Fic: The War Within

Rating: M
Characters: Elizabeth/Jack Elizabeth/Will
Chapter Title: Do or do Not, There is No Try
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.

The meeting… a recounting from Miss Elizabeth…

"So you're the cur that gave us up?"

Dimly I could hear Barbossa as he raged at Will. I myself was too intent on the slimy odious little man before me. I glared hard at Cutler Beckett as he spoke.

"Do not blame Mr Turner. He was only the tool. If you want to see the grand architect, look to your left. "

I could feel rather than see Barbossa turn his head my way and I lifted my eyes to meet his eyes briefly. Reluctantly I too turned my head to look to my left, knowing that Jack was there. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him, my stomach churning as Jack turned his own head to the left, realised it was empty air and then turned back to myself and Barbossa. –'Oh Jack', I thought sadly.

Sickeningly I realised that what Beckett was implying was that he – Jack – was the mastermind behind all of this. This being - Will being in Beckett's hands, the Pirate Cove, all of it – and behind it all was Jack, the genius that people refused to see. But I could see it.

"Jack had nothing to do with this." I heard Will talking, and still inside I could feel my guts churning with the effort. For a moment, I questioned Jack's actions. Had Jack really had given us up? The truth – I knew that if he had, it was for good reasons.

I made as if I watched his face closely. I knew that it would look like I was searching his face for answers, but in reality I was trying hard to memorise every line, the very breadth of his face. I was only dimly aware that they were all still talking – Will, Beckett, Jones and Jack. I could only follow the curve of his jaw, the angular cheekbones, those eyes… it was the only time that I could allow myself, to selfishly take this time to drink in the sight of him.

"Step up….."

As I watched Jack's face, I realised something. Jack had not betrayed us. He was in fact just planning everything several steps ahead as usual. My mind recalled a moment on another sandy plane…

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow. You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?"

I felt I knew Jack well enough to know that he had planned this. I knew that he had coerced me, manipulated Barbossa, even cajoled Will into believing that each and every step and decision we had individually made was our own choice when really it had been Jack, the puppet master. I really did admire that trait in him. It was one that I still had yet to fully master, but then again, he was often willing to show me firsthand how to go about it. Inwardly I smiled, but outwardly I showed no sign of it.

With my face still turned towards him, I spoke up. My voice sounded sharp to my ears. "I propose an exchange. Will leaves with us."

I fear my interjection broke into the men's conversation, biting banter that it was, but this seemed to shock them. I could feel them turn towards me. I held Jack's eyes with my own. I smirked inwardly, and I fear it came out in my intonation, my tone sounded jeering. "And you can take Jack."

I alone could see the quirk in his eyes, the slight twitch at the corner of his beautiful eyes at my performance. His eyes mocked mine and I his, as I dared him silently to challenge my statement.

I heard Will speak up. "Done!"

Not to be outdone, Jack called back peremptorily, but his eyes never once leaving mine. "Undone!"

"Done," stated Beckett. I noted with a small amount of unease that Beckett's tone held a certain satisfaction. A shiver went down my spine. He was pleased with the outcome. But I was not the one to deal with Beckett. I would leave him to Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow would deal with Cutler Beckett alone.

Jack's eyes met and held mine, searching for something and it was all I could do to not grab him before he went with Beckett. However, I knew what had to be done, as did he. I could see that Jack understood that I understood, just as I understood that he understood.

Jack bowed low before me, "Your nibs…"

I fought to hide my grin, the corners of my mouth twitching as Jack swept his hat off and bowed mockingly.

"Jack's one of the nine pirate lords. You have no right!" Barbossa's angry tones sounded behind me.

I could still feel the effects of the silent mirth between Jack and myself, and it carried on in my tone as I turned to Barbossa. The child within me came out as I jeered, "King."

