Broken Wings
A Pirates of the Caribbean story by Merrie
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from POTC, but I'd certainly let Cpt. Jack own me. *drool*
Summary: Captain Jack has lost his ship, his crew, and nearly his life to a horrible new curse. Will this Sparrow be able soar again after his wings have been broken?
Characters: Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Commodore Norrington, and all the wonderful cast of POTC.
Author's Note: Thank you sooooooo much for the reviews!!!! I literally bounced up and down in my chair with giddiness when I saw them.
As for those of you who didn't want Anamaria killed..sorry, but I warned you to read the summary. This is definitely not going to be a happy story from the start. But, in light of all of you who so wanted her to live, I'm making this chapter Jack/Ana. I hadn't originally planned to, but I'm not completely evil. I figured I'd give you fans something to make up for the sad chapter.
Again, read the SUMMARY! There will be character deaths and much angst in at least the beginning of this story! I hope this doesn't turn anyone away. It'll still be good, I promise!
Rating: This story is rated PG-13 for violence and language.
Chapter One: Death and Destruction
The first thing Jack became aware of was that something warm and wet was running down his forehead and into his eyes. Slowly reaching a hand up to wipe at his face, he frowned with something red coated his fingers. For a moment, Jack didn't know what was happening. A part of his brain shouted at him that the scarlet substance was bad, but he couldn't remember why. The last thing he remembered was something hard hitting him in the back of the head as he fell to the ground after being pushed.
'Pushed..earthquake! Anamaria!' The thoughts came flooding back like the tide all at once and Jack scanned his eyes wildly around the room, no longer caring about the blood in them. Devastation passed over his face as he saw crew member after crew member lying still as death throughout the cave. These were all good, loyal men, and they hadn't deserved to die like this. They hadn't deserved to die at all. Rising to his feet, he swayed a bit as the room spun. Apparently, the nausea from before had passed, but an entirely new ailment set upon him most likely due to wherever the blood was coming from. "Bleedin' hell, that hurts." Jack said out loud as he pressed a hand to the back of his head and tried to center himself. Once he was able to at least stand without falling over, he resumed his search for Anamaria. She had been right next to him when the ceiling had come down on them. In fact, Jack's brow furrowed as he struggled to remember exactly what had happened. 'She saved me, that little strumpet. She pushed me out of the way.' He would have to punish her for that later. Jack was not a man who often believed in self sacrifice. 'I'll be damned if that woman dies for me.' He thought with a frown. Slowly moving throughout the large cavern, for that was all he was able to do at the moment, Jack's demeanour became even more grim as he passed body after body of his friends and crew. "Hello? Is there anyone left in here? If ye be alive, answer so I can gets to ya, savvy?" Jack called out, praying someone would answer him.
"Jack." A quiet voice echoed slightly throughout the silent cave, and Jack grew frantic as he recognized the source.
"Anamaria! Keep talkin', love. Keep talkin' and I'll be able to find you!"
"You-you don't have to shout, Jack. I'm right at your bleedin' feet." The female pirate's voice called out to him with a bit of agitation.
At first, Jack couldn't answer her. His eyes were riveted to her bloodied and broken form, pinned underneath a large pile of stone. "Oh, love. Why did you do it? Why did you push me out of the way?" Jack said, moving his kohl lined eyes to meet hers.
Anamaria's gaze was strong and her voice was clear as she answered him. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this, Sparrow. D'ye hear me? This was not your fault."
"But what if this is the curse, love? What if this is my punishment for taking this gold?"
"NO!" She shouted, her voice echoing loudly throughout the cave. Part of Jack broke and near withered away at that noise. If anyone else of his crew had still been alive, they would have surely heard her yell and made movement towards them. Anamaria continued. "I don't care what's happened in the past, or what curses ye've encountered. This is not your fault, this is an act of God. There's nothing to be done to prevent it." She finished with a hacking cough, and Jack's eyes widened further in dismay as a thick trail of blood spilled out from a corner of her small mouth. He reached a hand to wipe at it and caressed her face.
"Oh, love. Don't talk like that, you'll be fine." Even as the words passed his lips, Jack knew them to be false. He cast a quick glance down at her broken body and knew that she didn't have much time left. He also knew, that when she died there would be no coming back. At this grim thought, two shiny tears trailed down his dirtied and dusty cheeks, smearing the kohl that lined his eyes.
