AN: I don't really have much to say, other than...the story is going to be picking up now! This is where all the action begins, and I must say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Thank you so much for all of the review and comments! I love knowing what you all think of my story.

As always, enjoy.

The next two days were fast to go by. Most of the time was spent either sleeping (for me), or watching the Midas warily; even though Jack had successfully disabled the rudder, Dawson had managed to keep just within sight, and was still continuing the follow us. All in all, it was, to put it simply, a frustrating journey.

And none of the crew, save for Richard, was making it any better. I had thought myself fairly knowledgeable on how these men, especially Jack, would act in certain situations. But now was the first time that it truly, honestly, dawned on me that I was traveling with pirates. Everyone knew where we were headed, and as the days drew to a close, everyone was jumpy, nervous, twitchy, but most of all unbearably impatient. By the end, I gave up on having any type of conversation with Jack or Gibbs, because after about five minutes of talking, both would start fidgeting uncontrollably and gain a strange glint to there eye; not to mention nearly everything that came out of anyone's mouth was relevant only to the Fountain of Youth. Richard and I, the only two not on this journey for the sake of riches, were spared this strange behavior. Instead, we spent our time considering how we would rescue Ella.

We knew that she was with the Commodore at the moment. We also knew that Jack probably wouldn't wait at the island to meet Belmont, meaning Ella would remain in danger unless we happened to cross paths while searching. But then there was the problem that Belmont didn't have the map, and we did. If Belmont came to far behind anyone to notice where everyone was going, he would be wandering around aimlessly; meaning paths would never cross.

"Jack won't go out of his way to save her," sighed Richard miserably. It was the night before landing, and we were standing next to each other on the railing, watching the clouds drift over the full moon. "Unless you can convince him otherwise."

"I have the same amount of control over him as I do a ball of butter," I grumbled. "And considering the mood Jack has been in the last couple of days…I best not mention anything to him about forgetting the Fountain."

Richard sighed again. "We're going to have to do something."

I nodded. "I suppose we could stay behind and wait for Belmont to show. If Jack was right about Barbossa and Will following us, then there is a good chance Belmont is tracking someone. We'd just hide out until everyone has passed. I doubt Belmont will risk dragging Ella along, and if he does, surprise will work too."

Richard started tapping the wood. "It's so strange, how we have all managed to get so tangled in this. I haven't the faintest idea of what will happen next, or where anyone is. It's just so…"

"Messy," I finished. "Yeah, I know. But we haven't much time to consider that, or we'll fall behind." Stretching, I watched the waves pound up against the ship. "We need to be defensible. How many spare swords does Jack have in the hold?"

"None for you."

I spun around to see Jack standing there, arms over his chest, and a look between extreme annoyance and amusement on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he yawned, squeezing his way between a baffled Richard and myself, "exactly what I said. You're not getting any sword."

"How else are we to save--"

"Who said anything about either of you saving anyone?"

Richard and I shared a frightened glance. "Captain Sparrow, you can't--"

"Yes, Master Tremaine, I can. Like it or not, you are now part of my crew; and my crew happens to be searching for the Fountain, not a girl. As for you," he turned to me and frowned.

"I'm not part of your crew," I spat.

"A fact I'm painfully aware of. However, it does not mean I'm going to let you run off and attempt a rescue single-handedly."

"You can't--!"

"I can," Jack answered. "I'm captain."

I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back my anger. But thoughts of Ella hurt, or dead, raced through my head, and all control was lost. "Why you conceited, arrogant monster!" I screamed, raising my fist to punch him square in the jaw.

But Richard beat me to the punch. Literally.

Within seconds, the two were rolling on the deck fighting it out; and it wasn't a simple, school boy tussle either. After suffering a sledge of well placed punches to the mouth and chest, Jack grasped Richard firmly by the shirt and threw him against the railing before jumping on top of him and pounding him on the face.

