And there they were again.

All Elizabeth had done was ask him to help her find Will yet the infuriating Captain was twisting what she was thinking, making what she wanted unimportant and what she knew nothing of almost her heart's desire.

"Are you certain? Is that what you really want most?"

"Of course!" Elizabeth answered quickly, almost too quickly. Only because she wanted to find out how to get Will back, there was no way that she wanted the filthy man before her. And he stank.

what of? rum, the sea, adventure, freedom? and you don't want that?

He gave her his compass, explaining how it worked as Elizabeth kept her eyes on him. She watched his eyes as they darted from one point to the next as though standing still, stopping in one place was torture to him. She watched his lips as they told her of what she was now so sure she wanted; lips that didn't stumble over words but let them flow free. She watched him so she could be certain he wasn't lying to her, wasn't conning her into something she wanted nothing to do with,

"It points to the thing you want most in this world."

"oh jack…"

One little slip and that voice was racing ahead of her.

his eyes, his lips, his chest, jack sparrow. pirate.

It was a good thing she was disgusted by him then.

attracted to him.

"Like I said, persuade me."

Elizabeth stared at Jack and he just stared right back. He was singly the most infuriating man she had ever met, counteracting her every move as if it gave him some perverted joy from seeing her cope with his double and triple crosses. She felt all her emotions bubbling under her skin, needing to be worked out.

Oh how she wanted to hit something

touch someone.

Elizabeth couldn't quite put a name on the knot of feelings she had rolling around inside her. Anger she supposed.

or lust.

Curiosity, goodness, what you really want.

Elizabeth threw words as Jack and he tossed them back just as quick. But she knew she was walking a blurry line as after every conversation she ended by walking away from him, the voice at the back of her mind kept encouraging her to stay, to brush his arm with her own, to stand that little bit too close to him. It was this voice that seemed to be winning.

And there it was again, urging her forward. She saw it as a way to wind him up, but the voice had different ideas.

"You'll have the chance to do something, something courageous. And when you do you'll discover something. That you're a good man."

"All evidence to the contrary."

"Oh I have faith in you. Want to know why?"

"Do tell dearie."

"curiosity. you're going to want it. a chance to be admired and gain the rewards that follow."

seefreedom.

smellfreedom.

tastefreedom.

"you wont be able to resist. you're going to want to know what it tastes like…"

Stop it! Elizabeth told herself, you're in too far, think of –

kissing him.

"Land ho!"

Will.

Elizabeth knew what she was doing. She would chain him to the mast to ensure the safety of the crew, of Will. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt when she saw the sadness in his eyes, the loss of any hope, the loss of his beloved ship.

So she kissed him.

Elizabeth had never really planned that but she felt she had to. It was the right thing. But even though she tried to stay focussed that little voice fluttered against her heart, urging her to stay, making her fumble with the shackles and linger at his lips. At Jack Sparrow's lips.

admit it. you don't want to leave him. you want to stay here with him, just him and you forever. you're free with him you know it and you've felt it, what it's like to free, what it's like to kiss freedom, the salt and the power and the selfish impulses and the fact that within all that there is someone who ca–

She pushed away all thoughts of him then as she said three little words before leaving Captain Jack Sparrow to his grim fate.

Three little words whispered from her lips.

I'm not sorry.

Three little words screamed through her eyes.

i love you.