AN: And here's the chapter everyone was waiting for! Well...kind of...I suppose...

Anyway...I don't have much to say...other than if Jack seems slightly out of character, let it be known that I am taking creative liberties with how his character would act in this type of situation, seeing as I've never seen him in this situation before. If that made any sense.

Well, only one more chapter to go after this!

So, without further ado, I give you the second to last chapter.

Enjoy.

There is a quote in Peter Pan about 'death being an awfully great adventure.'

Well, if death included skull-splitting pain on, conveniently, my head, then I really, really wanted to be alive again.

For I did, in fact, automatically assume I was dead upon coming back into consciousness. And it wasn't until opening my eyes and staring intently at the wooden ceiling above me, waiting for a tunnel of light appear with angels flanking either side with glorious halleluiahs and hymnals and loud trumpet bursts, that I decided that maybe I wasn't dead after all.

My second option was limbo, but then came the problem with being a ghost and having pain…

And then I jumped to the idea of Purgatory (never mind the fact I'm not actually Catholic); people are in pain there, right? After all, that's what Dante said in the Inferno…

But then there was the issue that Dante wasn't any type of priest and technically should have no idea what Purgatory was like unless he was dead and there, nor did this particular state seem anything like his Purgatory, and The Divine Comedy was just a book anyway…

Which had me thinking about my AP Lit. class, where we had read The Divine Comedy, and I started to cringe, remembering the long hours I had spent trying to decipher any meaning from the stanzas…or whatever their called…

And it was at that point that I decided I must be alive, no matter how unlikely I deemed it. If I were dead, I wouldn't be thinking about deciphering Dante. And I certainly wouldn't feel like an anvil was beating repeatedly against my head. And I was pretty sure that if I were dead, and in some sort of waiting room for Judgment, or whatever was suppose to happen to me, then that the waiting room wouldn't have wooden ceilings.

I frowned. Waiting room. Where had that idea come from?

I backtracked to the wooden ceiling part. Where had the wood come from? Wasn't I in a cave (assuming I truly wasn't dead)? Speaking of which…how had I survived that? Surely the entire ceiling was suppose to collapsed.

Maybe I had gotten lucky and the boulder that was suppose to fall on me hadn't.

Right. Not likely.

Which brought me back to the problem of wood. How had wood ended up in the cave in the first place? And why could I see the ceiling if a rock was on top of me?

And then there was the issue of, if I was in the cave, why couldn't I hear the waterfall?

Maybe I was dead after all. And deaf. Dead, deaf, and stuck in limbo. It had to be limbo.

Now I had to think of what would cause me to be in limbo…

And the problem of why my head hurt beyond anything imaginable…

A clanging sound, much like metal, happened somewhere near my feet, and a dark face loomed in front of me.

Like any respectable women would, I screamed my lungs out. Except it turned out my lungs weren't cooperating the way I had intended them to, and all that came out was a rankling sound, something familiar to that of gravel being scraped against a sidewalk.

A light appeared by my head, and the face was illuminated. It was a nice face, I suppose; light skinned with mousy hair and brown eyes that looked at my face with true concern. Completely unrecognizable.

I wanted to ask, "Who are you?", but the previous scream seemed to have drained all energy from my mouth. Instead I whimpered slightly.

"Here now, Miss Delaney, I got this for you. Just take a drop, that's all you'll need."

Something cold was against my lips and the faintest drop of liquid dropped into my mouth; the most amazing, exotic liquid I had ever tasted. Instantly, my head was cleared of any injury, and the rest of me felt elated. I sighed, murmuring a thank you.

However, with this release from my injury came something much more painful; a flood of memories.

The Fountain.

Jack.

What had happened to me?

Where was Ella?

"How did I get here?" I stammered, sitting up hurriedly, nearly smashing my face into the man's chest. After giving him a once over, I quickly saw that he was a soldier, and had been in charge of constraining Barbossa along with another man. "Where is here?" was my added after thought.