I did note that it came out a little singsong like and hoped it did not sound overdone. I also noted, very quickly, that Barbossa's expression had turned murderous. I did not blame him. After all, my tone had smacked of ridicule and jibing, and well, quite frankly, that although it not was what I had intended, it did suit the occasion. I had tamped down my ridiculous notion of including sticking out my tongue, excusing it to myself as childish ridiculous behaviour and after all I could see surrounding me was boyish, childish behaviour – grown men fighting over petty things – I feel that I did not need to add anything to it.

Fleetingly I wondered if this was a mistake, if sending Jack to the other side was a mistake when I felt movement from Barbossa.

I watched, a little shocked, but not entirely surprised as Barbossa pulled his sword and swung it wildly at Jack's head, cutting off a dreadlock of his hair and a single ornament. Oh dear, one of Jack's dearly beloved pieces. I wondered fleetingly which place or time in his life was signified by that lock and decoration.

I watched as Barbossa pushed his face into Jack's. "If you have somethin' to say, I might be sayin' something too."

I quickly took this time to glance over at Will and Beckett. Will's eyes met mine and I nodded briefly. He started to step forward to exchange his place for Jack's.

Upon the Black Pearl, four pirates stare disbelievingly at what they were witnessing…

"Blimey…"

"They traded them."

Gibbs, Cotton, Pintel and Ragetti stared in shock at one another. There was a brief moment of silence before they quickly turned back with the spyglasses in hand to look at the scene on the beach. Gibbs hurriedly searched the sandy spit until he relocated the figures, his hand shaking with consternation at the turn of events, Pintel breathing down his neck, craning his balding head.

"She traded our Jack for that slimy young Will!"

Gibbs could feel the hot breath of the short man against his neck. His own breathing was harsh, almost ragged as he watched Jack looking decidedly ill at ease between Beckett and Davy Jones. He turned the spyglass to look at the other three. Barbossa looked mutinous, murderous even. Will was cocky… – 'Too cocky,' Gibbs thought for a moment, before looking at Miss Elizabeth. Her eyes held a certain something. –' What are you doing Miss Elizabeth?' he wondered to himself. It also seemed worth noting that Will and Elizabeth were once more talking to each other. Gibbs was not sure what to make of that.

As the Pirate King, Pirate Lord and well, Will turned to go back to the longboat; four pairs of eyes on the Black Pearl glanced uneasily at one another.

"Mebbe she 'ad a good reason," said Ragetti weakly.

"Or she done what she had to do to save herself! She's a blackguard - just like some others we know!" Pintel caught his tongue as he took in Gibbs' outraged expression. His voice changed and he was once more all wheedling demeanor. "er… us all, is what I meant. Miss Swann, I mean Capt'n Swann wouldna done summat like that unless she had a good reason right? Right?"

Silence reigned on the Black Pearl as the four men took in what they had just witnessed. No-one wanted to voice aloud what they individually thought. It was bordering on mutinous. They'd seen it all with their own eyes. Although they had not heard what had been vocally exchanged, they had seen Jack and Will change places. Jack left with Beckett and Jones, while Will walked away with Elizabeth and Barbossa. So now who was Captain of the Black Pearl and who would lead them into battle?

William was observing, although not all that quietly…

Will was staring at Elizabeth as she sat in the long boat looking toward the Endeavour. His thoughts were churning wildly as he bent over the oars.

Whilst his arms were moving almost languidly, his mind was moving furiously in his head. Had she really traded him for good purposes or was she, like himself, being used as a pawn by Jack?

He did not begrudge her that action, he just wasn't happy that she would follow Jack when she never seemed to follow his own orders. He could think of at least one time when she didn't follow his orders.

"Mind the chest."

"No!"

He gritted his teeth at the recollection and spared a glance at Barbossa. The old Captain looked furious, his own jaw clenched tightly as he too stared out to where the Endeavour currently anchored.

Will knew that Barbossa had his own agenda. After all, that was the way of pirates. Someone else's agenda was great as long as it followed yours. When it didn't, you tossed them aside to continue on your own merry way. Will wanted to know what Barbossa had up his sleeve. Elizabeth may not know about it, but he was sure as a hot iron on a donkey that he would find out what it was.

