After a few days aboard the ship, Elizabeth couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand the heat, the sea, and most of all, she couldn't stand the captain.

"You sick, Miss Elizabeth?" Anne was sitting on the edge of the ship, leisurely checking her compass while Elizabeth rubbed the deck with all the strength she had.

"Why do you ask?" She tried to look tough.

"You don't look well. You're pale, lost weight, your hair is not so bright anymore. Not used to real work, eh?"

"I'd rather not talk about my past, Captain."

"Who are you, really? Why were you with Jack? How do you know him?"

Elizabeth kept rubbing the floor, resisting the impulse of pushing Anne and seeing her drown or maybe just disappear on the sea.

"I am talking to you, missy!"

"Well I do have the right to keep my mouth shut, Captain. I am not feeling well, so if you please, I have work to do."

Jack was coming on her direction while she left with the bucket and the utterly dirty water in it. They shared a look but didn't talk. They were trying to keep their relationship from Anne. She couldn't know about their involvement, or about her past. If she knew that Elizabeth was the governor's daughter, she would certainly threaten her and ask for a discharge.

"Lovely talk, apparently." He said with a smirk.

"Your friend certainly doesn't know how to keep a conversation going, Jack. And that very much disappoints me, since I was hoping I'd get some girl talk while she's here."

"'While she's here'?"

"She doesn't help. She's costing me too much. I am in need of men, but not desperate. I might drop her on that little island again after the pillage."

"I'm sorry, pillage?"

"Oh yes, Jack. Didn't you notice we haven't gotten much far from the island we originally found you two? We're waiting here. It's a route, as you might know. There's a ship coming. A stuffed one. And we're waiting for it to come so that we can do a little bit of honest piracy."

"Oh. You don't… happen to know who's the commander of the ship, do you?"

"Waiting for someone?"

"Just curious."

"No, I don't. Now, Jack." She was standing right in front of him, and started to walk around him just like a tiger about to attack its prey. "I need you to tell me something."

"Anything you'd like, Captain."

"I think we better have this conversation in my cabin. You know, people might talk."

Jack followed her to her cabin while Elizabeth watched them. She didn't know what Anne could possibly want with him, but she felt that little point of jealousy again. This time a little bit stronger, maybe.

"Hey, Howell." She called the man that was drinking from a bottle of rum a few feet from her. "What is the Captain up to?"

"She's probably just worried about the pillage. Or maybe she heard the rumors about the mutiny. She's definitely worried, missy, about that you can be certain."

"Ah. But you see, I haven't heard anything about the pillage or the mutiny, so if you could just fill me in…"

While Elizabeth spoke to the crewmen about the plans they had for after the pillage, Jack was in the captain's cabin trying to understand what she wanted from him. Well, he knew one of the things she wanted, he was trying to figure out the rest.

"Jack, Jack…" Anne was sitting on her desk and Jack was on a chair right in front of her. She was trying to be persuasive. "You're not making it easy to me. All I want to know is if you heard anything about a mutiny."

"Love, what you don't understand is that I haven't been here for long. These men are not my mates. They don't share things with me."

"Don't be a liar, Jack. I know you're very sociable when you want to." She was whispering, now standing behind him and playing with one of his dreadlocks. "Come on, Jack. For old time's sake."

"You have to do something for me first."

"And what is that?"

"Promise me you'll keep Elizabeth safe and will drop her in Port Royal after the pillage."

Anne stopped playing with his hair and sat on the chair behind her desk.

"And why would I do that? She annoys me."

"Because you want to know about the mutiny. And I have the information you need."

"Why do you care so much about that girl, anyway?"

Jack didn't answer. Anne smiled and gave him a look of disbelief.

"You like her! I can't believe it! Jack Sparrow is in love! Well... If you care so much about her, I promise. During the pillage I'll ask the men to keep her safe and after it I'll drop her in Port Royal, we're going in that direction, anyway. You have my word. Now your part of the deal."

