Key To My Desire

-Reunion-

"To the people who want second chances- don't be afraid to follow your heart."

..:-:..

Being out at seas for too long without a standard sized ship can make even the gentlest kindhearted people turn into vicious loud-mouthed pirates. The sky above them wouldn't cease to cast Barbossa's crew into a state of misery and weary traveling. There was barely any breathing room in the rowboat, and the stench of each person combined was making their captain sick. It was on the next day, a cloudless morning that he burst out in anger.

"I wasn't expectin' to live and then die again becoz I'm able to sense smell!"

No one had questioned Barbossa about anything, especially not the circumstances behind his death and unbelievable rebirth. Yet it was on the minds of everyone, especially Will. He had found it extremely peculiar, to see Barbossa die, and then stand among the living, eating a bright green apple. Somehow the captain had an endless supply, which he stored in his jacket. Will dared to eye the man as the crunch vibrated in his eardrums. The juice spilled down the side of Barbossa's mouth and he chewed it sumptuously. Pintel, Ragetti, Gibbs, and Will rowed onwards as Elizabeth sat at the front of the boat. The wind blew in her face wildly, and then all of a sudden, it was gone. The waters around them stood still and everyone stopped rowing. Barbossa cocked his head to the side and looked down at the water uneasily. Will and Elizabeth looked at each other and their eyes widened fearfully. The water didn't splash, but they heard a distant echo resounding from underneath the depths of the saw. Barbossa swallowed hard and looked forwards wildly.

"What are ye bucklebrains waitin' for? Row!"

All of the men took to the oars at once and the unrecognizable sound of the tips of wood crashing the still waters pained their hearing. Ragetti and Pintel winced as Barbossa pinched the backs of their necks. They squirmed when they felt his husky voice prickled the air between them.

"Move faster or have ye forgotten what yer good ol' captain likes to do to the disobedient crew members?"

This persuasion tactic worked wonders and the distant underwater threat became far away from their minds. Elizabeth sat with her back to everyone else on the boat. All she wanted to see was the tranquil sea in front of her. Slowly, she felt the wind blast at her face again. Her heart felt a little better but the constant thoughts of Jack kept haunting her every breath. There wasn't any land in sight and everyone was growing restless. Rolls of growling emitted from the pirate crew, each was starving for a bit of nourishment.

Will kept rowing, the muscles in his arms flexing with each turn of the oar. He watched Elizabeth sit straight and silent. There was a part of his mind that thought she had lied to him, that the confession wasn't really truthful, but he assumed that it must have taken a heavy toll on her to betray their friend like that. Suddenly, she turned around and there were no signs of happiness on her face. She looked around desperately and then snatched the oar from Gibbs.

"Sorry, but I want to do something. I think I might go insane if I keep looking at nothing."

Gibbs nodded and they switched places quickly. Barbossa eyed her curiously and then smiled to himself. There was something he didn't know about Jack's death, but he was almost certain it had something to do with her. Elizabeth gripped the wooden oar tightly and then exerted all of her strength into the rowing motion. If it was possible, Will would have said that she was rowing twice as fast as the rest of them. She couldn't help it though; the anger, guilt and sorrow had to be made into something else. The energy quickly left her though and she stared at the oar dumbfounded.

"What are ye doin'? Quit the charade and keep rowin'!"

Elizabeth looked at the captain with wide eyes and her mouth slightly parted. Barbossa mocked a sympathetic face and he put his hand to his heart.

"Aw, are ye tired dear? … Well too bad!"

Gibbs took Elizabeth's hand and motioned for her to trade places with him again.

"Sorry I'm so terribly weak…"

She sat down next to Will again and looked down at the boat. The waters were haunting her thoughts and she couldn't take it anymore. Will touched her shoulder and she turned around slowly.

"Elizabeth, he's going to be all right. Jack never really dies. He must have thought of some way to escape."

He smiled encouragingly and she grasped his hand firmly in hers. Even though she had betrayed him, his support meant a lot to her at that moment. She needed to confide in someone, and she was glad that it had been Will. He was, after all, the man she grew up with. Suddenly, Ragetti dropped the oar and it fell into the water with a loud splash. He threw his hands up in the air and pointed excitedly.

"Look! There's land over there! It's land!"

