• 1-Chapter One
• 2-Chapter Two
• 3-Chapter Three
• 4-Chapter Four
• 5-Chapter Five
• 6-Chapter Six
• 7-Chapter Seven
• 8-Chapter Eight
• 9-Chapter Nine
• 10-Chapter Ten
• 11-Chapter Eleven
• 12-Chapter Twelve
• 13-Chapter Thirteen
• 14-Chapter Fourteen
• 15-Chapter Fifteen
• 16-Chapter Sixteen
• 17-Chapter 17
• 18-Chapter 18
• 19-Chapter Nineteen
• 20-Chapter Twenty
• 21-Chapter Twenty-One

For a moment no one onboard the Savarna moved, all frozen in shock. Elizabeth couldn’t breathe, and the image of Ina’s face melting into Calypso’s before disappearing with William and the heart, burned in her mind. Slowly, she sank to her knees, unable to tear her gaze away from the last place she’d seen them. Gone – her son, her husband’s heart – all gone. She tried to act, to do something, but she could not move even a little.

“Protect the boy…” Not him, but William! Jack felt his heart physically plummet into his stomach as the full force of his stupidity washed over him. His mother wasn’t warning them to protect him – she’d already seen to Jack’s protection with her first vision of Elizabeth’s ruined wedding. It was William who needed their protection; William was the reason both he and Elizabeth had received the warnings.

And Ina… “No,” Jack breathed raggedly. “Oh God…”

Raised voices sounded faintly in the distance, but no one reacted until at last Captain Teague found his voice. “Move, you dogs!” he shouted roughly, making the men jump. “Full away, and on the double!” The men scattered, unable to look at Elizabeth or even at Jack, so raw were the emotions surrounding them. Without hesitating, Teague strode over to his son and grabbed his shoulder firmly. “Jackie…” he urged with surprising gentleness, despite the urgent undertone.

Jack turned to look at his father blankly, eyes so wide and lost that Teague nearly lost his own resolve. Closing his eyes tightly, Jack worked his mouth wordlessly for a moment before the old reliable mask slipped back into place. “Pelegosto,” Jack rasped, unable to keep the desperation out of his voice despite the steel in his eyes. “The Pantano River.”

Teague nodded, but he couldn’t help stating the obvious. “She’ll not be there, Jackie.”

A hint of the fear Jack felt slipped into his eyes before he could stop it. “It’s the only place I know to look for her,” he said.

A strange keening noise suddenly rose behind them and Teague tightened his grip on Jack’s shoulder, betraying his concern. He didn’t have to say a word to prompt his son into action; in a second Jack was at Elizabeth’s side, pulling her to her feet.

“Easy, love,” he whispered jaggedly. “We’ll get him back, I swear it, we’ll get William back!”

Elizabeth’s cries ceased, but her mouth hung open as though she were screaming in silence. She did not meet Jack’s eyes, her gaze utterly vacant. Putting an arm around her waist, Jack propelled her toward the privacy of their cabin, kicking the door shut behind them with his foot. The weight of Elizabeth’s body seemed to suddenly succumb to gravity, and he followed her to the floor, wrapping her in his arms.

His voice did not rise above a whisper. “Elizabeth,” he murmured, pressing her face into his neck. “Elizabeth.”

Her silence disturbed Jack, and he found himself babbling to fill the void. His words made little sense - promising to make things right, apologizing for his stupidity, swearing whatever he could think of to draw her back from wherever she’d retreated to in her mind. When her sobbing began and the tortured wailing resumed, Jack urged the release, hiding his face in her hair so that she could not see his own tears.

Words spilled from Elizabeth between breaths, bemoaning her idiocy, calling herself a terrible mother, cursing herself for not trusting her intuition about Ina. Jack responded as best he could, but the desolation between them was too great. They had failed, and William was gone.

