Elizabeth sighed and gazed at the scene that was playing in front of her. The pirates had all of the lanterns lit, giving the ship a sort of romantic feel to it. The moon was full and bright. All of the stars out and there were few clouds in the sky. She listened to the gentle sound of the waves colliding with the hull of the Pearl. As if the moment couldn't be any more beautiful, she was also holding the helm of the fastest ship in the Caribbean, with Captain Jack Sparrow watching.

But, even the beauty of the moment could not hide the harsh reality that she was going "home", leaving it all behind. She was going back to that wretched spit of land-her "prison", as Jack called it. She heard his exact words in her head, "Elizabeth," he had said, "if you had stayed on that island, you would have suffocated.That island was a prison that Will unintentionally placed you in. You could never live a life like that... you long for freedom. You knew that that island was no place for you, or you would have never agreed to come with me." He was absolutely right.

A tear escaped Elizabeth's eye and swam down her cheek. At that precise second, she felt a hand on her back, then heard Jack whisper in her ear, "About that arrangement... " She turned to face him. Her heart started to beat in tune with her shaking knees. 'Uh-oh,' she cringed, 'what did I arrange again?' Now, she remembered. She was supposed to tell him whatever he wanted to know or do whatever he wanted her to do.

Who knew what Jack had up his sleeve? The smile on his handsome face was clue enough that she should be afraid. Very afraid. However, his eyes were not as devilish as his smile. The windows to his soul gave away his perhaps not-so-cruel intentions. Her minor amount of fear barely allowed her to murmur, "What about it?"
"Well, I do believe that it is your turn to hold up your end of said arrangement."
"Oh?" She unintentionally let go of the helm and put her hands on her hips, turning full-body to face him. "And what if I should choose NOT to hold up my end of said arrangement?"
He glared and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Don't even try that, love."
"Why not?" She frowned.
He mocked her, putting his hands on his hips as well. "Because even a fiendish pirate like myself has the decency to never go back on his word."
"Perhaps I'm more fiendish than you are."
He chuckled, "Don't make me laugh, Lizzie."

Elizabeth gave Jack a friendly punch in the arm. He held on to where she hit and rubbed it. Just then, the ship rocked and jostled, sending both the captain and the girl to the floor. A pirate yelled, "We must have hit a reef!" Elizabeth remembered that no one was steering the Pearl. "Oops!" she squeaked, grabbing the spokes, putting the ship back on course. Jack asked, shouting in disbelief, "You let go of the helm!"
"You distracted me!"
"No excuses! Never leave the Pearl to steer herself!"

Pintel and Ragetti came running up to Elizabeth. "Poppet," Pintel managed, out of breath, "Little Liam's crying in the cabin!" "Oh dear," she replied, then yelled, "Mister Cotton! Take the helm!" The crewman with the parrot came running to obey, but he wasn't fast enough to satisfy Elizabeth. She abandoned the helm and ran down the steps, across the deck, to the cabin.

Liam lay there on the bed, wailing. His face was red and he was tugging on the arm of Gibbs's stuffed bear. Elizabeth picked her son up and leaned him against her chest. She ran her fingers soothingly over the back of his nearly bald head. "It's okay," she tried to comfort him, "Mommy's here." His breathing started to slow, his muscles relaxing. He stopped crying, finally. She kissed the top of his head.

"He okay?" Jack asked from behind them. Elizabeth nodded, replying, "I think that the shake from the reef woke him up and scared him."
"Poor lad."
"I know."

Elizabeth sat on the mattress and rocked herself back and forth, hoping to keep Liam calm. Jack sat beside her. As soon as he did, Liam turned his head to look at the pirate. The child's mother pointed out, "He thinks you're interesting to look at." "I hope you mean that in a good way," Jack countered, moving his face closer to the baby. Elizabeth watched Liam reach out and seize Jack's nose.

The captain did not pull back immediately, as expected by Elizabeth. She stared as a different, unknown emotion came over Jack's face. It was happy. Content. Something more than that. She couldn't describe it. Liam yawned and dropped his arm in exhaustion. Just as it seemed Jack was about to back away, the infant let out a sneeze.

"Ugh!" Jack pulled away and wiped his wet face on his sleeve. Elizabeth had to laugh. She laid the now sleeping Liam on a pillow and covered him with a blanket. "That was disgusting," Jack told her, "but not as bad as when the terrible Kraken beastie sneezed on me." "It sneezed on you?" Elizabeth asked, sitting back down next to him.
"Something like that. But, it gave me my hat back in the process." He reached up and tapped his favorite item of clothing.

Elizabeth bit her lip. She knew she had to hold up her end of the bargain. She didn't want to be a liar. She was better than that.She especially didn't want to lie to Jack. He had held Liam. He'd done his part. Now, it was her turn. Next time, she swore to herself that she'd keep her mouth shut. She sighed and laid back on the bed, careful not to wake Liam. Jack fell back beside her.

