Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope I won't disappoint. There's a breakup in this chapter (heads up) and JE are far from reuniting but things will get better for them soon, I promise! The sad stuff is going to end :) I felt bad for Elizabeth when I wrote this chapter, but she's a strong girl and a pirate and she'll be back to kicking people's butts really soon!

Chapter 4

The Brethren Court had been called and the Nine Pirate Lords were to meet to discuss their defense against Lord Beckett and the East India Trading Company. They were to meet at a place called Shipwreck Cove, a fortress in the water protected by large boulders on all sides from any oncoming attack.

When Elizabeth woke the next morning, she noticed that her pillow was still damp from the tears she had shed last night. Sighing heavily, she sat up in her bed and rubbed away the sleep from her tired eyes. Tying her hair back in a loose ponytail, her fingers brushed against the necklace she wore. Removing it from around her neck, she gazed down at it sadly. It was a gold chain that Will had given to her as an engagement present. He had been adamant on giving her a piece of expensive jewelry even though she had wanted something much simpler.

Gazing down at the necklace, she thought back to how much had changed during the past couple months, especially Elizabeth herself. She had prayed many nights that once Jack was rescued, things would go back to the way they were. But one look into Jack's eyes in Davy Jones' Locker was all it took to send her entire world into a tailspin. Elizabeth felt like a silly girl, thinking such thoughts, but she was positive that the attraction between her and Jack was much deeper than being simply physical and that idea scared her to death.

Sighing once more, she placed the necklace securely in her pocket and rose to her feet. Opening the door to the private quarters she was given, she began heading up the stairs. When she reached above deck, she took a deep breath of the warm breeze and basked in the sunlight for a moment before walking towards the Black Pearl's temporary Captain. Before she was able to speak, however, something caught the corner of her eye. Turning to gaze at the port they were rapidly approaching, she scoffed incredulously.

"Tortuga?" she asked in disbelief, recognizing the town's shores. "How? We're supposed to be so much farther than a day's travel."

"I'd imagine you'd have Tia Dalma to thank for that," Barbossa exclaimed from the helm.

Elizabeth glanced back at the voodoo Priestess who simply smiled at her from across the deck.

"But why Tortuga?" she asked with a frown. "Shouldn't we be heading to Shipwreck Cove?"

"Aye," Barbossa agreed. "We should."

"Then why are we here?" she asked, getting easily agitated.

"Because I need a drink," Jack suddenly said as he brushed past her.

"The Captain needs a drink," Ragetti repeated in a giddy tone as he and Pintel scurried after him.

Ignoring the other pirates, Elizabeth simply watched Jack as Barbossa pulled leisurely into port. The moment they were docked, Jack stepped off the ship and began heading into town. She suddenly realized that he did not walk with the same swagger anymore, but rather normally. As Gibbs, Barbossa and the rest of the crew began piling out after him, Will walked up to Elizabeth, catching her by surprise when he touched her arm.

"Will you not go to shore?" he asked as she faced him.

"It's just a waste of time," she replied, but realized that she, too, was in need of a drink. "Everyone else is going, though. I might as well join them."

"To have a drink?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," she replied, frowning slightly at the scoff he gave her.

He nodded at her reply, disappointed in her words, and looked away. Will had begun to realize the past few weeks that the woman in front of him was not the same Elizabeth he knew and loved, the one he wanted to marry. The old Elizabeth would have never accompanied pirates or drank rum in Tortuga.

"Maybe you never knew her at all?' a voice inside his head asked him.

"Are you coming?" she asked quietly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Someone has to stay behind and mind the ship," he said bitterly before walking towards the bow.

She came to call his name and follow him, but it was no use. Things between them were far from right and Elizabeth was surer with every passing day that she and Will were not at the end of destiny's road. She knew deep down in her heart that she would break things off with Will eventually and had been putting that conversation off as much as she could. She had come to realize that even if Jack never forgave her for what she had done, she couldn't continue lying to herself and Will and hurting them both by denying her true feelings. This she had realized the moment she had looked into Jack's eyes when they had rescued him and it had been confirmed last night when she had cried herself to sleep over a man who wasn't her betrothed. She had never felt this way for anyone before and this gave her the strength to be true to her feelings once and for all.

