Disclaimer: I don't own the Pirates of the Caribbean. But oh, the things I'd do if I did…

SHOUT OUTS:

A/N: Thanks to several people who've corrected me on a few things. One, that Elizabeth Swann's name is spelled with two n's, not one. Also, I've had a couple spelling errors (since instead of sense) but that's because I'm only human and therefore imperfect! I hope you can all forgive me for that. Also, if you see anything amiss with my story, please feel free to notify me. I'd appreciate it!

Chapter 8, Love Me

It took quite a while for Gibbs, Ragetti, and Pintel to carry Jack and Will back to the small camp they'd made in our absence. I began to wonder why we didn't simply stay where we were

, because it was a day's walk back; then, Ragetti explained why.

"Very strange, the way it's worked out, eh?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, my ol' friend Pintel here used to be in the delightful business of trade. He says he used to sail here all the time, tradin' things back an' fourth, until he became the pirate he is today. And the way he talks, it seems we'll be off this 'ere island in no time at all!" Ragetti winked at me with his one good eye.

"Aye," Pintel said, grunting under the weight of Will, "because them that trade still come from time to time, buyin' an' sellin' their wares."

"Who do they trade with?" I hoped it wasn't more cannibalistic natives, like the ones Will had told me about from his experience on an island before.

"That be the mystery, lass. Even when I worked on the ship, I never saw nigh a soul. But the merchants that went ashore always came back with…treasures." Pintel looked strangely at me, and I felt he wanted this to effect me like a ghost story would. I smiled, hopefully just as peculiarly back at him. His grin faded, and he seemed to realize I wasn't scared of his tale.

The rest of the time, we all walked on in silence. I heard Jack snoring, and I stifled a laugh. I paid very little attention to much else; I wondered only about when we'd be rescued, and who the people that came before us had traded with. I laughed at myself, wondering how I could even consider such an outlandish story.

-:-

"Oi! Can you see her there, mate?" Gibbs yelled. He held one hand over his eye, shielding his face from the sun; it was setting, but the glare was still shining down upon us. Gibbs was staring out over the horizon, pointing with his free hand at something I could barely see.

"A ship! It's a ship, it is! Maybe a day an' a half away, two days tops! Be out of here soon, lads!" Gibbs was excited, but I felt a strange sadness setting over me. It had been three days since the long walk back to this shore of the island and I'd had very little time to talk with Jack…or Will…alone.

"Yes. I see. Not far off at all. Ragetti! Pray for rum, lad," Jack joked. Ragetti actually took him seriously; he put his hands together, nodded, and closed his eyes as he prayed for God to give him a vile drink. It was nearly blasphemous. But I had other things on my mind.

"Jack…I need to talk to you. Alone…now."

"Ah. And when you say 'talk,' you mean…" Jack said, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

"What else would I mean?" I asked, looking innocent. Jack smiled wickedly.

"Eh…boys? Elizabeth and I are going to…find more wood for the fire! Be right back…no need to come looking for us…just…going around the trees, there…for wood…for the fire…" Jack said as we walked away from the group. I saw Will look at me with a glazed expression.

"What fire?" Gibbs asked loudly. Jack began sprinting—more like running—towards the trees, dragging me with him. Finally, we were out of plain sight of the others. As soon as he realized this, Jack turned around and grabbed my face, pulling it to his.

His lips connected to mine with such a burst of passion that I'd never known. Everything I'd been meaning to say to him, every word on the tip of my tongue—or was it his tongue?—disappeared with that kiss. But then I did another one of those stupid things I do when I get caught up in the moment. I raked my nails across his back in pleasure, quite forgetting the condition it was in.

"ARGH!" Jack cried, his mouth breaking away from mine. He stumbled backward, eyes squeezed tightly shut, hands balled into fists. I stared at him, holding my breath, and all was silent for a moment as Jack struggled to regain composure.

Finally, his eyes opened and he looked at me with a weak smile on his face. I could breathe again.

"I'm…I'm so sorry, Jack…I forgot…"

"It's alright…after all, who wouldn't forget themselves in the arms of Captain Jack Sparrow?" My eyes narrowed at him, his ego taking hold of him again. But I couldn't find it in me to be angry with him, not after what he'd just been through. "So…shall we continue? And please, Lizzie, try to control yourself," he joked, coming back towards me. I nearly agreed, eager to be in his arms again, but then I remembered what I'd really come to do.

"No…Jack…we have to talk."

"And as always, I love talking with you. It greatly excites me. Let's talk some more, savvy?"

"Jack! This is serious…it's about you and Will!"

"Will? Oh…not to offend, but he's not really my type. Too…eunuchy if you ask me." Jack was coming ever closer, and I could smell his spicy scent from where he was standing; a breeze began to blow, and it carried his fragrance ever closer. It was getting hard to resist.

"I didn't mean that and you know it! I have to make a decision, one that will most definitely decide my fate. And I'm asking you to help me make that decision." The wind began to pick up, and a shiver ran down my spine.

"What…kind of decision, Lizzie? You know me…I'm not a futuristic type of pirate. I prefer to…live in the moment." Jack stood barely three inches away from me now, his hands rubbing sensually up and down my shoulders. I struggled to find words.

"Tha-that's why I need your help. With Will…I'd never 'live in the moment' again. I'd…settle down with a family in Port Royal and be a respectable lady again…but with you, I'd…sail the seven seas! Have adventure and excitement! I could never have that with Will…"

"Sounds like you've already made your choice; if I do say so myself, it also seems a very obvious one." Jack leaned forward, his lips inches from mine.

"But that's what's wrong, Jack. It shouldn't be an easy decision. It should be difficult, because Will loves me and you…" I trailed off, afraid to speak the words aloud.

