AN: A thousand apologizes for taking so long to update, but school as been absolutely horrendous to me. However, I am now making it up to you for publishing the longest chapter yet, (seventeen pages long, mind you). I really did not want to mess this chapter up, too many important things happen in it, which accounts for the amount of time I spent writing it. I would love any reviews or suggestions, as usual. (Oh, and sorry that I had to split the action into two chapters, if that did bug anyone. Obviously, the chapter would have been extremely long, and I didn't feel like testing the maximum capacity of the document loader.)

And once again, enjoy.

"Aha!"

It was Elizabeth, and as predicted, the hook had successfully knocked the keys off their hook, and dragged them to the cell. Never mind it had taken a better part of an hour.

"Thank heavens!" exclaimed Clarissa. "Let's leave!"

"Agreed," muttered Elizabeth as she unlocked their cell. The door swung wide with a echoing creak, but neither women paid any mind. It was clear that the crew was gone, and Belmont had neglected to leave any guards.

"Once my father hears of this…" began the daughter, but Elizabeth heard no more of Clarissa's rant once they had stepped onto the deck. Large, orange flames framed the buildings, sending out vile smoky smell. She nearly screamed, but suppressed it.

"Oh my…" said Clarissa, as she came up behind Elizabeth. "Oh…oh no! My father!"

"Don't worry Clarissa, I'm sure he's okay. I doubt very much this had anything to do with your father."

Clarissa wasn't listening. Any composure she had kept during their confinement was let go, and she was reduced to helpless sobs. "My father! They're going to kill him!"

"Clarissa, come on."

Elizabeth, with great force, dragged her companion down the gangplank and crept down the docks. It was dark here, and the few men that were there at the moment were not pirates. She stopped at the edge of the town, not quite willing to actually enter the burning inferno in front of her. Clarissa was still mumbling hysterically.

"We need to go to my mansion. Arielle and Isabella are still there with everyone else, who knows what they're thinking at the moment!"

"No, no, I want to go to my mansion!" cried Clarissa. "We need to call for the soldiers!"

"We've just been imprisoned by Belmont! Do you really think the soldiers are going to be on our side?" hissed Elizabeth, ducking behind a building as a group of men came toward them. "Listen, Clarissa. We just need to get to my mansion, then we can go to your house. They are right by each other, so don't worry."

Clarissa wasn't listening. Instead, she was rocking back and forth, weeping profusely, biting her knuckles.

Elizabeth wanted to scream. Why now of all times did she have to lose her senses? "Clarissa, get up. We're leaving now." Clarissa didn't so much as raise her head in acknowledgement. This was ridiculous.

So Elizabeth hit her. It wasn't hard and wouldn't leave a bruise, but Clarissa definitely noticed and stared at her friend indignantly. "You hit me! How dare you hit a lady! How crude! How…barbaric! Elizabeth Turner, I cannot believe--"

Elizabeth bent down again and slapped her on the cheek. "Do not lecture me right now. We are in danger, and need to leave. Come to your senses, Clarissa!"

"Ladies are not suppose to hit people," continued Clarissa in a hurt voice. "I never knew you were so brutal…"

"Damnit, Clarissa!" yelled Elizabeth stomping her foot. "I do not have time for this! You may not do this! Get up!"

This outburst seemed to awaken Clarissa, even if it was in fear. Getting up as commanded, Clarissa obediently followed Elizabeth into Port Royal, clinging to her like a lost child. They kept an even pace, jogging through the streets, watching the carnage in horror. Women were running around, shrieking, searching for their children. Men were fighting gallantly against the attack, and Elizabeth was rudely reminded of when Barbossa had first attack the colony.

Yet it seemed very unlikely that only Belmont and Dawson could wreak such havoc alone. And there were the soldiers, surely they were not behaving like this?

She decided that another ship was certainly attacking as well: there were just too many men, and too many pirates to be Dawson's crew. And Elizabeth had a creeping feeling that this other pirate was Barbossa, unfortunately without any proof.

Soon, and with enormous amounts of luck, Elizabeth and Clarissa came to the Turner mansion, which (for reasons that Elizabeth couldn't understand) remained untouched. She frowned. Something wasn't right.

"Elizabeth, come on! We need to get to my father!" cried Clarissa, grasping her companions arm and pulling with all of her strength. Elizabeth swatted her away, still looking at her mansion.

"You go on, Clarissa. I need to go to my home and make sure everyone is okay."

"I'll get shot!" she shrieked. "You'll keep me safe! You know what to do in these situations! You're the brave one!"

"Just keep your senses, Clarissa, and run. You're going to be fine. Look, its not even on fire."

"Elizabeth! Help me!"

Elizabeth, who was about to scream from frustration and stress, picked up a large stick that happened to be laying next to her. "See this? If anyone comes running toward you, just wave this in front of you like a sword. If that doesn't work, then hit them over the head with it. Understand?" And with that, she shoved the stick into Clarissa's hand and sprinted toward her mansion, hearing the faint moan from Clarissa.

The way was dark, and she came safely to it, peeking through the shaded windows, tapping softly incase anyone was there. "Robert," she hissed, after circling the house once, and now standing at the door and knocking quietly. "Robert if you're there, open the door."

Silence.

Elizabeth stepped back and stared at the large oak slabs curiously. Where was everyone? She placed her hands on the handle hesitantly, but mentally slapped herself for being so cautious. This was her house. She need not worry.

