A/N: Aaaaaaaand next chapter we'll finally meet Beckett :) I can't wait, and I hope you all are doing okay in quarantine. Enjoy the chapter!

"What the hell happened to all the rum?" They had been on the ocean for years, it seemed, and Violet was about to lose her bloody mind. "I swear, Hector Barbossa, if you drank the last bottle I will not hesitate to kill-"

"Ah, yes, but you've threatened me with death before, Miss Charles, and as I recall you didn't seem to do well on that promise, now did you?" Barbossa grinned at Violet from his position near the bow of the ship, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, I suppose I could make good on it now." Violet made her way over to where he stood, leaning against the railing next to him. "But how much good would that do when we're all about to die anyway? As supposed captain, you certainly don't seem to be helping too much." She directed her gaze to where Jack was hunched over a map, muttering under his breath.

"I'd say your Jack has the situation under control," Barbossa said with a toothy grin, and she rolled her eyes. "He looks right mad, doesn't he?"

"That was most likely your doing," Violet said, giving Barbossa a skeptical look. "Marooning him on an island and all."

Suddenly, before Barbossa could retort, Jack jumped up from his seat and sprinted over to one side of the ship, hanging off the side of the railing.

"Oh, what's that?" he yelled, and Violet shot Barbossa a confused look before they joined the rest of the crew, running over to one side of the boat.

"I don't see anything, Jack." Violet put a hand to her forehead to shield the sun, but nothing but sparkling blue lay before her. "Are you certain you-"

"There!" Jack called again before turning on his heel and sprinting to the other side of the Pearl, and the rest of the crew followed him.

"I told you, Miss Charles. Right mad," Barbossa said, shaking his head as they reached the other side, and Violet couldn't help but agree with him. What the hell was he doing?

The crew continued to run from side to side, blindly following Jack, as usual. Violet was about to give up when suddenly, she felt the heave of the deck below her, and a skeptical look to the chart on the table to her right confirmed her assumption.

"He's rocking the ship!" Pintel yelled, and Violet grinned, sprinting alongside Jack.

"We're rocking the ship!" she crowed, and the rest of the crew echoed their calls as they continued to sprint to each side. Soon enough, the rocking became intense enough that the ship was nearly horizontal, and Violet had to run as fast as she could in order to reach the other side so as not to fall off the ship.

Suddenly, the ship heaved, louder than it had before, and it was like running up a vertical wall as Violet ran to the left side, and she reached up as far as she could, stretching her fingers as far as possible until her nails scraped the wood and she wrapped her fingers around the bar, clutching it with all she was worth as the cargo shifted around beneath her feet.

All of a sudden, her feet were in the air, dangling away from the deck as the ship began to turn completely over, and she sucked in a breath as an unfortunate crew member was unable to reach the other side and was crushed by a cannon on the other side of the boat. Soon, their feet dangled inches from the water, and she sucked in a deep breath as her body was completely swallowed up by the unforgiving ocean.

She clung tightly to the railing as the saltwater stung her eyes, and she could barely make out Jack hanging on beside her through her blurred vision. It was only a few moments before her lungs began to burn, and for just a moment, she wondered if Barbossa was right. If after all that, if after all they'd been through, Jack really was right mad. Suddenly, something flashed across her vision, and she shut her eyes tightly, white spots shooting across her vision as her lungs ran out of air, and she was about to give up, to let go when suddenly, everything began to twist and turn and out of nowhere the ship was moving, the water was clearing and there she was, collapsed on the deck of the Black Pearl and coughing up buckets of water as her throat begged for oxygen.

"Blessed sweet water lilies, we're back!" Gibbs got to his feet, grinning at the sky above them, and Elizabeth stared at it in marvel, shaking her head.

"It's the sunrise," she muttered as the pirates got to their feet, and there was a moment of silence before understanding washed over Violet. They were back, really back, and she was alive again, for heaven's sake. And that meant decisions. And for pirates like them, that apparently meant shooting each other.

Jack, Will, Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Violet quickly found themselves in a circle, each whipping out their pistols to point at the people on either side of them as the reality of their situation settled in. Looking around, Violet watched Elizabeth's lips quirk into a smile, and the five of them laughed suddenly, lowering their pistols as if it was all one big misunderstanding. And it was stupid of them, wasn't it? They were all one crew in the end. And yet, they were still pirates, and in true pirate fashion, it only took a minute before the pistols were raised again and the smiles washed off of their faces.

"All right, then," Barbossa declared, giving Jack a sarcastic grin. "The Brethren Court's a-gatherin' at Shipwreck Cove. And Jack, you and I are a-goin', and there'll be no arguin' that point."

