Chapter...whatever it is.

Elizabeth watched from her prison under the main deck, through the grading. The silence among the crew was surprising, and she watched as the man she now understood to be the pirate Will Turner face his friend.

Will's eyes took on the look of surprise, then betrayal, and then finally a fierce anger. "Fine." He growled.

Bryan grinned. "Ah me heartie- so surprised. How predictable."

Will drew his sword, and then took a step back. "Just unsuspected. Not everyday a friend turns mutinous on you."

Bryan's blue eyes flashed. "Ahh, but I've been thinking to for a long time now." He drew his blade, and without a second's pause slashed out at his former best friend.

Then, the silence and spell was broken. The crew erupted into chanting and shouts. Some were cheering for Will, others for Bryan. It turned into a ferocious gladiator game in minutes- only this was far better fighting than any gladiator could have thought to accomplish.

Elizabeth watched as Will and Bryan went at each other with the fierceness of lions. But what amazed Elizabeth was how well they fought. They weren't two little boys with wooden swords hacking at each other- these were two swordsmen who had been probably holding a cutlas from the age of thirteen, and both merited the technique of masters.

Bryan slashed, and Will jumped away, and then again jumped away as his former friend aimed to cleave his head in two. Reaching up, Will took the blade of another pirate suddenly had two swords in his hands. This didn't seem to be unexpected- because instantly Bryan had the same. It was a four bladed duel instantly.

The crew loved it- and cheered louder as Bryan almost lost his head.

"I should have known you would one day turn on me." Will said, as they locked blades.

"Yes." Bryan said. "You should have."

"But I wont make that mistake again!" Will sliced at Bryan again, and Bryan got out of the way just barely with his hide intact.

"Temper, Temper." Bryan taunted. "You ought to remember from when we were boys- you always lost when you got angry."

"I won't loose." Will said, "I'll cleave you in two and then everyone will know what happens when they cross me."

The duel had taken them to the far side of the deck, and the crew scrambled to get away as their two would-be captains chased each other across the deck. None of them had seen these two fight- other simple disagreements. The crew had seen them both in action and knew just how well they could handle a blade, but never against each other except in practice. Now the great question arose, just who was better? Will, who had the brains? Or Bryan, who had all of the nastiness a pirate of the Caribbean could ever merit? Only time would tell, but still the greatness of the battle amazed them.

Bryan slashed, and Will ducked away. But Will also jabbed upward and Bryan had to recoil like the snake he was. But this time he climbed up the rigging.

Will followed. A sword clenched between his teeth and the other in his hand he crawled up the rigging of the Pearl like the sea-pirate he was. Coming after Bryan like a man possessed.

Elizabeth tore her eyes from the spectacle above the grating and saw that the pirate posted at the brig was no more than inches away from her through the bars. More importantly the keys were less than inches away. With the right move she could perhaps-

Will and Bryan stood up on the beam which supported the sails now, standing up there unsteadily they carried on the duel. Will had Bryan there trapped, there he could not scramble away, and like a cornered animal, Bryan fought fiercer than ever before. However, this time he also decided to use words.

"So what now, Will Turner?" Bryan said as he backed unsteadily away on the beam as Will swiped at his chest. "Are ye going to kill yer best friend?"

Will blinked. "Or you could surrender." He sneered.

Bryan jabbed, but Will swayed away just in time, and landed a slash across Bryan's tanned face. Blood poured from the cut, and now it was Bryan's turn to look at Will with the look of a hurt betrayal in his eyes. He sliced savagely at Will, but overplayed his balance, thrashing desperately at mid air he began to plummet toward the deck.

Suddenly, Will reached out, and caught Bryan's shirt collar. Bracing his mutinous's friend's weight against his own and saving him from the almost deadly fall. Will met Bryan's eyes, and to Will's surprise Bryan began to smile.

"I knew you couldn't kill me." Bryan sneered. He wrapped his left foot in the ropes of sail rigging, and then slashed out at Will with the sword he still held in his hand.

Now it was time for Will to recoil, but there was nowhere to go. Except down. Will flailed desperately to grab a hold of anything, but nothing brushed against his fingers except the empty air of the Caribbean.