Anamaria noticed and locked her eyes to his. "Don't shed any tears for me, Jack. I regret nothing. D'ye hear? I wouldn't change anything." Jack closed his eyes and turned from her, not able to face her any longer. Anamaria saw him turn away and reached out a hand to him. "Don't turn away from me now, Jack. Please? Let us have this last moment at least."
Jack's eyes snapped back to hers as the full implication of her statement fell upon his shoulders. "No, I refuse believe that these are our last moments. I refuse to believe in a God that would take you away from me.now that we've found one another. I can get you help, Ana. I know I can!" A new hope shone in Jack's eyes and he got up to find someone, anyone that could help her.
"No, Jack. Don't leave me to die alone. Not now, please?" Anamaria pleaded with him quietly.
"You're not going to die, savvy? I refuse to allow it. I'm your Captain, and you're to listen to me, savvy?" At his customary phrase, his voice broke and he slumped back down to his knees at her side.
"I've never been one for followin' orders. 'Specially from you, Jack." Anamaria said with a tight smile.
"No ye haven't, ye troublesome wrench." At that, Anamaria let out a genuine laugh that was once more interrupted by coughing. Jack reached up to his head, he barely noticed the once searing pain emanating from the wound anymore, and removed his red scarf. Immediately, his hair came free from its bindings and fell down around his face. He leaned over and wiped the blood clean off of her face.
"I've always loved to see your hair like this, Jack. I don't think I ever told you." Anamaria said quietly, reaching out a hand to touch his hair.
"Then I shall leave it this way for you, my love." He said, leaning down to her hand when he saw her struggling to touch his loose hair. She smiled as ran her fingers through black locks, stopping to rest on a few of the numerous beads and chains he had woven through it. Once she had finished running her hand through his hair, she reached over to touch his face, her hand resting on one of his high cheekbones.
"I do love you, Jack." She said quietly. "I'm not sorry for all the times I slapped you though. You deserved it."
Jack smiled and noticed that the place she was now caressing softly with her hand was the very spot she was so fond of slapping. He was sure she had noticed as well. "I think I love you too, Ana." Jack said quietly.
Anamaria just smiled. "I know." She said, and her hand fell away.
For a moment, Jack just stared at her slack face with shock, willing her to say something else. A part of him was screaming to touch her, shake her, kiss her, to do anything and everything to bring her back, to show her that he loved her too, but his hands stayed fixed at his sides. Her breath had given out he knew she was gone, but he didn't want to admit it. Finally breaking out of his stupor, he took her shoulders in his hands and began shaking her roughly. "Ana! Don't you dare leave me! I can't do this without you!" He didn't know where the words were coming from, he had never told Anamaria any of these things, but the words felt right. "Oh God, how could you do this to me? Why? Is this my punishment? Is this my curse? Why didn't you take me instead? Why did you have to take her?" Jack shouted his questions at the ceiling, but if God answered, he hadn't heard. Jack laid his head next to Anamaria's and wept, the very seas outside of the cave echoing his sorrow, mourning the loss of their sister and friend.
***
Elizabeth loved to watch her fiancé work. She loved to watch him create things of beauty from something as seemingly lifeless and cold as metal. While she had told her father that Will was a pirate, and at heart he was, he was a very gifted blacksmith as well. Each sword he made was perfectly balanced and perfect in every way, and everyone knew it. No longer would he have to stand behind the shadow of his once mentor and have to hear his own painstakingly created work credited to the other man. No, know everyone in Port Royal knew Will Turner and his swords for what they were; works of pure artistry. Of course, Elizabeth might have been a little biased since she was set to marry the man in a month, but no one could blame her. Anyone who had doubted the union of a governor's daughter and a common blacksmith, not that anything was common about Will, could not deny the absolute devotion to one another they shared. It was clear that they loved one another and would find a way to be together whether they had approval or not.
