AN: Here is a long chapter to make of for lost time. This is really the first part of a big chapter, but, alas, it was too big, and I decided to split it up. Unfortunately, this means the action is interrupted...sorry, rambling to myself again. If you are confused by any part (which you might be. I got confused writing it), then feel free to ask.

As always, enjoy.

"Winifred?" he answered, surprised. "You have been crying."

"It's nothing, Commodore," and said, wiping my tears away quickly. But an onslaught came as relief washed over my mind. Finally, someone I could trust without any doubt clouding my mind. "I am so glad to have found you! I have been so…so…I don't even know where to start!"

I was sobbing at this point, on the verge of a break down, and Dawson had the courtesy to catch me before I collapsed. "What has happened?" muttered Belmont quietly. His eyes seemed to radiate concern, so much so that it appeared strained and fake. I didn't care, I just needed someone who would listen and help.

"Too many things. But I don't want to talk about it here. Just take me away!"

"I believe that can be arranged. Come with us please."

Walking out, I took off my mask and wiped away the rest of my stingin tears. I thought I heard someone call my name, someone who sounded quite a bit like Richard, but when I looked back, I couldn't see him, or at least recognize him. So I ignored it.

I followed the Commodore and his friend like a lost puppy, sobbing every once in a while, then blushing furiously because of it. I hated to cry in front of people; my face bloated and my eyes became puffy. All in all, I usually looked rather pathetic, but everything that had happened to me was too overwhelming, and no longer cared.

It was then I remembered about Barbossa, and turned back to see if he was following us. No one could be seen as I squinted into the night, but then again, he was wearing mostly black.

"Miss Delaney, if you could please hurry," insisted Belmont with a slight annoyance to his tone. I looked at him in surprise, but did as asked. If Barbossa did try anything, it would three against one, and Barbossa was not foolish enough to try that kind of odds.

It was dark outside, cloudy and damp, with the full moon peeking out every now and then. Unfortunately, neither man had thought to bring a torch of any kind, and the three of us meandered blindly, feeling our way through the allies and streets. Finally, we reached the dock, and Belmont led me onto a ship, one that was not his own, with Dawson close behind.

"Commodore," I whispered, though I wasn't sure why, "this isn't your ship. Where am I?"

"It is the Midas," he muttered. "Dawson, if you could be so kind."

Dawson, who had taken off his mask, was grinning like a madman, and a terrible feeling was forming in my stomach. Men that had not been on the deck before were creeping forward stealthily. They were dirty, grimy, and had a horrid, wicked glint in their eyes.

"Pirates!" I gasped, cluthing my hands to my chest defensivly.

"Set sail, ye scallywags!" growled Dawson. "You three, take this one down to the brig with the other two."

"Other two?" I shrieked. "Belmont, what's happening?"

The Commodore smirked, and vile, disgusting grin that put forth all of his evil intentions. "I'm sure you can figure that out for yourself. Goodnight, Miss Delaney."

"NO!!!" I screamed, hitting one of the advancing men squarely over the head. "I WILL NOT BE USED LIKE THIS!!!"

For some reason, this outbreak stopped all actions on deck, and wondering eyes turned in my direction to see a furious, frightened women, pale and shaking. The spell didn't last long. The three assigned men grabbed me once again, guffawing like lunatics, touching and rubbing me all over as they dragged me toward the brig.

"NO!!! LET GO OF ME!!! NO!!! NO!!!" I screeched again. This time, I kicked and fought until my feet were on the ground. Then I punched and bit and scratched and shoved until my dress was successfully ripped off and I was cornered to the railing, the three men not but four feet away, laughing uproariously. All of the other crew was watching, laughing as well. They all knew there was no chance that I could possibly escape, for the ship was now beginning to leave the dock of Port Royal.

I peeked over the edge of the railing to the water. It was a long way down. A very long way down.

"You would drown before you reached the shore," said Belmont lazily. "Don't bother, Miss Delaney."

So they all assumed that I couldn't swim. Natural, I supposed, for most women at this time couldn't swim.