Barbossa growled furiously at him and whacked him on the back of his head, causing his false eye to fall onto the floorboards of the rowboat. Pintel caught the glass eye and handed it to his friend.

"Yer a blind fool! You just lost us an oar!"

Ragetti put his eye back in and lunged out of the boat. Barbossa was about to pull him back, but when he did, Ragetti was smiling cheerfully.

"Look captain! I got the oar back!"

Elizabeth thought that Barbossa would surely punish her crewmate, but instead he shoved him into position and pointed straight towards the mass of land no one could see.

"Row faster crew! There's land ahead!"

Will eyed Gibbs and Elizabeth. There was clearly no land anywhere nearby, and Ragetti had only one good eye. How could there possibly be any kind of land ahead?

As they rowed on, the waves started to become more forceful. The boat rocked from side to side, and then suddenly a huge wave came out of nowhere, drowning Elizabeth in cold seawater. She outstretched her hands and dropped her jaw. There were loud booms of laughter from the other side of the boat, and she turned around to see Barbossa clutching his side along with Ragetti and Pintel.

"You think that was funny?"

Barbossa smirked and laid back a bit.

"Of course it was. We've been waitin' fer that to happen the whole time!"

She turned around with a growl and she crossed her arms, her clothes soaking to her skin. There was a minor breeze and then she shivered slightly. Will wished he could hold her to him so that she wouldn't catch a cold, but he had to keep rowing. Elizabeth looked out to the sea and her anger suddenly disappeared. A thought came floating to her mind. That wave had come out of nowhere, and it seemed almost impossible for that to be an act of nature. It was most likely an act of revenge set on by Jack, in some way or another. Elizabeth closed her eyes and imagined hearing his laughter and seeing his joyous face as he joked about how drenched she was. It was such a refreshing thought, that her worries and sorrows fell away from her for a moment, and she smiled to herself. The cold water was something she had been in need of; she needed to wake up from what she had done. There was a future ahead of her and in it would be happiness.

Will squinted towards the horizon and his jaw dropped. He patted Elizabeth on the back and pointed to the small rocky landscape in the distance. She sat amazed as well and in a short while Gibbs caught on too. Somehow, Ragetti had seen it; he had seen the island a long time before they would have ever seen it.

..:-:..

Jack grumbled to himself as the image of her smile faded away into the darkness. For what seemed like almost a week, he had lived in the rocky cave, and each day, he felt himself grow weaker. There wasn't anything he could do. Jack Sparrow was doomed from the moment he was chained to the Black Pearl. He didn't regret it though. Her one kiss made up for everything that he was enduring. It didn't matter if he died or not, he still had felt her warm lips on his, and that was enough to die as a happy pirate.

He struggled to push himself up into a sitting position. When he did, Jack had to stretch out his arms and legs. His back was in a world of pain and the solid rocks underneath him weren't a happy sight. The dark glowing waters occasionally crashed into the rocky formation, leaving Jack a scent of his beloved sea. He hadn't seen the monster since the time it had left him in his lair. Jack's eyes drooped and he opened and closed his mouth, his lips cracked and his body dehydrated. The strength it took for him to sit up was too much of an exertion. The waves began to crash onto the rocks more and more as the minutes wore on, and the last thing Jack saw before he fell into the world of pitch black, was her soft lovely face, brimming at him with a cheerful look of encouragement.

"Help me… Lizzie…"

..:-:..

They began to reach the island rapidly, even though the waves became rockier. Elizabeth gazed over the strange formation of solid rock that jetted through the water and onto the sandy beach. It seemed like a mountain but it could have also been a cave. A second look into the water led Elizabeth believe it to be a mountain. The rocky edges seemed to spur down into the water forever. As they passed this stony marvel, Elizabeth shivered, and a soft voice called to her inside of her head.

"Lizzie…"

A deep feeling inside of her heart told her it was Jack calling to her, but she looked away from the rocks and to the soft sands of the beach. Will saw the worried look on her face and then he put a hand on her arm.

"Are you all right Elizabeth?"

She turned to him and nodded firmly.

"Yes, I'm all right. Keep rowing. We are almost there."

Will nodded and she looked away again. Farther down the beach was a wooden dock. Barbossa looked around curiously. He wasn't sure what this island was, but he had heard of one such island, where the people seemed to be haunted by a ghostly presence in the waters. The captain looked around nervously. He hoped his assumption had been wrong.

