Here's another chapter, beta'd by KappasRule. Please review, let me know what you think~
I don't own POTC
As soon as they made it onto the ship, Barbossa naturally started to call out orders, sending everyone into a hustle-and-bustle. Jack shadowed him, and repeated his orders, only louder. "Trim that sail! Slack the windward brace and sheet! Haul that pennant line!"
Jack, much to everyone's annoyance, repeated it. "Trim that sail! Slack the windward brace and sheet! Haul that pennant line!"
Barbossa suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to Jack. "What are you doing?"
Jack huffed. "The Captain gives orders on the ship."
"The Captain is giving orders." He sneered.
"My ship makes me Captain." She countered.
"They be my charts!"
"Stow it, the both of you, and that's an order! Understand?"
At the new voice, Jack and Barbossa stared at Pintel, slightly dumbfounded. Under the pressure, Pintel backed up and quickly took back what he said. "Sorry! Just, with the Captain issue in doubt and all, thought I'd throw my name in consideration… sorry."
They brushed past him and towards the railing. Barbossa pulled out a telescope and looked over the horizon. Jack, however, took out a much longer one, to which Barbossa only raised an eyebrow at it and shook his head.
Pintel and Ragetti watched the whole ordeal. "This is kind of like the good ol' days." Ragetti said.
"No. Back then, they were much less competitive." Pintel shook his head.
"I guess you're right."
A few hours of hustling passed, and now the sun had fallen over the horizon. The two captains were in the cabin, which was still worn from the Kraken attack. "I see you neglected to take care of my ship." Barbossa stated, noting the holes.
"What, this? Just ventilating. Clear out of the stench of the previous owner, you know. Thinking of putting in French doors, actually. Feel the cross breeze?" Jack asked mockingly.
The door opened, and Gibbs stuck his head in. "Heading Captain?"
At the word 'Captain' both Jack and Barbossa turned their heads. "Two degrees starboard-" Jack began, but was unceremoniously cut off by Barbossa.
"I'm Captain of the starboard side! Two degrees starboard. The Captain will now take the helm." Barbossa ordered.
Jack frowned, but Gibbs saluted twice to recognize both of them. "Aye sir, ma'am!" Then he left the cabin, with the two Captains following him to the helm.
Not much time passes before there are people gathered at the rail, looking at the souls that pass by underwater.
After that, a boat drifted into sight, with a lantern guiding it. Gibbs arrived at the rail with a rifle, about to aim it at the person in the boat. However, Will stopped him. "No. They are not a threat to us, right?" He looked to Tia Dalma for confirmation.
"We are but ghosts to them, they heed us not."
"Best just let them be." Barbossa said. Gibbs just lowered the rifle, yet he kept it ready.
Elizabeth looked to the nearest boat, and found that she recognized the passenger. "My father! We've made it back! Father! Here, look here!"
Jack stood next to her, and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Elizabeth. We're not back yet." She said, and made sure to look right into her eyes. Elizabeth stared back at her, and blinked as realization dawned on her.
Her cry was filled with anguish. "Father!"
The man in the boat was indeed Governor Swann, her father. "Elizabeth! Are you dead?"
"No..." Elizabeth said, her voice wavering.
The Governor nodded at her. She had to follow along the railing to keep up with him. "I think I am." He said.
"No. You can't be."
"There was a chest, you see… How odd. At the time, it seemed so important."
"Come aboard!" Elizabeth cried, and to the others, "Someone, cast a line! Come back with us!"
The crewmen started to prepare a line, but it was too slow for her. She snatched it and tossed it over to her father, however he made no move toward it. "And a heart, and if you stabbed the heart… you would have to sail forever. That's how it worked. Stab the heart and take his place. The Dutchman must have a Captain. Silly thing to die for." He ranted.
The Dutchman must have a Captain… Jack noted solemnly.
"Take the line!" Elizabeth cried, noticing that the rope had slid towards the back of his canoe.
"Elizabeth." He said, gaining her full attention. "When I would reprimand you to obey rules, it was because I did not want you to ever be unhappy. But I should have recognized your willfulness… your courage. I am proud of you, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth shook her head, tears beginning to fall. "The line! Catch the line!" As he slipped away, the line fell into the water. "Father! Come back with us, please! I won't let you go!"
His boat reached the aft of the ship, and Elizabeth ran towards the edge. "She must not leave the ship!" Will reached her before she could climb over the railing.
~*~
The sun had risen, and everyone was parched with thirst. There was no wind, and there were doubts whether they would make it back at all. Ragetti chased the monkey around for his eye back, however, it was really rolling around on the charts that Jack was idly exploring.
She turned the intricate circles, and three words aligned: "Up is down." She mouthed. "That's maddeningly unhelpful. Why are all these things never clear?"
"Stab the heart." Jack jumped, her own heart pounding.
However, she looked to her left shoulder, and found another version of herself standing there. She frowned. "What?"
"Don't stab the heart." Another appeared on her right shoulder.
"Come again?" Jack asked, still not quite getting it.
"The Dutchman must have a Captain." The girl on the right stated matter-of-factly.
"That's even more than less than unhelpful." Jack said.
"Sail the seas for eternity." The girl on the left said dreamily.
"Oh, I do love the sea."
"But what about port?"
"I prefer rum. Rum's good." Jack said, suddenly craving rum.
"Making port." Left-Jack corrected herself.
"Where we can get rum, and maybe handsome men. Once every ten years." Right-Jack stated.
"What did she say?" Left-Jack asked.
"Once every ten years." Jack restated.
"Ten years is a long time." Left-Jack said.
"Even longer, given the deficit of rum." Jack said solemnly.
"And handsome men…" Right-Jack said. "Though, you do have the crew. I mean, what about Will?"
"He's got Elizabeth." Jack said.
Right-Jack grinned. "True. Guess that means Barbossa-"
"Shut up." Jack snapped, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.
"Other than that," Left-Jack began, "eternity is longer still."
"And how will you spend it? Dead, or not?" Right-Jack said, still sneering at her.
Left-Jack contemplated. "The immortal Captain Jack Sparrow…"
Jack smiled. "Ooh, I like that."
"Come sunset, it won't matter." Right-Jack shrugged her shoulders.
Jack glanced at the charts. She noticed something peculiar. A picture of a ship, upside down with rays of sunset behind it. Her eyes widened in realization. "Not sunset. Sundown. And rise… up!" She stood up abruptly and pointed to the horizon. "Over there! What's that? I don't know! What do you think?"
She hurried to the railing, followed by Gibbs, who squinted at the horizon. "Where?" He didn't notice anything. She waited until everyone was at the railing looking. "There, it moved! Suddenly. It's very fast." Jack raced over to the starboard side. The ship tilted slightly. "Thar! Over thar!"
She chased whatever it was back to port side. Everyone followed quickly, tilting the ship again. "What is it?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's not here!" Jack cried.
They ran back and forth. "She's rocking the ship." Pintel noted, trying to steady himself.
Barbossa had glanced at the chart, noticing the words Up is down. Gibbs ran past Pintel. "We're rocking the ship!" He yelled in realization.
Barbossa realized it as well. "Aye, she's onto it. All hands together! Time it with the swell!" He moved down to the cargo hold. "Loose the cannon! Unstow the cargo! Let it shift!"
Everyone did as they were told, and everything rolls from port to starboard. Above deck, Pintel and Ragetti had the bright idea to tie themselves upside down on the mast.
The ship was nearly horizontal. After one more push, everyone had to hold on tightly to the railing, as the Pearl tilts all the way over. "And now up, is down!"
The Black Pearl rocked all the way over and into the water.