"Stop it!" I screamed, dragging back Jack unsuccessfully; he shoved me to the side and continued to punch with all his strength. Richard may have been in the navy, but Jack was clearly the more experienced street-fighter and would easily injury Richard permanently. Already the blood was flowing from both, and in a last-ditch attempt to stop them, I wedged myself between the two.

I can't really decide whether it was good timing (because I made them stop), or really bad timing, because it hurt like the dickens. Either way, I had managed to stick my body in there when both were attempting a punch; Richard slugging me hard in the cheek, and Jack with a sucker punch to my side.

Not only could I not breathe, but I was seeing more stars than the sky ever had. Collapsing on the ground, I clutched my stomach and felt something wet oozing out next to my head. My chest was screaming in pain, and most of my body felt like it was on fire.

There was a stunned silence, amplified by the fact I wasn't breathing, and for a terrible moment, I was worried they would start fighting again, but I was scooped up gently by Jack. "Finn, are you okay? Finn." He shook me slightly, and I gasped in some air desperately.

I could hear Richard stand up next to me. "She needs to be looked at by the doctor."

Jack tilted my head to look at the damage. "She'll be okay, you just got her on the cheek bone. It'll hurt like hell and have a nasty bruise, but that's all."

"What about yours?"

Jack stiffened slightly and touched where he had punched me. I forced myself not to scream; out of the two, Jack's had been harder, and in the more deadly area, no doubt intended for Richard. After all, Houdini had died because of a sucker punch, but I had thankfully remembered to tighten my stomach, protecting my internal organs.

Bending down, he lifted my shirt slightly to inspect the wound. "It'll bruise," Jack muttered. "But I think you'll be okay."

Richard let out a sigh of relief.

Standing up, Jack stared at me. "That was a stupid thing to do. We could have seriously hurt you; in fact, you got rather lucky."

"You two were acting like a couple of bulls," I countered. "It was a stupid fight to begin with."

Jack and Richard looked at each other menacingly. "You know the punishment for this would be death," muttered Jack, "but under the current circumstances, I would think a pledge of loyalty from here on out would suffice."

"Meaning--"

"You can't rescue Ella by yourself, or with her," finished Jack as he motioned to me. The silence given by Richard cemented the agreement, and Jack nodded his approval. "In fact, this one isn't coming."

It was quite clear he was referring to me, and I gaped up at him lividly. "What do you mean I'm not coming? Just because I got a couple of bruises--"

"You weren't coming long before any of this," whispered Jack, shoving me toward his quarters. "Richard, go down to bed."

Richard obeyed, and for the first time, I caught a mutinous glint in his eyes. But I knew that despite his anger, he would never go back on his word. I, on the other hand, would not stop voicing my opinion that easily. "You can't stop me from coming! I brought you here!"

"You've already openly admitting to coming for the sole reason of rescuing your friend," answered Jack, pushing me gently into his cabin. "If you were to come, I have no doubt in my mind that you will attempt some way to go and retrieve her by yourself. Not only that, but there are three different pirate crews that are about to meet together and attempt to gain the Fountain for themselves. I'm not about to let you go into that and die."

I wanted to be viciously angry with him, but the fact he was trying to spare my life softened it a little; however, it did not rid me of it. "You aren't going to save her, if you don't have to."

"I've already told you I keep what I want, by any means possible."

"And?" I glared up at him defiantly.

"What part of 'any means possible' don't you understand?" Jack stepped in closer to me, and I stepped back.

"What in the world is that suppose to mean?" I hissed, but a small knot started forming in my stomach, and it wasn't from the punch.

Jack grinned painfully. "Still don't fully trust me?"

"We've already discussed the circumstances under which I would fully trust you."

"And this doesn't fall under them? You don't honestly think I'm not trying to gain some profit from this?" He smirked this time and stepped closer again, stopping me when I tried to back away. "You don't know me at all, Finn."

"I fail to see how saving Ella would gain you any profit."

