AN:  Too much has happened to attempt to explain why this was not posted Wednesday or Thursday.  As is, this is already about 33% author ramblings, far too much, in my opinion, but I gave my word and I follow it.  Feel free to tell me to shut up at any time.  My stats project contains an insane amount of information, so I'm going to feed it out in chunks.  This first chunk gives the ranking of the good guys.  Next to each rank will be the people placed in that rank, and next to the people, in parenthesis, first the percentage they earned in that rank and then the cumulative, or what percentage of people place them either in that rank or a higher rank.  So, here goes.  Rank 1: Jack Sparrow (87.5%, 91%), Will (12.5%, 12.5%).  Rank 2: Will (50%, 46%), Ana-Maria (18%, 17%), Jack Sparrow (9%, 100%), Elizabeth (9%, 8%), Ana Turner (4.5%, 4.5%), Norrington (4.5%, 4%), Brian (4.5%, 4%).  Rank 3: Elizabeth (42%, 50%), Ana-Maria (26%, 43%), Will (21%, 79%), Jack Turner (8%, 9%), Brian (4%, 9%).  Rank 4: Jack Turner (30%, 45%), Ana Turner (19%, 27%), Elizabeth (15%, 67%), Ana-Maria (11%, 57%), Will (7%, 83%), Brian (7%, 17%), Norrington (7%, 12%), Black Pearl (4%, 100%).  Rank 5: Ana Turner (25%, 50%), Ana-Maria (15%, 70%), Jack Turner (15%, 57%), Brian (15%, 26%), Will (10%, 96%), Elizabeth (10%, 75%), Gibbs (5%, 17%), Norrington (5%, 16%).  Rank 6: Brian (24%, 57%), Ana-Maria (20%, 91%), Ana Turner (20%, 73%), Jack Turner (16%, 77%), Norrington (12%, 28%), Elizabeth (8%, 83%).  Rank 7: Brian (30%, 83%), Jack Turner (17%, 95%), Norrington (17%, 44%), Ana-Maria (9%, 100%), Elizabeth (9%, 92%), Ana Turner (9%, 82%), Will (4%, 100%), Governor Swann (4%, 17%).  Rank 8: Norrington (50%, 84%), Ana Turner (15%, 95%), Elizabeth (10%, 100%), Robert (10%, 40%), Jack Turner (5%, 100%), Brian (5%, 91%), Governor Swann (5%, 33%).  Rank 9: Norrington (31%, 100%), Gibbs (23%, 50%), Brian (15%, 100%), Ana Turner (8%, 100%), Robert (8%, 60%).  Rank 10: Governor Swann (57%, 100%), Gibbs (29%, 100%), Gillette (14%, 100%).  Rank 11: Robert (100%, 100%).  Rank 12: Cotton (50%, 100%), Rollin (50%, 100%).  Rank 13: Cotton's Parrot (100%, 100%).

To Love and Protect

Part 17

Everything was dark . . . or maybe not dark . . . but definitely not light, either . . . grayish . . .

And painful.  His side hurt, but that made sense.  After all, he'd been nicked by a sword, hadn't he?  That didn't explain why it hurt to breathe, though, or why his chest ached with each throbbing of his heart.

Was this what dying felt like?

No.  He had done that before, too, and actually dying didn't hurt.  Everything might before then, pain might radiate from a million sources, but when Death actually came to collect on the debt from life, it didn't hurt.  Death was always gentle, courteous . . . demanding . . .

He frowned slightly into the gray.  Something about that wasn't right.  He had met Death, met him and cheated him . . . but that wasn't the man who had been cut . . . and he was that man, too, wasn't he?

"Jack . . . come on, Jack, open yer eyes and help me here . . ."

Jack.  The name was familiar, even if it was wrong . . . or maybe not wrong . . . just not right . . .

"Jack Sparrow, open yer damn eyes!  Come on now, Cap'n, it's me, it's Ana-Maria, and I need you to show me you can hear me.  Cap'n?"

