Well after difficult chapter 17 , this one was surprisingly easy. It almost wrote itself! I wasn't even going to work on this tonight and then the ideas just came flowing!

Chapter 18

Elise had given the officers the slip and was silently trailing behind James and Captain Sparrow completely unnoticed. She eavesdropped as they talked, worried about what he was plotting.

"How many of you are there?" Norrington asked Sparrow as he led the way down the stairs to the brig.

"Two, plus my crew. Seventeen in total. My crew only acts on my command. Not from Little or Devereaux." Sparrow said as he followed him.

"Where are Devereaux and Little?" Norrington inquired.

"They're sleeping mate." Sparrow replied.

"Excellent. It will make it easier. Give me the keys to the cell." Norrington said.

"Make what easier?" Sparrow asked as he handed them over.

"We're going to blow the ship." He answered.

"You're going to blow holes in my ship? Commodore..."

"Don't try it Sparrow. You're lucky I'm not leaving you on it. Believe that I would certainly not lament being rid of you." Norrington interrupted.

Elise felt her blood chill at the turn in the conversation and she was certain her father could hear it also. She didn't want him to get the wrong impression of James. Andrew may be a ruthless bastard but she didn't want to see him dead. That seemed like stooping to his level and she didn't want to be a part of that.

She knew James's job demanded certain sacrifices of life but she didn't want him to be a part of it either. Not on her account.

"James?" Elise said, finally showing herself. He whirled around in surprise with his pistol drawn but that's when the officers she had slipped away from caught up with her.

"Sorry Commodore. She got away from us." One of the men said.

Norrington immediately lowered his weapon and glanced between his men and Elise. She had a look on her face that he couldn't begin to fathom.

"I need to talk to you. Alone. Now." Elise said with a hint of a pleading tone, ignoring all other occupants of the room.

"Take Mr. Sparrow above." Norrington ordered.

"Captain. Captain Sparrow." Sparrow corrected.

James repressed a snort and watched as his men led him back up the stairs.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I don't want you to blow up the ship. And I don't want you to kill him." Elise replied and met his shocked green eyes.

"Don't want me to kil..." He began with exasperation.

"Please James." She implored quietly.

"Elise he kidnapped you with the intention of killing you and your father." James argued and suppressed a shudder at speaking the horrid words aloud.

"I know that but believe me, locking him up for life is a fate worse than death to him anyway." She smiled ruefully.

"You're compassion and sweetness far surpass anyone I've ever known. Do you know what you're asking of me?" He asked in a miserable tone.

"I can only imagine." She said.

"Can you? Do you know how tortured and afraid I've been over the past four days? Not knowing if you were alive or if that bastard had..." He asked, suddenly inexplicably angry and unable to finish that sentence. All the emotions that he'd been repressing since the time he'd learned of her disappearance came crashing over him in one fell swoop.

"I'm sorry. So sorry to have caused you any pain. Believe me." She replied softly, fully aware that her father was probably awake and listening to their exchange.

"James, my father isn't that far away. We need to talk. Desperately, but perhaps we could continue this conversation later when we have more privacy." She implored and swept in front of him.

"Daddy?" She called.

"Yes Angel?" Came her father's voice nonchalantly from the dark cell. She could tell from his tone that he had heard every word.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" She asked with a relieved smile and took the lantern from James's hand.

"Absolutely." He said and moved to the door.

James unlocked it deftly and let Lord Gold out before he bowed deeply and met his blue eyes. Eyes that were almost the same shade of Elise's.

"That is not necessary. It is I who should be bowing to you Commodore." Lord Gold said and offered his hand. "Thank you. Very much."

"Daddy, this is Commodore James Norrington. Commodore this is Lord Charles Gold." She introduced. James took the proffered hand and Elise watched as the two most important men in her life sized each other up. To her immense pleasure they seemed to be looking at each other with respect and curiosity.

"Come on. Let's get you both back to the Mercenary." He said and prodded them toward the stairs.

Elise fell behind her father to speak lowly to James. "What about the ship?"

"I'm helpless to deny you anything you ask of me." He answered honestly in a hushed tone.

When they had almost reached the top of the stairs she stopped walking altogether and blocked his path. He could see tears shimmering in her eyes and he reached for her hand.

"What is it?" He asked worriedly.

"I knew you'd come. I had no doubt you would come for us. I'm so sorry. James, I lov..." She began but stopped with a shriek when an arm seized her roughly across the middle and yanked her unceremoniously up the remaining stairs.

James dashed up to the deck and found Andrew pressing a pistol into Elise's ribs with a maniacal look in his cold blue eyes.

"Put your pistol down Commodore." Devereaux yelled and pushed the barrel into Elise harder, making her gasp in pain. He shifted his hold from her waist to her neck. She squealed in shock as she tried to take a deep breath.

Norrington gazed around to find that his men had their pistols out and trained on Sparrow.

Sparrow's own pistol hung loosely at his side as he watched the scene before him as if he didn't have four guns pointed at him.

Little had a pistol pointed at Lord Gold.

He weighed the dangerousness of the situation but did as he was instructed and placed it on the deck, kicking it away from him.

"Let her go Devereaux." He said and raised his empty hands to show his defenselessness.

"Tell your men to do the same." Devereaux ordered.

James looked at his officers and nodded that they should do as he they were told. "Now we are completely unarmed. Name your terms." He said and took a step toward him.

"One more step and it will be you that kills her." Andrew shouted in a desperate voice and cocked the pistol as he pressed it even more forcefully into Elise's side.

Elise was breathing raggedly as she struggled under his firm grasp about her neck. She uttered a small cry of pain and that was enough for James to obey and stop moving.

"No one will have her or her fortune. You thought you could win Commodore? You're nothing. You're not even fit to lick my boots." Andrew said bitterly with a laugh. "A navy man thinking he could triumph over a Lord."

"All you care about is her money. You're not worthy of her love Devereaux. You're a bastard. A plotting lying bastard. If you so much as bruise her, rest assure, I'll tear you apart with my bare hands."

James was vaguely aware that the rest of Sparrow's crew had emerged on deck as he and Andrew glared daggers at each other for a moment. Sparrow swaggered forward and glanced between them several times.

"Enough of this. Fire already." Sparrow said, pointing his pistol at Norrington.

James watched Sparrow without blinking as he suddenly shifted his aim from him to Devereaux and Elise.

"They act on my command only." Sparrow continued erratically before he cocked the pistol and pulled the trigger without even looking backwards, holding his eye contact with Norrington.

He heard two shots and ripped his eyes away as he saw both Gold's sink to their knees. James felt cold blooded terror slam into his stomach and chill him to the bone as he watched helplessly when Elise fall to the deck with a scream.

"Elise!" He yelled.

I am so mean aren't I? Sorry for the cliffy...again. I am the queen of cliffies. It's my way of keeping you interested. Thanks to all those who review! I appreciate them!