Will's heart was crushed. It had been going so well (apart from Elizabeth being stabbed, almost bleeding to death, staying unconscious, and all) and now it was all going to be ruined!

"Are you sure?" Will asked the lookout in alarm. "Are you sure that you saw the Pearl and Jack?"

"Aye," the lookout replied. "I wouldn't lie upon it, sir. They've got him unconscious by the looks of it and are dragging him across the deck."

"Did I hear, right?" one of the men on the deck of the Flipper asked incredulously. "Jack's alive and on the Black Pearl?" He rushed off to inform the others, who cheered happily and pushed the Flipper forward faster, cutting through the water quickly.

Will, with one last shred of hope, went to see Elizabeth again. He thought that maybe if he told her that the captain was back, she would grow happier and stronger and healthier.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Jack is alive! We saw him on board the Pearl, a captive to the Spaniards, but he is not dead; he didn't explode with the boat you saw!" Will put a false glee in his voice. The lady in front of him didn't stir. Will sighed and got up, heading for the door. As his hand was on the doorknob, Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open slightly.

She called out in a weak voice, "Will…"

Will, thinking he was dreaming, turned around, but Elizabeth's eyes had closed again. Will rushed to her side and pleaded. "Are you awake, Elizabeth? Answer me, please."

"Jack…alive?" she sounded slightly hopeful as she opened her eyes halfway. Will grabbed her hand and told her that it was true and watched as a small smile played on her lips. "Here…?"

Will answered that Jack was still aboard the old ship, and watched as Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed. She was asleep again soon, and Will got up quietly and left.

They reached the Pearl by noon the next day. The pirates of the Flipper were getting ready for a big fight on board, but were told not to damage the old ship in any way. They agreed and strapped their swords and pistols to their waists as they dove into the water. They surfaced next to the Pearl, Will in the lead, and scaled the side.

The Spaniards, realizing what they were doing, began to shoot wildly at the men. Some of them fell to the ocean, but most got over onto the Pearl and prepared for battle with the enemy. Will left the men and headed down to the brigs to find Jack. It was empty, though, except for a bench and a thin hay mattress. Upon not seeing him there, Will became confused, until a voice behind him called out, "Wondering when you'd get here, mate."

Will turned to see the captain he thought was long dead. They embraced for a moment before they headed to the main decks to fight. Captain Atroz wasted no time in challenging Jack to a duel. Jack, too busy to waste time with rules, pulled out his gun and shot him in each of the legs, not enough to kill him , but enough to immobilize him. The Spanish Captain swore angrily as he tried to swipe at Jack from the ground, but only caught his ankles.

Several crew members attacked Jack and Will, attempting to avenge the Captain's wounds. Swords and guns went flying around the ship, followed closely by severed limbs. Men from both sides were falling on the ground, dead. Captain Atroz, with both of his legs useless, did not last very long before he was caught in the crossfire and killed. It was a gruesome battle, and at the end of it, the decks were crimson with blood and Jack and Will stood in the middle, back to back, brandishing their weapons and surveying the surrendered ship.

The putrid smells of death lingered around the ship as Jack's crew -the rightful crew of the Black Pearl- shoveled away the remains of the dead and dropped them unceremoniously into the water; they would hold a general wake later. The Spanish prisoners were taken on as crew along with the prisoners of the previous capture. They worked hard into the afternoon, scrubbing the decks so as to rid it of the gore.

Elizabeth was dressed in a white dress and moved into a room on the Black Pearl so that she could have some privacy. After the ship was cleaned, Jack came to visit her. He knocked lightly on the door and let himself in. Elizabeth rolled over to face him and opened her eyes slightly. Her whole face brightened when she saw who it was and tried to sit up. However, the pain in her side was immense and she had to lay back down.

"Jack…" she said quietly and held out her hand, which was taken by the man in question. "Thought…you were…dead…"

"And yet, here I am love," Jack said. "I'm sorry about what happened. It was awfully stupid of me, I admit. You want to know what happened after the boat exploded on me, eh?" Elizabeth nodded and Jack proceeded to tell her about how he had gone to the island and befriended a dolphin and was captured by the Spaniards. All the while Elizabeth listened and her eyes went wide and she grabbed his hand tighter. And when Jack finally got up to leave, all was forgiven.