"I is arguin' the point," Jack retorted, waving his pistols around like a madman. "If there's pirates a-gatherin', I'm pointing my ship the other way."

"Are you, now?" Violet said, his words making her heart sink. She had thought, maybe now, things would be different. That maybe Jack would think of something other than himself, just for once. "Cutler Beckett has control of the seas, Jack. You know he needs to be stopped."

"You can't run, Jack," Will said, glaring at Jack, who looked uncomfortable under the heat of so many gazes, and refused to look at Violet.

"If we don't stand together, they'll hunt us down one by one, till there be none left but you." Barbossa narrowed his eyes at Jack, who had pursed his lips, evidently turning the options over in his head.

"Nonsense. I'll have Violet, won't I?" Jack shot her a grin, but Violet didn't return it. Did he seriously think that she'd run away with him, the two of them destined to roam the seas together? She had a job to do. Jack or not, it was one she had to complete, no matter how much her heart clenched at the realization.

"No, you won't," she said quietly, and she wanted to shrink at the surprised look on Jack's face. "I'm going with Barbossa. If the Brethren Court is fighting Beckett, I'm going to be there. And you should be there too."

"Trust me, love, the Brethren Court is not exactly the most efficient way to get things done." Jack's grip tightened on his pistol as he feigned nonchalance, and Violet rolled her eyes.

"Just for once, Jack, think of someone other than yourself. This isn't just my fight, it's- it's our fight. You're a pirate lord, for heaven's sake." Violet's finger settled on the trigger of the pistol pointed at Jack, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of the moment. "You can't keep running."

"Ah, a lover's quarrel. How refreshing," Barbossa drawled, turning back to Jack. "And what do you say to that? She makes a decent point, I'm afraid."

Jack didn't speak for a moment, and Violet stared at him, her mind spiraling. He had to join them. He had to.

"It's not just Beckett we'll be fighting, love. It's Davy Jones who'll be leading the charge, as well as half the British navy, no doubt." Jack's gaze was imploring, and Violet stared at him, incredulous. To ignore the song of the Brethren Court and pretend as though nothing was wrong? As if their world wasn't already breaking into pieces? It really did sound like madness.

"Well, if that's what you truly think, then we'll be needing another pirate lord, won't we?" Barbossa crowed, and before Violet could do something he pulled the trigger of the gun he held pointed at Jack.

"Wait-" Violet began, stepping forward, but the gun merely made a sad clicking sound, and she stared at it in surprise. Confused, the rest of them pulled their triggers, but to no avail, and Violet dropped her pistols with a loud clatter against the deck.

"Wet powder," Gibbs concluded, and Violet sighed, staring at the abandoned pistols from their position on the deck. This battle- it was going to divide the seas, once and for all. Those who stood with the Brethren and those who did not. She could only hope that Jack chose the right side of this war.

"There's a freshwater spring on this island. We can resupply there, and get back to shooting each other later." Will ran a hand over the charts that lay on the table in front of him, shooting off commands like he was the bloody captain himself. Violet and the crew were huddled around him, staring down at the maps, the pistols abandoned on the deck behind them.

"You can lead the shore party, and I'll stay with my ship." Jack smirked at Will, but the boy was too immersed in his charts to care.

"I'll not be leaving my ship in your command," Barbossa scoffed, and Jack glared at him. Will sighed, obviously not wanting to see another brawl between the two captains, and slammed his hands down on the charts.

"Why don't you both go ashore and leave the ship in my command?" The two captains glared down at Will, who shrugged and gave them a small smile. "... temporarily."

"Perhaps I should be the one left in charge of the ship. You've not exactly a long resume when it comes to piracy." Violet folded her arms, breaking out of the huddled group. She didn't trust the boy, to be honest, and she wasn't about to see their best chance at getting to Shipwreck Cove ruined by William Turner. The boy had a heart full of anger, and, in Violet's experience, anger could turn to vengeance in the blink of one's eye.

"I hardly think that you would be-" Will began, but Barbossa stopped him with a gold-toothed grin, turning to Violet.

"It's settled then. The both of you will be in charge. And I most certainly hope that the ship will remain in one piece when I return." Barbossa tilted his chin up to signal some of the crew to follow him off the ship, and Will put a hand against his forehead, obviously displeased by this turn of events.

"Keep him in check, won't you, love?" Jack asked her half-heartedly, and her face fell for a moment, something twisting inside of her. Why was it never easy to be with him? There were always so many choices, so many rifts that she wondered if they would ever cross them all.

