Chapter 1: Preparation

A/N: A very short chapter to start out with. Most of the rest are far longer than this, coming in at an average of 6 pages. This story was completely written before publishing, and follows the canon as closely as possible. I don't own any part of the PotC franchise, am not affiliated with Disney in any way, and I do not own any of the characters aside from the ones of my own creation. Read, enjoy, and please review!

Alice walked into the dark house and flipped a switch, exposing the stacks of clutter that lined every wall. As she weaved through it in a familiar manner, she set down her keys on a countertop that was dense with ephemera, dropped her jacket into a mounting pile of clothing, and left her shoes somewhere in the middle. This mindless routine was performed numbly every day when she returned home from work, leaving the 20 year old free to drift in a haze of half awareness. "I'm sorry…" Though she gave no space of memory to her menial and repetitive tasks, she remembered Paul's words well, even though it had been a couple of months since he spoke them. She stopped in front of a small accumulation of bottles and glasses, and looked into the grimy mirror above it at her tired face. The bags under her eyes seemed to weigh down her lids, which were also darkened with exhaustion, and she wondered if she could even remember how to smile genuinely anymore. With a sigh she uncorked a bottle of wine and poured it into the cleanest glass on the small table, and she carried that glass around as she set about on a most important task.

As she undressed, Alice tossed her casual business attire onto the floor without a care. She pulled a small checklist off the wall and read it over, checking and rechecking that she had everything from it packed into a leather satchel that sat on her bed. Satisfied that her packing was complete, she pulled out a carefully selected outfit from the closet and laid it out beside her bag. Heavy woolen socks went on first, with a brown pair of breeches over those, and a loose-fitting white shirt was secured into place with a soft leather vest of a darker brown. She braided her ebony hair loosely, tying it with a red ribbon, and slipped into the heavy black leather boots. She stood up and walked over to the mirrored closet door, taking in her full appearance, and smiled with a touch of sadness. Her soft face could do without powder for now, she decided, and she gave herself a last once over in the mirror before turning to snatch up the bag and walk out of the room, flicking off the light as she exited without a backward glance.

Alice picked up a small wooden box from her desk and opened it carefully to reveal what looked almost like a compass comprised of numerous brass dials. She shuffled some papers around and grabbed one in particular, adjusting the dials after each glance at the sheet. Satisfied, she pressed down on the dials, locking them into place, and a red light illuminated in the very center. Alice stared at it lost in thought, memories rising to the surface in hazy bubbles.

"I met someone else."

"What?" Alice sat stunned, unsure of what else to say. Still afraid from her most recently ended relationship, she had always been afraid to tell him how she really felt, not wanting to scare him away. And now that fear was manifesting due to her lack of action.

"I met this… amazing woman… And we kind of started to become serious…"

Paul's words were a blur to Alice. They had not been seeing each other exclusively, so it wasn't like he had cheated on her. But she thought they would have more time – enough time for her to get over her fears and tell him that she loved him.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his eyes unable to meet hers.

She couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath, and pressed the glowing red button down hard.