"Elizabeth, take Ella back into Jack's quarters…" Will said, tightening his arm around his wife.

"But Will…"

"I don't want you out here to see any of this and I certainly don't want her out here to see this." He said, nodding toward the horrified expression on Eleanore's face as she clutched Jack's hand. It was odd, to see Jack holding hands with someone as opposed to trying to get a feel of her but in a way, it was nice. Elizabeth relented and took Ella by the hand, pulling her away from Jack before she could resist.

As the ship neared them, Will groaned, because it was evident that Cutler Beckett had accompanied Ella's brother to retrieve his fiancée.

"Bugger…" Jack muttered, cracking his knuckles.

"See what happens when you toy with other mens' women, 'specially that little bastard…" Grant said, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Aye sir…you'll be lucky if he decides to hang you quickly…" Gibbs agreed. Jack shrugged as the ships moved beside each other and the two men climbed onto the Black Pearl..

"What have you done with her Sparrow?" Lord Beckett asked arrogantly, Jack could not help but smirk.

"Why what ever do you mean…Cutler?" He replied in his girliest voice.

"I know you have her…" He replied as Norrington joined him.

"Yes…I swear Sparrow, if you have hurt her, or sold her or anything, I will kill you myself!" James barked and Beckett put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Admiral, shall we?"

"Jack, just tell them she's alright…" Will whispered anxiously. Jack simply crossed his arms.

"Let's say I do have said lass…what do I get out of the deal?" Beckett grinned evilly.

"You get to live until your hanging in three days." Jack pretended to think a moment.

"Then no…I have not seen or heard from Miss Norrington. Maybe you should try the Pirates over on the Golden Goddess…I've heard they like a good kidnapping…" He said casually, beginning to turn away. Angered, Beckett cocked his pistol and pointed it at Jack.

"Give me my wife…fiancée…or die now…"

"No!" An angry feminine voice interrupted the moment.

"Ella!" James cried from across the ship. She smiled at him a moment before glaring at Lord Becket.

"Put the gun down this moment! You can all go back to Port Royal, because I am not coming back!"

"Ella!" James cried in horror. "What do you mean?" Her expression remained stone cold.

"I mean it…I am staying here…I am sorry Lord Beckett…but I will not be marrying you…" She said defiantly…feeling a surge of triumph in her heart.

"Don't be ridiculous…you can't possibly want to stay with this filth? He's a pirate for God's sake!" Beckett replied in a mix of anger and confusion.

"You know as well as I do, that is not true Cutler…you branded him a pirate when you were the real villain…how could I marry you? I can't even look at you." She spat at him. With newfound anger, Lord Beckett pointed the gun at Jack again and roughly grabbed her arm. She cried out in pain.

"Now you listen to me and you listen well, Eleanore…you are marrying me…you will bear my sons and you will be obedient…"

"Let her go mate…" Jack said in quiet defeat. If Lord Beckett heard this, he made no indication.

"Do you understand me?" He asked, holding the pistol with one hand and shaking her small frame with the other. Fire welled in her eyes and finding all of the courage she had, she spit into his face.

"No, I'm afraid I don't you sadistic bastard…" She growled, facing him with a fierce determination that James had never seen in her before. The Admiral had no idea what he should do…he wanted to be loyal to Ella and her wishes, but he could not bring himself to see her married or living in sin with a pirate. The scandal would ruin them, and he could not put Charlotte through it…especially when she had been feeling so sick.

"Then maybe you'll understand this…you will marry me…or you will watch Jack Sparrow die right now…" He said quietly, sending a chill up her spine.

"Now that doesn't seem like a fair trade…" Jack quipped.

"Shut up you!" Beckett cried, near hysterics as Ella looked at the man she'd once thought was decent in sheer terror. "What is it Eleanore…? Marriage or the death of your beloved pirate…?" He laughed, seeing how he couldn't lose. Jack was going to die either way, she just didn't know it.

"Don't do it, love…" Jack said warningly, but as her eyes flitted from side to side, she found it extremely hard to breathe.