However, I was an excellent swimmer, and intended to use this to my advantage. Now there was the problem of height. It wasn't that I was afraid of the height itself, it was what was going to happen when I hit the water. Once, as a young girl, I had gone off the high dive and landed an excellent belly flop that left me coughing up blood. I had never bothered to try diving since.

But I had been kidnapped twice before, and did not intend to make this the third time. I was not an object; no longer would I be treated like one. Taking a deep breath, I placed myself on the edge, ready to fall.

"Don't you dare," snarled Belmont, and the three men charged, right as I toppled into the sea below.

I went under, the perfect pencil dive and began to swim for my life, praying they wouldn't shoot at me. I stayed under until my lungs felt like they would burst, surfacing maybe twenty feet away, only to hear the frantic shouts of Belmont and Dawson mingling, telling the men to turn the ship around.

That's all I bothered to listen for. Straightway I began to swim as fast as my body could go to the shore. Thankfully, the ship had not gone very far, and after five minutes of intense breaststroke, I collapsed onto the sandy shore, exhausted and frigid. For two minutes I lay there, gasping for air and reminding my limbs how to move.

"There she is!"

I struggle up to see a mob of men running toward me, not from the docks, but the forest, about 100 meters away. It took my mind a moment to realize the importance of this, but understanding hit like a sledge hammer. Barbossa had most of his crew stationed in the forest, with the ship. These men were coming from the forest; these men were Barbossa's crew.

No wonder Barbossa hadn't chased after me when I left. As said, he was no fool. He was going to get the full force of his crew behind him before retrieving me.

Or kill me. I wasn't sure which.

And I didn't bother to stay and find out. Seeing fifty men charge me, waving swords and such in the air somehow regenerated my body into functioning properly, and I jumped up, sprinting along the beach, sand flying in every direction as I booked it to Port Royal.

"Leave me alone, let me go away. I never want to see you again."

Jack stood still, watching Finn leave. Or more precisely, watching where she had left from, seeing as it had been twenty minutes since their conversation.

"I never want to see you again."

So she hated him. Finn no longer wanted anything to do with him.

Understandable, in all respects. Unfortunately, the moment she walked through the door away from him, he had realized something horrible, wonderful, and what would probably prove to be his downfall.

Jack wanted Finn.

The worst part was that he knew he didn't want her, he wanted her. He had had fleeting relationships, mostly revolving around rum and pleasure, with other women, but he didn't really care if they went and killed themselves the next morning. He didn't really care if they suddenly disappear off the face of the earth, never to be seen by him again. He had gotten them once, and once was good enough.

But Finn…he cared if she were to disappear; he was caring right now. He cared that she was miserable, betrayed, and he felt absolutely rotten about it, because he knew it was his fault. The difference between her and other women was that he cared about her.

As if everything wasn't bad enough, he had screwed up. And he probably wasn't going to get Finn. Ever. She knew something he refused to consider, the same thing he had ignored with Elizabeth. She was too good, and he was too bad. It was as simple as that.

Finn stuck by the rules, always gave help to those who needed it, tried to behave well and would never commit a crime if she could help it. He was selfish, greedy, criminal, and in general a very bad egg, something he had prided himself for until just now.

He almost slapped himself as these thoughts went through his head. Here he was, moping, being sentimental. He was Captain Jack Sparrow. When he wanted something, he got it one way or another. Keeping it, now that was another matter entirely.

But he wanted Finn; he was going to get her, and he was going to keep her.

Smirking to himself, he followed the same trail as Finn out of the ballroom, whistling the tune Elizabeth had taught him so long ago on that deserted island.

"Ella, Winnie is here!" whispered Richard urgently.

Ella frowned, and looked at him skeptically. She had gone to freshen herself up for a moment, leaving Richard alone to stand near the door. "She's here?"

"Not anymore! She left with some fellow dressed as a hawk, and another dressed as a king."

Ella raised her eyebrow. "How do you know it was her?"

"She took off her mask."