"Of course," she said quietly, nodding slightly, and she watched reluctantly as Jack, Barbossa, and about half the crew made their way over to the rowboats, wondering if she'd made the right choice in trusting Jack with her heart. If any of the choices she'd made had been right.

Soon, it was just Violet and Will and a few stray sailors remaining on board, the silence strange and eerie after the commotion that had taken place just a few moments earlier.

"Why'd you stay?" Will demanded after a few minutes of silence, his gaze trained on Violet as she sat down across the table from him, propping her boots up on its surface.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you, Turner," Violet said lightly, trying to keep the conversation light. He already hated her, and it probably wouldn't be hard to provoke him.

"You don't trust me, do you, Violet?" Will set his head on his hands, giving her a sarcastic smile. "Although, I can't say I really see that as fair. After all, you were the one who shipped me off to Jones without a second thought." The hurt hidden behind his anger was evident, and Violet sighed, taking her boots off the table.

"I do trust you," Violet lied, unwilling to answer his confrontation. She had to steer away from this topic, and fast. It was just essentially just her and Will on this ship, and the man had probably practiced sword-fighting every day of his life. She was a pirate, for heaven's sake, not a swordsman.

"Is that so?" Will nodded to himself, directing his gaze down at the charts. "I had plenty of time to think aboard the Dutchman, see, and what I couldn't believe was that you hadn't said something. I was the one who brought you back to Jack, don't you understand that? And now, look at the two of you. Practically inseparable."

"Will, I'm a-"

"Yes, yes, you're a pirate. I've heard it all before." Will stood up from the table now and Violet echoed the gesture, the two of them staring at each other with a burning intensity. So this was how it would be. "I didn't even care about Jack. It was your betrayal that hurt the most, because you were the only one I thought I trusted on that sea. To help Elizabeth. Although, now I suppose it was for the best, wasn't it? I met my father. And I learned what one pirate is willing to do for another."

"That's not fair, Will." Violet threw a hand in the air, stalking over to his side of the table. But it was fair. It was, and that was what bothered her the most. Why did he and his damn morals have to come in and send her mind spinning? She was a pirate. There wasn't time for niceties. "I had to do what I could to help someone I love, just like you've done. You can't possibly-"

Suddenly, something huge flashed in the corner of her eye, and she whirled around mid-sentence, running to the stern of the ship. Looming just a few feet away was a massive ship, trimmed with huge, ribbed red sails and small red flags that billowed out from where they were tied to the mast.

"Damn it." Violet whirled around, grabbing Will's wrist. They were as good as dead if this was what she believed it was. "Listen to me, Will. We have to act fast. This is Sao Feng's ship, I believe you met him in Singapore. He's one of the nine pirate lords, and is completely-"

"It was a mistake." Will's face was so cold and distant that Violet quickly pulled her hand away from his wrist, her face falling. This couldn't be Will's doing. This couldn't.

"What was, Will?" Her voice was shaking more than she'd liked it too, but there was no time for fear, not when they were about to be boarded, and she raised her voice, eyes flashing. "What was, Will?"

"Trusting me." The words were quiet enough to make her sick, and she quickly unsheathed her cutlass, eyes wide. What had he done?

Will unsheathed his own sword and quickly slashed away her first blow, his feet shifting into a fighting stance that she could tell came as naturally to him as breathing.

"How could you do this to us, Will?" Violet thrust her sword at him, her anger making her fighting reckless, and Will parried the blow easily. "A mutiny? Really?"

"It's not because of you, Violet," Will said, his words breathless as he blocked frantic blow after blow, and there was more than a little regret in his voice. "I need the Pearl. For my father."

Violet scoffed through gritted teeth, all sympathy for the boy leaving in an instant as she parried Will's first offensive strike.

"Your father never did anything for you, Will. He abandoned you." She was furious now as Will's blows became more and more well-placed, and she began to shuffle backwards across the deck of the ship. "Believe me, I know about good-for-nothing fathers. And you don't owe him anything."

"He did it to save me. You don't understand." Will's blade skimmed her cheek and she quickly jumped away, the blade leaving a thin line of blood across her skin. He was going to win, she realized. She was outmatched and outnumbered, and about to be handed over to one of the most dangerous pirates in the Caribbean.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Captain Coldblood, alive and well." Violet's heart sank as she turned to the voice, the two of them lowering their blades.

Captain Sao Feng stood on the deck of the Pearl, surrounded by at least twenty crew members, with a sickening grin on his face. "I really should thank you, Captain Turner. You're a man of your word."

"And I should hope you're a man of yours," Will said, looking defiantly at Sao Feng, who smiled slowly, the grin creeping wickedly up the side of his face.

"All in good time, Turner. All in good time."