A/N: Thank you for all the reviews:)

A/D: I'm going to see AWE tomorrow!:)

Spoiler: There's no Will in this chapter. (Unlike in AWE, I imagine...)

Disclaimer: POTC belong to Disney.

Chapter 27

Elizabeth was not to be persuaded to leave Jack even for a moment. She refused to get some rest, she refused to eat, she refused to drink. The Governor looked into the cabin several times, always finding Elizabeth by the headboard of the bed, her arm wrapped around Jack, and her head leaning against his.

Philip Fairwood has given Jack some medicine which caused the temperature to drop slightly. But he still had a fairly high fever, and to Elizabeth's dismay, was repeatedly losing and regaining consciousness.

Elizabeth tried to appear calm, although it did not escape the doctor's notice, that in the reality she was more than terrified, and emotionally exhausted.

His first impression of her was already favorable. He liked her from the very beginning, since she and Jack visited him the other night. Firstly, she was beautiful (which for him was always a good reason for liking a woman), and secondly, she appeared to be very much in love with Jack. And Philip Fairwood had a great admiration for people who were capable of being very much in love. Life taught him, that it was a fairly rare thing in the world.

And Jack, on the other hand, also appeared to be very much in love with her. The doctor remembered that that night on Tortuga, when he and Jack had finished talking, Jack had gone to the room where the girl had been sleeping, and had stared at her for a long time before going to sleep himself. Actually , he had been doing more or less what the girl was doing right now. He had looked at her, stroked her hair, kissed her from time to time. And then he had gone to sleep in the armchair. Captain Jack Sparrow. Who would have thought of that.

Philip Fairwood always considered Jack to be a lucky man. Except when it came to love. Not women, of course. He was exceptionally successful with women. But love was a totally different story. And Jack was not a falling-in-love type. Neither were the women he knew of this type either, to tell the truth. But so it seemed now that he underestimated Jack's fortune in this respect, after all.

"May I ask how you met 'im, Elizabeth?", asked the doctor, after a long moment of silence. They were watching over Jack for over four hours now, talking mostly about his condition, and the situation in general, or just sitting quietly, waiting, although not really knowing for what.

Elizabeth lifted her head, and looked at him.

"He saved me", she answered with a faint smile. "He saved me from drowning."

"Ah", nodded Philip Fairwood. "That's what you call a fortunate accident, I guess", he said with a smile. "You know, when you two came over to my house the other night, I asked him if he hadn't kidnapped you, or something."

Elizabeth kissed Jack softly on the cheek, and smiled.

"No", she said quietly. "But sometimes I wish he did, right then, on the very first day. Many things wouldn't have happened...", she added pensively.

"There are always bad things that can happen no matter how hard we try to avoid them", said Philip Fairwood thoughtfully. "It's overcoming the obstacles that counts and matters most. Maybe this is even all that really matters."

Elizabeth gave him a sad look, and snuggled her cheek against Jack's. His breath was steady, but still shallow. From time to time he would open his eyes, or mutter something; most frequently – her name. And every time he did that, she felt like crying.

"Would you like to drink something, Elizabeth?", asked Philip Fairwood after a pause.

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

He did not expect any other answer, but wanted to try asking, nevertheless.

"If you excuse me, I'll get something for myself, then", the doctor stood up, and went away, leaving Elizabeth alone with Jack.

It was late in the afternoon, and it was fairly dark in the cabin. Should Jack wake up, they did not want to dazzle his eyes with sudden brightness, so they covered little windows in the cabin. Elizabeth stroked gently Jack's face with her fingertips, trailing soft kisses all over his face. Somewhere deep inside she thought that maybe it would make him feel better, maybe in some miraculous way it would cure him.

If a kiss could kill, it should be also capable of bringing back to life, shouldn't it?

"I just can't decide...", a strange voice emerged, as if out of nowhere.

The sound of this voice startled Elizabeth. She looked up, trying to see if there was somebody in the doorway. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but not quite. Yet, she could see nobody. Then, she looked around, and to her utter dismay, she noticed somebody sitting on the doctor's chair. But the person there was not Philip Fairwood. It was somebody else.

"It's so hard to decide", the man spoke again. "What would be more enjoyable, killing him and watch your reaction, or killing you, and watch his?"

The man looked up, and although it was rather dark in the cabin, Elizabeth recognized him. She instinctively drew nearer to Jack, who was now asleep, his head snuggled into Elizabeth's neck. She suddenly felt very much alone.

"But of course, death is not all that fascinating, after all. There are greatest ways to make people suffer", said Harness, playing with his pistol, taking out the bullets, then putting them back inside.

"What do you want?", asked Elizabeth , trying to keep her voice as cold and indifferent as possible.

She could see Harness' eyes glistening in the darkness. He did not answer.

"We didn't do anything to you", Elizabeth went on, trying to regain her self-confidence. "He didn't do anything. He did not even steal your ship. You were... you are dead. The ship was dead! You should be grateful, if you really cared that much of the Black Pearl. He brought her back to life. He traded his soul for this ship!", suddenly the anger overcame her fear.

"I didn't ask him for that, did I?",interrupted her Harness,somewhat annoyed. "And he did get his soul back, apparently, didn't he? So-"

"Leave him alone!", she shouted. She hoped that Philip Fairwood would be back soon.

"I may", said the captain drily. "That's why I'm here, really. I may cure him", he said, tapping the barrel of his pistol. "Or I may kill him. The choice is yours", he added with a sneer.

"I want you to leave him alone", repeated Elizabeth in a quiet, but calm and firm tone of voice, although she was petrified, and she felt her heart beating furiously in her chest.

"I did expect you to prefer this option", replied Harness with something that looked like a smile. "So... this is what you have to do. As soon as I leave this room he'll start feeling better, until, in no time, he'll recover completely. Then you'll have three hours."

"For what?", asked Elizabeth angrily, her face as white as a sheet, but her voice steady.

"For telling him... No. Actually not merely telling. For convincing him that you do not love him."

"What?", Elizabeth's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I think you did hear what I said", hissed Harness in a low tone of voice.

"He will never believe it", said Elizabeth through her teeth.

"So do something to make him believe. That's your problem. And before said three hours are over, you have to leave him, step out of this ship, and never see him again. Then, and only then he will live, and I may even let him sail away on my ship", he added, after a moment of mock-consideration.

Elizabeth looked at him in silence. Was this nightmare real? Was it really happening?

"And if I-", she started, but he cut her off.

"If you say no, I make sure that he will die the most agonizing and excruciating death imaginable", he smiled noticing the flash of terror in her eyes. "So? Shall I grant him life - or death?"