As she went in, an audible, echoing creak came from the door, and Elizabeth shivered. There certainly was nothing right about this situation, and for some reason, she desperately wanted to leave. But with the wildness surrounding her, there was one thing she needed to retrieve.

Will's heart.

Elizabeth tiptoed up the stairs to her bedroom. It had been very…odd, having Will's heart with her. It was not something she had ever kept before, and technically, should never have to keep. Medically speaking, the fact that his heart still could beat wasn't possible, and even though she had seen his heart cut out, and then see him live again with her own eyes, it was still a very big idea for Elizabeth to wrap her brain around.

She opened the door to her closet, grabbing a coat to cover her freezing figure, and unlocked the safe in the back, where the chest lay. It was as black and mysterious as when she had first seen it on the sandy beach with Jack and Norrington, but now it held a different thumping heart. Strange. Twisted. Elizabeth could never understand what she felt like when she saw the heart, so she looked at it as little as possible.

Taking the key from a chain around her neck, Elizabeth unlocked the chest and looked inside slowly, grimacing at the sight of her husband's heart laying there pumping up and down steadily. If only she could put it back in...make him whole…

But no, she was the guardian, the sole protector of her beloved's heart. Nothing, absolutely nothing would happen to it as long as she was alive and breathing. Taking it out, she transferred it to a small sack from inside the coat. This way, it would be less bulky and less noticeable to carry around. And she would always know where it was, right next to her own heart in a hidden pocket.

She stepped out and looked around at her empty room. Someone had been in here; pillows were tossed into places they were not originally been, and her jewelry box was opened. Something was definitely wrong.

Then there was a slight creak, and the door to her room opened a fraction of an inch, showing a single eye looking at her incredulously. "Robert?" she asked softly. "Robert, is that you? If it is, come in." She went forward and pushed the door open a bit more…only to feet the cold, hard metal of a pistol at her throat.

It was Pintel, someone Elizabeth had entirely forgotten about, but was once again capturing her, the same action that began her original adventures.

"'Ello, poppet. I reckon the captain would be mighty pleased to see you."

She was gone. Vanished. Out of thin air. Richard had heard people talk of such experiences, mostly involving missing children, but never thought that it could happen to him. Yet here he was, running helplessly around, trying in vain to find his beloved Ella.

But there were so many; so many women, so many pirates, so many soldiers. The large mass that seemed to sway in time, preventing him from ever locating the one person he wanted. The shadows from the bonfire created by someone was being very little help either, only skewing his sense of direction and enlarging things that were in reality very small.

Screams were a constant stream, and Richard had began to block them out. He pulled out his pistol to fire at an oncoming pirate, hitting him square in the stomach. Throughout his navy career, he had seen terrible, bloody battles that could send anyone to the mad house. But this…this was chaos, utter and absolute hell. He didn't know who his allies were. And what exactly was he fighting against? Too many variables had been tossed in the same place at once, causing nothing less than an uncontrollable explosion of terror and insanity.

Worst of all, Ella was gone.

Jack had not been prepared for what he witnessed as he flew through Port Royal, trying to find Finn. Why in the world did she have to run away now?

He recognized much of Barbossa's crew, but many of the other pirates he was not familiar with. What had happened while he was in the ball? Of course, it had to all be Barbossa's fault…

A screaming lady interrupted Jack path, and he swerved sharply to avoid her. Port Royal was an absolute mess right now, more so than he had seen it ever before. Odd as it was, the only thought running through his mind was Finn, and whether she was safe. Who was she with?

And for that matter, who had she left with? Jack whipped out his sword to fight two oncoming soldiers, but barely paying attention to the movements that his body knew so well.

The men Finn departed with had been not recognizable, granted they did have masks on, and he had only seen them through the window, but still.

Jack easily rid himself of the two men and continued his fruitless search, which unfortunately allowed him to explore his thoughts; running had become so much of a reflex it hardly took thought.

To say the least, he had damaged his relationship with Finn to extremes, primarily by using her as a bargaining chip. The chances that she would ever accept him again were miniscule, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Jack still thought she cared about him, after all she had admitted it so long ago on the deck of the Flying Fortune; feelings like that did not just vanish into thin air, that he was sure of.

But because this was Finn; she was not going to admit that openly. Because this was Finn, she would try and deny it, hide it, keep it safe because she did not want him knowing the truth. And, odd as it was, that's what made her so likeable. Jack couldn't understand why, nor did he ever expect to, but it was the truth.

Now, it was his mission to fix that, and he realized with a twinge of fear that it was certainly taking position above finding the Fountain.

A large, brute pirate came charging toward from behind a cart, and Jack lifted his sword and smacked him with the hilt of it, sending him reeling into the street. He needed to somehow make Finn understand, or somehow prove to her that he, for once, was not lying about…loving her…though it was still hard for him to understand it himself. A hard task to undertake, and possibly impossible, but it would be worth it. Then he could find the Fountain. If things didn't work out between him and Finn, he would kidnap her until she did understand. Easy. Why had he been so unsure of himself a moment ago?

But then again, Finn would not appreciate being kidnapped…again. That she had made very clear. But he, Jack Sparrow, would be doing the kidnapping. Finn would understand eventually. It would work out, it always had and it always would. Finn just didn't stand a chance. Not against him.

