AN/ I know I promised that I was going to finish this fic before PotC 3 came out, but life got in the way. Oh well. Here's the next chapter anyway.

I barely had enough time to think 'here we go again!' before I was forced up into the air so I could follow the action from a safe distance. Jack, Norrington, and Will all swung their swords at each other, and each one managed to duck or dodge the blades in turn. Will tried to run off and Jack and Norrington gave chase. Elizabeth screamed at them to stop it, but not any of the men did, to her frustration. Adrenaline had kicked in, and none of them were going to stop until the other two were gone.

Jack and Norrington caught up with Will. While Turner was distracted by Norrington, Jack grabbed the key from his hand and dashed away. Norrington managed to kick Will to the ground and sprinted after him. I kept pace with my assignment from the air, and saw Elizabeth rush to Will's side. "Will!"

"Guard the chest!" he told her before getting to his feet so he could continue his fight. Elizabeth's face betrayed her shock for a moment, before she scowled, and took on a tone that suggested she didn't agree with his order.

"No!" Elizabeth protested loudly. I smirked to myself, trying to keep one eye on Jack, who was now running backwards as he fought with Norrington, and one eye on the irate woman who was screaming at all of them. "This is barbaric! This is no way for grown men to… Oh fine! Let's just haul out our swords and start banging away at each other! That will solve everything! I've had it!"

By now, Will had re-joined the fight that was steadily making its way down the beach. Elizabeth continued to rant and rave as Ragetti, followed shortly by a jogging and out of breath Pintel, came upon the scene.

"I've had it with wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates!" Elizabeth hollered. She started picking up stones from the beach and hurling them in the direction of the fighting men. They were much too far away from her though; they ignored her shouts and her stones never came close to hitting them. I kept my body hovering over the three-way battle while my mind eavesdropped on Pintel, Ragetti and Elizabeth.

"How'd this go all screwy?" Pintel asked his friend, referring to the sight of Jack, Will, and Norrington all clashing swords in the distance.

Ragetti had everything figured out. "Well, each wants the chest for hisself, don't he?" he explained. "Mr. Norrington, I think, is trying to regain a bit of honour, old Jack's looking to trade it, save his own skin, then Turner, there, I think he's trying to settle some unresolved business 'twixt him and his twice-cursed pirate father." Ragetti crossed his arms and gave a small self-satisfied belch.

"Sad," Pintel commented.

Elizabeth hadn't noticed the two scallywags. Her focus was still on shouting and throwing rocks at Jack, Will, and Norrington - not that it was doing them or her any good. I think it was just to release some of her own frustrations.

"This is madness!" she screamed. I had to agree with her there. It was madness, but unsurprising madness when you considered the characters who were involved.

Pintel squinted towards Davy Jones' chest, which was lying unprotected on the sand. "That chest must be worth more than a shiny penny."

Ragetti clicked his tongue, agreeing with his buddy. "Terrible temptation."

"If we was any kind of decent, we'd remove temptation from their path," Pintel reasoned.

With an exchanged glance of a mischievous manner and a giggle, Pintel and Ragetti scuttled off to pinch the chest.

"Enough!" Elizabeth shouted, but this cry, like all the others, went unnoticed. She decided to switch tactics to one she knew had worked before. "Oh! Oh, the heat!" she shouted dramatically. She put a hand to her forehead and flopped onto the sand. It wasn't a very good fake faint, and unsurprisingly, it didn't work. She continued to be ignored. She opened an eye, hoping to see at least one of them come running to her aid. She was very disappointed when no one did. Elizabeth plonked her hat back on her head and sat up in a huff. It was only then she realized that Pintel and Ragetti had scampered off behind her holding the chest she was supposed to be guarding between them. With a gasp, she leaped up and chased them.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my left knee. My mind crashed back with my body and I realised to my horror that I had accidentally drifted too close to the sword battle and one of the blades had caught my knee, slashing it open. I cried out in pain, cursing my stupidity for not paying better attention. There was no time for me to stop and nurse my wound, however; the boys were still running down the beach, swinging at each other, dodging and blocking blows the entire time. I wasn't even sure which blade had been the one to catch my knee in its path.

Jack was still in the lead. Norrington was closest to him and Will was running right behind. Running backwards to fight with Norrington, Jack stumbled. He and Norrington fell onto the sand with a grunt, giving Will the opportunity to grab the key from Jack's hand as he ran past. Jack rolled over and tried to slice at his ankles, but missed.

"Bugger!" Jack growled, scrambling up and giving chase.

The three-way sword fight reached the water's edge. The men fought in a circle, slashing and dodging. This time, I was careful to keep well clear of them. As Will and Norrington crossed swords, Jack ducked under them and managed to grab the key off Will again. Will swung his sword at him, but Norrington's attack prevented him from hitting Jack. He and I escaped down the beach, heading inland. Once again we were running for our lives.