While her father had seemed to approve of their relationship at first, the reality of her situation had hit him not long after and he questioned her decision. Also, her comment about him being a pirate rather than a blacksmith didn't help any either. It was one thing for a governor's daughter to marry a blacksmith. It was an entirely different matter to marry a pirate. Will had spent much time an effort trying to prove himself to the governor. It didn't really matter to him whether or not he had the governor's approval for marriage, he loved Elizabeth too much to let her go without a fight, but he was a man of honor. If there was a way to convince the governor of his intentions and to receive his approval, he would find it. And he had.
Ironically, Commodore Norrington had accepted the news much easier. He had loved Elizabeth, and no doubt loved her still, but he had great respect for Will, and knew that he would treat her well. Also, he could not deny like her father the love that Will and Elizabeth shared for one another. At one time, he had wished more than anything to see Elizabeth look at him the way she looked at Will, but now that time had passed. Elizabeth knew that he was a good man, but she found she had never loved him as she loved Will. She was glad he understood that, because she would have hated to loose him as a friend.
A sharp clang of Will's hammer brought her out of her thoughts and back into the present. She had been sitting at her fiancé's side for quite a while now, and was beginning to grow a bit lightheaded from the heat of the furnace. "Will, my love, I know you can't rush what you do, but will you be much longer? I find I am getting a bit lightheaded due to all this heat."
Will turned to her and immediately put his hammer down and walked over to her. "I am sorry. I truly lost track of the time. Will you forgive me?" He asked, imploring her with his soulful brown eyes.
Of course she would forgive him. She would forgive him anything if he continued to look at her like that. "Don't be silly, Will. Of course I forgive you. I know how much you love your work and didn't want to interrupt. Who are you making that sword for? I didn't think you had any open orders right now."
Will ducked his head a little and blushed. "I don't. I'm making this for Jack, actually. I wanted it to be a gift for him at our wedding. Are you still ok with him being my best man?" He asked her, a bit worried that she might have changed her mind.
"Of course I am. I was the first time you asked me, and I'm certainly not going to change my mind now. I think it will be a very fitting gift for him. It is truly a beautiful sword, Will. One of your best. I only hope the invitation gets to him. It's not easy sending letters to a pirate ship, you know."
"I'm sure he'll get it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he was on his way here right now. It has been a few months since they were last here, you know."
"I know, it almost seems too quiet here, doesn't it?" Elizabeth asked him with a smile. "I often wonder if Jack and his crew bring excitement with them, because interesting things certainly seem to happen whenever they're around."
"I only hope Anamaria hasn't thrown him overboard yet." Will said with a laugh. "But you're right about the excitement. I think trouble follows Jack around wherever he goes."
Any response Elizabeth might have made was cut off by an incredibly loud thunderclap from outside. She and Will's gazes locked and they quickly made their way out the door. "That wasn't cannon fire, was it Will?" Elizabeth asked, more than a little worried that that might be the case.
"No, I don't think so, love. I think it was just thunder." Will assured her, placing an arm around her shoulders.
"Loud thunder." She muttered.
"There seems to be quite a storm on the horizon. You see that?" Will pointed to a view of ocean, where waves were crashing furiously up against the beach. "It almost seems as if the sea is mad about something."
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes fixed on the crashing waves. "I don't like it, Will. It gives me a bad feeling." She said, shivering a bit under his arm.
"Come on then, let's get inside." Leading her ahead of him and safely back into the shop, Will turned and cast one last look at the storming ocean. Unbidden, a thought of Jack having to sail in such a storm crossed his mind and he frowned in worry. After a moment, he berated himself for worrying. Jack would be just fine. He was a grown man, and had been a pirate almost longer than Will had been alive. He knew how to take care of himself. And if he didn't, Will was sure Anamaria could keep him in line. With that final thought, Will smiled and rushed back into the shop to join his fiancé.
TBC
A/N: Please don't hate me! It had to be done, I'm sorry. If it makes Ana fans feel any better, this chapter was really really difficult to write! Unfortunately, it's gonna get worse for good ol Jack. How can it get worse, you say? Well, let's just say Jack's gonna have to go to hell before he can get to heaven. And with that, I'll say my farewells. Review real quick like and I'll update sooner, savvy? Thanks a bunch!!
Also, for those of you who thought I would kill Jack? Are you kidding??? He's Captain Jack Sparrow! He can't ever die! Although..hmmm...
