AN:  I'm so, so, so sorry it took so long to get this up.  I haven't had any time to do much but breathe for the last week, though (sometimes even breathing took too much effort and time).  This is the last chapter, unless excess complaints/requests convince me to tack on an epilogue.  Otherwise any questions not answered in this chapter would have to wait until Jaraen comes up with another plot.  Anyway, I'll just make the same requests as I have the other times.  What were your favorite/least favorite parts?  What do you think I did well/didn't do well?  Was there anything missing?  Which story have you liked best?  Any comments that could help me improve as a writer would be greatly appreciated.  Hope you enjoy the end of the ride . . .

To Love and Protect

Part 29: Farewell

Jack made no noise as he slipped down to the crew's quarters of the ship.  There was one more goodbye that had to be said before he could find Ana-Maria and put his plan into action.  His rather foolhardy plan . . .but given the nearly full moon that was rising above and his familiarity with the waters, it could work.

Will and Elizabeth willingly giving up their cot in the great cabin had been both a sign of respect and a silent recognition of new authority and uncertain positions.  It had been a smart move, one that had earned them even more admiration with the crew . . .and a hammock with relative privacy.

The pirate captain gave his vision a second to adjust to the dim lighting provided by a few lanterns turned down low before working his way over to where the couple was apparently sleeping.  He paused a moment to watch them, smiling slightly.

Only those two could somehow manage to look comfortable sharing a hammock together while fully clothed.

The smile faded as he played briefly with the point of the dagger held in his right hand.  He didn't know exactly what was going to happen when the link broke, but it was something that needed to happen before he left.  The lad didn't need to worry every time Jack decided to ply his trade and things got a bit rough.

He stepped closer before setting the point of the dagger against his left hand where the earlier cut had mostly healed, though scar tissue had yet to form.  It would be a simple matter to reopen it, nick Will, and mix their blood, being careful not to touch so much as a hair on Elizabeth's head lest he suffer the blacksmith's wrath.

Not that Will was going to be pleased with him anyway.

Probably exactly the opposite, actually.

"Don't, Jack."

The pirate captain stopped abruptly at the quiet whisper from Will.

"You said after the battle.  The battle's over and done."  The small blade glinted slightly as it waved to the rhythm of the pirate's words.

"Why are you so set on breaking it?  Has it hurt you yet?"  Will still didn't open his eyes, cradling Elizabeth against his chest, her dark hair pooling around both their heads.

"If you count the headaches you've given me—"

Will's mouth turned upward in a slight grin.  "One of which you asked for, and I apologized for the other one."

"You don't know what you'll be getting yourself into.  I don't exactly lead a sedate life, Will."

"Which is why I like knowing you're all right."  Will quieted as Elizabeth shifted in his arms.

"If you distract me when I need to focus—"

"Did I distract you earlier today?  I can respect your mental barriers."

"You didn't earlier."  Jack found his voice becoming rougher and more strained than he wanted it to be.  This was supposed to be simple.  They had already agreed.

Elizabeth's soft voice, slightly blurred by sleep, brought both men up short in their quiet argument.  "We've never tried to take your freedom, Jack.  He wouldn't now.  Besides, at least with the twins the link gets thinner the further away you are from each other."

"I swear I'll stay out of your head unless specifically invited in.  Do you not trust me?  Do you think I'll hurt you?"  There was true puzzled innocence displayed on Will's face, and Jack found himself averting his gaze.

"I could hurt you, whelp.  You don't know what I'm capable of."

"I do.  You can kill, and if they deserve it you can almost enjoy it.  You can run.  You can set up barriers against anything.  You can grieve, for your crew and for your ship.  You can love someone just as deeply as I love Elizabeth.  Jack, I've seen what you can do and what you can feel.  It doesn't frighten me."  The speed with which Will was able to disentangle himself from Elizabeth and stand surprised the pirate.

The fact that the blacksmith set his left hand against the side of the dagger completely shocked Jack.

"I trust you.  Do what you think you have to do."

