The Chinese New Year

Chapter Seventeen

Elizabeth paced the room, waiting for her escort to come and lead her to the alter. A place, in fact, that she really did not want to go to. But to save her Jack, she had to. She had to. She HAD to. Oh God. Was she willing to give up her life for another? Was she really that stupid? She glanced up at the window and saw that right underneath was the dock. She could pull what she did on the Dauntless and sneak out into town... run away... change her name, her style, no one would ever know....

Jack would. Jack would know.

At the thought of that, the door opened and there were footsteps pounding in. Elizabeth turned around and saw that a guard had pushed Jack into the room, shackles and all. Elizabeth gasped at the sight of him... his left eye was blackened and swollen, he had a cut right above his lip, but he smirked at her.

"I had to fight to earn the right to see you." he stated, and watched as the gaurd walked out the door and closed it, but staying right in front of the door.

"Oh, Jack..." Elizabeth sighed, and reached up, gently caressing Jack's face were it was swollen. "Are you going to be okay?"

Jack smirked. "You don't worry about me. You should see the other guy..." he snorted, and felt the joke fall flat. "Your here. I'm fine."

Elizabeth smiled at that thought and felt a tear fall down her cheek. "How long do we have?"

"Long enough." Jack bent his head down and caught Elizabeth's lips in his. She returned the kiss, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack tried to return the affection, but couldn't pull his arms out of the shackles.

Elizabeth noticed this and bent down, ducking underneath the shackles and up, so she felt his arms tighten around her waist. She kissed him again, and ever so lightly, kissed along his jawline. Jack closed his eyes and favored the touch, leaning into her kisses.

"Jack..." he heard her whisper. "I'm afraid."

Jack looked down into her eyes and softened at the sight of her near tears. "No worries love. Everything will work out."

"Not about the wedding... about the..." her voice dropped "... wedding night." She looked straight into Jack's eyes. "Jack, I don't want him to take me. I don't want him to be my first."

Jack tightened his grip around her waist and kissed her deeply. When they broke, he felt her head fall into his shoulder and sighed. "You know... I have about twenty minutes until I have to..." he choked on his words. What should he tell her? Twenty minutes until he met the noose? "... have to go. I could be your first."

Elizabeth shot her head up and looked up at Jack. Jack felt rather uncomfortable all of the sudden, and shifted. "That means, if you want to... I have no objections either which way... but if you don't want Teng to be your first..."

Elizabeth's response was her pressing her hands against Jack's shoulder, seeming to hold on, and went up on her tip toes so she was now level with Jack. She leaned in and caught Jack's mouth in an urgent kiss, and Jack kissed her back as quickly. With difficulty, Jack managed to pick Elizabeth up and gently placed her back against the wall. He kissed his way down onto her neck, and she lifted the folds of her dress up, so she could reach Jack's pants.

When she first brushed his member through his pants, however, Jack tripped and fell backwards. He landed on his back and Elizabeth was forced on top of him. She laughed and slid out from underneath the shackles, and finished unbuttoning his pants. She lifted her skirts once again and went to postion herself over him, but with difficulty. She had no idea what to do, after all, she was the virgin here.

Jack motioned for her to roll on her back, and postioned himself on top of her, his hands resting above her head. He kissed her lips, and slowly slid into her, feeling her contract around him. He paused right in front of her entrance and felt what kept Elizabeth's virginity. Elizabeth looked at Jack through half lidded eyes and moaned for him to continue. But Jack lost it. And he slid out of her, and sat up on his knees, looking down at her.

"Jack... what's wrong?" she asked, trying to regulate her breathing.

"I can't." he said simply. "I'm sorry."

"Why not? Is it me?" she asked, and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Not you. Never you... trust me. It's the situation we are in." Jack bit his lip, not believing what he is saying. Being sober for the past couple of weeks put him through a loop. "I wanted our first time, if it ever happened, to be special. Romantic. Not forced."

