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

Chapter Twenty Five

It took the whole day to get to Port Royal. As Jack, Will, and Bootstrap Bill helped the crew tie the ship to the dock, I took in the familiar sights of the place that I had spent most of childhood in. Seeing it again made me realize how much I had missed the place. Port Royal was more home to me than London had ever been.

I stopped my reminiscing when I saw Will come towards me. As he stopped in front of me, he gave me a gentle, yet passionate kiss, one that I didn't want to stop. Will eventually pulled away and looked deep into my eyes.

"I can tell that you missed Port Royal," he said as he stroked my hair.

"I didn't realize how much I missed it," I answered, turning my gaze back towards the little sea town.

"I've missed it too. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't have found me," Will exclaimed.

The meaning of Will's words weren't lost on me. If I hadn't found him floating in the water that day I first came to Port Royal, he would have died, but we also would never have met and fallen in love if my father's ship didn't happen to float by.

"Hey, it's time to go, or are you going to stand there all night?" Jack yelled.

Will sighed and gave me a look. "I guess we better go, or our dear Captain Jack will have a fit."

I smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Don't give him such a hard time, he can't help himself."

"How can I when someone's after my only love in the world?" Will asked as he kissed me on the forehead.

I smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

Will said nothing, just took my hand as we headed down the gangplank towards the town that I had grown up in. As we finally reached shore, I could tell that Jack was getting more nervous each step we took. I couldn't blame him—Jack wasn't very well renowned in Port Royal, only as an infamous pirate that needed to be squashed quickly.

I stopped suddenly and looked around us. Will looked at me curiously.

"Is there anything wrong, Elizabeth?" Will asked, concern showing through his eyes.

"Where's your father? Isn't he coming with us?" I said.

Will's face darkened. "He's not coming with us; I thought you would have known that. Not many people would appreciate him for who he was with his looks."

Suddenly I realized that Bootstrap Bill was still under Davy Jones' curse. I had grown so used to Bootstrap Bill that I had forgotten that he didn't look normal. How foolish I had become to be so insensitive to other people's problems.

Jack glared at the two of us. "What's the matter with the two of you? I don't like being here at all and here you two are prolonging my pain."

"I don't know what your problem is today, Jack, but I think you're being a little two irrational," Will exclaimed angrily. "Couldn't you just relax and enjoy yourself?"

"How can I relax when I'm trying to save both of your asses and you're just griping back at me," Jack all but shouted. "I've nearly died on several occasions to keep you two alive! Maybe I should just give up now and go along on my merry way. I certainly had an easier life before I you two came into my life!"

"Well—" Will began.

"Elizabeth!" a voice cried out. "Elizabeth! Oh, thank God, you're alive! I thought you were dead!"

I gasped in surprise as my father came pushing through the crowd toward me. Of all the people I expected to see out on the street, I didn't expect to see my father here. Pulling away from Will and Jack, I ran into my father's arms hugging him tightly. I hadn't realized how much I missed the man who was forced to raise me on his own for so many years.

"I've missed you so much, daddy," I cried smothering him with kisses.

My father laughed and kissed me on the forehead. "I've missed you, too, Elizabeth."

"There's so much I need to tell you, that we need to talk about and discuss," I exclaimed, pulling away from my father.

Will and Jack came up beside me, looking tentatively at the most powerful man in Port Royal. As the two of them stood on either side of me, my father looked down at them with disdain. He still hadn't forgiven them for what they had put me through a little over a year ago.

My father turned towards me. "You're still running around with this riffraff?"

"They're not riffraff, father," I pleaded. "Jack is a good man and Will is the love of my life. I can't imagine not having them in my life."

"Still, with all due respect to Mr. Turner and Mr. Sparrow, I don't like you running around with the low life of society. You have everything you could ever hope for and you choose the low life," my father stated. "Wouldn't you want to live a life of certainty and protection?"

I lifted my chin up stubbornly. "Then I would be living a lie, father. My life would be a lie. And that would do the world injustice where good people and hope still exist, small as it might be."

"Unfortunately Elizabeth, you have not yet come of age and what I say goes," my father said suddenly in a stern voice.

"What are you saying?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm saying that you are to come home with me and you are not to see this boy again, or this," my father looked at Jack in disgust, "completely and utter filth. You have better prospects than William Turner, Elizabeth."

I felt a pair of hands grab me and cover my mouth as I watched in horror as four people grabbed and restrained Will and Jack. I struggled against the hands who bound me, but I couldn't get free.

Will struggled against his captors. "Swann, you lying bastard! I love her! You promised her to me!"

My father looked at Will sadly. "I'm sorry, son. Unfortunately some things change." My father turned to the captors. "You know where to take Turner and Sparrow," he then turned to my captor, "take Elizabeth back home and make sure she's locked in her room and guarded, both at the door and at the window. I can't afford losing her again."

"Aye, sir," the man said and he struggled to struggle me back home. As I struggled to get free and get to Will, the two of us locked eyes, both reflecting what was in each other's eyes: fear and hopelessness of what was to come in the future.

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Author's Note: Chapter Twenty Five for everybody. I hope everybody enjoyed the chapter. I've been updating as fast as I could, if anybody could tell, because I'm getting really excited for this story, just because I'm liking how it's progressing, and I hope everybody agrees.

To Smithy—as to your comments, Elizabeth had gotten up after Will had fallen asleep and got dressed and went up on deck. I kind of implied that she put her nightgown back on before she went back to be when she went back to her cabin room. As to Will the next morning, he had gotten up and started getting dressed before Bootstrap came in so he was halfway decent when he came in. I hope that answers your questions.

As to everyone else, I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I'll update as soon as I can. Don't forget to review!