Huffing and puffing, Dawson shadowed a tall, villainous man dressed in a skeleton costume, who he was sure was Barbossa. The descriptions of his demeanor and voice fitted perfectly with the man in front of him, and Dawson was determined to make his own mark upon him.

After all, he was the one who had the Black Pearl, was he not? That ship had a legend all of its own, and the chance to have it for himself was too much to refuse. Of course, Dawson would have to deal with the equally famed Jack Sparrow, but that couldn't be hard, considering he had supposedly lost his ship twice already.

"Pintel! Ragetti! What are you doing?" roared Barbossa as he slashed to men in the stomach. Dawson backed up against a wall to hear the exchange, and saw two men dragging between them none other than Mrs. Elizabeth Turner. Dawson frowned and looked back at his ship. So they had escaped. The Commodore would be less than pleased with him.

"Look wot we found, Cap'n!" cackled the taller one gleefully. "The poppet!"

"I have a name, and I know you know it," growled Elizabeth as she jabbed him in the stomach fruitlessly. "And you don't have to hold me so tightly, I'm not going anywhere."

"It don't matter," croaked the balding man. "But now guess what we have!"

"What?" snarled Barbossa, knocking out an approaching soldier.

"That key and map! Remember?"

Barbossa spun around, eyes bright with greed and smiling mouth evilly radiant. "Ah, yes, I had forgotten. Excellent. That means I have both the ruby key and these. Men, I suggest you start rounding everybody up to go back to the Flying Fortune. And I suggest you take Mrs. Turner with you."

"Barbossa, I demand to know what you are referring to," ordered Elizabeth. "To kidnap me for no reason at all--"

"Appreciable attempt, Mrs. Turner, but I know you too well to believe a single word that is pouring from your mouth at this moment. Pintel, Ragetti, take her to the ship and lock her in the brig."

"NO!" shrieked Elizabeth, but Dawson was off before he heard anymore.

So, the ruby key, the Commodore's key, was now on another ship, the Flying Fortune. The name fitted the situation.

He arrived at the docks, and searched for the ship, but could find it no where. Now, that was odd…

"You there, man!" growled Dawson, pulling aside a particularly grimy fellow whom he did not recognize to be his own. "Where is the Flying Fortune docked?"

The man stared at him for a long time before finally opening his large mouth and saying, "I don't know you…"

Sighing, Dawson took out his pistol and placed at the man's temple. "Let's try this again. Where is the Flying Fortune?"

"A mile along the beach, in a cove. Just walk along, you can't miss it."

"Thanks mate, I'll be seeing you--"

BANG!

"In hell." He blew away the wisps of smoke from his pistol and carelessly dumped the man into the water. "Sorry, but can't have your tongue slipping."

Cackling, he ran toward the beach, toward his fortune, and toward his destiny.

We were off, but at less than Olympic speeds, due mostly to our general weariness, and the fact that my corset was successfully suffocating me.

"Ella…we need…to…slow…down," I gasped, clutching my stomach desperately, stumbling clumsily over a loose plank. "I…really…can't…breath." Black spots were flickering across my line of sight. Not good.

"Finn!" she cried tugging at my limp arm. "I know, but we need to hide somewhere safe!"

"Just…let me…catch…my breath." I leaned against a brick wall, burning from the furnace that surrounded us, and which was making me sweat profusely. Looking down the street, I saw havoc, flames licking the sides of buildings greedily, consuming the houses and valuables thoughtlessly. It was a horrid, terrifying sight that could, despite the heat, chill a person to the bone, make them wonder how humans could possibly be capable of such work. Port Royal would never be the same again, and if it wasn't for the Fountain, it would have never changed.

Ella looked as bad as I felt, hair hanging limp, shoulders drooping, cherry red from the heat, and breathing heavily with excruciatingly tired eyes. "Finn, we need to keep running."

"I…can't." Looking at her helplessly, I slid down to the ground trembling slightly. "This…is my…fault."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Ella. "You're being stupid." She put her hands on her hips for emphasis, staring down at me, frowning in disagreement.

"The…key. And the…map. If I had…never taken them…from Connie…we wouldn't…even be here. We'd…be in college somewhere." The constant talking and unloading of the burden I had carried so long was making my breathing come easier, and I continued as Ella watched me, her defiant posture becoming more feeble and defeated. "I would be studying archaeology, and you would be studying…something…"

"Medicine," filled Ella, softly, looking scared and worried.

"We would have met nice boys, eventually married them, and lived in some nice suburban area with good schools and three kids apiece. We would have traveled the world, seen Italy, seen Spain, seen England…"

"Stop it Finn! This is stupid. Stop it!" Ella leaned down and started shaking me fiercely. "Don't say those things!"

"No, it's true. I never meant to have anything happen, but it did! If I hadn't taken that trash, we wouldn't be in the situation. We wouldn't have been separated for four years wondering whatever happened to the other! We wouldn't be in danger of being killed by pirates! I wouldn't be having…these ridiculous issues with this or corset…or with…uggh!" I slammed my fists on the ground, tears escaping from my eyes.

Jack, why did I have to think of him? Why did it seem he was so important?

"I want to go home! I want to get away from everyone here! I need…I don't know! I always wanted an adventure, and here it is, practically given to me on a silver platter, and I HATE IT!" I was screeching at this point, the pitch making my own ears ring painfully, banging the ground frantically, crying passionately. Very few times had I ever reached this point in my life, and I could feel my self-control steadily slipping. "I want to LEAVE! I want to go back home, where I was safe, and I knew exactly what was going to happen with my life! I want to get away from Jack!" My hand flew to my mouth as I realized what I had said, knowing that I honestly didn't mean that, but too stubborn to actually agree with myself. I did want to leave him. I wanted nothing to do with him. That was the truth, wasn't it?