Elizabeth understood. She kicked out from underneath Jack and stood up, fixing her dress. She helped Jack up and fastened his pants back on, and then went and sat down on the bed. Jack watched her, feeling the pangs of what could have happened and due to the fact that he automatically missed rum, and went to sit down next to her. She turned toward him and placed her hands on his.

"Would you lay down with me?" she asked, and saw Jack looked confused.

"Beg pardon?" he asked.

"Please?" she asked again, urgently.

Jack moved so he was laying on his back, the pillow resting underneath his head. He felt Elizabeth lay down next to him, and she wrapped her arm around his waist, her other arm resting under her head. Jack wanted to touch her, but felt the restrictions on his wrists. Damn that Teng. Jack bent his head down a little and sniffed, Elizabeth's scent filling his nose. In turn, Elizabeth was breathing in his smell of sea, sweat and something else, something completely Jack. And she sniffed, forcing tears that were about to come back.

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Elizabeth found herself yet again under the shackles, and kissing the life out of Jack. They only had about five minutes left, and they were both pretty sure that a gaurd or worse- Teng- would barge in at any moment. So, in the meantime, she was getting as much Jack as she could without doing the not-so-innocent deed. She broke away from him, taking a deep breath, and heard the door to the cabin open up. A guard walked in, and ordered that they ceased and desist, for it was time for the wedding to begin soon. After a minute of getting ready, Elizabeth was ready to go, but instead, the guard grabbed Jack.

"You are ordered to go first. No questions."

"I understand, mate." Jack said, rolling his eyes. "Can't say anything in front of the broad, can we?"

"Jack?" Elizabeth asked, but Jack ignored her.

The guard forced Jack out of the cabin with the nose of his gun and closed the door, leaving Elizabeth to sit and wait for something, anything that was suppose to happen, and felt the butterflies fly around in her stomach. She forced herself not to get sick, and wrapped her arms around her waist, feeling sobs escape her. She rocked herself, trying to calm down, but it didn't work. Nothing worked.

Until Teng came in. Elizabeth stopped crying and straightened up, forcing herself not to look at the vile man.

"Wipe your face. We are to be wedded soon- be happy." Teng said, and clapped his hands together once.

"You have no idea what happiness is." she spat out, still forcing herself not to look at him.

"Well, neither do you." Teng replied cooly, forcing Elizabeth to stand up, and walked her off the boat onto the beach, where the harsh sunlight hit her eyes, and refocused to the scene. There were simple white chairs, roses, whit roses, strung along everywhere, the white seats were full with guests, people she didn't know. The aisle was a long, red and gold carpet that led up to a small alter, where a preist was standing.

Elizaebeth sighed and walked down the aisle, looking straight at the aisle, ignoring the people's glares. Something caught the corner of her eye, though, and she stared at it. She gasped and stopped dead right in the middle of the aisle, staring at Jack.. with a hangman's noose on his neck. Teng stopped and looked at Elizabeth, and smiled cruelly.

"Happy wedding day, sweetheart. I hope you like your present." Teng pointed to Jack, who stared at Elizabeth, no emotion at all in his face or eyes.

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She saw him. Crap. Though, he saw her too... and he was blown away with how beautiful she looked in the traditional wedding dress. How she was walking down the aisle... but not with him. Not even with Will, if Jack had to choose who she wedded other than him.

Where is that boy, anyway? he asked himself, feeling a little worried about him.

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Elizabeth felt Teng pull her up the aisle, and walked her down the rest of her day.

"The chinese new Year starts tomorrow. It's a lovely tradition that lasts for fifteen days, and we are going to spend those fifteen days on our honeymoon in China. I can't wait to show you." he said coldly, leading Elizabeth up on the alter. "The holiday starts with fireworks."

Elizabeth stared at him, loathing him and everything about him. She turned her head, refusing to look at him, and saw Jack watching her from the gallows. She gulped and bit back tears, and told the preist to continue.