"So…" asked Will conversationally of Barbossa, "- Not how you foresaw events happening?" He felt Elizabeth turn her head toward Barbossa.

"As it happens, Mr Turner," Barbossa ground out bitingly, "the actions of your young fiancée here did interfere with some of my better plans. But no matter. We must go with whatever the Pirate King wants." He sneered.

Elizabeth grimaced at him. "It was the only way. It was the best way. Jack can get the key to the chest and he can save us. We have to give him time."

"Oh yes… I'd forgotten." Barbossa's eyes squinted against the light off the water. "The mighty Captain Jack Sparrow can swoop in and save our wretched and tormented souls." Barbossa turned his eyes towards Elizabeth. "You know of fairytales Miss Swann. You've seen for yourself that it's not Childs play. What makes you think that Captain Jack Sparrow is at all capable of doing such a feat eh? Just because stories are bandied about does not mean that he was truly made chief of some tribe on some woe begotten island." He turned back to look at the Pearl in the distance.

Will exchanged glances with Elizabeth. Will knew that particular story was true. He'd seen it for himself. And although Will was loathed to admit it, he had a fair amount of trust in Jack Sparrow; more so since hearing stories from his own father. He shrugged and continued to row toward the Black Pearl.

"Tell me, Captain Swann…" Barbossa turned his head and glared at her, his eyes assessing, "Do you really think that Jack can do the one fortuitous action that might save the pirates when he could not … twice… stop a mutiny on his own ship?"

"Yes. Yes I think so."

"Hmmm…" he huffed. "It's a dichotomy between thought and action. Excuse me, but not all of us can be that ingenuous." Whether Barbossa's remark was a direct reflection on what he thought of Elizabeth or Jack, Will was not entirely sure. He watched idly as Barbossa mopped his brow with a large red bandanna that he had pulled from his inside pocket.

Will noted that Barbossa made a show of shaking it out before it was placed back within his coat. For a short while, there was little said until Will broke the silence.

"Elizabeth… Pirate King - courtesy of Jack you say?"

She turned toward him. Her eyes held his for a moment, before she smiled and started talking. "I will need to catch you up on all the events. I killed Sao Feng, became Pirate Lord of Singapore, and I'm now the Pirate King. Jack voted me in after convincing everyone…"

Will sat rowing as he incredulously took in all she had to say.

Jack Sparrow – sorry… Captain Jack Sparrow's version of events…

I'll just beg you to note that I don't like this boat… er… ship. I left it once before and I will endeavour to make my way off it again. Oh you want to hear my version of events? Very well, but I shall start from when we started off towards those three men.

I laconically continued to stride down towards my foes, my face not deigning to show my outrageous thoughts.

"Well this is a fine to do now isn't it Jack?" Jack Two sat on my left shoulder, its feet swinging with every step I took.

Step one, step three, step fourteen…

My inner Jacks were talking to me again, one talking either ear. This time, I kept my eyes forward, and tried to pay them no heed.

"Well, you know, it is your plan." Jack One emerged from my hair.

"Was it now?" Jack Two frowned.

"Oh yes. I recall the moment it came to you/us with blinding clarity…"

"Oh, that? That was actually just the flash that brought us back you know…"

"Alright, so I guess it was his idea then."

I continued to walk toward where Beckett, Turner and Jones waited; my steps sure. My thoughts were far from sure as both Jacks were now directing me how to walk.

"Well, Jackie boy, since it's your bloody idea and it's your feet that are doing the damned walking, I think it's time that we put a little a little swagger in our step."

"I agree."

"But…Jack Two intoned. "Make it look good. This will be a moment in history you know."

Oh but of course! As if I didn't know this. Imbeciles! However, I found myself lifting my arms up to put my hands in my jacket pockets.

"No, no, hitch your hands in your belt." They were a damn bossy pair, honestly.

