This chapter has been edited.

A/N: Oooooh, I hate Will right now...

A thousand thoughts were flying through Will's head, most of them too fast for him to comprehend. The most reoccurring one was 'I love her'. He acted on this, the single thought he could grasp, and tried to fix everything. In the height of the moment, he only knew that he wanted to achieve the past; he desired only for everything to be as it once was, with Elizabeth his and memory hers.

He forced himself to gag the lips he had so often kissed, the lips he sensed rather than felt were no longer his. With a curse of determination, he vowed to regain his Elizabeth from whatever had taken her, from what he suspected was Jack Sparrow.

He bound her arms and legs tightly, imagining himself binding his inhibitions for what he was about to do, binding what was sure to be his last chance.

He hated himself, quite simply. If he hadn't raised his voice at Elizabeth... If he hadn't advanced towards her... None of this would have happened, and she would still be his. Gazing at the jagged cut on her forehead that contrasted so sharply with her smooth features, he realized that he was the cause of her misery, and unless he did something to change it, he would never be able to live with himself, and he might as well end his life now...

It struck him that he had no plan or even a vague notion as to what the future would bring, just that Elizabeth was his future and that without her he had none. He spontaneously decided to bring her on land, where they could marry and start a life together, just as they had always imagined.

Lifting the struggling Elizabeth out of the bed she had been confined to, he strode out the door, not looking back, grateful for the full moon that lit his way to the rowboats, hoping against hope that he could escape unharmed and with Elizabeth in tow.

Because Elizabeth was still sleeping in his cabin, Jack had taken to wandering the decks at night, sleeping every so often in the chair of his study. He hadn't slept well in years, not since the Black Pearl was taken from him the first time. The sea still had its calming effect on his demeanor, but it could no longer lure him to sleep.

Sometimes, he watched her sleep.

She sighed every so often, and he found himself holding his breath every time she shifted in her sleep, dreaming of the unknown. She had murmured his name once, just once, but it was enough to make him come back for at least part of every night.

She scared him.

He loved and loathed the effect she had on him, the way she mesmerized him. He had been mesmerized by women before, of course, but not because of who they were- only because of what they looked like. But she had the inner and outer beauty, and she fascinated him much like the sea. Both were beautiful, but just as no one owned the sea, Jack could never fathom owning Elizabeth.

He tread across the deck, glancing behind him at the full moon as he opened the door to his cabin. It took him a moment to register that something was horribly, horribly wrong. The pillows had been knocked off of the bed and were piled in a heap, and the sheets were tangled and knotted. A lone piece of rope on the floor told a story all on its own, and with a growl, Jack strode out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

I long for my freedom as soon as my hands and feet are bound. I long for it the way a drunkard longs for the drink, and I want it so badly I can taste it. A voice echoes in my head...

"You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it. To act on selfish impulse."

At this moment, freedom is more precious to me than my memory.

Will untied the lifeboat leisurely. It occurred to him that he should have been moving with more urgency, but the fact that he was here with Elizabeth for the first time in days had stupefied him, and he could only untie the boat and lower it into the water with a splash! and dimly think about his next movements.

"Usually," spat a voice in his ear, "when people do things in the middle of the night, it means they are (here he paused) up to something."

Will cursed and turned to face an angry Jack Sparrow. He furtively glanced left, where he had temporarily hidden Elizabeth in case anyone happened to walk by. She was behind an ancient lifeboat that was falling apart, unlike the one he had been so close to leaving in.

"I- I," he cleared his throat. "Elizabeth and I were just leaving on an early honeymoon." Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought. Jack probably had not even seen Elizabeth, so why had he brought her up?

"Aye? Then I suppose this rope left in my cabin is part of her wedding dress." His eyes glittered. "Or perhaps an early wedding present?"

He kicked aside the lifeboat, revealing Elizabeth, still struggling to untie her hands and feet.

Will whipped out his sword, brandishing it at Jack. "You are not coming in between us, Captain."

Jack tapped the sword lightly. "But why fight when you can negotiate? Let's talk, you and I, about your bonnie lass..."

It was such a relief to be free of the ropes that were binding her that Elizabeth spent several seconds just rubbing life back into her sore limbs. She rose to her feet shakily to follow the men, stumbling a little because of her sore ankles. She would have fallen if it weren't for Jack bracing an arm around her waist.

They walked into the study of Jack's cabin, where Jack sat down at a small table. "Rum?" he offered, and not waiting for an answer, he poured three glasses, passing one to Elizabeth, seated at his desk, and to Will, seated across from him at the table.

Will opened his mouth to talk, baffled, but Jack held up a hand. "Dearly Beloved," he began, "we are gathered here today to discuss why Elizabeth Swann and William Turner should not be joined in holy matrimony..."

"Jack, I suggest that you get to the point."

Jack glanced dismissively at the hand Will had moved to his sword. "More rum?" he asked. Elizabeth declined, still sitting at the desk, but Will accepted. Jack filled his cup to the brim, and Will took a large sip.

"So mate," asked Jack conversationally, "what is it that you want?"

"I want Elizabeth to marry me."

"Aye, but how can a lass marry you that hasn't known you?" Jack refilled Will's empty cup.

"She knows me!"

"Aye, I think not... Elizabeth, do ye remember knowing Mr. Turner?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"How can a lass marry you that isn't remembering you?"

"But I remember her. And that's why I'm willing to fight for her." Will stood up, slightly unsteady on his feet.

"Then I have a proposition for you. What do you say to a friendly game of cards?"

"Stakes?" asked Will suspiciously.

"Why, Miss Swann, of course."

"Let the game ensue."

I'll try to update soon!