In Search of Paradise

Chapter One

Dazed, Elizabeth Swann shook her blonde head and wondered how long she had been asleep. Her brown eye's immediately focused on her surroundings and she began to panic when she realised that she was still on the rickety old double-decker bus that she had boarded hours ago. Glancing out the window she felt her heart lurch as she looked out into darkness and as her eyes flicked to her watch she could not help but flinch. "Damn…" she swore under her breath as she read the time on her Mickey Mouse wristwatch. It had been over an hour since they had passed her stop and now, she realised as she caught a glimpse of the ocean in the distance, she was in the heart of Docklands. "This makes it official" she muttered quietly to herself as she stared out into the gloomy streets of the old industrial port. It was undoubtedly the worst week of her young life.

As she silently reprimanded herself for being foolish enough to get herself into this situation she let her eyes roam up and down the bus. The dimly lit vehicle had seen better days, and about as much could be said for its passengers. There was an old man who had passed out in the second row, his empty bottle rolling under his feet making a sound that made Elizabeth shudder as the bus continued down the bumpy old road. The pair of teenagers up the back sat with their arms curled around their legs staring out the window with wide eyes and silent grins, looking as though they were having the trip of their life. While disgusted by the kids' obvious use of illicit drugs she thought she would rather face them than the man that sat three seats in front of her who was currently having an in-depth argument… with himself.

Sighing Elizabeth let herself get used to the idea of leaving the bus to stand out in the rain in the dark, deserted industrial port, in hope that another bus would come along and take her back the other way; towards her home rather than away from it. Cringing in anticipation she hit the stop button while trying to ignore the little voice in her head that was reminding her that tempting fate once again was a poor idea, especially considering the bad luck she had already experienced this week. Standing up she pulled her coat around her and slung her backpack over her shoulder before walking to the front of the bus and watching as it came to a stop.

"You sure this is your stop Miss?" The bus driver asked giving her a strange look.

She nodded slowly, frowning as the driver's eyes wandered down her slender body. Sending him a sharp glare she quickly jumped off the bus and groaned inwardly as her eyes laid upon the unsheltered bench, that, along with a vertical piece of wood, made the bus stop. "That would be right" She growled as she walked through the rain and collapsed onto the seat feeling defeated. "Wonderful" She grumbled, "and to think I could be sitting down in front of a large wood fire with 'Fifi' and 'Toto' right now" She muttered sarcastically to the rain, thinking about her old life. Her whole body shifted and her brown eyes shone with new found determination as she pictured her Father, after learning of her current predicament, informing her ever-so-politely that he had 'told her she could not make it on her own'.

Glaring at the light in the window across the street she felt herself shaking in anger as she relived the moment when her Father, Weatherby Swann, the Governor of Port Royal, had declared in front of all her friends and family that she was going to marry a man she did not know because she was not capable of surviving alone. She had been so furious that it had been the very next day that she had made the decision to move to London to prove to both her father and herself that she could live independently. She had packed her suitcase and left without a word, only choosing to contact her father a week later once she was safely in London.

Sighing Elizabeth looked up and down the road with a small frown. She sat forward and rested her chin on her hand as the rain continued to drench her hair and clothing. "Everything had been going so well" She whispered sadly as she thought about the past week. "I just had to get that stupid cup of coffee" She groaned as she thought back to Monday morning when she had waited for twenty minutes for coffee only to turn around and spill it onto a business man's Prada suit which had, in turn, led to a series of events that combined to make Elizabeth almost want to go back home.

"Not yet" she whispered in quiet resolve, "I'm not going home till I've proved that I can make it on my own" she thought out loud.

"That's going to be a bit hard to do out here" A deep voice commented gently from behind her.

Elizabeth screamed in surprise jumping out of her seat and spinning around awkwardly to face the speaker. As she stared at the man through the rain she realised that although he was hard to make out in the dark she was comforted by the fact that he was wearing a smart business suit and holding an umbrella. She shivered, the movement making her feel the cold. "I know" She sighed in reply not exactly sure what to say to the man.

"Sorry I scared you" He said honestly, "I was just wondering if you were ok"

Elizabeth smiled weakly but could not find the strength to lie. "Ye…No" She stuttered shaking her head, "No, I'm not" she choked before bursting into tears. "I don't even know where I am" she managed to say. As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to hit herself in the head. 'You just told a complete stranger that you didn't know where you were' her mind cried in disgust at her complete lack of self-preservation. She felt adrenaline run through her body when she realised he was walking towards her.

"Umm, this is Folder Road, in the heart of Docklands, just over an hour from London" He told her moving his umbrella so that it covered them both. Her heart stopped as she got a better look at his face. He was the most handsome man that she had ever seen in her life. He had beautiful dark eyes that were regarding her with concern, dark hair that sat at his shoulders in gentle waves and perfect golden brown skin. His flawless face was framed with a well kept moustache and goatie and he smelt like expensive cologne and sea water. She blinked suddenly realising that he was talking to her.

"…over the road, its still open, if you want you can get dry and we can call a taxi"

"What?" She asked as she wiped the tears away from her eyes

"Over the road, the pub" He repeated with a small smile, pointing at the lit window in the distance that she had seen earlier.

"Oh" She said as what he had suggested dawned on her. "Errr, is it safe?" She asked slowly not quite sure whether or not the man would take offence to the question. She let out a soft sigh in relief when the man laughed.

"Well it's not Buckingham Palace, but, they won't bother you if you are with me" He assured her with a smile. "Oh, apart from the owner, Jack, but don't worry about him… he's completely harmless, just a tad… well you'll see, it's hard to explain a man like him" He said mysteriously. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. The respect that the young man held for this Jack character gave her a bout of confidence and made her feel at ease with both him, and the decision that had just been made. Although the moment she walked into the old pub she felt her heart quicken, the flight response only paused by the fact that the handsome young man had not deserted her.