For a long moment Jack simply stared into his friend's . . .his brother's . . .eyes.  All he had to do was apply a little pressure and he would be alone in his head again.  There wouldn't be any more fears, any more doubts or commitments or moral codes filtering across, no chance the younger man might see something no one was ever meant to see . . .

There would also be none of the trust, the caring, the strength, the love.

"Damn you, William."  Jack could tell by the confused expression on Will's face that he had missed the sleight-of-hand that returned the dagger to its sheath.  "If anything goes wrong, I'm holding you responsible."

Will grinned, and the gratitude and joy that was briefly transmitted across the link was a gift unto itself.  "Nothing's going to go wrong.  Thank you.  You should be going, though . . .don't want to get stuck with a fresh watch.  Men are usually more awake at the start of a watch."

Jack shrugged.  "None of the watches'll be too inattentive tonight.  Their commander's fightin' for his life, with a little help from the afterlife."  A black scowl crossed the pirate captain's features.  "And either you're already breaking the terms of our agreement or I'm becoming far too predictable in my old age."


Will opened his mouth to protest, but it was Elizabeth who spoke first.  "When are you going to come by?  The children will want to see you and Ana-Maria."

"When I get a chance.  Take care of yourselves, and of those little ones.  They've grown up a lot these last few days."

The two parents simply nodded.

"We'll miss you, Jack.  Tell Ana-Maria the same."

"I will. Behave yourself, Will."

Will nodded, and Jack returned the embrace of both husband and wife before inching his quiet way back to the stairs, careful not to wake any of the still-slumbering, exhausted crewmen in his path.

                                    *                                   *                                   *

"What do you think, George?  Think he's really human, or are you buying into the devil-in-disguise thing?"

George Hardel shrugged and turned away in distaste from his partner for the evening's watch, unconsciously rubbing his hands together as he had been since they were coated in his captain's blood earlier that afternoon.  "He's human.  He was sick when they first brought him here, remember?"

"Ah, but he also supposedly died and was resurrected."  Timothy pointed his right index finger upward as he spoke to emphasize his point.

"Wouldn't that make him more Christ than demon?"  George sighed at the shocked gasp from his companion.

"That's sacrilege!  You don't really believe that, do you?"

A number of sharp retorts came to mind, but the redcoat managed to bite all of them back.  While he definitely wasn't in the mood for a religious revival, he also knew Timothy wasn't the target he wanted to rail at.

Actually, the man he truly wanted to see suffer was already dead.

That made vengeance rather problematic.

Timothy was still staring at him, eyes growing wider by the second, and George considered simply keeping his own counsel and waiting to see if they would actually pop out of their sockets.

Instead he took pity on the younger man.  "No, I don't really believe he's the Christ.  I also don't believe he's Satan, or any kind of demon for that matter.  Demons don't get injured like he has been."

"So maybe he only recently became a demon, when he died.  He's brought two people back from the dead."

"One a child, and one Will Turner.  You know Will.  If there ever was a man who could personify innocence without naïveté, it's him.  Not exactly a prime choice for demons."

Timothy paused for a minute, but George waited patiently, knowing that the younger man was simply formulating more arguments.  The only thing Hardel wasn't sure of was whether the younger redcoat was trying to convince George that the pirate was a demon or himself that the man couldn't be.

"What about that link thing?  That's also between the two children, apparently.  And the children . . .the lad's getting too old for it to be proper for him to sleep in the same cot as his sister, don't you think?"

The anger that he had been holding in check nearly boiled over, but a particularly vicious twisting and rubbing of his skin kept him from saying something he would regret, the burning pain a welcome ground in reality.  "Those two children have been through hell and back these last few days.  You know the 'lad' as you call him, and he hasn't changed from the boy that crewed with us for over two months!  He and his sister need to know that they're finally both alive and safe.  Besides, 'til just a bit ago the boy didn't even know anything about men and women.  As for the links . . .just because we don't understand it doesn't make it a work of evil.  It's not like I've felt him tryin' to sneak into my head or something."

Timothy seemed to consider debating the point, then shrugged and nodded.  "True.  The Lord makes enough miracles of his own . . .still, the Lieutenants don't like him, or his woman."

 "The Captain likes them."  George lowered his head and spoke to the deck, the words feeling heavy on his tongue.

