Jack and Norrington pulled the boat onto the sand, grunting slightly. Jack tossed a shovel at Norrington, who caught it with surprise. Elizabeth had out the compass, and I had out my attitude.

"Mind the boat, mind the tide," Jack told Pintel and Ragetti, who were to watch the boat. "Don't touch my dirt." He stalked away with another shovel under his arm.

We were quick to follow, and soon we were watching Elizabeth turn in circles. A few times she had to stop herself from bumping into Jack, who was sitting on the sand, meditating, and finally, she plopped down onto the ground and pouted. I watched her from my vantage point; I was sitting across from Jack, Norrington beside me. I drew the head onto a stick figure in the sand.

"This compass certainly doesn't show what you want most!" She exclaimed, then crossed her arms.

I looked away from my little drawing. The two stick men were having an epic battle with what appeared to be swords. Jack's kohled eyes flew open, and his sharp gaze darted to Elizabeth.

He stood and swayed over to her. "Does so!" He argued, like a five year old. "You're sitting on it!"

Sure enough, the compass, which Elizabeth had thrown to the ground beside her with irritation, was pointing directly at her.

"Pardon?" Elizabeth looked up at him, squinting slightly.

"Move." Jack waved his hands at her, and she scrambled aside. Jack gestured for Norrington to start digging. He did, reluctantly, and I took the shovel from Jack to help. He didn't complain, but sat down and pulled his hat over his eyes.

Norrington and I dug furiously, until there was a sudden thump. We stared at one another over the hole we had made.

Jack jumped up and helped us with his hands; Elizabeth joined him after a brief hesitation. Soon, we had uncovered a fairly large, dirty brown chest.

We heaved it out, then set it on the sand so we could look at it. Jack reached forward and unlatched it. The lid swung open and we gazed inside.

It was full to the brim with letters and a few dried flowers. Elizabeth took out a folded up piece of parchment and opened it. She ran her eyes over it once, then closed it and shut her eyes. "It's a love letter," She whispered.

Jack and Norrington pulled out more and more of the papers, and I read one of the ones Jack had tossed aside.

Dearest,

I think of the day I shall see you again every time I look at the beautiful waves. Seven years left, and I will touch you once more.

I closed it and took a deep breath, a sad and sympathetic air settling over us.

Jack made a sort of ah ha! noise and I turned to look at him again. He and Norrington each had an end of a smaller chest, and they were lifting it out of the large one.

Elizabeth and I closed the sorrow and heartbreak as Jack and Norrington gently placed the small chest onto the large one.

We all leaned forward and put our ears to the wood.

Thump thump, the Dead Man's Chest thumped slowly. We all turned to look at one another. Thump, thump.

"It's real..." Elizabeth breathed.

"You actually were telling the truth." Norrington said dryly, glancing sardonically at Jack.

"I do that quite a lot!" Jack claimed. I rolled my eyes. "You people are always surprised."

"With good reason!" Someone yelled from behind us.

I leapt up and drew my sword, only to see...

"Will!" Elizabeth ran to him, and they shared a rather passionate kiss. Jack looked uncomfortable and a bit panicked, Norrington looked dismayed, and I'm sure my face was some variation of extremely happy.

"I'm so glad your ok!" I said, and walked to him. He smiled at me, squeezing Elizabeth's waist.

"How the hell did you get here, mate?" Jack asked, ruining the moment.

Will gestured at the ground. "A pair of sea turtles," He explained enigmatically. "Strapped to my feet."

Jack smiled uneasily and swayed. "Not so easy, is it?"

Will released Elizabeth ad walked forward, holding he hand. "I do have to thank you, though, Jack."

Jack looked surprised. I stared at Will. "What are you thanking him for?" I asked incredulously.

"After you tricked me into the Flying Dutchman to square your debt with Jones..." Will continued lightly.

"What?" Elizabeth exclaimed, looking between Jack and Will.

"...I was reunited with my father." Will finished. Wonder what Bootstrap looks like now...

Jack sort of curtsied. "Well, you're welcome, then."

Elizabeth stomped forward, looking murderous. "Every word you told me was a lie!" She accused Jack. Then she turned to me. "And you too! Why didn't you tell me?"

I looked away. "I thought you knew."

She was about to say something more, but her face fell. "That's what you two are fighting about," She realized, gesturing at Jack and I. "About Will."

I said nothing, but we were interrupted by Jack himself. "Oi, what are you doing?" He asked Will. Will had the key in one hand, and a knife in the other.

"I'm gonna kill Jones," Will announced, preparing to unlock the chest.

Jack whipped out his sword. Elizabeth and I stared at him, alarmed, as he began the memorable fight. "Can't let you do that, mate. Because if you kill Jones, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh?" He narrowed his eyes at Will, who was slowly rising. "If you please," Jack asked, his hand open. "The key."

Will didn't meet his eyes but slowly raised his hand with the key to Jack, who was smirking. At the last moment Will lunged behind himself and unsheathed Elizabeth's sword.

She looked indignant, but Will ignored her. "Sorry Jack. But I made a promise to my father. I intend to keep it."