He stepped closer again and grasped my shoulders. "Stop acting stupid. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about." Jack grabbed my chin and leaned down, but I jerked away, leaving him to look at me thoughtfully. "You still want to go home. You're scared."

"You want the Fountain more."

Jack didn't respond, but I was glaringly clear that he wasn't denying my comment. Instead, he repeated quietly, "Any means possible."

My temper had boiled to the surface. "How can you say that? How can you believe that you get everything that you want?"

Jack's smirk widened. "Because I always have. And it's not going to change now." He leaned in again, but I pushed him away.

"You aren't dealing with objects anymore, Jack."

Ignoring my negative gestures, he took my hand and kissed it lightly before holding it to his cheek. "Why do you think I'm being more careful?"

I swallowed and looked away. He just wasn't playing fair, taking advantage of my emotions like that. How was I suppose to be angry with him now?

Jack led me to his bed. "Get some sleep and give your bruises time to heal. I'll get Dr. Smithers in here to patch you up before leaving in the morning."

I sat down warily. "What about you? Where are you sleeping?"

"My turn for night watch for the next two hours," he answered, going toward the door. Turning around, he winked at me roguishly before leaving. "Sleep tight, sweetheart."

I didn't lay down until he had shut the door, and even after, I lay there staring out his window for a few minutes, everything mashed together in my head. Why did I love him? Nothing about this relationship would work, or at least, that's what practicality said. Yet…there seemed to be something genuine in his behavior, something genuine about him. And no matter how many times I told myself this was a bad idea, he was not the best man, my feelings seemed to grow stronger.

Tears began to drip down my cheeks, stinging the wound. Everything about this situation was horrible, for I already knew what my answer was to be, even before I knew the question. I had, for a long time, dictated many of my actions with sense; Ella had always been the more emotional one out of us two. Jack would have the Fountain; I would want to go home, provided I ever figured out how to make the pocket watch work. He would probably try to make me stay ('any means possible'), but I, in the end, no matter how desperately in love I was with him, would leave. Jack would put me second to the sea, to adventure, to his life before me; and I didn't blame him entirely for it. Left to wander on his own, it was the only life he had really known, and I couldn't possibly expect him to change just for me. Of course, this fact hadn't stopped me from wishing, or falling in love for that matter, but common sense told me it just wasn't possible. I wouldn't allow myself to be number two; that was just the way it was to be.

In the end, the bitter end, I knew I was going to leave Jack.

Though I hadn't wanted to admit it to myself, I was terribly tired, and amidst the tears, I was asleep quickly, a restless and painful slumber. But the last thought I remembered having, despite my previous ponderings, was, "He can lock me in, but he can't stop me from getting Ella."

I woke up to a loud pounding on the door, and groaning, rolled onto my side, only to bump into something squishy.

I knew who it was before the loud "Captain, wake up!" was heard.

"What happened to the night watch?" I mumbled, already peeved at this early hour that he dared to share the bed.

"Two hours, luv," Jack yawned before sitting up and grinning mischievously. "The bed is big enough for two."

I glared daggers at him before rolling away to the ship wall, remembering why exactly I was in his cabin to begin with. Unfortunately, I rolled onto my bruise, and a hiss of pain escaped my mouth.

"Captain, Smithers is here!" yelled Gibbs through the door.

"Get up, Finn. Need to have a look at those bruises."

I did as asked, still sending deathly looks in his direction as Jack opened the door for Dr. Smithers.

I had only met the man in light conversation, for most of his time was spent in the sick galley, but he had a decent look about him that appeared rather professional, and I felt not the bit worried when he asked to see the wounds.

Lifting my shirt, Jack and Smithers shared a collective gasp, and looking up, I saw that Jack's face had grown paler and definitely guilty. My nasty mood from before was weakening; it was nice to see he was feeling some remorse.

