A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far, guys! Since everyone is pretty much new readers, if anyone wants me to PM them a backstory so you won't get confused, I can! Enjoy!

Chapter Two
Candy Canes and Secrets

The Queen's Palace
December 22, 1740

"You'll never get away with it, Captain Turner!" She turned the sharp corner and held the necklace close to her chest as she picked up the pace. She could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer. She screamed when he nearly grabbed her, and took off running down a deserted corridor. If she could only make it to the Grand Staircase. "Come back here!"

"No!" She yelled, as her curls bounced behind her. She kept running, feeling her heart pound against her chest as she did so. She only had to make it to Grand Staircase. If she could make it there, then everything would be alright. She'd be away from him, and she could be safe from his grasp. She turned her emerald green eyes to see the golden railing of the Staircase becoming visible. After a few more seconds, she could she the enormous crystal chandelier that hung in the middle of the main room.

She began running faster, and finally made it to the stairs. "Captain Turner!" She heard him yell. She screamed again, and began running as fast as she possibly could down to the Study. Clutching the necklace at her chest, she ran into the Study, shutting the door, and leaving his laughs and cries of, "Open the door!" behind.

"Darling, what on earth are you doing?" Came a voice from behind her.

"Barbossa's after me." Was Annie's reply as she walked across the room. She really had never been in the room before, since her mother didn't allow many inside it. It was practically completely gold in color, with the kingdom's flag hanging proudly on the wall. Since it was nearing Christmas in the Caribbeans, and being that she was, Annie's mother had made it snow on the island of Neptuño, causing the fireplace in the middle of the wall to be lit. The young princess bounced over to her mother's desk.

"Barbossa, huh?" Lila asked with a smirk, not taking her eyes off of the maps that were spread out on the desk in front of her. When Annie was standing in front of her mother's desk, Lila smiled down at her, and walked around the desk so that she could pick Annie up and sit her on it. Sitting Indian style on the desk, Annie looked down at the maps and asked Lila, "What are you doing?"

Lila sighed, sinking back into the chair, and staring down at them. Her own emerald eyes were focused, and a look of determination was spread across her beautiful, ageless face. She closed them momentarily, resting her hands on her forehead, leaning into them, before smiling and looking back up at her three year old daughter. "Nothing, love." Annie, who had somewhere found a candycane, was licking it. She stared down at the maps, that had empty spots on it. Sticking the entire candycane in her mouth, she asked, "What's that?" But since the candycane was in her mouth, her speech wasn't audible.

"Annie, don't put the whole thing in your mouth, love." Annie smiled up at her mother as she crossed the Study and walked over to the large doors with the sparrow engraving on them. Lila turned around to face a smiling Annie as she said, "You think we should let Barbossa in?" Annie giggled as she nodded, pulling the candycane out of her mouth like Lila had told her. Lila smiled at her, before turning back to the the doors and opening them.

"Goodness. She shut the door on my bloody head." He groaned as he walked in, rubbing the rather large red spot on his head that was no doubt the result of Annie slamming the door on him moments ago. Lila smiled over at Annie who had now burst into a fit of giggles.

"Aw, why the long face, querido?" Lila asked him with a smirk, as she leaned against the wall. Captain William Turner darted his hazel eyes over at his smirking wife. He narrowed them, and said, "Because your daughter just slammed the door on my head." Lila looked over at Annie, trying her best not to laugh as she said, "Is this true, love?"

"He said he was going to steal my treasure!" Annie said, matter-of-factly, pulling out the candycane again since Lila had given her a look at seeing that the whole thing was in her mouth once again. The Queen smiled as she walked back over to her desk and said, "Well, Captain Turner-" She said that, directed down at Annie not Will. Annie smiled at Lila as she she stood on her desk and raised her hand to her head in a salute.

"-Captain Turner, I think a thanks is in order." Lila said, using her Queen voice as she came to stand in front of where Annie stood on the desk. "You just helped in the capture of a dangerous fugitive." Annie smiled at Lila as she said, "Your reward?"

"Please." Annie giggled, smiling down at her mother. Will smiled as he came to stand beside the desk. Lila leaned up and whispered something in her ear. Annie squealed, before going over to Will and motioning for him to help her down. He put his hands on her waist and lifted her in the air. After he kissed her cheek, he set her down and watched her as she ran off into the corridors. Lila laughed and walked back over behind the desk, looking back down at the maps, and feeling Will's gaze on her the whole time.

He walked behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder, looking down at the maps. "Do I even want to know what you told her?" Lila smiled, shrugging Will off, and whirling around to look at him. He smiled down at her as he rested his forehead against hers, pushing some of her curls back. "Darling, you have been way too stressed..." Will's voice trailed off as he looked down at the maps that were spread out in front of them. Keeping an arm around Lila's waist, Will leaned down and picked up one of the maps, "Route to the Pantano River...." He moved the map over and said, "Isla..."

"Isla Esquelética." Lila said for him, sitting on the edge of the desk. Had her mother been in here, Lila knew she would have made her get off. Will put the maps down, and looked at his wife in the eyes as he said, "Anything you'd like to let me in on?"

"Not really." She smiled up at him, pushing his curls out of his face, and planting a kiss on his cheek. Will smiled down at her as she rested her head against his chest. Will squinted his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Lila, and stared down at the parchment.

"Darling?"

"Hmm?"

