A/N: Chapter 14 is here! The rating will come into play soon.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 14- The Pirate King

The fight never ends- Breaking Benjamin

"Tai." Elizabeth called out. "May I have a word with you?"

He grunted and nodded, stepping up next to her.

"I…I'm planning on sleeping aboard the Pearl tonight whether it be with the crew…or with the captain."

His eyebrows shot up at the last part.

"Furthermore, at that point, this ship becomes yours. Thus the cabin becomes yours and whoever you intend to share it with." She gestured to Jasmine.

Tai's eyes softened when he saw whom she was referring to. "I'll take care of her."

Elizabeth didn't ask if he were referring to Jasmine or the ship. "The former commodore will be coming with me."

He nodded.

She started to walk away.

"I was wrong about you."

Elizabeth looked back at him.

"You make a fine pirate captain, Miss Swann."

"Thank you."

She couldn't hide her smile as she made her way to Jasmine. "It has come to my attention that you are not coming ashore when we reach Shipwreck Cove. Am I correct?"

Jasmine looked up and smiled. "Are you going to sleep with your good captain tonight?"

Elizabeth blushed a bit. "If he'll allow it. You may be doing the same with yours. Perhaps more than sleeping..."

Jasmine's eyebrows shot up and then a slow grin slid across her face. "I wish you the best, Miss Swann."

"The same to you."

JEJEJEJEJEJE

"Shall we?" She asked James and the few crew members that chose to follow her.

He smiled and offered his arm. "As you command, Captain Swann."

She accepted it and they began to follow their Singaporean guide to the Great Hall.

JEJEJEJEJEJE

"As he who issued summons, I convene the fourth Brethren Court."

Jack counted the swords. Sao Feng had not shown up with Elizabeth yet. He was beginning to worry.

"To confirm your lordship and right to be heard, present now your pieces of eight, my fellow cap'ns."

Jack frowned, knowing full well that there was no need to confirm lordship…unless of course they were unbinding a certain sea goddess that is…He'd not be passing his piece of eight over that easily.

Ragetti passed Barbossa's hat around and the pirate lords began dropping their offerings in…including Barbossa's wooden eye that Ragetti wore in his own socket.

"Sparrow!" He gestured at the hat.

Jack fingered his piece of eight. "Might I point out that we are short one pirate lord and I'm as content as a cucumber to wait until Sao Feng joins us."

"Sao Feng is dead." Jack instantly knew that voice. It haunted his dreams and his nightmares. Inwardly, he sighed in relief. "He fell to the Flying Dutchman." There was an uproar amongst the pirates.

She stuck her sword into the globe.

Jack looked at her, shocked. "And made you captain? They're just giving the bloody title away now." She met his gaze. No "I'm glad you're alive" then. I should have expected as much.

"He thought she was Calypso." A deep, nasal voice put in from just behind her.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "You brought a Commodore to a pirate gathering?"

Elizabeth ignored his comment and instead pointed in his face. "You locked me in the brig!"

"You deserved it…but…for what it's worth…" His voice softened. "I'm sorry for yelling at you when we crossed over." He looked away.

She stared at him in shock. This side of Jack was not one she was used to at all. If anything, it almost seemed off-character.

James snorted and moved to a chair in the corner, mumbling something snide. He seemed somewhat subdued.

Jack ignored him and instead tipped her chin up. "You've been crying."

She looked away. "I have not."

"You have. Did they hurt you?"

She swallowed hard and shook her head. This was not the time to tell him her personal truths. Instead she stepped forward, crying out for the room to listen to her. "Our location has been betrayed. Jones is under the command of Lord Beckett. They're on their way here."

The room erupted with noises of anger.

"Who is this betrayer?" Gentleman Jocard questioned.

"Not likely anyone among us." Barbossa spoke up with a hint of sarcasm.

"Where's Will?" Elizabeth asked, looking around.

Jack turned to her. "Not among us." He did something stupid…or did Jack? She wasn't sure. His answer was a trifle quick.

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean not among us?"

"He's escaped…and taken my compass with him."

"And it matters not how they found us. The question is, what will we do now that they have?" Barbossa commented.

"We fight." Elizabeth replied, echoing that of what she told James earlier.

The entire court burst into laughter.

Jack, however, thought she might be on to something.

"Shipwreck Cove is a fortress." Mistress Ching replied. "A well-supplied fortress. There is no need to fight if they cannot get to us."

"There be a third course." Barbossa interjected. "In another age, at this very spot the first Brethren Court captured the sea goddess and bound her in her bones. That was a mistake. Oh we take the seas for ourselves, aye, but open the door to Beckett…and his ilk. Better were the days when mastering the seas were not with bargains struck with eldritch creatures, from the sweat of a man's brow and the strength in his back alone. Ye all know this to be true. Gentlemen, ladies…we must free Calypso."

His words struck a chord with Elizabeth and she mentally took notes.

The crowd erupted into hateful comments.

Barbossa rolled his eyes, climbed atop the table, and fired his pistol into the air. The fighting came to a standstill. "It was the first Court what imprisoned Calypso, we should be the ones to set her free and in her gratitude she will grant us boons."