The soldier stood up and looked to his left, my right, with worry crossing his face. "You're on the Hildegard, Belmont's ship. And you were…carried on, I suppose. I didn't see you come on personally."

I swallowed. Belmont's ship. That meant…what did that mean? I wasn't dead…somehow, which was still a great mystery to me. But if Belmont had me, that meant that he probably had everyone else; and that meant we were all still alive. Why?

I wanted to ask more questions, but the man seemed to sense this and started to walk out of what appeared to be a cell. I was in the brig, apparently.

"Wait, who are you? And where did you get the water?"

The man halted briefly. "My name is Private Sorenson. Thomas, if you prefer. And I took a vial, like many others did, of the water."

I nodded, understanding the explanation. "Okay. Why am--?"

A whistle was heard from above deck, and Thomas winced. "I need to go now, Miss Delaney. If you want further explanation, I think asking Mr. Sparrow would suffice. I'll come down later, if I can, with food. I don't know if Belmont is planning on feeding either of you regularly."

With that simple response, he trotted away, leaving me with a nauseated stomach and a spinning head, neither of which had resulted from any injury, except maybe emotional.

Jack was in the next cell, a brief flick of the eyes showed me this, and I wanted to scream.

But I didn't.

Instead, I breathed very deeply and considered what was running through my head at the moment.

First of all, I wanted to strangle him, for more than obvious reasons. But then I didn't, for equally obvious reasons.

Yes. Despite what had happened, despite the horrors I had endured, I still was in love with him. No matter how foolish the truth was. Curling up into a ball, I laid back down on the dingy straw that coated the floor. The rank smell was everywhere, and no matter which way I positioned myself, it wouldn't disappear. I groaned, partly from annoyance, and partly to break the silence.

"You're awake, I see."

The sound of Jack's voice stopped me, and I bit my lip, debating whether to respond, and I did, in a soft voice. "Talking to me again?"

The mood tensed automatically, and I quickly regretted making the comment, but didn't think that a simple sorry would suffice. Neither said anything until I finally discovered the courage to squeak out, "Why are we here? And alive?"

Jack didn't respond right away, and I had a distinct feeling he was trying to rely the information as factually as possible without losing his temper. I waited patiently, not bothering to move and look at him.

"After the cave collapsed, Belmont took charge of the situation. Both pirate crews were mostly gone; the soldiers were the ones with enough discipline to stay relatively close to the Commodore and the exit. I suppose Belmont meant to kill everyone at the island, but the soldiers threatened not to sail back with him if they did that. However, Belmont said he'd say they all deserted when back at Port Royal, meaning the law would be after them as well; and seeing as we would all be stuck on the island, we certainly wouldn't be going anywhere. Then the soldiers thought of killing him, without giving him any water, but Belmont reasoned that they had been seen attacking Port Royal. If they came back without the Commodore to straighten things out, the whole crew might be charged with piracy and be hung. They finally made the agreement to transport us as criminals to Port Royal to be judged." He was silent.

I let the quiet hang in the air for a time before asking, "Do you think we might be fairly judged?"

"No. Belmont is capable of threatening the families of the judge and jury. And if there is any fair judgment, I certainly won't be coming away with my life." The last remark was dripping with scathing bitterness, and I cringed.

I was silent for a minute more, and then asked, "Where is Ella? And Richard? And Elizabeth? And… the rest of your crew?"

"Belmont made it very clear that if any of us try to escape, he will kill the others. We are here, and I am almost positive that Ella is in Belmont's cabin, tied up or something of that fashion. As for the rest…well, my crew is in the brig of the Pearl, along with the remainder of Barbossa's, and what is left of Dawson's crew." He paused. "Will is alive again. I think he's with Elizabeth, and I think they are on the Flying Fortune."

"Richard is probably on the Pearl then," I mumbled, still facing away from Jack. "So we're all trapped."

"Yes." The word stung, the way Jack spoke it, as if blaming it all on me.

I clenched my teeth, determined not to cry. No crying. Not here. Certainly not in front of Jack. Just no.