"Jack," Elizabeth called out. "Eat dinner…with me."

Jack nodded and left. Elizabeth managed to pull herself up enough to reach under her pillow and extract the two rings. Jack returned with two plates of biscuits and horse meat.

"Jack…" Elizabeth called quickly. "Water." Jack obliged and left the room again. Elizabeth seized her chance and grabbed Jack's biscuit. She tapped it on the bedside table to let the weevils fall out and stuffed one of the rings inside it. She put the biscuit back just as Jack came back into the room with a tin cup of water. Elizabeth propped up on her pillows (not too high, for if she did, her wound would open on itself and bleed her to death) and sipped the drink, waiting for Jack to pull out the ring and accept the marriage proposal she was ready to give.

Jack, however, simply scarfed down the tough meat, then tapped his biscuit to rid it of any remaining bugs, and stuffed it down his throat.

Elizabeth, realizing in alarm that Jack's plate was clean and he had not pulled out the ring, thought: Good Lord, he's swallowed it! Elizabeth buried her face in her hands hopelessly, losing her appetite. The captain stroked her hair, unaware of what had made her so upset, then left her alone to brood.

Jack, actually, had not eaten the ring, as Elizabeth thought. It had fallen out when he tapped the beetles out of his hard biscuit and he had pocketed it quickly, unsure of how to tell Elizabeth that he couldn't marry her. The reason was simply this: Jack Sparrow could not be tied down to just one girl; he needed room to spread out and try many different women.

Jack felt that he needed to tell Elizabeth why they couldn't be together, so he entered her room again and said softly, "Elizabeth, we need to talk." Elizabeth nodded and Jack went on, "Can I carry you to the edge of the ship? We'll be alone." Elizabeth nodded again so Jack lifted her up, carried her to the edge of the deck, and placed her in a reclined chair.

Jack put a hand on her leg and took a deep breath. "We need to discuss that ring you tried to choke me with, love."

Elizabeth smiled slightly, but went on in a weak voice. "You know…not like that…" She caught her breath slightly and said her first real sentence since her accident. "Will you marry me?" She looked up into his dark brown eyes.

Jack Sparrow's heart melted upon seeing the hopeful face of this beautiful woman in front of him staring up at him, even though she was still dreadfully near death. Jack couldn't help but feel partly responsible for her condition; if he had swum back to the ship when he had a chance; if he had been there, she wouldn't have been hurt. He would have had enough sense to send someone to the ship of her accident first to comb the place and make sure no tricks were being set up. Because he wasn't there, Elizabeth had almost bled to death in the arms of a foolish Will who hadn't had enough sense to check for a breath or a pulse until it was almost too late- until she was almost gone.

Jack knew that if he and Elizabeth stayed together, it would be worse for the both of them. The enemies of the captain would try to hurt all those dear to him in an attempt to bring him to his knees; he certainly would not put it past the officials of Port Royal. If Elizabeth was ever harmed again, Jack would never forgive himself for it.

Jack looked back at the girl in front of him, grasped her frail hands in his, and leaned in. Their lips met for a single second before Jack pulled away, looked into her eyes and whispered clearly, "No."

He turned away from her and got up, swaggering away, hoping that she would see his reasons and that she wouldn't hate him. Maybe she'd even go off with Will and be safe. Jack's heart twinged a bit as he thought of the two together, holding hands and kissing. It had been awful to bear before Jack loved Elizabeth, and he knew that it would be excruciating if he was forced to watch it again.

Will had been standing in the shadows of the ship, listening and watching the scene. He then stepped out to comfort a heartbroken and surprised Elizabeth, who was clutching the ring that Jack had slipped back into her hand as they kissed. Her chair was turned towards the sea, giving her a view of the twilight. Will stood next to her and slipped his arm around her,offering her solace and companionship. Not a single word was exchanged between the two as they stared at the ocean, admiring the haunting beauty of the sunset.

Fin

(for now)