Gibbs watched as Will fell through the sky to land with a nauseating thump on the hard wood deck of the Black Pearl. All the pirates were silent. There was no cheering, even from the side who had wanted Bryan to be triumphant. If Bryan had won under better sportsmanship, perhaps he would have gotten an applause, but now it seemed he was no more worthy of it. No one seemed to remember whether Will had screamed on his way down, or had simply met his fate with dignity. Gibbs cursed all the oceans and even the Sea God Poseidon under his breath. He could still remember when young Will was merely a boy who would follow Jack around like a kid brother. "Poor lad." He mumbled. "God rest his soul."

Suddenly, there was a shout that came from below. It was female, to everyone's surprise. "No!"

Elizabeth ran out of the hold, and kneeled next to Will's motionless form. Hot tears sprang from her eyes, as she peered into Will's face. She grasped at his hand, trying to feel a pulse. "Don't die." She pleaded. "Oh please don't be dead." Considering that hours ago she had been so enraged at him she wanted to run him through, it was somewhat strange that now she was praying that his life had somehow been spared. But now it felt like her heart was going to break inside of her.

Will didn't move. A stream of crimson blood rand down from his nose, and his eyes were shut tight.

Suddenly, the pirates had her once again, and dragged her away from their former first-mate. Bryan, who had since climbed down from the rigging laughed as she struggled and bit at the crew.

"Well now. It seems your mighty protect has been-" Bryan paused, stepping over Will's motionless form. "Slain. And you're here to say goodbye. Well. Say hello to your new protector."

Elizabeth glared at Forsane, her eyes ablaze. "Murderer." She growled.

Bryan laughed. "Pirate is the term I prefer my pretty." This time some of the crew laughed along with him, but not many. "And as your new protector and pirate-" He leaned close to Elizabeth, his face nearly touching hers. "I demand a kiss."

Elizabeth squirmed, bringing out the pistol she had stolen from the pirate below decks. The shot was point-blank, and Forsane leaped away, howling with pain and clutching his shoulder.

"Curse of the seven seas!" Bryan yelled, biting back hot tears from the pain. "Over the side with her! Let the sharks feast on her blasted carcass!"

"But Captain!" The words felt foul in his mouth, but Biggs decided to use them anyway. "Without her, what will we trade Jack and the treasure for?"

Bryan looked at Elizabeth, and then back at Biggs. "They don't know we've sent her to the brimmy now do they?" He sneered at Elizabeth. "And so, we'll get her daddy's treasure- and Jack. Because I'M not going to tell them."

"I still don't think it's wise, sir." Biggs objected from where he knelt next to Will's body.

"Ah!" Bryan yelled out. "What are you? A bunch of nannies?" He glanced around. "Fine! But she ain't going to stay on this ship. Lower down a row- boat and take the oars. We'll let her go adrift. That way you'll all be blasted satisfied!" Bryan began to storm off when suddenly-

AnaMaria, the fierce pirate-lady, looked up from where she knelt beside Will. "He's still breathing!"

There was a gasp that went through the entire crew. "It's a miracle." One pirate whispered. "No it aint!" Said another, "It's blasted black magic. We'll all be cursed."

Everyone looked up at Bryan, who held his wounded shoulder. "Oh fine." he mumbled. "Lower him over the side with the girl."

Elizabeth fought as the dragged her over to the side of the ship, and then lowered her into a long-boat. "What will you think you'll accomplish by this?" She yelled.

The pirates only looked at her silently.

"Commodore Norrington is not a fool, he'll see through this serenade!" Elizabeth screamed as they lowered her into the boat.

"We have no choice." A pirate muttered in her ear. "Just be glad you aren't dining with the sharks tonight."

Elizabeth watched as they lowered the unconscious Will Turner into the long- boat beside her, and then loosened the ropes that held the boat to the Pearl. Soon, the Black Pearl pulled away from them to eventually become only a black speck against the endless horizon of where the sea meets the sky.

She looked around, and noticed that to the west dark storm clouds were brewing. "Great." She sighed, sitting down opposite Will. For a long while she sat there, until from her childhood she remembered the words to a song she hadn't sung since she was very young. But now it seemed like the right occasion. "Yo-ho, Yo-ho." She paused, trying to remember the words. "A pirate's life for me."

It was then, that the thunder cracked, and the first hint of a breeze caressed her skin. All of a sudden, Elizabeth wondered just how a small long-boat could survive in one of the fierce hurricanes of the Caribbean.

TO BE CONTINUED!

(A.N. So how was that? Was it worth the wait? I hope it was. Reviews would be appreciated.)