The bruise itself was a nasty purple color lined with black and yellow, and it seemed to have swollen so that it was a quarter of an inch high. Unlike the two men, while in pain, I was intrigued by the wound. Leaning closer, I noticed it seemed to have an outline to it. "Wow, that almost looks like a fist," I commented casually, looking closer.

Then I realized what I had said, and glancing up, I saw Dr. Smithers closing his eyes, and Jack with a hand over his face, already paler than before. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to…never mind. I just find it…interesting."

"Here, drink this," instructed Smithers, grimacing slightly.

I took the cup, and peeking in, saw brown things floating in it. Multiple unpleasant ideas popped into my head. "What is that?"

"Willow bark boiled in water. Helps with the pain. Drink."

I did as he began spread salve onto my bruise before wrapping it firmly. "This will help with the swelling. I can't do much for your cheek, except spread the salve. Though it doesn't look as swollen."

I touched it lightly, feeling the bump. It sure felt swollen to me.

"Well, that's that," finished Smithers, packing his materials away. "It appears we are about to dock."

"Aye," agreed Jack. "I'll be out there soon."

We faced each other. "I suppose you're locking me in here."

"That was the plan."

I sat on the bed and looked out the window, not saying anything.

Jack kneeled down next to me and took my hand. "No goodbye?"

"You're a fool, Jack."

He laughed softly. "Many have said as much. Now, how about a proper farewell?"

"No."

Jack ignored my answer anyway, and came up to kiss me hard on the mouth. "I'm not going to lose you, Finn."

"What makes you think you have me?" I retorted, tempted to slap him.

Grabbing the compass, which was attached to my belt, he put it in my hand, grinning like a Cheshire cat, but saying nothing before giving me another kiss and waltzing out the door with a loud click (they had replaced the handle after Dawson had blasted it).

I sat there stonily, watching the crew walk onto the pristine shore of Insula Somni, or the Island of Dreams, as the map had labeled it. When the last man stepped off the plank, I opened the compass.

The needle was pointed out the window, right at a certain cocky personage.

I nearly threw it against the floor.

Jack squinted through his spyglass. The Midas was nearing, though it was going to be another good hour before the reached shore. What worried him was the two dots beyond that, both of which were catching up; Will and Barbossa. But nothing could be done now, except prepare for a struggle. Hopefully, it would only be the four of them on the island, but for some reason, Jack had a distinct feeling that Belmont was following.

"Sharpen your swords well, men," ordered Jack. "And make sure those pistols are in working order. We have a fight coming to us."

Crew voiced their agreement as they did as told. In the mean time…

Jack wandered through the underbrush, holding the map in front of him, this time the side with the enlarged island. At the moment, he was trying to locate the entrance to the maze shown, but with no success. There was a path given, leading to a black dot that symbolized the opening, but no apparent land marks expect for a large rock shaped like a palm tree. And directions. In Latin, of course.

Sighing in frustration, he shook the map. He knew where he had landed on the coast line, but the rest of the map was certainly not to scale. Either he would have to go ask Finn to translate again, or wander aimlessly until he found this oddly shaped rock.

Looking back through the trees at his ship, he rubbed his face. It had to be the wandering.

He allowed himself another forty minutes of crashing around before returning to his crew. Dawson was nearly upon them, and though he had both the map and the emerald key, Jack knew they would not be a good enough bartering chip to get him out of this mess.

I had spent the last hour attempting the pick the lock.

And to no avail.

Slumping up against the door, I stared blindly at the rest of the cabin. So he had me trapped.

A part of me was reasoning that this was certainly a safer position to be in; no fighting, no bullets, no chance of dying.

However, there seemed to be something ethically wrong with me sitting here pointlessly while my friends and the man I loved (for a reason I had yet to understand) were out there struggling for their lives.