"You were with him when he was shot, weren't you?  Do . . .do you really think he's going to be all right?"  Concern, uncertainty, and a vague uneasiness had all invaded the younger man's voice.

George grimaced and shook his head in reply.  He'd been with the Captain, aye, but if he could have done it again he certainly wouldn't have been.  It hadn't been his captain's blue eyes, steady and self-assured, that stared up at him as he tried desperately to staunch the flow of blood.  Instead there had been fear, a fear he had seen before, in the eyes of young men dieing before their time.  And when the young man started to ask for men that were either dead or too preoccupied with killing to come to his side . . .No, that was definitely not something he ever wanted to live through again.

As for the latest news on their captain's condition . . .that hadn't exactly been uplifting, either.

Two splashes caused both men to straighten abruptly and scan the dark deck of the ship, cloaked in deep shadows now as the moon darted behind clouds.

"What was that?"  Timothy clutched his rifle tightly, and George made a point to stay out of his way, not wanting to get shot accidentally by an overeager or terrified shipmate.

"I don't know.  Sounded like it was off the starboard rail, though."

The two marines quickly made their way to the rail and gazed out over the water.  A moment later the moon reappeared, aiding them.

"Do you see anything?  Maybe it was just some fish, or a dolphin . . ."

Hardel didn't answer.  It would have had to be a large couple of fish, especially for ones traveling in schools, and it hadn't really sounded like a dolphin . . .

A brief glimpse of waterlogged red fabric before the moon once again disappeared was all that he needed to determine what had caused the sounds.

George Hardel sent a swift prayer to God that no more blood would be shed tonight.

All he said to his young companion was, "It must've just been some dolphins."

                                    *                                   *                                   *

"This is the most idiotic plan you've come up with to date."  Ana-Maria whispered the words almost directly into his ear, not wanting them to carry over the water.

"It is not idiotic."

"It is.  Foolhardy, reckless, rash, impudent, idiotic . . ."

"I get the point.  It worked well enough for Barbossa's crew, though."

"They were undead, there were a lot of them, and they were going for blood."

"You didn't have to come, love."

Ana-Maria simply snorted, though Jack was able to catch the occasional muttered curse as they swam toward the Jade.

Climbing the anchor chain would probably have been much easier for the undead, though Jack congratulated himself on not wincing once as the slash on his shoulder stretched with the strain.  The gun ports had been left open to allow fresh air into the smoke-filled gun deck, and it took only a minor bit of acrobatics to clamber in through one.

The pirate captain took a moment to ensure that he had everything in order as Ana-Maria followed his entry route.

"What's that?"  The female pirate nodded to the small glass vial that Jack was fingering, a clear liquid gently swaying inside it.

"Insurance."  The vial disappeared into one of the pirate captain's pockets as a broad grin displayed his gold teeth.

Ana-Maria nodded, clearly curious but willing to keep silent.  She followed as he made his way to a stair that led even further below.  "How d'you know where to go?"

"I've been on this ship before."  Jack motioned for silence as they approached their destination.

The silence was unnecessary, though.

"No guards, keys on the wall . . .very trusting man, Lieutenant Rollin is, don't you think?"  Jack twirled the keys idly in his hand as he watched the privateer crew that was locked in the brig slowly wake.

"Trusting except when it comes to us."  Ana-Maria also watched the privateers, unable to keep the distrust from her eyes.  This was dangerous, taking on another man's crew, a crew that wasn't truly pirate to begin with.

Then again, they really didn't have that much choice.

"Captain Sparrow?"  The young man who had asked Jack about his beard was the first to speak, though he was quickly hushed and pushed back by the older man that had taken over negotiations when Jason Compson met his maker.

"Jack Sparrow.  Ye come with a deal fer us?"

"Still Captain Jack Sparrow, and aye, I've got a deal for you.  I'm sure you heard what happened to Captain Lanebridges."

The privateer nodded, suspicion obvious on his face.  "We were wonderin' how the man's goin' t' protect our lives when he can' e'en protect 'imself."

