PotC: The Daughter of the Dead Man

Hiking my skirt to my knees with my left hand, and brandishing the long knife in my right, I followed Elizabeth into the forest. We ran until were about one hundred meters in, then turned around to face the oncoming rush of pirates.

"Go for the gut, go for the gut," I could hear Elizabeth murmuring under her breath.

Suddenly, the bottom of my stomach dropped out. We had left the chest on the beach! "Oh, God."

"What?" Elizabeth broke out of her chant.

"The chest. We left it on the open beach. There's no one protecting it!"

"There's Pintel and Ragetti…"

"Please. Do you really think they would do anything for it? They're probably running away as fast as they can right now…" my breath was rushed, and sure enough, I saw the two men hurry past us, chest-less.

"Catherine. Will has the key."

"But if they have the chest, they have the heart. D'you really think we'd be in any position to negotiate then?"

"But the key…"

"DAMN the key! We've got to have BOTH away from Davy Jones. D'you think his conscience would keep his crew from killing any one of us, once that chest is in his possession?" I stepped out from behind the tree I was hiding behind, and began to sprint toward the beach again, leaving the dumbstruck Elizabeth behind.

I reached the chest fairly quickly, and tucked it under my arm, watching in horror as the rowboats docked at the sandy beach and the pirates began to unload, running straight toward me. I felt someone at my side, and turned to see Elizabeth standing there, her sword ready to strike.

"All right. Here they come," she said.

We didn't want to run with our backs to the enemy, so we began to run backward as quickly as we could, facing the pirates, who were coming closer by the second.

Running backwards, I suddenly tripped on the train of my dress, and fell to the sand, feeling my right foot splay awkwardly under me. Sprawled there, I looked at Elizabeth in horror as she stopped to come and help me up. "NO!" I shouted, and tossed the chest to her. "Get as far away as you can. DON'T LET THEM GET THAT CHEST!!"

She looked at me one last time, then nodded briskly, and turned and sprinted back into the jungle, back into cover, tucking the small chest under her arm.

I tried to stand up, but my foot crumpled beneath me. "DAMN!" Whether it was broken or just sprained, I wouldn't be able to run now. I spotted a good-sized rock nearby, and crawled to it, using it to help myself up onto my good left foot. Davy Jones' pirates arrived first, slowing down as they approached me.

"She doesn't have it!" One of them said, the one with the pointy spikes all over his body. I knew him to be the first mate of "The Flying Dutchman." "Continue into the jungle. I'll take good care of Miss Jones…" his smile was twisted, and I felt the rush of creatures pass me, until it was just me and the pointy sailor.

"Come on now, Miss. Your father's been missing you," he started to come at me with that same twisted smile, holding out his arms to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder. The long knife hidden behind my back, I waited for the best possible moment, and swung back to stab the sailor in the stomach with an upward motion just as his right arm prepared to scoop me up.

I hit my mark, and slime poured from the wound, as he staggered back and held it, clearly surprised.

"That's for Bill!" I cried, and watched as the slime continued to ooze from the wound, finally forcing the sailor to crumple to the sand, where he eventually lay still. I felt a small sense of accomplishment, but it didn't last long, as the Gryffin's sailors approached the dead body of the sailor from the "Dutchman," and looked at me warily.

I stood, supporting myself on the rock, brandishing the long knife, now dripping with fish slime.

"Just try and touch me. Just try…" I murmured threateningly, swaying the knife back and forth slowly. But there were ten of them, and only one of me… and I remembered the Gryffin's determined expression at the front of the ship.

They neared me in a semi-circle, and two of them unsheathed their swords, the rest kept their weapons in their belts. "We'll try, all right. And I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll get it right," one of the ones with his sword out said, as he quickly came arouned the back of me and raised the hilt of his sword over my head, preparing to knock me out with it. I closed my eyes and prepared for the blow, but it didn't come. I twisted my head around, to see… but it couldn't be!