Cap'n?  Yes . . . Captain . . .Captain Jack Sparrow . . .

"Jack, please . . ." The voice seemed to be on the verge of tears, a fact that startled and disturbed him.  This voice wasn't supposed to cry . . . yell, threaten, amuse, annoy . . .but not cry . . .

The gray sharpened and the pain faded slightly as a small hand clasped onto his limp one, pressing something metallic and circular into it.

"I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  If I'd o' known you needed protection, I wouldn't have let you give it away.  I'm sorry, Uncle Jack, I'm sorry.  Please be all right."

Jack gripped the boy's hand as hard as he dared, forcibly disentangling his emotions, his thoughts and memories, from Will's.  He hadn't meant to go that deep, not when his own grounds were already tenuous at best.

"That's it, Jack, you come back to us, y'hear?  It's goin' t' be hard enough losin' one without losin' the both of ye."  Ana-Maria's fingers were stroking gently along his cheek, and he leaned more into that contact, as well, still clutching the boy's hand.

Slowly, the movement requiring much more effort than he remembered, Jack opened his eyes, blinking hazily against the light streaming in through the windows at the stern end of the cabin.  It seemed somehow sacrilegious, that the sun would shine so bright and merry and the waves still dance and hum their jaunty tune as Will fought harder and harder for every breath.

"Jack?"

"'M all righ'.  'E isn' bloody anymore?"

"Jack, it doesn't matter.  Let go.  Please."  Ana-Maria continued to rub her hand along his cheek.

"Hurts."

"Where?"  Ana-Maria frowned as Jack moved his hand slowly along his side, across his chest, and down his left arm.

"He hurts worse."  Jack attempted to lurch to his feet, pausing to lean against the wall halfway through the motion as the world tilted and spun again.

"Papa's going to die, isn't he?"  The boy made no effort to cover the tears rolling down his face, nor did his sister, standing directly behind him.

"No.  No, he won't, not if I can help him."  The pirate captain tightened his grip on the boy's hand, surprised at the hard press of metal against his palm.  Opening his hand, he studied the engravings on the silver trinket before returning it to the child's hand.  "I'm believin' I gave that t' ye."

"I thought . . . I thought maybe it could . . .help you."

"I'm goin' t' be all right, Jack.  I promise ye.  Your father, too.  Why don't you and your sis go with Brian for a bit and help him run the ship, aye?"

"Aye, Uncle Jack."  The boy looked at the trinket in his palm for a moment before grabbing his sister and swiftly tying it into her hair.

Ana-Maria waited until both children had left the cabin before rounding on Jack, her hand rising and fluttering ineffectually in the air as she evidently decided he looked too shaky to slap.

"That was a bloody fool thing to promise, Jack.  Ye can't deliver that."

Jack slowly took the few steps from the wall to where Will was lying stretched out on the cot, his eyes closed and his breath coming in uncertain gasps.

"Least not nauseous 'nymore . . ."

"Jack . . ."

The pirate captain ignored her, sinking down onto the floor beside Elizabeth with a grateful sigh and reaching out to grab Will's hand as he closed his eyes again.  Elizabeth didn't pause in her gentle stroking of Will's cheek to acknowledge the pirate.

"Ye're not losin' either of us that fast, love.  Trus' me.  I'm plannin' on livin' quite a bit longer . . . and so are you, aren't you, lad?"

Ana-Maria watched as Will nodded slowly, his eyes still closed, and tightened his grip on Jack's hand.  "Not plannin' . . . on dyin' . . .for long . . .time . . ."

"That's right, Will.  We're both plannin' on livin' for a long time.  Just have t' stay focused.  Keep breathing.  All those importan' things."  Jack frowned as he allowed himself to slip further into Will's mind and heart, giving as much strength as he could.  "No andes por ahi.  No bastante fuerte para guardanos ambos aqui, cachorro."

"Ye're not even rememberin' t' speak English now, Jack.  Think about this."  Ana-Maria placed one hand on her captain's shoulder, afraid to push him too hard, afraid of what he might do to himself if she didn't try.