Ella was staring wide-eyed at me, white faced and shaking slightly, her hands coming away from the ears she had been covering. "Finn…it's going to be okay," she assured softly, patting me on the shoulder. "We're together again, and we're going to be fine. We are going to make this the best time ever. Understand?"

"How?" I asked weakly, my voice cracking, my previous fury rapidly diminishing.

"Because we always did. And we always have. Why should this be any different?" She hugged me tightly, and I breathed out slowly, composing myself again.

Ella was right. Everything, somehow, was going to be okay, even if we did become separated again. As she retreated back, I wiped my nose and eyes, smiling slightly. "Thanks. Sorry for the meltdown."

"It was waiting to happen," she answered dryly, but smiling as well. "I think you needed to do that anyway. You okay now?" I nodded silently, blushing from embarrassment. "Come on. Let's leave."

I stood up, with the help of Ella, and we both peeked around the corner. "No one is coming," I noted, still wiping my face dry.

"But the street is packed. Look at all those men running around! Pirates. And soldiers."

"We're safe here…"

"No, someone is bound to find us," whispered Ella as a couple of men came closer. "We need to leave."

"Where are we going to go? Elizabeth's house is out of the question, Barbossa made that his hideout. The governor's house is under attack, see that? They've set it on fire. All the shops are being ransacked…the only place we can go is the forest, and Barbossa's ship is in there."

"So is the Pearl!" exclaimed Ella. "We can go there and be safe! I bet none of the other pirates know where it is!"

I glared at Ella, though not intentionally, but said nothing. I really, really did not want to agree with her, but what she said was true; Jack's ship was probably the safest place to go at the moment. The thought of being anywhere near that scoundrel made me cringe, yet there was a certain excitement that was rising as well, one that I forcefully was pushing down.

"Finn, what do you think?"

"I think…we should go there. You're right, it's safe, even though I really wish there was another option…let's go before I think about it too much. But we can't stop, we'll just run. It will be faster that way."

Taking a deep breath, we went out onto the street and started running toward the forest, ignoring the action that was happening behind and on all sides of us.

But there were too many things happening. Smoke was everywhere, fogging my vision and making me cough uncontrollably, which, of course, only made my breathing harder with the corset. People were scampering this way and that, screaming, shouting, shrieking, crying. Gunshots whizzed past my ear and behind my head as I tried to keep up with Ella, who was steadily leading us both by more and more. Now she was five feet, ten feet in front of me.

I tried to call out to tell her to stop, but my throat was dry, and I couldn't yell anyway, I had no air. I couldn't run anymore or I'd pass out.

A group of men with muskets marched in front of me, cutting me off from view of Ella. I cried out, but all that I could hear was a scratchy, cracking sound that was suppose to be my voice.

Another gunshot, another scream.

The last man with a musket went by, red and sweaty, just like everyone I saw.

And Ella was gone.

Ella was running, too afraid to stop, too afraid someone would see.

And she didn't notice Finn wasn't with her until she had to swerve to avoid a tumbling wall, and reached out for her friend, only to cling to thin air.

It was a terrible, frightening moment. Where had Finn gone? One minute, running next to her, the next…gone. Just gone.

Ella spun around where she stood, squinting through the dense smoke that permeated the air, trying to recognize the many shadows that surrounded her. She had promised Finn everything was going to be okay, and now she had lost her.

If anything, Ella knew she had to find Finn.

The forest was only two hundred meters away; a sprint she could do in thirty seconds. But Finn was still deep in Port Royal. Ella wasn't about to abandon her now, not when they had finally found each other again.

She turned around, tears threatening to come, and began shouting for her friend, her voice becoming more hoarse by the second. Faces appeared, smoky and abstract, figures running hazily. Everything that was happening couldn't be real. It was too strange, too weird. Normal people didn't have things like this happen to them, and last she checked, Ella had felt very normal.

Leaning heavily against a barrel, she rubbed her face. The smoke and sound was getting to her; she couldn't even think clearly. All that mattered now was finding Finn, and she couldn't let her thoughts distract her.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her dress, the golden one from the masquerade, and drag her behind them. Ella struggled, only to have three pairs of arms wrap around her, restricting her movement and her mouth.

It was the Commodore, grinning vilely, the soot and ash smeared over his once handsome, now wickedly diabolical, countenance. She screamed, but only a muffled murmur could be heard.

"Miss Bronte, what a pleasant surprise."

Ella struggled wildly, digging her finger nails in to the hands that bound her, but all in vain. The grips of the three, hulking men were relentless, and her attempt at freedom only caused Belmont to laugh harder, and terrible, high cackle.

"Take her to the Hildegard and lock her in the brig with Mrs. Turner and the governor's brat. She'll make good company. And round up the remaining of the crew while I hunt down Dawson. We're leaving now."

I clutched my throat in a panic. I could hardly talk let alone breath. I hated my life right now.

Thankfully, I had enough sense in my head to remember that I was in grave danger for my freedom, and ducked into the nearest store, which was still being wildly ransacked. However, the men were too occupied with the looting to see me scamper into a back room.

