Thanks Kairi's-twin and LM1991 for your reviews!

Where Loyalties Lie

Soon after dawn, Will and Laura were finally picked up by a passing merchant ship.

As they climbed up the ladder to the deck, Laura stated to brother,

"Thank goodness this ship came along. I would have gone crazy if I was cooped up on that boat any longer."

All that Will said in response was,

"I noticed."

A few minutes later, they found themselves in the Captain's Cabin with warm drinks and blankets, for a chilly wind had picked up a bit during their excursion.

"Strange thing to come upon a longboat so far out in open waters," the captain was saying.

"Just put as many leagues behind us as you can, as fast as you can," Will insisted.

"And what are we running from?" the captain doubtfully questioned.

"It depends on how superstitious you are," Laura answered as Will stood to pick up a dress which was draped over one of the chairs.

"That dress," he pointed out. "Where did you get it?"

"It was found aboard the ship," Bellamy, the captain, replied. "The men thought it was an omen of ill fate."

"That's foolish," Will said, fingering the cloth.

"Ah, yes, exceedingly foolish," one of the sailors agreed, followed by a second present crewmember.

"It brought good fortune, though. The spirit told us pull in at Tortuga, and we made a nice bit of profit there."

"Off the books, of course," Bellamy put in.

"I imagine some of your crew may have jumped ship there," the older Turner suggested.

-Elizabeth?-

"Why do you ask?" the captain queried before another sailor entered and reported,

"Captain, a ship's been spotted."

"Colors?"

"She isn't flying any," was the answer.

"Pirates!" the captain exclaimed.

"Or worse," Will suggested before Laura could take offence to the captain's suggestion.

Will and Laura managed to climb up near the crow's nest. As they were standing on the top-most mast, Will whispered,

"I've doomed us all."

"We should warn them of what to expect," Laura urgently proposed.

"It's the Flying Dutchman!" her brother called down to the crew.

-Perhaps they could have used more detail-

Suddenly, the ship grounded on something, causing the Turners to lose their balance.

"Well this isn't good," the younger sibling pointed out as she put her long trench coat sleeves between her hands and the rope she was dangling from, preparing to slide down.

-This coat is going to be worn through before I've had it a month!-

While the girl was still only halfway down, the Kraken, the source of the attack, ripped apart the mast to which Laura's rope was attached. The strong jerk caused her to go somersaulting out into the water about ten feet away from the starboard side of the ship. Her first agenda was to swim to a floating wooden box so that she could rest while looking for her brother. She caught sight of him diving into the water precariously close to the still-attacking Kraken.

"Well," she uneasily said, thinking out loud, "the closest to danger, the farther from harm…I'm crazy."

She began swimming towards the Dutchman, with the crate as cover against any unwanted eyes. By the time she reached the front, Laura was practically under the box, for fear of a crewman seeing her.

Then, she spotted Will reaching down from the bow to help her climb up into the wooden jaws: a perfect hiding spot.

"Are there survivors?" she hoarsely whispered. "Will, where are the survivors?"

"Jones had them killed," he answered.

"All of them?" Laura questioned again, not believing her ears.

"All of them," her brother sadly confirmed.

After some time in somber silence, Will picked up a quiet conversation.

"So, you're my sister?"

"Aye," was the reply.

"I lied to you the first time on the Interceptor, when you asked me if I left, or remembered leaving, any siblings behind," he continued. "I didn't trust you at first…and, though you did seem familiar, I refused to admit to myself that my sister was a…" He cut off when Laura raised her eyebrows.

"…a pirate?" she finished for him. "In that case, you should know that it came as quite a shock to me when I learned your name in that prison at Port Royal. I thought that you were dead, after I heard that your ship was destroyed all those years ago."

"Then neither of us expected to see each other in those circumstances," Will put in. "Did you really think I had forgotten you?"

"Yes," Laura answered, getting a raised eyebrow from Will at her un-Jack-like speech.

Rolling her eyes, the girl caught sight of an island at a distance. She followed her brother in easing off of the ship and into the water undetected, swimming towards the beach.

Several minutes later, they dragged themselves onto the sand, listening to the conversation occurring not far from their position.