The men rowed up until they reached the dock and then Elizabeth climbed out of the boat and stood firmly on the wet sand. She took a moment to take the scene in. As the waters flowed to and from her feet, she let herself stay in the moment, to be entranced by the calling sea. It beckoned her back, but she took a step forward, not wanting to lose the time she had already wasted in her search. The grains of sand pushed away from her steps and left footprints in the dark brown beach. One by one, each of the members of the crew crawled out of the rowboat, Barbossa being last. He stood firmly to the ground and observed the surroundings. To his left was a small city in the distance. He put his hand to his brow but couldn't see anything further. Then he grabbed Ragetti suddenly and pointed towards his left to the open sea and the other side of the island.

"What do ya see?"

Ragetti gulped and then focused to the horizon.

"There are a few ships captain."

A smile split on Barbossa's lips and he nodded.

"Good… good… all right! Ragetti, Pintel, come with me."

The three of them started to walk towards the town and the other side of the island. Will and Gibbs looked at them curiously.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Barbossa turned abruptly and narrowed his gaze on Will.

"If ye must know Mr. Turner, we are goin' to look fer a ship. I hope that's all right with ya."

Will narrowed his gaze as well and watched as their Captain left. Elizabeth observed the island and saw that there was a dense forest of palm trees swaying in the wind. There was only that and a long stretch of sand with the crashing waves onto the shore. At the end of the beach, far off into the distance was the same tall mountain landscape she had seen before. She looked around to Will and Gibbs, who decided to sit down on the soft sand and watch the waves come and go. Elizabeth walked over to them and wrapped herself in her own arms.

"Is it all right if I go take a walk? I'll stay on the beach. I just want to go clear my head a bit."

Will knew the turmoil she was in. It was displayed with each step she took. He nodded and she turned around, her hair flipping this way and that in the wind. Gibbs sighed and looked at Will.

"She's really taking this hard I suppose."

Will sighed as well and put his arms around his knees.

"Yes, she is, isn't she?"

"I wonder why? I mean, the girl never really liked Jack, did she? She always thought of him as a pirate, and her being of the class she is…it's a bit odd I suppose."

Will bit his lip. The diminishing form of Elizabeth was shrinking into the distance. He would keep her promise and not tell anyone of her act of betrayal.

"I guess she grew used to him. He saved us all and she probably thinks she could have done something to… save him…"

He looked away and Gibbs grunted in agreement. Will knew that his words were truer than he wanted to believe.

..:-:..

Elizabeth swayed as she took each step. The wind ruffled her clothes, leaving her sleeves to boom and flap like a sail on a ship. Everything around her grew cold, and she shivered, her lips trembled, all she could do was hold herself in the warmth of her arms. She took a deep breath as she turned around to look at the footprints she left behind. They were little holes in the sand, and they would disappear with the tide. She looked away and continued to gaze at the rock. Unknowing to her, it was calling her towards it. Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped and stared at the ground appalled and shocked. The waves crept up to the shoreline, stopped, then receded again towards the sea. Each time this happened, a small little box floated towards her, and then away.

After the surprise left her body, and she was able to move again, she darted into the water and grabbed the box as if the rest of her life depended on it. She stood rooted to the sand below the waves as her fingers traced the outline and curves of the familiar design. A tear spilled down her cheek as she struggled to open it with her trembling hands. The waves kept crashing into her legs, and the reverse pull almost made her fall into the water, but she kept still as a statue. Elizabeth gasped as her gaze fell onto the old, soaked compass. Her thoughts couldn't register and all she did was gape at it. Instantly, the dial pointed to her left and she lifted her head incredulously. The compass was pointing towards the rocky mountains.

Elizabeth ran out of the water and back onto the beach. She held the compass in her hand firmly and the dial automatically shifted so that it pointed straight ahead of her. All she wanted was to get to the protruding rock formation and inside of her, hope dawned. The thought that she could be able to find him with his compass was like a ray of sunshine on an overcast day. She ran until she couldn't run anymore. Her legs quivered from exhaustion and then when she reached her destination, she put a hand on the sharp molded rocks and she panted heavily. Suddenly, Elizabeth stood erect and her eyes widened as she heard the same voice as before, but louder.