I fell to the floor, holding my stomach painfully, clawing at the ties that bound me, but it was no use. The knot was too tight and swollen from my previous swim. So instead I laid there, staring blankly at the ceiling, focusing at first on breath steadily, though black dots still appeared in front of my eyes.

It took a few minutes before I could think straight and sensibly. So I was once again alone. Ella was gone, again. The only safe place I could go to was Jack's ship, which also happened to be, as I stubbornly reminded myself, the last place on earth I actually wanted to be. Where in the world could I go?

The earlier eruption of mine had faded away forever, and now that I looked back at it, I was exceptionally ashamed of the way I had handled it, though, I reasoned, I rarely had such emotional problems, so of course I wouldn't know how to act. Whatever the case, it had been rather childish and stupid. Not to mention it had made me think about things I'd rather not consider…

No! Not now! I can't think about him! I need to get to safety!

And at the moment, the Black Pearl seemed to be the only safe place to be.

I sat up almost screaming in frustration. No, no, no! "You never want to see him again!" I whispered to myself, rocking back and forth. "He is a dirty, terrible, rotten, obscene pirate that sold you for his own ship! He's a criminal! A…villain!"

I hit the floor forcefully, trying to make myself believe what I was repeating. But the way he had looked, his expression as I was taken by Barbossa, was clear in my mind, and it didn't look particularly mean or cruel, but sad and…regretful? No, Jack Sparrow was hardly regretful…

I stood up, panting both from lack of air and immense frustration with myself. I needed to run and forget. That's all I needed to do. I would worry about this some other time.

I rushed out of the back room into the street, squinting through the sheet of smoke. The pirates were as rambunctious as ever, but it appeared they were more concerned with looting the area than wasting their time to look for anyone. I decided, hesitantly, that I would be safe if I were to just walk to the forest, or at least jog instead of a full out sprint. Especially since I had hardly enough energy to do such an endeavor.

All most instantly I bumped into someone, and backed away quickly, fearing the worst. But it was Richard, and when I had recognized him, I threw my arms around him gratefully, surprising him, since he didn't know who I was.

"Ella? No…Winnie! Good gracious, I thought…never mind."

"Oh, Richard, I'm so glad to see you!" I cried, laughing till tears came. "Please help me! I'm scared, so scared, and I've lost Ella!"

Richard grasped my shoulders tightly, face excited and frightened. "You've seen Ella?"

"Yes, but when we were running--"

"Hurry!" insisted Richard, now towing me forcefully along with his long strides. "We need to find her! Belmont is looking for her!"

"Belmont?" I shrieked, grimacing at the memory of only a few hours ago. "Why would he want her?"

"The key of course! The same reason he went after her in the first place!"

"But she doesn't have it! Barbossa does! He showed it to me!" I yelled hoarsely above the ruckus surrounding us as we ran.

"What? Ella doesn't have it?"

We stopped and looked at each other for a split-second. "Belmont is going to be furious," I whispered, though it sounded like a weak rasp, and Richard asked for me to repeat what I had said.

"You're right," he answered, once he understood what I had said. Suddenly, his eye lit up, then rapidly darkened as he clutched his sword hilt.

I turned around to see Belmont striding across the street, towing Ella roughly behind him as she screamed like a banshee. He hadn't noticed us, thankfully. Richard stood there, shaking in anger, but looking at me worriedly. "Go after her!" I insisted.

"But are you going to be safe?"

"Go!" I screamed, pushing him forward. Looking back painfully, he nodded and went after Ella, once again, leaving me alone.

"Right," I mumbled under my breath, but all that came out was an indistinguishable croak. Great.

I stepped into an alleyway tiredly, looking up at the sky. Richard was after Ella, so I just needed to wait and hunt them down later. Everything would work out.

Too weary for tears, I slid down the wall and sat, just breathing, though that was work enough. My throat was parched and dry from all of the running, and it felt like daggers were rimming the inside of it because of the smoke. Every breath was an effort, cutting into me jaggedly. I needed water.

"Well, well. Wot do yeh know."

I lifted my head up slowly, glaring up at the three men who were grinning maliciously down at me, pirates, from the looks of it. This was becoming very old.

"Go away," I said bluntly, or at least tried to say. All that came out was a hoarse dry sound that could hardly be considered words. Their grins widened as I felt my throat. I had lost my voice completely; I couldn't scream for help.

I scrambled up, only to have all three jump at me, grabbing my upper arms and pinning me to the wall. Naturally, I attempted to struggle, but by this point all I could do was wiggle around a bit before I was too worn out to do much more. "Let go of me," I ordered helplessly.

They guffawed stupidly, thankfully able to hear what I had said. "Yeh think yeh can order us 'round like dat, missy?" I stared at the men, glaring daggers, which of course only made them laugh harder.

They seemed familiar, and with hopes of distracting them, I asked, "Do I know any of you?" I felt like I was screaming the words, but it was nothing more than a whisper. Thankfully, the men heard it.

"Course, we's all with Barbossa."

"Right, I should have known," I thought, smiling slightly. They were a little taken aback at this action, and one of the grips loosened. I flung my arm away from him and kicked the one on my left in the shin, making to run off, only to now be pinned to the ground.

"Thought you could get away, eh?" they cackled. "Now we's a gonna be having our way with you." A fat, prickly face bent down to my own, smiling to show a row of rotting, vile smelling teeth. I screamed, or tried to scream. The other two men laughed loudly as I struggle under their grasps.