A Pirates of the Caribbean story by Merrie
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from POTC, but I'd certainly let Cpt. Jack own me. *drool*
Summary: Captain Jack has lost his ship, his crew, and nearly his life to a horrible new curse. Will this Sparrow be able soar again after his wings have been broken?
Characters: Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Commodore Norrington, and all the wonderful cast of POTC.
Author's Note: Thank you sooooooo much for the reviews!!!! I literally bounced up and down in my chair with giddiness when I saw them.
As for those of you who didn't want Anamaria killed..sorry, but I warned you to read the summary. This is definitely not going to be a happy story from the start. But, in light of all of you who so wanted her to live, I'm making this chapter Jack/Ana. I hadn't originally planned to, but I'm not completely evil. I figured I'd give you fans something to make up for the sad chapter.
Again, read the SUMMARY! There will be character deaths and much angst in at least the beginning of this story! I hope this doesn't turn anyone away. It'll still be good, I promise!
Rating: This story is rated PG-13 for violence and language.
Chapter One: Death and Destruction
The first thing Jack became aware of was that something warm and wet was running down his forehead and into his eyes. Slowly reaching a hand up to wipe at his face, he frowned with something red coated his fingers. For a moment, Jack didn't know what was happening. A part of his brain shouted at him that the scarlet substance was bad, but he couldn't remember why. The last thing he remembered was something hard hitting him in the back of the head as he fell to the ground after being pushed.
'Pushed..earthquake! Anamaria!' The thoughts came flooding back like the tide all at once and Jack scanned his eyes wildly around the room, no longer caring about the blood in them. Devastation passed over his face as he saw crew member after crew member lying still as death throughout the cave. These were all good, loyal men, and they hadn't deserved to die like this. They hadn't deserved to die at all. Rising to his feet, he swayed a bit as the room spun. Apparently, the nausea from before had passed, but an entirely new ailment set upon him most likely due to wherever the blood was coming from. "Bleedin' hell, that hurts." Jack said out loud as he pressed a hand to the back of his head and tried to center himself. Once he was able to at least stand without falling over, he resumed his search for Anamaria. She had been right next to him when the ceiling had come down on them. In fact, Jack's brow furrowed as he struggled to remember exactly what had happened. 'She saved me, that little strumpet. She pushed me out of the way.' He would have to punish her for that later. Jack was not a man who often believed in self sacrifice. 'I'll be damned if that woman dies for me.' He thought with a frown. Slowly moving throughout the large cavern, for that was all he was able to do at the moment, Jack's demeanour became even more grim as he passed body after body of his friends and crew. "Hello? Is there anyone left in here? If ye be alive, answer so I can gets to ya, savvy?" Jack called out, praying someone would answer him.
"Jack." A quiet voice echoed slightly throughout the silent cave, and Jack grew frantic as he recognized the source.
"Anamaria! Keep talkin', love. Keep talkin' and I'll be able to find you!"
"You-you don't have to shout, Jack. I'm right at your bleedin' feet." The female pirate's voice called out to him with a bit of agitation.
At first, Jack couldn't answer her. His eyes were riveted to her bloodied and broken form, pinned underneath a large pile of stone. "Oh, love. Why did you do it? Why did you push me out of the way?" Jack said, moving his kohl lined eyes to meet hers.
Anamaria's gaze was strong and her voice was clear as she answered him. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this, Sparrow. D'ye hear me? This was not your fault."
"But what if this is the curse, love? What if this is my punishment for taking this gold?"
"NO!" She shouted, her voice echoing loudly throughout the cave. Part of Jack broke and near withered away at that noise. If anyone else of his crew had still been alive, they would have surely heard her yell and made movement towards them. Anamaria continued. "I don't care what's happened in the past, or what curses ye've encountered. This is not your fault, this is an act of God. There's nothing to be done to prevent it." She finished with a hacking cough, and Jack's eyes widened further in dismay as a thick trail of blood spilled out from a corner of her small mouth. He reached a hand to wipe at it and caressed her face.
"Oh, love. Don't talk like that, you'll be fine." Even as the words passed his lips, Jack knew them to be false. He cast a quick glance down at her broken body and knew that she didn't have much time left. He also knew, that when she died there would be no coming back. At this grim thought, two shiny tears trailed down his dirtied and dusty cheeks, smearing the kohl that lined his eyes.
