A Twist of the Curse

By Gwaina Baggins

I'm trying here. I hope it is good : ) Please review. I really like reviews. This is based off a plot quirk I saw in the movie that I will gladly explain to anyone who asks. : ) So read and enjoy people.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, it wouldn't be posted under fanfiction.

Will Turner struggled to hold his breath and find a way out, as the screams above him died away. His lungs were burning and his mind was starting to become hazy from lack of air. Digging around at the bottom of the small room he was trapped in, he tried to move away some of the wood so he could swim out. The collapsed areas of the ship refused to budge though, and struggling only made his air supply lessen so he quickly gave up. Swimming to the grating, he tried moving the hatch once more.

The hatch would not rise. Will's eyes widened as he realized foggily that he was trapped in a sinking ship. He was inevitably going to die. The pirates had Elizabeth, and Jack, though he was more worried about the girl than the pirate. Although, he thought with a sort of grim satisfaction, those pirates will never have me. They'll be stuck with that curse forever. His fingers started to go limp, and loosen their grip on the hatch above them.

He was just about prepared to give into fate when the oddest thing happened. An enormous explosion of bright light filled his vision and a blinding pain shot through his head. The last bit of air was pressed out of his chest and he felt himself fly to one side and then begin to sink downward; into a watery grave. His mind slowly shut down and his last thoughts were on Elizabeth, and how he had never been able to admit his love to her.

Up aboard the Black Pearl, Elizabeth Swan stared at the broken remains of the ship. No! Her mind was screaming. Will had been on that ship! It could not have just exploded! He was still on there. Someone had to save him! Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, and she wanted to scream at Captain Barbosa but someone held her back.

"Don't get yourself into trouble," Jack whispered furiously, looking at the remains himself. Damn it boy, he thought, willing Will to surface in the floating, burning chunks of wood. How am I bloody going to finish this now?

"Well that was lovely," Captain Barbosa mused, turning away from the wreckage to the crew he had just captured. "Really beautiful." A sickening smile crossed his lips as he strode over to Elizabeth. "Well, m'dear, we meet again, don't we? But, I'm afraid, under not such hospitable circumstances."

He gave her a slight shove and the crew immediately launched themselves onto her, pawing at her and chuckling at her struggles and screams. Jack let out a sigh and glared indignantly at the men holding him back. Personally, he did not like seeing her treated that way but he wasn't about to risk his own neck and say anything. Not with his plan so desperately on the line.

Captain Barbosa stood in front of the crew of the Interceptor and noted them all with a distasteful glance. His eyes drifted from the shortest member of the crew to the woman who also seemed to be a main part of the crew. Woman and midgets, he thought sourly. Just like Jack to be so desperate.

"Alrighty, now," he said eyes hungry, and rather desperate. "Which one of you is the son of Bootstrap Bill?" They all looked too old; or too unlike Bill.

Elizabeth kicked one of the crew away from her, and bit at a man who tried to touch her face. "You idiot! He's not here! None of them are him!" She felt like bursting into tears as she looked back at the wreckage and saw once again how he wasn't there.

Barbosa turned sharply, his eyes now angered by the woman's insolent words. He started purposely towards her, fuming and preparing to show her exactly how she would speak to him. Jack rubbed a hand down his face wondering why fate was so cruel to him.

"Um, a word," he said, holding a hand up and stopping Barbosa. The captain stopped and glared at him. "You see, captain," Sparrow began with a tone that could be passed off as nervousness or severe disrespect. Was there a point in lying now? "You see the remains of MY ship that you just blew sky high?"

Barbosa glanced over at them in an un-amused. "It's rather hard not to notice," he replied blandly.

"Well, sir," Jack said in a rather sarcastic, disrespectful way. "Bootstrap's only son was kind of on that ship."

"Yes......" Barbosa said, staring at Jack. "Your point Sparrow?"

"I was just thinking," Jack said, motioning to his crew. "If he's not with them then-" He motioned to the still smoldering pieces of the Interceptor.

Captain Barbosa blinked at the man for a few moments before letting out an enraged roar. Running to the edge of the ship, he searched the floating timbers of the broken vessel for any signs of a person or life. There were none. Grabbing one of his crew by the shirt, he dragged him to the edge of the boat.

"Find the boy," the man growled, his eyes threatening. Without waiting for the man to respond, he shoved him over and watched with satisfaction as the frantic hand started searching under the water. Then turning back to the rest of the people on the boat, who were all looking rather intimidated (except, perhaps, for Jack), Barbosa vented.

"Why didn't someone make SURE everyone was off the bloody ship before it blew?" he demanded, as his crew looked down and shuffled their feet. "If he's DEAD then the curse will never be lifted! We will be stuck this way for all eternity and you can blame yourselves for not looking before you lit the gunpowder."

"I never chose this crew for brains," Jack muttered. This was going all wrong. How on earth was he supposed to kill Barbosa if the curse would never be lifted? I hate you, Will.

"Pardon me?" Barbosa hissed.