No, this was not happening. Not to me. I only heard stories about this in the news, on Oprah, from teachers. This wasn't happening.

My mouth was open in a perpetual silent scream as I kicked and bit and fought, trying to get away from this horrid creature that was stroking my cheeks with cruel hands. I prayed like I had never prayed before for someone, anyone, to save me.

BANG!

Dead weight fell onto me as the large man collapsed, his evil eyes going blank in an instant. I could hear fighting around me, swords clanging rapidly, but I focused mainly on removing the massive hulk that was trapping me. After a few moments of shifting and pushing and shoving, I was able to wriggle my way out.

I stood up to watch the ongoing fight to see who my savior was.

Jack.

Even with the shadows dancing around, hiding faces and expressions, it was clear who the jaunty figure was, facing both men with his one sword with expertise I didn't know he possessed. I could hear him chuckle as one man tried to lunge at him clumsily, which he easily avoided, and at that moment, he looked up and we locked eyes.

I couldn't breath. Mostly, I credit this to, once again, the corset and the previous struggle, but the sight of seeing Jack as the man who had saved me certainly left me in a state of shock. I watched him dispatch the remaining two men quickly, my senses blunted.

He sauntered over and wrapped me in his arms, and for a terrible moment, I thought he might kiss me, but instead he smirked. "Still getting in trouble, luv? What would you do without me."

I frowned and brought my had up to slap him for his insolence, but he caught it skillfully and trapped it. "That's not the way to receive your rescuer, darling."

"That's Miss Delaney to you!" I shouted. Once again, nothing more than a raspy whisper.

Jack grinned, even daring to laugh a little. "Whatever happened to your lovely voice? It sounds like you've tried to eat gravel."

"I've been running for my life the past few hours, breathing smoke! What did you expect?"

Jack cocked an eyebrow, still holding me fast. "You should have come with me, luv."

"Don't even start!" I shrieked, struggling hard.

Jack tightened his grip and caught my chin in his hand forcing it up to look at him. I stared, hardly breathing. We were only a few inches away, and I could smell his breath again. I closed my eyes trying to block everything, regain some sense, but I couldn't concentrate.

"Don't start what, luv?"

Opening my eyes, I glared, but decided not to answer.

"Do you still wish to never see me again?" Jack glanced pointedly at the three dead men lying to the side.

I wanted to answer, some witty remark or comeback, but I just stood there with my mouth open, blushing furiously. It was true, if Jack hadn't shown up when he did…and that excited feeling was coming back, especially as I looked at him…

Scared, I tried to move away. No. This was not going to happen.

Jack, unfortunately, noticed my reaction. "You're panicking. Now, why would you panic about ol' Jack, hmm?" He forced my face closer to his, staring at me intently.

Usually, I am very good at keeping my emotions in check, but tonight I seemed to have lost all control of them. Whatever I was feeling, for I couldn't figure it out myself, or at least refused to recognize it, was written clearly on my face. I knew it was, no matter how much I wished I could just wipe it away.

Jack saw it. I could see it in his eyes, a mix of triumph and joy and mischievousness. This time, I really couldn't breath, and it certainly wasn't because of the corset. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but I cut him off hurriedly, not wanting to know what he would say. "Let go of me."

"No. Not now that I finally caught you." He smiled as if that were the best statement he had made all night.

I decided to try again. "I can't breathe."

"Sorry, luv, I know that trick…" he murmured leaning closer. He was only an inch away. This was not going to happen.

"Jack, I can't breathe."

He stopped, hearing the desperation in my voice. He stepped back, never letting go, however. I pointed at my corset, gasping for fresh air. That had been too close, and my head was a jumble, not able to think clearly. Not to mention the barrage of butterflies that were in my stomach. And it seemed like I was about to float away, or my head was in the clouds. Not good.

Jack, of all things, was laughing as I tried to sort out my thoughts. "A corset. How convenient."

This statement brought me back to the conversation at hand. "Convenient?" Black spots were in my vision again, and I grabbed his shoulders to stay up right.

"You won't be able to fight."

I didn't like his tone of voice.

"Fight?"

"I'm taking you back to the Pearl, luv." Winking he snatched my waist and flung me over his shoulder.

As he had said, I certainly couldn't fight in the state I was in, and his shoulder was jutting into my stomach, making it almost impossible to draw a full breath. This didn't stop my trying to remove myself, however.

"Jack Sparrow!" I screeched. "Let me down!"

"Sorry, dearest, but no."

"Dearest? What in the world makes you think you can call me your pet names? After what you did to me! You sold me like I was a…a…a possession!"

"I doubt I could ever actually posses you, so have no fear of that." The laughter was clear in his voice, which only made me angrier.

"Put me down this instant!"

"I believe we had just discussed this, luv."

"Miss Delaney."

"I intend to call you whatever I please."

"I won't allow it!" I said forcefully. This conversation was taking a very annoying turn, for I didn't like being contradicted, or lose what little control I had. Both were clearly happening.

Suddenly, Jack flung me down from his shoulders into his arms, smiling roguishly. "Try and stop me."

All I could do was stare dumbly at him, not able to find any retort. He was…impossible. Unpredictable. There was no way I could possibly begin to comprehend what was happening inside his head, or what he was going to do next. First, he practically kidnaps me (it was somewhat voluntary, I will admit), then trades me for the Black Pearl, and now here he is coming to my rescue, saying he never wanted to leave me in the first place.