"It is rather problematic, isn't it?  Of course, there's a simple solution.  Don't stay in a situation where your lives depend on his."

"An' exactly how are ye proposin' we do that, Captain Sparrow?  Ye might no' 'ave noticed, but our ship is crawlin' with marines."  The entire privateer crew was awake and listening attentively.

"I did notice, actually.  Maybe what you don't know is that I once commandeered two ships of the Royal Navy in under ten minutes with only myself and a blacksmith to work with.  This can't be all that much harder, now can it?"  Jack grinned as he spoke, continuing to swing the keys back in forth.  Some of the privateers followed the movement of the keys with their heads, looking for all the world like shaggy dogs hoping for table scraps.

"An' what would be yer terms and plans fer us takin' our own vessel back, then?"  The old privateer ignored the keys, watching Jack's face and eyes, scanning constantly for signs of deception.

"I let you boys out, we take back the ship, I captain her and we make for the nearest port that'll be a safe haven for both us and you.  There you'll get all the swag you've got stored in the hold, and those of you who want to can go out in the market for another ship and stay privateer.  Those of you who want to sign ship's articles and continue to crew on the Jade as pirates will be welcome to stay.  Do we have an accord?"

A gesture of the old privateer's hand silenced the whispered that had sprung up among the crew.  "Ye get the Jade when all's said and done?  What makes ye think we'll agree t' that?"

"Because I have the keys, I know the waters, I've got the plan, and if you don't want to be swingin' with me and my first mate here then I'd suggest you agree.  I'll make sure you get a good ship, even if it means takin' a bit out of my own pocket.  I'm not demandin' any part of the swag for myself.  I'm tryin' to be reasonable here, mate."  Jack stepped closer to the bars, still swinging the keys, close enough to taunt the captive men but not close enough for any of them to do anything about it.

"Ye're certain this plan o' yers'll work?"  The old privateer looked uncertainly between Jack and Ana-Maria, who had hung back by the stairs, watching for guards.

"Two ships in ten minutes with two people.  Compared to that, this is easy."  Gold teeth again glinted as Jack grinned, holding out his hand and stepping closer to the bars, still holding the keys outside their reach.  "Do we have an accord?"

The privateer returned the grin with an uncertain smile of his own.  "Aye.  We've an accord.  Now get us out."

                                    *                                   *                                   *

Rollin wiped a hand across his eyes once more, dispelling the fog that had settled over his vision and throwing a last glance in the Defender's direction.  It was long past time for him to call it a night . . .they would need every man able in body and in mind for what lay ahead, officers included.

He was almost as shocked as the marine on watch when his fist connected abruptly with the rail, causing his knuckles to crack and bringing a grimace of pain to his face.

Brian should never have been on the Defender in the first place.  It was foolhardy, rash, brash, idiotic . . .brave, valiant, daring, courageous . . .If the young man survived, it would be an even call as to whether Rollin would salute him, embrace him, or punch him.

"Gentlemen, please remain calm and keep your hands away from your weapons.  We're taking over this ship."  The calm voice sliced through the relative quiet of the night and it took a great deal of self-control on Rollin's part to keep from cursing furiously as he spun around, one hand automatically dropping to his pistol despite the warning.  He should have known better than to trust the pirate, no matter what the captain had said.

"I really wouldn't do that, mate."

Rollin froze, the click of a pistol being cocked assuring him he would never reach his weapons in time.

"Now, Lieutenant, if you'd kindly just order your men to weigh anchor, unfurl the sails, drop the boats on the starboard side, and then get in said boats, I'd be very appreciative."  The pistol the pirate kept aimed at his chest belied the politeness of the request.

"What makes you think I'd want to do that, Sparrow?"  There was absolutely no way he was going to give up his first command that easily.

"I do happen to have a pistol aimed at your heart."

"If you shoot me, my men will shoot you."  Rollin couldn't help but swallow nervously anyway.  He rather enjoyed living.

"I'm not exactly alone, either."  The pirate used his free hand to gesture to the other men around him, the Jade's original privateer crew.  The female pirate stood to the side and slightly behind her captain, gazing around suspiciously, waiting for someone to make a wrong move.

