A/N: Hello all! Sorry, as always, for the length in between updates. I've gotten a bit sidetracked over the last month. Apologies also for the shorter chapter, the next installment will have more. I promise. Anyhoo, thank you to all who are reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, you guys make my day brighter =) Enjoy!

Stowaway

Four weeks of sailing east and Jack had, thus far, gone undetected. A careful observance of the watchmen's rotations and varying crew shifts was all he needed to navigate himself about the ship, scurrying mouselike from dark corner to dark corner. He'd moved from his spot in the long boat to a nice secluded corner of the cargo hold, barricaded by a fortress of empty crates and barrels. He was able to pinch a fair amount of scraps from the galley and, though admittedly unwise, more than his fair share of wine.

He'd only caught sight of Elizabeth once since seeing her on deck when the ship first disembarked. She'd gone down to the hold to practice some form of martial art. If he had to guess by her slow and concentrated movements, it was more than likely Tai Chi or something akin to it. He'd seen plenty of Singaporeans exercising the practice in order to meditate while keeping their bodies alert and physically sound.

He spied upon her, watching her movements, fluid and elegant, like a feline's grace. Her lithe limbs stretched languidly in all directions while sweat glistened off of her exposed skin. Jack presumed, she'd come below because it was too hot on deck, or perhaps she just wanted to be alone so she could strip down to her chest bindings and trousers, but upon closer inspection, it seemed her slow controlled movements were a result of some kind of pain and she was loathe to let anyone see her in a weakened state. At least that hadn't changed about her. He could see the small crease of her brow as she swung her arm to the side and over head. When she turned her back to him he realized the cause of her furrowing. She was recovering from their encounter at the docks. Her back looked like a poorly charted course of scars that intersected in every which way. A small amount of guilt niggled at his belly, but he pushed it away.

Though the injury must not have incapacitated her too much as she continued on with more complex moves and stretched her body in such a way that the bindings were beginning to slip, inciting a certain amount of lust in Jack's loins. Suddenly the hold had grown increasingly humid. Jack did his best to fight the urge to make his presence known and have her over one of the barrels below in that instant. Instead, he resigned to pleasuring himself to her image after she'd gone. He was only human after all.

Though his luck up until this moment had been favorable, there were still a few months left before they reached Singapore. He only hoped he could stay out of sight long enough because, even injured, he wouldn't want to face Elizabeth in any kind of combat.

—

Elizabeth sat upon fo'c's'le in the early morning with each of her many types of blades laid out in a perfect line before her. She always thought of the act of sharpening her weapons as a sort of ritual, a way to pay homage to those that had fallen at her hand while also offering her gratitude toward what she could only consider an extension of herself. She worked at each weapon separately for hours; sharpening, polishing, sharpening, and polishing again. Lalo always liked to tease her, saying she treated her weaponry as she would a child. To which she would respond, "That is why my weapons are so obedient." And he'd laugh his jolly laugh.

While in the midst of her ritual, Lalo approached. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to see how your wounds were healing."

"They're fine. Skin is a bit tight, but I've been working through it." She said as she rubbed a sand bag across one of her scimitars.

"I would feel better if you'd let me have a look." He pressed.

"I'm hardly in pain, there is no swelling, no puss, only soft pink skin that puffs out more than it used to. You know I don't like to be fussed over." Elizabeth's gaze had been redirected toward a crew member having a heated argument with the first mate in a tongue unfamiliar to her.

"Very well, Ukaidi. I'll leave you to your worship."

"Hold on. Can you understand what they're saying?" She asked him, nodding her head in the direction of the two men. Her curiosity piqued as the crew had been unusually mild mannered up until this point.

Lalo paused, straining to hear the subject of discourse. "The first mate is accusing that crewman of taking more than his fair share of rations. The crewman is swearing that it isn't him, that it is a ghost. The ship has been haunted for weeks. He says the Egyptian Gods have cursed us."

"That's preposterous." Elizabeth scoffed.

"The crewman says he has heard strange sounds coming from the hold and the cook has said on more than one occasion that food and wine, mostly wine, have been disappearing from the galley, but he hasn't seen anyone come to take it. "

"Ghosts aren't likely to steal food and wine. Sounds more like a stowaway." Suddenly Elizabeth's eyes widened, realizing what she had said, and she got quickly to her feet. "Lalo, order the men to check every corner of this ship."