"It's real!" a woman's voice exclaimed.

"You actually were telling the truth," a heavily British accented man wondered.

"I do that quite a lot," a casual voice answered, clearly belonging to Jack, "yet people are always surprised."

Will had already stood up, water still seeping out of his clothes, and was walking towards the group.

"With good reason!" the older Turner commented.

The woman, who turned out to be Elizabeth, cried out,

"Will!" as she ran to him. "You're all right! Thank God! I came to find you!"

Laura was about to race over to Jack and embrace him, until she remembered that it was because of Jack that she and her brother had nearly been stranded on the Dutchman.

Then she caught sight of Norrington, the owner of the British accent.

"Ah, Commodore!" she greeted.

"Because of you and your captain, former Commodore," he grumbled in response at the same time Jack questioned Will,

"How did you get here?"

"Sea-turtles, mate," Will replied. "A pair of them strapped to my feet."

"With me in tow," Laura added.

"Not so easy, is it?" Jack played right along.

"But Laura and I do owe you thanks, Jack," Will continued.

"You do?" the captain queried, looking back and forth between the twins.

"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones…" Will waited for Elizabeth to exclaim,

"What?" followed by Jack trying to put the blame on someone other than himself,

"What?"

"…I was reunited with my father," Will finished.

"And," Laura put in, masking her fury rather well, "thanks to you, Jack…I don't have to hide my identity anymore, since, being on that ship with Will, Jones announced my true name to his entire crew and then some. Did you think I wouldn't catch on to your scheme of leaving Will to do the dangerous part of your mission? Which brings to mind…why didn't you come back for me?"

Jack was giving her the shifty eyes.

"Now, come on, Jack! You think I don't know that you eavesdropped on me at Tia Dalma's hut?"

Laura didn't know whether it was the revelation of her name or Jack leaving her that was the main reason she held the captain in contempt.

"Oh, well, you're welcome, then," the captain responded. He was vocally ignoring her comment concerning the abandonment, though his face did display slight guilt.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Norrinton were looking rather confused.

"Elizabeth," Laura began, "since you're going to find out eventually, I might at well tell you…my real name is Laura Turner…I'm Will's sister."

The governor's daughter, who looked more like a pirate in her pants, shirt, and vest, rounded on Jack in frustration.

"Everything you said to me, every word was a lie!"

"Pretty much," Jack confirmed. "Time and tide, luv."

As Will knelt down next to the chest, pulling out his knife and the key, while Laura stood looking over his shoulder, it became Jack's turn for questions.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill Jones," the older Turner stated.

Pulling out his sword, Jack countered Will.

"I can't let you do that William. 'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh? Now, if you please, the key."

Grabbing Elizabeth's sword from its sheath, Will answered,

"I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father, and I hope you're here to see it."

Laura drew her weapon at the same time as Norrington, who was saying,

"I can't let you do that either. So sorry."

"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually," Jack said to the former Commodore, only to get Norrington's sword pointed at him.

"I'm glad you're on my side," Will whispered to Laura.

She, in response, pointed her sword at him, stating,

"Will, right now, I am still at least partially loyal to Jack, however he may have betrayed me. I'm just thinking that maybe both agendas can be fulfilled."

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest," Norrington said, aiming his weapon at Jack, causing the captain to point his sword at Laura, Laura to Will, and Will to Norrinton. The piratess mentally laughed at their little circle. "I deliver it, I get my life back."

-Will or Jack…who do I side with? I promised to stab the heart for my father, but I can't let the Kraken continue to hunt Jack…well, I suppose I could get the key now and decide later. Hmm, good idea!-

"Ah, the dark side of ambition," the captain had responded.

"Oh," Norrington countered, "I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption."

That seemed to be the cue for all four of them to begin fighting with each other.

"This is barbaric!" Laura could hear the swordless Elizabeth yelling in the background.

The girl actually found the fight to be rather exhilarating. None of them were actually trying to kill the others. The only real danger was not ending up with the key in the end.

While they were still on the beach, Jack grabbed the key from Will and ran inland, while Norrinton threw Will to the ground, kicking sand in his face.

"Will, are you alright?" Laura asked, temporarily dropping out of the chase to see if her brother was alright.