The traditional cermony lasted for one hour before the vows were made. Elizabeth felt like the ceremony lasted for a year rather than an hour, but again, she didn't want to do this.

"Do you, General Sao Teng, take this lovely woman, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, till death do you part?" the preist asked.

"I do." Teng answered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Elizabeth cringed- it was her turn.

"Do you, Miss Elizabeth Swann, take this man, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, till death do you part?" the priest asked her.

She stared at the priest, and dared a look at Jack, who nodded at her, telling her to do it and get it done with, so he didn't have to see it anymore. She turned her attention back at the preist and cleared her throat.

"I... I...." she stammered, shaking with terror.

Teng pulled her close and hissed at her: "Better say yes, or the hangman will have a new pair of boots- for him and his wife."

Elizabeth felt tears fall down her face, but stopped them immediately as she broke away from Teng.

"I DO NOT." she stated, loud enough for Jack to hear.

"NO!!" he screamed at the alter, and was held back when he felt the noose tighten slightly around his neck.

Elizabeth jumped off the alter and began to run down the beach, but she didn't make it far, because Teng jumped on her, knocking her down to the sand, the guests gasped but remained in their seats, for the gaurds had surrounded them. Teng punched Elizabeth in the face, and Elizabeth kicked out from under him, rolling onto her back and pushing herself up, running up and grabbing a post attached to the alter, swinging herself up onto the alter.

Jack was screaming at her to run away, don't look back, save herself, when a deafening boom sounded on the beach. The audience screamed and scurried out of their seats, running up into the town. Another cannon fire was shot, knocking into the alter, breaking the posts and falling down to the ground, Teng, the priest and Elizabeth falling with it. Elizabeth managed to duck under splinterings and ran up the the gallows, which the hangman was about to pull the rope and hang Jack, when another cannon was shot and broke the post in which the rope was hanging off of. Elizabeth took the advantage of surprise and pushed the hangman off the platform, grabbing his keys as he fell down. She ran to Jack, unlocking the irons on his wrists and helping him loosen the rope around his neck. As soon as he was free, he grabbed Elizabeth's hands and ran with her down the beach, towards the docks, and they both looked up to see who was shooting the cannons off of Teng's ship.

"Stay around, Jack. I wanta talk to you." Will shouted, ordering Gibbs to take the helm, and watching as other crewmen hoisted the anchor. "Besides, I can't run this ship all by me onesies, savvy?" he called down to them, and threw a rope down towards them.

Elizabeth wrapped herself around Jack and held on tight as Jack started climbing up the side of the ship, and watched the scene of chaos over Jack's shoulder. She saw Teng run up towards them and grabbed a gun, aiming it at them.

"JACK! WATCH OUT!" she screamed, and burrowed her head into his shoulder, hearing gunshots go off.

"WHOA!" he bellowed, and accidently let go of the rope with one hand, and felt him and Liz fall slightly. She whimpered, and Jack grabbed the rope again, climbing up it faster. In the meantime, Will had grabbed a gun from somewhere and began shooting at Teng, who quickly reloaded and shot at Jack again, this time, getting him in the side.

Jack screamed in pain, but continued to climb the rope, and Elizabeth could feel the warmth of Jack's blood spill onto her white dress. She cried for him, and tightened her hold on him, urging him to climb faster to safety. They reached the top and Gibbs managed to grab Elizabeth, pulling her up onto the deck. At that moment, Teng let out his last shot. And Elizabeth's world went black.

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Jack managed, with some difficulty, to pull himself up onto the deck, hearing one last gunshot. He didn't think of it- Teng must have missed his target. Jack layed, facedown, onto the floor, feeling pain. He closed his eyes and opened them again, shocked to find him looking in the face of Elizabeth, who seemed to have a vacant look on her face.

"Jack..." she moaned, and coughed out blood.

Terror rosed in Jack's chest, and he quickly sat up and bent over Elizabeth, seeing a bullethole right above her heart.

A/N: Uh oh. Don't kill me, please!