Preface

Elizabeth had never been so sad in her whole life. She knew she did what was right, but she could not help but feel empty and punishably guilty. Her eyes were blurry from fresh tears as she thought through the last hours. It all rushed by in a blur, the Kraken, watching Jack row away, the amazing moment when he came back, the kiss, his last words to her, Pirate. She truly did feel like a pirate. The memories haunted her.

"I'm not sorry." Her top lip brushed his as she said this, she wanted to kiss him again, but she did the task and that's all she needed to do.

"Pirate," Elizabeth thought this to be an insult in the heat of the moment, but looking back on it she noticed that he had admiration on his face and in his voice. What kind of man would find such an act of this admirable? She questioned internally. Captain Jack Sparrow. She answered her own question.

The taste of him lingered on her lips. She liked the feeling that she carried a part of him with her, but she also hated it. Tia Dalma came by and offered her some odd drink, snapping Elizabeth from her reverie.

"Against de cold and de sorrow," Tia Dalma said. Elizabeth took the cup and clenched it to her body; she became aware of Will throwing his knife on the table over and over again. She would worry about him later. She remembered Jack's lips and the feeling of warmth that he emitted and the feeling of her cold betrayal.

"To Jack Sparrow!" Gibbs raised his glass in toast, catching Elizabeth's attention.

"Never enough wifout captin' Jack."

"He was a gentleman of fortune, he was!"

"He was a good man," Elizabeth sputtered holding back more tears. She noticed the rest of the crew, including Will, was silent. She looked off in to the distance and lifted her glass to sip from the cup, but decided her stomach could not take anything right then.

Will stood up and walked closer to her, "If there were anything to be done to bring him back…" He looked worried, "Elizabeth…" He was interrupted by Tia Dalma.

"Would ye do it?!" Elizabeth noticed she was uncharacteristically enthusiastic, "what would ye, huh?" Tia referred directly to Elizabeth now. Anything, Elizabeth thought, everything, anything to rid myself of this guilt. "What would any of you do, hmm? Would you sail to the end of the world and beyond to fetch back witty Jack and 'im precious Pearl?" There was a brief pause, then a large amount of "aye's." She felt everyone looking at her and nodded her head.

"Yes." Tia Dalma looked excited and went on a long ramble about how the crew needs a captain to sail to the end of the world and beyond. There were footsteps on the stairwell; a stunned silence filled the room when Hector Barbossa's face became visible.

"And what has happened to me ship?" He laughed and took a bite out of an apple.

"Gone, and Jack with it." Elizabeth said rather harshly. Her last experience with Barbossa was him kidnapping her; she did not fancy him much.

"Aye, so I hear. So the sea finally got the best of Captain Jack Sparra." Hector chuckled at himself.

"He elected to stay behind," Elizabeth defended him; "he died honorably." She remembered Jack's hand running up her back to her hair and his other resting on her waist. She also remembered grabbing his hand off her hip and the sound of cold, deadly shackles. Elizabeth shook her head attempting to erase the past.

"Honorable was never a word I'd hear to describe Jack." Will said, approaching Elizabeth.

"He was a good man." She took a sip from her cup, her anger replaced her pain. I must defend him to my fullest extent, thought Elizabeth, I owe it to him and he really was a good man.

"Aye," Gibbs agreed, ending the conversation. Will sat back down and listened while Barbossa laid out his plan to save Jack and the Pearl.

"First, we need a ship and a crew," began Barbossa.

"And where do you propose we get that?" Will inquired.

"Singapore," Barbossa responded.

Chapter 1

Elizabeth washed up on shore and coughed up the salt water in her throat. I am so done with pirates. She looked around at the people surrounding her, Will, Barbossa, Tia Dalma, Pintel and Ragetti, and the Singapore crew. Everyone was there, everyone survived….somehow.

"You!" She ran over to Barbossa waving a finger in his face, "You are lucky that ended well or else I would've…" Her thoughts trailed off as she became aware of her surroundings. "This?" She said, "This is the Locker?"

