Here's the next chapter. I'm want to get this fic done before the new movie comes out, and it's about 75 percent complete at this point. So expect frequent updates after this. By the way, we're skipping to the scene where Jack and Liz have been picked up off the island by Norrington and the Dauntless.

The battle had long since been over, and Elizabeth, after a series of unusual and unfortunate events, had finally gotten her wish. At last she was reunited with her father and her friend, but the situation was not as joyous as she had imagined it would be. For her other and dearer friend, Will was not with them. He was captured by Barbossa and set to be sacrificed, and neither James nor her father were willing to do anything to save him.

"The boy's fate is regrettable," her father told her, "but, then, so was his decision to engage in piracy."

"To rescue me. To prevent anything from happening to me," she protested.

At this point, Jack Sparrow spoke up, and Elizabeth inwardly groaned. There was no time for his foolishness in this situation.

"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion," he said, "the Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it."

"Yes, think about it," Elizabeth willed. Now she was grateful that Jack had spoken up. Grateful that he was trying to help convince them of her point. She knew he must have some ulterior motive, but at the moment she didn't care. As long as he got them to save Will.

"The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?" Jack asked directly of Norrington.

"Please say yes," Elizabeth silently begged. As long as she had known him, this had been his mission. It was, in fact, one of the first things he had ever said to her.

"I intend to see that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets exactly what he deserves," he had told her. Words she would never forget. But to her shock, Norrington responded with:

"By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself."

How could he not help her! She almost started to panic, but was able to stop herself and look at the situation rationally. She realized that in James's eyes, he was helping her by taking her home, away from danger. He was always looking after her like that. And now he was willing to give up his dream just to keep her safe. Because he cared about her for than he cared about himself. It was with these feelings for her that she must persuade him to help the man she loved.

But if she were to do what she planned, it would mean she could never be with that man. At this she hesitated, but as Norrington turned to walk away, she knew she had to make up her mind. For if she did not, she would still be separated from Will. If she couldn't be with him either way, she decided it was better to have him alive in the end.

"Commodore, I beg you, please do this. For me. As a wedding gift."

He stopped in his tracks, and stared at her in surprise and amazement. In his eyes, she saw all the sadness and longing which he had been feeling for who knew how long, and she had been too naive and stubborn to acknowledge. Seeing his pained face, she felt a stab of regret for being so negligent towards him.

"He's my best friend," she thought, "How could I have not seen it before? I should have listened to what Father was saying all these years, and told him how I felt a long time ago. "

"Elizabeth, are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" her father asked, the first person to speak since she had made her request.

"I am," she said, not taking her eyes from James's. They which had before been disbelieving now seemed warm and caring. As she looked into them, some small bit of her apprehension began to leave her. It wouldn't be so bad, really - marrying him. He was a good friend, and even though he wasn't Will, he was an honorable man, and a smart one. He could provide her with security, and she knew he would never treat her as anything less than a queen. She might not have loved him romantically, but she did, at least, love him for these admirable qualities.

From somewhere in the background, Jack's voice floated to her as through a haze. "A wedding," he said, and she heard something about "drinks all around." But she could not look away from the commodore, until both he and she realized that everyone was staring at him, waiting for instruction. Elizabeth dropped her gaze, and Norrington flicked his up to shoot a warning look at Jack.

As she studied the wooden planks at her feet, she heard Jack say "I know. 'Clap him in irons,' right?"

Funny, Elizabeth thought. That's how she normally would have felt about marrying someone she didn't love. But if that someone was James, then at least it wouldn't be so bad.