Watching Will's back silently for a moment, she slowly approached him from behind. He was still very dear to her and a part of her heart would always belong to him. Right now, looking at him from behind, she knew that he was hurting and that she was to blame. There were only two things that Elizabeth wanted in her life: to make Will understand and take his pain away and to come clean with Jack and have him forgive her.

"I'm sorry Will," she finally said, making him turn around.

"Sorry for what?" he asked angrily. "Are you sorry for not telling me that you were to blame for Jack's death? Are you sorry for keeping me in the dark about everything? Or are you sorry for kissing him?"

"I'm sorry that you're hurting," she said quietly. "I know that it's my fault."

"Don't flatter yourself, Elizabeth," he said, venom in his voice. "Not everything in my life revolves around you."

She stared at him for a long moment, his hatred somewhat surprising her.

"When did you become so angry Will?" she asked him cautiously. "So dark?"

He looked her dead in the eyes for a minute, ready to reply, but then thought better of it and looked away.

"Things are so different now," she began, taking a couple steps closer to him. "I feel like we haven't talked in ages."

"You're to blame for whatever went wrong between us, Elizabeth…not me," he snapped at her.

Scoffing, she turned to him angrily. "I take my share of the blame for the way things are between us, but I'm not the only one at fault."

"Are you actually trying to pin this on me?" he demanded. "To blame me for the way our relationship is?"

"I'm saying that you're not entirely blameless either," she expressed. "I feel like you have this image of me of this porcelain doll that you want locked away from the rest of the world. I'm not made out of china, Will! I feel things and I have an opinion and a voice! I can't stand living the life of a courtier in England. It suffocates me."

"So all of your life has been like a prison. Is that what you're saying?" he demanded.

"No, that's not what I mean," she corrected. "Will, you look at piracy and pirates the same way Beckett does. You see them as the enemy. Even though you fight alongside them, you're never really with them."

"So you want to live the rest of your life in the sea, running away from the law with one adventure after another?" he asked, his voice rising quickly. "What kind of life is that?"

"I want freedom," she said quietly. "I'm not the person you think I should be…the person you want me to be. I'm sorry but that's the truth."

"So it's not only the life as the Governor's daughter that suffocates you, but me too apparently," he said with a scoff.

"Will, that's not what I said," she stated firmly before softening her voice. "I love you."

"But you love him more, right?" he said.

When she didn't respond, he nodded with a sneer.

"I guess now I have my answer," he said and came to walk away, but she grabbed his arm to stop him from going.

"Will, wait!" she pleaded with him. "This isn't how I wanted things to turn out. I want to love you the way you want me to so much…to be with you and marry you. I do love you, Will."

"Just not enough, I guess," he said, his voice suddenly turning gentler as he looked down.

"I don't want to lose you Will," she said softly. "You're such an important part of my life. You're my…."

"Best friend?" he finished for her, cutting her off.

"Will…," she tried again, but couldn't form any more words.

"Elizabeth, I can stand here and try to convince you that I'm the one you should be with and that if you choose to walk away, all roads will eventually lead back to me," he said before laughing sadly. "But I shouldn't have to convince my fiancée to be with me and I won't because when I finish, you're going to turn around and go to him anyway, aren't you?"

"I'm so sorry…," she began.

Nodding sadly, he looked down at the deck.

"Just go Elizabeth," he said, unable to look at her.

"Will, I know how angry you are at me right now," she said sadly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you! I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."

Nodding at her apology, he distanced himself from her and looked out to sea.

"Just go," he said, making his word the final one in their conversation.

She gazed at him helplessly for what seemed like hours, but only a couple minutes before sighing softly and stepping off the ship. Will turned his face and watched her go, an odd look in his eyes. As she continued walking, she finally reached the edge of the lively town. Walking towards a fountain in the very middle, she gazed down at her reflection silently. What she saw wasn't the Governor's daughter, but a young woman who had become a pirate. Looking away from the water, she decided to explore Tortuga's busy alleys and walls in an effort to get her mind off of her horrible reality. Hardly anyone glanced her way as she wandered around the town, everyone too drunk or too engaged in their own personal lives to notice. Before she knew it, she had walked around for a couple of hours and had circled around herself twice.