Taking the pocket watch, which Jack had left, I tapped at it a few times. If only I could understand how this worked…it seemed everything would be better. Of course, it really wouldn't be better, but I hated to leave problems unsolved. And this was a really big problem. Along with Jack, saving Ella, getting out of this adventure alive…

I let out a frustrated scream and collapsed onto the bed after sticking the watch into my chemise. This was ridiculous. Watching through the window, I saw Dawson docking his ship and row to the cove where Jack and the crew waited, swords drawn and pistols at the ready.

There had to be something.

Studying the window more, I pushed at it; but it didn't give. It too was locked firmly. So I went to the other side of the cabin, which had a smaller port hole, and pushed at this.

It gave.

Pushing harder, I was able to open it a decent amount.

My escape.

Looking down at my outfit, I quickly determined that I couldn't go out in my skirt, or weaponless, for that matter. Or with my hair down. I would be recognized in an instant.

I tore through Jack's belongs, lucky enough to find pants that could fit me well enough, and boots that, when stuffed with some cloth, would fit my feet fine. I wrapped my breasts and put on a vest, and after braiding my hair and stuffing it under a bandanna, I slapped on a worn out hat (rejected by Jack, no doubt), and looked at myself in the large looking glass he had.

What stared back was a small, lanky person with a slender body that looked like it belonged to a lad of fifteen. Passable, for the time being.

After rummaging under his bed, I found a rather nice sword of Jack's, probably a cast away after finding something better. Strapping it on, I glanced out the port hole warily. In the near distance, I could see Will's ship, not but maybe half an hour away. Behind him was the unmistakable out line of the Flying Fortune, and behind that, I saw a large dot. Belmont.

My stomach did a few frightened flips as I looked to the ocean below me. So I was going to go and fight. Definitely not the smartest thing to do, but I couldn't sit here and wait. I wouldn't. Too many things I cared about were on the line to be lost, and I certainly would not let them go without a battle.

Getting the shore ought to be fairly simple: the Pearl was docked right next to a very shallow point, and swimming would prove no problem; there was a group of rocks not far from Jack's crew, and if I swam to that and ducked between them, it ought to be easy enough to end up behind everyone.

I lowered myself along the edge of the ship, and after taking a deep breath, let myself drop the last ten feet into the water.

The initial impact seemed extremely loud to me, and the salt water stung my cut cheek, but I ignored it and began to swim. The bruise on my side ached with every movement, but the more I moved, the duller the pain became until it was almost numb.

It was about that time that I arrived at the rock cluster, and as planned no one had noticed me. Looking out, I saw that Will was closer, and Barbossa zoning in. After a few expert ducks, I came to the back of the crew, just close enough the hear the conversation that was taking place.

"--left me!"

Looking around me, I decided that enough men were distracted by the two captains to take much notice in me, so I pushed my way through until I was standing right next to Richard. I nearly shoved him to alert him of my presence, but decided against it; secrecy would be safer if no one knew of my being here, and he hadn't recognized me yet.

Jack smiled at Dawson's remark. "Mate, I knew you were going to kill me. And being the sensible man I was, I took the only…sensible action."

Dawson advanced with the full force of his crew behind him, but Jack raised his pistol. "Don't move another step, or I'll blast your brains out. Savvy?"

Dawson opened his mouth to say something, but it was drowned out by the shot of a gun, and the man next to me fell to the ground screaming.

Jack looked at Dawson, Dawson looked at Jack, Jack looked back at his crew, another shot was fired, and just like that, everyone had their swords out and began fighting.

Being the idiot I was, I stood there for about thirty seconds, crouched over a little, and watching the scene before me with a certain amount of fear, revulsion, and wonder. This was no fight I had seen before; nothing like the attack on Port Royal, and certainly nothing like what I had ever seen in movies. Those are just too choreographed; everything works out perfectly. Here, it was obvious that the situation was do or die, kill or be killed.

And it was scary.

My frightened stupor was broken when a bullet grazed my arm, followed by a huge pirate that I didn't recognize. He brought his sword up above my head, and I backed away, attempting to draw my own. When he brought it down, I finally had a good hold on my own, and I executed a lunge, stabbing him on the shoulder.

