Here you go! Chapter 7. D
Mucho love to darkpenholder, LittleMissVampirate, and PirateKnightoftheRings for the reviews!
Want to see your name up here in bold, pretty text? REVIEW:D
Disclaimer: This'll be the last time I post this. If you don't know by now I own nothing then... shame shame shame.
&&&
Chapter 7: (Insert everyone's favorite saying about rum here)
When Jack opened his eyes the next morning, the smell of smoke overcame him. He jumped up, looking around to see where it was coming from. Charlotte? Was she alright? He glanced over and saw her, throwing bottles of rum into the fire. His eyes widened. "No, no, no!" he shouted, running over. "Not good, not good!" He grabbed her shoulders, gaping at the fire in front of him. "What're you doing?!" he spat out. "You've burned the food! The shelter! T-The rum!"
"Yes," Charlotte snapped. "The rum is gone."
"Why is the rum gone?!" Jack cried.
"One: it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels, and two, that signal is over a hundred feet high. The entire royal navy is out here looking for Elizabeth and I. Do you think there's even the SLIGHTEST chance that they won't see it?!" Charlotte spat back without pausing. "It's an old trick Elizabeth taught me. Rum is highly flammable."1 Jack shook his head frantically.
"But why is the rum gone?" he whimpered. Charlotte rolled her eyes and backed out of his grasp, turning to stare at the horizon.
"You just wait, Jay Bird," she said softly. His heart stopped when she called him his old nickname. "You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye out and you will see white sails on that horizon." No matter how peaceful and beautiful she looked at that one moment, Jack tried to stay angry. He stormed down the opposite side of the beach.
"Must've been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack." He mimicked Charlotte. "Must've been terrible for you; well it bloody is now!" he yelled back in her direction, knowing she couldn't hear. As he turned back to stare out at the water, he noticed the British ship, The Dauntless coming their way. "There'll be no living with her after this," he muttered to himself.
"Where is Elizabeth?" Governor Swann asked Charlotte as she and Jack boarded the Dauntless. Commodore Norrington slipped a coat around her shoulders.
"The pirates have her," she said miserably. "We have to go and save her!"
"Yes, but not you," Swann said strictly. "You will return to Port Royal immediately and wait at the house until we bring Elizabeth back."
"But what about Will?" Charlotte cried. "We must go, now! He'll die if we don't get there soon!"
"The boy's fate is regrettable," the Governor continued. "But so is his choice to engage in piracy."
"If I may be so bold as to state my professional opinion," Jack jumped in, receiving glares from everyone on the ship. "The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?"
"By remembering that I serve others and not only myself, Mr. Sparrow," the Governor replied calmly. Jack winced.
"Commodore Norrington, I beg of you," Charlotte pleaded. "For… for me." She swallowed hard, avoiding Jack's eyes as she spoke the next words. "As a wedding gift." Everyone's eyes widened, but Jack's more than any of them. She claimed she wasn't married… she said she wasn't engaged. Bloody hell, why did she lie to me? He resisted the urge to punch Norrington square in the jaw. …Lot, didn't you figure it out? I never stopped…
"Charlotte, are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" Swann's jaw dropped. Charlotte was tempted to shout, "NO." and run to the only person she'd ever loved, but she couldn't. Not when Will and Elizabeth's lives were on the line.
"…I am," she heard herself whisper. Norrington held her gaze for a long time, his expression suprised.
"A wedding!" Jack said joyfully, hiding his pain. "I love weddings. Drinks all around!" Everyone turned to glare at him, but the only one he noticed was Charlotte. He knew that look anywhere. She was about to cry. It wasn't out of joy, either.
"Mr. Sparrow," Norrington addressed him. "You will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave.' Do I make myself clear?"
"Inescapably, sir," Jack smiled meekly. Then, he was escorted to the cells below. Minutes later, Charlotte had followed.
"Jack?" she whispered. He looked up, only to see the first tear falling down her face. It didn't matter how mad he was; he couldn't stand to see her cry and not do anything about it.
"Lot?" Jack stood, walking to the iron. "What is it?" He reached through the bars and looped his fingers through hers.
There's a million ways to say, "I love you." You can say it through your body language, a foreign language,through music, or even by simply saying it. But Charlotte couldn't bring herself to do it.
"I didn't want to say yes," she sobbed softly. "I don't want to be with him." Jack made himself smile as he reached out and wiped her tears away with his thumb.
"Come on now, love," he tried. "Norrington's a good… man… eunuch… thing. You can be a lot more than a maid, you know." Charlotte laughed softly through her sobs.