'The Black Pearl' was the sign that hung over the bar, and was what Elizabeth considered to be a perfect name considering the clientele. Almost each and every table was filled with a group of ruthless and dangerous looking men. What frightened Elizabeth the most was that although there were some women among them, almost everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at her from the moment she had entered the building. "What 'av you got there Turner?" One of the men called out from a table at the back of the room.

"Nothing for any of you, so go back to your biddings gentlemen" He told the entire group boldly. Elizabeth let out a breath when the group laughed, most of them muttering about being called "gentlemen", and did what he said.

"Thought you had more sense than bringing a pretty little thing like that into a place like this whelp" A man stated from their left. Elizabeth turned to find the man was standing so close that now she faced him their noses touched. She yelped and jumped back running into the man named Turner's chest. "Hello" He mumbled to her as he tilted his head and looked her up and down. "She's a bit soggy, ain't she". As Elizabeth slapped him across the face she heard the handsome man laugh. "I'm not sure I deserved that" He confessed looking at Turner who only laughed harder.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed as she tried to comprehend what was happening. The man, who she now assumed must be the Jack that Turner mentioned earlier, was even stranger than she had imagined. He had long black dreadlocks which were held back by a bandana and he was dressed as though he had stepped out of a pirate movie. He wore black boots, brown leather pants and a white shirt. The only thing that was missing was a sword. "Look, she just needs to use the phone" The man named Turner said.

"Pity it's out of the question" Jack said with a wink at Turner, "Phone's been out all night, it's that down pour, ain't seen a storm like that for years" He explained before turning to Elizabeth, "Sorry 'bout that love, you can spend the night 'ere if you want" He said, winking at her.

"Jack…" Turner warned looking dangerously at the man

"That'll be Captain Jack Sparrow to you sonny" He said looking indignant, "And what shall I call you?" He asked Elizabeth.

"I would rather you don't speak to me at all actually" She stated coolly

Jack was about to say something when Turner cut him off, "If you don't have a phone that works, then I will take the young lady home" He said calmly "You know me better than that Jack"

Jack's expression changed to one that clearly said that Turner ruined all his fun. "Off with you then whelp…" He said waving his hands as if he wanted to be rid of them.

"Captain Will Turner to you old man" He smirked as he ushered Elizabeth out of the bar. As they closed the door behind them Elizabeth heard Jack say to another of the patrons "The whelp is getting cheeky". She smiled as she heard the reply "Yeh, but he's a right lot better than you and me, Jack" and then "I dunno what you are talking about, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow". Laughing she turned to the handsome man who had put up his umbrella and was looking at her with a frown on his lips.

"Do you want my coat? You must be freezing."

She blushed lightly but shook her head no. "I'll be alright, I'm Elizabeth Swann, by the way" She told him feeling a lot more comfortable with him now than she had earlier.

He smiled causing her to blush harder. "William Turner, but call me Will, look I'm sorry about them, they're a rowdy lot, but completely harmless, I think they just started early… if you know what I mean" He told her, "My car is not far from here, if you want I can take you home, otherwise, we can try using my cell in the car, the aerial should help it pick a signal… although I'm not sure about our chances in this storm"

"A lift will be fine" She said, "I live in central London though… is that too far out of your way?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm pretty central myself so I'll just drop you off and go from there" Will replied and began walking up the street.

Elizabeth fell into step beside him. "So you're a captain?"

He laughed, "Sort of, I worked for the Navy while I was studying at university. Because of my history they sort of pushed me up the ranks to Captain and I spent a couple of years as the Captain of the Princess which is one of the Navy's command ships"

"Your history?" She inquired

"I spent most of my childhood on and around boats. My mum and dad died when I was ten and it was Jack who took me in and became my guardian. He was a Captain of a ship though so I grew up sailing all over the world. It was a sort of transport ship so he would offer discounts to people who could tutor me while we were travelling and then we settled her in my final year and I sat my A Level Exams and got into University. Been here ever since."

Elizabeth looked at him in awe. "I'm sorry about your parents, but it sounds like you had an amazing childhood, I can't imagine Jack…"

Will chuckled, "No, I know, it's hard to picture him as a fatherly figure, but he did the best he could. It was amazing, but it wasn't easy. He expected a lot of me… I didn't just study and enjoy the ride; I was considered part of the crew and was expected to pull my weight." He looked at her and smiled, "And what about you? You don't act as though you grew up on the streets of London".

Elizabeth laughed but her eyes betrayed her discomfort. "No I lived in Port Royal, Jamaica, most of my childhood. Actually it was only just over a year ago that I moved here".

Will looked at her, surprised, "Port Royal!" He exclaimed, "Why on earth would you want to leave there?"

Elizabeth sighed, "I had, well, family problems, I guess is the best way to put it" She explained, "But I don't really want to relive that again tonight…"

He nodded and then pointed in front of them, "We're nearly there anyway" He stated and she felt her mood lift at the sight of the silver BMW in the distance.

"I hope you don't mind your interior getting wet" She said shyly, "Jack was right when he said I was a little soggy"

"Don't ever admit he's right in front of him…" Will advised her with a grin, "But no, I don't mind at all"

He held open the passenger seat door and she gracefully stepped in feeling her muscles relax in relief as she rested back into the chair. She pulled her seatbelt on before looking up to find him watching her with a handsome smile. Grateful that the darkness hid her scarlet face she smiled back, silently thinking that perhaps her week would not be so bad after all.