Elizabeth came to stand beside James. His hands were on the rail, clenched tightly, the only sign of any turmoil on his part. She paused for a moment. There was no question of him knowing she was there. The question was how to have an entire conversation, such an important conversation, on the brink of war and without a moment to spare. The wind blew back in her face, distinctly cooler than it had been, and she closed her eyes, breathing in and out, savoring the moment of peace before the storm.

A droplet of water hit her cheek and she blinked, craning her head back to look up to the heavens. Another droplet bounced from her forehead, then another and another, the heavy grey sky threatening black and rain pouring down. She watched the clouds swirl and wondered whether this was Calypso's pain - the pain of her betrayal bearing down on them. Her tears soaking them to the bone.

Leveling her gaze back she focused on the horizon. On the ever nearing fleet which was hell bent on destroying them all. Taking another step forward, so that she was pressed against the railing, she reached forward and placed her hand over James'. She felt the bones in the back of his hand shift beneath her touch and saw him look to her from the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a note of the bitterness from the days when he was a drunkard and swabbing the deck of the Pearl clearly audible. It was an armor she realized that now, a way to protect himself. A way to defend himself from her. He'd seen her with Will and now he was expecting rejection. And why shouldn't he? He'd endured it before at her hand.

She smiled slightly, a slight upturn of the corner of her mouth and turned her head to look him square in the eye. She remembered a time when she had asked him exactly the same question, in the brig of the Dutchman as he facilitated her escape. So in response she answered as he had.

"Choosing a side."

His eyes widened but before either of them could say anything more a cry came from the deck.

"MAELSTROM!"

Elizabeth's eyes shot forward to see the rapidly developing Maelstrom appear as if out of nothing. Her hand tightened involuntarily on James' before letting go and turning, her eyes seeking out the one man aboard she knew who could get them through it.

"Captain Barbossa!" she yelled, seeing him to the left of the poop deck and making a beeline, staggering to a stop beside him. "We need you at the helm."

He turned sharply and looked at her for a moment, saying nothing, before his eyes widened with a feral kind of glee and he announced jovially,

"Aye! That be true!"

Elizabeth couldn't help but let out a sharp laugh of relief as he seized the wheel and began bellowing orders; most of it unintelligible to her though, she thought, probably highly profane. Well she didn't give a damn; with Barbossa at the wheel they had the best chance possible of surviving.

"Dying is the day worth living for!" he yelled, spinning the wheel sharply and Elizabeth turned, looking back out across the length of the Pearl and to the Maelstrom, getting larger and deeper by the moment.

Will was leaning out over the edge of the Pearl, keeping a keen eye on the Dutchman.

"She's on our stern - and gaining!" he yelled pulling back almost immediately to resume his watch.

Elizabeth could hardly believe it when she came to a stop by Will, leaning past him to see he was right,

"They're going in?" she yelled in Will's ear.

"They're mostly mad and with the Dutchman they can weather it!" he yelled in return, adding with a hint of sarcasm, "Perhaps Jones thinks Calypso is on his side!"

She looked at him, seeing the determination in his eyes and pulled back, staggering across the sharply swaying deck towards Barbossa just as a cacophony of explosions erupted. The Dutchman had to have fired the triple barrels as a chunk disappeared from the top of the wheel and two men fell from the mast as a piece of it was shot away.

"Take us out!" she heard Will bellow, "Or they'll overbear us!"

"He's right!" yelled James, coming up on her side and calling out, Will looking up in surprise at the source of support, "They come alongside and there'll be nothing left of us!"

She looked up to him, hair soaking and plastered to his head, drenched through, and then turned back to Barbossa as he yelled his dissent.

"Nay! Further in! We'll cut across to faster waters!"

Elizabeth turned, grasping the edge of the poop deck and leaning down to those on the lower deck.

"Prepare to broadside!" she bellowed.

"Captain the guns!" she heard Gibbs yell distantly from below, "Bear a hand!"

She saw James and Will both stagger over to the starboard, their eyes firmly on the Dutchman. James had his hand in the air, palm flat, signing for them to hold.