"Alright Jack," Elizabeth said, "I'm going to give in and do what you ask. I guess I'm a good woman, like you're a good man." "Well," he replied, "you got half of that statement correct."
"What do you want me to say or do?" She grimaced.
"You really will?"
"Yes."
"You swear on your mother?"
"And my father."
"Okay. I believe you... wait, no I don't. Say 'I swear on my mother and father that I will tell Captain Jack Sparrow whatever he wants'."
"You want me to tell you something?" She felt relief.
"Say it!"
"I-"
"Raise your right hand."
She obeyed. "I swear on my mother and father that I will tell Jack-"
"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow." He corrected her.
She groaned. "I swear on my mother and father that I will tell Captain Jack Sparrow whatever he wants. Satisfied?"
"Hmm... maybe I should have you put your hand on a Bible... "
"Jack... "
"Just teasing, love." He smiled.

Elizabeth sat up, cross-legged on the bed. She waited for him to tell her what to do. Jack got up and took off his hat and jacket, then sat back down next to her. She looked into his dark brown eyes and got lost. She was looking into his soul, through his eyes, with no compass to guide her. He blinked, bringing her back.

"So," she asked, "what do you want to know? What do you want me to tell you?" She felt herself start to shake. She knew what he was going to ask. He was going to ask where the compass pointed for her. She just knew it. 'Please don't, Jack,' she pleaded to him silently. He grinned roguishly. Devilishly. Deviously. 'Oh, God!'

Jack cleared his throat and said, "Tell me something about yourself that nobody knows. Not even Will." "Wha-wait, what?" she asked in confusion.
"S'not what you thought, is it?"
"N-no." A huge weight lifted from her shoulders.
"You should know by now, Lizzie, that I'm completely unpredictable."

Elizabeth was quiet now. She had not been expecting that. What would she tell him? What was he asking her exactly? Did he want to know about an unknown characteristic she hid? A deep, dark secret? Something she'd done but never told anybody? She asked him this. He replied, "Ooh, I like that last one!"
"Something I've done but never told anyone? Something bad?"
He shrugged. "Surprise me."
"You're really going to waste this opportunity on something like that?"
"Just tell me, love."
"Very well... "

The eager curiosity on his face was unmatchable. It had no equal. Elizabeth would have given up everything for him to look at her like that whenever she wanted. She shook herself to come back to the present, out of her daze. She thought hard on what she would tell him. He sat patiently with a smug grin on his face.

Something she'd done, but never told anyone... not even Will? There weren't many things she could tell him that would fit that description. Just then, she had it. She knew what she would tell him. It was the perfect story she could tell that would hold up her end of the bargain and let her walk away, keeping her pride.

"Okay, Jack," Elizabeth told him, "I will tell you about something I did, but never told anyone." "Not even Will?" he asked, making sure.
"Not even Will. Not anyone."
He fidgeted on the bed excitedly. "Tell me!"
"It happened the first day I met you-"
"But, then, wouldn't I know about it already?"
"No."
"Ooh. What happened?"
"What happened? I saved your skin- that's what happened!"
"I know you did. Remember? After I cut your corset." He winked.
"No. I mean, I saved you AGAIN."
He scoffed. "I doubt that."
"You'd be surprised."
"Well, you obviously didn't do a very good job, seeing as I still ended up in jail that day."
"If you don't want me to tell you... "
"No, I do!"

Elizabeth looked down to see that Jack had taken a hold of her leg, which was now tingling. Their eyes met and locked. Not knowing why and perhaps unaware that she did, Elizabeth placed her own hand on Jack's. She had the sudden urge to kiss him. She went in to do so, but he turned his head, saying, "About that story... the one about the day we met... "

Embarrassed, Elizabeth pulled her hand from Jack's and leaned back. She looked at Liam for a second; he was sleeping peacefully. His chest rose and fell every time he breathed. She couldn't help but sigh, seeing him like that. She cleared her throat and began her story, of confession, as Jack probably saw it. "I'll start from when you made you heroic escape-"
"Yes, don't leave that out."
She smiled. "Alright. Here we go... "

Elizabeth stepped defensively in front of Jack and spoke to Norrington through gritted teeth, "Pirate or not, this man saved my life!" Norrington argued, "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness." Jack put in, "Though it seems enough to condemn him."
"Indeed."

The soldier finished shackling Jack and stepped back for a minute. The pirate sighed, "Finally!" and pulled the irons over Elizabeth's neck, but not tight enough to choke her. The girl gasped, terrified, now, of her captor. "No! Don't shoot!" Elizabeth's father, the governor of Port Royal, shouted. Jack whispered in Elizabeth's ear, "I knew you'd warm up to me!" then said, "Commodore Norrington, my effects, please... and my hat!" The leader stood, shocked. "Commodore!" Norrington got Jack's things from another soldier.