"As much as I love your avid attention, I think we should both focus on first leaving Port Royal."

I gasped, blushing for being caught staring, though I hadn't realized I was doing it. Jack simply smiled broadly, his gold teeth glinting devilishly, with a look that said he knew exactly what I was thinking. I looked away, mad at myself for being so obvious.

"Winnie!"

A shot was heard, and suddenly Jack dropped to the ground, sending me sprawling.

I screamed and looked at Jack, who remained motionless, ignoring the man who was quickly approaching. My face was white and I was shaking as I scrambled over and took his head. "Jack! Please, don't be dead!" With my raspy voice, I sounded like a banshee.

"Winnie! Are you o--?" It was Richard, who had now seen Jack. "Oh…oh no…"

I jumped in fright as Jack suddenly sat up, laughing, explaining, "He didn't shoot me, but if he was an enemy, I certainly wasn't going to look alive." He stood up, grabbing my hand and pulling me up as well. "Though I'm glad to see you do still care about me."

He was still smiling triumphantly.

I looked away at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Captain Sparrow, I thought you were…well…not…" began Richard, but Jack cut him off.

"No time, you may apologize later, maybe with a bottle of rum as well, but we have more pressing matters at hand."

"Where's Ella?" I interrupted loudly in my screechy voice.

Richard's jaw tightened. "I couldn't get her. We need to leave now, to follow the Commodore and get Ella."

"And who made you Captain?" growled Jack.

I turned on him glowering. "If you don't go and rescue her, I swear--"

"While your concern is absolutely understandable," continued Jack, ignoring me, "you must realize that the Commodore is also searching for the Fountain, just as I am. And since I now have one of the keys and the map, he will of course eventually follow me, along with Ella."

I frowned at his statement, firstly because he was clearly not going to go to Ella's rescue, and secondly because he said he had the key and the map. Of course he didn't, I did.

And that's when everything made sense.

Why he had bothered to rescue me.

Why Jack wanted me to go with him.

Inside, I was hurt, betrayed, for I knew that faintly, I had been holding on the hope he might actually, truly care what happened to me. Obviously, this was not true, but despite this I kept my mouth shut and face blank. There wasn't time to fight now, and frankly, I was sick of fighting at the moment.

Richard was having none of this excuse. "How can you not--?"

"Quite easily, actually. You may go off and rescue her all by your onesies, however, I am going to be off for the Fountain of Youth, and along the way will probably see your beloved, in which case, I will attempt a rescue."

They looked at each other steadily for a few seconds, Richard fuming, Jack smiling slightly. Finally, Richard said, very grudgingly, "Then I'll come with you."

"Knew there was still hope for you yet; there's pirate in all of us."

"Only for Ella," corrected Richard.

"Then let's be off!" Jack exclaimed, beaming at the two of us. Grabbing my wrist, he started running down the alleyway toward the forest. I was too tired to bother taking my hand away, and I focused on keeping up with his spry pace. Richard followed behind, still grumbling mutinously.

Almost immediately, black spots appeared in front of my eyes. Air wasn't getting to my lungs, no matter how hard I breathed. It seemed that the corset was becoming tighter and tighter. Objects appeared fuzzy and disoriented, then suddenly snapped back into focus. More than anything, I wanted a drink of water and to stop running.

"Jack…slow down…" I gasped faintly. "I can't…"

He couldn't hear me of course; I could barely hear myself. The forest was looming ahead, and suddenly the air became cooler as we exited Port Royal. I tried pulling my hand back, to make him slow down, but Jack simply pulled harder.

I would like to note that I have never ever, ever fainted before under any circumstance. I am not a person to get in such a state of shock easily, and am rarely that fearful or surprised of anything.

This time proved to be an exception. The last things I remember was the sand in my mouth and thinking, How humiliating.

Belmont stared up at his ship regally, trying to drown out the incessant screams of Ella, who was now wrestling ferociously with three soldiers.

He had been searching for Captain Dawson, however, the man seemed to have vanished, though his crew remained. He was somewhere, though Belmont could not imagine where Dawson could possibly ran off to.

An impatient sigh escaped his lips as two officers ran toward him. Belmont had sent them away half an hour ago to try to find the evasive pirate captain one last time. He obviously wasn't there.

"Sorry, Commodore, but we can't seem to locate Dawson," said one of the men.

Belmont nodded. "Very well. Is most of the crew here?"

"Most, sir."

"Round them up and prepare to cast off."

"But, sir--"

"Those who are not here now can be left, we won't need them," replied Belmont sharply.

"And Dawson?"

"He was nothing more than a pawn, and can be easily disposed of. Dawson holds no importance any longer."

"And what of the criminal, Miss Delaney?"

Belmont couldn't help smile at his own brilliance of convincing his men that Winifred Delaney was in fact a traitor of the English Crown, along with Eleanor Bronte. "The two girls are dear friends. No doubt when she hears of Miss Bronte's imprisonment, Miss Delaney will come to her rescue."

The two officers nodded obediently, running off to do their duties.

It was twenty minutes later that Belmont was on his ship, beginning to sail out of Port Royal harbor, confident that he would soon have the keys to his fortune.

Dawson emerged soon after the Hildegard left port, clutching in his hand the ruby key. It had taken longer than he suspected, but his search was worth the while, and he never ran into Barbossa.