"But I want to be a pirate." She forced herself to whisper. Jack's eyes widened.
"Lot…" The hand wiping away her tears traveled to the side of her face, and his grip on her hand tightened. Jack mentally cursed the bars keeping him away from her.
"But I can't tie you down, Jack," she added, her fierce grey eyes staring into his strong brown ones.
"You've always tied me down, love." He smiled meekly. Finally, he told her the truth. "You're all I've thought about since the day we met." Before she could say those three words, the ones that would change both of their lives forever, there were footsteps coming down the steps. She broke away and glared at Jack as though they'd been fighting this entire time.
"You lying jerk of a pirate!" she shouted at him. He gave her an amused grin.
"I've heard that term several times before, love. I'll hear it every day until I die." he growled. Suddenly, there was a hand on Charlotte's shoulder.
"Mr. Sparrow, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop harassing my fiancé," Norrington smirked. Charlotte felt a chill run down her spine. Fiancé… who knew that word would hurt her heart so horribly? Norrington took the keys out of his pocket and unlocked Jack's cell. "Oh… the irons," he muttered, obviously having forgotten something. "Charlotte, would you mind keeping an eye on him for a moment?" Norrington asked. Charlotte nodded, glaring at Jack as though she couldn't stand the thought. The moment the Commodore went up the stairs, Jack grabbed Charlotte around the waist and kissed her deeply. She felt her knees give out the moment his lips touched hers, but he held her steady. Her hands made their way up to his neck, and she tangled one hand in his black locks, the other along his neck. Then, somehow, they'd ended up on the floor in a full makeout session. His hand traveled to the laces on her dress, and she broke of the kiss.
"No, Jack," she whispered, finally pushing him off of her. "Not here… not now." Jack looked up at her, his eyes filled with a slight hurt.
"Why not?" he asked stubbornly. Charlotte rolled her eyes.
"I dunno, maybe because I'm engaged or something." She snapped. Jack sighed, leaning his chin on her shoulder.
"I don't want to share you with him," he finally muttered. Charlotte's eyebrows rose. He was being awfully affectionate for the Jack she had known.
"I know," she sighed, finally unwinding her fingers from his hair and slipping her hand off his neck. The footsteps came down again, and Jack released her waist. When Norrington and Gillette came below, Charlotte was back on her feet, glaring at Jack from the other side of the room. He was sitting on the floor, staring mindlessly at his compass.
"Mr. Sparrow," Norrington growled. Jack stood up, saluting him. "Come with me." Charlotte followed them. She watched as Jack boarded the ship, but was then grabbed by Gillette. "Sorry, m'lady," he snickered before locking her in Norrington's quarters. "It's for your own good."
"Let me out!" Charlotte started banging on the wood. She sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. But she isn't really the type to give in after being locked in a room, aye?
Moments later, she was climbing into a longboat out of a makeshift rope she had made out of scarves and the Commodore's other clothing. She rowed herself to shore, only to find Elizabeth hiding behind a nearby tree. "Char?!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Liz!" Charlotte cried. The girls ran towards each other and hugged fiercely. "You're okay!"
"Jack helped me escape," Elizabeth said enthusiastically. "He told me you'd show up sooner or later." Charlotte herself face blush at his name, thanking God for the darkness that hid it.
"Come on," she hissed, dragging Elizabeth into the cave. The girls hid behind a rock as they watched Will walk by.
"No reason to fret, it's just a prick of the finger and a few drops of blood." Pintel snickered.
"No mistakes this time. He's only half-Turner. We spill it all." The man next to him snarled.
"Guess there is reason to fret." Pintel busted into a cruel laughter. Charlotte clenched her fists.
"'Scuse me, pardon me," Charlotte heard a man say. She walked Jack make his way through the crowd, up to Will. Her heart skipped a beat or two. Or seven.
"Begun by blood," Barbossa was reciting as he held a dagger to Will's neck. "By blood un-"
"Excuse me," Jack called up to him.
"Jack!" Will exclaimed. Barbossa's jaw dropped.
"S'not possible," he muttered.
"Not probable," Jack corrected.
"Where's Charlotte?" Will demanded. Jack smirked.
"She's safe with Elizabeth, just like I promised. She's also all set to marry Norrington, while Elizabeth to Beckett, like they promised. And you're going to die for them, just like you promised. So we're all men of our words really… except for Lot and Elizabeth, who are in fact women." Jack replied. Will raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"Shut up!" Barbossa growled. "You're next." At this, he held the dagger to Will's neck again.
"I don't think you want to be doing that, mate," Jack wagged a finger at him.
