A/N: Okelydokely, then! So. This chapter was written late at night when I was INCREDIBLY bored and absolutely COULD NOT fall asleep to save my life, and yes it is quite strange so um…yeah. Shout out to sevn.dust and random zinthos for being my first reviewers ever! ON WITH THE SHOW!

DISCLAIMER: You know the drill. Lyrics are Beck's.

'Cause everybody knows

The fabric of folly

Is comin' apart at the seams

The Sea Serpent Speaks and Bootstrap is Freed

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Jack woke the following morning to a bony finger poking him in the side. He rolled over onto his stomach so that his face was buried in the pillow.

"Go away and leave me in peace," he mumbled in a muffled voice.

"Jack, we have to go," Will's urgent voice said back.

"Why? I'm perfectly comfortable the way I am now…"

"We have to get the heart, remember?"

"Not that bloody heart….Get the Pearl's crew over here. Tell them they'd better be here before they can say 'keelhaul', or that's what'll be happening. Step to, go on," Jack urged, rolling upright. Will nodded and left the captain's cabin of the Black Pearl. "Rum," Jack muttered. He went below deck, grabbed a bottle, and met his crew on top. "Heave to and take in anchor!" he ordered. "Full canvas! Set sail for the east! I've a notion where that heart escaped to," he added to Gibbs in an undertone.

"Where?" Gibbs said curiously.

"Port Royal."

"Port Royal?" echoed another voice. Jack fell back slightly in surprise and looked sideways at Will.

"Shouldn't you be on your own ship?"

"I just wondered where we were going, Captain."

Jack smirked. "Glad you finally remembered, whelp. Get on over to the Mermaid and follow us." Will took the longboat that Jack had used the night before and rowed back to Tia Dalma's ship. A few moments later, Jack could hear him bellowing orders at his men, mixed with a few attempts at nautical insults such as 'ye scurvy landlubbers'. Cotton's parrot repeated the orders and replaced Will's weak words with a few colorful choices of its own, examples being 'scabrous dogs' and 'diseased potato rats'. Jack wasn't sure if potato rats even existed, much less diseased ones. For what was the point of the disease being carried by potato rats if there were no potato rats to carry said disease? He shook his head and went to the helm, taking another few swallows of rum along the way. Something told him it was going to be a long five days.

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The weather was beautiful indeed. The wind pushed the two ships along at a snappy clip. Waves only rolled along to give them a nudge onward. Jack was quite happy with the way things were going. He only worried over a few flaws in his plan. How many days away from Port Royal were they? Would they be able to meet Davy Jones in time to be able to destroy Hel? And - worst of all - what if Jack's notion was wrong? Whit if the heart wasn't in Port Royal? He dismissed this thought as soon as it came. Will had only just started to figure out that Jack had taken the heart before his head was…accidentally…clubbed by a certain paddle, and the boy would have handed it over by now to save his lass. Or what he thought was his lass…

The only other possible thief was Norrington, who had wanted the heart to gain his old life back from Beckett. Beckett, Jack thought disdainfully. He stuck out his tongue with a disgusted noise.

"That son of a -"

Jack was cut off from finishing his rather rude comment by a roar that shook the ships and the people upon them to the very core. Yells of terror floated up to where he stood.

"Er, monkey," he finished hastily. "I was gonna say monkey, not -"

A colossal sea serpent erupted from the waters directly in the path of the ships. A geyser of water sprayed from the top of its massive head and rained down on the deck.

"Oh, bugger," Jack muttered. "This isn't the best thing that could have happened…"

The serpent slowly lowered its head so that its eye, the size of half the ship, was only a few feet away from Jack. It looked surprisingly intelligent and human. It was a deep green color, flecked with black and gold. Its breath rumbled all around him.

"Er…we come in peace?" he tried hopefully.

The serpent snapped Jack up into its mouth without warning.

"OI!" he bellowed. "What've I done?" He closed his eyes. The monster didn't swallow or even attempt to.

"You invaded my territory," said a deep female voice.

"Aeh!" Jack yelped. "What the…?"

"I did this so that you could understand my language. It is entirely necessary."

"You have to eat me so I can understand you? Why's that? I'd much rather just…touch you or something. I've 'eard some pretty wild things…and done quite a few meself, honestly, I mean I just got re-incarcerated or whatever the bloody heck it is a little bit ago, and it was no easy feat, not even for Captain Jack Sparrow…but talking to a sea serpent? That's just bizarre."

"I may think the same of humans. You think me enormous and yourselves normal-sized, but I think you miniscule and myself normal. So here we are."

Jack cleared his throat. He still felt a bit foolish. "So why did you ea- want to talk to me?"

"You invaded my territory. I see it as a threat."

"Why not just eat us all for an after-dinner mint? It would be quite easy."

"Is it preferred this way by you?"

"Decidedly not," Jack said quickly.

A deep chuckle echoed around him. "Why have you come to my territory?" the sea serpent asked.

"Just passing through," Jack said.

"For what purpose?"

"Um…look, I've really only got four-and-a-half days before Hel sends her demons after me, and it's really quite the long story, so if you don't mind…Some other time, maybe?"

"Yes…it seems quite the interesting story as well…" the serpent mused. "Some other time, then."

"You're a diamond, luv," Jack said, flashing a gold-toothed grin.

The serpent's jaws opened wide. Jack tipped his hat at an angle and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, appearing totally at ease as he strolled out along the serpent's tongue. It withdrew and sank back to the depths. "Wow," he said. "Never knew those were actually real." He looked around at the crew, all of which was in various stages of gawping and shock. One had actually fainted. Jack couldn't blame them; he looked as though he had just gone for a nice stroll on a sea serpent's tongue without a care in the world.

