(Fiona's POV)

You can make me free
You can make me smile
You can make me be
Like a little child

You can melt the ice that chills my body
You can dry my every tear
You make the lonely hours disappear

The deck was as silent as the night surrounding the ship. The moon shone down brightly, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The officers weren't even talking. The island, Isla de Muerta, stood as a black figure in the night, creepy in the moonlight. I sat under the stairs leading up to the quarterdeck, gazing between the slats at the redcoats standing silently. Lawrence had left with several boatloads of men to the island in order to surprise the undead pirates at the suggestion of Sparrow. Elizabeth and I tried to dissuade him, but to no avail. He couldn't resist the opportunity.

"If they can't bloody well die, why try and surprise them?" I muttered darkly.

"Psst, Fiona." I looked to my right and saw Elizabeth beckoning me into the Captain's Cabin. Going in, I found a window open and the bed sheets tied together out the window. She was in a redcoats uniform minus the accoutrements, just white pants, white shirt and red coat.

"What?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"Come help me save Will. Kill the pirates before they kill him. We'll have to go to the Pearl first, of course, but then with the crew we'll go kill Barbossa and his crew." I raised my eyebrow skeptically, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Yeah, and what if the Pearl's crew isn't interested in going to fight Barbossa's crew? They've got their ship, that's all they want."

"Will you come or not?" she glared.

"Yeah, why not, it could be fun." Inwardly I grimaced. I followed her out the window and down to the tiny boat. Grabbing the oars, I began rowing towards the Black Pearl, where we did succeed in rescuing the crew, but not enlisting their help. And so we kept rowing to the island. Mooring the boat at one of the entrances, we crept along the rocks to the inner cavern, where the treasure shone like the sun in the torchlight. Our jaws dropped with surprise as we saw Will and Sparrow fighting Barbossa and three crew members. But the rest of the crew was gone. We looked at each other, then back at the fighting. With a yell Elizabeth leapt forward, plunging into the tiny fight. I held back, trying to figure it all out. Where was the large majority of Barbossa's crew? Had the curse not been lifted, as Sparrow said it would be? My heart clenched with realization.

"Shit," I muttered, wheeling and lurching for the boat. Rowing madly, I soon encountered Lawrence and his men. A look of shock registered on his face as I pulled the boat up beside his. "The Pearl's crew…they aren't in the cavern. Just Barbossa, Sparrow, Will…couple crew people, only three. My guess is as good as yours – they're headed for the Dauntless." I leaned forward, gasping for breath.

"Commodore, look," said one of the men, pointing. We all turned to see a boat being rowed by what appeared to be two women.

"Red flag, major red flag," I said. "They shouldn't be here. I mean, unless Barbossa likes having prostitutes at his killings of victims or enjoys dressing his crew in dresses, they shouldn't be here. They're a decoy."

"I think she's right, Commodore," said a man behind him.

"Back to the Dauntless," called out Lawrence after a moment thinking, seeing my reasoning. Grabbing the oars, I began rowing towards the shore, letting the others get ahead of me. A few men hopped into the boat with me, one taking over the oars with a smile. As we came closer, fighting could be heard and the flashes of guns. Then the cannons began to fire, the shells landing in the water around us. I flinched as each one came closer. A shriek echoed, arcing down, and blasted through the front part of the boat. I felt myself flying through the air, the air hot from the blast and splinters cutting my skin. I was under water for a few moments, grasping for something solid. I was scared, but regained the surface and my wits, treading water. Apparently only one of the men had survived, and he was wounded. Swimming to him, I put his arm over my shoulders, holding him up and treading water.

"Don't mind me, miss, I'm done for," he coughed.

"Bullshit," I said, moving towards the ship. Reaching the anchor's large rope, I grasped it. "Take a hold on it, pull yourself up on it." I helped him onto it. "Now, pretend like you're dead, but just…don't die. I'll be back for you soon." He nodded weakly. Swimming for one of the boats, I clambered into it and rowed it back, dragging him into it and then rowed it up next to the rudder under the overhang from the Captain's Cabin. Ripping open his shirt, I saw blood and splinters in his side. He hadn't been hurt badly. I tried to staunch the blood, listening to the screams and fighting above. He groaned in pain each time I applied pressure. Tying the boat to the rudder, I told him to keep pressure on the wound. I then reused the sheet rope to climb back up to the Cabin. As I slipped through the window, I encountered Swann, who was scared out of his wits.