More than anything else, Jack longed for his anger. He’d let it go for so long, lulled under the spell of the hope he’d suddenly found in Elizabeth, that he could not gather it to shield him now that he needed it. It was his best defense against the pain of caring too much and he longed – suddenly and insanely – to go back to the time before he’d let Elizabeth into his heart, when little of consequence had been able to touch him.

Then he was kissing away Elizabeth’s tears, salty as the sea. Her lips answered his and the sensation burned brighter than his pain. A film of red seeped across his vision as Elizabeth pressed further into Jack’s embrace, dizzying him. His hand unsteadily rose to stroke her hair and suddenly every ounce of emotion in him sought one outlet. Senselessly, Jack removed his hat, baldric, and coat tossing them aside furiously. Cool, tiny hands were at his throat, trailing down the opening of his shirt to the buttons of his waistcoat. With an impatient breath of air Jack pulled the garment up over his head with his shirt and sent them after the other items.

For the first time his eyes met Elizabeth’s and they both paused. Jack saw guilt abruptly enter her eyes and as she drew her hands away uncertainly, he grabbed them. “No,” he whispered throatily. “Elizabeth.”

Her tears had dried on her face, but as Elizabeth trailed her fingers up Jack’s chest she hiccupped a soft sob and pressed her lips against his throat. Jack’s eyes fell closed with a soft groan and he rose to his feet with Elizabeth gathered in his arms. Crossing the room, he lay her gently in the center of their bunk.

She watched him in silence as Jack methodically removed first his boots, then hers, laying them side by side on the floor. Her outer garments came away just as carefully, his hands finally pausing to trace a soft pattern on her stomach just beneath her shirt. Elizabeth closed her eyes, gasping breathlessly at the flutter in her belly in response to his touch. She arched her back when the heat of his mouth followed the path of his fingers and her hands threaded into his hair, holding him close.

One of Jack’s hands found her breast as the other peeled her shirt up and over her head. His lips followed there too, gently teasing the tender flesh with his teeth as his eyes flickered up to Elizabeth’s face in response to the soft cry that escaped from between her open lips.

Pulling himself upward, Jack brought his face level with hers, searching it in the moment before her eyes opened. She held his gaze, then reached up to draw his mouth back down to hers. Emboldened, Jack allowed his hands to wander across the silken expanse of her chest, her stomach, her waist - until he reached the top of her breeches. In his fingers, the top button and the four fastening the panel across the front slipped easily through their holes. Elizabeth’s hips seemed to lift of their own accord and she was naked before him.

She shivered slightly in the warm room as Jack’s fingers brushed through the curls at the apex of her thighs, seeking the warmth hidden there. Elizabeth clung to his shoulders, her nails making indentations in his flesh. His mouth fell upon her exposed neck and his tongue flickered languidly against the rapid pulse beneath her skin in tandem with his fingers. He murmured something inaudible and Elizabeth moaned softly in reply, the sound vibrating in her throat against his lips.

Tentatively Elizabeth’s trembling hand slid over the muscles of Jack’s abdomen, which jumped beneath her touch. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his breeches, clumsily brushing the swollen length of him through the fabric. Sucking in air through his teeth Jack rocked against her hand, his need to be inside her setting him on fire. It wasn’t just desperation and loss that fueled his passion, but it wasn’t solely desire either. He had never wanted a woman the way he wanted Elizabeth – with a need that was nearly all consuming.

Reigning in the urge to ravish her blindly, Jack moved himself away from Elizabeth’s touch. More than ever before, he wanted the woman in his arms to gain as much pleasure from the experience as he did. Sliding down her body, Jack kept his eyes on Elizabeth’s face as he settled between her legs and pressed his mouth against her sex. Elizabeth gasped, hips bucking forward as his tongue delved inside her. She was warm and sweet, and Jack groaned as her hands burrowed into his hair, pulling him closer. The feel of her skin against his; her scent; her taste; the expression of abandon on her face and the throaty sound of her voice as she said his name – all of it drove Jack to distraction until he couldn’t wait a moment longer.