"I'm sorry yer not impressed, Miss Swann, but aye, this be the Locker." Barbossa responded. They were standing on a beach; around them lay a litany of sand dunes.

"It's just…prettier than I expected." Elizabeth felt her guilt fade a small amount by the realization that Jack was not in the kind of place she thought he was.

"Aye, most people perceive the locker to be much like a damnable hell, but it isn't that bad." Gibbs said.

"I don't see Jack anywhere." Elizabeth looked around for any sign of him or the Pearl.

"Witty Jack is closer than you fink." Tia Dalma responded petting a crab and looking out to the sand dunes. Everyone's eyes followed hers, off in the distance the Pearl came sliding down the dunes and in to the ocean. Jack stood on the top of the mast looking out at the world; he jumped in to the water and swaggered over to everyone on the beach.

"How does he always manage to do that?" Elizabeth whispered.

"What?" Will asked. Elizabeth was startled; she thought no one heard her.

"Impress m—" Elizabeth stopped at the realization of who she was talking to, "everyone." Will gave her a suspicious look.

"I'm not impressed." Will said watching Jack gain the distance between the ship and them.

"Mister Gibbs!" Jack hollered. Elizabeth cringed at the sound of his voice, a smile drifted across her face. Her heartbeat raced and she clung on to the way he walked, smiled, and talked. She started towards him in a rush, but stopped herself.

"Aye Captain!" Gibbs responded.

"There has been a serious lack of discipline on me vessel as of late, why, why sir, is this?" Jack asked.

"Jack," Elizabeth's voice came from behind Will, she stepped forward, "You're in the Locker. We came to rescue you." Jack stared at Elizabeth for a while before taking a few steps forward.

"I know where I am," He said, stepping closer to Elizabeth, she wanted to withdraw but her feet did not allow her to. He walked until he was right by her face.

"Jack…" She said cautiously.

"Aye?" He asked, and then he turned and ran over to Gibbs, "the Locker?"

"Aye captain, the Locker." Gibbs responded, Jack stood in thought for a moment and made a sneer of disgust. He turned and ran back to Elizabeth.

"It seems as though ye be the one who needs rescuing and I don't know if I'm exactly in the mood." He said with a smug smile.

"Jack," she said again, "how is you to be rescuing us?"

"I have me ship," he said happily, "but I'm not in the mood."

"You will take us back Jack, we came all the way here just to bring you back." Elizabeth noticed some light in Jack's eyes, some sudden spark that she could not figure out.

"Persuade me," He said with a smug smile. Elizabeth examined his face, his eyes, his cheeks, his lips. She felt his closeness and was alarmed at how much she enjoyed to feel him with her again. He's actually here, my clever and arrogant Jack.

"Barbossa!" She shouted; Barbossa walked up to the two of them, "The charts, if you would." Barbossa handed Elizabeth a chart made out of what seemed to be black bamboo. She took it and tapped it against Jack's chest. "You can't get out of this one without us Jack," she lifted her chin closer to his face, close enough to feel his breath, "where do you plan to go?"

"Fine," Jack said after a little while of contemplation, "but it's bad luck to a have a woman on the ship." Elizabeth tossed the charts to Will and placed her hand on Jack's chest.

"It's good to have you back, Jack."

"Aye." Jack responded, brushing a piece of hair out of Elizabeth's face and resting his hand on her cheek and ear.

"All hands to your stations!" A voice boomed behind them, Elizabeth leaned in to Jack's touch just enough so it wasn't obvious. "You wouldn't want your crew taking orders from me now, Jack?" Will said grabbing Jack's shoulder causing Jack to jump.

"HARDLY NOT!" He bellowed and turned quickly from Elizabeth and Will, "to the Pearl! Make sail and all that!" The crew jumped to action, "Elizabeth?" He said, not even turning to her.

"Yes?" She inquired.

"I'm going to need to talk to ye. Privately. Do not think ye got away with killing the captain without punishment, I've got order to enforce, savvy?" He walked away without another word.

"Kill?" Will asked.

"It was my burden to bear." Elizabeth said. She then followed Jack and the crew to the Pearl.