"Aye."

"Hmm… we must make a portrait."

"Ooh, I like that idea. Just think – Captain Jack Sparrow struts…"

"No, no strike that, struts is very passé these days… swaggers is a far better word to use."

"No, no swagger makes me think of those bow-legged horsemen – you know those short little men with the scalplocks somewhere near Singapore?"

"Oh I remember them. They near took his head off."

"Ahem… digression…" It was really the only time I deemed that I should say anything, save it ruin the look of murderous intent - slash – laconic laziness I was trying to carry off.

"Oh I apologise."

"Me too."

"Where were we?"

"The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, his footsteps sure in the ever shifting sand…"

"Yeah, yeah that's it. Sounds more courageous."

Thank goodness, Jack One and Two seemed to disappear by the time we reached the three men. I don't know what I would have done if they had decided to continue their bickering old woman ways while we had this meeting.

"So you're the cur that gave us up?"

As usual Barbossa could not contain himself. Emotion - should be kept separate from important events - truly. Just gets in the way.

I noticed that Barbossa did not like the young Master Turner. Interesting. I thought he had become fond of the young whelp. Although there was that time where Barbossa was trying to kill him to raise the curse and he took exception to Will's part in our small plan to not execute the spilling of Turner blood through Barbossa's means, but instead in our own way, which in turn meant the loss of Barbossa's life. Yes, that may have been the triflin' incident that irked Barbossa. Might have had something to do with it. But I digress… Lizabeth I think, said something… then someone said something – I wasn't entirely paying attention, but my mind sharply joined in when…

"Do not blame Mr Turner. He was merely the tool. If you want to see the grand architect, look to your left."

I shifted slightly. Barbossa's eyes were twitching harder as he turned his gaze to glare at me. I presume that he suddenly realised at that moment that I had my own plans after all and that those plans had been set in motion well before he had started to talk to Jack, er… to me. Oops.

Elizabeth looked at me, no doubt recalling her own conversations with me. I had started this before Will even had left us, and I could see that she realised it now.

Let me just comment on this one thing. I do often wonder at the combined talents of Elizabeth and young William. Perhaps I really give them a mite too much credit in the thinking arena.

Recall my last words to William "If I may lend a machete to your intellectual thicket"- right before he took his late night swim to have that quiet tête-à-tête with Cutler Beckett.

That same said machete would have been extremely useful here to brain both of their intellectual thickets as they both looked at me with that distrustful, yet questioning gaze as if to say 'What are you doing Jack?'

Yes! I wanted to scream to them. It was part of my master plan. Yes! I made it so you would follow the path I had chosen for you.

I tried to send it telepathically to her, to them. She kept staring at me as Beckett continued talking, her expression not changing in the slightest. Disconcerting that.

Beckett's annoyingly, patronising tone broke through my thoughts."If we had not, then how did I get this?"

I turned to see Beckett holding up the compass and I inwardly winced.Oh bugger! That damned thing is really the bane of my existence. I mean it stopped pointing to what I desired most. Alright… technically it did point to what I desired most, but since I did not want to desirethat most, it pointed away to what I wanted most, which was not to desire most that which I had desired most, but instead to desire to be far away from what I most desired. Savvy?

It really is very easy to understand. Keep up now. Now where were we? Ah yes…compass… Beckett… in his possession… distrustful gazes of her Piratey Highness and his Lord of the Hats.

Elizabeth and Barbossa were both staring at me, their thoughts obviously on similar paths. Although they both guessed that I had manipulated them into doing whatever it was I wanted and that they were not happiest in the slightest about it, nonetheless they were where they were.

Of course that was exactly where I had planned it all in the first place. They, of course, were not privy to all that I had cunningly planned. Admittedly shoot the boy, kill chartman, squidman, and little boy blue, abscond with the Pirate King, the compass and the Black Pearl was a little far from my reach right now. However - it was not entirely out of reach at this point in time. Things often have a way of coming together.

