Elizabeth stared out at the approaching harbor with building anticipation. She had been gone nearly two weeks, for the return journey had taken a bit longer than planned, due to fierce weather conditions. But now she was home again, finally. A smile graced her lips as her ship, the White Horizon sailed closer and closer to the shore. Her pirate junk, the Empress, was docked safely in Singapore, where she always left it for Brethren Court business. She wouldn't dare sail it into Port Royal, for it could cause some serious trouble.

She gazed at some of the ships that were already docked, admiring the names and intricate carvings. As the White Horizon pulled into a section of the harbor reserved for the noble ships, she let her eyes wander a beautiful ship called the Winter Storm. It was a dark almond colored ship with large and perfectly white sails.

As she was looking at the great ship, something else caught her eye. It was much smaller and completely out of place; a small dark-wood dinghy. It wasn't supposed to be in this section of the harbor, but she found herself more amused than angered. She raised her eyebrow and allowed a smirk to form on her lips.

"What in the world?" she thought aloud.

She squinted to try to read the name printed on its side, but discovered that it was only a symbol advertising some restaurant in Tortuga. She shook her head and was about to laugh, when it hit her. Tortuga. Her heart skipped a beat. Now that wasn't a name you heard everyday in such a societal town as Port Royal. Her eyes shot up to the miniature flag blowing in the mild breeze atop the dinghy, and she let out a small gasp. The black flag was adorned with a skull and crossbones, as well as a small red bird. Pirates. And not just any pirates, for she knew that bird far too well. Captain Jack Sparrow.

He was here.

Her first reaction was to panic. Was he up at the mansion? How long had he been here? Had he been waiting a long time?

These and other questions flooded her mind, the worst and most likely one being: Did he get arrested?

Her eyes widened at the thought and she raced down to the lower deck and urged the captain to speed the docking. He was slightly confused by her demand, but nonetheless proceeded to safely dock the ship. The minute she could, she dashed off the ship and started running towards the mansion, holding up her skirts so that she wouldn't trip. In most cases she wouldn't have run, for she was getting rather peculiar and amused looks from the townsfolk as they watched their governor race by. But this was important. Jack was the only real friend she had left, save for Will. She did have Teague and Barbossa, as well as the servants at the mansion…but it just wasn't the same. They hadn't been through everything that she, Jack, and Will had. They were constantly being forced to team up against countless obstacles and such, but she didn't mind at all. On the contrary she rather enjoyed the adventures. She loved fighting side by side with the men, on equal standing.

Once she reached the mansion doors, she stopped to catch her breath. Running was exhausting work, especially when you were nearly five months pregnant. After a minute she threw open the doors and stumbled into the foyer, running straight into a man standing in the middle of the room. She looked up into his face and let out a gasp. It was Jack.

"Jack," she breathed, still panting from her run.

He raised an eyebrow as he watched her struggle to regain her composure. "Well 'ello love. You seem a bit worn out."

She nodded and motioned out the front door. "I ran all the way from the docks." She smiled slightly. "I saw your ship."

He gave her another peculiar look. "My ship, eh?"

She blushed. "Well, your…your…"

"Dinghy?"

She nodded meekly.

"Pathetic, isn't it."

She shrugged. "Just a little."

Jack crossed his arms and sighed. "Ah, it's horrible. Bloody Barbossa came and stole my ship."

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. "Oh Jack, you really need to learn to keep a better eye on your things."

"I know, but I was momentarily distracted at the time being."

"Distracted?" She raised her eyebrow.

He nodded.

"Distracted as in you were off stripping the local wenches?"

"Maybe."

She rolled her eyes.

"Just kidding, love." He grinned. "Though I was entertaining two lovely young ladies by the names of Scarlett Knight and Giselle Ashford."

She groaned. "Them again?"

"What?"

"Jack, when are you actually going to put your charms to good use and get into a serious relationship?"

He paused to ponder her question for a minute. "The day you leave your dearly beloved."

"Which will be never!" she exclaimed.

"Exactly." He pointed his finger to emphasize his point.

She sighed again. "I give up on you."

He smirked. "If you had known better you would have a long time ago."

"Yes, I really should have."

Jack's eyes hadn't left her face for a moment. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. But, he had to keep reminding himself, she was off limits. She would be his downfall if he didn't watch himself more closely. If he ever fell in love with her…uuggghhh. He cringed slightly at the thought. Captain Jack Sparrow, the legendary pirate who let it all go for the woman who had killed him. Pathetic.

"Jack?"

He was snapped from his trance at her voice. "Hmmm?"

"I asked, what brings you to Port Royal?"

He sighed. "'Tis a long story Lizzie love. Shall I tell it to you another day?"

"Another day?" She raised her eyebrows. "You mean you're staying here?"

"Well…not at the mansion anyway," he said. "But I had planned on staying a few nights down at the Blackbird Inn."

"Oh no Jack. I can't let you stay there!" she said, shaking her head.

"Why not?" he questioned.

"That's where all the poor drunks stay!"

He shot her a scathing look.

"Oh don't look at me like that!" she snapped. "You're not one of them."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Jack, I can't let you stay there."

"Fine, then where am I supposed to stay?"

"Here," she said simply.

"The mansion?"

She nodded. "I've got plenty of room to spare."

"Are you sure Lizzie?"

"Absolutely. Besides, it seems we have some catching up to do."

He noticed that she was constantly placing her hand on her stomach, and it wasn't until he took the time to look away from her face that he realized how swollen it was. He raised his eyebrow and gave her a lopsided grin. "Yes, it would seem that we have a lot of catching up to do."

(A/N:) Hah! I said I'd get to it eventually, and I finally have! Jack has now sailed into the story. Liz will still of course be the main character, but he'll take the lead opposite her. I'm personally not much of a Jack fan myself, but I hope this will satisfy those of you who are :) Please review! I'm beginning to think this story is boring everyone to death...which it probably is. Lol. Like I said, I take a while to actually get anywhere. I love details a bit too much...but please, let me know what you think! Should I keep writing it?

-Lizzie