The cold gray light that precedes sunlight lay over the island, and all was quiet and still… or, at least it had been.
Elizabeth felt something stirring beside her and sat up quickly, blinking her eyes rather rapidly. It was a moment or so before she realized just what- or, rather, who, had caused the disturbance, and another before she realized she was wrapped up in the arms of a man. And he was not just any man, either. The infamous Captain Sparrow, to be precise; the man she'd begged her nursemaid to tell her stories about and nearly worshipped as a child. Brow creased in confusion, she ran a hand through her hair, looking down at him for a few seconds before it dawned on her.
Oh, what had she done? Will's face loomed in her mind, his lopsided grin, the expression he always wore when he saw her, and… the hurt look she knew he'd take on if he ever found out. She knew he loved her, she'd always known… just as she knew she cared for him. But then why…?
Unanswered questions chased each other around inside Elizabeth's head, and she had to Close her eyes, and place a hand over her mouth, fighting the wave of nausea that swept over her.
It had obviously been the rum. It was the only reasonable answer. Why else would a respectable woman, the governor's daughter no less, behave the way she had? Evidently, the small amount she drank had a larger effect on her than she had presumed it would… She had no attraction to Jack Sparrow. Why, the idea of it was absolutely preposterous! Taking a deep breath, she made up her mind.
Carefully, so as not to wake the sleeping man beside her, Elizabeth lifted Jack's arm from her waist, laying it beside him in the sand softly. Standing up, she gazed down at the pirate for a moment, allowing herself to play with the thought of staying here on the island with Jack…
Once again she saw Will's face in her mind, and she knew what she had to do. Jaw set, she turned and made her way over to the collection of supplies, formulating a plan. It was now or never, she reasoned. After all, if Jack knew what she was up to, he'd never let her go through with it. Yes, best to do it while he was sleeping…
She began to toss the supplies into a pile, working until her arm muscles were aching and her back was sore. She continued until the sun was well into the sky, possibly around midday. At any moment she expected to see Jack heading over the dunes of sand to see what she was doing, and her worked seemed to take ages. Straightening up, she wiped a bead of sweat off of her brow and stood back to survey her handiwork. Perfect.
Grabbing a branch from their campfire the night before, Elizabeth stirred up the embers of the nearly dead blaze. Working at it a few minutes, she got the fire roaring once more, and tossed a few lit branches onto the supplies.
Authors Note: Yes, I know… it's been ages since I've updated, and this chapter is short… so sue me. Or, rather, don't. please. :-s Reviews would be nice, though I won't demand them as I've been so lazy about updating. Yes, this is short, as I said… and mainly… exposition. *gag* gomen. Anywho, I SHOULD have a new chapter up soon. No guarantees. I had writers block, but I killed it. ^_~ I think.