Glancing around herself in exhaustion, Elizabeth spotted the same brewery she had found Jack in the last time she had visited Tortuga. As she began heading towards the tavern, she thought back to that night for she had also found a drunken James Norrington, one who had been driven to alcohol after his title and life had been stripped away from him. The last she had seen of Norrington was when he had taken the chest of Davy Jones and sacrificed himself in an effort to save them all. He had been her fiancé for a short period of time and Elizabeth looked down sadly at the thought. She had been unfaithful to him with Will and now she was being unfaithful to Will with Jack. Elizabeth shook her head, trying her hardest not to think such thoughts for at least a while as she quietly entered the bar. It was fairly easy to find Jack once she was inside. He was seated at the back of the tavern with an almost empty bottle of rum in his hand and a large crowd of people gathered around him as he recounted a few of his famous tales.

"And then I killed him all by me onesies, savvy?" he expressed, causing the group to erupt into a fit of laughter.

'At least one of us is smiling,' the voice inside her head told her.

Knowing that her presence would most likely dampen his mood, she walked to the bar and took a seat.

"Rum," she told the old bartender who hesitated for a moment before pouring her a tall glass.

Talking a big sip, she placed the glass back down and closed her eyes where Jack's face immediately appeared. Groaning in frustration, she reopened her eyes just in time to see two pirates sitting on her either side.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"We're just wondering what a pretty woman like you is doing here all by yourself," the man on her left stated, revealing his rotten teeth to her.

He had a large scar traveling down his left cheek while the other man was shirtless and rather hairy.

"Leave me alone," she stated firmly, disgusted by their presence.

"Or what poppet?" the second one said touching her hair.

Giving a disgusted sigh, she rose to her feet.

"Or I'll run you through," she said and reached for her sword, but gasped when she realized it wasn't at her belt.

The two pirates laughed at her before rising to their feet and moving her backwards into a corner.

"Come here poppet," the second pirate said, moving towards her.

"You don't want to be doing that mate," a voice came from behind.

They turned to see Jack pointing a sword at them.

"She's with you?" the first pirate asked with a growl.

Jack stared at Elizabeth for a long time before nodding.

"Aye, she is," he stated.

Respecting the Pirate Captain, the two men turned and cautiously walked away as Jack placed his sword back in its sheathe.

"Thank you," she said, unable to meet his eyes.

He came to leave but mistook a step and almost fell. Elizabeth's reflexes were quick, however, and she easily caught him. He immediately pulled away from her and steadied himself.

"Lack of rum followed by the sudden consumption of a lot of rum can do that to a man," he said before walking off.

She watched as he walked up a set of stairs towards the end of the bar and disappeared out of her sight. Following him, she climbed the stairs and entered a private room after him. The room was small with only a miniature window overlooking a busy street outside and a bed in the center. Realizing what the bed was for, she sighed and closed the door, startling Jack, who had already removed his coat and his hat.

"Oh, what do you want now Miss Swann?" he asked in frustration.

"Why did you save me?" she demanded firmly. "If you hate me as much as you say you do, then why did you save me twice?"

He looked away from her but she closed the distance between them and grabbed his arms to stop him from moving.

"Why?" she repeated.

"Would you have preferred me to stand back and watch you fall to your death or perhaps have those bloody pirates ravage you?" he snapped at her.

"I can take care of myself. I don't need a big, strapping man to protect me," she replied firmly.

When he looked away from her again, Elizabeth softened her tone.

"Why Jack?" she asked in a sad whisper.

He finally met her eyes and what she saw in his gaze scared her. It wasn't an empty coldness from before, but rather a sad and broken gaze full of vulnerability and she wasn't sure what to do. Before she could ask him anything further, he pushed her hard against the wall. The move hurt her, but she stood frozen and simply gazed into his eyes.

"I'm too drunk to remember any of this," he said before placing his hands on the collar of her shirt. "I could take you right now, do you know that?"

"You would never do anything to compromise my honor," she said, repeating the words she had told him weeks ago. "I trust you completely. You're a good man."

He looked away at her words but when she placed her hand on his heart, he gazed back into her eyes.