With a gasp of air, Jack stripped himself of his breeches, feeling Elizabeth’s eyes on him. As his body settled gently over hers, Jack realized that after this, he would never be able to go back to the time before he’d let Elizabeth into his heart – she was in too far to ever come out again. Elizabeth carefully traced the two bullet scars on his shoulder before lifting her head to taste the tender skin with her tongue. Jack caught his breath and as he released it unsteadily, he entered her.

For a moment, the world stood still. Body arched and eyes squeezed tightly closed, Jack fought for his composure. His brain refused to work properly as Elizabeth’s satin heat surrounded him. A wheezing laugh slipped out of him – he was a pirate, with not an insignificant amount of experience beneath his belt, so to speak. So why was he finding himself completely undone by this one woman – the one who had managed to kill him, no less? There was his answer. There was no one else in the whole world who could better match Jack Sparrow than the indomitable Elizabeth Swann.

Elizabeth whimpered and moved desperately beneath him, and Jack opened his eyes to see a single tear slide over her cheek before falling to the pillow. Worry clenched at his heart but as he began to withdraw from her, Elizabeth opened her eyes in alarm.

“No,” she said, hands clenching at his waist. “Please, no.”

As Jack’s body returned to hers, Elizabeth clung to him, losing herself in sensations either new, or long forgotten. Jack whispered in her ear, but the words could not penetrate the overly stimulated region of her brain. There was only room for one thing now, and that was Jack; Jack’s body, Jack’s breath, and Jack’s heart pounding inches above her own. His touch chased away her sorrow and brought peace to the ache within her. His chest was warm and damp with sweat as he rose and fell above her. As the fire at her center burned hotter and hotter, she called out his name, desperate to have him closer.

Jack’s mouth found her breast again and Elizabeth cried out, wrapping one leg around his waist. He moaned softly, reaching up to touch her hair, his breath bringing goose bumps to her flesh. His tongue laved its way up to her ear, and he whispered huskily, “Let go, Lizzie.”

Her mind was in a haze and for a moment she panicked, completely lost. But then Jack thrust a little faster and his long hair brushed against the sensitive tips of her breasts and the energy coiled in her belly spiraled out of control, sending her plummeting into a world of both darkness and light.

Jack felt tension building inside him and the moment Elizabeth contracted around him he fell with her, gasping for air as his body shuddered through its release. Falling to the bed beside her, Jack gathered Elizabeth tight against his chest and buried his face in her hair as his lungs fought for oxygen.

Elizabeth returned to earth safe in Jack’s arms, and though the pain in her heart threatened to return as reality came back to her, she suddenly felt safer than she ever had in her life. Jack would not let her fall, no matter what happened. Her breathing slowed in time with Jack’s, and as she followed him into sleep, Elizabeth knew without a doubt that they would get her son back – whatever it took.

William awoke with a start, surrounded by darkness. He felt panic rise in his chest as he searched his mind frantically for the memory of where he was, and why. Then, as objects in the room began to take shape in the gloom, a strange mixture of scents washed over him. The salt of the ocean was easy to recognize, as was the dank, earthy odor of damp underground places. But the final bit confused him; spicy, but sweet – like an exotic flower. It comforted him somehow, and for a moment William could swear that a woman stood beside him, running a delicate hand through his hair.

Suddenly William felt as though he were being spun around and dropped from a great height. He opened his mouth to scream but before he could utter a sound, he found himself sitting exactly as he had been when he’d woken, only now he could see. He was in a cave – some natural hollow beneath a cliff, yet one that was obviously intended for some specific purpose. The chamber was lit, not with oil lamps or candles, but by glowing rocks, plant-life, and even sea creatures. Large, pillowy jellyfish - glowing pink and blue – floated in a straight line down the center of the cave where the ocean had carved a channel through the rock. In daytime, sunlight had snuck in through chinks in the roof of the cave where it soaked into the mineral deposits, giving back the light in the dark of the night. Some kind of luminescent fungi scrolled up columns of stone throughout the room, radiating in greens, blues and yellows. William could not help marveling at the sight.

