Elizabeth sat staring out at the ocean, her features illuminated by the sunlight reflecting off the water. She sighed as she traced her finger lightly around a pane of glass in the window, her thoughts wandering away from the soft rocking of the boat. Her heart ached from not seeing Will for so long, and it only made the pain worsen when she thought back on how he had declined to travel with her. Surely he loved her, surely he hadn't grown tired of seeing her so shortly after their wedding…
"Are you all right Mrs. Turner?" A voice came from the doorway. Elizabeth looked up to see Eponine, her maid, standing in the doorway to one of the many rooms in her cabin suite. Her young face was laced with traces of obvious worry, and her green eyes were soft with a mixture of admiration and something Elizabeth couldn't quite put her finger on, something that gave her the impression that Eponine had seen and heard many things, everything from happiness to sorrow to wars and death…
"Of course, no need to worry." Elizabeth replied finally. "I was just thinking, that is all."
Eponine smiled softly and walked over to Elizabeth, her confident stride muted by the obvious gracefulness that she was attempting to show. She sat down beside Elizabeth on the cushiony window seat. Such forwardness would have made any woman of high class cringe, but Elizabeth liked the way Eponine saw everyone on the same level. She knew that the only reason Eponine acted so was that she was quite new to serving people, and didn't know much of etiquette, but Elizabeth still found her strange ways friendly and comforting.
"Of course you were thinking." Eponine said, her eyes sparkling. "It is what you were thinking of that troubles me."
"Then I obviously have no need to tell you what is on my mind." Elizabeth said sadly. Her eyes immediately wandered to the setting sun, slowly sinking below the crystal waters.
"You have no need to worry, Mrs. Turner. I have never seen a man look at a woman the way your husband looks at you."
Hearing Eponine refer to Will as her husband gave Elizabeth a slightly giddy feeling, but reality was quick to bring her mood back down to the state it had been at before.
"As you often say, Eponine," Elizabeth said, "You can never be so sure with men."
"A dirty rotten bunch of scoundrels if I you ask me." Eponine was quick to agree. "No offence intended."
Elizabeth nodded and continued staring out at the ocean. She lightly touched her hand to her hair as she felt the comb holding it in slip out, letting her long, fair hair fall down around her shoulders.
"Oh, Mrs. Turner!" Eponine exclaimed excitedly. "You know what that means don't you?"
"That I will have to re-do my hair before supper?" Elizabeth said, picking up the elegant looking comb.
"No, well yes, it does mean that, but haven't you ever heard what people say about hairpins falling out of your hair?" Eponine said. "It's supposed to mean your loved one is thinking of you."
Elizabeth smiled. "You always were a superstitious one, Eponine. And a gossipy one, too. Have you heard anything lately?" Elizabeth always had trouble stopping herself from asking Eponine that particular question. She still didn't get told much from the noblemen around her, but Eponine had a way of finding out anything that was going on about the place.
"There's been talk on the ship, Ma'am." Eponine said. "A merchant ship dropped off a load of letters just recently from Port Royal, and-"
"From Port Royal?" Elizabeth interrupted, snapping her head away from the window and staring at Eponine curiously. "When was this?"
"Three weeks ago…" Eponine said, thinking. "Or possibly four, I'm terrible with dates."
And there was no letter from Will. Elizabeth thought sullenly.
"Anyway," Eponine continued, "Your father received letters from a number of people at the port, including Commodore Norrington, all saying that the Black Pearl was spotted sailing near port, and one person even said that they saw her in the port, right outside of town! Now isn't that just a wonder of a coincidence? The very ship you were held captive at appears at Port Royal right after you left… Or maybe even before!"
"And you're sure these were all from reliable sources?" Elizabeth asked, all thoughts of Will suddenly drained from her mind. "You're sure none of them could have been lying?"
"Well, I highly doubt that Commodore Norrington would lie about such a grave situation, if you don't mind my saying." Eponine said.
"Yes, but-" Elizabeth pushed, but Eponine just shook her head and stood up.
"I do think you should be getting ready for supper, Mrs. Turner." She said in a way that seemed to read 'drop it and don't ask me anymore questions'. "I've already laid your dress out for you, and Lisa and Meryle are already inside, waiting to help you into it. I bid you a good evening, Mrs. Turner."
And with that, Eponine strode out of the room.
