" I'm going to turn, don't shoot." I said. Wouldn't want her to get even more scared and accidentally shoot me. I turned to face her and to my surprise I realized it was the girl from the painting. She took a step back, then moved the gun to rest on my chest which she was staring at, then looked me up and down. I cleared my throat loudly.

" Enjoying the view miss?" She looked up to meet my eyes immediately.

" No, of course not." She answered quickly, but I knew she had.

" I'm attractive aren't I? Or at least, you think I am." A lot of other women thought so too, much to Scarlett's dismay, but it was nice to be noticed.

"How dare you talk to me like that?" She was mad now, and it just made me like her more.

" Admit it." I tempted her and grabbed her chin with my hand and tilted her face up closer to my lips. From the corner of my eye I saw her lift her free hand to slap me. (She was just underestimating me now.) But I grabbed her wrist before she could and held on tightly.

" Let go!" She screamed. Now I had to reason with her because her screaming would cause attention.

" Fine. But don't shoot and I would like my gun back." I let her go, then from behind her I saw George coming at us. At her.

" That's too bad because-" I pushed her aside fast but with too much force for her to handle, and she fell to the floor. Then I took out my sword.

" No George!" And my sword met with his.

" The wench was about to shoot you William!" Wench?

" She wouldn't do it. Look at her!" He turned his head and I saw a familiar look in his eye. I knew what he was going to say next and he wasn't going to get it. Not her.

" She's harmless? Then let me have her." I slashed at him and he fought back.

" No, we're not taking prisoners." I told him with being older than me, didn't like that, and kept coming at me with more strengh than before.

" You have no right to tell me that. You're not the captain boy!"

" I don't want to hurt you George. Stop!" I had the upperhand for most of the fight though and being the better swordsman I wounded him in the arm. He stopped then and looked at it then back at me. His arm was bleeding and the blood was running down his shirt sleeve.

" I'm going to make you pay for this!" He said through his teeth.

" I'm sorry." I said quietly, honeslty, but he didn't hear me because he was already running out the door. I noticed she wasn't in the room anymore and I grabbed my pistol from the table and followed the way george had gone,out the door, ready to go back to the Pearl, but I stopped when I saw her on the floor at the bottom of the staircase. She looked at me in shock, then her eyes met with my bloody sword. I just stood there looking at her and she winced- she was hurt- and got up to run up the stairs as fast she could. She had gone up one measley step when she collapsed again. I had to leave-but I couldn't- I had to help her. Was she hurt badly? I stepped closer.

" Stay back! Leave me alone!" She screamed at me. I remembered my sword again, and put it away. Then I kneeled down next to her.

" My father's the governor, he'll give anything you want just don't hurt me! Take anything, just touch me!" She cried as she tuned away from me and looked down at her trembling hands. She was so afraid- of me. I wasn't going to hurt her, but she didn't know that. All she knew was that I was a pirate.

" Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you" I murmured softly. She looked up at me and I waited for her to say something. To at least tell me she understood.

"HELP!" She screamed, then gasped for breath. She probably hadn't even paid attention to anything I had said. She probably didn't care either. I covered her mouth with my hand. That would keep her from screaming and had to get her attention. I leaned closer to her and she shuddered as I whispered in her ear, " I got my gun back and if you don't quiet down, I'm going to have to shoot you. Understand?" I didn't want to be mean and scare her more, but being kind hadn't worked. She nodded with tears dripping down the sides of her face and landing in my hand.

" Good." I removed my hand from her mouth and she gasped for air. I picked her up in my arms then, to carry her back inside the room.

" No, don't touch me! Put me down!" She said as she pounded on my chest and tried to push herself away from me.

" Don't scream- or else." I reminded her. She seemed to understand that.

" I know what you want me for." She didn't sound scared now; she sounded mad again.

" And what is that?" I responded bluntly.

" You'll take me to your ship, and you and your pirates will have their fun with me, and then I will be killed, or kept as slave, or held for ransom, or some other cruel scheme but-" I cut her off.

"Stop. I said I wasn't going to hurt you." Was it really hard to believe? She hurt herself by not being careful, I hadn't done anything but protect her.