"Do you feel how fast your heart is beating?" she asked quietly as he nodded.

Taking his hand, she placed it upon her own.

"Mine is beating just as fast," she said as he looked at their joined hands over her heart.

He then did something she never thought he'd do. Leaning in towards her, he brushed his lips against hers, sending an electric shock through her entire body. Realizing that he was waiting for her to make the next move, Elizabeth inched forward and locked her hands around his neck. Jack then held the sides of her face and kissed her. It started soft but quickly turned passionate as she whimpered in pleasure and buried her hands in his hair. Finally pulling away, he left her completely breathless and wanting more, but instead of kissing her again, he leaned his forehead onto hers. They both breathed heavily and closed their eyes, the incredible depth of the intimacy of the moment not lost on either of them.

"Forgiveness is easy," he suddenly whispered, leaning back to look into her eyes. "I can forgive you Elizabeth."

She smiled at him hopefully for a moment before he pulled away from her, his eyes turning dark.

"But I'll never forget," he finished as she protested in silence. "And besides, you're another man's fiancé. I may not think the best of Will, but he is your future husband."

"I think we just ended things between us," she said quietly.

Jack looked at her in disbelief before sighing.

"Why?" he asked, causing her to look up at him.

"Do you really have to ask?" she said in a whisper.

"Don't tell me that it was because of me," he said, shaking his head. "The bloody whelp loves you, Miss Swann. And I know that you love him. So why ruin a good thing?"

"Because the way I feel about him doesn't compare to the way I feel about…," she began, but he cut her off.

"Stop; Just stop right there," he said, looking down and sighing. "You and I have no future together, savvy?"

"Why not?" she asked, strength behind her words.

"Why not?" he repeated. "Well one because you killed me. Two because I don't trust you any more than the distance I can throw you and three…."

"What's number three?" she asked. "I already know the other two. What's number three?"

"Three because I'm not good enough for you," he said sadly.

"God, I wish everyone would stop telling me how I should feel!" she said angrily, throwing her hands in the air above her head in frustration. "What about what I want? Do I not get a say in anything? Pease in a pod, remember that?"

"First you wanted Norrington, then Will and now me. You're just infatuated with what I represent," he said, but she shook her head in disagreement.

"No, you're wrong," she said.

"I represent freedom and you want it so it's confused you into thinking that you want me too," he stated firmly.

"No," she repeated.

They stared at one another in silence for a minute before she spoke up.

"Was that all?" she asked in a challenging tone. "Or is there a number four?"

Jack gazed at her for a long moment before responding. He knew his next words would hurt her, but he had no other choice.

"Four…I guess I just don't want you," he said.

"You're lying," she said quickly. "The way you just kissed me…."

"I'm a man and a pirate who happens to be drunk. I saw an opportunity and I took it," he replied. "That's all you are, Elizabeth: an opportunity."

With that, she slapped him hard across his cheek, leaving a large red mark as he blinked away the pain and looked at her.

"You bastard," she snapped at him as he gave her a mischievous smile.

"Pirate," he said, motioning himself.

He knew that he was hurting her with his words, but there was too much damage and baggage between them for him to kiss her again and sail into the horizon with her. She may have ended things with Will, but things between Jack and her were far from being good. She had chained him to the mast and left him to a terrible hell, one that he couldn't bring himself to tell her about. He was far from being healed both physically and emotionally from the torture he had seen and he blamed her partly for what had happened to him. Beyond that, Jack knew that his life would only bring her danger and the thought of her being hurt because of him scared him more than he would ever admit.

"Get out," she said in an icy tone. "Get out!"

As she breathed in heavily from her scream, he grabbed his coat and his hat and walked out of the room. Elizabeth stood with her back pinned to the wall, unable to move as tears welled in her eyes once more. As she slowly fell to the ground, she finally burst out into tears. She had stopped the tears from getting this far for the past few weeks, but now she was simply unable to hold them in any longer. Will hated her and Jack was a jerk and didn't want her. Outside, the Captain leaned his back on the wall in the hallway and listened to her as she cried. As much as it broke his heart to see her in so much pain, especially over him, he tore himself away from the door and disappeared down the stairs.