I had hoped I wouldn't have to kill any one, but wounding wasn't going to be enough, for despite the blood gushing from his shoulder, the pirate lunged at me again, nearly cutting me in two. Heart racing and head pounding, I brought my own sword around and hit him right on the jugular.

I have never had a problem with blood or gore before, but seeing the man stare at me vacantly while red rushed from his throat made me throw up then and there. After wiping my mouth, I looked up to see another pirate coming at me, and ducking as a blade ran past my head, I stabbed him in the stomach.

It had been years since I had taken a fencing class, but the combination of danger and adrenaline had awaken my old skills, and though I was using a real sword instead of a metal stick, all of my actions were precise and deadly.

I don't know how long I fought before I came across Jack and Dawson. Both had pistols, and appeared to be playing a game of hide and seek between two rocks, except the penalty for being found was death by a bullet. I debated whether to go and help, but a mixture of caution and fear stopped me. It would be bringing a knife to a gun fight; not a position I wanted to find myself in.

Another pirate came at me from the side, and with a quick swipe, I had cut across his chest, successfully stopping him. Looking back up, I saw Jack firing, and Dawson collapsing. So that was that.

"Jack Sparrow!"

I turned to see Will Turner running over, followed by his crew, all of whom were making a sweep of Dawson's crew. In the cove, Barbossa was docking, and I could see rowboats coming.

"Dear William! What is it? I'm a little preoccupied," answered Jack, aiming at another advance man before shooting.

"What is this place?" Will turned around as someone stabbed him from behind, and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.

"The Island of Dreams, also known as the final resting place of the Fountain of Youth."

"You had the map?"

"I had the map."

Each man faced an approaching foe and began to defend themselves. As for myself, I could no longer listen to their conversation, for a pirate had come upon me as well, and with two more strokes, I was back into the heat of the battle.

"Don't move," snarled Barbossa to Elizabeth Turner, who at the moment was faced with the barrel of a pistol, held by Ragetti.

The pirate had been in a terrible temper for the past few weeks. He knew that trusting the Turner boy with finding the key was foolish, but he had been walking a thin line when taking Elizabeth. When Will hadn't shown up later with a girl, instead sending a message informing him that the key was not there, Barbossa had nearly killed Elizabeth, but remembered that his crew was mortal, and Will was not. It would be the death sentence for everyone with him.

But it had seemed that the young, immortal captain was going somewhere, so he followed blindly. Along the way, the ship had managed to pick up a navy ship, and after some thought and consideration, and speaking with Elizabeth, Barbossa determined that this must be Belmont, the Commodore seeking for the treasure as well. This had not improved his mood in the slightest, for it only added another competitor, other than Jack.

Through Elizabeth, Barbossa had also learned of another pirate captain, Dawson, who was seeking the treasure with Belmont. However, after seeing the Midas docked in the bay, he quickly assumed that Dawson must have broken any bonds with Belmont and gone on his own.

This might be where the missing key is, he thought to himself, thinking of Dawson. And from the way everyone had moved so swiftly, this also might be the island that the Fountain was on. Meaning someone had obtained all three items at one point or another. Also meaning that someone had Winifred Delaney.

Sighing in frustration, Barbossa stepped out of the landed boat, grabbing Elizabeth roughly by her hair. There were too many unknowns in this situation; who was sided with who, who had what, where was who…

Spotting Will Turner, Barbossa marched through the sand. Some of the pirates were familiar: Jack Sparrow. And indeed, there he was, fight not but ten feet away from Will. No doubt he had all the answers…

"Captain Turner! I'd like to have a conversation!" Barbossa stuck the pistol under Elizabeth's neck. "And have you run a few…errands for me."