Elizabeth's stomach sank as she thought back on their conversation. Of course Norrington wasn't lying, but why on earth would the Black Pearl have been doing around Port Royal…
"Of course!" She exclaimed, before immediately shutting her mouth, hoping no one had heard her. Of course the Black Pearl would have been at port, if Jack had heard about their wedding! He had probably just gotten the date wrong, that was all. Why had she been so worried over something like that? It wasn't as if Barbossa was about to show up at her doorstep anytime soon.
Mentally chiding herself for jumping to conclusions, Elizabeth stood up and walked into her room to get ready for supper. About half an hour later, once she was bound in her navy blue velvet number and her hair had been re-piled up onto her head, she slowly strode out onto deck and headed towards the dining room. As she walked across the deck, she noticed most of the crew were rushing around excitedly about something or other. Following a pointing sailor's gaze, Elizabeth spotted a ship heading towards them.
"Elizabeth!" A voice came from behind her. She turned around to see her father rushing towards her.
"What is going on?" she asked curiously. "Whose ship is that?"
"It's merely one of my merchant ships coming to greet us." Her father explained. "But this particular ship has come straight from Port Royal, and will no doubt be bringing letters."
Elizabeth smiled excitedly and started over to the rail to get a closer look, but her father stopped her.
"They won't be here for a while, nor will they go anywhere." He assured her. "But it's time for supper, dear. A ship's deck in this excitement is no place for a young woman, married or not."
After a rather hurried supper, Elizabeth had rushed out onto deck as soon and as fast as she could in her tight dress. The stars were shining brilliantly, and the torches about the deck illuminated the smiling faces of all the sailors. On the other side of the ship, the merchant ship (which Elizabeth had learned was called the Ebony rose) had tied up to the deck and several sailors were boarding their own ship, carrying boxes and cases of all sorts.
"Elizabeth dear!" her father motioned her to join him. A stern looking man with an extremely bushy black moustache stood beside him.
"This is Jeremy Smith, captain of the Ebony Rose." Jeremy bowed deeply as he took Elizabeth's hand and politely kissed it.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Turner." He said in a deep, booming voice.
"As it is to meet you." Elizabeth replied politely.
"As I was saying, Governor." He said, turning towards her father. "There have been quite a few letters sent from Port Royal, all of which we're more than happy to deliver." As if on cue, a young sailor appeared beside him, carrying a large package.
Her father readily took the package. "Ah, here you are Elizabeth. Just as I suspected, most of them are for you." He said, handing her a stack of letters before studying an official looking letter addressed to him. "And the only letter for me seems to be from… Norrington."
* * *
Mia sighed as she stared out the tiny window, watching the waves slowly rise and fall. Her sickness had subsided a while ago, leaving her merely bored and angry. The past three weeks Jack would simply some in every once and a while with food and provisions, but had made a point of avoiding her as much as possible. Mia almost wished he was in here bugging her, at least she wouldn't be so lonely.
Mia sighed again as she realised she was daydreaming. Again. Or maybe she was really dreaming, she could hear angels singing… the moonlight streamed through the window, giving Mia the impression that she was in heaven, away from this bloody little place and away from Jack...
"Small craft in a harbour, that's still and serene…." The angel sang. "Gives no indication what their ways have been. They rock at their moorings all nestled in dreams, away from the roll of the sea…."
Mia absent-mindedly began to hum along to the tune, before she realised that she was really hearing the words being sung, she wasn't imagining them. She sat up and strained her ears to catch more of the song.
"Their stern lines are groaning, a lullaby air…" the voice sang, adding a dramatic flourish to the end of 'air', in a way Mia had only heard once before. It was Kris!
"Sparrow!" Kris's voice was muffled by the heavy wooden door, and Mia sprang up and rushed towards it so she could hear better. "Where did you say that case was?"
"In my cabin!" Jack's reply sounded faint to Mia, as if he was in another room.
"I know that!" Kris replied. "Where in your cabin?" But she got no answer.
"Fine then, don't answer me!" Kris yelled jokingly. Mia heard her turn a key in the lock, and heard her creak open the door…
"If it's not in here I'll have to…" Kris trailed off as she saw Mia standing in front of her.
"What the hell…" she said, disbelieving. "Mia?"