“Do you like my palace?” a voice from deeper within the cavern asked. William spun towards it and saw Ina – or someone wearing Ina’s clothing - the voice and face did not match that of the Malagasy woman. The figured stepped into the light, and William recognized the sea goddess at once.

“Calypso?” He breathed warily.

The goddess waved aside the name as though it meant nothing. “Call me Tia,” she said. “After all, we are practically family, are we not?” Casually, she sat down on an enormous throne formed from the same rock as the cave, fluorescing blue. Oysters trimmed the edges of the chair as though they’d always been a part of the rock, displaying beautiful pearls of every color, shape and size on their still moist tongues. Calypso stared at William, smiling as though she were a cat who had just spotted a mouse among the grain.

“So,” she said. “William Turner. You have de honor of being de first human to ever see dis place. Not even Jack Sparrow has been invited to my sanctuary – but den, I was trapped in my human form when we were truly close.” Tia shrugged nonchalantly at the thought. “Even so,” she continued, “I have chosen to bring you here, young William, for a purpose. Do you want to know why?”

William was sure that he didn’t, but he nodded anyway.

Tia grinned widely. “Because… dere is a touch of destiny about you, William Turner. A touch,” she made a gesture and Ina’s sea-faring clothing were replaced by the goddesses more familiar dress, “of destiny.”

A chill ran down William’s spine at those words. He’d heard them before, and was secretly terrified at what they meant for him. He found his voice, but instead of asking Tia what she intended to do with him, he said, “What happened to Ina?”

The witch seemed disappointed by the question, but answered heatedly. “Lantoniaina has been dead for more den ten years – she died attempting to protect my daughter from de men who sought to harness her power.” Tia smiled again, this time unpleasantly. “For dat, I allowed her to see de man she love one last time.”

William frowned. “But… Ina didn’t love Jack! And anyway, you were her the whole time, weren’t you – you used her because you knew Jack would trust her!”

“You have your parents spirit!” Tia laughed. “Lantoniaina, as a young girl – she did love Jack Sparrow, though she would never say so. She was de perfect person to use for my purposes, and Captain Teague Sparrow was none de wiser as to whom he was inviting aboard him ship when he greeted her so warmly in Shipwreck Cove – his great mistake. But you are wrong about her not being present in her body, young William. Her knowledge of Jack – in ways I could not know him – was vital to my purpose. Together, she and I pushed Jack down a path he had only begun to explore.”

William thought of Ina, so proud and fierce, trapped in her body with the goddess. Unable to communicate except what Calypso wanted her too… he felt sick for her. Suddenly he absorbed Tia’s last words, and looked up at her in confusion. “What did you do to Jack?” he asked, the sick feeling in his stomach increasing.

“Nothing he did not begin himself,” Tia answered. “My grandson was meant to be a god, but his father’s stubbornness taints his mother’s blood. To think like a god is not enough – one must be perceived as a god to truly have power. De more people who know him as such, de stronger he grows.”

“Only Mother and I know the truth,” William argued. “The crew…” he trailed off thoughtfully. The mermaid bead… Jack had begun using it just before arriving in Madagascar, and had hardly gone without his influence since. Even Mister Gibbs had treaded warily around his good friend after a few impossibly swift sea journeys. “But they don’t know anything,” he insisted weakly.

Tia looked at him knowingly. “It is enough… for now. Jack is becoming used to his abilities, and it clouds him judgment. By de time he get here, everyone will be exactly where I want them. Your father…”

“What about my father?” William challenged.

Tia’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Your father? He will be joining us here as well. In fact, he will be leading my grandson right to us.”

William was afraid to ask. “And my mother?” His voice was soft.

The goddesses face grew grim, and William suppressed the urge to shudder. “She owe me a debt, your mother,” Tia said solemnly. “If she survives…with Jack in his rightful place as de god of the Malagasy and your father returned to his slumber in de deep of de ocean… someone will have to Captain de Dutchman… dat ship must have a Captain.”