Jack Sparrow had run his sword through the sailor's body, and now came 'round in front of me, his sword still out, poised to strike. The sailors came at him at once, then, and he deftly ran his sword through many of them, but one slipped past, and I plunged my long knife as hard as I could into his heart.

They soon lay on the ground, dead.

"Good work, love. Is that all of them, then?"

"I… I think so. All the rest of Davy Jones' crew are off in the jungle. Elizabeth grabbed the chest…"

But Jack brought something out of his jacket – Davy Jones' chest.

I gaped. "But… where's Elizabeth then?"

"She's headed back for the boat. I think we got most of them. Does that thing hurt much? Can you walk on it?"

I tried to put my weight on my right foot, and sparkles appeared in front of my eyes, my head spinning. "I don't think so… but what about Will? And Norrington?"

My question was soon answered, as a huge wheel came out of the forest, the two men shifting on top, still sword fighting. It would have been funny if we weren't all in such a dire situation.

"All questions answered? Good. Now, I'm going to lift you on three. Ready? One, two, three!" He hoisted me in the air, bridal-style, and began to run toward one of the empty rowboats.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" I was flabbergasted. This man wasn't suppose to be acting this way…

"I told you, love. Your first impression of me has changed somewhat." We reached the longboat, the first ones there, and he set me down gingerly on one of the seats. "We'll tend to that in a bit," he said, gesturing to my foot. "But now…"

I watched as he opened the chest, and took his jar of dirt from a corner of the longboat, emptied some of the dirt, and placed the beating heart inside, then scooped some of the dirt back into the jar, and shook it, making sure the heart was invisible. He set the chest at the bottom of the boat, and set the jar of dirt next to it carefully. As soon as he was done, he looked up, and spotted something.

"Oh, bugger." I turned around to see Elizabeth running at full speed to the boat, being chased by three or four of Davy Jones' crewmen. He ran after her, drawing his sword again.

Suddenly, I heard a great splash, and shifted round so I could see that the giant wheel had crashed down sideways into the water, and saw a very dizzy Will begin to emerge from it's wooden axles.

"Oi! Will!" I called, trying to get his attention. His head looked about aimlessly, and then he saw the boat, and started to make his way toward it, very slowly and drunkenly, tripping every few steps. Norrington emerged from the wheel as well, but it looked as if he had much better balance, as he came up behind Will and half carried, half dragged him to the boat, where Will flopped into my lap, unconscious.

"Will, Will!" I leaned down after tossing a grateful glance to Norrington, who had just spotted the chest and jar of dirt sitting side by side.

Will blinked open his eyes. "Catherine? 'Sat you?"

I cried out with joy, as I felt another weight sit beside me in the boat. Elizabeth had finally made it, and I screwed my head around to see if Jack was coming too. It looked as if he was fighting off the last soldier, who soon fell to the ground, then he, too, began to run toward the longboat, and sat in it quickly, across from Elizabeth.

What no one had counted on, of course, was the sheer amount of Davy Jones' sailors that had been sent off to the island. Now that we were all in one place, they began to near us, all their swords and weapons out.

"START ROWING!" Jack called out, but Norrington suddenly picked up the chest, and jumped out of the boat, running through the throng of armed sailors, back toward the jungle. He held the chest above his head, yelling, "Oi! Oi! I've got it! C'mon then! I've got it!"

The sailors all turned around, and began to run after Norrington, as we stared after him.

"What a brave man…" Elizabeth said, shaking her head.

"What a stupid man." Jack said, then looked into Elizabeth's face. "Just like me. I almost lost you."

I quickly turned my attentions to Will, trying not to hear this conversation. Will was beginning to rouse from his state of unconsciousness, and was struggling to sit up when I heard Elizabeth say, "Jack… I thought I wouldn't ever see you again…" her voice trembled.

As a hand claps, the two suddenly were brought together, almost as if by powers unknown to them, and embraced. Elizabeth framed Jack's face with her hands, tears streaming down her face. "I thought… I would never get to tell you…"

Jack held one of his fingers up to her mouth. "I know, love, I know." He brought his head close to hers, and they kissed.

