2nd last chapter: The curse (Part 3)

The clicking noises stopped, temporarily, and Isabelle tried to keep holding on to Will. She felt as though she were swimming upstream towards a waterfall. The map was gone, the only way across the flaming river was gone, and still the Triangle pulled. She was so close, yet so far away.

Will could feel her stress, and whispered, "I know how much ye need to get back, and we'll find another way in, I promise." Isabelle pulled back a little, to look at Will. "We? What do ye mean by 'we'?" Will smiled, "We. You need t' get back, an' I need you. I'm going with you, the whole way." Isabelle pulled him closer, kissed him softly, and pulled the pistol from his belt at the same time. He didn't notice anything until he heard Isabelle whisper, "I'm so sorry, Will, but I love you too much to let you go through that."

Will made as though to say something, but didn't have a chance, as Isabelle brought the butt of the pistol down on his head, stunning him enough for him to drop to the ground.

*****

Jamie and Louisa ended up separated from Jack and Will, and underneath the bow of the Spanish Rose, almost well out of the way of danger (a skeleton did come looking, occasionally). They had no way of getting out safely at that moment, and the two captain's would probably have tried to decapitate them themselves if they even thought about it. What it did give them time for, was to finish their earlier conversation. Jamie pushed the last skeleton back out into the fight, and turned to Louisa, who was pushed through a leafy bush by a member of the crew, just in time to catch her as she fell.

Caught off-guard, both fell, landing in much the same position that they'd landed earlier. Jamie was the first to speak, "What was it ye were sayin' 'bout chooin' a more appropriate time?" he asked, and Louisa laughed. "Well, this is hardly more appropriate, but it is a lot more convenient!" Jamie raised his eyebrows, and Louisa leaned in closer. Jamie shifted his gaze from Louisa, to the opening where the skeletons came in, as though he'd seen something. Louisa jumped, but when she realized he was only joking, she blushed. "Ye shouldn't have done that, Jamie," she said, and he only laughed, seeming to pull her closer yet again. "Oh, well," he started, but abruptly stopped when Louisa flipped them so that Jamie was on top.

With a grin, Louisa grabbed the back of his head and pulled his mouth down on hers, not caring if anyone saw. This was their time, and no one could tell them what they could and could not do.

Jack, outside the opening, saw the exchange and grinned, before changing his position so Will couldn't see in. He glanced over his shoulder on occasion, to see if they could rejoin the fight, and eventually gave up, leaving them to their own devices. Heaven help ye, Jamie, if Will catches ye, he thought, jumping in front of a skeleton that'd seen the opening.

When Louisa and Jamie broke off their kiss, it felt as though the world started spinning again (as usual), and that they'd come back to earth. Louisa spoke first, "P'raps we'd best get back t' the fight," she said after a pause. Jamie nodded, "Aye, p'raps we'd best." Since Jamie was on top, he stood first, before helping Louisa up. She stood, smoothing down the front of her shift, even though it would have taken a lot more than that to fix it up, considering all the rips and snags in the material. Jamie stepped closer, kissed Louisa lightly, and together they headed back into the battle once a section was cleared.

There were still several skeletons to every man, though some of them were headless, and some fought amongst themselves due to a lack of living men to fight. One headless skeleton still hacked away at a wooden beam. Jack glanced at Will, who'd seen the final kiss, and wondered, briefly, if he approved of the couple or not. He didn't have time to think on the point, though, as his attention was reverted to the battle when a skeleton took a swing at his head.

Will Jr. was only stunned temporarily, and when he staggered to his feet, what he saw scared him more than any amount of un-killable skeletons ever could. Isabelle stood at the edge of the ravine, directly across from the cave that led to an entrance to the Bermuda Triangle. She had tears running down her face, but she was smiling. Will couldn't move; he stood where he was and simply watched. Isabelle whispered, "I love you," before she turned and stepped off the edge of the ravine.

Will found his feet and ran to the edge. "Isabelle!" he yelled, kneeling by the edge, looking over. Through the fire, he saw her. She was on fire, her shift almost glowing against the deep red of the flames. Her dark hair was a burning halo around her face. Her arms were outstretched, hiding nothing from him, and he was the last thing she saw.

She didn't feel the heat, didn't feel the pain. She refused to look towards the cave - the Triangle could find someone else to pull towards it - Will didn't deserve to live his life searching for the Triangle with her - it was too terrible a fate for someone she loved so much.

In the main cavern, the skeletons stopped suddenly. There was a slight pause, before they all collapsed into dust. Jack, who knew the curse, dismissed the first thought to go through his head, and wondered about a possible second way of lifting it. Jamie and Louisa looked around for Jack, and headed over to where the captain was now staring at the golden hand he held. Will dropped his sowrd, and looked around for his son.

The four, who were uninjured, helped the wounded crewmembers to their feet, and prepared the dead for burial. According to the code that Will set down for his crew, every man who died was worth 1000 gold pieces, to be paid to his family in the course of one year. Many men had died, in both crews, but they deserved a better burial than to be dumped onto the piles of skeletons.

The fires burned down to nothing, all embers and coals were non-existent. Will stayed where he was kneeling, long after Isabelle had disappeared from sight, long after the fires disappeared. When he noticed the flames were gone, he slid down the side of the ravine, and scrambled over the skeletons, until he reached where Isabelle had landed. There was no trace of her left - not a bone, or a fragment of her clothing, nothing. Will almost gave up hope, until he saw the faint glint of something gold amongst the scorched bones. He moved a skull to reveal a golden hair clip.

