'What are you talking about?' asked Elizabeth. 'There were only two women on that ship.' She was trying to keep her voice light-hearted but everyone could hear anxiousness creep into her voice. She took in a deep breath before continuing. 'I mean it obviously couldn't be me- and the only other woman was… Cath-' her voice suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, and she turned to look at Catherine.

Again everyone turned to look at Catherine. Being the centre of attention had never been something Catherine had liked. She just kept on staring at the same piece of wall. Her face stayed expressionless and still.

Gibbs waited for her to say something; to dismiss the statement with a witty remark, to laugh, to smile, to insult Barbossa, to sigh, to shake her head, to lie. For her to do anything other than this insufferable silence. To him it seemed as though she hadn't heard a word anyone had said. Her eyes were unfocused and she had hardly moved. What was going through her mind?

Barbossa laughed. 'What do you think I'm talking' about Missy? If ye were the not the assassin and Miss Vane here was the only other woman on board then what are we supposed to think?'

'You mean she..' Elizabeth started shakily.

'Yes.' Barbossa answered even though he had no way of knowing what Will was going to say next. 'You see-'

Will reached for his sword and Jack gave a small cry of alarm.

'Look mate.' He began turning towards Barbossa. 'This is not the opportune moment. How about we forget all of this and have some rum, hey?'

'You Shut up.' Mercer suddenly snarled. He was angry but also strangely curious. Interest was engraved on all of his features.

'Mate.' Jack began again his hands clasped in a prayer-like motion. 'Wouldn't it just be better to just forget and celebrate our good fortune.'

'Dunno what fortune he's talkin' about.' Pintel whispered to Ragetti.

'Maybe it's 'cause we've escaped the ul-ti-mate evil.' Ragetti whispered back.

'What's given you delusions of grandeur?' Pintel asked angrily.

'Nothin'. And I'll think you'll find its grander not 'grandeur.'

'It's grandeur! First ya bloody say Kraken wrong…'

'You're the one sayin' it wrongly!' Ragetti said. 'An' it's Grander!'

'It's not- if you weren't such a-'

'Excuse me Gents. But we're kind of busy.' Mercer intoned irately.

'Why are you interested?' Will asked him. So far he had stayed silent, contemplating what Barbossa had said. But Mercer's sudden and unexpected interest worried him. Why did this man care? Other questions buzzed in his mind also. What did the knife mean? What did Catherine have to do with his father? And why had Barbossa spoken those almost cryptic words?

'Because I never forget the names of my enemies.' Mercer replied with a ghastly smile on his face. 'Isn't that right, Miss Vane?'

Jack shook his head slowly, his smile had faded. Obviously his 'people skills' and wiles wouldn't help him here. Will just looked around confusedly. It seemed him and Elizabeth were the only ones that didn't know what was going on here.

'What?' Elizabeth asked - everything was slipping from her grasp. She was worried.

'Can't you see young miss? She's the assassin. The one that killed the governor. The one that Lord Beckett employed. The one sent to kill you.' Mercer smiled again, he looked like he was enjoying Elizabeth's fear.

'Is it true?' Will asked Catherine. He was trying to keep his voice as steady as possible.

Catherine laughed, but not bitterly or hollowly. This laugh was a laugh of genuine amusement.

'Which part?' She enquired.

'All of it!' Will answered. Her sudden change of behaviour made him apprehensive; could she possibly be mad?

'Yes. It's true.' She said simply.

Governor Swann opened his eyes and looked around hazily. He vainly tried to find his bearings as he sat up. The grim face of Admiral Norrington greeted him. He sighed.

'Good afternoon Governor,' He remarked without a smile.

'What's the meaning of this? Where's my daughter? I demand-' Governor Swann started.

'I understand… But there are bigger things at stake here.' Norrington hissed.

'What could possibly be more important than my daughter?' The Governor replied.

'Now look here-'

'No you look here. In once thought you a good man- an honourable man. Don't you care about my daughter?'

'Of course I care about Elizabeth.' Norrington shouted. Tears were forming at the back of his eyes. He didn't like how this conversation was going. It was opening up old wounds, wounds he had tried to heal with rum. The deep, feared, everlasting wounds that only a woman could give. A woman like the one he had loved. A woman like Elizabeth. 'You don't… You don't…' He continued. 'You don't understand my position.'

'What position? You could have rid the seas of a monster. But you just wanted to improve your station.' Governor Swann shouted back, although his voice was a little quieter.

'I seem to remember Lord Beckett telling me of your past. What you did to improve your station.' Norrington said coldly. 'Doesn't that make you a hypocrite?'

Governor Swann looked down- guilt was evident in his eyes. He was not without secrets himself.

'I was… I was young. And I never did anything as bad as this.' He said finally.

'What about Georgia?' Norrington asked.

Governor Swann lowered his eyes once again; Norrington wasn't the only one with deeps wounds etched into his soul.

'Georgia…' He whispered under his breath. Her name seemed to float of his tongue and escape into the wind. 'She was nothing to do with improving my station. In fact it… She did the opposite…'

'And so you left London with a name soaked in scandal.' Norrington remarked.

'Why are you talking about this?' Governor Swann suddenly asked angrily. 'This will not save Elizabeth!'

'Possibly not. But it does explain Elizabeth's headstrongness.' Her Headstrong manner was always what I admired about her. Norrington thought to himself.

'You still haven't explained.'

'I am a man of facts Mr Swann. I needed to know the truth.' Norrington's manner had turned business-like. Obviously he didn't want to carry on with this conversation.

'I see.' Governor Swann replied in a similar manner.

'You will stay here. You are too weak to do work like the other prisoners so you will stay up here. And you will not leave this room. Understand?'

Governor Swann nodded his head and said nothing else as Norrington left the room.

James. James. Norrington could hear Elizabeth's voice as he walked to the captain's quarters. He needed to speak with Davy Jones. You used to be a good man. Why wouldn't that voice stop? I am a good man. He said silently. I have a high position, I have power. But you don't have me. Elizabeth's voice had lost its melodic quality. She now sounded like a Harpy taunting him. You don't have me, you'll never have me. You'll always be bested by a blacksmith. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

Norrington stopped and realised he had said those last two words aloud. Davy's deformed crew were now looking at him strangely. He gave them a cold stare and changed direction. He was going to the brig. He needed to see Elizabeth.

A/N Okay this one's a bit short. Hope you still like it though. H + E see I did get it done in time! So no more begging okay? You know who you are! I haven't really developed ol' Norrie yet so and I thought that was a shame because he's such a complex character. I have like a million ideas for chapter so bare with me. Also I really need to write more about Bootstrap- he is one of the best characters in the PotC series. They'll be no more updates for at least a week because I'm going on holiday.