Disclaimer: PotC belongs to Disney.

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers!

Spoiler: gasp! Character death...

I was waken by the familiar sound of sword clashes and gunshots. I leapt out of Jack's bed and rushed out of his cabin. Jack was engaged in a desperate fight with Merlow.

I had barely enough time to wonder why Merlow was on the Pearl yet again. Jack had turned to see me.

"Lizzie, go back!" he shouted at me.

"What's happening?" I asked, and suddenly I screamed in a state of rising panic, "Behind you!"

It felt like everything was happening five times slower. I saw it all clearly--Merlow coming and knocking Jack to the ground, raising his sword for a death blow. I ran forward to save him, but it was too late--

"JACK!"

"Elizabeth?"

My eyes fluttered open involuntarily. Captain Jack Sparrow was leaning over me, looking a little perplexed.

"Jack!"

I had never felt anything better than the golden relief that sank into me then. I threw my arms around Jack and did not let go.

"Jack," I murmured, "Don't go. Don't leave me..."

"Even for being an immensely dishonest man," said Jack, "I will never leave you." And he stroked my hair gently.

"Don't. I'm frightened. About what might happen to you if you leave..."

He kissed my hair now, kissed my tear-streaked face, and kissed my lips tenderly.

"Jack," I whispered, shuddering, "that was the most terrible dream I've had in my entire life."

I sat up and leaned on his shoulder, clinging to his coat like a child.

"It won't go away," I said, "the memory of it... Merlow coming up from behind--" I shook my head frantically.

"Here," said Jack, handing a bottle of rum. I uncorked it and drank from it feverishly. The liquid ran through my body, calming me.

"Is your arm still troubling you?"

I was surprised to feel it only stung a little now.

"No. Was it Tia Dalma...?"

He nodded.

"How long has it been since I fell asleep in the morning?"

By way of answer, Jack gently detached my arms from his neck and flung the window open. Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the opening in bright golden rays.

"The Dauntless has been following us the entire day."

"And the Silver Wave?"

"It left. I made sure of that."

"Should we go negotiate with Beckett?"

"Actually, they're waiting for you."

I turned to him. "Do you mean my father?"

"Aye."

"Jack, I can't go. I can't! Sometimes it still haunts me--that I used to live like that--that I used to be of such high rank--"

"You occupy the highest rank in the Caribbean, luv."

I smiled, playing with one of his dreadlocks.

"What about you? Aren't you Captain Jack Sparrow?"

"Of course. But you, darling, are my pirate queen."

"Your queen?" I laughed. "Well, then I command that you tell me--what is it that Merlow wants?"

"He once fell in love, and he wanted to live with the woman forever. But the woman fell in love with someone else before he could make his wish possible, and she died just after she gave birth to the other man's son. He wants another lover."

"That's why he stole your necklace?"

"Aye."

I pondered this, staring at the waves, before saying,"Then... who was that woman?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack turn his gaze across the wide ocean.

"My mother."

My hair whipped my face as I turned around to look at him.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly and hesitantly, "My mother died early, too."

"That would make us well-matched."

I studied his face as I twirled a lock of his hair around my finger.

"I'll--I'll go negotiate, shall I?"

"I'm not sure you're terribly good at it," said Jack, "but they've been waiting for you."

"Well, I'm as good as anyone can get, besides Captain Jack Sparrow!" I said, grinning.

Jack walked me on deck. I reached for a rope.

"Wait," he said, stopping me. He pulled my small hands into his wind-roughened ones and looked into my eyes.

"Make sure you come back."

"I will," I said, feeling an immense reluctance to leave, even if it would be for a few minutes, and especially without Jack.

"Well then," said Jack briskly, handing me a sturdy rope, "tell Beckett that I think it's a pity he's never tasted rum."

I took the rope smilingly and swung onto the Dauntless.

"What is your purpose here?" asked a cold voice behind me. I turned around. It was Beckett.

"I am here to negotiate," I said curtly.

"Your lover's entire ship, as well as Merlow's, is under arrest. What more is there to say?"

"We are currently in the middle of a conflict with Merlow and his crew. I'd consider it rather rude to interrupt."

"And you want me to postpone your arrest until you are finished with your mutual massacre?"

"Or you could cancel the arrest altogether," I snapped, beginning to adopt Jack's way of arguing. "That would work too."

"You may have one week," sneered Beckett.

"Look here, Lord Beckett. We are helping you destroy one of the most powerful immortal pirates to sail the Seven Seas. Shouldn't we have more time?"

"It would be two weeks at the most. End of discussion."

So much for a friendly negotiation. I glared at him.

"Your father wants a word," added Beckett impatiently.

"All right," I said slowly.

