A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating! I'm so busy! I tried to update sooner but wouldn't let me log on. Then I had to go to D.C. and I couldn't update until today. I'm so sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Elizabeth: Cliffy? Didn't really mean to put one there, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Yes Elizabeth is a slut…I didn't really want to make her look like that but you never know with my mind, the writing part of it at least. It always seems to take my stories in way different directions than I intend.

pghale6: Yeah, I hope Will comes to save them…as I said before, you never know with my mind, what I intend most likely will not happen.

American Drama: Okay! I am like updating like now! Don't you panic on me either.

somegrl28: eh, don't worry. I'm not evil enough to put Anna and Jack through that much torture…yet.

obliviongates: oh, but you see, Will can very well still marry Elizabeth, as long as he doesn't know what's going on between his fiancé and the commodore. What one doesn't know won't hurt.

Robinisawesome: Elizabeth? A slut? NO! Never! lol, yeah I know. All of this will work out eventually, like all great soap operas…wait…are there any great soap operas? I'll get back to you with that.

Lady Fae: I'm surprised more people didn't expect this to happen. Something miraculous pop up you say? I think I'll have Jesus come, that sounds like a good idea, right?

Mystisch: Glad you like my writing. Thanks for the compliment and review!

Disclaimer: oops, forgot one in the last chapter. Shhh don't tell anyone! Ahem…I do not own anything from Pirates of the Caribbean. I only own Anna Wilson and anyone else you don't recognize.

Chapter Three: Escape

Will sat alone in his blacksmith shop with only the faint glow of a single candle to illuminate the room. Ever since he had come back from Elizabeth's house, so much sat heavily on his mind that he couldn't get to sleep. He leaned on his workbench as an image of Anna flashed in his head again. Trying to get rid of it, he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them until they were sore. When the image had disappeared, the question Anna had asked and he never got to answer echoed in his head.

"Do you still love her?" the voice taunted.

'Do I still love her?' he asked himself remembering how hopelessly he was in love with Elizabeth a year ago.

He remembered how excited he would be to see her every morning as he walked to her house and how that excitement spiraled down to a dread of doing a chore. He could remember how much his heart would leap at the mention of Elizabeth's name and how now, it was just a name of little significance.

'Is that how love's supposed to be?' he asked himself.

Something stirred inside him. He looked up from his hands and looked around. Something was wrong. He stood up, walked to the door and unlocked it. He slowly opened the door and when it was just wide enough, something grabbed his arm, pulled him back, and slammed the door shut.

Will calmed himself and looked at the figure standing at the door that was still facing it. The figure was hooded and only a couple of inches shorter than him. It was breathing heavily as though it were running away from someone. The figure turned around and pulled its hood down, revealing a woman with light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes.

"Elizabeth?" Will said in a barely audible tone, "what's wrong? What happened?"

"We have to save them," was her breathless reply.

"Save who? What happened?" Will asked more urgently placing his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders.

She jumped at his touch and took a step away from him.

"Elizabeth, I can't help you unless you tell me what happened," Will said softly.

"Norrington, he's gone insane. He came and arrested Anna and Jack. He's planning on hanging them tomorrow!" Elizabeth said with a shaky voice.

"What!" Will said, his eyes wide with anger and shock. "Why was Norrington at your house?" he said, his voice becoming calm again with a hint of suspicion.

Elizabeth halted. She couldn't tell him the truth, but there was no believable story she could say.

"I d-don't know. H-he…just…uh…came and took them," Elizabeth said as her voice wavered. She couldn't look Will in the eye.

Will eyed her suspiciously, but gave up and sighed. "Let's go and get them out. It isn't the first time I broke a pirate out of jail."

………………………

The jail was completely dark except for a faint glow coming from one window on the first floor, most likely a guard's office. Will crept inside the main entrance of the jail with Elizabeth closely trailing behind him. A guard was sleeping next to the door with a gun held loosely in his hands.

"Will, should we…" Elizabeth whispered but was cut off by Will's hand raised in the air to silence her.

"Shh, we don't want them to wake up do we?" he whispered.

Elizabeth shook her head no. Will bent down and picked up a rock on the floor and raised it above the guard's head.

"What are you…?" Elizabeth started again but was quickly silenced by a cold glare from Will.