"Who said I meant to speak English?  Lad doesn't need to know what I said, 'n' neither do ye."  Jack paused to catch his breath.  "Love . . . keep yer hand there?  Please?"

Ana-Maria hesitated before sitting down beside Jack and leaning her whole body against his side.

The pirate captain sighed and relaxed against her, never loosening his hold on Will's hand.

                                    *                                   *                                   *

"Jack, talk to me again.  I want to know you're still in there where you belong."

Movement would take far too much effort, effort that was better expended in ascertaining that two sets of lungs took that next breath, two hearts beat that one more beat that made the difference between life and death.

"Jesus, Jack, just let him go.  Ye're not God.  Stop trying to act like it."

Strong hands reached out of the dark, ripping at the physical connection between him and the blacksmith, threatening to tear away his most important ground.  It was far too easy to get lost in the confusion of emotions and snippets of images that constituted Will's weakening struggles against the dimming of the light.

"No."

The single word caused him to choke and gasp in confusion as the orders he was giving were suddenly doubled, his breathing no longer matching Will's.  Jack lurched forward, away from the offending hands.  The effort of sitting upright was too much to coordinate, and he slumped down onto the cot as well, allowing his own body to cover their clasped hands.

He needed the ground, needed to know they were both real, somewhere, that there were bodies responding to the increasingly harried commands he was giving.

"Jack!"

There was something like terror in her voice now, something that frightened him, but he couldn't dwell on that.  Slowly, never opening his eyes, each movement carefully mapped to conserve as much energy as possible, the pirate captain shifted his body against Will's unmoving one.  He sighed as he rested his head against the blacksmith's neck, settling their hands over Will's heart.

Better.  Now he could feel the gasping breaths, the erratic heartbeat, could feel them and keep them in some semblance of a pattern.

"Damn ye, ye bloody daft fool, don' do this!  He wouldn't want you to do this, Jack."

Ana-Maria was wrong there.  Will wanted to live, wanted it with a fierce desire that both could feel even through the pain, the fatigue, the disorientation, and if Will thought he could cling to life by holding onto Jack, the pirate wasn't going to dissuade him of the notion.

"Tell him.  Tell him it's all right to let go."

A tense silence filled the air before gentle fingers were stroking through his hair and along his face . . . both their faces.

"Hold onto him, Jack.  Please hold onto him."  The whispered words brought a hiss of wordless rage from Ana-Maria.

"Ye're goin' t' lose us both of them."

Elizabeth didn't answer, though the comforting touches didn't cease.  Jack considered the effort it would take to move, to talk, to pull his sense of self far enough away from Will so that he would be entirely coherent, and decided it was better to simply stay where he was.  He would explain it all later.

Ana-Maria didn't understand.  It wasn't Elizabeth who could tell him when to let go, or even Will, if the stubborn lad ever decided he was tired of fighting.

It was Jack's choice, a choice he had been forced to make before, a choice that had changed the course of his life and helped to make him what he was.

Only this time, he had chosen not to let go.

                                    *                                   *                                   *

Francis hesitated a moment before walking into the cabin, knowing what he would find, the same sick feeling that settled into his gut every time he lost a patient present and full-blown.  Consoling himself with the fact that there had been absolutely nothing he could do didn't help much.

He still had one live patient that he had to see to, though.  Captain Jack Sparrow.  One of the most notorious pirates in the Caribbean . . . under his commander's protection and Welks' own medical care.  The pirate had seemed hard-pressed simply to stay upright on his own when the doctor had seen him last, but the female pirate had still warned him away with a few quiet words and looks.

It had been over seven hours now, though, and the initial grief over Turner's death should have started wearing off.  Now was a good a time as he was ever going to have to examine the gash in the pirate's head.

It was easy to pick out the two female occupants of the cabin.  Both were kneeling by the cot he had last seen Will occupying.  Both held themselves as far as they could from the other without actually moving from their positions, their backs rigid and straight, not making eye contact or in any way acknowledging that the other was there.