"Well, let's follow her!" said Ella, tearing off her own mask and grabbing his hand impatiently. "I don't know why she was here, but we can't let anyone get to her right now! Barbossa is here, we know that. She's probably trying to escape from him!"

"Who would she have left with?"

"I…don't know."

The two looked at each other wonderingly. "It doesn't matter," decided Ella. "We just need to find Finn. That's all that matters." Richard nodded and together they ran out of the ball room and into the streets of fate.

"Elizabeth! Something is happening! Do you hear that shouting?" whispered Clarissa.

The governors daughter had, to the surprise of Elizabeth, taken her situation with a fair amount of grace. Yes, she cowered, yes, she begged to be let free, but over the past weeks, she had not shouted or scream or lost her head. Clarissa had been practical, something that had not been previously expected.

"Yes, I hear it. But I can't understand what they are saying," muttered Elizabeth, but her mind was elsewhere. During the long times of being left alone, she had been fashioning some type of hook out of the fabric of her dress, along with what ever little pieces of metal she could reach from the cell in the brig. She was making the finishing touches now.

"The ship is turning around again!" exclaimed Clarissa. "But we were just leaving! Do you suppose they're trying to catch someone?"

Elizabeth, at this comment, looked up. "Possibly…where are we?"

Clarissa shrugged. The Commodore had been very strict in the rule that these prisoners were to know absolutely nothing. They had no window, so timeframe and area were not available.

"Aha! It's done!" smiled Elizabeth, holding up her hook. Clarissa studied it skeptically.

"If you think it will work…"

"Watch. I've known Jack Sparrow for years, and stuff like this always seemed to work for him." Elizabeth reached her arms through the bars, aimed, and swung the hook towards the keys, which were about ten feet away. It missed.

"Elizabeth, you aren't Jack Sparrow," groaned Clarissa, sinking down to her knees. "The chances of us getting out of here alive…"

"Don't be pessimistic. Just wait. It will work."

The Midas reached port within ten minutes of Winifred's dive over the railing, and Belmont was furious.

"I want everyone on this ship to scour the town for Miss Delaney," he snarled, grabbing an unfortunate man by the collar as he said this. He speaking not only to Dawson's crew, but his own, whom he had told Winifred was a wanted criminal. "You are to go in groups of threes. If anyone spots her, two will go to restrain her and one will come back to inform me. Is that clear?"

Soldier and pirate alike nodded their heads, soon running into the night to search for the unfortunate target, who was yet to enter Port Royal.

"What are we doing?" asked Dawson, following Belmont off his ship as a small child would.

"What everyone else is. Do you honestly think I intend to stand here, putting full faith in either crew to actually find Miss Delaney? You disgust me, Dawson."

Dawson opened his mouth to defend himself, but Belmont was already walking ahead, and so the pirate followed.

It was late at night, and most people were asleep, curled up in their beds, not aware of the life-threatening search that was about to begin. The pirate and soldier threesomes were pacing the streets quietly, being careful not to be too loud, and Belmont, with Dawson, was in the mists of them all, straining his eyes for any sign of movement, reminding everyone to remain quiet.

They were about three blocks from the governor's mansion when, out of the corner of his eyes, two people were seen slinking along in the shadows. Silently, he slipped to the side, leaving Dawson to check an alleyway, so as to catch a glimpse of who the two persons might be.

"Richard, what's going on? I've seen five groups of men, just walking around. They look like…pirates."

Belmont frowned, recognizing the voice all too well. That was Ella Bronte. But Ella had been kidnapped by Barbossa, a fact that seemed to have escaped his memory as his long search for Winifred had started.

And that's when he remembered, the key element that had begun this entire adventure: Ella had his ruby key.

And here was Ella Bronte, with the runaway Richard, whom he had forgotten about as well. It was too perfect of an opportunity.

As both approached where he stood, watching for the groups he had sent out warily, he hid behind stacked barrels until they were five feet in front of him. Then he stepped out, ever so silently, and pulled out his pistol and pointing it at Richard. "Miss Bronte, and Lieutenant Tremaine. What a pleasant surprise."