Jack said to his hostage, "Elizabeth... it is Elizabeth, isn't it?" "It's Miss Swann!" she corrected through gritted teeth.
"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind... " he gestured to his effects, "Come, come here. We don't have all day!"
The soldier handed the girl Jack's things. The pirate spun her around and said, "Now, if you'll be VERY kind... "

Elizabeth realized that Jack wanted her to put his effects on for him. What was she going to do? He has his pistol pointed at her head! She found his hat in the pile of things in her arms and put it on his head. She tried to put his belt on, but it was hard to wrap it around because his arms were in the way. She finished that one, then put on the last one.

"Easy on the goods, darling," the pirate teased. Elizabeth growled, "You're despicable!"
"Sticks and stones, love. I saved you're life, you saved mine. We're square."
He spun her back around to face the worried men. "Gentlemen," Jack said, "milady; you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Captain Jack Sparrow released Elizabeth and threw her at the Commodore. She couldn't comprehend what happened next. All she knew was that the pirate was up in the air and a cannon had come down, smashing a hole into the dock. A soldier fell into it. Jack was spinning around in the air, only holding onto a rope, flying in a circle. "Now will you shoot him!" the governor asked. "Open fire!" Norrington commanded.

The soldiers fired at the airborne pirate. The shots numbed Elizabeth's ears. She worried for Jack, who shouted in terror. Elizabeth watched as he flung the shackles over another rope and slid down to the ground, meters away. He started running and the soldiers kept firing. Jack ran across a bridge, into town.

"Now, here comes that part you DON'T know," Elizabeth told the pirate. Jack was now laying on the bed, next to Liam. He had his arms folded over his stomach, perfectly relaxed, listening intently. "You know what?" Jack said, "I miss the former Commodore."
"I do too."
"Got a good laugh from him, I did."
"He always meant well."
"Who cares? Go on with the story!"

Elizabeth smiled wide at Jack's eagerness to hear. She realized she had his undivided attention. He sat, waiting for her to continue, but she kept staring at him. He waved a hand in front of her and teased, "Hello? Lizzie?"She shook her head, coming out of her trance. "Right," she said, "After you ran, I got away from my father and James and went after you too."
"You did?"
"I ran with the soldiers."
"And so the pirate kingliness began."
"I guess you could say that."

Elizabeth ran alongside the soldiers. The pirate was out of sight. She had forgotten that she was in her underwear, so she didn't understand why everyone was looking at her strangely. She departed from the soldiers and decided to look for Jack herself. She didn't want them to catch him, so she had to find him before they did. She spotted him running by and eatery down the road. She called to him, "Captain Sparrow!" but he didn't seem to notice.

Suddenly, she heard the running of boots behind her. She turned to find all of the soldiers back, coming towards her. She didn't want them to find Jack, so she walked to them and screamed, pointed in the wrong direction, "He went that way! Get him!" "You sure?" one of the masked.
"Positive! After him!"

The members of the Royal Navy obeyed and went in the opposite direction, away from their prey, while Elizabeth chased after it. She ran the correct way, to where she'd seen Jack. She ran in his direction and found him scurrying by her favorite dress shop. "Captain Sparrow!" she shouted, but he didn't turn.

Elizabeth continued to stalk him, growing more tired. He was going down almost every street. She heard the boots again and saw the men coming her way. She approached them and lied, "He's down by the docks again! I saw him!" "Thanks, milady," they replied, taking her false advice.

Trying to catch her breath, Elizabeth attempted to find the pirate after the soldiers left her. Alley after alley, shop after shop, she could not find him. She asked people if they had seen a suspicious, unusual-looking man run by, but everyone replied that they had not. Elizabeth decided to give up, hoping that Jack could manage without her deceiving the men any longer. She was surprised to discover that she truly hoped she'd see that captain again.

"A little while after I returned home, my maid informed me of your arrest," Elizabeth told Jack, "as you can imagine, I was quite disappointed." He nodded, appearing to be thinking. He was looking at the ceiling, rapping his fingers on the mattress. "What?" she asked him, praying he would tell her what was on his mind. "Oh, nothing," he replied, smiling, "I was just thinking of how much I would have enjoyed seeing the governor's daughter chasing after me in her under garments."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. She reached for a pillow on the bed and threw it at him, knocking his hat off. Now, HIS mouth dropped open, just as hers. He got himself a pillow and threw it at her this time. "Jack!" she scolded. She ran over and tackled him, hitting him with another pillow. This fun was all interrupted by the cries of the awakened Liam, next to them on the bed.