It took him only a moment longer to pick out the pirate and the blacksmith's body.  The sick feeling of losing a patient receded slightly, replaced by nausea of a different sort.  If not for the fact that both men were fully clothed . . .he knew that sailors would occasionally bed other sailors, but still . . .

That was one tale he had never heard told of the pirate.

Ana-Maria turned and locked eyes with him, a strange mixture of fury, desperation and grief filling her features.

"Don't ye dare defile what he's doin' by thinkin' of it like that."

Francis kept his face as impassive as possible, no longer entirely certain how psychologically stable his patients were.

"And what exactly is it that he's doing?"

"He's doin' what ye couldn't.  He's tryin' t' save a life."

That caused the doctor to pause in consideration and approach the cot more closely.

"My God, he's still alive.  It's a miracle."

Ana-Maria laughed, the sound closer to a sob.  "No.  Just Captain Jack Sparrow."

Francis shook his head, completely amazed that the man was still breathing.  Maybe he had overestimated how much of the poison and how concentrated a solution it was that had entered the blacksmith's body.  He had just been so certain, though, based on the symptoms and their severity . . .

"What do you mean just Captain Jack Sparrow?"

Neither woman answered him, both intent on the tableau in front of them.

"He isn't supposed to be this still.  It isn't right."  Elizabeth's voice was soft, as though she feared breaking some spell as she alternated running her fingers down her husband's and the pirate's faces.

"I don't understand.  May I?"  Francis reached out slowly to gently touch each man.  The pirate flinched away from his hand, burying his head further into Will's head and hair, but Will didn't move at all.

"Ye couldn't understand."  Ana-Maria reached out and grabbed the doctor's hand before he could touch Jack and Will's firmly entwined hands.

"Try explaining it to me."

"What do you see, Doctor?"

"They're breathing in synchrony."  Francis found he couldn't tear his eyes away from the two men, both gasping for air, barely moving otherwise.

"No.  Jack's breathin' for both o' them.  He's not lettin' go."

"How . . .?"  Welks turned back to the pirate as he started talking, the words low and barely intelligible.  "What's he saying?"

Ana-Maria turned away from her captain as she whispered the words.  "'I still owe you my life, my sanity.  If you want them, they're yours.  I can't fight you, Will Turner.'"

Will's lips moved slowly, and Elizabeth continued to gently stroke his cheek, giving voice to them.  "'Oh, God, no.  Jack, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.'"

Francis backed away as the two women faced each other for the first time.  He suddenly had the distinct impression that he wasn't only superfluous to the moment, but a detriment to whatever forces were at work.

Ana-Maria continued, and Francis watched in eerie fascination as her vocals matched the movements of the pirate captain's mouth.  "'Not you.  You're a good lad, good man.'"

Elizabeth again took Will's part.  "'I didn't mean to.  I tried to stop it.'"

"'I'm a good distraction.'"

"'I didn't get to choose.'"  Elizabeth held eye contact with the female pirate for several seconds before turning away slightly, her voice falling into a whisper as she again stroked her fingers along her husband's face.  "He says it, in his sleep, and he'll wake crying and try not to let it show."

Ana-Maria also turned her gaze away.  "Jack will say it in his nightmares, and he'll wake screaming and shaking.  He'll never tell me what he sees."  Ana-Maria moved closer to the other woman, raising her eyes again.  "I know what Will is to ye, and I'll grieve for him too, but don't let him take both of them down.  Tell Jack it's all right to let go."

Elizabeth slowly nodded, reaching over Jack to run her hands along Will's face and kiss him, once.

Then she pulled back, tears in her eyes, and studied the pirate captain.  "Jack, you can let him go.  It's going to be all right if you let go, Jack."

All three waited as the silence stretched.

"No."

Ana-Maria wished that she had missed the whispered word.  She felt tears of frustration and grief prick at her eyes as Elizabeth moved closer, grabbing the female pirate's hand, offering silent comfort.