He took the rock and hit the guard over the head, drawing a small line of blood and knocked the guard to the floor. Will picked up the gun and stuffed it in his belt. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her as he crept on to the stairs where a scrawny looking guard stood with a lantern, facing a window. Will stopped and eyed the guard, seeing an easy defeat. He pulled out his newly acquired gun and took a step towards the guard.

"Will, no!" Elizabeth said just under a shout and grabbed his arm.

The guard turned towards them and saw the gun in Will's hand.

"You, sir!" the guard said walking towards them.

Will groaned and turned to glare at Elizabeth, but she was gone. He put the gun back in his belt quickly and looked up at the guard.

"Yes sir?" Will said innocently.

"What brings you to this jail in the darkest hours of the night?" the guard asked suspiciously.

"Uh, well, uh, I was, uh, I, um, left something here from today. I was hoping I could go look for it," Will lied miserably.

"So you decide this late to look for it?" the guard asked.

"Uh, well, you see, I had looked all day up until now for it, and I just remembered where it was. I already missed half a night's rest, sir, so the rest doesn't matter much anymore now does it?" Will said smiling weakly.

The guard eyed him suspiciously. "What was the gun for?" he asked making a jolt of panic rush through Will.

"Well, I, uh, brought it to, uh, protect myself from, uh, the inmates," Will stumbled over his words.

The guard looked Will over again suspiciously.

"What's you're name?"

Will knew that if he gave him his real name, he wouldn't be able to get through because of his well known engagement in piracy throughout Port Royal.

"Aaron, uh, Johnson," Will lied, again miserably.

The guard nodded. "I'll take you through the jail, and once you find what you need, you'll go straight home. You hear me, Mr. Johnson?" the guard ordered.

Will nodded.

"Good."

The guard turned to lead Will up the stairs but was suddenly knocked out cold by a blow to the head by Will with the handle of the gun.

"Idiot," Will said grabbing the lantern and running up the stairs to the second level.

Everything was dark, except for the slight light coming from the moon through the barred windows. Will crept past each cell of a sleeping inmate, examining them carefully so not as to free the wrong person. He stopped at a cell with a woman leaning against the bars, sleeping one of her hands held on to the bar loosely. He raised his lantern to see in the back and saw just the pirate he was looking for.

"Will!" Jack yelled raising his hands and swaying as if he were drunk.

"Shh!" Will hushed back. "Do you want to wake up the whole jail?"

Jack gave Will a look of a mock apology.

"I'm going to get you out, okay?" Will said quietly, seeing Jack's drunkenness and inability to comprehend quickly enough.

Jack nodded.

Will looked back down to the woman sleeping against the bars. He touched her cold hand and shook it lightly.

"Anna…" he said softly.

The woman didn't wake up. She turned her head towards the warmth touching her hand and let out a long breath, falling back into her deep sleep.

"Anna…" Will said louder.

The woman inclined her head slightly. "Will…" she breathed as wisps of white air floated from her mouth in the cool night air.

Will's heart pounded in his chest as the breath hit his hand. A jolt of energy ran through his arm and around his body from it.

"Anna," Will said louder and not as softly, eager to get her awake so he could stop feeling this way.

Anna opened her dark blue eyes and looked over to what was touching her hand. She squinted in the darkness and realized it was Will. She jumped back from him and held her hand on her chest breathing heavily.

"Don't scare me like that!" she shouted.

"Shut up ye idiot," Jack slurred remembering that Will told him to be quiet.

Anna swallowed hard, ignoring Jack. She crawled back over to the bars where Will still crouched.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"Getting you out," Will said examining the bars closely, figuring out a way to break them out quietly.

"Is Elizabeth with you?" Anna asked standing up and looking around the dark jail.

Will shook his head no. "She was, but after a guard almost caught us, she was gone."

He touched one of the pins that held the cell door on its hinges and pulled it out slowly. He smiled at his new found discovery and pulled the other pins out. When they were all out, he pulled the door as gently as he could to get it open. But after all his success that night so far, the door made a loud clang as the door broke away from the hinges.

"Damn," he swore quietly under his breath.

"Nice," Anna said pulling Jack behind her, trying to squeeze out of the cell.

The three crept to the stairs. Will looked down to make sure the guards were still asleep. One was groaning as he slowly sat up, clutching his head where the rock hit him. He looked up and saw Will and stood up quickly grabbing a gun leaning against the wall.

