Disclaimer: Characters, a few lines, and part of the plot belong to Disney.

"Never the wiser of what I've become…"

"Where's Will?" She asked Gibbs as they met on the new ship.

"He's not with you?"

A grim look passed over Barbossa's face. "I sense something fishy. Hoist anchor."

"What? We can't just leave him!"

"Keep to the code." He replied dismissively. "The boy's not important to the mission."

"I won't leave without him!"

"Then you'll stay behind." He bit back.

She glared daggers at him. "I can't divert from the mission."

"Then you'd best decide who or what you want more."

She watched his retreating back with anger.

Tears stung her eyes as she realized what she needed to do. "No. I won't give up either." She mumbled to herself furiously. It frightened her to realize what she would pick. "Who am I?" Pirate. His voice permeated her thoughts and she swallowed hard. "I can't leave Will." She told the voice, trying to deny the truth behind his accusation.

"Who said anything about leaving me?"

She jumped, "Will!", and flung her arms around him. Relief filled her heart. She wouldn't have to choose yet. He stiffened and pushed her collar aside.

"Where's my ring?"

"Where were you? Barbossa gave orders to hoist anchor." She countered, ignoring his question.

"Getting a crew. Where's my ring?"

She looked away. "I had to barter it to get the location of the map."

"Good to know where your priorities lie." He replied shortly, walking back towards a group of men standing near the mast, Barbossa sizing them up with narrowed eyes. He found it oddly suspicious that they did not have an encounter with Captain Sao Feng and he pondered whether he exercised good judgment in letting Will Turner find a crew.

Her relieved smile slid off her face and she turned to find Tia Dalma behind her.

"I had to do it."

"I know." Tia dalma replied. "It's for the greater good. One day he will understand."

"Do you think Sao Feng will honor the code?"

"I cannot say. There is an evil on dese waters that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty pirates have come to fear."

Elizabeth looked down. Their options were looking grim.

JEJEJEJEJEJEJEJE

Will approached Elizabeth sometime later in the hold where she sat, lost in thought.

"How long do we continue not talking?"

"Once we rescue Jack, everything will be fine."

"When we rescue Jack." He repeated looking hurt.

It hurt her to see him like that. The man she had adored since they were small was standing before her, begging for her attention and all she could say was once they rescue Jack everything would be all right. How can I be so cruel? Why can't I love him? Things were supposed to go back to normal when I k-

"You bartered my ring. Does that mean it's over?"

"I did it because we needed those maps."

"Somehow I don't believe you. I saw what you did."

Her head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that, Elizabeth. You know exactly what I mean."

She bit her lip. He saw us... "I did what I thought was right. I…I thought I could fix everything."

"You thought you would fix everything. How Elizabeth? By kissing Jack before he died with your fiancé just on the other side of the ship? That sounds like an awful plan to me."

"No. By sending him to his death."

He frowned. "I don't understand."

"The kiss, Will, was a distraction."

"A distraction for what?"

"Oh don't be stupid. I chained him to the mast so that we could escape. I-It was the only way! Don't you see? It wasn't the ship, it was Jack. I thought…"

"You left Jack to the Kraken."

"Will, I had no choice!" Pirate.

"You chose not to tell me."

"I couldn't. It wasn't your burden to bear."

"I did bear it, didn't I? I just didn't know what it was. Why did you kiss him?"

"I told you. It was a distraction."

"That was more than a distraction. You've never kissed me like that."

She looked away. "I didn't want it to be like this. I thought if I…I thought if I got rid of Jack that everything would be all right. He wanted me. I could think of no better alternative at the time and…God help me I wanted it too. I thought if I got rid of him I would stop wanting him."

There it was. The real truth, right there. She bit her lip and met his cold, angry gaze.

"But you didn't stop wanting him, did you? Dammit Elizabeth! You're betrothed to me. You can't just kiss every man you see!" He punched the post next to him and grimaced at the pain in his knuckles, wishing the post was Jack Sparrow's face, then the pain would be worth it.

Tears filled her eyes. "I didn't want it to be like this."

"You should have thought of that before. The wedding is off, Elizabeth. Perhaps Captain Sparrow will be more forgiving than I am."

She fell to her knees as she watched him go. "What have I done?"

"The right ting." Tia Dalma answered, coming out from behind some crates.

"You were eavesdropping." Elizabeth accused.

"It's hardly eavesdropping when you are shouting, chile."

She looked away, wiping at her tears. "How can you be so certain I am doing the right thing?"

"Destiny. Piracy. It's what you're built for."

"It's all Jack's fault."

"Captain Sparrow is a very charming man."

"When he wants to be."

"And oh he wants to be when it come to you. I know a vexed man when I see one and that man…e's been vexed since the moment he dragged a lovely young governor's daughter out of the briny."

She blushed. "It was a terrible thing I did. How could he possibly forgive me?"

"Pirate." Tia dalma replied. "The both of you. Complete scoundrels."

Elizabeth met her eyes and smiled a genuine smile. "Yes…I suppose we are. I just never thought he would be the one to show me what I've become. I guess it's fitting. I've read and dreamed about him since I was young."

The older woman merely smiled. She pondered for a moment whether she made the right decision pushing her into the pirate's less than welcoming arms…then she remembered the way he had looked when he'd showed up at her door nigh on six months ago as he told of a girl he couldn't get his compass to point away from.