/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /

Chapter Nineteen

Reaching Ana Maria's home, I stopped abruptly. Turning around, I looked at the notorious pirates. I couldn't help but shake my head in disgust. They were nasty and all they cared about was advancing their riches. I hoped I wouldn't have to stay with them for long. They didn't seem right, somehow.

"You will have to wait here. I don't think Ana Maria would appreciate two complete strangers bursting in on her," I stated.

Pintel smiled slowly. "I don't think so. We come inside with you. You might go against your promises now."

I sighed. There was no way of getting out of this predicament now. I hoped against hope that Ana Maria wouldn't be mad at me for bringing these two hooligans into her home.

Opening the door, I stepped inside the house with the two pirates following closely behind me. I sighed with relief when I saw Ana Maria sitting in her usual chair, her hands rubbing her forehead gently.

"Ana Maria," I said hesitantly.

Ana Maria looked up, relief flooding her face. "Oh, Elizabeth, we were worried about you! Jack just went out to look for you…"

Her voice drifted off when she caught sight of the two pirates standing behind me. Quickly she stood up and rushed to my side, pulling me close to her.

"Pintel and Ragetti," she growled, anger showing through her voice. "Why are they here, Elizabeth?"

"They told me Will and Bootstrap Bill are here. But they won't take me to them unless I brought them to see you and Jack," I exclaimed. "Please come with us, Ana Maria, I need to see Will again."

Ana Maria looked at Pintel and Ragetti warily. "I don't trust them. They could be lying to you, Elizabeth and they just want to take advantage of you…of us."

"What other choice do we have?" I asked, suddenly angry for Ana Maria's lack of understanding.

Ana Maria shook her head. "No, I won't do it. They could be lying. They might have seen us in town the past few weeks and decided to concoct up some plan to get to here."

Pintel growled. "Listen, woman, you have to come with us. You have a debt to us and we have a debt to Bootstrap to get you back to the Pearl. If you come back with us, consider your debt paid. Or…suffer the consequences in other ways."

Ana Maria clenched her fists in anger. "I don't believe you two. You chase me to all four corners of the earth and then you back me up into a further corner and say that I still owe you even though I know I paid all my debt."

Pintel shrugged. "I'm a pirate, what can you expect?"

"Pirate or not, I vowed I would stay out of your affairs and everybody else's once and for all," Ana Maria stated. "I'm tired of watching out for you all the time."

I stared at Ana Maria in surprise. "You used to watch out for them?"

"Does it matter what I used to do?" Ana Maria retorted. "All that matters now is that they're good for nothing and they're trying to use us."

I shook my head. "Ana Maria…please, whatever happened in the past, can you at least resolve it for a while until we get back to the Pearl?"

I saw Ana Maria's shoulders droop in defeat and I knew that I had won. I grinned broadly and without waiting for another word, I began gathering up my things. Coming out of my room, I went towards the door.

"Let's go now, I think I've got everything," I said eagerly, not noticing nobody else was making for the door.

"We can't go without Jack," Ragetti said. "He was part of the plan, remember?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not breaking my promise to you. I know exactly where to find him and we can pick him up as we head to the Black Pearl."

Pintel shook his head. "I don't buy it."

Ragetti shook his head and rubbed his hand across his nose. "I don't buy it, either, not at all."

I gasp in frustration and put my hands on my hips. "Why are you being so stubborn? I'm doing what you asked for and all you're giving me is grief. Please trust me for once."

"I don't think you should argue with her, mates," Ana Maria said, "she isn't a nice person when she's angry."

"Don't I know it," Pintel growled. "Well, Elizabeth Turner, if I don't see that you go through with our plan, you will find yourself locked away below decks before being thrown out to Davy Jones' locker."

I raise my head defiantly. "You've got my word on it."

Soon the four of us were heading out into the darkness. I could tell Ana Maria was wary and the two pirates wary, but I was elated. I was going to see my Will again. And this time I wasn't going to let anything get between us and what needed to be done that was long overdue.

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Author's Note: Well, I'm back and despite the short and crummy chapter, I hope everybody enjoys it. I can't tell you how busy I've been—school's been really hectic. I don't know when my next update will be but I pray everybody will be patient with me. For those who have reviewed the last chapter, I thank you. And for those who have been patiently waiting all this time, I give you multiple thanks for managing it for so long. I promise I'll try and be quicker in my updates, but who knows with my schedules.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review, it makes the writer happy!