Francis turned and left.

No matter what happened, events here were completely out of his control.

                                    *                                   *                                   *

Jack gasped, the air hot and oppressive in his lungs, the absence of oxygen even more terrifying than it's painful presence.  His chest burned, each heartbeat harder and harder to implement.  He was tired . . . so very, very tired . . .

"I see him, Jack.  You were right . . ." Will's words would have been unintelligible and nonsensical to anyone else.

"Figh' wi' me, Will.  Don' give up . . ."

"Tired . . ."

"Doe'n't matter."

It did matter, though.  It mattered quite a bit.  It was getting harder and harder to force his mind on to the next breath, the next heartbeat.  He had run out of memories with which to coax a response from the blacksmith.  Even the fierce desire to live had nearly evaporated, drained by the long battle.

Jack shuddered and tightened his hold as a single erratic heartbeat escaped his control . . . and another . . . and another . . . the rhythmic throbbing degenerating into chaos and a cold numbness.

The pirate captain stiffened.  He recognized the cold, creeping sensation for what it was.

"No . . . no . . . not now . . . not after . . . all this . . ."  Jack struggled to reinstate some kind of order, the effort causing pain to stab through his own chest as his heart skipped a beat and changed rhythm.  He could feel Will slipping further away from him, fading into the darkness that was rising to cover the light, an ebon tide that Jack could dodge but not influence.

"Thank you . . . staying . . ."  Will's voice was fainter than a whisper, his meaning only clear thanks to the link.

This wasn't happening.  He hadn't managed to hold out this long simply to lose the lad now.

Greater love has no one than this, than he lay down his life for his friends.

Who had told him that?  The priest, when he was still a rootless street rat wondering if he should maybe go home and see if San was all right?

Or maybe someone else . . . Bootstrap?

It didn't matter.  What mattered was that he was losing his grip . . . but that he was still strong enough to pull out . . . that one of them, at least, could still summon enough energy to live . . .

One of them . . .

Jack's head was spinning and pounding as he tried to wrap his exhausted mind around the idea that flickered enticingly through the chaos that was replacing conscious thought.

Will had a home, a family.

Will was a good decade younger than Jack, and in an occupation at least slightly less inimical to survival.

The likelihood that Brian would be able to find a way to get them all to safety would be greatly increased without a well-marked and well-known pirate to deal with.

Jack had promised the children that Will would live.

There was still enough strength left to make sure that one of them survived.

"I'll trade.  Please.  You've wanted me for . . . long time . . . you can have me . . . just let . . . boy go . . ."

Jack knew his words weren't differentiable to anyone listening.  It didn't matter.  The darkness was thickening around him, questioning, searching for deception . . .

And it was backing off from Will.

Jack gasped in shock as the dark suddenly encompassed all, neatly severing the link that he had worked so hard to hold together.

They had reached an accord.

Responses to Reviews:

Aratfeniel:  Little brothers can give you a whole new outlook on things, can't they?  As for the destination . . .still a fair while in the future, but I promise that there is one.  Sorry about your wrist.  Broken bones are just absolutely no fun at all.

Kayden Eidyak:  Thank you for the list, which did make the final cut.  Yes, Barbossa was a very intricate, well-thought villain who fit his role perfectly.  Sorry about all the cliffies . . .they're just so tempting to write . . .Also, thanks for the record.  A review for every chapter of my story—quite impressive.  I'm working on earning my betaing position, too.

Merrie:  Thanks for all the compliments, and I hope you haven't damaged your hands too much with all the cliffies I've been sending your way.  Me make people wait forever for updates?  Love, I've fallen into an every-Sunday-an-update pattern.  However, I cannot discern a pattern in your updating, which is far too infrequent for my liking (if I haven't reviewed yet to such an effect, I shall!).  As for Michael's death . . .maybe . . .in the future . . .And please don't make your fingers bloody on my account!

Pip3:  Yes, poor Jack and everyone else, too.  Will was just being a good father, looking out for his son.