~Flashback~

Isabelle stood in front of the small mirror in the cabin, fixing her hair. She'd removed the bandana, and a small glint of gold shone against her dark hair. Will, standing in the doorway, pointed it out. "What's the gold in your hair?" he asked, and Isabelle self-consciously reached a hand back to touch the clip. "Da gave it to me when I was little," she said, refastening the bandana back over the top of it. "I've ne'er actually shown anyone, afore now. Not even ma'ma."

Will walked over to the mirror. "Why not? Ye should leave your hair out o' the scarf more often, so people can see." Isabelle dropped her hands, and shook her head. "I've ne'er shown anyone because it's the only thing Da's given t' me. Everything else has been a half-share wi' Jamie, or ma'ma. This is special - it means he really does care 'bout me." Will smiled, "He always cares 'bout ye. Why else would he have insisted that ye stay at the Isle? But, I see what you're sayin' 'bout it bein' special. Louisa has a necklace that Da gave her, an' she ne'er takes it off - it keeps ye linked to him, aye?"

Isabelle nodded, "Aye. When I wear this, it means that he ain't too far away, an' that I'll ne'er forget him, no matter what happens."

~End Flashback~

He picked up the clip, polishing away the ash and grime that coated it. Why hadn't it melted? The heat was enough to leave no trace of Isabelle, and yet it had spared the fragile gold clip?

~Flashback~

Louisa and Will sat on the swing on the verandah, "Everyone leaves something behind when they die - it's for the one that care for most, who they know will find it, to show that even though they're gone, they'll always be around," read Louisa from her book. She glanced at Will, "What do ye think?" she asked, and Will shrugged. "That sounds 'bout right, I guess. But how would that work if there was more than one person they cared about?" Louisa shrugged, turning back to her book. "I guess that it'd be meant for the person who could find it, or the person who needed it most, aye?"

~End Flashback~

Will stood and walked, very slowly, back to the side of the ravine. He didn't remember climbing out, or walking back through the caves, and by the time he reached where the cavern branched into the three caves, he didn't care to remember anything at all.

*****

In the main cavern, Jack was getting worried, though he didn't mention it. Neither Will (Jr.) or Isabelle had been amongst the wounded, neither had they been amongst the dead. A shout from one of the crewmembers brought everyone's attention to where Will was walking. He wasn't hurt, but he carried the expression only those who have witnessed the death of someone they cared about. Jack couldn't move, couldn't talk; he was frozen to the spot, and had to check if he hadn't turned himself to gold.

No one spoke; they looked at Will, who kept walking, coming to a stop in front of Jack. He held out his closed fist and handed something to the captain. Jack looked down to see the hair clip. It felt as though his whole world had come crashing down around him, but the roar that filled his ears wasn't enough to block out what Will was saying.

"She... she had a map, showing a way back to the Triangle, and she... she had to go back," Will was interrupted by Jamie, "So, she went back to the Triangle? We can still get her back, right?" Will swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. "The explosion destroyed the map, and the only way across the fire.... She... I told her I'd go with her, and we'd find another way into the Triangle, together, but... she... she said she loved me too much to let me go through that, and she... she jumped. She walked into the fire...."

The roaring noise in Jack's head grew louder, and nothing registered except the fact that his little girl was gone. Jamie jumped forwards, intent on killing his friend, "You... bastard! How could ye let her do that!" Will (Sr.) held him back, though it didn't really register what he was doing. Louisa went through the entire range of emotions - disbelief, shock, anger. Finally, she dropped to her knees, unable to stop the tears. The entire crew was touched by how much the Captain's daughter had meant to them, and many went back to work to try and hide their own feelings.

*****

It wasn't until the Pearl was underway that the reality actually set in for Will (Jr.). He was in the crow's nest - the crew had let him take the place, though it was highly doubted that he'd actually be on the lookout for anything. A noise caused him to jump, and he turned to see Jack standing behind him. He looked nervous, and Will looked at his feet. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her... I tried, God knows I tried." Jack didn't say anything for a while, until he spoke finally, still looking out to sea. "Ye couldn't have saved her, even if ye'd jumped yeself. Bella was always stubborn, an' once she got an idea into her head, ye couldn't budge it. I'm... I'm glad she had someone with her who loved her." He paused, and looked at his hands, before turning and holding out something wrapped in brown paper. "This belongs to you - she meant for ye to have it, I know." Jack waited until Will took the package, before climbing back down to the deck.

Will unwrapped it carefully, revealing the gold clip. Tears sprung to his eyes, and he didn't try to fight them off. "Thank ye, Cap'n," he whispered, and wrapped the clip back up inside the paper, returning staring out at the ocean.

Jack retreated to the stern of the ship. He stared into the water, holding the gold sphere in one hand, the paper print he'd made in the other. It seemed like the end of a lifetime, one that he shouldn't have seen. Not taking his eyes off the ocean below, he crumpled the papers and let them float down to the ocean. He glanced at the gold sphere, "Grey, ye didn't go t' enough trouble t' get us t' turn back," he mumbled, and with all his effort, threw the sphere skyward. It made one golden arc as it fell, before landing in the water with a splash. The water bubbled, but the sphere was gone. Jack didn't take his eyes off it once.

*****

A/N: Sorry if I made anyone cry, but she *did* save everyone....

The Epilogue is still to come, so stick with me. Any flames, coals, etc, i don't care. I'm still crying over the end! The sequel is definately being posted on fanfiction.net, and it's not far away!