1Hello all! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter.. And I hope you'll like this. I think I was sitting in.. Ahh where was I when I thought of this.. Shower? Probably. Anyway. REVIEW IT lol. Dugadugabowbow: hey there darling! Yes, not only did you review, but you did it rather quickly! Alonefreehearted: Bang! Thanks for loving my chapter. Haha that was so adorable. And I will keep it up thank you very much for the review! Emiliosloofah:! Darling! It's really wonderful to hear from you again! I was excited when I got the review! Greece was amazing.. And I love my blue and white everything that I bought. Everything was simple and beautiful. Johnny enjoyed it didn't you dear? "Why yes I did," Good. "Now take me to bed or lose me forever!" dear god, what drugs are you on. We must get more. Sorry Bethy, I have to tend to Johnny. I'll hope to see you soon in New Zealand? That sounds wonderful. Kisses to you and Emilio!

-Enjoy darlings...

It had been eleven days, twenty hours, forty-two minutes, and six seconds, give or take the few that she wasted mentally thinking it up. It was dark and hot and she was sweating. If she hadn't been so, incredibly pregnant, she would have lost at least fifteen pounds by now. There were heavy red curtains pulled across the windows so no light besides candles placed here and there illuminated the segregated room, and the big red mahogany door was shut tight and locked before and after someone came to visit her. And that was rare. There were paintings and tapestries of beautiful fertile women with babies on their hips and their big stomachs bulging with kicking, small bundles of life. The bed was dressed with magnificent pillows and blankets and there were great log piles beside the stone fireplace so that the room could be heated to fever pitch. Diana had the floors shrouded with rich colorful carpets so that every sound should be muffled, and Isabelle hated it. She hated how every sound bounced off the stone walls and died when she tried to distinguish it. She hated the feverish stuffiness of the room and the unbearable heat she was forced to live in. She hated the perfectly white sheets and she hated the stupid fireplace, which wasn't necessary because the rainforest was so dammed hot anyway. But most of all, she hated being away from Jack. She hadn't seen him in over a week, but he wrote her letters. It seemed silly, seeing as they were both in the same palace, just on opposite sides of a large, foreboding mahogany door.

His letters were always filled with compassion for her lonely state in the stuffy chamber, and stuffed with at least a dozen love's. He wrote to her about William, about James, about Gibbs, Litler, and all the other men she was forbidden to see during her pre labor. They apparently send their best and a few suggestions for names. She laughed at this, because she had already had a name picked out for him. Jack once explained how the children had spent an afternoon picking beautiful flowers for her in an open meadow under the soft gaze of Jack's watchful eye. She knew this to be true because ten minutes later, she received the flowers in a beautiful crystal vase. They seemed to brighten the room a great deal and for this she was very thankful, and wrote a note back to him the instant they arrived.

Elizabeth would spend long, gritting hours with her in her personal hell. She would read to her near the fireplace because Isabelle's eyes had become too accustomed to the dark, and now she couldn't even read to herself. She heaved a heavy sigh and let Elizabeth's warm, even voice relax her until she fell into a fitful sleep, filled with nightmares alone in her dark chamber.

When Ana Maria came to visit, she stayed three hours and kept Isabelle's spirits high, telling her stories of Jack, James, and William. She cheered Isabelle's groggy state with news that Elizabeth was next in line to spend the two weeks before her labor in this very same room, with no attention, and no William. That brought little happiness to the mother to be, but just enough to save yet another lost day, hidden away behind stone walls and a lock only Diana had the key to.

Diana would come visit Isabelle at night right before the pirate would sleep. She would sit at the side of her bed and read tales of folly and love to her, rubbing her aching back gently as she read, her voice always steady and smooth, like the sheets that rubbed gently against her sore legs, which ached to be outside and running around. Often times Diana would sneak her a glass of warm ale, filled to the brim, to help her sleep better and to chase away the nightmares. Sometimes it would work, but others, it would only make the height of her terrors seem more real, and the more real they seemed, the louder she screamed.

