Still find myself not owning Pirates of the Caribbean. . .not owning Jack Sparrow. . .IT'S NOT FAIR!!!

Chapter Fifteen

Captain Shallows searched all over the island with his eyes for the Black Pearl, determined to take back those fine little pieces of cargo and blow it into a million pieces. The doors to the treasure were now open, and he could go back any time he wanted to take more; at the moment all of his cargo space in his ship was filled with riches. And once he used it all, he would go back, and he could keep doing that forever; the treasure never ran out. He could use a form of entertainment on the ship for when he and his crew grew bored, and those forms were on the Black Pearl, along with one of his enemies, who would be killed as soon as Captain Shallows found him. He and his entire crew would be taken care of. He noticed that it seemed since the three girls never tried to run from Jack, they obviously wanted to be with him, that he had not taken advantage of his situation. Wha' an idiot, Shallows thought. T'ree fine lasses that wanna stay wit' 'im an' he doesn' do nothin' wit' 'em. Tha's why I deserve ta 'ave 'em, at least I'll use 'em fer somethin'. He couldn't wait to find that ship.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice the cannons hidden on the island of Port Royal, and he did not hear the lookout shout down to him that he thought he saw something. He was too busy imagining what he would do once he found the Black Pearl, wherever the damned thing was. He was sent reeling back to reality, however, by the sharp, piercing sound of a cannon being fired, and an explosion that he felt very close to him. He snapped his head to the right and caught sight of fire and thick black smoke coming from the side of the ship and his men running around preparing their weapons for battle. He looked back at the island and saw that it was much closer than it had been before. How long had he not been paying attention?
Another cannon blast, another explosion, this time to his left. He could now smell the smoke.
"Get the cannons ready!" he barked at his crew, even though he knew that's what they were already doing. This couldn't be happening, not now. . .not when he was so close. . .he knew the Black Pearl was here; he could sense it. The strongest feeling he had ever felt told him it was here, just hidden somewhere, tucked away in a spot he wasn't supposed to find. He had to locate it; destroy it and claim what was his.
He forgot all about what was happening around him; forgot all about the cannons firing at the ship; forgot about the shouts from his crew; forgot about the fire and smoke engulfing the ship, almost blinding him, choking him. All he could focus on was uncovering the Black Pearl from wherever it was hiding; he had to. He cared about nothing else.
He made his way to the rowboats and climbed into one, pulling himself up and over the side of the ship, ignoring his crew's hollers. He then took hold of the oars and began to row towards the side of the island, intending to go around. The Black Pearl was there, just beyond his range of vision; he could feel it.
No one on the island noticed him; at least no one seemed to notice him. He couldn't tell, and he didn't care. All he cared about was finding the ship.
He kept going, the sounds of shouting and yelling and cannon blasts seeming to fade from his mind as he finally got around the side of the island and saw what he had been searching for.
There it was. The Black Pearl. He had known it was here. The plan formed in his head. He'd take the girls in the rowboat, first. . .then he'd row back to his ship and blow this one sky high, just keep firing at it until there was nothing but little black pieces. He would win.
He glided across the water as quietly as he could, stopping his small boat at the side of the massive ship. He made no noise whatsoever, not wishing to alert anyone to his presence and ruin his entire plan.
Up on deck, Ariana, Kelsey, Julie, and Jack were all standing at the side of the ship opposite of the side Shallows was near; they didn't have a clue that he was even there.
Ariana remembered something at that moment and said, "Oh, Jack, by the way, Will says hello."
"He does, does he? Well I hope he's doing fine, hope the Commodore hasn't made any secret plans to hang him yet." He gave a small grin of amusement as he said this, remembering how the Commodore had wanted to marry Elizabeth but had lost her to Will. She made the right choice, in my opinion, he thought.
"Sounds like Will listened," Kelsey announced. "I hear cannons."
"So do I," Ariana agreed. "The Fearless is getting its ass kicked." She grinned. "Hope Shallows is dead already."
