A/N (I just realized that this is probably the appropriate heading for my comments...:)

Spoiler: A sword fight. A little sword fight, to be precise.

It's like, what, 20th chapter & this is supposed to be a romance/action/adventure story & I noticed lately that there was not a single sword fight so far... neither a battle... nor a duel... nobody get killed... shot... hanged... nobody drowned... No, no, don't worry, I'm not going to make up for all of that in this chapter, however...

Disclaimer: Disney owns POTC.

Chapter 20

He did not know what to do. Harness let him out, but it frustrated him even more. He could not make himself find the way out from the dark corridor, from this place. Not without her. However... Why should he care? He tried to pretend he did not, but it was of no use. He did care. He was probably a fool, but he did care. He was angry at himself. He should really give up. Give in and move on and forget...

Will sighed.

Eventually, he decided on trying to rescue her. Noiselessly, he went down a dark, strange, rocky hallway, to where he remembered was the room, in which they both were trapped, and in which now Elizabeth has been locked. He tried to open the lock with his sword, and somehow he succeeded.

Will sighed with relief, and confidently walked in. There she was, right where he left her. With the exception of the surrounding, which changed dramatically.

"What are you doing here?!", he could not help asking, seeing Jack. Seeing Jack's arms around Elizabeth.

"I thought ye'd never come", said Jack peevishly, quickly taking advantage of the situation, grabbing Elizabeth by the hand, and walking briskly out of the room.

Will looked at them as they were passing him in the doorway, too surprised to continue demanding an explanation. He glanced into the room, not really knowing what to do, closed the door at last, and ran after Jack and Elizabeth, who did not bother waiting for him, and were almost disappearing from view already.

"Wait!", shouted Will carelessly, catching up with them.

"If ye don't find it too difficult", started Jack in a firm whisper, turning towards him. "Please stop raising yer lovely voice to the level at which it may get us all in trouble."

"I'm not the one getting us in trouble", countered Will coldly.

"Oh, really", said Jack putting a surprised look on his face. "Perhaps ye could then elaborate on the topic of yer wedding, which, strangely enough, other people seem to have no recollection of?"

"Funny you should be the one bringing this particular topic up", observed Will with growing irritation, seriously considering turning the conversation into a duel.

"Stop it!", Elizabeth cut in quietly, in a sharp tone of voice, before Jack had a chance to answer.

"Both of you. We have to get out of here alive!", she said looking around with anxiety.

"So what are you going to do, Jack?", continued Will bitterly, completely ignoring Elizabeth's appeal. "Trade her for the Black Pearl?"

"What?", asked Jack, wrinkling his forehead in an effort to understand.

"The Black Pearl. That's why you're here. That's why he's here!", Will repeated triumphantly, turning to Elizabeth.

"I know", said Elizabeth impatiently.

"You knew this?!", Will looked at her baffled.

"She just said she knew!", Jack cut in sharply.

"Come on, we have to go!", Elizabeth pleaded desperately, pulling Jack by the coat.

"I was not talking to you!", Will turned to Jack with a frown.

"Yes, but I allowed myself to speak for me fiancé", stated Jack casually.

"Your what?", Will gave him the hardest look possible.

"Can you please stop it?!", demanded Elizabeth, waving wildly her hands at them.

"How dare you?!", exclaimed Will reaching for his sword, and not even glancing at Elizabeth.

"Oh. So ye actually did hear what I said", observed Jack with mild interest.

"I should have done it first time I saw you!", shouted Will, wielding his sword in Jack's direction.

"Oi", muttered Jack disapprovingly, and reluctantly drew his sword.

"Are you both insane?!", whispered Elizabeth hysterically, running in between them. "He will hear us!"

"Back to practicing three hours a day, aye?", observed Jack with a grin.

It was too much even for Will. He pushed Elizabeth aside, and stroke out first.

Then a regular fight began. They were doing so much noise with the swords, the noise which echoed in the dim hallway strikingly loud, that Elizabeth expected the man with the scarred face to appear in every moment. He must have been deaf as a post, if he would not hear this, she thought to herself.

Jack and Will kept brandishing their swords at each other rather chaotically, but still quite eagerly, as if they were waiting for this confrontation for a long time, or if not exactly waiting, then at least expecting it to happen sooner or later. Perhaps the time was not best, and the location perhaps even the worst, but nevertheless it was unavoidable.

"She'll never be yours", hissed Will, pressing his sword against Jack's.

"Ah", nodded Jack knowingly. "Is this what ye're repeating to yerself in front of a mirror every night?", inquired Jack, quickly striking back.