We sat there. Neither moved. The silence changed from awkward to frustrating to miserable, until I finally said, "You're feeling okay, Jack? I mean, other than being stuck in the brig…"

"No; I feel terrible. Belmont made a point of shoving all of us who were remaining conscious in a rather rough matter."

"Who else fainted?"

"Ella, when she saw what had happened to you."

I sat up to look at him. Ella? When she saw what happened to me? That meant…

After fully realizing I was alive, I had automatically assumed that the reason for my being alive was due to the fact that Ella had run down and saved me somehow. I certainly would do that for her; and Ella was absolutely feisty enough to make everything work out in her terms. But if she was unconscious, then obviously she couldn't have done that.

Jack met my gaze, his eyes flickering strongly with annoyance and loathing…and…something else? I blinked once, and his gaze was gone.

Richard. Or Gibbs. Neither of them were unconscious. Clearly they were the one's who saved me.

"Why don't you take a sip from your vial?"

A long pause. "I don't have it."

I glanced over at Jack. He was facing the front of his cell, and I would have assumed he wanted nothing to do with my presence, except he was talking with me. "Don't have it? You…couldn't get it? Did it float farther into the pool?"

"It was…out of reach. I didn't have enough time," he spat, digging his fingers into the floor.

I winced at the scratching sound and looked away. "I'm…I'm sorry. That's…." I brought my knees under my chin. "I'm sorry, Jack. And I'm sorry for--"

"Don't bother," he growled. "It's nothing you could have controlled anyway."

I blinked, then narrowed my eyes. "Good grief, you haven't spoken to me at all since being captured, and I fully intend to say sorry! I didn't mean for Belmont to capture us; how in the world was I suppose to know that he could use me like that? I mean…okay, it was stupid of me to go out and fight, and you know what Jack? You were right, I should have stayed in the cabin. And I don't know what you mean by control, because I could have controlled that…but how could you honestly think I was going to sit there and wait? Everybody I cared for was depending on us winning; and everyone I cared for was out their fighting! Everyone! How could I face myself in years to come if any of you had died, and all I did was sit patiently and hope everything would turn out for the best? I couldn't! I didn't mean for any of this to happen, and I didn't mean to ruin your plan…I swear, I didn't mean it! And I am so, so sorry, Jack! Please, just forgive me! I don't want more, just that. That's all. Just to know that…that this won't hang between us. You won't ever have to speak to me, or see me, again, I promise, just please forgive me for this!" I was crying now, despite my determination not to, with my fists clenched into my pants, knuckles white and hurting.

I didn't dare look at Jack. Not after that. I burrowed my head between my elbows and waited.

He said nothing for a long time. Certainly more than ten minutes, but it felt like eons, ages, centuries…

"How do you think you got out of the cave?"

The sudden, and strange, question did make me look at him peculiarly. "How I got out of the cave? Well, obviously I didn't do it my self…" I glanced down at my hands for no particular reason. "Why does it matter to you?"

Once again, Jack was silent, but now I felt him staring intently at me; curling up tighter, I watched my toes with more interest than they ever deserved. Now where had my shoes gone to?

"Let me rephrase the question. Who do you think saved you?"

The answer was off my tongue before I could ring it back in. "Not you."

I had never heard a louder hush.

"Very well," he continued, "then who?"

I faced him, a disgruntled snort coming from my mouth. "Why ask me? Surely you saw when you were floundering for your vial. Or maybe you didn't…I don't know! I was unconscious!"

"I noticed."

I huffed, my stomach twisting uncomfortably. I wanted out now. I wanted to be able to see the sun, have fresh air, clear my head from everything that had happened. It was a miracle I hadn't lost my mind already to the insanity and emotional strain I had been shoved into.

I wanted Ella. More than anything else at the moment, I wanted Ella. She could listen, and she could understand. At least someone to commiserate with. Someone to calm me. Someone to tell me everything was going to be okay. How many times in the last few months had I been able to speak with her, just me and her? Twice. Two wonderful, horribly timed moments where I could finally just talk and tell all, where I could pour out my doubts and fears and have her there to make everything better again, even with a simple hug. Twice.

