The ride down the beach was slow and painful. Elizabeth could feel Will's eyes on her with every step Tessa took. It wasn't much farther to her favorite place in all of Port Royal. She hadn't been back for a couple of years. She hoped nothing had happened to it in her absence.

They stopped at where the beach ended and a dense tropical forest began. The path that Elizabeth used to use had long since grown over and there was no chance of them getting through on horse back. Nobody ever came down to this end of the beach, but she noticed an old rowboat beached not far up the shore. In her mind she made a mental note to be extra cautious.

Will was swift getting off his horse to help her. She fell onto the ground with a soft gasp and a cling to her ribs. He held onto her by the waist until she was steady on her feet. She smiled up at him and moved her way through the underbrush. If all was how she remembered, it was only a short walk to where they were going.

"Um, Elizabeth? Where are we going?" Will asked. Elizabeth knew this was coming.

"We're nearly there! I think…"

"You're not going to get us lost, are you?"

"Of course not! Have I ever been wrong?"

Will chose to remain silent in this argument. He could list the numerous times that Elizabeth had gotten them into trouble. Mere hours after they met, she had convinced him that a crab on the deck was dead. This crab had not been dead at all and he still had the scar on his right index finger to prove it.

Elizabeth saw the familiar sight ahead of her. Amidst this tropical paradise, there was an old willow tree. How a willow tree had wound up in the middle of all this, she didn't know. Nevertheless, she loved it. It seemed to have aged since she had last been here and the willows were longer. She pushed them aside and walked through them.

Will smiled at the beautiful scene in front of him. There was a small pool of water in the shade of a willow tree and the numerous palms. There was a small stream that he knew must lead to the ocean. A small bank surrounded the picturesque blue water. Elizabeth kicked off her shoes and continued to remove her stockings.

She walked to the bank of the little watering hole that she remembered so much from her first summer here. When her father would be under a lot of stress with the increasing problems with pirates and such, he would send her and a few maids and soldiers down to the beach. Sarah, who was a few years older than her, had first taken her here. They would sit together on these banks and sew. Because there were men around, they never got the chance to take a quick dip in the water.

She touched the water fondly. Because it was in the shade, it wasn't hot like some of the other shallows. It was relatively clean as well because people didn't dump their trash here. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the straps of her top gown down and let it fall.

"Elizabeth! Um… what… are you doing?" asked Will. Elizabeth turned around and blushed. He had his back turned to her and was making a big show of playing with the sand at his feet.

"You didn't have to come with me, Will. I told you I would be fine but you insisted that I needed to be babysat. Don't worry, I'm not going to skinny dip," she said, removing her corset top carefully. Her ribs instantly felt better. It was like night and day. Now, she felt no pain. She was in nothing but her dressing gown.

Will snuck a glance behind him and saw that she had begun to wade out into the water. He was blushing bright crimson. Was she doing this on purpose?

"Come on in, Will! The water is absolutely divine!" she called to him. She was in the middle now and her toes could barely touch the bottom. Throwing all caution to the wind, she dove under and touched the bottom and popped back up. Swimming… she hadn't been since her mother died.

"Um, I don't think that's a good idea, Ms. Swa-, I mean Elizabeth," he said. He began rubbing his forehead uncomfortably. "I'll just stay over here until you're done."

"Come on, Will! You don't have to be a the picture of propriety with me. Don't be so prude. Whatever you've got, I've got more of!" she said with a hearty laugh. A new sensation filled Will. It wasn't about taking his shirt off anymore. This was about his pride.

He reached down and removed his shoes and stockings and then continued to unbutton his shirt as he ran into the water after her. She squealed and tried to swim away but he was to fast. She turned and splashed him. The salt stung his eyes and he started to laugh. Then, they heard it.

Somewhere behind them, they heard a rustling noise. Both going silent, they turned around. Will's fight-or-flight sense kicked in and he grabbed Elizabeth by the arm under the water. Quietly they waited. Then he came.

Staggering through the dense foliage came a man. He was dressed in practically rags with his hat cocked off to one side. He was singing some song at the top of his voice and carrying a bottle in one of his hands. Elizabeth swore he looked familiar. When he saw the two of them, he stopped.

"Oh! My apologies! Just on my way through. Don't mind me, just go back to… whatever it is that you were doing. Or about to do, if you catch my drift," he said, flashing a golden smile. Elizabeth made a face at the drunken man.

"Ah! Young love! It makes me think about me younger years in Tortuga as a young man…" he ranted as he turned around and staggered back through the trees. They could still hear him talking to himself.

Author's Note!
So sorry about the long wait between updates! With school, I've had hardly any time to write for the pure amusement. Please don't be angry! I still appreciate your reviews as much as ever! -emily s