Elizabeth gasped in pain when Barbossa dug his fingers roughly into her arm. Her stay on the Flying Fortune was little to consider with the situation she was now facing. She knew nothing of what had happened, where they were, or who was here. Jack could be seen fighting, and obviously her husband was here, but those were the only faces recognizable.

"What do you want?" spat Will. He only came five feet close, too scared to cause her death.

"Answers."

"There was no key with Ella, the one I found. And Winnie doesn't have it either."

"Who does?"

"I'd imagine Jack. I was following Dawson, and Dawson was following Jack. He would have all of the items, if he could get here." Will stared at Elizabeth hard, and she thought she could see him shaking slightly. "Let her go now."

"What makes you think I'm giving your wife back," cackled Barbossa. "I want a few things done first, errand boy."

Elizabeth had already made up her mind to attempt to escape, but suddenly, Barbossa toppled over, letting go of her. She scrambled up and ran toward Will, glancing behind only to see a lanky man running away from Barbossa and back into the crowd of fighting men. But her path was cut short when a greasy pirate stopped in front of her. Screaming, Elizabeth duck and tripped the man, grabbed a dagger on the ground, and threw it at him. Will had disappeared as another onslaught of men came toward her, and as she ran, she tripped over a body.

It was then that she realized that her jacket was lost.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably as Elizabeth scanned the sand for her jacket, but everything looked one and the same. That jacket held Will's heart, and it held her entire life.

She wanted to scream, louder than ever before, but instead began to retrace her steps frantically.

I hurtled over another dead body, and looking behind me one last time, saw that I had lost Barbossa. Upon seeing Elizabeth under his control, I figured that whatever the pirate was up to certainly wasn't good, and she probably didn't want to be a part of it.

Taking my sword once more, I lunged at a pirate charging toward me and cleanly disposed of him. It had taken a while, but now I was at the point where the horror of this all was numbed by my will to survive. My only comfort in this was that these pirates would kill me if I didn't kill them first.

Racing forward, I searched the area, trying to find a familiar face, or at least a clue to when this would stop. We couldn't have been fighting very long; maybe half an hour, but with no end in sight. These men were desperate to get their hands on the Fountain, and greedy enough to fight till the death.

A body bumped into me, and on reflex, I grabbed them by the shirt and spun them around, ready to stab them in the gut. But the alarmed face before was not that of a pirate, but…

"Ella!" I gasped, nearly dropping her.

"Finn!" she cried, wrapping her arms around me. "What are--"

"Move!" I pushed her aside as another pirate came toward us. She grabbed a discarded pistol and threw it at his head, blinding him and I went for the stomach.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated, screaming it above the ruckus. "And dressed like a man?"

"What are you doing here dressed like a man?" I countered, for indeed, she too had her hair piled up and tucked under a hat, complete with trousers and a vest.

"Will told me to stay on the ship!" Another pirate came toward us, and we ducked as we tripped him, sending the man flying over our heads. Running to the side of the fight, we collapsed behind some rocks.

"Will Turner? But what about Belmont?"

"Will rescued me. And you?"

"Jack locked me in his cabin," I explained.

Ella looked at our surrounds quickly. "We've managed to meet each other in the worst possible situations. Twice."

I laughed, but as I did, clutched my side in pain. Ella noticed the gesture, and went pale. "I'm fine," I reassured her. "Just a bruise."

"From where?"

"Doesn't matter." I glanced out to the fight still happening. "I wish I knew where everyone was, and what was happening. I'm so confused."

"Barbossa seemed to think I had a key and got Will to rescue me," explained Ella. "But Will never went to Barbossa, and so he kept following us. How did you guys get here?"

"The map. I had the map and Dawson must have stolen the ruby key from Barbossa. Did you know that the directions are in Latin?"

"What? Why?"

"Beats me. Jack figures that the guys who made the map must have been mad; survivors or something from the Spanish, when they looked for it."

"And Latin has to do with this how?" Ella cocked an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Just though you might find the information interesting."

We looked at each other.