I drew my own sword as Norrington did. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that either," He said, his blade at Will's throat. Will studied the metal, winking in the sun.

I trained my cutlass on Will as well. "I really am sorry, Will. But I can't surrender Jack to the locker." He nodded at me, hurt but understanding. Jack turned to look at me, his expression unreadable.

"I knew you'd warm up to me!" Jack recovered himself and grinned at Norrington, trying to weasel him into his side. "You can trust in trusting him less than you can trust me, trust me." He said, throughly confusing us all.

Norrington switched his blade to me. Jack's cutlass was at Norrington, his was at me, mine was at Will's neck, and Will was threatening Jack. "Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest." Norrington stated slyly. "I deliver it, I get my life back."

Jack watched the sword attentively, following the tip to my chest. He glanced at me, then the chest. "Ah, the dark side of ambition." He said darkly, smirking slightly and turning back to Norrington.

"I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption." Norrington drawled.

We stood there for a few tense seconds, eyeing one another up.

"Ya!" I shouted suddenly, and lunged forward, thus beginning the fight. Will parried me and swung at Jack; Jack ducked and grabbed the key from his hand. Jack sprinted away and I followed him, parrying a blow from Norrington as I went. I was vaguely aware of Jack tripping Will and Will telling Elizabeth to guard the chest.

"No!" She replied maliciously, and ran after us angrily.

"Now you're on my side, love?" Jack asked, glancing behind himself and turning to fight again, holding the key away from the former commodore and blacksmith.

I deflected a blow meant for Jack and spun around, taking the key off him as I went. "Shut up! I still hate you!" I yelled, tossing the necklace back. He caught it and flashed me a smirk.

As we continued to bicker and attempt to stab one another, I could hear Elizabeth screaming on the sidelines. "This is no way to--fine! Let's just, pull out our swords, and start banging away at each other, that will solve everything!" She stalked toward us, screaming her head off, her hands on her hips.

I squealed as Jack was nearly impaled by Will. I attacked Will with renewed determination. Jack paused and watched me lazily, his eyes following my hips. I slapped him with the flat of my blade as Norrington sliced at him.

"Oh, oh, the heat!" Elizabeth fell over dramatically, pretending to faint. I glanced at her, then took the key from Jack and sprinted away, toward a crumbling church over a hill. I could hear the boys following.

"Adeena!" I stopped at Jack's panicked voice, only to have the key ripped from my hand. Will had it, and he was ran past me. Norrington swung by and snatched the key from Will, grinning as he started up the steps of the steeple. "By your leave, Mr. Turner!"

Will shot past me and to a series of ropes. He yanked on one and was jerked upward, in a manner that Jack used often to escape his dangerous situations.

Will passed Norrington and took the key from him, grinning jubilantly. "By your leave, Mr. Norrington!" He mocked.

Jack came up behind me and grabbed my hand, pulling me along. "Come on," He urged, as Will and Norrington exited through the crumbling walls.

We climbed outside to meet them. They were fencing on the eroding bricks, Will holding the key out behind himself, toward us. Jack and I grinned at each other, and he sauntered forward to steal the key from Will.

After a few tries, Jack grabbed the chain and smirked, but his face fell once Will whirled around, Norrington stepping in front of him.

"Please excuse me while I kill the man who ruined my life," He asked Will, his monotone deep and threatening.

"Be my guest!" Will grinned and gestured at Jack. I screamed a Chinese curse at him, but Jack held me back from doing anything that could cause either Norrington or Will harm.

"Let's examine that claim for a minute, shall we?" Jack asked Norrington, a small and cocky smile on his lips. "Who was it that, as soon as you had an infamous and notorious pirate behind bars, set to free said pirate, and therefore sacrifice your career, and steal your bonnie lace away, savvy?" Jack narrowed his eyes. "So who fault was it, really, that you have become a mangy, dirty, drunken deckhand who takes orders from pirates?"

"Enough!" James screamed and lunged at Jack. Jack panicked and flipped off the roof and onto the grass below, taking me with him.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Turner," Norrington drawled, turning to Will, "He's right!"

They went back to fighting, nearly toppling off the splintered roof. Jack pulled me up. "Got it?" I asked. He nodded, smirking, and slung the key around his neck.

We walked away, keeping a careful distance between the two of us, until Jack tumbled into an empty grave and I fell on top of him.

I grunted and sat up, then became very aware of the position we were in. Me, on top of Jack, straddling his hips.

He smirked. "You enjoying yourself, love?"

I glared and hopped up, my heart beating like mad, and I'm sure that my face was an unnatural shade of red. Jack grinned, and we pulled ourselves out of the grave.

I gave Jack a questioning glance. There was a rumbling noise, getting closer and closer...

Suddenly, Jack and I were lifted up, into the air, and I yelped, flailing my legs, as my arms were trapped. I couldn't see Jack, but I could hear him yelling.

I glanced around, realizing that we were stuck in the water wheel that was previously attached to the church. Norrington and Will were fencing atop the wheel, avoiding our legs as they continued to slash at each other.