Today was no different. Ana Maria came in for a few hours and laughed with the captive woman and her unborn child, cracking witty jokes until she was sure Isabelle laughed genuinely. When Ana made her leave, Isabelle was alone to nap for an hour or so before Elizabeth came waddling in, her delicate hand around her stomach, and sat by the fireplace, smiling when Isabelle sat up and giggled like a girl. Elizabeth continued in their book until she was sure Isabelle was dead asleep. If she finished the reading before Isabelle was fully asleep, she would be wide awake again when the steady hum of a voice stopped. When Elizabeth vanished, Isabelle found herself up and alert for another few hours, until she was sure it was night. She was sure because the tiny rays of light she could see through the windows stopped shining, and she knew there was no chance it was cloudy outside. Diana came in when everyone in the palace was asleep, except for Isabelle and she knew it. She came in with a warm cup of ale and a book, which Isabelle could see was in Spanish. She smiled and sighed when Diana handed her the warm green cup and situated herself in a comfortable position, turning herself away from Diana with great effort. Diana sat down and sighed lightly, pulling up Isabelle's shirt and gently rubbing the knots out of her back from the heavy weight on her middle.

Her voice was so soothing and her touch was so motherly, that Isabelle wasted no time drinking her ale and closing her dark brown eyes. She drifted off to sleep in no more than a half an hour. Diana noticed the even rising and falling of her back, so she closed the book gently, set in on the night stand and removed the empty cup of ale from her limp hand. She kissed the restless Isabelle on the forehead and smiled as she made her leave for the night.

She opened her eyes and noticed the rays of light shining through the open windows, winking at her. She smiled at pulled herself up, but stopped when a sharp pain jolted her aching body. She looked down and horror filled her paralyzed mind. There was no baby. There was no stomach, the only evidence that a baby was ever there, was the terrible aching pain in her inner thighs and the strain on her back. She pushed herself onto her elbows and looked around. There was a cloth soaked with blood on the ground and she panicked, wild thoughts teeming in her mind and taking control. She instantly thought the worst. Someone had stolen her baby, and she never even got to see him. She threw herself off the bed and ran for the great door, turning the handle. But she was locked in, just like she always was. She started to bang her hands on the door in a futile attempt to get out. She screamed and screamed, but even her own pleas seemed so far away. Although she knew what she was pleading for. She felt her skin tear as she slammed her tiny fists into the door, and her blood blended in nicely with the deep red of the wood. The only difference was the drops that ran vertically down the front. Her hands were raw and bleeding and her voice was sore and hoarse. But still she yelled. She yelled for her son, she yelled for Diana, she yelled for Jack, and no one could hear her. She was trapped, like an animal, wasting away in a little prison with noting but light to keep her from insanity. And even now she was going insane. She lost everything if she lost her son. "Jack!" she screamed, tasting her own hot, salty tears as they rolled unchecked down her sweat streaked face. "Jack, please don't leave me here!" she shrieked, becoming more and more desperate. "Please don't leave me alone!" she whispered frantically, sliding down the front of the door as her knees weakened and all the fight suddenly poured out of her in liquid form from her eyes. "Please," she begged before she gave up and laid her blood soaked hands in her lap.

A scream so mighty ripped through the corridors of the palace and Jack's body shuddered as it reached his ears. As soon as he opened his eyes, he knew she was in trouble. He knew something was wrong. He flung the covers off of his tanned body so fast, they whipped clean off the bed. He buttoned his pants as he ran down the corridor and to the birthing room. He reached for the handle and pulled on it fiercely, only to find it locked tight. Realizing this, he yanked on it harder and slammed his hands against the door as another heart wrenching scream tore through the door and wracked his body with guilt and desperation. "Isabelle!" he screamed, his voice low and gruff, but loud enough. Elizabeth and William hurried down the corridor to Jack's side, having heard the blood curdling screams that tore the palace apart.

