Disclaimer: I don't own nothin' so you can't take nothin' from me.

A/N: Well I sent this chapter to my beta a week and a half ago and haven't gotten anything back yet. But I wanted to post so you all could keep reading! Thanks for the reviews! Yipee! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter done by this weekend. I'm a lil slow goin right now cuse I'm really busy. But it's coming. I'll repost the beta copy once I get it back – enjoy!

Chapter 2

Elizabeth sat on the porch outside of Tia Dalma's home watching the fireflies flit around her. So much had happened in the last few days - it was almost too much to take in. She sipped the warm drink that Tia had made for her again. She wasn't really sure what it was, but she liked it. Elizabeth suspected that there was rum in the mixture though. Will had declared he didn't care for Tia's drink - and probably wouldn't approve of Elizabeth having it if he knew about the rum. Will wouldn't approve. She shuddered in the warm night. Things had been - difficult between her and William Turner the past few days. He was distant and sharp with her and when he wasn't - when he put his arm around her or kissed her - Elizabeth felt empty and uneasy. She kept telling herself that it was just the stress of everything going on. Finding Barbosa alive. Planning a dangerous trip to the ends of the earth. Finding a ship. Loosing the Pearl. Loosing Jack. Jack. A sharp pain filled her chest and stomach and tears welled up in her eyes. She HAD done the right thing. Hadn't she? Of course. It was the only way. What was the loss of one ship and one life verses one ship and a handful of lives? Certainly that balanced - But it was Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow, the man who made you feel alive and free. The one who could read you like an open book and offered priceless things like adventure and passion and - freedom. Jack - who made fire burn inside of you when you kissed him and could make you feel like a million butterflies lived inside of you just by glancing your way. SHUT UP! Elizabeth held her head tightly between her hands and squeezed, trying to suffocate the thoughts that plagued her more often the she would admit. You have to go away! I locked you up. I locked you up tight and left you to die. I left you - to - die. Just like I did to him.

"Please. Just leave me alone." She whispered to herself. "I have to forget. Move on."

"Why bother looking for 'im den Miss Swann? If you just gonna forget? Why sail under a man you hate ta de end of de earth for a man you gonna forget? What the point in dat -Miss Swann?" Elizabeth sat up sharply as she heard the smooth spicy voice of Tia behind her. She clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut willing the tears to stop so the other woman wouldn't see.

"I know it is 'im you cry for every night, 'Lizbeth. It is 'im in de farway look them eyes get when you dink no one watches. An' it is 'im in de smile dat is on your face while you dream. I know. It is nothing to be - guilty about Miss Swann. But it is foolish ta try to pretend it is not dere." Tia was sitting next to Elizabeth now. Her voice low and soft.

"I love Will." Elizabeth whispered, more to herself then anyone else.

"Yes. You do love dat boy. But, are you in love wit 'im? Do you want ta grow old wit 'im - a blacksmith wife. Landlocked and only being able to watch the ships sail ta dat horizon. De sea - she is in you just as much as she is in our Jack Sparrow. She always been part of you an' she always will." Elizabeth suddenly smelled the salty freshness of the sea instead of the musty heavy smell of the bayou. She shook her head and it was gone - like a fog retreating off the sea. Lingering for a moment then slowly fading away. She turned and looked at Tia - confusion and uncertainty filling her eyes. Then her face hardened and she stuck her chin out stubbornly.

"Of - of course I am in love with Will. I have always loved him. Since the day we found him. I loved him then as I do now."

"Yes. Dat is true. You love 'im de same way you loved 'im when you were a little girl. Like de brother you were denied."

"No. No it is more then that! It grew and it changed. It is deeper then that." Her words seemed weak and unsure, even to her own ears.

"When did dat change? As you got older and started seein' 'im as a man? Or. When you saw 'im dere to rescue you - wit 'is sword an' surrounded wit pirates and oder forbidden dings?" Elizabeth stared at her. She didn't move but her eyes widened and realization filled them. "William Turner was a forbidden adventure. But once de adventure was over and you settled into a normal life again was it enough? It may have been 'Lizbeth, but den you come back to Jack Sparrow an' de sea call you again and you dive deeper into a life dat is full of adventure and passion and - " Tia stopped and cocked her head to one side willing the other woman to finish.