Beckett led me to Father's cabin, knocked, and opened the door.

"Your daughter, Governor," he said, and left. I walked into the richly furnished cabin slowly, seeing familiar things I had seen all my childhood.

"Elizabeth," said Father, sitting at a table. "Come, sit down."

"No, thank you, Father," I said. "I... don't intend to stay very long."

He stiffened at this.

"Tell me, Elizabeth, what has happened? I know you were always adventurous, but... surely this is taking it a step too far?"

"Father, I'm not going to do any more explaining. I've made my decision, and you know what it is."

I watched his expression change from concerned to angry.

"Very well then," he said. "I do not wish to do this, but I am, as are Lord Beckett and Commodore Norrington, bound by the law. You are all arrested."

"I have already negotiated that," I said, equally angry. "I must leave now." I walked to the door.

"Wait!" He walked to the door, opened it, and spoke a few words to someone standing outside. A few minutes later, Beckett came walking in with--

I suppressed a shudder and a groan. It was a cherry-red hot brand in the shape of the letter P. Beckett did not wait. He pressed it into my injured arm without hesitation.

I could not hold back the scream that escaped my throat. I tried desperately to ignore the burning, searing pain in my arm as I furiously pulled out my dagger with my free hand and slashed it across Beckett's hand. He dropped the brand and I ran out the room, across the ship to the bow. Father and Beckett followed me.

I spoke to Beckett before I dove into the water.

"Now I have left my mark on you, too."

I swam up to the Pearl but did not have the energy to climb aboard. Luckily, Jack was at the helm at the time and saw me. He threw me a rope and hauled me aboard.

"Are you a magnet for trouble?" he demanded as I clambered to my feet unsteadily. The cool water had lessened the pain of the raw P on my arm, but I was still dizzy.

"There's nothing wrong," I said hurriedly.

"Then why did you have to escape by diving off the ship and end up almost as tired as you were this morning?"

"Well, all right—" I held out my arm. He frowned and looked at me in shock.

"I swear I will kill that man one day," he said furiously. "Go to Tia Dalma. She healed you last time."

"I'm fine," I said. "Really."

"Then please make yourself busy on deck or in the sails. We are sailing back to Isla de Profecia for the twins to restock on certain protection things and then we are going to follow Merlow again."

I was not quite sure how to be of use, because in truth my arm was still stinging terribly, so I ended up helping to scrub a corner of the deck. By nightfall we were back at Isla de Profecia and the twins, Jack, and I were in the rowboat.

Emera and Aryza opened the cavern door with magic and we rowed into the chamber.

"Look," I whispered, indicating a corner of the chamber. There was a tiny flicker of candlelight and a clattering sound, then the sound of shuffling parchment.

Emera frowned, muttered a spell, and set ball of light crashing into the cavern wall, on which it shattered into fragments and illuminated every crevice of the cavern. In the corner I had indicated Merlow stood leafing through a sheaf of parchment, looking smug.

"How dare you--"shrieked Aryza.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Those are the prophecies!" Emera shouted frantically.

"How'd you get in here?" inquired Jack.

Merlow held up a hand to silence us.

"I'm looking through Morgana's prophecies. I'm looking for mine. To prevent my demise." He grinned devilishly. "And I had some magic training when I was younger..."

I had a terrible feeling, not about what he was telling us, but why he was telling us. He wouldn't just tell us if he knows we aren't allies...

"I'm getting tired of this game, Sparrow," said Merlow, smiling coldly. "I'm going to end it. Once again, ladies first, and let us be courteous to the eldest."

He pulled out his pistol and cocked it, then pointed it once again at me.

Jack already has a knife out, and threw it across the chamber. It landed easily in Merlow's chest, and in the few seconds' advantage that we had, the twins and I had pulled out our weapons.

"Wait!" cried someone behind us. I swung around. It was Will, running across the rocks and jumping over the waterway with his sword. His eyes were wide with as he came nearer and nearer. He was gesturing frantically at something behind me. I could see all the fear and determination in his face. I turned, bewildered, around again.

And could only see a flurry of activity and hear Merlow pull the trigger.

"NO!" Will shot in front of me, and just as quickly slumped onto the ground. I felt my jaw drop as I looked at the body before me, then looked up to see the figure of Merlow, falling slowly and obviously in great pain. His body was disappearing, and in a few seconds that felt like an eternity, it had faded away completely, leaving behind only his pistol. It fell on the rock with a hollow crack.

The golden glyph on the pistol exploded into a beacon of light, making the light in the cavern blinding. I shielded my eyes with my arms and through a crack could see the light slowly fade as well, until it was just another ball of golden light that settled on Will's lifeless body before it, too, disappeared.