"Lizzie…"

It was then that she knew where Jack was. She looked around madly and then pounded on the wall that separated her from him. He could be dying or mortally wounded and time was escaping through her fingers.

"Jack… are you there? Please tell me you are there…"

The pirate stirred a bit in his sleep at the soft sound that filled his ears. There was no way possible that her voice could be heard through the thick barrier, but somehow, he heard it.

"Lizzie… help me…"

Elizabeth gasped in horror and tears filled her eyes. After all of the pain and guilt, after all of the confusion in her heart and mind, she was ever so close to finding him. She ran along the wall formation to the island's tropical forest. The compass needle shifted and it pointed to the spot where she had been standing moments before. With renewed determination, she set out in search of help.

..:-:..

Will and Gibbs sat silently watching the day pass by in front of them. Barbossa hadn't returned with Pintel and Ragetti. They doubted they would return that night, most likely they found a good source of rum and were going to be gone for the night. Suddenly, Will looked to the left and craned his neck to see if he could still see where Elizabeth was. He stood up right away when he didn't see her anywhere. Gibbs stood up as well and narrowed his gaze to see if he could see her.

"She's gone! I don't see Elizabeth anywhere!"

Gibbs nodded and they began to run towards the mountain. After a few minutes, they had almost reached their destination when they saw Elizabeth running from the forest with a barrel. They stopped and panted, watching with awe as she stopped every so often and then moved down a bit more. She finally put the barrel down and then ran back to the forest. Will didn't know what she was doing, but he knew that she had gone completely berserk. She ran with all of her strength to the mountain and put the barrel on top of the other one. When they finally reached her, she had gathered five barrels and stacked them up on one another. Apparently, there had been an unoccupied and abandoned hut within the trees. Will grabbed a hold of Elizabeth as she scanned their faces wildly.

"A gun! I need a gun!"

She had put away the compass so that they didn't see it. She was going to use her depression as an advantage.

"Elizabeth! What has happened to you? Why did you put these barrels on top of each other?"

She looked from Gibbs to Will and then grabbed his gun from its hold.

"Elizabeth! What are you doing… stop this insane behavior at once! I know you are full of sorrow as are we but…"

She laughed and shook her head.

"I'm not crazy. I just want to blow something up. Stand back."

The three of them ran away from the wall and Elizabeth aimed the gun at the barrels of gun powder. The whizzing of the bullet pierced through the air and when it hit its target, a mass explosion occurred, sending the pieces of the barrel into the sky. Smoke surrounded the wall and fire erupted, a blazing streak of orange filled the beach. Elizabeth threw the gun at Will and then she ran to the water. She cupped a bunch of it and threw it at the fire and smoke. Her tedious effort didn't go on for long; loose rocks fell from the top of the new hole in the mountain and extinguished the rest of the fire. Elizabeth coughed as the soot reached her nostrils and filled her lungs. Will and Gibbs came running up to her as she started to walk towards the opening.

"You need to stop Elizabeth. Why are you doing this?"

She turned on them and pushed his grip away.

"I wanted to explode something, and now I want to see what's inside. What if there is a treasure inside? It will help us find him."

Gibbs shook his head sadly and watched as she climbed onto the rubble.

"You know, I think Jack rubbed off on her a bit too much."

Will winced at the statement. He didn't want Elizabeth to be like Jack in the least bit, but as she stood on top of the rocks gazing inside the cave in search of treasure, he knew that it was true. For a few minutes, she didn't move and that was when Gibbs realized something had happened.

"Elizabeth," he called out, "did you find something?"

She stood gaping into the whole. The fading sunlight streamed in as the remaining clouds of smoke disappeared. It was like she was in a dream, and she couldn't move, in fear that she would wake up.

A/N: wow… aren't I mean? I'm ending the chapter right there… wow… I can't believe I'm so cruel! Hahahaha! I hope you enjoyed this… and I think you know what she's staring at anyways ;D I tried to make this one longer… but I'm not sure if the next chapter will be… but I think you'll like it anyways! Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed! You're my continuous source of inspiration! Along with some fanvids… I guess I'm going to start posting one with each update starting now…. This is one of my faves! Enjoy and have an awesome day!

youtube. com/watch?v6ohJ1lWFrGg

-Monika-