Fic: The War Within

Rating: M
Characters: Elizabeth/Jack Elizabeth/Will
Chapter Title: In Omnia Paratus
Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney does, no money being made off this.
Summary: Captain Elizabeth Swann, Pirate Lord and King. Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirate Lord, lecherous pirate, son of the Keeper of the Code. What will happen on the eve of battle. JE. Reviews welcome.

Elizabeth glared at Jack as their longboat hit the shallows of the small sandspit that was to be the place for the meeting with Beckett. With only the three of them allowed to come to shore, the tension was surely mounting to an unequivocal point. Thus Elizabeth was worried; nay concerned that she might say the wrong thing at the wrong time and she needed an outlet. It was for this reason that she kept glaring at Jack.

Barbossa was not of the same mind as Elizabeth. He understood that she would worry over such trivial thoughts, but he did not think that she would have any problems, considering his initial meeting with her had been far more terrifying situation than this one. He had something of that nature to her and he thought he was succeeding in assisting to ease the young girl's nerves, but then there was Jack.

"Well you see, Lizzie," said Jack, his head bobbing vehemently as Barbossa heaved over the oars, "it's only natural to have some trepidation. Parlay takes skill, bravado and a small amount of luck to fully arbitrate a meeting of parlay. Of course, your vast experience and considerable success in past liaisons will assist you."

In Barbossa's opinion, it was comments like that, that undermined his own work. Jack's comments were generally more a hindrance than a help. He glared hard at Jack, but Jack had already swung his legs out and hopped down onto the sand.

It was a natural sand bar, near Shipwreck Island and Shipwreck Cove, and perhaps it was fate that had this sand bar located very closely to the imminent battleground on the ocean. They had landed near the middle, not too close to where Beckett was, but not clear to the other end either. Pirates did not see the merit of walking when they did not have a clear seated need to.

Jack started onto shore. Barbossa scowled angrily after him, but when it was apparent that Jack was not coming back to help, Barbossa grudgingly got out and pulled the boat clear onto the sand. Elizabeth gave a small smile as Barbossa stalked after Jack.

As Jack stood with his back to Elizabeth and Barbossa, his eyes searched the area surrounding them. He spotted the figures at the end. His eyebrows rose as his lips pursed in contemplation; '-Will, Beckett and Jones,' he counted. His eyes were sudden in their change from lazy countenance to calculating, his thoughts racing ahead to the meeting. Just as suddenly he turned back.

As Jack turned towards the boat as it sat upon the edge of the sand, his dreadlocks spinning around his calculating face, Jack started toward Elizabeth. His feet paced carefully as his hands casually spread out waist-high, palms open in an overly friendly manner.

"Just remember you are King," he told her, his tone offhand and belying his thoughts. His brows rose and dipped as he enunciated carefully each word. "And as Pirate King, you need to conduct yourself with dignity and… oomph…" Jack tripped and fell.

'- Bugger,' he thought.

He jumped straight back to his feet. Eyebrows meeting in an angry scowl, eyes scrunching, deep groves on the edges of his nose, Jack scowled deeply at the offending sand, and his lips pouted while he muttered, "And grace."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she snorted at this display. Pithily she remarked, "And you have so much of it, right?" She stood within the boat, her leg cocked up on one side and her hands on her hips. Jack wrinkled his nose in acknowledgement of the acerbic criticism and turned away, seemingly miffed.

"Let's go. We're wasting time and the sun's not going any higher," snarled Barbossa. He was already standing clear of the water, his eyes searching too, looking shiftily from side to side. He, like Jack, had also noted the three men awaiting their arrival.

"Whatare you doing?" Jack asked him, stopping to frown suspiciously at the older pirate. Jack mimicked Barbossa's movements, his pupils moving sharply from one corner of his eyes to the other, whilst keeping his head still. Jack kept doing this as Barbossa and Elizabeth exchanged glances. Barbossa looked towards Jack pityingly before replying, "I'm checking to see that we were the only ones here." He enunciated it carefully as if Jack was a small child.

"Oh," Jack said jauntily. He smiled happily, moving his thumbs to the lapels of his jacket and rocking back on his heels. Jack returned the same tone, "Already done that mate. One can never be too careful. Never know where back stabbin' pirates might be around." Jack gave a crooked smile.

Barbossa scowled in disgust at Jack. Ignoring Barbossa's glowering look, Jack turned his head this way and that, and his eye caught the figure of Elizabeth as she was climbing out of the longboat.

"Ah ha!" Jack exclaimed starting sharply towards her.

Surprised by his sudden outburst, Elizabeth paused with her leg hanging off the side of the boat, in the process of climbing out.

He smiled beatifically, his gold teeth showing and indicated her person with his forefinger.

"You are Pirate King," he remarked walking to her, a single brow moving upward drolly and his finger punctuated his words. "You need to lend your considerable propitiatory and arbitrary skills to makeour mutual friend favourably inclined to seriously cogitate on the cessation of hostilities, lest ruination come to his person and those around him."

Elizabeth frowned in confusion, unconsciously straddling the side of the boat. As she opened her mouth to reply, Jack clucked his tongue and noisily waded through the shallows. Taken aback at his sudden movement, she leaned away from him, but before she could react he unceremoniously grabbed her under the arms and with a startled squeak coming from her lips, he plucked her bodily from the longboat and dumped her - on her feet - on the sandy shore.

As his arms held her at arm's length; his eyes moved over her body, coolly assessing her. "You know how to push people around to your various whims. You've - no doubt - had copious amounts of experience what with being Governor's daughter and well – you're a woman.Savvy?" His eyes roved over her body again as if clarifying that she was indeed a woman, and she flushed at his perusal. "So… Go." Jack turned her around so she was facing the end of the island where Beckett and company were waiting. "Push. You know – do that woman thing," he finished as he pulled one hand clear and made fluttering movements towards the other end of the bar.

Elizabeth turned her head and gaped at him stupidly, unable to ascertain whether he was being serious or not. She was pretty sure that she had been back-handed complimented, but could not work whether she was happy or unhappy about it. She shrugged her shoulders and made her way clear of Jack's unhelpful hands. Pursing her lips in annoyance, she straightened herself and turned to Jack.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but once more was stopped as her eye caught the three figures at the end of the isle. Three figures; waiting in the blazing heat. Her heart wrenched and her breath caught. As her emotions overwhelmed her, she breathed, "Will".

More chapters to come. Reviews welcome! TJ