"Choose a side, Laura," he snapped back at her before running after Jack.

Growling, she chased after the group.

By the time the young woman caught up, the others were in the ruins of an abandoned church. They had somehow caused the bell to ring.

-Oh yes, announce our position, thank you-

Knowing that they would leave the building at some point, Laura stayed outside until the other three fought their way onto an open part of the roof.

Jack once again obtained the key, lost his sword, and was cornered by Will and Norrington.

"Do excuse me while I kill the man who ruined my life," the former Commodore explained to Will.

"Be my guest."

"Let us examine that claim for a moment, former Commodore, shall we?" Jack interrupted, trying to buy time. "Who was it who, at the very moment you had a notorious pirate safely behind bars, saw fit to free said pirate, and take your dearly beloved all to hisself? So whose fault is it really that you've wound up a rum-pot deckhand what takes orders from pirates?"

"Enough!" Norrington yelled, failing in his goal of Jack taking a hit, while the pirate, in fact, somersaulted off the roof and onto the ground.

Watching Jack walk by, Laura heard Norrington continue,

"Unfortunately, Mr. Turner, he's right!"

"Still rooting for you, mate," Jack was calling out to Norrington prior to falling into an open grave.

"Well, Jack," Laura began as she looked down at her captain, "it seems that you're the one with the key."

Standing, Jack responded,

"Chosen a side, yet, luv?"

"Hmm," the younger Turner answered, "you must understand my situation, Jack. You're my captain, Will is my brother…it's a rather difficult choice. Of course, you're the traitor at the moment."

Suddenly, the water wheel connected to the church came loose, with the two fighters on it, and rolled over Jack, picking him up as it gathered speed.

"Bugger," Laura stated, running after the rolling transport.

She was trotting along-side the wheel as it traveled into the forest, when she heard something metal come in contact with someone's head, followed by seeing Jack fall out.

As Laura knelt to ask Jack if he was alright, the captain got up and began the chase again.

Once again catching up with the wheel, the two pirates rejoined the action. Jack ran in the middle like a hamster, while Laura grabbed the outside for a free ride up to the top.

She caught sight of Will swinging into the middle and began fighting with Norrington.

The former Commodore then swung himself into the wheel after Will, followed by Jack climbing onto the top. Laura soon found Jack's arm around her waist as he grasped an overhanging palm leaf, successfully lifting both pirates off of the wheel as it plunged down a steep incline.

Landing on the ground, Jack released his hold on Laura and asked,

"I assume you chose my side and I don't have to fight you?"

"For now," the girl answered.

She watched as her captain picked up a coconut from the ground and threw it at a conch-headed member of Jones' crew. It successfully knocked the fish/man's head off.

Running after Jack, Laura noticed that the crewman had been attempting to run off with the chest.

"The last thing we need is to have them running around," she commented, motioning to the headless body walking around, while Jack put the key into the chest's lock.

"Inedo! Inedo!" the head was calling to his torso. "Follow my voice. Follow my voice. Turn left. Turn around. Go to the right. No…that's a tree."

"Oh, shut it," Jack told the conch-head as he lifted the lid, revealing the heart of Davy Jones.

Hearing the sounds of a nearing battle, Jack stuffed the heart into his vest pocket and began racing towards the shore, closely followed by Laura.

As soon as he reached the longboat, Jack was heard by his companion saying,

"Jar of dirt!"

Directly after Jack had placed the heart in his jar of dirt, they were attacked by man with the head of a puffer-fish.

Suddenly, the water-wheel came rolling onto the beach, running over several of Jones' crewmembers and causing all of the standing fighters to pause in their action.

When the wheel tipped over onto its side in the shallow water, the fighting quickly commenced.

Minutes later, Laura's eyes happened to glance at the jar of dirt as she gained a reprieve from the conflict.

The jar was moved from where Jack had dropped it and the captain's coat had been disturbed.

Just as she was about to tell Jack of her suspicion, he caught sight of her peering into the boat.

He must have assumed that she wanted to steal the heart, because, before she knew it, the oar which Jack had been using to defend himself soon met her head, causing Laura to fall into the boat, unconscious.

Thanks for reading! Please, R&R.