And laughed.

Despite the ongoing slaughter that was happening right behind the rock, I couldn't seem to be afraid. Ella was here, safe, sound, and best of all, not with Belmont, but with me.

"Elizabeth!" yelled Will as he raced toward his wife. It was lucky that he had spotted her amongst the still bodies, crawling around on her hands and knees. Praying that she wasn't hurt, he knelt down beside her.

"Will!" she gasped, and grabbing him, pulled him into a kiss before breaking away and crying. "Will! I've lost the heart! Your heart!"

He looked at her, aghast. "Why did you have my heart?"

"I was worried someone would find it in Port Royal, so I took it. I didn't think I would get kidnapped again!"

Will stood up swiftly and looked around. "What was it in?"

"My jacket, in the side pocket. Oh, Will, I'm so sorry!"

Will wanted to say that it was okay, she had done nothing wrong, but this was his heart they were talking about. All he could do was give her a painful smile, kiss her, and look again. "What color?"

"Blue. There it is!"

They raced to where Elizabeth pointed, and she shoved her hand inside. But as her face went a deathly pale, Will knew it wasn't there. "It fell out," was his quiet comment.

"It has to be near here!" she screamed frantically. "It can't have gotten--"

She stopped, and Will turned, only to see a man raising a dagger to his heart, not but ten feet away.

Dawson was no fool. He had heard the stories of the Dutchman and Davey Jones, almost since before he could walk.

Jack has misaimed by a fraction of a hair in his shot, leaving Dawson to bleed to death.

He was barely able to comprehend what the young couple was screaming at each other, but it had been enough when he saw the beating heart laying there innocently in the sand. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together…

And this was his ticket at a new life.

Looking at the women, Mrs. Turner, he grinned maliciously and stabbed the heart; the last sounds he heard before going into unconsciousness were the agonizing shrieks of the young lady, and the last image he saw was her face streaming with hot tears, as she cradled her now dead beloved.

Jack wiped his face as he rested momentarily. This fight was more than he had bargained for; it had been a foolish hope that he would have Dawson sorted out before Barbossa arrived, but a hope nonetheless. Now he simply prayed that most of his crew was still standing.

Looking at the shore before him, saturated with bodies, he grimaced. At least Finn wasn't here, the stubborn fool she was. She would have been dead in minutes.

Turning back to the fight at hand, Jack was met with a strange sight.

People weren't fighting.

He frowned, looking around in confusion. There appeared to be navy men surrounding the area with their muskets…

Ah, yes, Belmont.

Looking around again, he watched as pirate after pirate set down their sword. Now, how had Belmont, with at most one hundred men, managed to put at least four hundred men to their knees?

"Jack Sparrow, I suggest you drop your sword. Now."

The voice had come from behind him, and though he didn't recognize it, he knew to whom it belonged.

"Commodore Belmont, I hardly find you in the position to order me to--" Jack turned and stopped speaking abruptly.

In front of him was the Commodore, and held by him was a smaller figure dressed as a man, but with dark brown hair that was tumbling around her shoulders. She swallowed and looked at him with pleading, sorry eyes.

"Sword, Sparrow. Or Miss Delaney dies."

Jack gritted his teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I honestly need to answer that--ah!" Finn hissed as Belmont's dagger cut into her throat, also cutting her remark short.

"Sword, Sparrow."

His weapon landed with a dull thud to the ground, and two more navy officers took his shoulders. Looked at Finn once again, he was met with a helpless and frightened gaze, and she mouthed the words, I'm so sorry, before Belmont turned her away.

He looked at the ground, breathing heavily, now finally noticing just how tired he was. They were captives now, the Fountain was lost, and if anyone stepped over the line set by the Commodore, they were all going to die. How could she have been so stupid?

"As of this moment on," announced Belmont to the now kneeling crowd. "I am taking over this…operation. My rules, my game. And no one is to question me. Are we all understood?"