Anamaria noticed and locked her eyes to his. "Don't shed any tears for me, Jack. I regret nothing. D'ye hear? I wouldn't change anything." Jack closed his eyes and turned from her, not able to face her any longer. Anamaria saw him turn away and reached out a hand to him. "Don't turn away from me now, Jack. Please? Let us have this last moment at least."
Jack's eyes snapped back to hers as the full implication of her statement fell upon his shoulders. "No, I refuse believe that these are our last moments. I refuse to believe in a God that would take you away from me.now that we've found one another. I can get you help, Ana. I know I can!" A new hope shone in Jack's eyes and he got up to find someone, anyone that could help her.
"No, Jack. Don't leave me to die alone. Not now, please?" Anamaria pleaded with him quietly.
"You're not going to die, savvy? I refuse to allow it. I'm your Captain, and you're to listen to me, savvy?" At his customary phrase, his voice broke and he slumped back down to his knees at her side.
"I've never been one for followin' orders. 'Specially from you, Jack." Anamaria said with a tight smile.
"No ye haven't, ye troublesome wrench." At that, Anamaria let out a genuine laugh that was once more interrupted by coughing. Jack reached up to his head, he barely noticed the once searing pain emanating from the wound anymore, and removed his red scarf. Immediately, his hair came free from its bindings and fell down around his face. He leaned over and wiped the blood clean off of her face.
"I've always loved to see your hair like this, Jack. I don't think I ever told you." Anamaria said quietly, reaching out a hand to touch his hair.
"Then I shall leave it this way for you, my love." He said, leaning down to her hand when he saw her struggling to touch his loose hair. She smiled as ran her fingers through black locks, stopping to rest on a few of the numerous beads and chains he had woven through it. Once she had finished running her hand through his hair, she reached over to touch his face, her hand resting on one of his high cheekbones.
"I do love you, Jack." She said quietly. "I'm not sorry for all the times I slapped you though. You deserved it."
Jack smiled and noticed that the place she was now caressing softly with her hand was the very spot she was so fond of slapping. He was sure she had noticed as well. "I think I love you too, Ana." Jack said quietly.
Anamaria just smiled. "I know." She said, and her hand fell away.
For a moment, Jack just stared at her slack face with shock, willing her to say something else. A part of him was screaming to touch her, shake her, kiss her, to do anything and everything to bring her back, to show her that he loved her too, but his hands stayed fixed at his sides. Her breath had given out he knew she was gone, but he didn't want to admit it. Finally breaking out of his stupor, he took her shoulders in his hands and began shaking her roughly. "Ana! Don't you dare leave me! I can't do this without you!" He didn't know where the words were coming from, he had never told Anamaria any of these things, but the words felt right. "Oh God, how could you do this to me? Why? Is this my punishment? Is this my curse? Why didn't you take me instead? Why did you have to take her?" Jack shouted his questions at the ceiling, but if God answered, he hadn't heard. Jack laid his head next to Anamaria's and wept, the very seas outside of the cave echoing his sorrow, mourning the loss of their sister and friend.
***
Elizabeth loved to watch her fiancé work. She loved to watch him create things of beauty from something as seemingly lifeless and cold as metal. While she had told her father that Will was a pirate, and at heart he was, he was a very gifted blacksmith as well. Each sword he made was perfectly balanced and perfect in every way, and everyone knew it. No longer would he have to stand behind the shadow of his once mentor and have to hear his own painstakingly created work credited to the other man. No, know everyone in Port Royal knew Will Turner and his swords for what they were; works of pure artistry. Of course, Elizabeth might have been a little biased since she was set to marry the man in a month, but no one could blame her. Anyone who had doubted the union of a governor's daughter and a common blacksmith, not that anything was common about Will, could not deny the absolute devotion to one another they shared. It was clear that they loved one another and would find a way to be together whether they had approval or not.