"A stowaway concerns you?" He asked perplexed.

"Enemies concern me." She amended.

—

The crew scoured the ship left and right. No one found anything above deck, except for Elizabeth who had found a familiar coat hidden beneath a bench seat in one of the long boats. The rest of the crew went below and found their prize dead asleep in the hold behind a pile of empty crates. Two men lifted Jack by his arms and brought him to his knees while another adorned their hand with brass knuckles and began pummeling Jack's body into a bloody mess. Elizabeth heard the commotion as she was heading below and raced to the center of the fracas.

Blood was steadily flowing from Jack's face as the crewman continued his assault. Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror, recognizing the captive while simultaneously confirming her suspicions, and waited only a moment before stepping in front of the brute. "That's enough." She said throwing her hands up.

The man responded to her in his native language, presumably yelling something crude as he stepped menacingly toward her. Quickly, Elizabeth pulled her sword on the man. "Step back" She seethed. "You understand this, don't you?" She threatened, holding her sword at his neck. "I said step back."

"Elizabeth." Lalo came rushing forward through the crowd of men. "What are you doing?"

"Tell him to stand down." She commanded him as she pushed the other man backwards.

"Elizabeth put your weapon away."

"Tell them to stand down, or I'll cut every single one of them down."

"I'd listen to her, mate. I've seen first hand what she's capable of." Jack groaned.

"Shut it." Elizabeth said over her shoulder.

Lalo sighed and gave a few commands in that unfamiliar tongue that Elizabeth really wished she knew in this moment.

"Grab him and get him to his feet," Elizabeth ordered the two men, and after a nod from Lalo, did as they were bade.

Jack muttered a few curses as they lifted him to his feet, trying to maintain focus. His head was throbbing. It was difficult to maintain his focus as the room seemed to spin around him. He felt as if he might collapse at any moment. Elizabeth approached him slowly and pressed the flat of her blade beneath his chin, lifting his head to face her. She examined his face. Both of his eyes were nearly swollen shut, his nose broken, his left cheek split open, and Elizabeth clucked in disapproval. "You shouldn't be here, Jack." She leaned in and whispered threateningly in his ear. She stood up straight and addressed Jack's captors. "Put him in the brig for the time being until I decide what to do with him." She barked and left the hold in an instant.

"I suppose it's too late to parlay?" Jack asked before the men dragged him backward through the hold by his arms.

—

"Elizabeth." Lalo approached her at the bow, in that same fatherly tone she always hated.

"I know what you're going to say." She said staring out over the railing.

"You are not the captain of this ship, Jack Sparrow is not your prisoner. You should not have stopped them." Lalo scolded her.

"He is my prisoner. I'm the reason he's aboard so he is my responsibility. As for stopping them, I should have let them hit him a few more times, but I'm not one for draconian punishments."

"He needs to be dealt with. He's become too much of a risk." Lalo had turned toward her, his eyes boring into her with utmost seriousness.

She turned toward him, matching his gaze. "I'm not going to kill him, so don't bother suggesting it. I…need to talk to him."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I really don't give a rat's ass what you think. I need to talk to him. Maybe I can get him to understand what's at stake, maybe I can get him to come over to our side." She stared at her feet, pondering just how she could possibly convince him to do anything.

"Christian will not be pleased."

"To hell with Christian." She blurted out.

Lalo stepped back in shock.

"Don't look so wounded, Lalo. I am still a champion for the cause, you know that, but I don't trust Erebus." She put a particular emphasis on the name. "My only loyalties are to myself…and, well I guess I do owe you for saving my life…"

Lalo chuckled and heaved a heavy sigh "I hope you know what you're doing." He said leaving her to mull over what she was going to say to Jack.

—-

Elizabeth waited until dusk to pay Jack's holding cell a visit, allowing him a chance to rest while keeping away unwelcome ears from listening in on their conversation. She brought him food, wine and a bucket of water to wash his blood stained face. The brig was dark, it smelled of stale sea water and rotting wood. Jack lay on his back upon a small, unforgiving pile of straw. Elizabeth set her offerings down upon a barrel while she lit a lantern. Within a moment, the brig was illuminated to a rather dull amber glow.

