Ends of the World

Chapter One

River of Dreams

AN/Disclaimer- I just got back from seeing Dead Man's Chest and I must confess, I'm slightly. . .irked? Not really disappointed, but definitely irked. This is NOT an "official" sequel to the film, nor is it intended to be what I think should absolutely be the way of it, it's the creation of after movie jitters and ideas. I don't own anyone unless you've never seen them before.

Pairings: Begins Wil/Elizabeth and will end Will/OC and Elizabeth/Jack

Warnings: Some sensuality and violence, disturbing passages.

Elizabeth Swann gazed into the river water with a bored, tired expression. Her heavy, tear reddened eyes never strayed from the cold liquid even as Barbossa and Will talked about how they planned to "get Jack back", it all went past her. She would be utterly confused come morning, when they would set sail. Finally, as the chirping of crickets and frogs sang her to sleep, a cool breeze easing the stress from a heat filled voyage, her eyes slid shut and head grew limp against her fiance's shoulder.

Her eyes slid open and she gazed all about the Black Pearl, it was empty, but it was sailing, as if mechanically. She climbed to stand near the helm, her eyes scanning the ship for any sign of life. She sighed softly and went to the railing, leant her forearms against it and gazed out over the water, jumped with a soft gasp when she heard someone speaking behind her.

"Beautiful, i'nt it?"

She turned to face Jack, her normally "fixed" hair was slowing in the breeze and the moment she set eyes on him she could feel how his lips had felt against hers. She stared at him for what seemed like hours, unsure of what to say. Tears began to fill her dark eyes and she looked down quickly, shame and pain filled her voice as she finally spoke to him. "I'm . . I lied Jack, I am sorry. So sorry."

Jack approached her and she noticed he did not smell, as he often did. In fact, his clothes were almost "decent" as well, the only thing that had not changed about his appearance was his hair and those deep dark eyes. His hand slid over her face and she noticed, they were smoother than she had remembered them, this truly must have been a dream. "Don't you see pet? This is where I'm happiest, out on the sea, with my ship and no one else. . ." He shook his head slightly. "It all was this way until I met you, you stubborn loud git. Now there's you and I don't want to let you go." He was silent for a long time. "I don't want to let him have you."

She watched him, her warm, salty tears spilling out over her face. She sniffled and tried to inhale as deeply as she could, her bottom lip between both rows of teeth. "Oh, I do hate that this has to be a dream." She whispered. "Because you're a captain . ."

"Aye, I'm a captain. But Miss Swann, who said this is only a dream?" He did not bother to explain, his face carved out into that mischievous grin that he always wore when stressing a missed point. But he did not try to make her understand, withdrew a ring from his hand and took hers, slid it on. "Do you Elizabeth Swann take me, Captain Jack Sparrow, to be your husband?"

This is madness, he's vile. He's beastly, he cares nothing for anyone but himself! She stared at him questioningly for a moment and then wet her dry lips quickly, nodded softly before responding. "I do." He's a man, and a good one.

"As do I." He murmured before bending and claiming a kiss from her, it was brief but it was enough to set her senses aflame. She leant into him and returned the kiss with an ardor she had not even thought to share with Will. He was so young and. . .like her. But he wasn't just like her. Her hands slid into Jack's shirt and her body pressed to his and quickly, he broke the kiss and stepped back. "I don't have enough time, that part'll have to wait, love." She was disappointed, pressed her nose to his chin. "Not long, the moment we're together when you find me."

She had no hopes of waking up and ever seeing him look at her that way again, the one chance she had to be his wife, was now ruined. "I suppose so." She said softly, her eyes lowered to stare at her bare feet on the deck. Jack lifted her chin gently so she was looking into his eyes.

"I know I'm dishonest. I'm a downright rotten scumbag but if you trust me, I swear you will not regret it. Only you can trust me now, Elizabeth, I have no more reason to lie to you." He said softly, moving back from her. "Time for me to go now."

"I trust you, Jack." She said hurriedly as he stepped back, caused him to pause. "I mean it still, I have faith in you." She held tightly to his hand, almost afraid now to let him go. He, who she had once despised so much. Jack Sparrow, a liar, a thief, a pirate.

