"It could be Norrington," Elizabeth said, trying to be optimistic.
"I don't think Norrington would sail under a pirate flag, do you?"
After a few moments, Elizabeth asked:
"What are we going to do, Jack? We cannot hide here."
"Yes, we can. Do you think they saw us?"
"No. They're too far."
"Good."
Jack took Elizabeth by the hand and ran to the little cove where they kept the rum and the food. They couldn't be the rumrunners, they were out of business, and Jack knew it. And if they weren't the rumrunners, they wouldn't know about that place.
"All you have to do is keep quiet, Lizzie. They might not even stop here. They might be just passing by. This is a route. This is normal." Jack was saying those words partly to Elizabeth and partly to himself. He wanted to believe they were not in danger; he wanted to believe she was not in danger.
After what it seemed to be long hours, Jack and Elizabeth heard steps above them. So the ship did stop there. And now the crew was walking right above their heads. The trapdoor was abruptly opened, and a woman with very dark hair and extremely bright eyes looked at them with a sarcastic smile.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," she said, in disbelief, "who would guess…"
"Anne." Jack seemed to be a little surprised himself. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"I'm not sure I can call you 'captain', though, because I don't see your ship."
"I'm in the market, as it were."
"Jack, Jack, Jack." Suddenly, she realized Elizabeth was there, terrified, staring at her. "Oh! A lovely lady. And what's your name, love?"
"Elizabeth, Elizabeth Sw…"
"She's a friend of mine!" Jack interrupted. "We were getting rum for us, would you like some?"
"Oh, yes." Anne said. "Yo-ho, yo-ho, and a bottle of rum, right?"
Elizabeth didn't understand what had just happened. Jack knew that woman and seemed to be anxious again. About what?
"Is this your crew?" Jack asked Anne as he left the cove, leaving Elizabeth alone.
"Yes. They're all my men."
"And that's your ship?"
"Right again."
"How did you become captain? Where's George?"
"I beat him. In a duel, you know?"
"How?"
"Well, with a sword."
"George was the best that I've ever known."
"Well, I…"
"Excuse me." Elizabeth interrupted. "Who are you? How do you two know each other?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself, how rude. I'm Anne Bonney, captain of the Sea King."
"Captain?"
"I know. A woman, being a captain? But you might understand, my dear, that women are here to stay. And about me and Mr. Sparrow here, we've known each other for quite some time. Old friends, you see."
"Ah." Finally, Elizabeth seemed to understand, and she felt a little point of jealousy when she did. "Friends."
"I can see, Jack." Anne said, counting the bottles in the cove. "That you two had plenty of fun while you've been here, am I right?"
"What do you mean, dearie?"
"You had lots of rum, Jack. And you have to pay for what you consume. Everything has a price, you should know that."
"I'm sorry. Weren't you 'out of business'?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh, no. We never stopped. Captain George left, but his trading persists. And I shall tell you that you'll have to pay for what you consumed. It seems like you've been here for months!"
"My friend Elizabeth," Jack shared a look with her while talking to Anne. "She has lots of money, and will be happy to pay whenever we get to land."
"Oh, Jack. You haven't changed, have you? There's no 'whenever we get to land'. Either you two pay what you owe right now and I leave satisfied on my ship, or you can come with me and pay your expenditure working for me for a while. What say you?"
"Can I talk to her in private for a second?" Jack pulled Elizabeth by the arm and started walking to the other side of the island.
"What is happening here, Jack?! We cannot leave with that woman!"
"Elizabeth, listen to me. She's the better option we have, alright? If we stay here, what will happen to us? We will die in a few weeks, you said that yourself. And now we don't even have this option anymore. We cannot pay. I promise you, on the first time we make port, anywhere; we will escape and get you back to Port Royal. Do you understand me?"
Elizabeth nodded, trying not to look terrified. And she couldn't help but realizing that Jack forgot about the fact that they would be together. It didn't seem to matter anymore.
"Oi! Anne!" Jack called. "We accept your terms. And we'll go with you on your ship."
"Marvelous! I'll enjoy some girl company for a change."
"Under one condition." Jack added. "Elizabeth doesn't sleep alone with the crew. You know what the men can do."
"Oh, Jack, but she won't sleep alone with the crew. You will be there to protect her."
"I'm serious."
"Alright. I might have a room for her."
Anne took a few bottles of rum, gave them to the crew and started walking to the ship. Jack held Elizabeth's hand, leading her while she seemed to absorb all that was happening. When they were on the ship, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to do what he was doing when Anne and her ship first appeared.
"What now, Jack?" Elizabeth asked, worried.
"Off we go, Ms. Sparrow." he whispered.