Thank you, girlgunslinger, for reviewing and reading this story! I'm having so much fun writing it but I'm such a slow typist, so it's getting done, but slowly. By the way, it says that I have received 6 reviews, but only 4 are showing…I'm confused. Can anyone help?

Disclaimer: Nope. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Chapter 5:

*Thwock*

Elizabeth gasped as a knife whistled past her and embedded itself in the doorframe inches from her head. Clucking her tongue in disapproval she calmly extracted it and tossed it from hand to hand looking at Jack. With a sneaky smile she raised her arm and threw the knife straight at him. It missed his head by a hair and even sliced a couple of beads from his dreadlocks.

The look on Jack's face was priceless. A cross between disbelief and approval.

"Now luv, you know that ain't fair," he protested, "I could've killed yeh if I'd a got the start that yeh had."

Elizabeth giggled and confessed that she knew he could've indeed. And Will wondered why Elizabeth wasn't worried by the fact that he was still in Jack's headlock and that she had almost been killed. Jack wondered when Elizabeth's aim had become so good and dropping Will's head, he pranced over to the wall behind him and retrieved his knife.

Will collected himself and asked for a private word with Elizabeth who frowned and told him that it was rude to do so whilst they had a guest.

Jack laughed and told them to go ahead and that he'd entertain himself for a bit.

"If you're sure Jack? We'll only be a minute or two I suspect," said Elizabeth.

"I don' mind a' tall luv, be my guest."

But Jack knew that they were about to discuss him and what he had been doing. He wasn't at ease with people talking about him behind his back when he was aware of it.

Placing his hands behind his head and falling back on the couch he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

"Honestly Will! You worry far too much. Jack is just fine. You saw him before, and you know he would never hurt me intentionally," Elizabeth tried to reason with Will who had worked himself up into quite a chaotic mess.

"He almost killed you, Liz! That knife was inches from your head! Imagine if it had killed you," he lowered his eyes, "I would have never forgiven myself."

"Oh Will!" she lifted his chin in her fingers, "there was nothing you could've done about it, and Jack would never hurt me or anyone else," she reached up and kissed him, "he's too much of a softie," she giggled.

Will jerked out of her grasp and started pacing. "That's the other thing, Liz. Jack lost control when I called him soft. That's why the knife went flying and I was in a headlock."

Elizabeth nodded. "I did wonder about that," she admitted, "rather unlike our Jack."

"Not 'our' Jack anymore, Liz."

"Why ever not?"

Will rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It seems to me like he's changed. For the better and the worse. He's become more caring and thoughtful but he's also got a lot of anger and violence in him," he slumped onto the double bed and drew Elizabeth down with him, "I think he's found something, or someone that provoke these strange feelings in him."

Elizabeth reached up and stroked Will's cheek. "I know I've found my someone."

Will smiled and pulled Elizabeth into a deep embrace.

* * *

Upstairs, Anouk was sitting on the edge of the bed shaking. It was freezing cold and even though she had wrapped many blankets around her, she still wasn't warming up. She was also shaking from the thought that these 'nice' people were probably in league with the pirate downstairs. Maybe she would just climb out the window and escape. Getting off the bed, her stiff legs carried her over to the window yet again, but as she peered out, she saw with dismay that the bottom was a long way down and that a fall could and most definitely would turn nasty.

"I'm trapped! Oh god they've trapped me," panicky thoughts invaded her mind. Thoughts of betrayal and of distrust. Anouk did not trust easily and when she did, it was only close friends that she had known for longer than 5 years.

Still, determination filled her frail body and she threw off the covers and they landed in a heap on the floor. Grabbing the edge of the sheets form the bed, she tugged them off but in doing so and immersed herself in knotting them into a long rope. Anouk checked that no one was coming and shut the door. Tiptoeing back to the window she picked up the knotted sheets and attached them to the curtain hook on the windowsill. Yanking them to make sure it was secure, she had just gotten one leg out of the window when she heard someone clunking up the stairs.

She swore under her breath and quickly pulled her leg back inside the room.

'Bang bang'

"Blast!" she skipped swiftly over to the door and pressed her ear against it, straining to find out who was coming up the stairs. The footsteps were heavy and uneven. Not at all like Elizabeth's who were soft and dainty. Was it Mr Turner? Perhaps it was him coming to check on her.

But a little voice pricked the back of her mind.

It could be the pirate

"Don't be stupid," she scolded herself, "if he's a pirate, he's dangerous and he probably doesn't care about checking up on injured people anyways."

It wasn't until too late that she realised she had been speaking aloud…whilst standing right next to the door.

Someone chuckled on the other side. "I wouldn' be too sure about that, young missy,"

"Oh."

All common sense seemed to have flown from her body. All rational thoughts, all sagacity. She felt compelled to open the door, but she knew she shouldn't.

"Open th' door, luv, I won't 'urt yeh."

Anouk fumbled with the doorknob and breathed a sigh of relief as she found it was locked. She paused and then called through the door,

"Um no, I won't, sorry." She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Another laugh floated through the air and then he spoke again, "I'm jus gonna have to force my way in then."

"You won't break the door down, will you?" she was uncertain.

"Not if I can 'elp it. But desperate times call for desperate measures."

Anouk frowned. "This isn't a desperate time though," the frown deepened, "is it?"

"Believe me, darlin', it don' get much more desperate than this."

He didn't sound at all threatening. In fact, Anouk thought to herself, it sounded as though he were trying to be threatening…but failing miserably.

He's killed

The little voice in her head pricked her conscience again.

"Shut up!" she berated herself angrily.

"You alright there, luv?" he sounded alarmed.

"I, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all."

Why are you talking to him?

"SHUT UP SHUT UP!" she screamed, clutching the sides of her head as if to dull the voice.

All she heard then was an incessant banging on the door she was leaning on and Mrs Turner's voice yelling something and then the banging stopped.

Silence.

Then, "Luv? Luv are yeh ok? Open the door an' let me in, aye?"

And then, "Anouk?" Elizabeth sounded frantic and she tapped the door nervously, "open up, it's ok. Mr Sparrow here isn't going to hurt you," Anouk heard a grumble in the background that sounded like 'Captain Sparrow, Captain,' and then Elizabeth ushering Jack away form the door.

Anouk rested her head on the cool doorframe and breathed in deeply and massaged her temple.

A key turned in the lock and the handle began to open.