Outwardly I portrayed a lightness I did not feel. I opened my mouth to speak, but Beckett interrupted.

"Come now Jack. You led the pirates here, step up and claim your prize."

I felt like strangling him. Oh shut it you white haired lily livered fop. You'll ruin everything. And not to be outdone, but good old Davy Jones had to also say something.

"You are dead to me! One hundred years before the mast."

Yes, yes, were we not past all this? I died, therefore the debt has been paid in full. Yes I am here, but technically I am not the only one who died and was brought back to life. Why not harass Barbossa for still being alive? I'm jolly well irked that I shot him and yet he is still here trying to steal my ship!

Elizabeth's eyes lit up as she decided that she was presented with the opportune moment, and this way she could get me back at the same time. Just one small thing love. You cannot just interject into the conversation and come out with a proposition that is entirely preposterous to contemplate. That would be taking my examples and ... oh. Never mind me, carry on.

"I propose an exchange. Will leaves with us." A small quirk was in her eyes, mocking me, daring me to refute her words, "And you can take Jack."

"Done," I heard Will call. Her eyes were still on me. It almost as if she were saying, 'Take that you pirate,' but I don't think she truly meant it with every fibre of her being. I held her with my eyes for an instant before I replied, "Undone!"

"Done," said Beckett.

Elizabeth and I stared at each other, our eyes saying a multitude of things, and yet the understanding between us was far. Barbossa however, fumed at this unexpected turn of events. I knew that he would not be happy. After all, he had his own agenda, and well, sorry to say this, but really Hector, it wasn't as if you kept it well hidden this time 'round. You could say it wasn't under your big, fat hat now eh?

Barbossa angrily huffed at Elizabeth, "Jack's one of the nine pirate Lords. You have no right!" He was blustering, fuming and I was hoping it would be enough for him to keel over and drop right then and there. Note I did not say dead as that is not sportsmanlike now, is it?

Elizabeth turned to him and mockingly she intoned, "King."

I had to grin. '- So very like Elizabeth.' I took off my hat and bowed low. "Yes your Nibs," I spoke dryly. Ah, unfortunately it meant that I did not see Barbossa's sword coming toward him, but I certainly felt it.

'- Ouch!' I thought as Barbossa's sword swiped against my head. Well of course it hurt like the blazes! You try having a sword come that close to your head and see if you feel it. Oh and I felt the strand that held that damned piece of eight upon my head leave my person. I'm guessing that was Barbossa's opportune moment.

Barbossa stepped up to me, his fury barely contained. "If you're going to be saying something, then I might be saying something as well," snarled Barbossa, my face very close to his. I noticed that firstly Jack – the monkey Jack – had already scampered off to grab my piece of eight - cursed thing. I wanted to shoot it! – and second, he had freckles - Barbossa, not monkey Jack. Needless to say I don't look at the monkey that closely.

"First to the post then?" I replied. I knew that it was a matter of Barbossa releasing Calypso or my own stabbing of the heart that would entail getting rid of Davy Jones. Which way it would go would be dependant on whoever got there first.

I stepped toward Will as he stepped towards me. Our eyes held one another's as we circled one another. I didn't necessarily distrust young William, but neither was I turning my back to the boy. I strode to take Will's place. Unfortunately for me, Beckett had slid across and indicated my place was to be next to Davy Jones.'-Bugger,' thought I. I grimaced and moved next to my squiggly counterpart.

On the Black Pearl, down in the hold…

"Quickly! Before someone sees us!" Pintel and Ragetti were down in the hold. Pintel had a large set of keys in his grimy hand. He quickly unlocked a door. It was to the brig.

As they walked through the now open door, Ragetti quickly bent down to retrieve something behind it. His voice was slightly muffled as he gathered piles of rope together in his arms. "Do you think that we should be doing this?" he asked nervously .

"What do you think?" sneered Pintel, making his way to the brig where Tia Dalma stood quietly watching them.