Both spun around in fright, Ella's face going slightly pale when she saw the pistol pointing at Richard. "Belmont," she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yes. It is me. I was hoping to see you, both of you in fact, again. Each of you have some unfinished business with me. Ella, I am going to have to insist that you come with me. Richard, I do believe desertion is punishable by death, a sentence I intend to carry out now."

"NO!" cried Ella, throwing herself in front of him. "Don't! I'll do whatever you want, just don't shoot him!"

Belmont smiled, a terrible villainous smile. "I had been wondering when this would happen, that both of you would finally realize what you meant to the other. It's too perfect. Ella, I want you to come with me onto the Hildegard."

Ella was frozen, looking at her beloved and the Commodore back and forth. "Very well."

"Ella, don't," pleaded Richard. "Don't trust him."

"I suggest you keep quiet," growled Belmont, sticking the pistol out further. "Miss Bronte, come here. Or Richard is dead."

After one fleeting look at Richard, she came forward, staring blindly down the barrel of the pistol in front of her. This couldn't be real, her leaving Richard, going with the Commodore. Looking up, she saw Belmont glaring fiercely at her, as if fire had erupted in his bright blue eyes, giving him a crazed look. "Move," he ordered, the demand more of a snarl that anything, and grabbing her wrist harshly, yanked her out of the way and fired.

Ella screamed, a blood-curdling, heartbreaking scream as Richard collapsed to the ground. "NO! RICHARD!" She struggled viciously, trying to release Belmont's relentless grasp on her. But he was too strong for her, and soon both her arms were trapped at her sides. She raised her head, trying to look Belmont on the eye. "You lying bastard!"

He let loose a wild cackle. "I would think you would have been smarter, Miss Bronte. You knew I was dangerous, I could see it in your eyes. I don't know how, but you knew."

Tears were streaming down her face, burning as they ran across her cheeks. When Belmont had fired, it felt like half of her had been blasted away, leaving a gaping hole where her heart had been. "You killed him!" Ella screeched. "You murderer!"

"Yes. I am." Belmont looked at her, piercing through her mind, scratching out what little heart she did have left. It felt like she was dying from the inside out, as though she would explode from the agony of having Richard gone. Belmont was dragging her away; Ella was shrieking, sobbing, struggling for her freedom.

Then…Belmont yelled, more in surprise than actual hurt. Ella, whose eyes had been previously blinded by misery, looked to what Belmont was afraid of. There, holding a pistol, was a man.

In fact, it was Richard.

Before either Belmont or she could respond properly, Richard had brought the pistol up and whacked it against the Commodore's head, who promptly crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Ella stared dumbly, wondering for a moment if it was an apparition that stood before here. Her doubt dissipated when he pulled her into a passionate kiss that made her soar. When they broke away, she stared lovingly into his beautiful gray eyes. "How…?"

"Belmont has terrible aim, something not many people know. I knew he was going to fire, so I just pretended--"

"Oi! The Commodore!"

The heads of the two lovers snapped up to see a large blonde pirate sprinting toward, trying to draw his pistol. "Dawson!" gasped Richard. "Run!"

Both took off into the night, avoiding the groups of pirates and soldiers that seemed to ransack the area. Through alleyways and streets, behind barrels and through bushes the two ran, stopping every now and then to rest. But another group of pirates always seemed to see them, and once again Ella and Richard would take off, wondering where was the protection they needed so badly, and whether anyone else in Port Royal was aware of the impending danger that flooded the streets right now.

Another group was chasing them, and Ella could hear the Commodore's voice in the distance, shouting for his soldiers to find them at all costs. Heads were peaking out of windows and doors, children asking their mothers what was happening. Screams could be heard from women as pirates entered their homes.

The three pirates behind them had almost caught up, and Ella put on a burst of speed that had been sleeping from her track days. Then suddenly…Richard wasn't by her. She skidded to a halt, circling around to try and find him. He just wasn't there.

"There she is!"

Two more pirates came charging, not twenty feet away. After a fleeting glance behind her, Ella sprinted off again, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, a desperate attempt to stay alive.