By this time, Will was fully alert, and watching the whole thing, a confused expression replaced by a joyous one.

Elizabeth turned to him, and started to say slowly, "Will, I've got to tell you something…"

Will laughed, and said, "Elizabeth, I've got to tell YOU something…"

Elizabeth stared at me for a moment, and Will stared at Jack, and the four of us burst out laughing. I embraced Elizabeth warmly, as she whispered in my ear, "I'm glad there is someone such as you to take care of him."

We parted, and watched as Jack and Will shook hands, a huge grin on Jack's face.

"Well, glad this is all out in the open, everyone. Would've hated to have kept on seeing Elizabeth behind your back, Will." His eyes twinkled.

The longboat had reached the "The Black Pearl," and we all climbed the nets, Will practically carrying me up, and arrived on deck once more.

Pintel and Ragetti were sitting in a corner of the ship, dripping wet. It looked as if they had swum the distance.

Mr. Gibbs approached Jack slowly. "And… the former Commodore?"

"He ran off with the chest to save us all," Elizabeth told him.

Mr. Gibbs removed his hat, and motioned for the rest of the crew to do the same. After a moment of silence, he came up to me, reached for my hand, and pumped it up and down vigorously. "We're glad to have you back, Catherine."

I began to step forward to greet the crew again, but winced and let out a little whimper of pain as I put weight on my right foot.

Will immediately knelt down to the deck and lifted the hem of my dress, examining my foot. "What happened?" He looked up. "It's very swollen, I don't think it's broken, but it needs to be bound for support."

Jack grinned mischievously. "You can take her down to her rooms, I believe there should be some linen there. As well as a nice, soft bed to keep her comfortable."

"Ho now," Will held up his hand, but then an idea struck him. "Jack, you're a Captain, right?"

"Yes…"

"Marry us."

I turned my face to Will, elated. "Really? You're sure you still want to marry me? After…"

"After what? I proposed to you, didn't I? Let's make it official." He took my hand in his, and faced Jack. "Well? Go on with it, then."

Mr. Gibbs had already fetched a Bible from the captain's quarters, and Jack told us to place our hands on it.

"Catherine, do you?"

"Yes…" I smiled at the unorthodoxy of the ceremony.

"Will, do you?"

"Yes!"

"All right then, you're good. I pronounce you man and wife." He grinned. "You may kiss the bride, but personally, I would save that for after the foot is fixed." Elizabeth elbowed him in the stomach, as Will picked me up bridal-style and headed down to my – our – cabin.

He lay me on the bed, tenderly, and went to the closet to search for some linen. There, on the top shelf, was the remainder of my bindings. I laughed at the irony of it all. They would be used for quite a different purpose this time…

Will sat at the end of the bed, and gently took my right foot in his hands, and removed the shoe. He began winding the linen around it tightly, again and again, until I could feel the support it gave me. He tucked the end of the linen into the wrap, then came up to sit by me. He brought his arms under my back, and lifted me slowly up to his lips, and we kissed, slowly, passionately. I encircled my arms around his shoulders, and he moved his down to my waist, bringing me even closer into his embrace.

We parted after what seemed a happy eternity, resting our heads on each other's shoulders, and I heard him sigh, "Catherine…"

I leaned back for a moment. "Finally, the right girl," I murmured, smiling sweetly at him, then laughed in surprise as Will brought his lips down to my ear.

"Most definitely, the right girl."

He lay me back down on the bed, lay down beside me, and started to rhythmically stroke the inside of my arm, resting his head in the space between my shoulder and my head.

Before I let myself succumb to his caresses, I thought how ironic it was that the ship that had given me so much pain in my life, had now given me my greatest pleasure- my husband, Will Turner. I was no longer Catherine Jones, the daughter of the dead man. I was Catherine Turner, the wife of a pirate. I smiled at the thought, and turned on my side to wrap my arms around the man I loved.