"Who's boons? Your boons? Utterly deceptive twaddlespeak says I." Jack commented, seeming to step right back into character.

"If you have a better alternative, please, share."

"Cuttlefish." What? "Aye. Let us not dear friends forget our dear friends the cuttlefish. Flippant glorious little sausages. Pen 'em together and they will devour each other without a single thought. Human nature isn't it? Or…or fish nature. So yes, we could hole up here well-provisioned and well-armed and half of us would be dead within the month, which seems quite grim to me any way you slice it. Or…as my learned colleague so naively suggests we can release Calypso and we can pray that she will be merciful. I rather doubt it. Can we pretend anything other than that she is a woman scorned like which fury hell hath no? We cannot. We are left with one option. I agree with and I cannot believe the words are coming out of my mouth…Captain Swann. We must fight." She grinned. I knew he would come over to my side…

He met her gaze and almost smiled as well.

"You've always run away from a fight." Barbossa muttered. He's only agreeing with fighting because of Elizabeth.

"Have not."

"Ye have so."

"Have not."

"Ye have so."

"Have not."

"Ye have so and ye know it."

"Have not slander and calumny. I have only ever embraced that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions. I submit that here, now that is what we all must do. We must fight to run away."

A resounding set of "ayes" went around the room. Elizabeth found it amazing that Jack's speech had more effect than Barbossa's. There seemed to be more logic to it really…and it did help that he was attractive…and he agreed with her. Perhaps all was not lost after all. Perhaps I still have a chance to make things right with him…

"As per the code, an act of war and this be exactly that, can only be declared by the pirate king." Barbossa proclaimed.

"You made that up."

"Did I now? …I call on Cap'n Teague. Keeper of the Code." Jack's face lost color.

Elizabeth felt confused. Captain Teague?

"Sri Sumbhajee proclaims this all to be folly. Hang the code! Who cares abo-" A gunshot rang out and the man talking fell to the ground dead.

"Code is the law." Came a deep voice from a room leading into this one from the back. A voice that sent a thrill down Elizabeth's spine. If only to remind her of the only other voice that could do that to her.

Then, the man was stepping into the room. An older version of Jack. No wonder his voice nearly takes my breath away. Elizabeth instantly recognized where Jack got his flair for eccentricity with his calico assortment of clothes and beringed fingers. He was an amazing creature to say the least. She made a note to talk with him after the business with Beckett if she got the chance.

"You're in my way, boy." He said, approaching the head of the table where Jack had migrated to. He quickly moved aside. The way they both moved instantly clued in to Elizabeth that they might very well be father and son. Then, the code was brought in. Elizabeth found herself craning her neck for a better look and wishing she could move next to Jack.

Teague opened the massive codex and began scanning the page. "Barbossa is right."

"Hang on a minute." Jack murmured moving forward to read. "It shall be the duty of the king to declare war, parlay with said adversaries…fancy that."

"There's not been a king since the first Court and that's not likely to change."

"Not likely." Captain Teague agreed.

"Why not?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Because the pirate king is elected by popular vote." Gibbs put in.

"And each pirate only ever votes for hisself." Barbossa added.

"Oh Lord." James moaned in the background.

"I call for a vote." Jack announced happily. Teague moved to the back of the room and picked up a guitar that was leaning against the wall and began strumming it.

"I vote for Ammand, the Corsair."

"Capitan Chevalle, the penniless Frenchman."

"Sri Sumbhajee votes for Sri Sumbhajee."

"Mistress Ching!"

"Gentleman Jocard."

"Elizabeth Swann."

"Barbossa."

"Villanueva."

"Elizabeth Swann."

"What?" Elizabeth's eyes locked onto Jack's. A slow smile slid across his face and she nearly swooned under the heat of it.

"I know, curious isn't it?"

The room erupted.

"Am I to understand that you lot will not be keeping to the code?" Jack spoke up.

Captain Teague's guitar string broke. Everyone sat down.

"Very well. What say you, Captain Swann, King of the Brethren Court?" Mistress Ching spoke up.

Remembering Tai's words of encouragement she knew instantly what to say. "Prepare every vessel that floats. At dawn…we're at war."

She made eye contact with Jack and nodded. He nearly smiled.

"And so we shall go to war."

The room erupted again, but this time in cheers.

Jack turned around to smile at his father. He just looked at him. "What? You've seen it all, done it all. You survived. It's the trick, isn't it, to survive?"

"It's not just about living forever, Jackie. The trick is, living with yourself forever."

Jack waved dismissively and turned away, only to find Elizabeth waiting for him at the end of the Hall next to the swords….Gibbs stood nearby along with the once again former commodore.

He looked at James first as he approached. "If you're going to ask to stay aboard the Pearl the answer is yes. Mr. Gibbs, show him a nice place to sleep. I suppose our new king wants an audience alone."

"Aye Captain." Gibbs commented. James nodded to him in thanks, not even bothering to say a word. He was too busy wondering what Elizabeth saw in this scallywag.

Jack turned to Elizabeth then, awaiting her response.