Charlotte came to just as Elizabeth's hands seized her arm.

"What's happening?"

Charlotte had no idea. Thankfully, Anamaria barked back.

"The Black Pearl, she's gaining on us."

Elizabeth's hair flew as she looked around for answers, "This is the fastest ship in the Caribbean."

"You can tell them that after they've caught us."

"We're shallow on the draft, right?"

Charlotte stepped away from her sister and began warming up, sword out as she tried to remember what Will had once shown her.

"Aye."

"Well, then can't we lose them amongst those shoals?"

This meant nothing to Charlotte. Everyone else looked impressed.

Gibbs appeared at their side. "We don't have to outrun them long, just long enough."

Anamaria considered the three of them for an eternity. Then she turned away and her voice rang out for all the men to hear. "Lighten the ship, stem to stern!"

"Anything that we can afford to lose? See that it's lost." Gibbs began moving among them, pointing out things the pirates had missed.

Charlotte watched for a moment and then moved to the back of the boat, now loading her pistol. She had a feeling that Eos had sent her to Norrington as a bribe, a very good bribe, but she couldn't leave now. Or was this happening because she wasn't leaving? Could Eos give the pirates wind and not them?

Charlotte studied the sails of both ships.

Then she noted that it did not seem to matter.

"Oars! They're letting down oars!"

Anamaria gave her a look of dread, then looked to the others. "It was a good idea. Until now."

More orders were yelled and Charlotte realized she should be helping. She began dashing around with the pirates, handing the men at the cannons anything she could find. If the pirates couldn't be hurt, she thought as she ran, could their ship be broken? She shook the thought off: it was unlikely that the ship had stolen Aztec gold as well.

It was all so pointless.

"Lower the anchor on the right side. On the starboard side!"

Charlotte looked up at her sister's voice and found the pirate's ship almost on them, ready to destroy them. Elizabeth looked so, confident. Ready to fight 'til the end.

The anchor suddenly slammed down and Charlotte was thrown onto the deck. She scrambled to look up and immediately had to curl up, hands over her ears, as the cannons began to fire around her. She felt the ship shudder where her knees met the wooden planks.

"Charlie!" Anamaria's hand yanked Charlotte's elbow just before the mast could crush her against the deck. Charlotte didn't have time to thank her before she found pirates swinging toward her, jumping from ropes onto the crumbling Interceptor.

She was going to die, wasn't she?

A pirate noticed her standing there, gaping, and leaped toward her. Without thinking, the young woman whipped out her sword again and blocked his swing. Her body was following a dance; parry, parry, pointless attack. All memory. Her mind was trying to figure out how to escape an opponent who would happily fight on until her arm fell off from overuse.

A laugh bubbled madly in the back of her mind: she could jump ship, finally land in the water.

The logical part of her let the laugh slip and then she took a slight step to the side.

The pirate now stood between her and the water.

Charlotte ducked his next swing, moving so fast she wasn't sure her heart came with her. As the air whistled above she reached forward--a hurried shove...

"Get away from me!"

The pirate cursed at her as he tumbled over the rail.

"Charlotte!" Charlotte whirled to find Elizabeth this time. "Charlotte!"

Two pirates were dragging her sister from the ship. Too far away to reach. The sword was quickly sheathed and Charlotte's pistol raised, her face twisting with fury.

"No! Help Will!" Elizabeth's head jerked toward the fallen mast. "Charlotte, please!"

Charlotte fired the pistol and one of the pirates holding Elizabeth lost his grip as a bullet blasted through his shoulder. A moment later he had hold of her again but Charlotte had already disappeared behind the mast, creeping away from anyone else who might try to fetch her. As she moved she noted that there was no one left, everyone was on the Black Pearl and the Interceptor was slowly moving lower and lower beside it.

"Will?" She hissed. She reached the hatch to below deck. She found only water.

Charlotte looked up to find that the Black Pearl was moving away... Indecision dug its claws in. Should she grab a rowboat and go to Eos? Try to stowaway on the Pearl? Go below deck and try to break into the flooded cabin to free Will? Was that even possible?

Charlotte looked around helplessly and then simply drew her pistol. If she could smash the hatch, would there be enough room for Will to squeeze out? She began reloading, starting to feel sick. Was it too late? Had he already drowned? Drowning seemed like an awful--

The ship exploded.

For a moment she was far, far too hot. For a moment her coat was on fire and she was flying through the air.

Then the ocean was cold. Biting. Everywhere.

..

It had been a cold, cold night the last time Charlotte had 'fainted'.

..

Her mind couldn't seem to focus suddenly. Drifting back and forth. Burning lungs and then aching heart.

Why had she pretended to faint two years ago? She couldn't... quite...

Her eyes opened and she couldn't see.

She'd been... sixteen... And it had been a dance. It was suddenly very important that she remember this dance. If she was dying, she wanted to remember this...

It had been so cold.

..

Charlotte wanted to be alone. Her father had agreed to let her step out for a moment of fresh air after she'd collapsed into a chair. She didn't think he realized that it had started to rain. And now he was likely keeping a sharp eye on the men dancing with Elizabeth. He wouldn't notice for a few minutes that she hadn't come back.

Careful to stay under the lip of the balcony above her, Charlotte wiped a finger under each eye and thankfully found no tears. She felt stupid. There was the word: stupid. Or maybe awkward. How did everyone else enjoy all that chatter? Her mind was blank or else caught on silly things only her sister would enjoy hearing. Elizabeth and the officers she knew had all laughed when Charlotte said something clever but then her mind became frantic, straining to find something to keep the conversation flowing and then she was lost.

And now they were finally dancing, something she didn't have to think about, and instead she was outside desperately trying to pin up her hair and work up the courage to talk to someone long enough to get them to dance with her.

"Miss Swann?"

"Oh!" She tensed and turned to find an apologetic James Norrington. "Good evening, sir."

He stepped out and immediately began shivering. "I brought your shawl." He looked out into the rain as she thanked him and threw it over her shoulders. "It seems you were wise to bring it. My coat, sadly, is warming a hook in the barracks."

Charlotte was trying to fix a small catch in her shawl. "Did you come to make sure I hadn't fainted again?"

Norrington laughed.

Charlotte found her cheeks turning pink and she gave him a sidelong look. "No?"

"Miss Swann," He looked embarrassed. "I've seen you faint. Truly faint. As convincing as your act was in there, it was..." He considered. "Not... I shouldn't help you become more convincing, should I?"

"I suppose not. So you knew I ran away." The words slipped out.

"I'm sure you have your reasons." He said kindly. Charlotte sighed. "I can't say I'm not happy to have a moment of quiet."

The rain pattered for a long moment. She should say something. What could she say? What was there to talk about?

..

Charlotte was so cold. She was dying. She started struggling for the surface but couldn't seem to find up.

..

Her hand reached out, a last moment of confidence. "When you're ready to return, care to join me for a dance, sir?"

He turned and smiled. Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh, no.

"I would be honored, Miss Swann."

..

Charlotte wanted to remember that dance. She had it for a brief second... Her eyes meeting his and flinching away, the words growing more difficult, her hands growing more clammy, enjoying that dance more than any since. Then she lost it.

Her relaxed body began to drift with the current, floating up to join the shipwreck.

She was so tired.

Her head hit wood and her numb fingers found an edge. She yanked herself up, sluggish.

She didn't know if the pirates were still there. She didn't care.

The exhausted young woman wrapped one arm around a plank of wood and the world slipped away into darkness.