"Well…" started Ragetti, following the shorter man to the iron made brig with the coils of rope in his large hands and draped around his person. Pintel turned around to face him.

"No!" Pintel's pudgy palm came up directly in front of Ragetti's face. Pintel continued to walk, but backwards whilst still in front of Ragetti. Pintel continued sharply. "Don't say it! We aren't being paid to think! Barbossa told us that as soon as he gives the signal we were to come down and fetch the Obama woman! That's what we are doing!"

Ragetti's face held a stubbornness set to it. "Well, I still don't like it. We should be giving old Jack time to fix it, set it to rights so to speak."

Exasperatedly Pintel lowered his hand and looked up at his mate. "And do you think that Jack will be findin' time to 'fix it' while he's busy tryin' to save his own skin while aboard Beckett's ship?"

"If we gave him time, he might be able to. You jus' don' know unless you give it to him now do you?"

Another voice chimed in.

"Jack Sparrow's fate is already underway. He will do what he needs to do when da time is right."

Silence from the two men as they stared into the brig. Tia Dalma stood there, staring out at them with her dark eyes. Both men shivered. She spoke again lowly.

"You helped get the piece of eight back from the end of the world." She smiled - her eyes dark and mysterious. She moved her arms against herself as she continued to talk, "Soon I will be released from this tortuous form and I will be able to once again be free… to be with my love." Her voice was low and melodic, yet it sent more shivers down their spines.

Both men stared at one another and gulped. Pintel paused then took another set of keys dangling from a cord from the inside of his trousers. Before he unlocked the brig door and pulled it open, Pintel said to Tia Dalma, "No funny business! You know we're 'ere to help set you free."

At her nod, he stepped inside and hurriedly motioned for Ragetti to follow him into the small cell.

Ragetti carried in the several long lengths of rope that he had retrieved from behind the door.

Pintel's voice was eager as he walked around Tia Dalma trying to wind the rope around her body. "Barbossa's orders were to bring up the woman, wrapped in ropes, to the deck and await his orders. He will release Calypso so that she can save us."

Ragetti too, was walking around Tia Dalma, his hands guiding the rope as it wrapped around her lithe frame. "Do you think that William Turner will be as good a pirate as Jack thinks he might be one day?"

A confused Pintel asked, "Now where did you get such a harebrained idea such as that?"

"It's not that harebrained." Ragetti was defensive.

"Yes it is!"

"No it ain't! " Ragetti lifted his nose slightly in the air. "And 'sides, it's not my harebrained idea. I think it's what old Jack believes."

Incredulously Pintel turned slowly to fix his yellow eyed gaze upon the earnest looking Ragetti. "And how did you get to this conclusion that Jack believes this to be eh?"

"Well, he's taken young Master William under his wing you see. And he's teaching him the ways of bein' a pirate so to speak. Well it's stock standard of becoming a pirate ain't it, to be taught by someone else? Look at us. Look at Jack. Look at all them other pirates. Even Captain Swann is becomin' a pirate, though exactly who her teacher is exactly, I'm not entirely sure about that one, but we all knows that Master William is really being guided by the hand that is Old Jack's."

"You sees a lot for one so young, Master Ragetti." Tia Dalma's slow drawl broke into their conversation. She eyed the thin, nervous man before her as he continued to tie the ropes around her. She coquettishly smiled at him as she stared beneath lowered lashes. She said quietly, "You shall have a choice to make. The thing that vexes you is opp-o-site. But do not forget – neither is mutually exclusive. Your choice will become clear."

A tingle ran down his thin frame and Ragetti gulped as he stared into her eyes.

The cry came through dimly through the wood. "The long boat is here!"

With a final tug at the ropes that wound around her, Pintel grinned, his yellow teeth bared. "Come on then…Calypso…" He turned to Ragetti. "Don't be forgettin' 'bout that damned hat."

Please feel free to review. Reviews make me happy and my muse gets all interested in the story :) TJ