Dawson looked out to sea, watching the Commodore sail away. So, he must have captured Miss Delaney after all; why else would he leave? All Dawson needed to do was follow, and then the treasure would be his. Smiling greedily, he began to call to his men telling them to return to the Midas.

Not long after the Hildegard disappeared into the dark, the Midas left Port Royal, leaving the town in ashes, and its captain equally sure he would soon have the keys to his fortune.

It had been frustrating, chopping his way through the unyielding forest surrounding Port Royal. Not to mention he had to tow Mrs. Elizabeth Turner with him, who was, naturally, proving to be more of a hindrance than a help. But after one gruesome hour, Barbossa finally approached the Flying Fortune, excessively grumpy.

However, he now possessed the map and key. Both keys, to be exact. Sneering at Elizabeth as Pintel and Ragetti shoved her across the gangplank, he followed, strutting, something that rarely was seen. Soon, the Fountain would be his.

"Men, cast off! I want to be across that horizon by morn!"

The crew jumped to follow the orders, and he continued his path down to the brig where Elizabeth was now being placed, with her usual cries of protest accompanying it. As he entered, he watched with amusement as she slapped Ragetti defiantly, with Pintel, with the best of his abilities, pushing her into the cell.

"Mrs. Turner, please contain yourself. No harm will come to you. We've had too much of a history together to possibly think of that."

Elizabeth glowered at him as the door slammed shut. "What do you want with me?"

"You already know. And you also know, I don't enjoy playing games. Don't test my patience." This was said with a fake, gentlemanly smile.

Elizabeth's countenance hardened. "If you are referring to Winnie's map and key, Barbossa--"

"That is it exactly."

Elizabeth frowned. "I don't have them."

Barbossa stared intently, his face becoming darker and darker with each passing second as Elizabeth matched is gaze. "Don't have them?" he finally spat.

"Why would I have them? Finn wore them around her neck, she showed them to me. I've only seen it once."

"Around her neck?!" roared Barbossa. "That scheming, lying, sly little brat! She tricked me!"

Of all the things! How could he have been so foolish? He should have seen right through her act, her charade! Yet, despite his anger, there was an underlying respect for this Winifred Delaney whom he knew so little about. If she was clever enough to trick him, than she was certainly not someone to be foolish with. Very few women had those types of smarts, and the only ones he could think of at the moment were his mother, Elizabeth, and, though she was terribly annoying, Ella.

"Very well," said Barbossa after a moment. "So it can be assumed that you are utterly useless to me right now." Elizabeth gripped the bars, ready to say something, but Barbossa continued. "However, I can always use you as a hostage. I imagine you will come to use later."

"Captain! It's the Flying Dutchman!"

Barbossa looked toward the sound of the voice, hearing the booming splash indicating Will's arrival.

"Barbossa, please, let me out," begged Elizabeth. She had lost all formality and composure, now reduced to pleading desperately.

The pirate Captain stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Pintel, release her, but keep a firm grip and don't let her escape. Follow me."

The appeared on deck, and instantly, Will was next to them. When he saw Elizabeth, his eyes widened, and he rushed toward her, but Barbossa placed a gun to her temple, stopping him in mid stride.

"Don't come a step further, Turner. I want to talk."

"About what, Barbossa?"

"I need you to find Winifred Delaney."

"The one who was supposed to be dead? Why?"

"I need the key and map, the ones I originally asked for you to look for."

"Ella asked, not you. And the key belongs to her."

"She already has a key," said Barbossa. "Actually I have it now." Will raised an eyebrow. "Pintel go and retrieve my box on my desk, so I can show Master Turner what I am referring to."

Pintel rushed off to do this bidding, returning quickly with the plain wooden box in hand, giving it to Barbossa. Smiling, he opened it, then roared with anger.

It was empty.

"Which one of you cowards stole the key?" he roared, bearing his pistol seemingly. The men were deathly silent. "Well?"

"None of us knew where it was, Cap'n," offered one of the men. Barbossa nearly shot him for his insolence, but a thought occurred to him.

"Winifred, of course," Barbossa muttered, mostly to himself. "Men, surely you realized we were not the only pirates attacking Port Royal tonight. Did it happen you recognized any of the other crews?"

"Well, I know the soldiers were the Commodore," said one voice.

"Yeah, I 'eard that 'e was looking' for that lady who was 'ere with us before."

"No, I 'eard a couple men sayin' they was looking for another lady, that Ella Bronte."

Barbossa stared at the two men. "Looking for both of them? There seems to be something I am not aware of, though it appears the Commodore is now seeking the Fountain as well." He began pacing, having Ragetti hold the pistol to Elizabeth. "One of them must have the key, they were the only other ones who ever saw me take it out and put it back; I shouldn't have been so careless. And one of them must be with the Commodore. Will, I have a proposition."

"What is it?"

"You find the Commodore, retrieve which ever girl is with him, and bring her to me, or keep her on your ship, I don't care, and I promise that Elizabeth will be safe."

"I want Elizabeth with me."

Barbossa took the pistol and pressed it into Elizabeth harder. "If you don't, I assure you the consequences will be grave. You know it is not beyond me."

Will stood there, staring painfully at his wife. "Not one man it to so much as touch her, or I promise--"

"I take that as a yes, then, Master Turner?"

Will glared daggers at him, almost snarling. "It's a deal."