I wanted her back.

We must have sat there for another fifteen minutes until I asked feebly, "How long was I unconscious?"

"This is the second day we've been sailing. We came out of the cave around dusk, though no one realized how late it was." He shifted before finishing, "You were probably sleeping the last day; most of us were."

"Oh."

"You never answered my question, Finn."

I gulped and looked at him, somewhat shocked he had used my name directly. "Yes I did; I don't know who."

"But not me."

The way Jack said the statement made me watch him closer, but his face was still toward the cell door, and I couldn't see much with the faint light the lantern was emitting. "Well…yes."

"Why?"

I shifted my eyes and scrunched my shoulders together. This was a conversation I hadn't intended to have at all with Jack. And it certainly didn't seem necessary. But I answered anyway, no matter how painful it was to remember. "The…the way you looked at me…and then looked at the bottle…heavens, Jack, I been with you long enough to know when you want something, and you certainly wanted the bottle more. I have yet to see you forsake the thing you desire most."

"Then why don't I have it?"

I debated whether to treat this last query as a rhetorical question or not. "I'd imagine because you just couldn't get to it; we all have those times in our lives, where something is truly out of reach, and lesson I'm sure you've learned, no matter how stubbornly determined you are to ignore it."

"So I would prefer the bottle over saving you."

"Yes." I stated it firmly, not allowing any doubt to show.

"Why?"

"Because…you're mad at me. Because…because of what I did, your chance to have the Fountain was lost." My own voice was shaking; yet on the inside, I felt strangely calm. This was the truth. I was sure of it. And no matter how dismal it was, I could say the truth with certainty.

Jack stopped talking, and I could hear his quiet breathing. "You know," he began, "when I realized what had happened on the beach, and why, there was a moment where I really, truly wanted to hurt you. I had worked so hard to get that far, and to have my freedom taken away so suddenly…" he clenched his fists, and I caught myself moving farther away from the bars connecting us, "…anyone who has taken away my freedom is dead…or certainly is supposed to be."

The reason was suddenly very clear in my mind. "I took away your freedom."

"Yes. And…because of it, we might be dead in a little over a week."

"And you're still angry with me."

A moment passed, in which I did not look at him, before he choked out, "No…no, I…can't be mad at you anymore. Not like I was…before."

My breath caught in my throat, both at the statement, and the way he had said it, but I did not dare to push the issue.

Instead, he continued it. "What did you hear in the cave? The one with the…" Jack's voice trailed off, not bothering to finish.

The memory hit me like a sledgehammer, and his voice rang strong and clear. "My family…and Isabella and Arielle. Elizabeth, when Will was dying, and Richard when Ella was kidnapped. And--" I swallowed my words, not sure whether to say them or not, but Jack filled it in for me.

"And you heard me."

I didn't respond.

"What did I say?"

I brushed a stray tear away. "That…that you were angry with me. That I had ruined you're plan, for the Fountain. That…that…" I breathed deeply, waiting for complete control of my voice, "…that if I were to die, you'd be the happiest man alive."

The squeaking of rates could be heard faintly below us, and the sound of the sea outside, lapping up against the sides.

Jack was a statue; his face a mask of calm and indifference. This wasn't the Jack I was used to; not the cocky, arrogant Jack who's thoughts and emotions ran deeper than I thought possible. I didn't know what to say to this stone Jack, the one I could not seem to understand or relate to. This Jack had been following me through the maze, glaring lividly, fighting an internal struggle for his liberty.

So I said the only thing I could muster, the only thing that had haunted me from the moment the voices had shrieked it. "Is it true? What…what I heard?"

His answer was sooner than expected. "I'm…not sure. I…I thought about it, but…" The statue moved, and Jack leaned forward over his knees. "I heard you as well, Finn. And I thought I knew you so well…and the things you were crying, I…I suspected them…but…I never…I never really believed what I was thinking..."