" And I can't afford to trust a pirate. Whatever it is that you are planning to do; know that I will not go down without a fight." I doubted she could fight me and win, but I didn't tell her that, instead I laid her down on the settee. If she did attack me, I wouldn't win because I wouldn't attack her back, but I wasn't going to loose either.

" You 're not going to need to fight and even if you needed to, I doubt you could defend yourself Miss. You're hurt and helpless." It was true. I knelt down beside her and lifted the skirt of her dress up to take a look at her injured leg.

" What are you doing?" She asked suddenly and smacked my hand away.

" I need to see your leg, you're hurt."

" No, I'm not, leave me alone." She was being stubborn.

" Just look at it, you're bleeding." I tried to reason with her.

" Fine." She lifted her skirt up and realized she was bleeding. It had stained the fabric on the inside of her dress too, that probably worried her, but I asked her the important question.

" Are you in pain?" I said as I looked up at her.

" Yes. I'll be fine though." She answered looking around the room, avoiding my eyes.

" Here let me help you." I insisted.

" I'm fine." She insisted.

"After all, a lady doesn't whine." She said and raised her chin. That made me laugh. Those society rules seemed so stupid, but there were so many people that followed them. Some were reasonable, others obviously not.

" But even ladies feel pain."

" And that's funny?" I didn't answer, I just looked at her. Did she not have a sense of humour? I needed to get back to the ship, but instead I was here trying to help her, and she was just wasting my time by not letting me. Finally I said, " I don't care how high and mighty you think you are. I'm going to help you, so please don't try to stop me." And reached for her leg. She didn't protest that time and I removed her stocking and threw it on the ground.

" That's a large cut." I said, then I traced the length of her wound with my finger all the way down to her ankle. That sent shivers through her- of pleasure.

" You like that?" I whispered. She answered, " Yes."

I smiled at that and started removing my vest and sword to finish helping her.

" What are you doing?" She questioned when I started undoing the buttons of my shirt, but she was not happy.

" Helping you." I took it off and ripped it, then I asked, "What? You've never seen a half-naked man before?" and directed my gaze to her ring.

" No, I haven't. This is my engagement ring. And today was my engagement party, which you ruined. And my name is Elizabeth Swann by the way." She wasn't married; that was good, i thought to myself, but she's engaged nonetheless. I finished wrapping what remained of my shirt around the wound, and when I gave it a final pull she winced.

" I'm sorry." I said and looked up at her.

" About hurting you I mean, not your engagement." I explained, then made a final knot to the fabric, this time being very careful not to hurt her. I could feel her staring at my back.

" and why is that mister pirate?"

" My name's William Turner. And I'm not sorry because I'm not the marriage type." I would be if I met the right woman.

" So you don't have a wife Mr. Turner?"

" I do have a woman I'm with, but she's not my wife." And she wasn't the right woman, either.

"Oh." She tried to sound normal, but I could tell that was not what she had wanted to hear. In the few minutes I had known her, she'd changed what she thought of me, and I had started to care for her.

" Well your leg's done, I have to go and I'm still going to take the things I found here since you owe me a shirt." I picked up my things, put them on and stood up.

" You could've used my dress instead of your shirt."

" but you wouldn't have liked that." It wouldn't have given you the chance to look at me, I thought.

" Take this too." She slid the ring off her finger and handed it to me. I wasn't going to take it, but I did because it would be something to remember her by. And even if I said no, I had a feeling she would insist because she wanted me to have it.

" For helping me." She said. We weren't being honest with each other, that wasn't the real reason she gave me the ring.

" Thank you for saving me from that man William." she said quietly trying not cry. Then there was silence. She tried to keep her face composed and I stood there, deciding wether to do it or not. I leaned down looking into her eyes to find the answer. They said yes. Another few seconds passed before I finally raised my hand and lifted her chin up delicately. I hesitated again and she closed her eyes as I put my lips to hers. We kissed me softly for a moment, then when we pulled apart I whispered to her, " I hope we meet again some day."

" As do I." She answered. I took a step back to leave then, but as I was about to walk out the door, I turned around and said, " I really do hope we meet again." I really did, but I knew we probably never would.

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