When Charlotte Swann stepped onto the Black Pearl, it was with a chill swirl of wind that caught in the length of rope she'd wound around her torso and bit into her face and made her suddenly very aware of what it was to feel alive. Beside her, Elizabeth's eyes and sword glinted with lantern light as she took in the one man guarding the ship and nodded for Charlotte to move forward. Her twin watching her back, Charlotte cut off two feet of the rope and crept behind the undead pirate with shaking hands.

Just as she got into position, he started to turn. Panicking, she threw herself onto his back and pulled the rope around his face so that it muffled his mouth. A moment later, Elizabeth was wrapping his hands and then his feet and then he was secure enough to tie off the gag.

He glared up at them.

The sisters ignored him and moved onto their next destination.

The fog Charlotte had asked for was moving in swiftly as they stepped below deck. Elizabeth glanced over at the cave entrance and made a mental note of it as Charlotte snatched a set of keys off the wall and hurried to free some very groggy pirates. Half of them were being shaken awake by the man next to them. Anamaria had jumped up as soon as the Swann's feet had hit the stairs and across the room as soon as the cage door swung open.

A queasy feeling hit Charlotte's stomach as Anamaria turned back, studying her sword with a satisfied look on her face. The cowardly explanation was fear-the truth was that she had not thought of freeing the pirates until it was convenient and now the thought of what might have happened to them was itching at the back of her mind.

Did these people, did Anamaria have someone out there to fight for them like she had fought for Elizabeth?

Charlotte glanced at the male pirates, grimly clapping each other on the back and dividing up the weaponry. None of them did that for Anamaria.

"Navy is here. I don't think they'll be able to see us if we wait a minute or two." Elizabeth hissed from the stairs.

"You just here for the ship?" Anamaria asked. "How did you two even get here?"

Charlotte raised a hand to clap Anamaria on the back, lowered it, raised the hand again and squeezed Anamaria's shoulder. Anamaria tolerated this with a look of long suffering pain.

Charlotte pulled her hand back and wrapped her fingers around her rope instead. "The Black Pearl is our only way out. But Will..."

"They took him in maybe five minutes ago," Anamaria said. "I'm not..."

She looked at the pirates and considered.

Charlotte and Elizabeth glanced at each other and held their breaths.

"We need to prep the ship for sailing. And we all know that if any of us go in there... The battle is not going to be in our favor. To survive, we need to run."

Elizabeth let out a breath. "All those stories about daring pirates... Those men imprisoned you, destroyed your ship... and you're going to run?"

"Yes!"

Charlotte turned, confused, to find that the voice had come from the parrot. She glared at it.

"To be fair," Gibbs said. "We're getting their ship."

"And when they come after it? They're not going to stop. They don't have to." Elizabeth stepped forward, voice growing more passionate as she got low enough on the stairs to stand up fully. "But we have surprise on our side--we've got--"

There was a thud of someone landing heavily on the wood above.

Everyone froze.

Their eyes latched onto Elizabeth as she crept back up the stairs and set a hand on the deck, peering carefully at the new arrival. Charlotte's lungs were burning by the time Elizabeth spoke.

"Jack!"

Several pirates swore.

Charlotte fidgeted impatiently. "We really do need to make a decision and move forward." She looked from Anamaria to the pair of boots now marching dramatically down the steps. "I... " She screwed her eyes closed.

"What've we here--" Jack began.

"Elizabeth?" Charlotte interrupted.

"We can't win the cave," Elizabeth admitted. "We need--"

"An ambush," Jack said. "Which! Is why I have..."

"Anamaria!" Charlotte grabbed the woman by the elbow and gave her a pleading look. "Can you aim your cannons at the cave entrance?"

"My cannons." Jack stepped forward. "And your commodore should be ready to catch anyone who leaves another way."

Elizabeth and Anamaria considered this, Charlotte already checking her hair and clothes to disguise her gender once again.

"I can give you one volley," Anamaria said. "Then we're gone."