"Oh, nothing," Jack said holding his hands up in defense. "I was just commenting on how sorry I am for you all, and how I wish that the boy hadn't died! But hey, what can you do? So, I'd be much obliged if you'd let me and my crew go and we'll be on our way." He smiled, steadily meeting Barbosa's gaze.

Barbosa's eyes narrowed, and his lips twitched. "I'm afraid I cannot do that Sparrow. I still have to get rid of you; permanently this time." He started yelling at his crew. "Put everyone but Jack and Miss Turner below deck, in the cages. I have something special planned for them!"

At the bottom of the ocean, not far from Jack's island and nearly beneath the exploding interceptor, a man sat, tapping his fingers against one knee. His black hair floated around him and forlornly, he blew a bubble, watching it rise to the surface. For the millionth time, quite literally even, since he had been doomed to this watery hell, he glanced down at his shoes, which were nicely chained to a canon.

Life was simply not fair. It would really happen that he would end up immortal and THEN be tossed overboard for a stupid action. Well, not really stupid, he thought, sadly. Twas a very good reason. A wicked grin crawled across his face. The bastards deserved what they got. Ha, stuck, cursed forever. Then again, that left him cursed as well.

He looked down at the metal that was holding him down and his smile broadened. They had rusted do to the salt water, and any day now he would be able to pull free. Any time now, any moment he would simply loose his feet and swim to the surface! He would go to shore and search out his son, Will. Oh, how he wanted to see his boy just one more time.

What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he thinks I've deserted him? After all, it's been years since we last spoke. What if he's......died? He shook his head at that thought. He couldn't be looking at the downsides now. Not when he was so very close to freedom. Standing up, he tugged on his feet and tried to pull them away. The chains shifted and groaned but did not give and after several moments of trying, the man gave up again.

I wonder if Sparrow ever got off that island, he thought idly, poking at a fish as it swam by. The fish had become quite used to this thing that sat at the bottom of the sea, and paid little mind to it. In fact, most of them avoided it, rather scared of this new, exotic creature.

It was while the man was considering thoughts he had thought over often since his imprisonment that a huge explosion rocked the water. Fish scurried away, hiding from the disturbance and the man looked up too see what had happened. From what he could tell, a ship had just exploded and things were starting to float down. Pieces of wood, barely wood, more like splinters, drifted towards him as well as some more interesting things like knives and forks and..........

People?

The man's eyes widened as he saw a person slowly drift down, a trail of blood coming from his head as he sunk. The person was clearly alive if he or she was still bleeding. Cursing his luck, the man started to yank on his chains desperately, not about to let a person drown. Besides, the last thing he wanted near him was a decaying body.

The chains moaned and complained as they were tugged on, and the man winced as one of his ankles gave away under the pressure. Oh well, it's not like it won't heal in a few moments anyway..... The chains protested, creaking as they began to twist and turn and then finally......

Another loud snap met the man's ears and he saw, with joy and a bit of pride that the chain had finally given in. Pulling his feet away from the cannon, he carefully took a piece of the chain and pocketed it. Barbosa would pay for what he had done, more so than he already had. Paddling away, he went as fast as he could to the person, a man he decided, who was nearly on the ocean floor.

He reached the person, and wrapped an arm around his stomach, grasping him firmly before he started swimming up. Keep bleeding, keep bleeding...... He silently begged his charge as they slowly ascended. It was one of the few times in his life he was actually begging someone he wanted to save, to bleed. That's it lad, keep bleeding. Don't give up yet. Not yet. We're almost there. The boy under his arm did not really respond but the blood still streaming from the gash on his head comforted the man somewhat.

The surface was near, and the man gave a swift kick of his legs, reaching up to grasp one of the floating chunks of wood. The wood met his fingers and he clasped it tightly, slowly pulling himself up, and the boy. Please don't let me be too late. Please don't let him be dead. He didn't know who he was begging but someone had to be listening, right.

After what seemed to be an eternity, he dragged himself and his charge out of the water, and dropped the boy on the chunk of ship. For the first time in years, the man breathed in air. It was fresh, and sweet, and for a moment he was very glad that whoever had created man had let them breathe air instead of water. Then, his attention turned back to the boy, who was lying unmoving next to him.

Quickly, he put his hand under the boy's nose, searching for any sign that he was breathing. When he found nothing, his eyes widened and he pressed his head against the younger man's chest, searching for a heartbeat. This time he was gratified but he knew he was running out of time. Interlacing his fingers, he put his hands just below the boy's ribcage and shoved down hard. The boy convulsed but did not start breathing, leaving the man feeling a bit more desperate. Again, and again he repeated the process until finally, his charge started hacking up water.

He turned him onto his side, hushing him gently as he coughed and whimpered softly. This boy reminded him of someone he knew but he couldn't recall who. Thick black hair hung limply around his face, and he had just a bit of facial hair. He couldn't be that old, his face very young still. Twenty perhaps, maybe a bit older; still just a child. Still, he looked so familiar, like someone he knew very well. When it finally struck him, he was shocked, amazed and utterly stupefied.

"W-will?" he whispered, gently touching his son's face.

TBC......

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