While her father had seemed to approve of their relationship at first, the reality of her situation had hit him not long after and he questioned her decision. Also, her comment about him being a pirate rather than a blacksmith didn't help any either. It was one thing for a governor's daughter to marry a blacksmith. It was an entirely different matter to marry a pirate. Will had spent much time an effort trying to prove himself to the governor. It didn't really matter to him whether or not he had the governor's approval for marriage, he loved Elizabeth too much to let her go without a fight, but he was a man of honor. If there was a way to convince the governor of his intentions and to receive his approval, he would find it. And he had.
Ironically, Commodore Norrington had accepted the news much easier. He had loved Elizabeth, and no doubt loved her still, but he had great respect for Will, and knew that he would treat her well. Also, he could not deny like her father the love that Will and Elizabeth shared for one another. At one time, he had wished more than anything to see Elizabeth look at him the way she looked at Will, but now that time had passed. Elizabeth knew that he was a good man, but she found she had never loved him as she loved Will. She was glad he understood that, because she would have hated to loose him as a friend.
A sharp clang of Will's hammer brought her out of her thoughts and back into the present. She had been sitting at her fiancé's side for quite a while now, and was beginning to grow a bit lightheaded from the heat of the furnace. "Will, my love, I know you can't rush what you do, but will you be much longer? I find I am getting a bit lightheaded due to all this heat."
Will turned to her and immediately put his hammer down and walked over to her. "I am sorry. I truly lost track of the time. Will you forgive me?" He asked, imploring her with his soulful brown eyes.
Of course she would forgive him. She would forgive him anything if he continued to look at her like that. "Don't be silly, Will. Of course I forgive you. I know how much you love your work and didn't want to interrupt. Who are you making that sword for? I didn't think you had any open orders right now."
Will ducked his head a little and blushed. "I don't. I'm making this for Jack, actually. I wanted it to be a gift for him at our wedding. Are you still ok with him being my best man?" He asked her, a bit worried that she might have changed her mind.
"Of course I am. I was the first time you asked me, and I'm certainly not going to change my mind now. I think it will be a very fitting gift for him. It is truly a beautiful sword, Will. One of your best. I only hope the invitation gets to him. It's not easy sending letters to a pirate ship, you know."
"I'm sure he'll get it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he was on his way here right now. It has been a few months since they were last here, you know."
"I know, it almost seems too quiet here, doesn't it?" Elizabeth asked him with a smile. "I often wonder if Jack and his crew bring excitement with them, because interesting things certainly seem to happen whenever they're around."
"I only hope Anamaria hasn't thrown him overboard yet." Will said with a laugh. "But you're right about the excitement. I think trouble follows Jack around wherever he goes."
Any response Elizabeth might have made was cut off by an incredibly loud thunderclap from outside. She and Will's gazes locked and they quickly made their way out the door. "That wasn't cannon fire, was it Will?" Elizabeth asked, more than a little worried that that might be the case.
"No, I don't think so, love. I think it was just thunder." Will assured her, placing an arm around her shoulders.
"Loud thunder." She muttered.
"There seems to be quite a storm on the horizon. You see that?" Will pointed to a view of ocean, where waves were crashing furiously up against the beach. "It almost seems as if the sea is mad about something."
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes fixed on the crashing waves. "I don't like it, Will. It gives me a bad feeling." She said, shivering a bit under his arm.
"Come on then, let's get inside." Leading her ahead of him and safely back into the shop, Will turned and cast one last look at the storming ocean. Unbidden, a thought of Jack having to sail in such a storm crossed his mind and he frowned in worry. After a moment, he berated himself for worrying. Jack would be just fine. He was a grown man, and had been a pirate almost longer than Will had been alive. He knew how to take care of himself. And if he didn't, Will was sure Anamaria could keep him in line. With that final thought, Will smiled and rushed back into the shop to join his fiancé.
TBC
A/N: Please don't hate me! It had to be done, I'm sorry. If it makes Ana fans feel any better, this chapter was really really difficult to write! Unfortunately, it's gonna get worse for good ol Jack. How can it get worse, you say? Well, let's just say Jack's gonna have to go to hell before he can get to heaven. And with that, I'll say my farewells. Review real quick like and I'll update sooner, savvy? Thanks a bunch!!
Also, for those of you who thought I would kill Jack? Are you kidding??? He's Captain Jack Sparrow! He can't ever die! Although..hmmm...