Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Chapter Sixteen: Elizabeth's Discovery

It was a little chilly in the brig, and in their cell, Elizabeth was cuddled up to Will, half-asleep in his arms. She was only partly listening to the conversation between him, his father, and occassionally Edward and Ana. She was exhausted. Her first trip on the Black Pearl and it was going so badly. She hoped Jack and Carmen were okay; but then, of course they would be.

"How could you choose this life?" Will asked.

Bill looked at him. "When they threw me to the bottom of the ocean, I couldn't move, the weight of the sea pressing down on me. I wished I would die but I couldn't. So I called out to anyone who could take my soul..." His eyes darkened. He sighed.

Footsteps came down to the brig again. Elizabeth sat up, instantly more alert. She saw the sneering face of Tobias Hawke, and his brown eyes ate hungrily into her as he placed his hands on the cell door.

"What do you want?" Edward asked, pushing some of his long black hair out of his face.

"Miss Elizabeth," he replied, smirking. "And Bill will kill you if you try to stop me." He laughed, and Elizabeth glanced fearfully at Will's father, who had paled.

She didn't have a choice, did she? She had wanted to be a fearless pirate, now she was going to have to act like one. Kissing Will's cheek softly, she stood up in silence and went to the door.

"Good girl," Tobias purred, opening it for her, allowing her to step out. She glared at him. He slammed the door shut again, locking it, then turned to face her with a perverted smile. She took an automatic step back, but then he had his arms around her, his mouth against her own, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She gagged, struggling fruitlessly, and felt his hand groping at her.

"Bastard!" Will screamed, and she heard him throw himself at the bars.

Tobias released her with an evil smile, and she looked at Will. His father had grabbed him around the shoulders and was struggling to pull him back, with a look of sadness on his face. "Please, William, please let go..."

Elizabeth felt herself being tugged away. She struggled but it was no use. "Will!" she screamed. But then Will was out of sight as Tobias dragged her roughly up the stairs. There were tears stinging her eyes, but a little voice in her head was telling her she had to now lie in the bed she had made for herself.

Tobias pulled her roughly across the deck, pushed open a cabin door and threw her roughly forwards. She landed hard on her hands and knees.

"Captain," Tobias said softly. "This is the girl."

"Excellent," said the cool voice of Aron Chiltingham. "Tobias, leave us." Elizabeth heard the door shut, and remained still on the floor, listening to the slow pacing of the Captain. All was silent for a few moments, before he chuckled and said, "Would you not like to sit down, Miss Swann?"

She looked up at him, trying to keep her cool. He had stopped by the window, his hat and coat on the table beside him. She saw for the first time how handsome he was, how alluring his green eyes were. It made her hesitate before answering, "I'm fine on the floor, thank you."

This made his face split into an attractive grin. "Miss Swann, I really must insist." And he leaned forward and lifted her with strong gloved hands, sitting her on the edge of the bed. He plopped her hat back on her head for her.

She watched him suspiciously as he sat down on his desk. He really wasn't so bad... and it was worrying. "What do you want with me?" she asked.

His eyes glinted. "I merely wanted to pass the time with some female company. Is that such a crime?"

"It depends what you intend to do with the female," she replied fearfully. Was he going to rape her? She scooted back a little automatically.

"Rum, Miss Swann?" he asked suddenly, reaching under the desk and pouring out two glasses of brown rum.

She blinked. Why not? If he was going to do anything to her, it might numb the pain. "Please," she said dully, taking a glass from him and taking a drink.

"You know," Chiltingham observed, leaning back against the desk and sipping his own drink, "for a pirate, you sound especially well-bred. And you're a woman. I don't see that often."

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She wasn't sure how to respond to that. She just looked at her knees and sipped her drink for fear of getting lost in his eyes.

"And that William Turner. He's a good, nice man. I've met good pirates, and I've met nice pirates- but rarely together. William is something I've never seen before."

She wondered why he was telling her all of this. If he was going to rape her, she wished he would just get on with it. All this talk was making her more uneasy.

"And Jack Sparrow- sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow... he's a hell of a man-"

Elizabeth had had enough. "Jack is going to kill you!" she snapped, eyes blazing. She stood up, fists clenched, jaw set. Chiltingham looked back at her, an eyebrow slightly cocked.

He rose from the desk and paced forward slowly. He stood right in front of Elizabeth, leaning down so their faces were very close. She had to look down, feeling an overwhelming urge to kiss him. There was something eerie about this man, yet something magnetic. He suddenly raised a hand, and pushed her lightly, so she fell back to the bed. "Miss Swann," he said, returning to his desk, "I agree that Jack Sparrow is an excellent pirate, but it stands that I cannot be killed."

Elizabeth blinked, fear gripping her. "Wh-what are you?"

He took a long mouthful of rum. "Good question," he said bitterly. "I'm quite afraid you'd have to ask Desperada about that." Then he sat down, looking calmer. "There is only one way I can be killed, I'm afraid. That is by the Heartstone, which I do not keep on my person."

Elizabeth drained her rum then toyed with the glass in her hands. So Chiltingham was undead. Now what would happen? If only Jack were here. "Who has this Heartstone, then?"

"Someone I trust..." he laughed. "She's a friend of mine."

"Pussy Hawke?" Elizabeth ventured.

"Oh, very good, Miss Swann." Chiltingham laughed again. "Very good indeed."

He looked at her with his intense green eyes, and she became uncomfortable again. Was he going to rape her? She remembered Tobias groping her and felt sick.

"He did what?" the Captain said suddenly, looking angry. Elizabeth looked up, startled, then realised he must be able to read minds. She looked away, trying to stop those horrible images of rape going around her mind, terrified he would see them. She heard him laugh. "Elizabeth, darling, I wouldn't rape you. I could make you consent if I wanted it. But I don't... there's only one person I crave right now..." She glanced at his face and saw it was dark and distant. "I can't have her..."

"Carmen," she breathed.

"Like I said before, Miss Swann, very good." He sounded brittle now, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"But... Carmen and Jack-"

"You don't know who she is, do you, Miss Swann?" he asked.

Elizabeth pouted. "Of course I do. She's Princess Carmen Regalia of Evaneta."

He rose to the window, hands behind his back, looking out with an air of sadness. "In this life she is. But when I met her, when I was fifteen, she was named Idony."

"How old are you now?" Elizabeth asked, almost dreading the answer.

"One hundred and thirty," he said quietly. Then he looked back at her. "Tell me, Miss Swann, do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Of course not."

He looked at her grimly. "Neither did I." The conversation seemed to be over, for he went to the door and tugged it open, calling for Pussy. She came in, her pretty face dark and grim. "Take Miss Swann back to her cell, please, Pussy," Chiltingham sighed, waving a hand.

Elizabeth didn't fight as Pussy grabbed her and pulled her away roughly. She was glad to be leaving the strange Captain. They headed for the stairs.

"Quite the little pirate, aren't we?" sneered Pussy, shoving Elizabeth down the stairs.

Elizabeth didn't say anything, just looked at Pussy's throat, where she supposed the Heartstone was most likely to be kept. It sounded like a pretty necklace. There was, however, no stone at Pussy's throat.

Pussy pushed her back into the cell, where she fell into Will's arms. The cell was locked, and Pussy flounced away. Elizabeth sat down.

"What happened?" Ana asked.