"Freedom." Elizabeth whispered.

"Yes. An' freedom. It call to you as much as de sea- don't it?" Elizabeth worried her lower lip between her teeth and griped her mug till her knuckles went white. "Wat do you really want, 'Lizbeth Swann? Wat fill dat passionate 'eart wit joy and a sense of belonging and peace? Where do ya feel de most like yourself? Ya answer dat question an' you answer the de question dat 'as been eatin' your insides since ya left Jack chained ta 'is own ship ta die." Fear flooded Elizabeth.

"How do you know that," she snapped. She hadn't so much as whispered what had happened out loud to the night breeze. Would Tia have told the others? Would they all know what she did? They would never forgive her for feeding their beloved leader to the Kraken.

"How did you know?" Elizabeth's voice was low and hard. Tia smiled and laughed,showing off her black teeth.

"Der girl. I know many dings dat no one else in de whole of de big world knows. Secrets find dem selves ta my door 'n I harbor dem, like beautiful ships waitin' for de tide ta welcome dem home again."

"So. No one else knows?" Elizabeth whispered to the night - not daring to face Tia.

"Nay. Only you 'n me 'n Jack course."

"Was I wrong? Was it wrong what I did? It was the only way I could see that -" Tia cut off the girls rambling questions with her hand.

"Right or wrong I do not know. Wat I do know is twas destiny. Twas meant to be. Long before you or even Jack came into dis life de fates, dey knew you would betray dat man wit a kiss an' lock 'im to de ship 'e sold 'is own soul for. So, de question is not if it be right or wrong. But de question is - wat do ya do next? Do ya forget Jack Sparrow and go back to de life you planned for ya self wit William Turner? Or..."

"What does it matter? If my life is already planned out for me by these so called 'fates?"

"Ah, sweet lil girl. Ya know very little of de fates. Dey always offer a choice. De know where you will be in de very end - but how ya get der...dat is ya choice. How dey get der entertainment. Why let us foolish creatures run around if dey know all dat we will do? So...it is a point of choice girl. Go on wit de life ya planned. Or go help find da man dat haunts ya dreams an' 'eart an' see wat de fates may 'ave in store for ya. You may still end up wit William Turner. I do not know de end. But are ya willin' to risk dat - to tempt de fates to give ya someting else?" Tia got up and left Elizabeth with that challenge and her own thoughts. Elizabeth's eyes focused again on the small fireflies blinking around her. What did she want? Where did she belong? Could she go back to a proper and normal life in Port Royal? Abandon the sea and adventures and danger and dark eyed, cocky Pirates? Deep inside she knew the answer already. It was just a matter of facing that answer for real and doing something about it. She buried her head in her hands and sat there for a while all the thoughts and questions whirling around in her head. Finally she took a deep breath and stood. Holding her head high she walked back to the door of Tia's small home. Without another thought she threw the door open forcing the three men who sat around the table to look up at her. Her eyes floated over those faces. Barbossa, his eyes full of arrogance. A small smirk playing on his lips. Gibbs, his eyes heavy with suspicion and grief but still with a light of hope. Will, his jaw set in determination and his eyes weary and slightly hurt. She held his gaze for a moment, seeing the questions he was asking her. She pushed away the small tentacles of guilt that started wrapping themselves around her and walked into the room.

"Gentlemen, I fear we have debated and talked enough. If we are going to find Jack we need not to sit around here and talk about the best way to do it. We need to do it. We're damn pirates aren't we? Steal a bloody ship. There is bound to be one around somewhere. But we are wasting time. Let's go get Jack back." The three men looked at each other, each with their own thoughts and emotions flitting across their features. Tia sat in the shadows, her fingers playing over the necklace she lightly held in her hands and smiled. Yes. It was destiny. This girl - she would face her destiny now as would each of the men who sat around her table. Now, this would be an entertaining trip for those fates. Yes, an interesting trip indeed.