"Jack, what is it?" Elizabeth asked gently, pulling her robe tighter around her. Jack ignored her and beat his hands against the door until they became chaffed. She screamed again and Will watched as each second the scream filled the air, Jack's shoulders jerked like someone was repeatedly stabbing him, and his jaw tightened to the point where Will thought he would break it. "Oh, God, Will!" Elizabeth whispered, and Will took her in his arms, looking toward Jack with his brow furrowed, wishing he could help the desperate pirate. James and Diana came running down the hall, Diana's long, flowing white night gown trailing behind her as she ran and her blonde locks bouncing violently.

"Jack, please stop that," Diana said, grabbing one of Jack's shoulders and pulling him from the door. Jack turned on her, his eyes heated and filled with a flame she had never seen ignited before. It was a very dangerous, protective flame, that wouldn't be extinguished by a few soothing words. He shook her twice and she furrowed her brow, folding herself in, and trying to step away from him, but he had her in such a hold that she couldn't pull away. His fingers dug into her bare arms and his body was so close to hers she could feel the heat.

"I need to be in there," he said in a low, hoarse voice and she whimpered a little, trying to pull back again.

"You can't be in there, Jack," she said steadily, though her body betrayed her. "Please, let me go, you're hurting me," she said quietly so no one else would hear.

"You don't-.." Another earth shattering scream scrambled Jack's thoughts instantly and his eyes filled with a pain that was not fathomable. The pain of not being able to be near the one you loved when they needed you. Diana wrenched herself away from Jack and threw herself into Will's open arms. Jack stood stock still in the position she left him in and he listened until the scream stopped, then he trained his eye on Diana. "Give me the key, Di," he said slowly as he turned his body to face her.

"Jack," Will warned, hugging the queen closer to his body. There was a low whimper that came from the chamber and Jack threw himself at the door hitting it over and over again with his fists, then he slid down the door like life had let off its heavy burden on his strong shoulders. He cradled his head in his hands and tried to control his breathing. Elizabeth choked back a sob and went to him, her robes fluttering about her as she kneeled next to him, taking his head into her arms and cradling it against her soft chest.

"Please, Jack. Please be alright. It's alright, she's stopped, she's alright," Elizabeth cooed gently, and Jack threw his arms around her, hugging her to him as she smiled and rubbed his bare back. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as the adrenaline left her body in a rush. Her silent, understanding tears dripped lightly on the top of Jack's black mane, but he took no notice and neither did she. "You're very brave, Jack." There was no response, but she knew he had heard her, and she knew what she said was true.

Diana watched as Elizabeth and James walked Jack back to his room and she also watched as Jack was wearily stepping, like he was too tired to take the next step. But he always did. Will sighed, and Diana pulled out her key, he furrowed his brow, thinking, no, knowing he could not go in there. But if she wasn't going to say anything, neither was he, and when she pushed the big door open, he slid in behind her, and she shut and locked the door after them. She turned around and smiled at him wearily and pocketed the key, running over to the bed. Will stood where he was, quietly taking in the surroundings he was no enclosed in. He felt the soft carpet beneath his feet and saw the many different tapestries that adorned the walls like curtains for something that wasn't there. He saw Isabelle tangled in the bed, trapped between the beautifully white sheets that covered the bed. Her pretty black hair was stuck to her face and neck, and the little wisps of curls she had at her forehead stuck close to her eyebrows like they wanted to become one with it. Her eyes were shut tight, almost as though she was trying to keep herself from something she couldn't see on the other side of her eyelids. But Will knew there was nothing evil or threatening on the other side but he and Diana.

Her tiny hands were balled into fists and were white as the rain that poured from the sky weeks ago and her mouth was open, her teeth bared slightly as if she was afraid of an invisible attacker. When Diana reached over to touch her, she pulled away quickly. Diana stood still and watched Isabelle twist for a moment then stop, her breathing heavy and her fists tightening on the blankets that held her prisoner. She was surprised Isabelle had pulled away from her and Will was surprised Isabelle had let something scare her so badly. He had never heard her scream like that before, and he hoped to God he would never hear it again, he would make sure of it.