"You're making this more difficult than it has to be Ella…yes or no…?" Beckett urged and, Elizabeth, who was watching in horror, fainted into her husband's arms in an attempt to divert Beckett's attention. It didn't work.

"Don't…" Jack said straightly, Ella had to tear her eyes away because, as much as she hated to admit it…she had come to care for Captain Sparrow.

"I will marry you, my Lord." She said in defeat, hanging her head. Jack's mouth dropped open.

"I knew you would make a rational decision my pet…"

"On one condition." She said, looking up again, the fire still in her eyes.

"Being what?" He asked haughtily.

"You will drop all charges against this man and everyone else on this ship, who is to be charged. You will drop these charges or I will kill myself as well."

"Ella!" James cried, horrified.

"Do we have a deal, Lord Beckett?" She asked and after a moment of glaring at her, Beckett motioned for his man to come forward with the decrees charging Jack and some of the others. Taking them, he held them up and ripped them all down the middle, tossing them into the water.

"Done."

"Eleanore, why are you doing this?" Jack asked, fighting the emotion that threatened to surface. She smiled sadly.

"Because you deserve a chance to be the man you were destined to be. Goodbye Jack…" She said, turning quickly to hide her quivering lip. She quickly joined her brother and did not look back.

"Congratulations Sparrow…for now. No doubt you will be in trouble again soon enough, if you aren't already." He began to walk away but remembered something.

"Oh, and Sparrow? I win." He boarded the H.M.S. Interceptor again triumphantly.

Elizabeth joined Jack's side as he watched them move away from the Pearl.

"Are you just going to let him take her? Are you all just going to stand there and watch her leave?" She asked angrily. Jack turned listlessly to her, all of the adventure gone from his eyes and said,

"Yes…what kind of life would she have known here? She needs to be taken care of. I can't do that Lizzie…I have nothing to offer her…Beckett is an unimaginable prick, but he will provide for her."

"You are an unimaginable idiot Jack Sparrow…" Liz spat at him. "She just saved your life. The least you could do is save hers." Jack shook his head, sighing.

"Maybe I just did by letting her go…" With that, he disappeared into his chambers.

Ella tried not to cry as she sat in the corner of the H.M.S. Interceptor and stared at the wood on the deck of this ship. It was almost identical to that of the Black Pearl,

"Ella?" James's voice interrupted her thoughts. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Go away Jimmy." She said, hugging her arms around herself.

"Please…I was only trying to…"

"I know what you were trying to do…what everyone tries to do to me. You were trying to make my choices for me. Father did it, Cutler has done it and now you are doing it too…you could have stood up for me…and Jack."

"Jack? You think I would possibly stand up for that filthy pirate?" He asked in irritation. She rose immediately, livid with him.

"He is not a pirate! At least he wasn't! You don't even know the whole story!" She said, walking away from him, unable to deal with him at the moment.

"What do you mean Ella?"

"Do you always believe what people say? I mean, people with authority? Would you believe Lord Beckett if he told you I was a gutter prostitute?"

"Of course not Ella…" James tried to reason.

"If Jack Sparrow was a pirate, so am I…" She said and he gently grabbed her arm.

"Ella, you're not making any sense…" He said softly and she grabbed both of his shoulders.

"Did you know that Captain Sparrow is really a Captain?" She asked and he frowned.

"Of course, it's his ship, I mean…"

"No Jimmy, a Captain…in the Queen's Navy? Did you know that?" She asked roughly. He looked at her in disbelief.

"That's…impossible…quite." He said softly. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is…because Beckett told you so…" She accused and he looked at her defensively.

"Now wait a minute Eleanore…" Her hand came up to silence him.

"His name was John Sparrow…" When recognition came to his eyes, she smiled. "Ah, you do know the name…he was twenty years old at the time Beckett branded him a pirate…" She said and he shook his head.

"It can't be…the famous John Sparrow? The man who saved fifteen people in a burning church all those years ago? We were all told he was lost at sea on a voyage to Africa…I never knew what he looked like…he was gone before I came here." Ella, seeing her brother's innocence nodded.

"Sit down Jimmy, I am going to tell you everything…"