The Black Pearl drifted away from the sinking ship as Elizabeth was shoved against the mast. Useless ropes wrapped around her and her ally pirates but the cursed pirates were too near, she had to trust her sister to save Will.

The pirates turned away.

Charlotte or no Charlotte, Elizabeth wasn't going to miss a chance to run.

The younger Swann ducked under the ropes, ignoring the shouts of surprise, dashing toward the rail and readying herself for the shock of hitting the water. She made it about three steps.

Then the Interceptor blasted apart.

Will...

Charlotte.... She'd left Charlotte.  She'd told Charlotte... But maybe she'd jumped in time.

Will had been inside.

No!

Elizabeth turned, searching for someone to blame. Her eyes found Barbossa, calm and pompous.

She screamed and threw herself at him.

...

Will, hanging onto the side of the enemy ship with the medallion tight in his fist, heard Elizabeth's scream and found the energy he'd been searching for. His body was shaking from his swim through the splinters of the ship that had held him captive. He'd been watching the ship burn and wondering what would have happened if he hadn't been under the water... Now he surged up the ship ready to kill everyone on board.

"Barbossa!" He roared.

He was looking for Elizabeth. He found her gripped by a dozen pirates and he raised the pistol at their captain as she gasped his name.

"She goes free."

Barbossa leered at Will's order. "What's in your head, boy?"

"She goes free!" Will glanced around for Charlotte, hoping to find her still disguised as a boy, hoping she was ready to help. "Now!"

It wasn't working.

"You've only got one shot, boy, and we can't die." The pirate mocked.

Will considered.

Jack Sparrow's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Don't do anything stupid."

Will glared at him. He glared at the pirates holding Elizabeth. He glared at Barbossa.

"You can't." He raised the gun to his own head. "I can."

Jack winced. Will didn't care.

The pirates were curious now but still more annoyed than concerned. Elizabeth was staring at him. He'd failed the first rescue. He'd failed to keep her sister safe--that thought was creeping in and making him sick the longer he failed to find Charlotte.

He was not going to fail Elizabeth now.

"My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins." He paused to let this sink in. Barbossa didn't react. His men began to look unsettled. "On my word, do as I say or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' locker!"

The longest pause of his life.

Then.

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner."

The negotiations began.

There was still no sign of Charlotte.

...

Commodore Norrington ran a finger along the cannon next to him, doing his best not to seem surprised that no one was looking at him as though he was losing his mind. They'd all taken his change of course as a logical step-they were headed for an area known for piracy, after all.

He hadn't been foolish enough to tell them that he'd made the decision based on a hallucination.

Norrington continued walking down the rows of cannons, the air below deck a bit stiff but better than straining his eyes above for any hope that he hadn't made the wrong decision. His mind kept telling him that he could trust Charlotte Swann and then remembering that there was no sane reason to believe he'd talked to the real Miss Swann.

"Commodore? Commodore." Governor Swann appeared, bustling about and well-meaning as always. "They've spotted a shipwreck."

"Excellent." It was not excellent. It likely meant they were too late. He made his way above and gave the few orders needed to send the ship toward the wreckage-his men had simply been waiting for the official permission.

Governor Swann joined Norrington on the quarterdeck. He had apparently not fallen for the commodore's optimism. "I can't understand why Charlotte would want to... She never had any desire to sail. And you think she would want to come out here?"

Everyone else seemed to think Charlotte had gone insane. Prim and proper, ladylike little girl Charlotte. He had tried to be surprised by it. Instead, he kept remembering that sword in her confident hand. Remembering Miss Swann shoving her sister away from Jack Sparrow and then rescuing herself while the guard-while Norrington stood furiously helpless. Remembering the doubt in her eyes when he'd promised to find Elizabeth.

"Commodore?"

"I don't think your daughter was worried about what she wanted," Norrington replied easily. "I do wish she had trusted us to take care of it." Because that was going splendidly, wasn't it? And she'd said--the hallucination had said that Charlotte had found Elizabeth. She'd succeeded. "I am sure--"

"Sir! There's someone in the water."

Norrington refused to look at Swann as he accepted the telescope and scanned the wreckage. Sure enough, there was one still figure draped in the middle of the smoldering ship. He hoped for a moment, seeing a man's hat and jacket but the ship moved closer to reveal long, wet, dark hair clinging to the figure's back.

Charlotte.

She wasn't moving.

There was something inevitable about that.

The British ship approached the wreckage and Norrington handed the telescope back, marching wordlessly to the bow of the ship. The waves rocked the wreckage and his body jerked instinctively forward, but Charlotte stayed above the water. Commodore Norrington began barking orders, fighting impatience as his men threw down ropes and one ran to fetch the doctor. A few moments later, Miss Swann was being lowered into a soaking mess on the deck. There were burn marks on her clothing-the same clothing he'd seen her wearing in his office. He looked for the injury he'd seen on her cheek and found it healing beside a few new cuts and bruises. There was blood on her arms where she'd thrown them in front of her face as a shield. The red was the only color he could find-she was as pale as a corpse.

Was she...?

