Will stood frozen, his mouth hanging open, words failing him entirely.
Only moments ago, he'd been thinking of escape—of slipping away when no one was looking, of taking Elizabeth back to Port Royal, convincing himself that once she returned home, once this madness was behind her, she would come to her senses.
But now…
What he had just seen refused to fit into any explanation his mind could offer.
The ground itself had opened.
Shadows had risen.
Men—pirates who moments earlier had been laughing—had been swallowed whole, screaming as the stone closed over them as if nothing had ever been there.
Will swallowed hard, his gaze flicking to Daniel—calm, unmoved. For the first time since all of this began, he felt a flicker of genuine gratitude that his own annoying rants hadn't earned him the same fate as the pirates who had just vanished beneath the stone.
Any thought of escape quietly died right there.
So did the plan he hadn't wanted to admit to himself—the idea that he would save Elizabeth, be the hero, and somehow win her heart through courage alone. Watching her now, steady and unafraid, it was painfully clear how foolish that fantasy had been.
Elizabeth wasn't waiting to be rescued.
She was already choosing her own path.
"Now," Jack said, turning slowly, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips, "any more rebels?"
The remaining pirates glanced at the darkened stone floor, at the place where their fellows had been moments ago… and then at Daniel.
"No, Captain," they said, almost in unison.
Jack's grin widened.
"Now then," he said, clapping his hands once, "let's return to the ship."
The remaining pirates moved quickly, none of them eager to test their luck any further.
As the cave began to empty, Daniel stepped over to Elizabeth, stopping beside her as if nothing extraordinary had just happened.
"Well?" Daniel prompted, tilting his head slightly. "What do you think?"
"About what?" Elizabeth asked, genuinely confused, unable to tell what Daniel was referring to after everything that had just happened.
"The adventure," Daniel said. "Pirates. Undead. Curses. And—" he gestured vaguely at himself, "—me."
Elizabeth let out a slow breath.
"…It doesn't feel real," she admitted softly. "Like I stepped out of one life and into a story I used to think only belonged in books."
And yet, she couldn't deny one thing.
She was happier.
This chaos, this danger, this absurd chain of events—it was still better than the suffocating life she'd left behind in Port Royal. Better than polite smiles, rigid expectations, and a future already decided for her. In just a few days, she had felt more alive than she ever had before.
Free.
Her gaze drifted back to Daniel.
All of it—every impossible turn, every broken rule—had begun with him.
Maybe her life had changed the moment a stranger had crashed through her roof and into her bath.
Will, standing a short distance behind them, saw the way Elizabeth looked at Daniel—and felt something twist uncomfortably in his chest.
Before he could say anything, a firm shove landed between his shoulders.
"Move along," Gibbs muttered, steering him forward.
***
All of them returned to the Black Pearl, the crew spreading out across the deck as if they had never left. Jack stepped up to the helm and rested his hands on it, a quiet smile crossing his face.
"Finally," he said. "I've got you back."
Off to the side, the Interceptor lingered for a moment longer. Daniel glanced at it, then stored it away into his inventory as easily as pocketing a coin. The ship vanished, leaving only calm water behind.
Jack turned toward him. "So, mate," he asked, keeping his tone light, "what are you doing next?"
He didn't hide the hope in his eyes. With Daniel around, things tended to work out in his favor.
"I'm going back to Port Royal," Daniel replied. "Elizabeth has been gone for four days. Her father would be in a panic by now."
Elizabeth looked at him, a little surprised. She hadn't expected him to think about that—but he was right. As much as she'd enjoyed the freedom of the past few days, she couldn't leave her father in fear.
Jack sighed, half-amused, half-disappointed. "Figures. Sensible choice," he said. "Not very pirate-like, but sensible."
Elizabeth turned toward Will. "And what about you Will?" she asked. "What will you do?"
He wasn't tied up anymore, but cooperating enough that no one felt the need to restrain him again.
"Miss Swann," he said quietly, "I don't want to return to Port Royal."
Elizabeth blinked. "You don't?"
He shook his head. "Not yet. My father was a pirate. I spent my whole life hating that word… but now I realize I don't know anything about him. About who he really was."
He looked toward Jack. "If I'm ever going to understand that, I need to stay here."
Jack raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised—then smiled.
"Well," he said, clapping his hands once, "look at that. The lad's found his sea legs."
He gave Will an appraising look. "Could use another pair of hands. And someone who knows which end of a hammer not to hold."
Daniel watched the exchange with mild surprise. It seemed Will had finally let go—of Elizabeth, of the hero complex, of that reckless enthusiasm that had driven him before. There was a dullness to him now, more thoughtful, less desperate.
Good.
Otherwise, Daniel had been seriously considering more… permanent solutions to curb that behavior.
*****
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