"Oh, I really think I do," Barbossa rolled his eyes.
"Your funeral," Jack shrugged, turning to walk away. Barbossa let out a growl.
"Why don't I want to be doing it?"
"Well, because…" he paused, shoving a pirate's hand off his shoulder. "Because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore…waiting for you." Everyone's eyes widened. Barbossa dropped the dagger and pulled Jack aside. Charlotte scanned the crowd for Ragetti. When she found him, he was staring blankly at the floor. Pintel said something, but Charlotte couldn't figure out what it was. Ragetti gave him a meek smile before turning away again. Charlotte felt her heartbeat speed up. What was going on with him…? When Jack and Barbossa returned, they both looked happy.
"I s'pose now you don't want me to kill the whelp?" Barbossa smirked.
"No, no, not at all by all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet." Charlotte's jaw dropped. What was Jack doing?! "Wait to lift the curse… until the opportune moment. For instance," he slowly picked up a few of the golden pieces. "After you've killed Norrington's men…" he threw them back in as he spoke. "Every… last… one." Charlotte noticed him slip one into his sleeve, and a grin appeared on her face. Will, however, didn't see the act.
"You've been planning this," he whispered. "Since the moment you knew my name." Jack smirked and bowed his head sarcastically.
"I want fifty percent of your plunder," Barbossa ordered.
"Fifteen," Jack countered.
"Forty,"
"Twenty-five," Jack tried. "And I'll buy you a hat. A really big one… Commodore." Barbossa grinned at this.
"We have an accord," he reached out and shook Jack's hand.
"All hand's to the boats!" Jack shouted to the crew in front of him. He noticed Barbossa glaring at him. "Apologies. You give the orders,"
"Gents," Barbossa grinned. "Take a walk." With a laugh, all the pirates turned away and walked out of the cave. Charlotte grabbed Elizabeth, and the two stayed absolutely silent in the shadows as they watched the pirates walk past them.
"I must admit, Jack," the girls heard Barbossa say. "I thought I had ye figured out."
"Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest..." Jack said, studying the treasure before him. "Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly… stupid." At this, Jack unsheathed a sword and began to swing at the other.
"You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters." They began to sword fight, both using amazing agility and skill. Once Jack and Barbossa turned away, Will jumped up, starting to escape.
"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain." One of the pirates shouted, storming into the cave.
"You like pain?" Elizabeth yelled, jumping up as he walked by. As he turned around, trying to figure out who had spoken, Charlotte picked up a nearby pole and hit him hard in the head.
"Try wearing a corset," she finished.
"Elizabeth! Lottie!" Will exclaimed. They began to run to each other, but before a reunion could be held, they were attacked by another group of pirates. Will threw them each a sword, and they began to fight. Elizabeth and Charlotte doubled up, sticking each of their swords through a row of three pirates. As they staggered into the moonlight, stuck together by the iron in their bodies, Will threw a grenade into the middle one's skeleton. Their flesh reappeared moments later, trapping it inside.
"No fair," one whimpered. Then, they were blown up completely. All three turned to watch Barbossa and Jack, fighting fiercely. Suddenly, Jack stumbled into the moonlight. He turned into a skeleton, a wicked grin appearing on his face. Charlotte's eyes widened.
"That's interesting," he murmured, holding his bone hand up to the light. Winking at Barbossa, he added, "Couldn't help myself, mate," Barbossa lunged forward angrily, and they went right back to fighting.
"Whose side is Jack on?" Elizabeth asked Will nervously.
"At the moment…?" his voice drifted off.
"So what now, Jack Sparrow?" Barbossa hissed. "Will it be it two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?"
"Or, you could surrender," Jack smirked. Barbossa lunged again. Jack stepped out of the way, sliced his palm open and grabbed the medallion tightly before throwing it to Will. Then, he snapped out his pistol and shot Barbossa directly in the heart.
"Ten years you carry that pistol and now you waste your shot." Barbossa snickered.
"He didn't waste it," Will shouted. At that very moment, he dropped the medallion in the chest with the rest of them. Barbossa looked down at his chest, then up at them.
"I feel…" he whispered. "…Cold." And then, he dropped to his death.
&&&
1: Is rum flammable? Obviously. Haha. :D
Dun dun dun... this chapter is done.
I'm not very sorry to admit that the next chapter will be the last for the Curse of the Black Pearl bit of this story. Why?
Because The Birds Fly West is divided into three parts. The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, and At World's End. :D Suprise!
R&R for a free cookie. :D
Ex's and oh's,
Elle