"Hold!" she shouted down to Gibbs below.

"Aye!" he yelled back, shouting down the hatch to those manning the canons, "Wait until we're board and board!"

She turned again to watch James and Will, side by side, and suddenly there was a moment of quiet, the rain beating down, all hands silent as they waited with fear in their bellies and their hearts. And then the Dutchman was level and James' arm cut through the air, both him and Will shouting simultaneously,

"FIRE!"

"AYE, FIRE!" yelled Barbossa in approval.

"FIRE ALL!" she screamed down to Gibbs who repeated her command before she had finished it,

"FIRE!" he yelled, "FIRE ALL!"

The bellow of the canons was deafening, cutting through the yells of men, the drumming of rain, the thunder over head. In response the Dutchman lit up and a moment later there was the crash of canon balls impacting into the ship.

She staggered as right next to her a chunk of wood flew, missing her by feet. She saw Will, sprinting down the stairs and onto the lower deck, dodging between chunks of wood and metal and her heart leaped into her throat. Despite everything she still cared about him, still feared for him, and when he reached the other side she let out a breath of relief.

Her eyes scanned the deck but she couldn't see James. However before she could begin to panic a body pressed against her back and familiar hands came to rest next to hers on the remnants of the rail.

"They're going to board!" he yelled into her ear.

She turned and saw ropes swinging both to and from the Pearl; the ships were coming closer and closer in the Maelstrom and soon each ship would be flooded by enemies.

"I have to get aboard the Dutchman!" she shouted, turning so that she was facing him, his hands still on the rails penning her in.

"No!" he roared in answer.

"I have to! It's the only way to end this - we have to find the chest!"

He hesitated, eyes going back to the Dutchman and flickering to the men swarming onto the deck, the battle breaking out below.

"I'll go with you!"

"No!" she shouted, "No - I need you to protect the Pearl! If it goes badly we'll all need her to escape, if there's any escape to be had!"

He shook his head and she reached up, cupping each side of his face.

"I know I haven't earned it!" she yelled over the cacophony of the storm and the blood bath raging beyond, "But I need you to trust me!"

He locked his gaze with hers and for a long moment she thought he would say no. Then, finally he nodded, one slow movement, before stepping back and letting her free.

She paused for a moment, unsure as to what to do, what to say when this might be the last time she ever saw him. Suddenly he lurched forward, blade drawn and shoved her aside, impaling a fish like creature which had been about to attack her. Almost as soon as he pushed her she withdrew her own blade, running through another of Jones' crew which had been at James' back.

She turned and he looked over his shoulder, sword dripping with blood and clutched tightly in his hand, bellowing,

"GO!"

She looked to see more creatures swarming aboard the ship down on the lower deck and then turned back to him. His jacket was flapping in the gale, he was soaked to the skin and already there was a cut on his face. She thought, in that moment, that he was probably the most incredible thing she'd ever seen.

Without thought she strode towards him, pulled his head down towards her and kissed him, hard.

It took only a moment for him to respond, his arms to come around her and hold her so tightly it hurt, his lips to move against hers with the desperation of a final kiss. However this wasn't their first final kiss and while that one had been that of Commodore James Norrington this was a kiss that man could never give; of passion and love which burned like fire. Of the man who had, finally, after so long, won her heart.

She gasped against his lips as they both drew back, dragging air into their lungs. His eyes were bright as he looked at her and she could feel the creature in her chest howling out to stay with him. And yet she could not.

"I love you." she exclaimed, the revelation so new and shocking to her she could hardly believe that it was true. But it was, it was, so painfully and blatantly true.

The disbelief, the wild hope, on his face was something she wanted to stay and watch forever. Yet she couldn't stay; she had to find the chest.

"I have to go." she yelled, touching his cheek with a gentle hand. "I'll find you, when it's done, I'll come and find you."

He leaned forward and kissed her brow, saying just loud enough for her to hear,

"I love you, always…always."

Then he released her and with a final glance she turned and ran, fighting off all who would stop her as she battled her way to the nearest rope. Grasping hold of it she held on tight and, without looking back, Elizabeth jumped.