"No' quite, lass," said a familiar but unpleasant voice from behind them. They all spun around to see Captain Shallows standing there poised with determination, his pistol pointed at Jack, looking very smug. Ariana and Kelsey both wanted to wipe the smirk off his ugly face with their fists.
Ariana could feel her stomach knotting in fear even as she plastered a defiant look on her face, a plain show of bravado, which seemed extremely hard to accomplish at the moment. She felt icy cold, as if a wave of seawater had just come up on deck and splashed over her.
Does he really think that gun can scare us? Kelsey thought. He won't use it; I know he won't. He's too chicken. He wouldn't have rowed all the way out here to shoot us. . .but maybe he would've to shoot Jack. Fear instantly gripped her like a huge iron fist at the thought of Jack being shot and killed by this bastard who was a pitiful excuse for a man.
Prayers just kept repeating over and over in Julie's mind, like a broken record. Please God don't let him hurt us, please. . . She had no idea as to what else to do but stand there frozen in fright. There was really nothing she could do, was there?
"Well ya sure look dead," Jack said to Shallows, and the three girls couldn't help the smiles that broke out across their faces. Ariana forced herself not to laugh, which was difficult. It's true, she thought. He's definitely ugly enough to be considered dead. Dammit, I wish I had a gun, she thought at seeing the pistol in Shallows' hand and being reminded of the danger of the situation she was in. Or rather, the danger that Jack was in; he was the target.
A look of rage came across Shallows' face and flashed dangerously in his eyes. The sound of him cocking the gun caused the knots in Ariana's stomach to grow and become even more painful, and she felt as if she were encased in a block of ice. Oh God no don't shoot, she pleaded in her head. Please don't shoot. She didn't know what she would do if he killed Jack, but she did know that he would pay. Her hand gripped the handle of the sword that Jack had given her, which was now sheathed and attached to a strap that was slung around her over her shoulder, also given to her by him. She imagined taking it out right then and stabbing Shallows right in the chest. She kept herself from doing so, however, knowing that if she tried, either she or Jack would get shot. Of course, she would much rather have it be her than him.
"Don't shoot him!" she yelled loudly before she could stop herself. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, and when Shallows switched his gaze to her she instantly regretted it.
"An' why no'?" he asked, his eyebrows raised questionably.
She didn't reply. She could see some of Jack's crewmembers starting towards Shallows from behind, their swords unsheathed. Yes! Please get him, come on. . . She prayed he wouldn't notice them.
But her prayers were useless as he spun suddenly, his pistol now aimed at them. "Don' be tryin' nothin'!" he told them, and they froze. "Pu' yer swords away!" They reluctantly complied, fixing Shallows with looks so full of contempt that his heart would stop if looks could kill. But they seemed to have no affect on him. He turned back to Jack and the teenagers. Jack now had his own pistol out, pointing it at the other captain. "Now wha's the use o' this, Jack? We both go' our pistols out and aimed a' each other, an' neither of us is gonna put 'em away."
"Well maybe one of us could. It's just not going ta be me, mate," Jack replied. Ariana admired how he always managed to remain calm and collected, even witty at times, even in predicaments such as this.
"Is tha' a fact, now?" Shallows was thinking. Jack had to have a weakness; everyone had a weakness. . .it was just a matter of finding it. Maybe it was one of the girls. That one that had been with him when he entered the cave; maybe it was her.
Before anyone knew what was happening, Shallows was dashing across the deck towards the girls. Jack shot at him without even thinking. He wasn't about to let him hurt Ariana. There wasn't a chance in hell he would allow that to happen. He was surprised when the other man swiftly ducked and the bullet missed him, but he was not amazed.
Shallows shot out his free hand and seized Ariana, pulling her to him and spinning her around so that her back was against him, his free arm now wrapped around her. His pistol was pointed right at her temple. She could feel the cool metal pressing against her skin, and the fear coursed through her veins, almost as if in place of her blood. The knots in her stomach were now so painful that she winced, but only for a moment, not wishing to satisfy him in any way by showing she was afraid or in pain. This wasn't happening. . .couldn't be happening. . .she did not have a madman holding a gun to her head. . .only in nightmares. . .it couldn't be real. But this wasn't reality; not her reality. Anything could happen here. . .her life could be in danger here. . .she could die here. And no one in her world would ever know.
