Aphrodite couldn't stand it any more. She had tried to sleep but every creak of the ship made her think that Will had returned. She made her way to the deck only to see Mr. Gibbs staring towards the shore. He was in the same place she that left him before trying to rest the night before.
"Any sign," she asked already knowing the answer from the worried look on Gibbs' face.
"Nothing."
"But they said they would return before dawn."
"Aye lassie, they did. That's what's got me worried. They should 'ave been back long ago."
"Can't we do something? I mean can't we go after them?"
"I'm probably too well known to be seen in town," Gibbs said lowering his head.
"But probably not me," Aphrodite said with hope.
"Hmm. I might be able to send you with a couple of the more respectable looking crew. That way you would all just blend in."
Gibbs picked a couple of men to go with Aphrodite, they looked like just normal town folk and they were fairly clean. "Be careful. And boys don't forget that if anything happens to the lady – it'll be Turner and the Captain that ye be answering to."
The men nodded their head in understanding and soon the trio was off in a longboat heading toward Port Royal.
Aphrodite and the two men from the Pearl walked around relatively unnoticed. There were many people milling about and those from the Pearl thought it rather strange since it was so early – just after dawn. Aphrodite walked the streets which once housed shops and businesses. She noticed a small gathering of people in front of some wreckage, which from what she could see was not from the last attack. There was a sign on the ground that caught her eye – it was a sign for the blacksmith and it had the name Turner written on it. While she was curious, she was afraid of causing suspicion by asking questions, so she simply slowed her pace and then when they were within hearing distance – she pretended that she had a rock in her shoe and needed to stop.
The town's men standing near the sign paid no attention to her and the two men from the Pearl for the town's men were too deep in conversation.
"Of course I went and the Governor was true to his word," one said.
"He wants to make sure Will Turner is made an example of," another man said.
"Na, he and his pretty wife Elizabeth want to make Turner suffer and pay for killing Elizabeth's father," a third one said.
They all nodded in agreement with the last statement.
"Just don't understand why Sparrow and Turner were back in this town by themselves snooping around," the first man questions.
"I heard they gots themselves caught by the Governor's mansion."
"Does seem a bit strange to let themselves be captured so easily. Bet Turner is sorry now. If he's still alive after the whipping he had – Governor kept going until Turner completely collapsed."
Aphrodite bit her lip to keep from crying aloud but tears started down her face. She quickly finished with her shoe and headed in the direction Gibbs had told her to find the jail.
The guards came back to look in on Will and Jack. "He's still not awake, if that's what you were looking for," Jack yelled at them.
"Too bad for you, because then it means it'll be your turn next."
The guard hardly had time for the words to come out of his mouth before a loud whistling followed by an explosion rocked the ground.
"We're under attack," someone from outside yelled. There was another cannon fire and then another. "It's the Pearl and they brought another ship," someone yelled.
One of the guards turned and started to run up the stairs out of the jail. "Where you going? You can't leave your post," the other guard yelled.
"You want me to be around when the crew from the Pearl comes to get their Captain and First Mate?" With that said the guard joined his comrade and high tailed it out of there dropping the keys on the stairs as he fled.
"Buggar," Jack said seeing the keys and knowing that they were far out of reach.
"Take my wife and protect her up at the mansion," James ordered his ten finest guards.
"James, I don't want to leave you."
"Please Elizabeth. I need to know that you are safe. I can't fight and worry about you at the same time."
Elizabeth nodded and followed the guards towards the mansion.
"Men, prepare to fight. Are the cannons ready? We need to be firing them now!" Norrington was growing extremely impatient. He knew that they had lost some guns in the last attack but the men should have been ready. Norrington had no idea that the Pearl would be back so quickly, the other ship must have been waiting just out of sight for it to join in the fight.
Aphrodite and the men now were in a full run. They saw guards escorting, who Aphrodite assumed was Elizabeth, away. The men also mentioned to Aphrodite since the attack all guards had left their positions in the jail. The trio went unencumbered through the halls and down to where the cells were.
One of the men stopped and picked up keys, "these might come in handy."
Aphrodite ran over to the cell where Will was still unconscious on the floor. "Jack what did they do to him?"
"Aphrodite, he's alive. Let's concentrate in getting him and US out of here now before the other Black Pearl crew show up.
The two men got on either side of Will and held him up. He started to come around and groaned in pain. "Easy boys," Aphrodite reminded them.
"We need to be fast for right now," Jack said grabbing her by the hand. "Let's go."
They group went outside and started on their way. They were surprised on the way by Elizabeth and her escort of guards; they had been cut off and were looking for another way to the mansion. Her men were engaged in fighting some of the pirates that had come ashore and Elizabeth was trying to run to town to hide. She ran directly into Jack who grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Well look who we have here. Just waiting to hurt the boy some more are you," Jack asked sarcastically.
Will looked up and saw Elizabeth standing there. He mustered all the strength he could and slowly walked towards Elizabeth. He looked in her eyes and gently took his hand and stroked her face. He slowly moved in and kissed her lips. Elizabeth responded by jerking away and slapping Will's face.
"How dare you," she screamed to him.
"You are not the Elizabeth I knew and loved," Will said collapsing to his knees.
Jack had grabbed her once again and her guards were now coming back to see her in the hands of a pirate.
"Let her go Jack. We need to leave," Will said to Jack.
Seeing the guards approaching, Jack told the men "grab him. We need to leave NOW!" The men did as they were told, Jack grabbed Aphrodite's hand and dragged her along because she couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. The group quickly reached the longboats and headed toward the Black Pearl, their Pearl.
The boat ride to the Pearl was in silence. Jack rode back with one man looking back at a once again burning Port Royal. Aphrodite and Will rode with the other crew man. Will was losing consciousness once again. Aphrodite found it had to look at him. She wanted to be mad at Will for kissing Elizabeth but she also knew because of his sorrow over losing his wife and the wounds that he had received, he was not thinking clearly. The two boats reached the Pearl and all were quickly helped aboard. Will was taken directly to his cabin, "take care of him Aphrodite. We're very close to losing him," Jack told her. She nodded her head in agreement. Jack could see the hurt in her eyes but he would try and deal with that later. First they needed to get out of here, second they needed to get Will Turner back to health and finally they needed to find a way back to their world.
Jack took the spyglass from Gibbs hands. "We sail with great haste boys." He saw that Elizabeth and her guards had just made it to the mansion but there was a surprise waiting for them. The guards were killed one by one leaving Elizabeth surrounded by pirates. Then the front door of the mansion opened and out stepped the other Jack Sparrow. He started towards her drawing his sword. He quickly ran her through and used her dress to clean his sword as the final insult.
Jack put down the spyglass with some sadness. Yes this woman had done his Will wrong but it was still watching what reminded him of his Elizabeth, one of his best friends, and to be run down by himself no less. Jack thought to himself, "This is something that I alone shall carry for the rest of my life. Will could never handle knowing she died again much less by my so called hand."