One of the sailors called that the doctor was gathering his things and on his way.

"Tell him to gather faster!" Governor Swann blustered.

Norrington took a deep breath and realized he had hold of Swann's elbow, instinctively stopping the man from throwing himself at his daughter. Or was Norrington steadying himself? He couldn't seem to look away.

"Sir? Shall we search the rest of the wreckage?"

He had to look at the sailor for several seconds before he understood. "Yes. Bring anyone you find on board as well." Any bodies, he meant.

The men around Charlotte began to move away. Governor Swann moved jerkily forward and fell to his knees beside his daughter. He seemed unsure whether he should touch her and Norrington finally moved closer, kneeling beside her as well and gently touching her neck.

"Is she...?" Swann choked.

Norrington closed his eyes. She was so cold. He could hear the doctor finally approaching but he ignored it, pushing his fears away.

He should have guessed she would try to rescue her sister.

He should have stopped her.

He should have been someone better, someone worthy of her trust.

"Commodore?" The doctor prodded. He wanted them to move.

Norrington shifted his hand, pressing a little harder, one last try to find her pulse.

There!

Norrington's eyes shot open. "She's alive."

Swann gasped in relief and the doctor nodded. "We should get her somewhere warm then."

"Your room, governor?" Norrington waited for the father to nod and then began arranging Charlotte's arms in what he hoped would be the least painful for her. The other two men moved away, hurrying to prepare the room as Norrington gathered the freezing bundle that was Charlotte into his arms.

She was starting to shiver. Surely that was a good sign?

With a burst of effort, the Commodore stood. He took a moment to make sure he was steady, that there was no chance of dropping her. As his eyes skated past her face again, he saw her eyes beginning to flutter.

"Miss Swann? We're getting you to a doctor." Her face screwed up in pain. "You'll be warm and in bed in one moment, Miss Swann. I am... sorry for the discomfort."

Her voice was small as she replied.

"James?"

"Yes, Miss Swann."

"I lost Elizabeth. They took her back."

He considered, beginning to walk her toward the doctor. Her hand reached up to steady itself against his chest and he paused for a moment. He tried to keep his voice casual as he continued walking, hoping she wouldn't notice, not sure why it mattered.

"You've gotten us closer to her, Miss Swann. And you're safe now. That's what's important."

He turned to walk through the door her father was holding open and a glance down showed her face becoming more lucid.

"Commodore?" She sounded surprised. She looked around and winced. "Father."

"Charlotte."

Norrington set her on the bed, gently removing her hand from his chest and smiling politely at the apologetic look on her face--she must have forgotten he was there. He wanted to ask her about the vision, see if she remembered it, ask how she had done it but he was half sure she would simply call him insane and deny it... he could at least wait until no one else was listening, he supposed. Norrington stepped away from her and let the doctor move in to begin looking at the young woman's arms.

What had she gone through in the last few days?

...

Charlotte spent the next ten minutes being interrogated by her father and having nothing helpful to say. The island the pirates were headed? Impossible to find. Why had they wanted Elizabeth? Insanity. How had they found the island? She wasn't really sure. Magic. More insanity. She could feel the commodore's eyes are her, probably thinking that she was lying. If she could find him and talk to him, why couldn't she find Elizabeth?

She wondered that too.

Finally, the sun was setting and Norrington and the doctor shooed her father away with the insistence that she would need sleep. Her father acquiesced but insisted on giving her a very careful hug and one last scold.

"Stay here and rest, dear. You gave us quite a scare."

"I'm sorry, Father."

Her father walked out, presumably going to find another place to sleep-probably Norrington's rooms. Likely everyone on board was being bumped down a bed and somebody was going to have to sleep on the floor. Charlotte sighed and watched as the doctor followed her father out.

James Norrington hesitated in the doorway.

"If you need anything, Miss Swann, I or one of my men will be just outside."

She looked down at the bandages wrapped around her arms, then brushed her mess of hair back. What a disaster he must think of her. She looked up, ready to see disgust. He looked concerned, of course. Always kind.

"Do you need anything?" He repeated.

"I... " She leaned forward and found the sky darkening but no one else around. "Be careful if you find them, Commodore. There are... strange things out here." She gathered her courage. "Things that won't die."

He didn't believe her. She could tell. But he didn't seem to think she was crazy.

"Thank you, Miss Swann." He said finally. "I will keep that in mind."

They both frowned: words were apparently inadequate to sum up the nightmare she had seen, that she was trying to warn him about, or the strangeness he'd experienced in seeing her when she was miles and miles away.

"Good night, Miss Swann."

He closed the door behind him before she could gather her thoughts to respond.

Charlotte sighed and turned to blow out a candle.  She made a few attempts to braid her hair before giving up on her aching fingers. Stiffly, she lay down on the bed without bothering to take off her boots or coat, curling the blanket around her entire body instead of tucking herself in. Every part of her hurt-the sword was digging into her hip, too precious to remove while there were men around to take it--but she was perfectly ready to pass out again.

Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow she would have the energy to sneak off in a rowboat and find out just what exactly this Eos wanted from her.

And what Eos could offer in return.