"Now who's it gonna be? Cer'ainly no' me," Shallows said to Jack. Ariana could feel his breath on her ear, his face was so close to her head.
Dammit, Jack thought angrily. No, no, no. . .I won't let him hurt her. . .no. . .if he kills her then I'll kill him. . .I'll murder him with my bare hands. . .I'll strangle him to death, and then hang him from the crow' nest. . . He had to do something, anything. "Well, mate, if ya let her go, I'll put me gun away, savvy?" Maybe Shallows was stupid enough to believe him. . .he hoped so. . .
But the other captain just laughed. "Ye really t'ink ah'm tha' thick, Jack? Well, jus' ta let ye know, ah aint. An' ah aint letting 'er go, either. She's mine. An' so are them two." He waved the gun in Kelsey and Julie's direction before returning it to Ariana's head. Kelsey wanted to scream at him, and no doubt every swear in the English language was going through her head.
"An' what makes them yours, exactly?"
"Ah brough' 'em 'ere, tha' makes 'em mine."
"Ah, but are you so sure about that?" Maybe he could confuse him.
"Wha' do ye mean?"
"Well, what I mean is, are you sure that they're yours? Did you actually bring them here, or did, say, a magical object or something of the sort bring them here?" He wasn't going to specify exactly what, because if he did, that would only let Shallows know that Jack knew how he had brought the girls here, and he didn't know if it was such a good thing that he knew.
The man eyed him for a few seconds before replying, "Wha's it matta ta you?" He sounded suspicious.
"Well I'm just saying, mate, that if you found a magical something and used it ta bring them here, then it really isn't you who brought them here, is it? It's the magical. . .whateva you found."
Shallows looked at him again for some time before arguing, "But ah'm still the one who used the magical medallion ta bring 'em 'ere. Wit'out me, they wouldn'ta been brought 'ere at all." He didn't even realize that he had used "medallion" in the sentence.
"Yes, but, the medallion is still what really brought them here." Shallows didn't notice that Jack had used the word, either.
Shallows shook his head. "Wha' are ye tryin' ta say?" This man was starting to irritate him.
"Just that they don't really belong to you."
"An' who do they belong to? You?" He sounded sarcastic.
"I bet they'd rather belong ta me than you, mate. No offense or anything." He added the last part only because Shallows had pressed the barrel of the pistol deeper into Ariana's temple at his comment.
"Ye don' wan' ta be sayin' t'ings like tha', Jack, no' when ah got yet lass 'ere." If it was at all possible, he moved his face even closer to Ariana, near her neck.
"How do you know she's my lass?" He didn't want to let on that he had feelings for Ariana; that would only lead him to take her away or hurt her, or both. Or. . .any other possibilities Jack didn't even want to think about.
"Oh, well, tha's easy. She's the one who's been wit' ye this 'ole time. She was wit' ye when ye took 'er onto yer ship, then she was wit' ye when ah took 'er li'le friends, then she was wit' ye when ye sailed 'ere. Though ah still consider 'er to be mine."
"She's not yours." His voice was dead serious now, and the look in his eyes could've turned a man to stone.
"So yer sayin' she is yer lass then," Shallows said, just as Jack's men lunged at him, knocking him to the ground, followed by the others. Jack was grateful that Shallows' gun hadn't gone off when the men had tackled him, otherwise Ariana would be dead. He didn't put his pistol away; he wasn't willing to take any chances, not until he was certain that the wretched, vile man couldn't get anywhere near her.
