Authors Note:

Thank you all for reading and for reviewing.

Thank you so much, and please review.

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Chapter 31:

Distress

Will ran towards me and caught up to me while asking "Why Port Royal? I don't understand. If we go back there, we'll all be locked up in a prison!" I turned to look at Elizabeth who was smiling at me. I caught her glance and looked at her confused while saying to Will "Well, I'm sure Lizzie has a logical, technical, grammatical, astronomical explanation fer all that…." I took a few steps towards her, put my arm around her and whispered into her ear "Right luv?"

Her eyes crossed, as she looked at me dumbfounded and said to both Will and myself "My father could help us" I nodded throughout her speech but then I asked loudly finally realizing what she said "What?" Elizabeth hit my shoulder and said back "My father… you know Captain Sparrow… the one you suggested could help us."

Will stared at me waiting for my response so I averted my eyes from his face and looked down at the floor because my shoes were suddenly very interesting. My eyebrows narrowed and I bit my lip cautiously as Will spoke "We cannot go back to Port Royal!" My shoes were no longer my area of interest so I looked up at the whelp with a smirk on my face and I began to tempt him "and why is that Mr. Turner?"

Will gulped and thought for a second before answering very quickly "Well, I don't want to be locked up in a prison." My black eyes stared into his as I replied with just a hint of sarcasm "Aye… we wouldn't want that now would we?" I turned my head to my left to look at Elizabeth and I whispered to her "I've changed me mind… we're nay goin' t' Port."

Elizabeth looked at me with a hurt and shocked expression; she then pulled me aside and said to Will "Just a moment Will, I need to talk to Jack about something." Will shrugged as Elizabeth brought me near the helm. I could tell by the look on her face that she felt humiliated and moody so I thought maybe I should try to avoid this conversation. But my curiously got the worst of me so I asked her "What is it luv?"

Elizabeth then said to me angrily "Why do you question my authority?" My eyes widened so I asked baffled "Authority luv?" She nodded and continued with the same amount of anger in her voice "I had a plan to go to Port Royal and you decided to question my authority on the subject." I let out a soft chuckle and asked her coldly "Why do ye keep mentionin' this word authority, like ye be havin' it?"

Elizabeth took a step back from me obviously hurt by the statement I had just said. I immediately regretted what I had said but it was too late. Elizabeth began to shout at me "Excuse me Mr. Sparrow! But I have just as much authority on this ship as you do!" That statement I did not agree with so I argued with her back "That ye do not! Aye, who be havin' authority, but 'tis limited! Besides ye chose t' come be with me, t' live with me, t' sail with me on ME ship, an' as long as ye be on ME ship, ye will listen t' me!"

I took a few steps towards her and whispered arrogantly "Savvy"? Elizabeth stared at me in disbelief as she took a few deep breaths trying to recover from what I had just told her. I looked at her sadly and began to wrap my arms around her while whispering, "I'm sorry luv…I thought I was talking to…" But my sentence was interrupted by Elizabeth shoving me away.

Elizabeth then screamed "You're just as bad as the rest of them Jack! I came with you on this journey to be free! I always thought you could give me that! But now I realize that you're worse then they are! I wish I never would have came with you!" Elizabeth burst out crying and she said between deep breaths "Consider our engagement off!" She then walked away from me and I stared at her in cynicism.

I felt my insides churn and all of a sudden I felt empty. I walked towards her with a hurt expression and said sadly "Lizzie…. I didn't mean it." James and Will came running towards us and Elizabeth shoved me away from her again while saying "You did, Jack. After all this time, you finally let your heart do the talking." She then pulled Will's arm and said to him "I will make arrangements for us to leave to Port Royal together." Will protested "Not Port Royal Elizabeth." Elizabeth nodded and closed her eyes while shouting "I am leaving, alone!" She ran towards the stairs while sobbing and I stood in the same spot motionless, empty, and hated.

- -

I was lying down on my bed that night thinking that just a few hours ago Elizabeth was with me on me ship. I rolled my eyes and screamed at myself "Not meship! Our ship!" I sighed, tossed and turned in my bed while thinking to my self "I was about to make her me wife. Everything I have is hers… well, it could have been." A new sensation filled up within me. I felt so undesirably honest and sad that I realized that I was not acting like a pirate. I was acting like a man in love.

Just then a knock came at my cabin door and I shouted, "Go away I am in no mood to talk to any of you scallywags!" The door opened and Norrington came in and while chuckling. I got up from my bed and asked worried "How is she?" Norrington sighed while whispering, "I just came back from Tortuga, she's fine. She is at an Inn there."

I sighed happily and I put my hands to my face while whispering, "What have I done?" James closed the door and took the chair that I used for my desk and sat in front of me. He shrugged and whispered to me "You did what you thought was right, Sparrow." I shook my head slightly while rubbing my now closed eyes.

I then muttered to him "But 't wasn't right." James nodded and whispered "Indeed it wasn't." James paused for a second and whispered to me "You love her." I sighed while nodding. James then said to me "Look at me Pirate!" I looked up at him and I noticed that he began to look in his pocket. He then pulled out a ring and I looked at him confused and said "I be awfully sorry t' be havin' t' decline yer request fer marriage."

James chuckled and said "No, pirate. Just open your hand." I bit my lip carefully and opened my hand to reveal my palm. James then placed the ring in my palm and said "This ring was given to me by Elizabeth's father on the morning of when I was supposed to ask her to marry me. It was Elizabeth's mother's before she died…." I smiled remembering that Governor Swann lied to James about the real story about his wife. He was probably too ashamed to say that she ran off with a pirate.

James continued "I want you to go to Tortuga, find Elizabeth, and give this to her. I love Elizabeth with all my heart and I wish her all the happiness in the world." I closed my hand around the ring as he continued "It seems that she is most happy when she is with you. So, unfortunately for me, I have no choice but to give you the ring to give to her."

I looked at James smiling and I then whispered to him "Thank ye, James". James smiled at me and said "Beautiful ring isn't it? Silver all around with a rare black diamond at the top. She will love it." I nodded and got up while saying "Can ye take me t' th' lass'?" James got up off the chair and opened the door to my cabin while shouting "Immediately!" Just then the ship shook roughly. And both James and I fell start onto the ship's wooden floor. I looked at my hand and whispered scared "The Kraken!" James looked at me and asked, "What do I do?" I got up off the floor and said, "Run." James stood confused and asked innocently "Where?"

- - - -

About an hour later and the crew and I had shot all the gunpowder and rum that we had at the Kraken's tentacles. We had just enough time to row a long boat towards shore before it came back and destroyed the ship. I stood on deck with Will in front of me and James behind me. Everyone else was helping to prepare the long boat. Will looked at me and whispered "Beautiful ship. I'm sorry about the Pearl Jack."

I nodded and turned around as James called "I too am sorry Jack." I smiled and he took a few steps towards me until I stood near the mast. James smiled and said, "I hope you find Elizabeth." I smiled at him and he asked, "May I see the ring?" I shrugged and moved my hand slightly to the left but then…. I felt something around me wrist.

I turned to see William holding shackles around me wrist. The shackles connected to the mast and I looked at Will who was smiling at me sneakily and proudly. He then said to James "Good work." I looked at James shocked who was now laughing "Couldn't have done it without you, Turner." He then turned to me and said "Now we all remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow did not escape." Will and James then left me shackled to the mast in shock and incredulity. I stood still, waiting for death to find me. I clenched my other hand and whispered "I'll get ou' o' here fer ye, luv. Only fer ye."

Authors Note:

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