"I might have heard something. But it's nothing official. Maybe after the pillage."

"So it is true, then. Well, Jack. Thank you. If you want to stay here… you're always welcome."

"I am… a little bit seasick, darling. Maybe tomorrow."

Jack left the cabin and saw Elizabeth staring at the ocean, with a broken-down expression on her face. He walked in her direction, and then placed himself beside her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said.

"Yes. When I was a child, this was my dream, you know? Travel the seas. Get to know the oceans, meet some pirates." She laughed. "Ironic, right?"

"Sounds unusual for a little girl."

"What did she want from you, Jack?" Elizabeth was facing him.

"Ask me a few things. You know about the pillage, yes?"

"I do. It's probably Norrington's ship. He's looking for me, it has to be him."

"I hope it isn't."

"It could be our way out."

"You have your way out."

"I do?"

He couldn't tell her how he managed to get her a way out. "Anne said it. She doesn't want you in her crew. She said something about dropping you somewhere after the pillage. I think she doesn't like you."

"You think? That's so sweet of you, Mr. Sparrow. I know she hates me."

"Maybe she's just jealous." He was caressing her face.

"If she drops me anywhere," Elizabeth held his hand. "How are you going to find me when you're free?"

"I'll find a way."

"You better."

"Jack." Elizabeth said, after a few minutes. "How do you know her?"

"It's a long story, love."

"We have time, don't you think?" She said, sitting on the edge of the ship with her arms around his neck.

"We should try to keep this from them, remember?"

"I don't think they'll see us here. And they probably already know."

"It goes back to the time when I was on the island for the first time. She was a part of Captain George's crew. We met on the ship, when they… rescued me. She was there because of her father's debts, and wanted to leave. When she heard that I was only staying there for a while, she saw an opportunity to finally get her freedom." Elizabeth was embosoming the skin that was visible on his chest. "It's hard to concentrate like this, you know?"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"I didn't tell you to stop, though." She laughed and then continued as he spoke. "We became friends, really good friends. And that's all we were for a long time aboard the ship. I taught her how to fight with a sword. Although, if I knew what she was planning, I wouldn't have. George was a good man. A pirate, but a good man. One day the ship made port in Tortuga and I left. She came with me and we… lived there for a while."

"'Lived'? In Tortuga? If that's what you call 'living'…"

"It is, or it was. It was fine, for a while. But eventually, she ran away saying she had bigger plans. And I never saw her again."

"And apparently she still has feelings for you."

"Too bad for her."

Elizabeth chuckled and kissed his forehead.

"We should get some sleep. We never know when this big pillage will happen." She started to walk away when Jack added:

"There was… Something else she wanted to talk to me about."

"Was there? And what was it?"

"You probably heard about the mutiny, too."

Elizabeth nodded yes.

"She asked me about that. Wanted to know if I heard something about it."

"And did you tell her?"

"I might have… said something."

"Jack! I can't believe it! How could you? She's horrible!"

"As horrible as any other captain would be."

"Maybe not as horrible as you were."

"And see where that brought me." He took Elizabeth's hands and held them near his chest. "Lizzie. All the men are in this mutiny. The best she can do is get ready for it. And all depends on how she will manage it. You have your way out, and that's all that matters. She promised to take you back to Port Royal after the pillage."

"My way out is not all that matters, Jack! Don't you see? I was going to be free anyway! This was their only option."

"She was going to drop you on that island she found us! And the mutiny is still happening! Are you mad at me because of some men you barely know?"

"You cannot think like that."

"Where are you going?"

"Get some sleep, and you should do the same."

"Elizabeth, wait. I'm sorry if you expected more from me but-"

"I don't know what I was expecting."

"But I am a pirate, Lizzie. A filthy one. I have done some ugly things, and you should know that."

"Good night, Jack." And as Elizabeth left, Jack could see that the one thing that could stand between them was not Will, Norrington or Anne.

It was themselves.