The Chinese New Year

Chapter Three

Will knocked nervously on the door to Elizabeth's small private room. Being the only lady on the ship, Captain Barbossa saw fit to stick a little cot in the broom closet of the Search and call it 'The Lady's Quarters'. That man was a right bastard. But, nevertheless, it was a private room, which is what Elizabeth wanted more than ever these days... privacy. So Will knocked again, a little louder on the door, to tell Elizabeth that 'private time' was over.

Elizabeth winced at the knocking and woke up. After a week of no sleep, she had finally got comfortable enough to rest, and that is what Elizabeth really wanted most now- rest. But the knocking at the door kept getting louder and louder, to the point that if Elizabeth kept ignoring it, the person who was doing the knocking would punch his fist through her door. So, she groaned and got up, ignoring the fact that she was in a small and rather tight nigthgown (she had nicked it from Tia's house, along with a couple of other things) and that she could have covered herself up in a blanket and answered the door.

Bright sunlight filled the room, making Elizabeth squint her eyes. She brought her hand up to shade the light from her face so she can see who woke her up. It was Will, standing straight, dressed in his finest pirate gear- a dirty old shirt with pants to match, his hair up in a messy ribbon.

"Captain ordered me to come and get you up. It's noon." Will lied, not about the noon part, but about the Captian giving him an order.

Elizabeth, unfortunately for Will, could tell when Will was lying to her. "Liar." she stepped to the side. "Come on in." She watched Will walk in and sit down on her cot, and she closed the door for some privacy.

"We are about to dock in Tortuga, to get some fresh supplies. Tia Dalma didn't have any." Will said, and shrugged. "Then we'll start our search for Jack." he looked Elizabeth in the eyes. "I know that is what you want."

"Jack." Elizabeth sighed. "Will, I should tell you what really happened."

Will moved so he could hear her better, and she held onto his hands. "I kissed him, yes, and I know you saw it. But did you see what I did afterwards?"

Will hook his head no. He could sense that Elizabeth was struggling to tell her deep, dark secret.

"I fell in love." Elizabeth took a deep, shuddering breath, as if she was about to choke on all the tears she shed in the past two weeks. "And I ... I chained him to his ship."

Will was stunned. He could not believe what he was hearing- Elizabeth Swann killed Jack Sparrow. Killed him out of love, even. "Why? Why did you do it?" Will asked the probing questions.

"Because I was afraid. I was afraid that the Kraken would swallow all of us, when it was just after him. I was afraid that if he lived, the feelings that I have would grow and I don't want that to happen, I-" she started crying and Will cupped her face in his hand. "I didn't want to see you die. I love you, Will."

Will brought her head to his chest and held her in his arms, allowing her to cry.

"I love you too." Will said, then kissed the top of her head. "That's why, when we find him, I'm going to let you go."

Elizabeth sobbed even harder- Will, her love, Will- just broke the other half of her heart. She broke away from him and glared at him. "I don't need your sympathy." she growled.

"I thought that is what you wanted." Will said, softly, which calmed Elizabeth down.

She whispered, "I don't know what I want." and looked down into her hands again. She was making such a big mess- she wished that they found Jack already and end this.

"Well, that's your problem." Will said, then stood up to walk out of the door. "You figure it out. Just remember, I won't be there every single time to catch you while you fall."

Elizabeth was shocked by the harshness of Will's tone. She took a deep breath and stopped crying - crying felt good, but it wouldn't solve anything. She looked out the little porthole she had in her tiny closet.

Where are you, Jack?
(1)(2)(3)

Jack Sparrow counted the bars that surrounded his cell for the hundredth time that day. He was left to think about his choice: death by hangman or death by wearing a stuffy chinese army suit, following orders by a very short, distempered man. Hmmm.... it was a good year for ropes...

He shook his head. What was he thinking? He was Captain Jack Sparrow! He stood up, but his head felt woozy, so he sat down again. Actually... he was Jack Sparrow, a man in a lot of pain. He really had no choices anymore- his crew were gone, his ship was gone, his girl was gone...

He stopped and thought about her. His girl- Elizabeth Swann. A sadness, laced with anger, filled his heart. This was the first he ever really thought of her after the whole 'Kraken' incident. He put everything he could into that relationship, but there was always something missing. Not only did he love that wench, but he trusted her... trusted her with secrets, trusted her with his thoughts... god, he even proppsed to her! Of course, she didn't take it seriously at the time, and he was joking around, but after she said no, he felt a little pang in his heart.

Mr. Gibbs was right after all- it was bad luck to have a woman on board. Jack Sparrow knew that now. Because if you had a woman on board, trouble came with her. And the trouble of falling in love.

Jack rubbed his head. Bloody hell, was he really thinking that? He doesn't know what love was like- it was probably just an attraction thing he felt for Lizzie. Yet, he never trusted a woman before, sure, Tia Dalma he trusted, but he never trusted a woman like Elizabeth. He never thought that he would trust anyone before he met the real her.

But what good was trust if the person you trusted locked you up to meet your death?

(1)(2)(3)

Two days had past by, and Elizabeth was watching the bustling pirate port named Tortuga inch closer. She smiled warmly- sure, it was a heap of trouble, lies and deciet- but, in Tortuga, you just had to love it. And Elizabeth could tell that William didn't. Oh well. He really wasn't much of her concern, really, not anymore.

So as she stepped off The Search and into Tortuga, she decided to forget everything and just be free- something that Tortuga could definetly promise.