"Head for the ruins!" I panted.

Behind us, Will tried to run after Jack, but Norrington shoved him to the ground and kicked sand in his face. "By your leave, Mr. Turner," Norrington said with a mock bow. Then the ex-commodore chased after Jack.

A tear ran down my cheek from the pain in my knee, but I couldn't stop. Adrenaline set in and it kept me going. I could sense that at least ten members of Davy Jones' crew had come on land to get the chest for their captain, though I felt no need to worry about them - yet.

Jack and I ran through a short stretch of foliage with Norrington close behind. We sprinted through an old, grassy grave yard to the massive stone shell of a ruined church. Jack and I went up the steps of what was left of the bell tower. Norrington was able to catch up and he and Jack crossed swords on the steps. Jack kicked him back into a wall. Norrington recovered quickly and dashed after Jack, tripping him up, but Jack was able to get to his feet in time to block Norrington's blow. Jack got pushed into a wall, then into the opposite wall. It was then that Norrington saw the key handing by its cord from Jack's wrist, and he grabbed it.

Below us, Will entered the bell tower and grabbed one of the ropes, while Jack slashed at Norrington, but missed. Overbalanced, he fell and was forced to grab onto another one of the ropes to save himself.

Jack's shout of frustration was drowned out by the clanging of the ancient bell. Will was jerked upwards off his feet. He passed Norrington and somehow was able to grab the key from him. Will alighted at the top of the tower and called down in a mocking expression:

"By your leave, Mr. Norrington!"

Enraged, Norrington dashed up the stairs after him.

I realised that my heart was pounding in my chest. It seemed almost as loud as the bell. I knew that the bell was alerting Davy Jones' crew to our location. As Will and Norrington balanced precariously on the walls of the ruins of the church outside, I got Jack to safe ground.

"You gotta get the key! Go!" I urged him. We scaled the tower and poked our heads out a window. He looked one way and I looked the other; I spotted them and tapped Jack on the shoulder, pointing them out. Jack and I climbed out of the tower, and carefully, he walked across a stone parapet towards Will and Norrington, who were taking the fight down onto the roof of a small building that had once been a water mill, that ran right beside the belltower. There was a huge waterwheel attached to the side. I eyed it nervously as I drifted across with Jack.

"Norrington has the key now," I told him.

All three men were balanced on the roof of the mill. Norrington and Will were distracted by each other. Jack used this to his advantage, trying to grab the key from Norrington's hand as he reached it out behind him to balance himself. It took Jack several tries and a few near-misses, but at last he got it. Norrington turned his attention on him, and in an instant he and Will ganged up together, both of them slashing at Jack. Norrington managed to swipe Jack's sword out of his hand. He and Will pointed their swords at my assignment, equal looks of disdain upon their faces. Norrington looked at Will with a serious expression, as though daring him to protest against what he was going to say next.

"Do excuse me while I kill the man who ruined my life."

"Be my guest," Will said with a smile, slightly breathless from the fight.

Jack, however wasn't as defenceless as he seemed. He still had his words, and those words could be a mighty weapon indeed when he used them properly.

"Let us examine that claim for a moment, former Commodore, shall we?" Jack said. I couldn't help but smile as I hovered in the air beside him, even though the pain from my knee was becoming intense again. Jack spoke slowly and clearly, making sure that Norrington got the message. "Who was it, that at the very moment you had a notorious pirate safely behind, saw fit to free said pirate and take your dearly beloved all to himself, eh?"

I could see the dread creeping onto Will Turner's face. Jack paused to let his words sink in before continuing.

"So whose fault is it, really, that you've ended up a rum-pot deckhand what takes orders from pirates?"

Norrington saw red at those insulting words. They hit him where it hurt - his pride. "Enough!" he shouted, swinging his sword at Jack. Jack gasped and launched himself off the roof, somersaulting, flipping, and landing on his backside, unharmed, beside his sword. I flew down beside him and tried to land, but my knee wouldn't allow it at that moment. I winced in pain and Jack gave me a concerned look, noticing my injury for the first time.

Will and Norrington looked down at Jack. "Unfortunately, Mr. Turner, he's right!" Norrington growled as he swung again at Will, who hastily blocked the blow.

"I'll be okay. We should try to get out of here while we still can," I told Jack.

Jack picked up his sword and stood up. "Still rooting for you, mate," he called to Norrington over his shoulder. He sheathed his sword and trotted away from the fighting men, myself flying behind him. Jack put the cord the held the key around his neck and allowed himself a confidant and victorious swagger.