“No!” William shook his head violently. “I will Captain the Flying Dutchman! My mother paid her debt with her life; she owes you nothing!”

“She pay your father’s debt with her life… do not presume to tell me what is owed to whom,” Tia’s nostrils flared in her fury. Calming, she looked at William once more with a smile. “As for you, young William Turner – your destiny lies elsewhere. Your destiny,” she told him, “is with me.”

When Jack awoke, Elizabeth was not beside him in bed. Sitting upright in panic, he looked around his quarters, trying to suppress the thousands of concerns that suddenly plagued him. Rising and dressing hurriedly, Jack didn’t even bother putting on his coat, hat or other effects before going in search of her.

He had slept late – the sun was still three and a half hours from noon but his normal watch was long over. With Ina and William gone and Jack and Elizabeth indisposed, the remaining seven crew members appeared to have divided again, separating the three shifts that had been created from the standard six into two watches of twelve hours each. Marty nodded to Jack sleepily as he passed on his way down to the hold, and Murtogg could be seen high above in the crows nest, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Captain Teague was still at the helm, and appeared to have been there all night. Still, when he saw Jack staring at him from the lower deck, he eyed him carefully, noting his less than complete attire, before displaying a rare grin. “Well, it’s about bloody time, Jackie!” he said with just enough humor in his voice for Jack to know that he wasn’t talking about his sleeping in.

Reluctantly but compelled nevertheless, Jack joined his father on the stern deck, looking down the length of the ship for any sign of Elizabeth. Finally he asked, “So… who won the bet?”

Teague chuckled softly. “I believe that would be Mister Ragetti,” he answered after a moment’s thought.

Jack nodded. “He always was a sensitive sort,” he commented. Without looking at his father, Jack asked, “You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?”

To Jack’s relief, Teague didn’t even smile. “She came out nigh on an hour ago – headed to the mess for breakfast. We’ve still got some food left from our stop in Tortuga, though that won’t last much longer.” He looked at Jack sideways before he added, “she seemed calm; even smiled… if you were wondering.”

Jack nodded again, slightly relieved. “Do you want me to take over?”

Teague frowned and waved Jack away. “Go find your lass… sure she’d appreciate the company. I’ll be fine for a few hours more.” As Jack began to walk away, Teague added, “We’re making good time – it’s almost as if we’re being hurried along our way.”

Jack though carefully. “Perhaps we’ll find Tia there after all.”

“Yes… and then what?”

With a shrug, Jack grasped for the mermaid-shaped bead that usually hung from his waist. With a frown he remembered that he’d left his effects behind in his haste to find Elizabeth. He clenched his fist instead. “We’ll see what exactly it is she wants.”

There were no windows in the galley, deep in the bowels of the ship. The room was warm from the constantly burning oven, and the glow from the oil lamps made it seem like it was perpetually night-time there. Elizabeth liked the room, and lit a candle from one of the shelves to guide her in her search for breakfast. There was stew, and a tiny bit of bread with only a hint of mold in one corner. After cutting it away, Elizabeth sat down alone to eat her meal and think. She was not hungry, but food was energy, and she would need all she could get in the days to come. She hardly tasted the potatoes or carrots, though the meat was flavorful and rare enough for her to appreciate its presence.

By the time Jack found her, Elizabeth had finished eating and was staring into the candle-flame with a frown. She looked up when he entered the galley, watching as he made his way to the hot brick oven and peered inside the pot that hung over it, a suspicious expression on his face. Closing the lid again, Jack dug into one of the nearby barrels and produced three red apples. Without a word, he came to Elizabeth’s table and sat on top of it, facing her with his feet on the bench. Removing a flask of rum from the pocket of his waistcoat, he reached for the knife at his belt – only to remember again that he’d left it in his cabin.

Seeing his dilemma, Elizabeth handed him her own knife, eyebrow raised in amusement. Taking it from her with a nod, Jack quietly cut a slice from the apple and after only a moment’s hesitation, offered it to Elizabeth, watching with fascination as she took the fruit with her teeth.