"Who's Stone-Eyed Sam?" Lila pulled her head off of Will's chest and followed his gaze to the parchment that Will was looking at. She picked it up, and smiled at Will as she said, "No one." She turned on her heels and walked into the other room. William was about to follow her, but someone ran up to him and threw their arms around his legs. Will chuckled as he bent down and picked his daughter up, "Feeling better, Daddy?"

"Much better, darling, thank you." Will beamed down at Annie as he kissed her forehead and glanced into the room that Lila had just walked into. He sighed. She had been acting a little off lately. I mean, he knew that she had her moments, but something was bothering her. He glanced back down at the map that read City of the Dead on it. He pushed the parchment aside to see that the other one had the name Stone-Eyed Sam written on it, and under it a little ways, and circled, was something about the Sword of Cortés.

"Why do I get the feeling that your mother isn't telling me something?" He asked that question more so to himself that Annie, who of course didn't know anything. Annie just continued to lick her candycane and looked up at Will with her big, bright green eyes. It was starting to amaze William at how much Annie really looked like Lila. He remembered when Lila was her age, and looking at Annie was almost like looking at Lila.

Annie smiled up at him, causing him to kiss her forehead and asked, "You want to come on the Dutchman with me later?" She nodded, with a huge smile on her face. He beamed down at her and said, "Well, do Daddy a favor, alright?"

Annie nodded and Will said, "Go on upstairs and take your nap. Then when you wake up, Daddy'll take you out on the Dutchman, alright, princess?" She nodded as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. He set her back on the floor, and watched her cram the entire candycane back into her mouth, before running up the Grand Staircase. He was frozen for a minute, as if he couldn't believe that she had actually done that, before turning back to the maps and papers that were spread out on Lila's desk.

William walked over to the desk. Just as he did that, the doors opened. Thinking that it was going be Lila, he jumped about a mile. The young woman smiled at seeing Will and said to him in a quiet, but polite voice, "Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness. I thought the Queen was in here." Sara glanced around the room, just to make sure that Lila wasn't in there. Like it had been one of those times where Will and Lila were having one of their 'moments' and someone walked in on them, Lila would almost always be hiding on the other side of the room.

Will smiled at her, setting the papers down on the desk again, and ignoring the fact that he could hear his heart pounding from over in the corner. She smiled at him, and bowed slightly, before going to the golden-lined doors and opened them, preparing to walk out. Will glanced back down at the papers, and then said, "Sara?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"It's Will, remember?" He said with a smile, walking over to the door to stand in front of her. Sara smiled up at him, blushing slightly. He smiled back down at her, remembering that Lila usually was always with him when there was a maid in the room. She'd walked in on too many conversations about William and how handsome he was. Will leaned against the door and asked, "Sara, I promise not to say anything, alright, if you answer this."

Sara nodded with a confused look on her face. He smiled and asked, "Have you heard Lila say anything about-" He glanced down at the parchment he was holding. "-Sword of Cortés?" Sara thought for a moment, but said, "No, Your-" She smiled, "-I mean, Will. But I did hear her say something about a sword when Mr. Sparrow was here."

"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Will looked down into the young girl's face. She nodded, and Will glanced back down at the parchment. "She failed to mention he ever came." The room went silent for a moment, before Will said, "Well, thank you, Sara." She smiled, and was about to bow, but Will stopped her. He exited the study, and entered the main room. He was just about to head up the Staircase to find Lila, but he was stopped by Rupert, who had just came back from Atlantis the day before.

"Will? This came for Lila." He walked over to where Will was standing on the stairs and handed it to him. Will smiled at him and said, "Thanks. Hey, Rupert?" Rupert, who had been walking back into the corridor, stopped and turned to look at Will. He looked down the hall to make sure that Lila was around and said, quieter, "Did Lila say anything about Jack being here? Sara told me that he was." Will glanced down at the enevlope that he was holding in his hands to see that the address was written in Atlantean. Rupert sighed, and walked back over to Will, "No. Lila's really not...taking alot. The Court isn't very happy at the moment, but...I think that letter is from him."

When Rupert's gaze met Will's, Rupert smiled and said, "I'm just saying." Will smiled at Rupert as he walked down the corridors. "Oh, Lila!" He heard Rupert say loudly, a little too loudly. Will took the letter and walked into the other room, locking the door behind him. He carefully pulled the Atlantis seal off the back of it, and unfolded it so he could read:

To Her Royal Highness Lila Turner, Queen of the Seas and Neptuno
The Queen's Palace, Neptuno

Lila,
Don't you worry about a thing, love. We've got it all worked out, and we should be arriving at the palace in a few days. So, don't do anything stupid, alright? Stay put with the eunuch until we get there and don't tell anyone of our plans, alright? We'll come out with it in time. And as for that bloody idiot Sam? Don't go after him. Last I heard of him, he was ruling over the City of the Dead. And if it takes meeting him and going there, then that's what it takes, but I want to be with you when it happens.

And that bloody witch Calypso came looking for Will last week, I don't know what she wanted, but I'm scared of her so I didn't ask. But you may want to go find her, if you care about the eunuch of course. I'll see you in a few days, love.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Prince of the Seas
Triton's Palace, Atlantis

Will sighed and stared at the letter for a moment. What on earth were Jack and Lila planning? And why did Calypso need to talk to him? He hadn't been slacking off on his duties, has he?

"You promise your heart to someone, to whom it really doesn't belong." For some reason, Will could hear Davy's voice saying that all those years ago. Pushing that out of his mind, Will slipped the letter back into the envelope and opened the door to see Annie smiling up at him, apparently awake from her short lived nap.