"Kris!" Mia flung her arms around her confused cousin's waist, overjoyed to see a face other than Jack's. "Oh, Kris, it's been so horrible…"
"What are you doing here?" Kris said, still looking confused. "I though I left you in Trawe…"
"You did, but I was mad that you were leaving again and wouldn't let me come with you so I stowed away under a rower and then Jack found me and locked me up in here and then you came and then-"
"Hold up a second." Kris said, struggling out of a nearly hysterical Mia's arms. "He kept you here? For how long?"
"Three weeks!" Mia exclaimed. "But at least he didn't kill me because I know that's what pirates usually do to stowaways but really I have no clue why he didn't because-"
"Calm down!" Kris exclaimed. "So you're saying that Jack kept you in here for three weeks without any food or water?"
"No, he brought me everything, including-" Mia motioned to her outfit, "-your clothes."
"But why the hell would he-"
"Oh Kriiiiiiiiis! Have you found the-" Jack casually strode into the room, the smile vanishing from his face as he saw Kris and Mia glaring at him. "This can't be good."
"You have no idea." Mia replied, eyeing the acidy look on Kris's face. For a moment, the three of them stood in a heavy silence. Kris stared angrily at Jack, Jack looked as if he had seen a ghost, and Mia stood in between them, watching each of their faces and trying not to think of the headache she was sure to get when this was all finished.
"You." Kris said finally, pointing towards Mia but not taking her eyes away from Jack. Her voice sounded hollow, as if she was speaking from a different body. "Mia, go to my cabin."
"But…" Mia started, but immediately though better of it and walked out of the room, shooting an almost sympathetic look in Jack's direction as she walked past him.
"Kris, I can-" Jack started, but Kris immediately cut him off.
"You!" she screamed. "I don't even want to think about you! Just-just- GET OUT!!" And with that she stormed out of the room and out onto the dark and deserted deck.
Jack was close behind her as she walked out onto the deck, having to trot to keep up with her quick strides. "Kris, Kristalle… Really, I can explain, it's not what it seems…"
"I don't care what it seems to be!" Kris yelled, turning around to face him. "I don't care what you were or weren't planning on doing, I don't care why you did it!!"
"Then why-" Jack started, only to be cut off.
"You lied to me, Jack!" she yelled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You kept my cousin in some, some sitting room for three weeks right under my nose and did you even think to tell me? Did it even occur to you that I might care that she was locked up for weeks on end?"
"Well yes, but-"
"But what? You didn't want to tell me? You thought it'd be fun to see how long you could hide a fourteen year old girl in your cabin without my knowing?! Tell me, Jack, when were you planning on telling me? No, tell me why you didn't tell me! Why the hell would you bring me onto this ship only to lock girls in your cabin?! Why didn't you just leave me on that hell-hole of an island if you weren't planning on even telling me my own cousin was on the ship?"
"Because-"
"Because what, huh? Because you thought I would wait on you for the rest of your life? Because you wanted more females other than Anna-Maria around to use?"
"Because." Jack said, looking utterly defeated. "Because I love you."
Kris's anger immediately lessened. All emotion drained from her body as soon as the meaning of what he said sunk in, those single words changing her mood dramatically. He'd never said that to her before. Sure, she had known it already, as actions had always proved stronger than words (and there had been plenty of actions), but to hear him actually say it literally made her heart melt. The moonlight illuminated his kohl lined eyes, which stared down at her intently, almost sadly. She had never wanted him more than she did at that moment, she had never wanted to hold him or to talk to him or to feel his heartbeat more than she did now… It was taking all of her will power to simply to keep a straight face, to fight off the urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him…
"There's no such thing as love, Sparrow." She said coldly, finally snapping out of her dream-like state and back into reality. It hurt her beyond imagining to say these words, but she had to let him know how she felt, how seriously angry she was at him. She couldn't just let him off the hook because of a few simple words… She turned away to hide the tears forming in her eyes and briskly walked back to her cabin, leaving Jack staring after her.
* * *
Once Captain Smith had found out what the letter from Norrington contained, the fact that Will had gone missing and the direction the Black Pearl was heading in once she left Port Royal, he had easily put two and two together. And this gem of a situation was the perfect chance for Smith to get back at an old nemesis. For Jeremy Smith was not what he seemed to be, an honest merchant with an odd line of work, no, he wasn't anything near that. And as Jack stood wistfully watching Kris break his heart and leave, he had no idea that the Ebony Rose was swiftly approaching his ship…