His crew had Shallows on the ground, and one man was pulling Ariana away from him. He picked her up and brought her to him. She wrapped her arms around Jack without a thought, thankful that both of them were alive. He was caught off-guard by this, but then hugged her back. She relished feeling his arms around her; she felt so safe, as if nothing in the world could get to her. She didn't want to let go, ever. She just wanted to stay, forever, in his embrace.
Several moments later, they reluctantly pulled apart, neither one of them wanting to. Jack's pistol had dropped to the deck when he had hugged her. He had forgotten everything around him. Now he picked it up as he saw that his crew had a hold of Shallows.
"Wha' do ye wanna do wit' 'im, cap'n?" one of them asked.
He looked at the other captain and said, staring into his eyes, "Like I said, mate, she's not yours." He then raised his pistol and aimed it at the man's chest. He pulled the trigger; something he had been yearning to do for some time now. You'll never lay a hand on her again, he thought. Ariana, who had her arm around his waist, gave a small jump. She had never been near a gun when it was being fired, and she was not used to it.
Jack put away his gun and told the crew, "Good job, men! I'll be right back, I've just got to go see if the ship is sunk yet." He strode over to one of the rowboats with Ariana.
"You guys okay?" she turned and asked her friends.
"Yeah, we're fine," Kelsey replied. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, pretty much." The truth was, she was pretty shaken up. She looked back at Shallows, lying face down on the deck, the boards darkened by his blood. At least that was finally over. . .
She grimaced at the sight and Jack noticed. "Take the body and get rid of it!" he called to his men, who immediately complied. Then he turned to Kelsey and Julie. "We'll be back in a few minutes, stay right here." He then got into the rowboat with Ariana and lowered them into the water, beginning to row.
There were a few stretched moments of silence, besides the water lapping up against the sides of the small boat. Then Ariana asked, "Would you have risked your life for me?" She was amazed that she was in fact asking him that question, of all questions. But she wanted – needed – to know.
He gazed at her for several seconds before nodding. "Yes." He would die for her any day of his life. He was now realizing this, and he knew it meant something.
She felt overjoyed. That one word caused so much happiness to fill up inside her that she thought she might burst. "Really?"
He grinned. "Yes, really."
She knew what she wanted to say, but for some reason she felt anxious, just a bit. She had the words formed in her head, on the tip of her tongue. Just say it, she told herself. "I would've risked my life for you too."
His grin widened – now it was closer to a smile. She loved him, he knew it. It was obvious. But he knew she wouldn't say it unless she felt comfortable saying it, and knew the feeling was mutual. But was it? He knew he felt something for her, something strong, so very strong that seemed to tug at his very being. Was it love? He wasn't quite sure, but he knew he liked it.
They reached the point where they could see around to the other side of the island, and all that was left of The Fearless now was the mast that was slowly sinking into the water, along with the rest of the ship that was already destroyed and under. Jack grinned in satisfaction. "Well it looks like we won."
"We did? Yes! Are all the pirates from The Fearless dead? Are they captured?"
"I don't know, I can't see far enough to tell if they've been taken onto the island or not."
"But they haven't like, gotten into rowboats and sailed away or anything, right?"
"It doesn't look like it."
She was instantly filled with relief. "Good."
He turned back to her and gazed straight into her eyes. She found herself becoming lost in his chocolate brown pools again, and she realized she was leaning forward into him. Their lips pressed together as her eyes slid closed and so did his, and she wrapped her arms around him. He put his hands on her sides and deepened the kiss. She forgot about everything around her; the island, the ship, the crew and Kelsey and Julie waiting; everything. She forgot she was in a movie. In her mind, this was real life; this was her reality. This was where she belonged. In a life with adventure; in a life with him.
He pulled away several seconds later and said, "We should probably wait until we're somewhere more private, where nobody might be using a telescope." Another grin.
She grinned back at the realization. "Yeah, you're probably right." With that, they rowed back to the Black Pearl.

A/N: Hope ya liked it! But it doesn't end here, oh no! Lots more happens, just wait and see! I had the whole storyline already done, but then I decided on a different ending and now I've reached the point where I'm pretty much making each event up as I go along! Please review!