Snowbird3:  Thanks for the list, it, too, made the final cut.  Just managing to keep track of all the charries (who keep multiplying . . .I'll have to start killing people off here soon, if they don't start finding other places to be), let alone all the plots, makes this a difficult story.  Thanks for the vote of confidence in my writing abilities.  As for the way I twist and turn things . . .I think I'm starting to get predictable.  This is bad.  I'll have to do something normal so my unpredictability will again be unexpected.

Erinya:  Thanks for the compliment on my characterization of Jack.  I really don't think Jack would like immortality all that much, though I, too, would be exceedingly happy to have him be immortal.  Unfortunately, the muse keeps pointing out that nobody is immortal, so he can do what he wills with anybody.  *sigh*  Stubborn Jaraen . . .

Rinkufan:  December cannot come fast enough.  I'm glad I didn't lose you too badly with the pistol thing . . .it was kind of amusing to write.  Um . . .was that a fascetious 'I love cliffhangers'?  I hope you liked this next chapter.

Jigglykat:  I am hurrying as quickly as possible, I promise!  As for people dying . . .Jaraen will do as he will do.  I have no control over my wandering muse.

Lieke:  JAMIE?!  No!  Something that horrible is not going to happen to Jamie . . .though I'll probably love reading it.  *grins sheepishly*  I'm just assuming it's Jamie something bad happens to, as he seems to be the guy in the best position for something bad to happen to him.  I started 'Outlander' at the beginning of the school year, but have had to put it aside to accommodate an excessive amount of schoolwork.  I plan on picking it up again as soon as humanly possible.  As for your compliments . . .*blushes scarlet* . . .'I love it' will more than suffice.

Cal:  I absolutely love all your reviews.  Normally people don't get to see each other's darkness, or even really their own, unless they're exceedingly introspective.  Add in the fact that Jack has been through hell, both in the movie and in my own humble additions, and the fact that he's just about the ultimate survivor, and his head can't be something where most people would be completely comfortable treading.  Or at least that's my philosophy . . .then again, I manage to scare myself in my own head, so take it with a grain (or Mac truck) of salt.  As for Michael and Hallson dying . . .not for a bit yet, assuming Jaraen decides to kill them at all.  I'm glad you liked the rescue, and the Ana/Jack scene before that.  I wouldn't mind having Jack as my shrink . . .though he could probably screw someone's mind up just as well as he could fix it.  There was a doctor in the house, and you seemed to like him, a fact which I am very grateful for.  OC's just keep multiplying . . .I just hope they keep being acceptable.  I hope your daughter is feeling better.  I'm glad you liked Francis—another OC that wasn't in the original plan who just kind of decided to pop his jaunty head in.  His relationship with Jack probably won't be improving anytime soon.

WCS Pegasus:  I will open my LJ account!  Truly!  Life will calm down and I will open it and . . .and . . .oh, boy, why can't time just stay a constant?  Thanks for the votes of confidence on my story.  I'm also working harder to keep the typos and grammatical flaws down to a bare minimum.

Starzangel:  Yes, the angst was running a bit high . . .and probably still is, but so long as Jaraen talks, I write.  Thanks for writing in.  Yes, Will is Will.  Nobody could take his place . . .though Jack is more irreplaceable.  I love your description of reading my chapters—it greatly lightened my mood, something that was needed as the time.  ;-)  As for the dénouement . . .it shall come . . .

Szhismine:  Based on your review, I would swear you wanted Will to get poisoned and die . . .hmmm . . .;-)  Glad you liked the chapters.  I hope you enjoyed this last one, even if I'm almost certainly going to hear about the cliffhanger at the end.  What am I being thanked for, by the way? 

Kanaloas Wrath:  I gave more(s).  Hope you liked the new cliffie . . .and thank you for the compliment.  One syllable can denote quite a bit.