Jack's hands stopped caressing my shoulders, and his head backed away from mine, though he still held onto me, staring into my eyes, a look of wonderment on his face. It suddenly came to my attention that the temperature had dropped considerably, and I wrapped my arms around myself.

"And I…?" he prompted.

"You…it's just that…you've said before that your only love is the sea. It only makes sense that I should be with the man who loves me, not the sea." I hoped this sounded sensible. But even I was beginning to doubt that Will loved me anymore; surely, he was jealous of Jack, which would make one think that he loved me…but trust was necessary for us to make it, and I knew all of any kind of trust we'd had was dissolved forever.

"Elizabeth…" Jack said. His voice was strained. I could tell he didn't want to say that he loved me, but he also didn't want to deny it. He was torn, and it was quite a new experience to see him struggling with himself.

"Yes? Tell me Jack," I begged, taking his hands in mine. I bit my lip, hoping he'd say he loved me. Only if he could admit it would I ever be able to live my life by his side. I blinked back tears of despair; every second I could see him retreating, running in the other direction in his mind. He wasn't going to say it. He didn't love me enough to admit it.

"Elizabeth…you and I…are very much alike. We both want the same things. Isn't that enough? Isn't it enough that you're happier with me, stranded on this godforsaken island, than you could ever be with William, in a cozy little house in Port Royal?"

My hopes were shattered instantly. I dropped my gaze to the ground and pulled my hands from his. I actually felt my heart breaking. Then I felt wetness on my face and reached up to wipe away the tears. Jack reached out for me, but I stumbled away, and began running back to the group.

"Elizabeth! Love, don't do this now! Of all the bloody--"

His voice trailed away; I lost myself in my own thoughts. Will wouldn't have me, and I couldn't be with a man that didn't love me enough to say so. Surely, Jack had shown that he cared for me…but I wanted to hear it from his own lips.

Then I felt another wet drop rolling down my face, and I wiped it away quickly. Then another came, and another…and I realized the water wasn't tears from my eyes, but from the sky. I looked up and my jaw dropped.

The sky was completely black with dark, foreboding rain clouds. It was the most hideous, frightening thing I'd ever seen, next to The Flying Dutchman's crew. It's difficult to describe such a sky; I only imagined the deepest, most painful sorrow when I looked at it. Then I heard thunder, and a bright streak of lightning flashed down to the sand, not far from where I stood, shocked. The thunder's roar was deafening; the lightning blinding. I wondered how this had come upon us so quickly, and then I remembered the wind before. Then I noticed the crew running towards us.

"HURRICANE! THE WAVES WILL DROWN US ALL! TO THE TREES! FIND SHELTER LADS! EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" Gibbs yelled, running furiously towards me, gesturing madly with his hands that I run back to the trees.

"BIGGEST STORM I'VE EVER SEEN!" Pintel screamed over the deafening roar.

"May God have mercy on our doomed souls!" Ragetti called, and I found myself almost unable to hear the screaming man over the volume of the thunder.

I looked out over the ocean then and saw an even more terrible sight. The tide was pulled back, far into the huge body of water. I'd heard of such things in frightening ghostly tales, but never once believed in such a thing. It took my breath away and I found myself unable to move.

I barely noticed Pintel, Ragetti, and Gibbs run past me into the trees. Will was there too, and he slowed down when he saw me, but did not stop.

"MISS ELIZABETH! COME! COME!" Will called after me. His voice sounded far away and muffled.

I continued to stare, just stare at the display before me. The ground shook with the crashing thunder; the lightning bright in my unblinking eyes. Then I looked out at the ocean again, and a scream stuck in my throat.

The waves were coming. Huge, deadly waves. I had been unable to stop myself from walking to the edge of the water, the wet sand clinging to my legs. The wave before me built up far, far above my head; the water was black and reminded me of Death's cloak. It had become extremely cold; I wrapped my arms around myself, still unable to run.

"ELIZABETH! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?" Will screamed into the howling wind. I turned my gaze on him and saw Pintel and Gibbs holding him back. Ragetti was praying. Jack was nowhere to be seen.

"We have to get to higher ground, lad! Leave her! If she won't come, she won't come!" Gibbs screamed. I turned away from them then, not wanting or caring to see anymore.

The wave was getting higher, and all sound other than the deep roar faded away. I covered my ears, the noise almost painful. The wind seemed to be pushing me toward the water.

Then the wave turned. It began to curl at the top, and began racing towards the shore. I tried to run, but fear held me in place. I felt stupid, unable to move. My legs were lead and my head pounded from the sound. But the water was coming; I'd either be dashed under its weight or drown. Either way, I was doomed. Suddenly, a new thought, a very pleasing one, struck me, and I smiled; dying meant I wouldn't have to choose between Jack and Will. Death would be a very comforting release. I closed my eyes.

Within seconds, I felt a warm hand close around my wrist. I wrenched my grip free of it, eyes closed, preparing myself to die. It was all I wanted. Only moments ago, I'd been afraid, but now…it was all I could hope for.

Suddenly, I felt an arm at the back of my knees, pulling me up into strong arms. I opened my eyes, surprised, and looked into the eyes of Captain Jack Sparrow. I felt my heart breaking again, remembering his inability to confess to me.

He looked at me only for a moment, holding onto me tight, and then he ran towards the trees. I wrapped my arms around his neck, rested my head on his shoulder, and closed my eyes again. Jack had come back for me, just like on the Pearl before. And now, I'd killed him. There was no way we'd escape the waves, and if that didn't kill us, the hurricane would. I'd killed the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Please," I thought, "Forgive me, Jack."

End Chapter

Ehhhhhh. What do you think? Wrote this in a hurry.