talking to him, to that traitor, who mutinied Jack. But somehow she could not stop asking him questions.

Barbossa gave her a strange half-smile. "Well, I don't think ye'd really like t'hear the answer to that question", he said grimly.

"Fond of the idea", repeated Will sarcastically, looking at Jack steadily. "But I assume she was fond of your ring, so you took this one away from her, and stuck that worthless flashy stone on her finger instead?", he asked, pulling the wedding ring out of his pocket, and showing it to Jack.

"At least hers is still here, while yours is at the bottom of the ocean, aye?", smirked Jack, after a moment of consideration.

Will blinked, slightly caught off guard by the remark. "I dropped it accidentally, and it has nothing to do-", he started, but Jack cut him off.

"She needs quiescence", said Jack, his tone suddenly almost annoyed, if not already angry. "And not you, indiscriminately handing her over all the memories, sorrows, regrets, and tragedies ye can think of", added Jack accusingly.

"I was only telling the truth", observed Will with stiff confidence.

"Ah", said Jack quietly, wrinkling his forehead. "So what is more important for ye, then? She, or the truth? Telling her everything that vexes ye, bothers ye, hurt ye, or keep it to yerself, leave it out, let her know only the bright side?"

"That's just lying", replied Will sternly.

"And yer so-called truth-telling is just selfish", said Jack firmly, although a part of him shuddered.

"Lying is selfish", answered Will disgustedly. "You didn't lie to protect her. Who are you trying to fool, Jack?", he narrowed his eyes interestedly, and paused for a moment. "You lied to take advantage of her. It's what you do. You lie to get what you want. You think that's selfless?", he asked with a snarl.

"I'm sure it can't match the amount of selflessness in the act of leaving somebody to grieve in seclusion for ten years", Jack blurted out grimly.

Will stared at him in silence, averting his eyes for a moment, but quickly regaining his composure. "It was a conscious decision", he said with conviction, looking at Jack gloomily.

"On whose behalf?", asked Jack with a smirk that again did not reach his eyes.

"My and my wife's", answered Will with growing irritation.

"Words alone provide neither justification nor forgiveness", said Jack with a strange half-smile.

"I do want to know if it concerns me", said Elizabeth, taking a few steps up the stairs, and standing face to face with Barbossa.

"It's an awful lot of stories that are yet t'be told, and I ain't a storyteller, Miss Swann, or rather", he paused ostentatiously. "Mrs. Turner", he narrowed his eyes in a smile.

Elizabeth's eyes widened, the unknown, yet familiarly sounding words crashing against her like angry waves against a ship in a storm.

"...at least once more Miss Swann. As always."

"...at least the boy has a sense of propriety."

"I want to know...", she whispered, not really knowing anymore what she meant by her question, just wanting to hear the answer, an answer, some kind of answer. Just wanted to hear anything, anything else but that sound that was once again overtaking her senses.

Barbossa put a thoughtful expression on his face, and slowly walked up the stairs, and towards the bow of the ship. Elizabeth watched him go, transfixed by her own thoughts at the moment, considering briefly just running to the mess, as Jack had told her to, and forgetting about everything, everything that there was to know... But a part of her, that curious part of her which strangely terrified her at times, urged her to follow that man, and hear whatever answers he could offer.

"Wait!", Elizabeth caught up with Barbossa, blocking his way. He gave her a pretendedly surprised look. "Tell me-"

"Ye'll most likely regret it", warned Barbossa in a nigh blank tone of voice.

"What is the kraken?", she asked, the word rolling down her tongue with a strange, bitter taste.

Barbossa turned from her, hiding a smile, and walked to the rail, leaning heavily against it, and looking out at the ocean. "I was actually quite astonished when Jack brought ye aboard", he started in a seemingly disinterested tone of voice.

Elizabeth approached him quickly, and stood next to him, looking at him intently, trying to hear the words that struggled to reach her through the veil of the beating sound that pulsated in her head. It hurt, but she did not care. Somehow she felt that there was something more important than that sound to hear and think of right now.

"Ye know", continued Barbossa, looking pensively into the distance. "It's not a common practice t'sail around with people who killed ye, although I'm probably not the best person t'be sayin' this", he said with a chuckle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth's confused facial expression.

"I often wondered", continued Barbossa, "why did he take ye aboard", he paused, feeling Elizabeth eyes watching him intensely. "Out of compassion?", he raised his eyebrows doubtfully. "In search of revenge?", he narrowed his eyes. "To satisfy lust?", he looked at her with a trace of a sneer flickering across his face.

She stared at him with mixture of confusion, irritation, fear, and disgust. The mixture of exactly everything that he had hoped to evoke.

Elizabeth wanted to say something, but could not decide what it was that she wanted to say... If there was anything she wanted to say... She could not concentrate anymore... The beating sound piercing through her mind like a blade of a sword through a foe's body.

"I'm curious", he suddenly turned away from the sea, and faced her. "How does it feel to give somebody a kiss of death only to chain him to his beloved ship, and left him to die, to fall straight into the hellish abyss of Davy Jones' Locker?", he asked, looking at her with hurtful interest, a glimpse of cruel satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Elizabeth stared at him bewildered, horrified, and very pale.

Good. I've waited long enough, lass. Maybe a tad bit of shock will help ye recover that fine memory of yers, so ye could at last tell me where that bloody chest is.