A/N: Sorry for not writing in such a long time. Other things in life kept me from writing, but I'm back. I'll try to finish this story up before Christmas, or mid-January at the latest. Review, please.

Chapter 17: Captured!

"Alas! Saints do exist!" shouted Norrington. His eagerness and yearning for Port Royal was indeed that great.

On the contrary, Jack grumbled and sulked. "Damn you," he hissed.

David and I weren't too pleased either. Going back would mean facing our parents. Not that we didn't adore them, we did. But of Father's strict rules and Mother tending to us like a hen, we didn't like so much.

And so, upon our return to Port Royal, there was only one person whose spirit was high. And that would be the Commodore.

- - -

The guard looked out towards the hazy sea, scanning the horizon. His eyes glanced this way and that, and soon a dark shadow began to emerge from the fog.

"'ey, what's this?"

He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a bronze spyglass, which he extended and brought to his eye.

"Oh God," he gasped. The guard quickly shoved the spyglass back into his pocket and rushed to Lord Beckett's manor, bringing his rifle with him.

He ran the whole distance, and when he got there, he pounded on Becket's dark ebony doors.

"Who goes there? Who dare disrupts the peace of night?" The loudness and fury in the voice was deafening, almost causing the guard to turn back.

Instead, he stood his ground and saluted Beckett as the doors swung open.

"What is the reason for your presence on my doorstep at this time of hour?" His voice was dangerously calm, like a snake that comes forth quietly before striking.

"S-Sir," the guard stuttered before continuing, "A ship has appeared on the horizon. And by the looks of it, it is not a merchant ship."

At first, Beckett looked unconcerned, unmoved by the words uttered by the guard. "You disturb my sleep all because of a filthy ship?" A deep rumbling of annoyance came from his throat.

"But it was no ordinary ship, sire."

"What colors were its sails?"

"Black, milord." The guard's voice was barely audible, but Beckett had heard it clearly and his eyes shot open.

At last, they have returned.

"Station your men at the bay and dock and await their arrival. Arrest them immediately and bring them to me. Confiscate their ship and tie it down. Arrest only the captain and his mates, but leave his crew on the ship. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," replied the guard.

"Dismissed."

- - -

"You don't know what a fool you're being, Commodore." I glared at him, hoping he would break down.

He didn't. "Really? A fool? That's pleasant to know."

"Yes, really. Don't you realize the danger you could put us in?" His stubbornness irritated me.

The ship reached the port, and the anchor was lowered. We walked off the ship, along with Jack, and he tried to reason with me.

"Absurd. What dangers could lie here? It is our home, where we carry out our duties and serve the King."

"Dangers like this." An unknown voice echoed in the darkness.

Shadows of men swam around me, shouts and yells rang out, and I was swamped in blackness.

- - -

It came to me rather quickly that I had been knocked unconscious. I regained my senses, and if it wasn't for that person who was breathing down on me, peering at my face, my eyes would not have opened.

"Ah, good to see that the princess has awaken." My vision was still somewhat blurry, but I didn't need to see clearly to know whose voice that belonged to. Little did I know how much the word princess would have such an impact on me.

"Where's Norrington and Jack?"

"Dungeon, dearest. What's hard to believe is that I have Jack Sparrow captured and that I threw my own Commodore down there with him. Quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself, don't you think so, princess?" Beckett purred.

"Don't call me that," I retorted.

"What, princess? Oh, but you are." An evil glint shimmered in his eyes for barely a second, and passed. He lifted my chin up and stared at my face. I turned my eyes away, not wanting to meet his gaze. My wrists were tied, and so were my ankles.

Strange, how very strange. Her face is delicate and it seems to charm me even more than it did the last time I saw it. The strange things that time does to us, thought Beckett.

Then he suddenly stroked my cheek. It was an unexpected gesture. Nerves tingled as warm fingers traced my face. He did it so slowly, as if not wanting to miss any detail. It was almost unbearable.

"Don't do that," I said, my voice not biting as before, but pleading.

He took back his hand in a reluctant manner and put them behind his back.

I broke his thoughts and asked, "When will I see Jack and James again?"

At the mention of Jack and Norrington, Beckett stopped in his tracks and his eyes turned an icy blue. "You want to join them in the dungeon?"

I wrestled with this question, not knowing whether I preferred the warmth in the company of Beckett, or the coldness with Jack and Norrington.

She will change her mind. Warmth will win her over. She will want to stay dry and warm than spend time with those buffoons. Greed and selfishness will keep her here with me. It will take over. She will want to stay here.

But that was anything but the truth. Such wishful thoughts and hopes Beckett had. Apparently, warmth and dryness and was last thing on her mind. Right now, she just wanted to keep distance with the man before her.

"Yes, I would like to join them." Isabel's reply startled Beckett. "But first, I'd like to know why you've captured Norrington and myself." Jack's arrest was far too obvious that she didn't bother.

Beckett stared off into space, wondering why he would want to capture Norrington and Isabel. He was sure this thought had already crossed his mind months ago, and he strained to recall it. At last he remembered. It was just but a few months ago…

-flashback-

Perfect. Once Norrington has her, I'll take her away from him. A pretty object for my eyes and a bait for Sparrow. Simply perfect.

-end flashback-

He had taken away Norrington because he was an interference, a pest that would keep him from what he wanted. And what was it that he wanted? And he wanted to take Isabel because she would lure Sparrow. But he was already conveniently arrested. So the only reason left would be to have her as a "pretty object" to look at…and that was what he wanted.

"Well? What is it? What is the reason?"

Beckett scowled at her for disturbing his thoughts again. He couldn't tell her why he really had James and her bound up. "Because you are an accomplice of that scoundrel Sparrow. Both of you were affiliated with him." That was necessarily the truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

I huffed at his explanation. My hair got in my face and I blew at it, considering my wrists were tied. "Now that you have answered my questions, may I be released to the dungeon?"

Beckett's eyes narrowed. He didn't have any excuses left to keep her here.

"As you please," he gritted.

He called for his guards and Isabel was escorted out.

My, my. What time does to me.