"Jack! Will! What are you doing?!", Elizabeth hopelessly tried to attract their attention, but their consistently paid her none. "Stop it at once!"

"Do you really think she loves you?", asked Will with an ironic smile flickering across his face, as he stepped forward, preparing for the next hit.

"I didn't really have time for thinking about it", replied Jack with a smirk.

"Alright! I'm going!", shouted Elizabeth. "Do you hear me?! I'm leaving!!!"

No reaction. Apart from clinking of metal. But it had little to do with her threat.

"Fine", said Elizabeth pouting her lips, and seriously considering walking away.

Suddenly, Will stumbled over something, and fall, so she used that opportunity to intervene. She approached them quickly. Despite everything that has happened, it crossed Will's mind that she was going to help him up. But, quite on the contrary, she indifferently passed him still sitting on the ground, and went up to Jack.

"That's enough", she said solemnly, taking him by the hand. She was angry, but her anger faded away as soon as he looked at her with these dark, fathomless eyes of his.

"He started!", said Jack defensively, pointing with his sword at Will, who was just getting up.

"Me?!", exclaimed Will, coming closer to them.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes in exasperation, and sighed.

"You'll ruin her", said Will through his teeth.

"I can take care of myself, thank you", put in Elizabeth, slightly annoyed by the remark.

"It's high time for us to leave, I imagine", observed Jack, suddenly looking around cautiously, putting away his sword, and grabbing Elizabeth by the hand.

Will followed them with his eyes, somewhat hurt by the sight. Not long ago it was him who had the right to hold her hand... He looked around hesitantly, and reluctantly followed them down the grim hallway.

"I'm angry with you Jack", said Elizabeth in a low voice, when they were walking alone for a moment.

For some reason Jack shot her an amused look.

"No, ye'r not, luv", he countered blankly, tightening his grip around her hand.

"Yes, I am", she insisted, looking at him curiously.

"No, ye'r not", repeated Jack calmly, glancing at her provocatively.

"Yes, I..."

He pulled her into his arms, and kissed passionately on the lips.

"Well, Captain Sparrow, if you hold a false belief that this is the way to deal with my independent opinions...", Elizabeth started, but changed her mind, and instead of finishing the sentence, leaned to kiss him. However, in the corner of her eye she noticed Will approaching, so she decided to drew back. Jack put on a hurt look, and was about to say something, when Will prevented him from doing so by his reappearance. Jack rolled his eyes, and continued walking, taking Elizabeth by the hand.

She lately noticed, that he kept doing this every time they were walking together. On the one hand it slightly irritated her, because she felt as if he was treating her as a child, that has to be led by the hand. On the other, however, she liked it. She liked the charming arrogance of this gesture, and the certainty which was expressed in it, and by it. The certainty, that he had a right to do this, because she belonged to him. Somehow, it made her feel safe. And only a little annoyed.

"Where are you going? I don't think this is the way out!", exclaimed Will sharply, looking around hesitantly. The corridor became very narrow, and now was even darker than before.

"Feel free to turn around, and go wherever you want", answered Jack with a slightly ironic politeness, glancing at him briefly.

"What about...", started Elizabeth, suddenly remembering something.

"Yer father is outside, Lizzie. Safe", replied Jack quietly, without looking at her, before she had a chance to finish her question.

"Oh", Elizabeth looked at him with a soft smile. How did he know what she was going to ask? Somehow, he did. "Thank you, Jack".

"I don't deserve the credit for it, luv. He was there before I got there", said Jack with a small smile.

Will reluctantly, and not really knowing why, followed them with a somber facial expression, barely enduring listening to their simple conversation. He simply could not stand it. How could she treat Jack Sparrow like that, as if he was... normal, and not a constantly drunk, selfish trickster? Observing Elizabeth, however, it occurred to him (making him feel a little better), that perhaps she was really not to be blamed for this whole situation. Maybe she just was under some kind of a spell. He draw this conclusion from the way she behaved towards Jack. Not like she did before. Not quite like before, when she could quickly grow impatient with him, or shoot him cold and brusque looks. Now, there was this strange admiration in her eyes, which sent shivers up Will's spine. Why did she look at him like that? She knew he was tricky, dishonest, self-centered, untrustworthy...

Busy inventing still new negative adjectives, Will did not notice, when they actually went out of the corridor, and outside the cave, outside the mountain. It was dark and humid outside, and the sky was starless. But it seemed that they were free. Will sighed with relief, although it surprised him, when he looked at them, that Jack and Elizabeth stood motionlessly, staring forward with a quizzical expression in their eyes.

And then, he finally noticed...