Jack yelled again, and I saw a glint of light as the key fell from his neck. I wriggled harder, we had to get the key, and I fell out of my trap, hitting my head rather hard on the center of the wheel but not quite knocking myself out.

Jack waited until his feet touched the ground again; He jumped into the wheel and ran toward the key, which was hanging innocently on a nail.

"Jack, look out!" I called, but it was too late; he had already knocked himself out on a metal pipe that supported the wheel and slipped out. I ducked the metal bar that Jack had fallen to and continued to run. I grabbed the key and collapsed out of the wheel.

I ran back to Jack and slapped him awake. He shot up and touched his forehead, then looked to me.

"Hello, love," He smiled lazily, then sobered. "The key?"

I handed it to him. "Now, we need the--"

"Chest." Jack finished my thought and stood, grabbing a fallen coconut from the ground. I followed his gaze, to see a member of Davy Jones's crew, the one with a crab for a head, running toward the beach with the chest in his hands. Davy Jones is here? Then where is Elizabeth?...

Jack wound up and chucked the fruit into the air. I watched in admiration as it soared down and hit its target: The cursed man's head. The shell popped off and the creature dropped the chest, and began to walk in circles.

"Nice shot." I complimented. He smiled cockily.

Jack and I ran to the confused coral dude, who was stumbling around, trying to find it's head.

"Hey!" The head yelled. "Over here! No, that's a tree!"

"Oh, shut it," Jack said, and turned the shell over so we couldn't hear the yelling.

Jack and I knelt before the Dead Man's Chest. I could hear the thump, thump just barely.

He slowly slid the key into the keyhole and there was a series of clicks; the chest popped open a bit, just a crack, signifying that we could open it.

Together, Jack and I lifted the lid.

In the corner, almost as if it were cowering, was the heart of Davy Jones.

I made a face and watched it, transfixed. It was slowly pulsating, and there were splotches of red blood decorating the...thing. Jack, to my horror, reached out and picked it up!

"Jack, no, ew..." I covered my mouth with one hand and slapped him lightly with the other. He ignored me and tucked the heart into one of his pockets.

He pulled me up and dragged me along; we sprinted like mad for the boat that we had arrived in. We cleared the jungle, and were met with the sight of Elizabeth, Pintel, and Ragetti furiously fighting off a cliche of sick looking members of Davy Jones's crew. Elizabeth impaled two of them at the same time; she had two swords.

We made a mad dash for the boat. Upon arriving Jack reached for his jar of dirt, removed some of the sand, and stuffed the heart inside. He replaced the remaining dirt and tossed the jar back under the seat.

"Are you mad?" I hissed.

He flicked some of the dirt at me. "Probably, yes."

I unwilling felt a smile consuming my features; it disappeared as a pufferfish hybrid thing came up behind Jack and prepared to slice him in half. "Jack, watch it--"

I took his sword hand in mine and whirled him around; I shoved his arm forward and we together impaled the creature. He fell at our feet and Jack and I locked eyes, a warm feeling stirring in my gut.

We were interrupted as a few more coral-covered dudes ran up to us. I unsheathed my sword and Jack and I fought furiously, the creatures falling at our feet. I sincerely hoped none of the men I killed were Bootstrap Bill Turner.

The wheel that Norrington and Will had been fighting rolled on in, finally toppling over. James ran from it; Will tried to climb out, tottering around, but fainted once he reached the tiny boat.

I almost ran into Elizabeth; Jack and I had been pushed away from the boat. "Adeena!" She yelled. I turned and helped as five more came at her.

"Plug your ears!" I yelled, on impulse. She gave me a look, but obeyed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack, Pintel and Ragetti do the same.

I screamed. Loud and high pitched, almost out of the human hearing range. The Flying Dutchman's crew held their hands to their ears and crumpled.

I shut up, smiling, and Jack grabbed my arm and we were pulled to the little longboat.

Norrington, Elizabeth, Jack and I stood around it, our swords pointed at anything that came out direction.

"How--" Someone asked me. Jack interrupted him.

"Leave him lie!" Jack called to Elizabeth, as she made a move to Will. "Unless you're planning on using him to hit something with!"

"We're not getting out of this!" She gasped.

"Not with the chest," James said quietly. His head shot up. "Into the boat." He grabbed the chest.

"You're mad!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Don't wait for me." Was his reply. And he sprinted away, the crew of the Flying Dutchman following.

"I say we respect his final wish!" Jack suggested, and edge of fear in his voice.

"Aye!" Pintel and Ragetti agreed and we hopped into the little boat. Jack was so frantic that he even insisted on taking a paddle. I snatched the other oar from Ragetti and we rowed as fast as possible toward the Black Pearl.

"Meet me in my cabin," Jack said to me quietly. Before things got complicated, that was the term for, let's go and make out.

"No," I said irritably. "You aren't forgiven."

He rolled his eyes and we didn't talk the rest of the way. I stared glumly into the water.

I recalled the conversation Jack and I had shared on the Dauntless after being rescued from Rumrunner's Isle. How I had told him that I was afraid of love.

I wasn't afraid of love anymore, I realized. I was afraid that I was going to lose the love I had.