"Hey! You!" the guard called.

Will jumped back and pulled Anna and Jack along with him as he ran to the other side of the jail.

"Come on," he said, "do you know any other staircases?"

"How would I know?" Anna said trying to keep her voice down.

"'Ey, there's one over there in that corner," Jack slurred trying to stay conscious.

"Which corner?" Will said sharply.

"Right there!" Jack said pointing to a dark corner.

Anna and Will eyed the corner, doubting any staircase would be there. They heard steps behind them as the guards made their way up the stairs and on the second floor.

"Hey! Come back here!" a guard yelled running down the hallway after seeing the escapees with his gun pointed ahead of him.

"No time for doubting," Will said and ran to the dark corner that Jack pointed at. Anna pulled Jack behind her as they attempted their escape.

Will felt around the corner and found a gap in the ground. He looked down and saw a ladder leading down to the first floor.

"Over here," he said quietly and helped Anna down the narrow ladder. Jack staggered behind them.

They started walking away to the door just down the hall, trying to keep from laughing as the guards fumbled around upstairs.

"Where'd they go?" one asked.

"I dunno, they just disappeared," another answer.

"OW!" came one yell and was followed by a series of loud crashes and bangs.

Will, Jack, and Anna found the door and quickly ran outside into the still sleeping port. A cold breeze rushed past them. Anna held her bare arms close to her chest, cursing the flimsy material of the nightgown.

"Where's the Pearl?" Will asked Jack.

"The Pearl?" Jack slurred not recognizing the name of his own ship.

Will rolled his eyes.

"It's in a bay on the other side of the harbor. Jack and I took one of the boats from the Pearl and rowed here," Anna said quietly.

"Okay," Will said, "Come on Jack. You can sleep when we get to the ship."

Jack was sitting on the ground leaning against a tree about to fall asleep. He looked up drowsily and nodded. Anna helped him stand up and they walked on to the harbor.

When they reached the harbor, Anna helped Jack into the boat they tied up and got in after him. To her surprise, Will followed.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked quietly.

"Running away," he said simply.

Anna looked at him skeptically.

"I'm probably a wanted man now, Anna. It'd be best for all of us if we all escaped," Will said, untying the boat from the dock and picking up the oars.

"But you're getting married…" Anna said softly.

Will paused. "It can wait," he said quietly and began rowing in the direction that Anna steered him in.

………………………

"They WHAT!" Norrington's voice rang loudly over Port Royal as the guards reported the escape of the night before.

"They escaped," the guard said quietly with his head down, looking at the wood floors of the commodore's office.

"I know what you said! I'm not deaf! How could you let this happen?" Norrington screamed at the guards.

"I'm sorry, sir. I did everything in my power to stop them," the guard mumbled.

"Well it wasn't enough, was it?" Norrington yelled.

"No it wasn't. I'm very sorry, sir."

Norrington sighed and held his head in his hands as he leaned on the desk. "Go tell Captain Anderson to report to my office immediately," he said as his voice wavered on the edge of another outburst of anger.

"Aye, sir," the guard said and left the room.

About twenty minutes later, a tall man in an official naval uniform stepped into the room with his hat tucked under his arm.

"Good morning, Commodore," the man said.

Norrington looked up and smiled. "Ah, good to see you again Captain Anderson," he said unofficially. "Please, sit down."

"Thank you, sir," the captain said.

"I have a bit of a problem," Norrington said.

"Oh?"

"Yes, well do you remember those two pirates I arrested last night?" Norrington asked.

"Yes, sir," Anderson said smiling. "One of them my former fiancé."

"Ah, yes, Miss Wilson, I remember," Norrington said. "Anyway, I need to catch Mr. Sparrow and his crew. I know that ever since you're promotion to captain, you've done well when sent after pirates. I trust you to find the Black Pearl and if you don't sink it killing everyone on board, then bring the whole crew back to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Anderson said.

"Very well. Good day Matthew," Norrington said casually bidding the navy's best captain goodbye.

A/N: Once again, I'm incredibly sorry for not updating fast. Well, now I'm out of school so I'll have more time. Oh, and in case you don't recognize Captain Matthew Anderson…remember Lieutenant Matthew Anderson? I don't know the ranks of the navy and I doubt he could have moved up to captain in a year but hey, I needed him to be a captain for all of this to work out. Anyways, please review!