"Bye, love." He said softly as he disappeared.

Elizabeth woke in someone's arms, gazed up at Will and yawned. She stretched very little as he carried her to bed on the ship, accepted a goodnight kiss from him on her cheek and then turned onto her side. He left her in the room and she looked curiously down at her hands, nearly leapt from her skin when she saw the large, gold ring on the finger Jack had placed it on. She smiled very softly, even more anxious for Barbossa to take them to the place he was at.

She found, however that her dreams were empty now, and so she got up from bed late into the night and walked out onto the deck in her gown and robe. She walked to the railing and leant her elbows onto it, gazed out into the water as she had before hers and Jack's wedding. Wedding. . .wedding. . . good God Elizabeth Swann! . . Sparrow. . . She smiled very slightly at this and jumped when a gruff male voice sounded behind her.

"It's mighty late to be standing out on the deck in naught but your nightgown. . ." He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him, immediately seized her left hand and examined the ring. "Mrs. Sparrow!" He looked at her with surprise and demanded. "When did this happen? When could it have happened?"

Elizabeth yanked her hand free. "As his wife, I do not wish to answer anything you have to ask me." She said coldly. "Besides, it doesn't matter when it happened." Her eyes trailed away, rather sad, still apprehensive.

"It does if it happened in your sleep." He said lowly, grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the cabin. He brought her to sit and shut and locked the door, lit an oil lamp and set about lighting some candles so the room wasn't quite so dark.

Elizabeth was silent until he'd lit several candles and was no longer facing her. "How did you know? . . . I .I mean." She wet her suddenly very dry lips. "Why does it matter had it happened while I was asleep?"

Barbossa looked at her with a very soft smile and moved to sit across from her, his fingers sliding to net together beneath his chin. "Jack got use of a friendly little trinket a few years ago, it allows one to visit the one person they want to see the most's dreams, and to shape them." He paused to let her think on what he had just told her. "A ring, gold with an onyx oval setting." She remembered it.

"If you and Jack were wed in your sleep, that means Jack's still alive. At least to some extent. And he still has that ring. How did he look in the dream? Broken up?"

"No." She said, shaking her head. "He was perfectly fine, in fact, he looked better than usual, well kept. . ." She said, starting to worry a bit.

"Then he is fine, and the good looks were just for charm appeal on your part." He said with a little grin. "Now the only trouble is that we have to find him. Did he say he'd come see you again?"

She shook her head, wiped her eyes a little. "No, he said he'd see me when we found him."

"He doesn't know where he is then." Barbossa said softly, looking around the cabin room. He sighed and stood, retrieved Jack the Monkey. The little creature tilted it's head and shrieked as it looked at the ring on Elizabeth's finger and Barbossa nodded with a low purring sound of agreement. "You're right, Jack. The boy should not know, not yet. Not until we find him."

"I shouldn't keep this from Will, it would be dishonest." She said softly, lifting her eyes from the gold to Barbossa's mad gaze. "I'm not a dishonest person, Captain Barbossa." She regretted the words almost immediately but did not make any attempt to withdraw the statement.

"Oh really?" He leant closer with a sarcastic smile. "Miss Turner." He chuckled softly and stood from the leaning position he'd been in to stalk about the cabin, his arms folded regally behind his back. "I'll give yeh this much, one lie isn't much to condemn a person but marrying Jack Sparrow, that just may."

"Captain." She corrected softly. "Captain Jack Sparrow." Her voice was soft and lacking it's usual spark, rather blunt and tired. "If you'll excuse me Captain, I think I need to go and get my rest now. I don't want Will to know I was up half the night if I'm to be able to convince him nothing has changed." She stood and unlocked the door, walked out onto the deck to go to the stairs leading to her cabin, when Barbossa grabbed her shoulder, she turned to him with a raised brow.

"We'll find Jack, he'll owe me big time but after that, I can't imagine anything going wrong."

"But that's just it, Barbossa." She said with a little annoyance. "Something always does." She hurried down the stairs and shortly after he heard her door shut. Will walked up the stairs a few moments later, tired and looking confused.

"What's going on?"

"Oh," He took a drink off his canteen. "She's just having some post-wedding jitters."

Read. Review. Please. Thanks.