She dipped a mug into the bucket of water and tossed it in his direction, startling him awake.

"Was that absolutely necessary?" He sputtered, gingerly wiping the moisture from his face.

"I should kill you. The crew would like it very much if I did. Can't say it wouldn't bring me the slightest bit of satisfaction." She said sitting atop a crate just a few feet from the bars.

"What's stopping you? It's not as if you're unpracticed at it." Jack sat up, and leaned himself against the bulk head.

"You sent an entire crew of mercenaries after me with no intention of capturing me." She nudged the plate of food towards his cell.

"I wasn't sure what I was up against. They were only supposed to apprehend and incapacitate, but you posed a greater threat than they were expecting. Survivor's instincts kicked in." He leaned forward and reached for the plate. It wasn't much, but she'd brought him a biscuit, some dried fruit and hardtack. He consumed it greedily. "I only wanted to save you."

"You've a peculiar way of going about it. And what was it you were hoping to save me from exactly?"

"Yourself, that pestilent maggot, Christian…" Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't need saving, Jack. I made a choice." She said with a sad sigh.

"Why did you stop your mates?" He asked with a mouthful of biscuit, ignoring her previous statement. He was trying to gauge where her mind was at. Hoping that a small piece of her was still on his side.

"Because, though you probably deserve to, I'd rather you didn't die." She walked toward the cell and handed him the bottle of wine.

Jack exhaled a laugh and shook his head. "You're a bloody stubborn fool, you know that?" He said to her, grabbing the bottle and taking a swig. Relief and the warm liquid filled his veins.

"I did." She paused, gripping the bars between her hands. "How on earth did you find me? I figured you would sail around the Cape."

Jack reached into his pocket and threw the object at her feet. Elizabeth picked up his compass as he continued. "I'm guessing you had good enough reason for leaving it with me after you seduced me, stole that pendant, and murdered one of my oldest friends. Did you not think I would use it to follow you? Did you think I trusted the map you gave me?"

"Jack." She tried to placate him, but he interrupted her.

"Do you have any idea what is you've gotten into?" He wiped his mouth with his hand, his tone hardening.

"Probably more than I could ever want to know."

"Your friend Christian, isn't who you think he is, and his cause isn't as noble as he would have you believe."

"You mean he isn't the primordial god of darkness trying to bring about the end of the world?" She said staring off into the distance with almost no emotion in her voice.

"You know? And you still stand by him?" Jack asked incredulously.

"The story is not his alone. I have a stake in this. I'm allowing the hand to play itself out and will do whatever's necessary when the time comes."

"And that is?"

"I can't say." She averted his gaze.

"Why not?"

Elizabeth moved quickly toward the bars of the cell, startling Jack backwards. "Because I'm not sure when I am alone or when he is here, when my thoughts are his or when they are my own. There are moments when I feel completely in control, but every move I make has me guess twice its authenticity. And as I stated before, I'd rather you didn't die." She whispered harshly through the bars, gripping them white knuckled.

"So what do you expect me to do? Sit here and let him kill you?"

"Kill me? Jack…"

"Tell me you understand that your life is in danger?" He rose to his feet and moved toward her place against the bars, his hands gripped tightly around her own.

"Jack."

"Every step you make toward your cause is a step toward your demise. I'll not watch you die, Elizabeth. So don't ask it of me." He leaned his forehead against hers through the bars.

"I can't release you." She whispered, lips inches from his own.

"I know." He whispered back.

"If you cooperate, I can keep them from killing you, but I'll need you to trust me."

"Trust is difficult to come by these days."

"Trust this." She said meeting his mouth in a desperate kiss. Jack responded immediately, his own desperation matching hers. "My heart is yours. It always has been."

"Then forget all of this and let's get the bloody hell out of here." He scoffed.

"We can't, Jack. I have to finish this." She said resolutely.

Her eyes were pleading, there was something more she wasn't saying, but she asked him to trust her and so he would. "Why?" He finally asked, hoping for any kind of answer to this madness.

"Destiny." She shrugged.

"What do you need me to do?" He asked with resignation. He would do whatever she asked of him. He would do whatever she asked of him for all eternity if need be.

A/N: Ukaidi=Swahili for Stubborn