Elizabeth’s mouth went dry at the intensity of his gaze, and she felt the heat rise in her abdomen. Clearing her throat, she said, “That isn’t perhaps the most appropriate of breakfasts, Jack.”

Jack grinned, taking a swig of rum before offering it to her. “I’ll need more than rum to fortify me today, love… much more, I expect.”

Elizabeth blushed and her stomach flipped over. Looking down at the table, she said, “Jack, about last night… I’m sorry.”

Jack stopped chewing and put down his apple. “Exactly what are you sorry about, Elizabeth?” he asked, looking at her carefully.

Not meeting his eyes she said, “I was distraught about William and not thinking clearly - ”

Before she knew what was happening, Jack had lifted her from the bench and pressed her back against the hull. The heat of his tongue plundered Elizabeth’s mouth until she would no longer have been standing without Jack’s body pinning her in place. When his mouth left her finally gasping for breath, Jack’s face remained close, his own erratic breathing warm on her face. “Take care with what you’re about to say, love,” he whispered thickly. “It was more than comfort we sought from each other last night, and you’ll not be convincing yourself otherwise… not now.”

His hand had begun a lazy journey down her body, and Elizabeth had to squeeze her eyes tightly shut in order to concentrate. Her voice was thready when she spoke. “That’s… that’s not what I meant, Jack,” she said as he pulled the hem of her shirt from her breeches. “I just… promised to wait… until this situation with Will was… resolved – Jack,” she gasped as his hand found her breast, stroking it slowly.

Jack chuckled softly. “Elizabeth,” he said. “Tell me you love me.”

His hand started moving down again towards her breeches. Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Jack, I… oh, you ass, you know I love you!” she inhaled sharply as he began undoing the buttons.

“Tell me you want this – tell me you want to stay with me on the Pearl and be the pirate you were born to be. Forever.”

Elizabeth clenched Jack’s shoulders as his hand slipped down across her abdomen. “Forever?” she managed to ask curiously.

“Mm-hmm,” Jack answered as his fingers slipped inside of her. “I’m a selfish, jealous man, Elizabeth…. I take what I can, and I give nothing back.” His teeth teased the smooth skin of her neck. “Best keep that in mind, love.”

Elizabeth rolled her head down so that she could look at him. He was undoing the front of his breeches. “And when we’re in Tortuga, or Singapore… does forever mean then, too?” Jack met her eyes in surprise and paused for a moment. After examining her face, Jack let go of her, and Elizabeth wondered if she’d gone too far. He was a pirate, after all - and a man, for all of that.

Without a word, Jack took one of the rings off his finger and held it up for her to see. It was sliver, with a skull on either side and a large emerald set in the center. “This one’s mine,” he said. “Had it made for me after I became Captain of the Black Pearl. It’s the only one I didn’t steal.” Removing Will’s ring from her left hand and putting it back on her right, Jack slipped his own ring into place.

Elizabeth looked at it with a mixture of pleasure and confusion. When she looked up at Jack, his eyes were solemn. “I can’t promise to be something I’m not, love.” She looked away, but he gently turned her chin back to him. “So I promise, that as much as you’re mine, I’m yours.” His eyes shone with amusement. “Do you savvy?”

Searching for the truth of his words, Elizabeth at last pulled away from him, going back to the table. Picking up her knife from where Jack had dropped it, she cut a long lock of her hair and dipped the gathered end in a drop of tallow from the still burning candle. It took only a moment to dry, and Elizabeth quickly and quietly braided the strand of her own hair into Jack’s, tying it off with a stray bit of cord from her pocket. The gold of her hair seemed to shine in the lamplight against his own dark mane, and it produced a striking effect.

When she was done, Jack nodded. “We’re square, then?” he asked. Before she could do more than nod, Elizabeth was back against the wall again, Jack lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. In an instant, he was inside her again and everything else was forgotten.