A/N: Hello! Sorry it took me so long. This is my longest chapter yet, so I hope it makes up for lost time. The last paragraph may be a little messy cause I wanted to submit it a.s.a.p... So here it is! Enjoy!

"This can't mean what I think it means." Elizabeth panicked "I'm sure it was just pointing in my general direction that's all!" She paced back and forth in front of Mr. Cotton who just looked at her.

"I know. I'm being ridiculous aren't I?" She questioned. Cotton just shrugged. This was turning out to be more of a rhetorical conversation.

More frustrated then before, Elizabeth sighed and sat down abruptly on an empty hammock. They were the only two awake below deck. Not even Mr. Cotton's parrot was present. Elizabeth made him go on deck so he wouldn't repeat anything. And as it turns out, Cotton was the perfect person for Elizabeth right now.

"This only makes my decision more important." She continued. "Jack is miserable and it's all because of me."

Mr. Cotton silently stared at her.

Elizabeth pulled her hair back and continued to think out loud.

"Will doesn't trust me anymore… but at least he is still happy." She whispered, now drifting off and almost forgetting Mr. Cotton was there. "And if I chose Jack, no one will speak to me again. My father would be ashamed."

Making his first attempt to show interest, Cotton opened his mouth as if to speak and Elizabeth remembered he was there. A little sound came out, but Elizabeth was not pleased with the sight of his severed tongue. Surprised, and slightly disgusted, she urgently found him a pen and paper to right it down.

Anxiously, she watched him write on the paper. This was the first time Elizabeth had ever seen him express his thoughts in any way other than the parrot. And even with that, no one was sure what he meant.

Mr. Cotton passed the paper to her and she quickly read it. He wrote: "But what do you want?"

Elizabeth was silent. That was thing she had never considered. Never had she ever had the option. Even more confused, Elizabeth looked up from the paper and Cotton smiled a little at her. Hesitantly, she returned it with an unsure smile.

"Thank you." was all she could think to say.

Again, Elizabeth found herself staring at the ceiling of her cabin. She knew sleep wouldn't be easy until she figured this out. The pieces were all there in front of her, she could feel it. But nothing seemed to come together. All the thoughts fogged her thinking:

What do I want? Maybe love does have everything to do with it. Maybe Jack does love me. Maybe I love Jack. That would never work. What do I want? Jack is miserable and getting worse. Will hasn't been the same, but isn't completely miserable. However, he will be if I leave him. One person has to be miserable. What do I want? Will loves me more than life itself. I love him… or at least I used to. Jack thinks I do. He doesn't know I might love him, too. What do I want!?!? One person has to be miserable.

Suddenly the fog cleared. Elizabeth flew up. Her breath was heavy. She smiled. She knew what to do.

-----

Elizabeth knocked on the captain's door. She was smiling, for what felt like no reason, again. Then Jack opened the door half way and saw her. He sighed.

"Have you tried counting sheep? I hear that works." He greeted.

"Would it be alright if I spoke with you for a moment?" Elizabeth asked, ignoring his remark.

"It's awfully late, Miss Swann"

"I know your not sleeping, Jack. And I really need to talk to you."

"Talk to me out here." He persisted.

"I'd prefer that it was in private" She added. He tilted his head back and looked at her suspiciously.

"Now, what in the world would you have to say to me in private?" Jack questioned.

"Well you would find out if you let me in." She snapped. He thought about it for a second but was too stubborn.

"Do you have any ru-?"

"Jack!" Elizabeth cut him off.

"Sorry!" He said defensively "Come in, then"

Jack sighed and opened the door for her. Arms crossed, Elizabeth walked in. Without thinking she laughed a little. She was angry at him, but still she couldn't control smiling. He closed the door and Elizabeth tried to stifle back her smile.

"Alright, what is it now, Miss Swann? Bad dreams?" he groaned.

"No, actually I think I'll be sleeping better from now on." She smiled a little, but held it back.

"And what changed this?" Jack asked pretending to be interested. Elizabeth's smile beamed now, unable to be restrained. She walked up to him and touched his face. Still smiling, she looked into his cold eyes and whispered "I found out what I want" then promptly kissed him.

Caught a little off guard, Jack instinctively kissed back. Then within the mere minute of a passionate kiss, an unseen change occurred. Hesitantly, Elizabeth broke away and was no longer smiling. Her cold eyes met Jack's beaming. Strangely, Elizabeth felt a pain of melancholy she had never felt before... And Jack couldn't stop smiling.

"But I can't have what I want." She choked out. Smiling, he played along.

"And why's that?"

"Because," she started out strong but faded off. She noticed he was still smiling but took no attention to it. Nothing could tamper with her seriousness.

Finally Elizabeth found the right words, "Because one person has to be miserable." With that she turned to leave without waiting for his reaction. Jack thought about what she just said and caught her before she opened the door.

"You know love, you don't have to leave so soon," he grinned the mischievous "I-know-I'm-going-to-be-turned-down-but-its-worth-a-shot" grin that Elizabeth had wanted so much to see. She knew she loved that smile. But now it didn't phase her. Painfully wishing she could enjoy it, she looked away.

Opening the door she spoke sternly, "Yes I do," and left. For a moment Jack just stared at the door kind of disappointed. Then a mood swing hit him and a big smile came across his face. He remembered what he had been doing and went back to work at his desk. However, after only a second he stopped because he realized that for no reason he was smiling again.

Fin'

A/N: You may have noticed, I used some of your ideas. They really help! Don't be afraid to tell me some more after reading this. Because you see this is not the last chapter. I planned on have one more. Maybe two. So be back soon!