Disclaimer: Still don't own any of these characters, except for the ones not in POTC...

A/N: And now drumroll please the moment you've all been waitin for...WHAT HAPPENED TO ELIZABETH! And no, I decided NOT to split it into loads of teeny weeny chapters just to bug you, for the simple reason that I'm too lazy to go to all that trouble. So, without, futhur ado, here it is. (get your hankies - it's sort of depressing...)

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Will stared in numb disbelief at the golden haired figure lying still on the bed. Cold, so cold...

Will couldn't bring himself to touch her motionless form. He didn't want to remember this - this crumpled shape that had once so full of life - he wanted to remember her as she once was. So happy, so reckless and wild. Adventurous. Beautiful, intelligent, brave...a shining star whose light seemed would never go out - he didn't want to accept that she was gone. And yet, some part of him couldn't truly believe she was actually dead.

Will wasn't aware of his sore throat, raw from screaming, or the tears running down his still-dusty cheeks. He slowly reached out a shaking hand towards her hair, lying in a pool around her head, even in death it was as beautiful as ever. But just before his work-roughened hand brushed against her curly locks, he stopped. His hand hovered only centimeters from her hair, but he could not quite bring himself to touch her. If he touched her, then the nightmare would be real and she would be dead.

Will stretched his hand out the last few centimeters and laid his palm on the back of her head, as he had done so many times in the past. She was cold, cold as the ice that surrounded them, cold as the snow on the roof outside - and unmistakeably dead.

The fact slowly penetrated his mind; he now knew - Elizabeth was dead. She had passed on to the next world, and had left him behind as she departed on her greatest, final adventure.

Once the initial shock of her death had hit, once the final truth had been realized - any remains of Will's resolve broke. Through racking sobs of pain and guilt, he gently rolled her over onto her back. He bent and put his forehead to hers, cradling her face in his hands, heedless of the shed tears that were wetting her skin. He buried his fingers in her hair, holding her to him and whispering over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I failed you; I didn't keep you safe - I'm sorry!"

Gradually, Will gained some measure of control over himself, and his tears subsided, to be replaced with emptiness. He gently laid Elizabeth back onto the bed, carefully resting her head on the pillow and spreading her hair around her head like a golden halo. Even in death she was as lovely as ever - eyes closed and her rosy lips parted slightly, she wore the mantle of death with grace. She seemed as if she were sleeping.

Will looked down on her motionless form - he could not bring himself to think "body" or worse, "corpse", despite the fact that that was what his vibrant Elizabeth had become - and tried to memorize her every feature. The way her hair curled, the way her lips curved, the way her eyes were only lightly closed, so it seemed she would open them at any second - the way her skin felt, the way she...breathed?

Will's heart actually skipped a beat. He had to be imagining things - if Elizabeth was alive she would have waken when he had first ripped back the covers. It was surely only wishful thinking - his imagination and grief making his eyes see things that were false. But oh, God, how he wished she still breathed!

Will turned away from her, lying on his bed, and buried his face in his hands. What would the Governor say? What would Commodore Norrington think? Would he be hung for a crime he did not do, and couldn't even comtemplate committing? But even through all of the confused thoughts and questions tumbling through his mind, one thing kept resurfacing: had she actually breathed, or was it his imagination?

Slowly, Will turned back to face the woman lying on the bed. He hesitantly reached out a hand and laid it on her neck. After a moment, he moved it to where her pulse would be beating if indeed she was still alive. And he waited, hoping against hope that he would feel something, even the faintest flutter under his fingertips, that would indicate she still lived.

Nothing.

He waited, pressing slightly harder this time in case he had missed something.

Still nothing.

Will's throat constricted and he could feel the tidal wave of sorrow building in his chest. Just for that instant, he had allowed himself a last glimpse of hope - only to have it dashed again.

Will stayed frozen, his hand still resting upon her neck, a thousand regrets running through his mind. Why hadn't he asked her to marry him? That's why he had been trying to light the forge yesterday - to add the finishing touches to a ring he had hoped to give to her. It was only in need of some last bits of shaping, and it would have been complete. He cursed his fool's pride - Elizabeth wouldn't have cared. Why hadn't he done the thing he had been meaning to do since he was seventeen?

Suddenly, Will was yanked from his woeful thoughts. For a second, he merely sat there, hand on ELizabeth's neck - it couldn't be; it had to be his imagination again. But no: it was there, albeit faintly, but it was still there. Underneath Will's fingertips, blood still ran in Elizabeth's veins.

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A/N: See? I'm not THAT mean - how could I kill off Lizzy so early in the story? What would Will's point be, then, if she croaked? I mean, honestly - the guys swordfights with himself for three hours a day. He said so himself. He's straightlaced and stays on the right side of the law, unless Liz is involved. Sure, he's good looking, but - doesn't he sound just a teeny bit dull to you? No offense to all y'all Orly fans out there.(like me, but I'm harsh, cuz I've still got Jack and Elizabeth to handle besides Will. Lotta personality do deal with - not to mention warp...evil chuckle!)