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

He sighed heavily, and for the first time, Jack sounded like an aged man. "You were telling me…that if I didn't change the way I was, you wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. You said you were going to leave me, no matter what I offered, or what I said. You insisted that I wanted the Fountain more than I wanted your love; and you weren't going to stand second to anything, including a 'hunk of floating wood' or a 'puddle of wishes' that surely was not worth the struggle. You were going to leave. And then…you said something…that I was more than I gave myself credit for. You said I could certainly be more than a low class, dingy pirate. But…you kept saying you were going to leave. You were going to leave. No matter what."

I said nothing, but Jack continued anyway, though I dreaded hearing the rest.

"When Belmont captured us on the beach, I felt like a broken man. I had come so far, I was so close, and everything was ruined. I…I hated you, for a brief time, I know I hated you. But I didn't feel myself. As if hating you had turned me into something ugly. Even now…I don't feel myself...though I don't feel bad. I can't understand why. Even when I was dead and in the Locker, I was myself. For the ten years I spent chasing after my ship, I was myself. But now…" He took off his hat, which he seemed to have retrieved at one point, and held it in his hands. "I can't understand it. I mean…" Jack stopped suddenly, and started again just as quickly. "When I came out of that cave, I still wasn't believing what I had heard. I didn't really think that you would leave, though I knew that if you were to leave, I wouldn't like it. Yet I couldn't seem to find it in me to…to forgive you. I did want the Fountain more at that point. I wanted it so much it hurt. Then Belmont tried to force you to drink it, and when you said you didn't want it, cause you didn't want to be young forever…well…" he swallowed and continued softly, "…I couldn't bring myself to drink it. The thought of me staying young forever and…you dying, well, I didn't feel right. I was still mad at you, but even with the water in my hands, part of me just couldn't drink it. I didn't know why. I just couldn't."

I shifted, surprisingly uncomfortable at this sudden confession, one that had not made since before now. What Jack had said of me, leaving despite all he might offer, it had been true. I didn't want him to continue. I suddenly wished that he would remain hating me; then going home would not be such a burden.

"And then…I took the bottle of water, intending to save it, like so many others. I knew I had what I wanted now…and as I was running toward the exit, it occurred to me that maybe I didn't really have you. That was when I tripped and the bottle slipped from my hands into the pool. You were stuck; and the bottle was too far away. I couldn't have both. I thought about everything you had made me lose; my freedom mostly, but also the Fountain. I thought the water would make everything better again. But I had to choose. I've never had to choose before." He scooted over to the bars between us. "Finn, come here."

I breathed in sharply. I didn't want to hear this; whatever this was, I didn't want to hear it. So many possibilities running through my head…I wanted desperately to be unconscious again. Or dead. Maybe death wouldn't have been better.

"Jack, listen, I--"

"Come here."

The command was said like Jack would have said it; not the statue, Jack. I peeked over. His hands were hanging through the bars and his eyes were watching me intently. The anger was gone, and replaced by--

No! I had to leave! I knew I had to! To go home, to end this adventure! I needed to! I couldn't afford to have anything more to do with Jack! Why couldn't he hate me? Why did this have to be so difficult? I would rather maneuver the maze to the Fountain again!

"Finn, come here."

Jack spoke with a slight twinge of impatience, and too tired to resist anymore, I moved over slightly to where I could see his face better. Inside I cringed. I didn't want to hear this. I couldn't hear this.

"Do you still think I left you?"

I couldn't answer. Tears were dripping down my cheeks, clogging my voice.

His answer was soft and gentle. "It was either saving you or being immortal. I chose you Finn; I gave it all for you."

I started crying, no longer worried of shame or embarrassment. I didn't care. How could I live with my decision, knowing now what Jack had given up for me? How could I leave?

But how could I stay? Jack and I were different; too different. Our wants and needs…they were too different. "Jack…" I moaned. "What am I suppose to say?"

"Say that you love me," he countered slyly; glared at him briefly for using my phrase against me.

"Jack…you know I do. But…"I let out a sob and shoved my face into my palms.

"We'll make it work! It will out between us! I've had too many women hand me this card before; we're going to make this work!" His fingers dug into the bars. "Can't you see? I do want you! I don't want my choice to be for naught!"