"Thank you. Thank you all so much. Now, we don't have time." Charlotte reached out and grabbed Jack Sparrow and began pushing him up the stairs. "Well?" She said to Elizabeth as they met her halfway up the stairs.

"We need to go."

Charlotte gave Jack one final push, feeling unsettled and not herself. Finally, she turned back and gave a curtsy to the pirates below.

"Farewell until we return." She stood and met the eyes of Gibbs and Anamaria and unbidden her thoughts went back to the island, the lava, the Phaeton waiting for her. The fort and... James Norrington. "Please live." She finished.

And then they were off.

...

"Why, pray..." Jack said cheerfully, halfway down the tunnels. "Is the fog following us?"

Ahead the tunnels were open and gloomy with echoes of torchlight but a curling mist was slowly filling it, the puddles at their feet seeming to rise into the air with a swirling wind that had not been there last time. Jack and Elizabeth had both turned up their collars against the bite of cold against their necks. Charlotte was content to just shiver.

"We're following her," Charlotte said distantly. She continued before Jack could ask who. "I'm hoping Elizabeth can follow the stream again and snatch Will. You provide the distraction again?" She shook her head. "But will they fall for that again?"

Jack just winked at her.

"I'll offer to work with them if it fails..." Charlotte said slowly.

Elizabeth grabbed her arm and they jerked to a stop, Jack turning after few paces to see what they were doing. It felt strange that he had no argument for or against what she'd said... But Elizabeth was more important.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

Elizabeth's face was pinched with worry. She simply shook her head.

"I wouldn't really do it," Charlotte said.

"We can save Will without sacrificing anyone." Elizabeth's eyes were commanding.

Charlotte folded with a nod.

A curl of wind tickled her sleeve where Elizabeth still gripped her arm. It seemed encouraging... but also... wistful. A tiny, tiny bit jealous. And then the wind grew stronger and urged them toward the pirates.

The sisters looked at each other and then turned and broke into a run.

Jack gave a disgusted noise and followed after.

And soon enough they were all three standing at the mouth of the cavern, a few dozen pirates' backs to look at among the piles of treasure. But their eyes were drawn to the hill, Jack's eyes to Barbossa, Elizabeth's eyes to Will and the knife at his throat, and Charlotte's to the goliath chest treasure waiting beneath for his blood.

"Beg your pardon," Jack was suddenly halfway across the room, elbowing pirates out of the way and wincing whenever anyone glared at him. "Beg your pardon. Excuse me."

Charlotte panicked and, considering little more than that it seemed to work for him, she half walked, half jogged after Jack. The pirates seemed more confused by her presence, but not by much. It occurred to her that they had absolutely no idea who she was.

She caught the eyes of a particularly tall pirate and bowed her head, smiling apologetically.

He shuddered.

"Jack!" Charlotte looked up to find that Will had finally spotted them. "And..."

Barbossa gaped. "S'not possible."

"Oh, dear." Charlotte's hand went to her face as the terror made her slightly hysteric. "Is it rude to come back from the dead?"

There was a long beat of silence.

"To be sure," Barbossa said finally, "I'm more concerned about who you might be."

Charlotte's eyes went to Will as he vigorously shook his head.

A moment later, Jack's arm was around her shoulders and he was waving his other hand dismissively.

"Another victim of another curse. And part of the reason you really don't want to be killing Mr. Turner."

Barbossa rolled his eyes. "No, I really think I do."

"Your funeral."

Barbossa was beginning to look very annoyed. "Why don't I want to be doing it?"

"Well, because the HMS Dauntless,--" Charlotte tried to pull away from him and Jack caught her again. "--pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore. Waiting for you."

The pirates around them turned to give each other concerned looks and then turned to their captain, waiting for an order to make things better. Charlotte took the opportunity to close her eyes and ask the fog to swell up in the room, focusing on filling the space instead of simply the stream. When she opened her eyes, Jack was gesturing to her with glee.

"And this little lad..."

He pulled her in front of him, a hand on each shoulder, locking her in place with the eyes of far too many people memorizing her face.

"...is the key to it all."