When Diana reached out for a second time to touch her or wipe a hair away from her eyes, she pulled back again as soon as the warmth reached her senses and she pressed herself into the pillows. Diana looked up at Will and her bright green eyes questioned him. Will took this as silent permission to be in the room and move about, so he went to the bed Isabelle was in and kneeled so her face and his face were close to each other. "Elle," he said airily and whispered softly, like an echo was calling her name, but she didn't know where it came from, then a rough hand reached over and swiped a stray hair away from her burning cheek. She thought it to be Jack, but thought again when the and came down on her a second time to rub an eyebrow back into place, and she knew by the different smell on the hand it was William. But she was trapped inside her dream, she couldn't get away from the horror, it was all around her like a terrifying presence and she was afraid to open her eyes, to see what was waiting for her. "Darling," he said again, this time with more compassion to his voice than last time and she began to think there was nothing but William on the other side of her eyelids. She relaxed when the hands moved away from her face and to her blankets. They brushed against her legs as they removed her from the blankets, and they worked quickly, so quickly she was free before she knew it.

"Please open your eyes, Elle," Will said gently and passed a rough hand over her forehead. Out of sheer curiosity, she opened her eyes and looked up into Will's sparkling brown eyes. She choked out a laugh of happiness and threw her arms around him like she hadn't seen him in three years.

"Will," she whispered, and Will laughed gently, letting out his breath when he knew she was alright.

"You gave us a scare, Elle," he said in a low, gruff voice, indicating to Isabelle that it was not morning and this man and Diana had gotten out of bed to see what the fuss was. She was surprised to see no Jack. Will watched as her face fell and tears welled up under her eyelashes. Will made a swipe at them and managed to take some of the tears away before more spilled. "What is it?" he asked gently.

"Where's Jack?" she asked with a voice like a child. Diana laughed and came to her bedside, sitting down beside Will.

"He came too, Isabelle. He was here. He threatened me to try to get in here, he yelled and he screamed and he pounded on the door until his hands were raw and bleeding." Isabelle's mind flashed back to her dream and she stiffened, but not noticeably.

"Then he knew, he was here, he wanted to see me?" she confirmed, nodding her head with every sentence she finished. Diana patted her stomach and smiled reassuringly.

"Yes, even ask William." Isabelle's eyes flew to Will and Will nodded his head to give her his answer.

"Please tell him I say hello and that I love him." Will and Diana nodded and Isabelle yawned prettily, her black hair curling at the tips while it dried. Diana smiled and hummed until Isabelle fell into the deepest sleep she had ever had in her life.

Will and Diana left the chamber, shutting the door quietly behind them and walking back down the hallway. Diana peeked her head inside Jack's room and found him sleeping soundly on his bed while Elizabeth dozed in the corner on a chair and James laid on the foot of Jack's bed like a loyal hound. Will laughed and smiled, his eyes twinkling at the sight of his wife. If he could've plucked her out of the chair without having to wake her, he would have, but he couldn't carry her now. So he went over to the chair and tapped her gently, kissing her forehead and whispering in her ear until she slowly woke up to her husband's smiling eyes.

"Is Isabelle alright? Does she need me? What happened?" Elizabeth questioned him until he couldn't keep her words straight and he cut her off with a sweet kiss.

"Please, my love, leave it rest till morning. It would have been a job trying to get Jack to fall back asleep. Come back to bed, and we'll sleep," Will said quietly as he pulled her to her feet. Diana roused James and the four left the Sparrow's to sleep that night apart, in separate rooms. They both dreamt vividly of the other and wished with their hearts the baby would hurry up and come so the three could be together and live happily once again.

----Hope you enjoyed! Here's your quote.

If she could show you how much you hurt her; you'd never be able to look her in the eyes again.

-Kate (Dessie)