"Get back to work! Just because I got eaten by a kraken, came back to life, nearly got eaten by a sea serpent, and still came out alive doesn't mean you all can stand there gaping like idiots! You've got a ship to keep moving!" he roared.

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The rest of the day was uneventful. The most that was sighted was a few islands, one which Jack took a quick glance at and ordered the oars out. Only Gibbs understood this, watching the island and taking a nervous gulp of rum every time he thought he heard the sound of drums floating out over the water.

Jack grew more and more restless as the day wore on, still without any event. He jumped each time water lapped on the Pearl's side or when the rigging creaked.

"Sir?"

Jack yelped. "It's rude to sneak up on a person like that, Harringham! See to it that it doesn't happen again!"

"Euhm…yessir. I only wondered whether ye'd like me to take the wheel."

Jack shook his head.

"What do you need me to do, sir?" Harringham said.

"Eh…go give yourself a haircut. Or at least a ponytail," Jack said, eyeing the sailor's messy mop of hair. "Mind you, don't leave it on the deck."

"Aye, Captain," Harringham said. He went off the carry out the captain's strange order. He hung his head out over the water and began to hack away at his hair with a dagger. Then he stopped. He could swear he could see a ship rising towards the surface…

The Flying Dutchman exploded up out of the water in a huge spray of droplets turned orange by the setting sun. Its hull landed on the crest of a wave, sending a fine mist over the Black Pearl's deck.

"Drop anchor and take in sail!" Jack said.

"Aye, Captain, aye!" the crew chorused. As the orders were carried out, a plank dropped from Davy Jones's ship onto the Black Pearl's rail. Jones strolled over the plank to stand in front of Jack.

"What do you need?" Jack asked bluntly.

"Just thought I'd drop in and see how you were faring," Jones said casually.

"That isn't all, I presume?" Jack answered lightly.

"As a matter of fact, no, it isn't." Jones smiled evilly. "I have something that you and Master Turner may want to see," he said mysteriously.

By now, the Silver Mermaid had come up alongside the other two ships, and Will was swinging over on a grappling hook. "What is it?" he asked.

"Come," Jack said simply. He followed Jones cautiously onto the Flying Dutchman's deck and down the stairs.

"Here we are," Jones said cheerfully.

Jack looked around. It was an empty room.

"Will! Jack!" said a falsely light voice. Jack turned towards it. There, illuminated by the faint lantern light, stood Bootstrap Bill.

"'Ello, mate," Jack greeted him.

"What's happening to you?" Will cried.

Jack furrowed his brow and peered closer. Bootstrap's face contorted into a grimace, and his arms and legs crackled as the drew farther into the hull of the ship. Will turned on Jones in a fury. "What did you do to him?" he roared.

"Why, nothing at all," Jones said, that annoying grin still plastered to his face.

"Jones, release him from his vows, or we aren't getting the heart for you! And that's final!" Will said firmly.

"Will, no." Bootstrap looked up and fixed his son in his gaze. "Don't risk…" A few tendrils of wood reached around his torso and pulled him in a little further.

Jones snapped his claw together. "Such the threat…and you will rob me of a part of my ship?"

"You have plenty of souls that you can use. Release my father!"

Jones contemplated for a moment. Then he muttered something. The sea life vanished from Bootstrap's body. "There, I have released him from his vows…but he doesn't seem to be free. I wonder why?" Jones laughed his chilling laugh and stumped off.

Jack stared at Bootstrap with immeasurable sorrow in his eyes. "Bill," he murmured. "I never meant for it to end this way, old friend."

"Don't be sorry, Jack. It was always in my blood to die at sea," Bootstrap said quietly.

"I know," Jack answered. "Just...not like this."

Bootstrap smiled. "You were my friend…my best friend. The best a man could ever have. William…remember that. Goodbye, Jack…"

"Goodbye," Jack whispered. He whirled around and stormed up the stairs and back over to the Pearl. Will stayed with his father.

"William…I need you to do something," Bootstrap said.

"Anything," Will said fiercely.

"I need you to end my suffering…so I can be at peace."

Will's eyes widened suddenly. "No…I can't…"

"You can," Bootstrap said encouragingly. "You were always strong, Will. Be strong for me now."

Will looked down at the floor. "All right," he said softly.

"Are you ready?"

"No. But I'll do it."

With a huge effort, Bootstrap lurched forwards, freeing himself from the wall. Will caught him before he fell. The younger man hesitated. Bluish-gray water spilled past Bootstrap's lips. Will took out his knife. "Dad…" he whispered.

"It's my time," Bootstrap choked through the water. He leaned heavily on his son and bared his neck.

"I love you, Dad." Will closed his eyes tightly, pressed his knife against his father's throat. He felt the soft resistance the skin made against the knife. He slit Bootstrap's throat.

The old pirate gasped for air, choking on the sea water pouring from the cut, as though his body was clinging desperately for life while his mind pushed it away. Will hugged his father until the last drop of life had fled. He gently lowered the corpse to the floor and, with one last glance at his father's now peaceful face, went back to the Silver Mermaid.

After ordering the crew to set sail and directing Cotton to the wheel, he shut himself in the captain's cabin and cried for hours.

A/N: Please don't murder me for killing off Bootstrap. You gotta give the poor guy a break. I mean, really…how long has he been on that stupid ship, decaying? Yeah, I know, Bootstrap rocks…but how much has he suffered? Seriously…and plus it will reveal some new things about Jack in the next chappie. Don't know exactly what it's going to be called yet…be patient and review and you'll find out. Especially the reviewing part….(hint, hint...REVIEW ya bloody lurkers!)