Oh My Norrington! Its been so long since i've updated this! I'm so sorry guys! Gah, i feel terrible. I hope i haven't lost any readers cos of this...but i don't blame those who might have ditched. Sorry! =( Anyway... Woohoo! 20th chapter! XD I would like to dedicate this to all you reviewers/alerters/favouriters/stars! Thank you so much for reading my humble little story! It didn't start off terribly well, but thanks for sticking by me along the way! I hope the rest can be just as appreciated!

By the way, for all you Norrington fans out there (or even those of you who aren't his fans) check out Norrieo's story My Once In A Lifetime it is amazingly written, much better than mine so please go and read it!

On with the story! =)

I tried hard to stifle a laugh as the crew stood, awestruck and petrified as they watched Elizabeth's wedding dress sail through the air above them. The ghostly pale gown swooped lower, narrowly missing their heads causing them to duck quickly.

At first I was reluctant to scare the crew like this, but Elizabeth explained that it was the only way to convince them to head for Tortuga instead of England. And this immediately made me change my mind, if it meant I could see James again sooner.

Elizabeth nudged me with her elbow as we crouched in the crow's nest. She was giving life to the dress with a twitch of her arm, she made one long sleeve of the elegant frock lift up to the side and point out to sea.

All the men watched, some confused.

'A sign! Look! it's a sign!' they all hurried to the edge of the boat and looked out over the dark water.

Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. Tossing the dress to me, she threw a lamp at the deck causing it to smash and light the wood. I watched wide eyed as she jumped down from the sail and landed with a thump on a barrel that sat on deck.

'What's that over there?' she said in her best manly voice. This made me giggle a little. I suddenly remembered that I was now in control of the dress. I quickly tossed it overboard and made my way down the mast and onto the deck to see the word TORTUGA written in fire across the deck. The men all looked at each other and I peered to Elizabeth as she watched them contently. She sent me wink and a smile before hopping down off the barrel and walking away.

~xxx~

My vision gradually became clearer, like someone was wiping a window of watermarks and the picture behind it could once again be seen. Although, the reality of the picture that I could now see was one that I wished I hadn't. Everything in my being told me to close my eyes again and wish to be elsewhere, but my eyes remained open. Open to see Jack Sparrow, sitting in a throne, upside-down…? What?

My brain fuzzed and my memory blurred as I came round from whatever it was that had knocked me out. It took a few seconds to realise that it was in fact me that was the wrong way up. This fact came to me as I realised the fuzziness in my head was the blood rushing to it.

'Jack!' Will cried from somewhere beside me. I frowned and tried to crane my neck to see him. 'I can honestly say I'm glad to see you!' Will continued, somewhat relieved.

My eyes shifted to see the crazy pirate that almost tempted me to leave Elmira, sat in some sort of throne, with gloriously painted cheeks and a necklace of…shrunken human heads? I shook my head violently, I must still be partially under the influence of whatever that dart had contained.

'Jack? Jack Sparrow? It's me Will Turner!' Will was obviously still attempting to get Jack to recognise him.

'Barce co?' Jack spoke to an islander. I had to blink hard to try and realise he had spoken in their native language. How the devil did he come to learn that? A large part of me didn't want to know.

Looking around my surroundings, I could see the sea from where we were. We seemed to be situated high on top of a mountain. With more mountains and small islands further around us. My stomach dropped, as a Royal Navy Officer I was aware of dangerous islands in these oceans.

This was the Pelagostos Island. Which only meant one thing, cannibalism.

Me and the blacksmith were to be main course.

'Tell them to let me down!' Will shouted over to Jack who seemed to be in conversation with the native.

I cleared my throat, sending Will a violent glare.

'Us. Tell them to let us down.' Will corrected a little fed up.

Jack looked over to us and back to the native again.

'Kelle lam. Lam pici pici , lam incy wincy. Lam say say, eunuchai, snip snip.' Jack finished his gabble of utter nonsense with a scissors motion with his fingers, bending towards Will. He strode back over, double-taking in my direction, a confused look on his painted face.

'Jack! The compass I need it! Elizabeth is in danger! We got arrested for trying to help you! She faces the gallows!'

'And Miss Hansford also!' I added, sending a hard glance at Will. The very thought of Elmira stepping up to the noose made my stomach churn and my heart flip. Jack stayed still, before bending down to our eye level and whispering 'Save me.' before we were taken away by the natives. Save me? Isn't he their leader? I was baffled and seemed to frown harder as I was carried away with Will.

~xxx~

I looked down at the letters of mark I held in my hands. Elizabeth was tightening a belt around her middle.

'Do you really think they'll be there?' I asked, flipping the leather case over in my palm.

Elizabeth moved and took them away from me, stuffing them under her bunk. We were down on one of the lower decks, supposedly mopping but we had finished already and the mop sat lazily against a wooden post, the floor now slippery and not that much improved.

'We'll keep them in here. They're safer hidden.'

I nodded and mentally took note of where she's put them should I need to hastily retrieve them in the unfortunate situation that we were found out.

'Okay, getting off should be easy enough.' Elizabeth spoke to herself more than me. Although she may have been trying to encourage me, a look of nervousness was obvious in my expression. I raised a hand to my mouth and chewed on a nail, something I'd never have done back at home. I thought then of Father and Lydia, neither of them knowing where exactly I was. Only that I was either alive, or hanged in secret, away from the public eye. But knowing Lydia's sharp mind in danger, they would have both doubted the latter idea.

'Elmira!' Elizabeth whispered sharply at me from the stairs up to the next deck, 'We've got to hurry, come on!' she disappeared and I followed a little reluctantly.

I'd only heard stories of Tortuga.