Lavender Wonder:  I've never seen 'Signs', though I wish to.  Glad you liked the chapter, and remember, no killing main villains until closer to the end of the story.  As for waiting patiently or impatiently . . .whichever will keep you coming back but not destroy your mental equilibrium.  Thanks for the compliments on Brian, and Jack helped . . .though somehow I doubt I'll be getting thanked for allowing him to . . .

Empress Ariana:  I'm glad Brian isn't a complete failure as an OC.  I was starting to worry about him.  As for cliffhangers . . .*ducks* . . .what'd you think of this one?  I get the impression that you don't like Will very much . . .or rather, you enjoy seeing him in pain.  Hmmm.  Hope you liked the chapter.  As for the ending . . .why do I get the strange suspicion you aren't going to like the cliffhanger much?  *evil grin*

Ryuu Angel:  I love your reviews.  Just don't get into trouble in Chem on my account . . .feel free to read in chemistry, just ensure you don't get caught.  ;-)  I've started quoting Jack lately, too . . .I thought one of my Center compatriots was going to stab me with a pen when I said something sarcastic and finished the statement with 'love'.  *sighs*  Not an experience I wish to repeat . . .Jaraen gladly gobbled down the cookie, too, though you scared him a bit with your reaction to his third drabble . . .it took me forever to get him to crawl out from under the bookcase.  ;-)  As for killing people . . .Jaraen has informed me in no uncertain words that he is going to completely ignore my life-preserving stats.  *sigh*  See this chapter for further proof.  For my story, Jack can speak Enlgish (really?), Spanish relatively fluently, and French apparently not-so-fluently, given the problems I'm having with that.  He also knows just a bit of Dutch and some of the Indian dialects—the better to threaten people with.  Not everything Jack says is supposed to make sense to you lovely readers right now.  I promise that it all will eventually.  As for productivity . . .why does productivity in the eyes of the parental figures never equal productivity in our eyes?  *scratches head in bewilderment*  Ah, yes, funny ol' world . . .

Kissravyn:  Thanks for writing in and saying you liked the chapter.

Hollow-Ambitions:  I have no idea why you'd get the feeling it would be Jack who isn't going to be all right in the end . . .I'm glad you like the link.  You're going to kill Bootstrap?  This is not good . . .update your story soon!  As for my killing Will . . .well, you've probably read the chapter . . .Should I hide somewhere now in mortal fear? 

Greenleaf-In-Bloom:  Oh . . .happiness and then misery . . .so sorry 'bout that.  I would like to say this chapter helped, but I get the sneaking suspicion that it probably didn't.  I'm sorry I make your emotions conflict, even if it is a compliment to my writing.  ;-)  As for the review for chapter 16 . . .I'm taking that as worry about Jack . . .very perceptive individual, you are . . .

Zinnith:  I completely understand life running away with you (including it running away to somewhere that has no computer).  If you truly want Hallson's ear now, you can have it . . .just make sure to cauterize the injury so he doesn't do something like bleed to death, as I shall need him in the future.  As for not killing Will . . .I think a lot of people will probably be screaming 'kill Will' in their reviews for this chapter . . .Your reviews are never uninteresting, either.  Go ahead and keep shouting.  I listen.  And I agree—whoever decided work needed to be done during daylight hours should be forced to walk the plank.

ElvenPirate41:  Ah.  Pink Floyd.  Well, I'm glad my story somehow managed to help with your depression . . .not sure how, but still I am glad.  ;-)  Thanks for all the compliments, and yes, isn't it amazingly possible that Jack would argue with a ten-year-old?  Glad you liked the pistol code.  Thanks for your reviews of my LotR fic, which is not abandoned, just back-burnered until Jack decides he's tired of playing.  As for your thing for older guys in movies . . .I'm afraid I've contracted the same strange disease.  Just enjoy it.  Fantasies can't hurt anyone.  ;-)  Isn't 'why not' the perfect response to any question you don't want to answer that involves 'why'?  I did tie stuff into my hair for Halloween, lots of glittery, gold, silver, sparkly things . . .'twas quite fun.  I've started calling my younger brother an 'obnoxious whelp' . . .he doesn't like it very much.  Thanks for the lovely review for last chapter—I absolutely love the way you pick out the quotes to show me exactly which parts you like, which parts strike you.  It helps me immensely as the author.  Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, as well.