"Miss Fitzgerald," he gasped. "What….? Why are you all wet?"

"I'll explain later," I said. The desk he was leaning on jerked a foot over, and I glanced at it warily. "I won't ask." Heading for the door, I grabbed the spare pistol on the desk and a sword off the wall before hurling myself out into the fight. I met a pirate square on. He was my height, with a mean look, but that's about all I could see since he was a skeleton. We spared for a moment before I shoved him into the sword of another officer. I just kept fighting, not knowing what propelled me forward. They wouldn't die. They just got back up, these skeletons draped in accoutrements. In the frenzy I barely noticed one coming at me with a yell. Whirling to block the attack, I felt something hit my side with the impact of a baseball being thrown at 90 miles an hour. I staggered back, a hot pain searing through my side. Everything slowed down. It was an odd feeling, being shot. I ran back into the stairs, tripping back onto them as they jabbed into my back and I remained lying there. Putting a hand on my side, I felt warm liquid seeping through my t-shirt. My fingers in the moonlight had blood on them, pain going through my side like shards of glass. I could hear myself breathing, hoarsely, heavily, each breath painful. The fighting sounded very distant. Raising myself I stumbled around and into the cabin, collapsing on the floor as the door shut. The pain was overwhelming. Faintly I heard Swann talking over me, then a chair being moved. Pressure was being applied to my side, water being poured into my mouth which I coughed back up. A pillow was shoved under my head. Opening my eyes, I saw Swann kneeling over me.

"Can you hear me?" he said. I nodded weakly. It looked as though he was making to say something else when he cocked his head, listening. He glanced back at me. "The fighting, it's over." I couldn't reply. "I'll…I'll be back in a moment." He rose and I heard the door close. Cheering echoed into the cabin, then abruptly stopped as the cabin door slammed, glass breaking.

"Fiona!" Lawrence was kneeling over me now. "Oh God," he choked, his hand enclosing my bloody one. "Gillete!" he roared. The man appeared, staring at me. "Get the surgeon." Gillete didn't move. "Get the surgeon, dammit!" Lawrence practically screamed, and Gillete moved.

"There's an officer," I said weakly.

"Hush, don't talk," Lawrence said, his voice shaking.

"He's in a boat tied to the rudder. He's wounded," I gasped.

"See to it, Governor," said Lawrence, keeping his eyes on me. A few tears fell from his eyes. Clasping my hand, he kissed my fingers. "Stay with me, Fiona, stay with me," he whimpered. I squeezed his hand weakly. My vision began to blur.

(Norrington's POV switch)

I tasted the blood on her fingers, my heart and stomach flipping and jolting as I saw her pale face. She was dying, and she didn't know how much I truly loved her in a world where she had never felt love. But I wouldn't allow it. Not this time. Death had played too large a factor in my life and I was not about to let it win over me now.

"Lawrence," she whispered, almost inaudibly. I caressed her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered.

"Yes, love," I replied. "Just a few more minutes." I turned, angry. "Where's the bloody damn surgeon!" Just then he burst through the door, carrying his medical kit, his helper a few paces behind loaded with instruments. He appeared surprised, but recovered under my glare.

"Get her onto the table," he said. I shoved everything off, gently lifting her in my arms and putting her on the desk. "Commodore, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I stared at him in horror. "Sir, unless you know anything about surgery, I suggest you leave. I believe you have a crew of pirates that need taking care of, and your captain and lieutenant don't seem very capable of handling the situation." I ground my teeth, wanting to hit the man for his impudence. Instead, I walked over to Fiona's other side. She was still breathing.

"Fiona," I said, stroking her sweaty brow. Her eyes fluttered open, and she swallowed. "I'm going to let the surgeon perform on you now, he's very capable. I'll be here when you wake up." It pained me to leave her, but I had to. Her eyes closed as I left her side and went out to deal with the remains of Barbossa's crew.

My throat was tight. My stomach was churning. I could barely concentrate. Fiona, I thought, as I continually glanced back towards the cabin and the shadowy form of the surgeon. Would she survive?

Don't you know my only real moments
Are the ones I spend with you
How I long to drink some wine again with you

And if I must wait a lonely lifetime
Until I am with you, my love
I will wait but you'll be what I'm dreamin' of

Lyrics by Billy Joel, "You Can Make Me Free"

http/www.lyrics.jp/lyrics/B004900010069.asp