I flew into Port Royal, probably the fastest I have ever ran in my life. Skittering behind a pile of rope, I collapsed into a useless heap.

I knew I couldn't stay for long, but Barbossa's crew was slower than I was, and it was dark. At least a few minutes could pass before I needed to worry about running again. In the meantime, I could try and remember how to breathe. A corset was still restraining my breathing abilities, and I tried to pick the laces out, but to no success. They were swollen with the water from my swim, which was only constricting them more, making it even harder to breath than before. I pulled on the corset itself, hoping I could loosen it just a little, but it wouldn't budge. After another shallow breath, I clutched my stomach anxiously. I was going to suffocate if I ran any more.

At this point, all I wanted to do was wallow in self-pity, but it was a wish I had learned to ignore. Instead, I stood up shakily, and peeked out of the alley way cautiously.

To my utter horror, I saw men, pirates, running around, as if looking for something. Scrunching my eyes up, I could make out some of the men who were closer to me, but they most certainly were not from Barbossa's crew…

Out of the corner of my eye, a saw a large flame go up, catching onto the surrounding buildings. Screams of terror penetrated the air, and raucous laughter mingled with the smoke as it weaved its way toward the sky.

Now that was definitely Barbossa's crew, and they had entered Port Royal. Once again, I was in grave danger. However, I was a little hesitant to leave my current location. Firstly, I really wanted to know who these other pirates were, and what exactly they were looking for. Secondly, I had nowhere to go, no where safe.

"I'll keep you safe, Finn."

I blinked, peeved that he even dared enter my thoughts, but the statement wouldn't leave. Safe. I just wanted to be safe again. I just wanted to stop running, stop hiding.

The emotion was becoming too overwhelming, and tears slid out from my eyes, which I hastily tried to wipe away. Of all the times to become sensitive, this was the worse. But I couldn't stop myself, and, falling to the ground again, I let loose hot, angry tears.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

My sudden outburst had left me quite without breath, and after gasping for air and drying my face hurridly, I looked up to see three dark figures standing over me. The light from the fire silhouetted them, as if angels of death were coming to take me away.

"Poor, poor poppet," cackled the one to my left. He bent down to study me, and grinned wider when he saw what I was dressed in. "You seem to be lost. And, being gentlemen, we would gladly help you find your way home."

The other two guffawed stupidly at the lewd comment. Clenching my fists together, I growled in response, "Get away from me."

The three pirates laughed even louder, until the one in the middle stopped to stare. "Who are we looking for again? Some girlie?"

The one on the left cocked his head to the side quizzically, then turned to stare too. "That Miss Delaney the Commodore is so wrapped up about."

I could feel my face paling at his remark, and was suddenly brought back to the attic in the maid's room, where three pirates had been looking for me there. It felt an awful lot like déjà vu, except this time I wasn't hidden above there heads, and I didn't have Jack to save me.

Blasted! Why did he keep intruding my thoughts at the worst time possible?

"Wot she look like?"

"Brown hair, blue eyes, tall…" All three men gawked at me intently. "I'd say she fit's the description."

Before I could so much as blink an eye, the middle one had grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me up, bringing me nose to nose with him. "I think she's the one."

And once again, I was captured. Three against one; not very good odds.

"Miss Delaney! Thought you could escape?"

I twisted myself into a position to see the oncoming, crackling voice, only to realize with a terrible shock it was…Barbossa. Not but ten feet away, and wielding his sword treacherously, a nasty smile plastered to his face.

"Wot you want?" asked the pirate on the left after a pause.

"The girl. Give her too much, or--"

Barbossa never bothered to finish his sentence, for, once realizing that I wasn't going to be free unless I did something, I had brought my knee up to the groin of my captor, making him loosen his goliath grip on my shoulder. Elbowing him in the stomach, I struggled out and pushed my way past the three pirates into the street and ran for my life.

I wasn't sure how I had just escaped, but I didn't really care. My mind was too blinded by fear and determination that I failed to hear anything other than what I chose to hear. All that mattered was that I somehow find a safer spot to rest, while magically avoid both pirate crews.