"Jack…we…oh, Jack! I'm not suppose to even be here! And I want to be married, have a family! How am I suppose to marry a pirate? It…it just wouldn't work! You can't be married! It would be…taking away more of your freedom! I love you…I love you so much it hurts! But unless something changes, we aren't going to be happy! I'm not someone who will wait and hope for the best while you go gallivanting out across the ocean. I'd want you with me as a husband! Marriage isn't just a way for two people to get hooked up; it's a promise of faithfulness! But yes, it's another way to give up freedom, for something hopefully better!" My voice had been getting higher and more frantic through my sobs, but at last I brought it back down softly. "I'm too stubborn to wait helplessly; your too stubborn and set in your ways to change. You're a good man, and I love you."

Jack reached out and snatched my hand, pulling me closer toward him. "So that's it; your going to leave?"

"What else can I do?" I cried out, trying to take my hand back, without results.

Instead, he pulled me closer until I was right up against the bars, feeling his heat and his breath. "Do you honestly think that there is something more to me? That I don't give myself enough credit?"

I let out a shaky breath. "Pirates aren't good people. But you…you aren't evil. You aren't bad. It's…it's as if something happened to make you be a pirate, and you accepted it without a fight. I mean…being a pirate, its…it is you…but…a child is meant to be a child until it's time to grow up, and then they become an adult. They don't lose themselves, but they changed. That's what it seems like with you. You were a pirate, it was a part of your life, but now…your capable of being something else. I don't know what, but something else."

Jack stared at me silently, his eyes a storm of emotion and frustration. "I don't know what you entirely mean, Finn." He closed his eyes before continuing. "Just don't leave me. Please. I--" he bit his lip, almost like he was trying to stop begging, and I knew that Jack had never begged for anything before, causing me to feel guilty and miserable. "Finn, I love you. I want you. Stay here. Stay with me. Nothing it going to happen to you. I promise; and this time, I honestly mean it. You'll be safe."

He brought his hand up to stroke my cheek, wiping away the tears. Something about him had changed, like he had said. It wasn't a large change. Just something. Something about the way he talked to me, treated me. I took his hand and held it tightly. Maybe…maybe it would work. I loved him. Maybe there was a chance…

Steps were heard, and Belmont walked in loudly, two soldiers flanking him on either side. Both looked frightened, and I recognized one as Thomas.

"Miss Delaney and Captain Sparrow." The Commodore said no more but looked at us steadily. We dropped our hands, but it made no difference to his orders. "Take Miss Delaney away. We don't appear to have the right…ties broken up. Put her on board the Pearl; switch places with Tremaine."

I gasped and grabbed onto Jack's hand again. I knew giving a struggle would do nothing, so I turned to Jack and kissed his hand. "I love you. Remember that." He looked down at his hand and then back up into my eyes, nodding slightly.

Thomas and the other soldier dragged me away, forcing my head to see Belmont sneering at me gleefully. Such was the hate I felt that bile came into my mouth, and I felt sick to the stomach. This wretched, evil, vile creature….he deserved nothing less than torture and death in the most painful fashion. "You monster," was all I could spit out.

He leaned down so that his rank breath intruded my face. "Be careful what you say, Miss Delaney. It could very well be your undoing in court." He straightened. "Take her to the deck. She will be transferred shortly. And then…get me Barbossa. I wish to speak with him."

With numerous apologies, the two soldiers took me away, but I was hardly paying attention. Barbossa? What did Belmont want with Barbossa?

I was able to get one fleeting glance of Jack before he disappeared into the dark gloom of the brig. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was watching me past the guards on either side.

"I wish..." I whispered to myself, but didn't finish the sentence with the intended phrase, instead staying, "...that you would feel better Jack."

Maybe...if we could just get out alive...

A sensation around my neck caused me to look down.

There was a glowing happening, right where the pocket-watch was resting. And for a brief moment I forget my fate, I forgot the unknown I was being put into.

I wish...