Snow-Angel222:  The project was successfully completed.  Thank you for inquiring.  I hope you've enjoyed what I've written so far.

Shadowfax:  *blink*  Okay.  No monkeys.  Understood.  I'm glad you like Brian.  He thanks you for remembering him, too.

Wellduh:  I shall continue until such time as the story is completed.  Have no fear on that score.  And yes, aftermath does have a tendency to be nasty and messy.

Lunatic:  They were saved from the mean people.  Now they just need to be saved from themselves.  I'm glad you dislike Michael so much, and that I've managed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

BrokenSkye:  I shall keep writing.  You have my word as a dishonest person on that.  I'm glad someone picked up on what I'm doing with Jack.  I was beginning to wonder if I was being overly-subtle, what with everything else that's happening in the story.  As for letting Will die . . .if you've read the chapter, you probably aren't sure if you should kill me for killing Will or not . . .or kill me for not killing Will . . .

JackFan2:  My lovely beta-friend.  Jaraen is currently relatively happy, and reconsidering the end to the story.  Thank you for all your help, and for reviewing and questioning when you already have a basic idea of what shall happen.  And I still love imagicons, too.  ;-)

Cheezepies:  You read the chapter, hopefully, my friend.  Did I kill Will?  Should I die for what I did?  ;-)

Rat:  Thank you for the compliment.  Your writing is very good, too.  I hope you liked this chapter, as well, and are still looking forward to more.

Ginny-Star:  Yes, Michael is evil.  It is very fun to tie and braid things into your hair.  I did such for Halloween.  As for parental units . . .aren't they such lovely fun with an atrocious sense of timing?

Scorched Frog:  You probably liked this chapter . . .then again, maybe not.  I hope you liked the cliffhanger.  Also, nitpicky is good.  I like nitpicky.  I'll work on giving equal precedence to all the characters and their reactions.  I've just collected so many of them that juggling is starting to become rather stressful.  Trying to decide whose POV to use takes nearly as much time as actually writing the chapter.  You might see other POV popping up in my folder for drabbles and lost scenes, especially as I near the end of this story, where deciding POV is going to be virtually impossible.

Special Eddie:  Obsessions are a problem?  *blink*  I'm up a creek without one paddle and with the other one missing the blade, with a hole in the boat that is letting in water and an alligator swimming rather hungrily behind me . . .Hope you enjoyed this update as much as you apparently did the last parts.

Scanner-Cat-Scat:  I will read the rest of your story!  Promise!  Thanks for the reviews of the stuff collected in my drabbles folder, and for the review of chapter 16.

Jrozek:  No panicking allowed.  I would never ditch a story in the middle like that.  It would be far too cruel to the loyal readers.  I hope to satisfy your curiosity in a satisfactory manner.

Pinkyiolis:  Thanks for writing in.  I'm grateful for the compliments, and hope you continue to enjoy my version of the future of 'Pirates' . . .which might be taking on alternate dimensions after this story . . .

Gypsie-Fire:  I like long reviews.  Truly.  It gives me an excuse to not work on homework.  I think Jaraen might just write a humorous drabble about Jack fighting with Death . . .you have given me inspiration!  This could be considered a bad thing.  I hope your school craziness sorts itself out soon . . .mine hasn't, but it's backed off a little bit (or rather, I stopped caring as much).  Yes, Halloween does strange things to the mind, the candy being the least of the problems.

Dohgzmania:  You didn't disappear!  You were just busily reading everything between the middle of AToM and this part of TLaP.  I'm glad I can bring some light into your day.  It makes me feel useful, something I like being.  Thanks for the compliments.

Lauren:  I know you wrote me personally, but I just wanted to say thanks.  That helped.  A lot.