The air was stuffy from the plumes of smoke that rolled across the town in waves, making it even harder to breath than it already was. Fire illuminated the dark sky, and I was gravely reminded of Armageddon. In all respects, it felt like the end of my world.

Then, just as I had turned a corner to evade another group of pirates, I collided with a small figure, sending us both hurtling to the ground, me hitting my head on a barrel.

"Ow," I moaned, sitting up slowly while rubbing my head.

"Sorry," the other voice mumbled.

My eye darted over to the person across from me, only to see Ella, who was rubbing her own head tenderly.

"Ella?"

She looked up, just as shocked, but a gigantic grin spread across her face, and she tumbled into my arms to give me the hardest hug possible. "Finn!"

"Hey! Here she is!"

Both of us scrambled up to face a large group of pirates, and I couldn't help but think this was getting very old. "They're after me!" we both cried in unison, but glanced at each other oddly.

"There after you?" we both asked again, while backing farther down the street as the pirates advanced. After one more look, a mixture of amusement and fright, we nodded. "Run?" Ella asked, though she really didn't need an answer.

"Run."

We sped off, leaving the stunned pirates in the dust. Dodge here, duck there, swerve to the right, jump over that bush, don't let them see you if you can help it. Breathing was becoming more of a labor for me, but all I could do was hold onto Ella's hand and run.

It was and odd sensation. I was with Ella again, and despite the fact that we were now trying to avoid pirates in the eighteenth century, it felt very normal. Just us two, running, just us two having an adventure again.

We stopped behind a secluded stable, both to catch our breaths, but I began to laugh. Not cry, which would have been more realistic. After all, I was finally reunited with my best friend after years of thinking she was gone forever. No, I laughed. I didn't know why; there was nothing remotely funny about the situation I was in, but still I laughed.

Ella joined in too, and we collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down our faces. It seemed to go on for eternity, as if we were at high school again, laughing about some ridiculous joke. Actually, it was a very suitable thing to happen. We never cried when together, why cry now?

At this moment, we were not two young women, wanted by pirates and in the middle of a dangerous circumstance; we were two teenagers again, just enjoying being together. It really wasn't very odd at all.

"I can't believe it's you!" gasped Ella, holding her side. "Oh my! I have such a horrible stitch!"

"You're speaking--like some--old lady!" I answered, which only sent us into another fit of giggles. Gunshots and screams were heard, but farther away than expected, and never entered our own little world that had just been created.

"Do you think they'll find us?" she whispered once both of us had calmed down.

I shook my head. "Not for awhile. Let's just wait."

Ella grinned and lean back next to me. "I though you were dead."

"I thought you were dead. I didn't think I was going to ever see you again."

"Suppose we're just lucky?"

"Probably."

"Whatever happened to you?"

"Some old Admiral picked me up. Then I got suck as a governess for some snooty lady."

"You taught the snooty lady?" Once again, we laughed, clutching each other for support.

"No, no, I taught her daughters, who are quite pleasant."

"Now who's talking like an old lady?"

Another fit of laughter.

"My word, my corset is killing me! I would love to sue whoever invented this death-trap." Histerical laughter once again.

"Than take it off."

"I can't! I'm going to make myself faint from all this laughing."

This of course only made both of us laugh harder.

"How did you get wrapped up in all this?" Ella asked. "The chances of this happening are…"

"Don't do the math," I mumbled. "Don't remind me of school. And I don't have the energy to start explaining now. I can't imagine where to begin."

Ella chuckled. "We haven't changed at all."

"Nope. It doesn't even feel like we've been gone that long."

"I know. It just feels like another weekend."

We sat back in silence, breathing heavily, but beyond contentment. I couldn't help but think this was the best day of my life.

Heavy footsteps ruined it though, coming from behind, not twenty meters away, and we both shot up, alert and awake. A long soldier peeked his head around the corner, and upon seeing us, jumped slightly.

Neither of us bothered to see if he was friendly. We ran.