"You can't take this ship, Sparrow.  I'll not order my men to do the work, and you can't very well guard us and crew the ship at the same time.  I believe what we have here is a stalemate."  Rollin was rather proud of the strength and dispassion he had managed to fill his voice with.

"Really?  What would you say if I said that your captain's life depended on whether or not you followed my instructions?"

"You can't think that I'd believe . . ."  The derisive words stopped abruptly as Rollin studied the dark, predatory, deadly serious face of the man in front of him.  They had already dealt with a mercenary who used poison . . .in an effort to ensure his own survival, was it really so far-fetched to believe that this pirate would as well?  "How could you have?  Welks wouldn't even let Jenkin see him, why would he let . . ."

"Because he knows Brian trusts me.  He thought it might do the whelp good, figured it couldn't do him any harm . . .Now, I really don't have anything against the boy living, so if you'd like the antidote . . ."  The pirate captain held up a small vial.

"You bastard.  God damn you, he trusted you."  Rollin almost expected to feel blood start dripping down his hands as his fingers convulsively tightened into fists.

"I don't think that's helping anyone, mate.  Now, my requests were fairly simple and straightforward, weren't they?  Why don't you follow them, so we can all be on our way?"

Rollin again studied the man in front of him.  Was he bluffing?  He seemed so serious . . .and he knew the man was capable of killing, if he felt he had to . . .to protect both himself and the woman . . .the pirate could always tell himself, if Brian died, that it had either been inevitable from the injuries or Rollin's fault for delaying too long . . .

"Do what he said."  The words were forced through a throat that suddenly seemed too tight.

No one moved.

"Do what he said!"

This time the marines and sailors jumped to obey, weighing anchor and unfurling the sails, lowering the boats, all by the intermittent light of the moon.  Shouts from the Defender indicated that the watch had seen what was happening, but no one replied, and with the Royal Navy men disembarking on the starboard side of the Jade any shots that the Defender fired would have a greater chance of killing friend than they would have of killing foe.

Rollin was peripherally aware of his men being herded off the ship, but he kept his eyes focused only on Jack Sparrow and the woman standing beside him, one portion of his mind still searching for a way to extricate himself from his predicament, another part of his mind searching for mercy in the unreadable eyes.

Sparrow finally relaxed, grinning, and Rollin knew that he was the only marine left on the ship.

"Well, Lieutenant, I guess this would be farewell for us, aye?"

Rollin didn't answer, standing stiffly next to the railing.

"Isn't there something you'd like to ask me?  How much time your captain has?  How much of this you should give him?  Whether it'll really work or not?  Whether or not I think I can get away with this?"  Jack paced slowly toward the uncertain officer as he spoke until finally he was standing directly in front of him, the pistol in one hand and the small vial in the other.  "Hop on into one of the boats, Lieutenant, and I'll tell you what you need to know."

Rollin could see as he followed the pirate's instructions that the privateer crew had already taken up their positions on the ship, though the helm was notably unmanned.

"That's a good Navy man.  Now, what was I going to do . . ."  Sparrow leaned against the rail, staring down at the men in the water, a faint smile on his face.

"Give me the antidote.  If he dies it'll be on your head, and I won't rest until you're dead."  Despite his best efforts, Rollin found it hard to sound intimidating and in command when staring up at the man he was talking to.

"Ah, that's right . . .the antidote.  Well, y'see . . ."  Sparrow toyed with the vial for a moment before tossing it towards Rollin, who caught it with a minimum of fumbling.  The faint smile became a full-fledged grin.  "You were right the first time.  I wouldn't do that to the lad, not when he was already fighting for his life.  You might want to give him that anyway . . .he'll be needin' just about anything you can get into him to help with the pain."

For a moment Rollin simply stared at the pirate, completely speechless.  He had just handed over his first command to a pirate, all because he had fallen for a bluff.

"Don't take it so hard, son.  You're loyal, and you wanted your captain to live.  Nothin' wrong with that.  Besides, you were up against Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?  You never had a chance."

With that Sparrow disappeared from the rail, either going to take the helm or to chart a course for whomever he decided to name helmsman.  Rollin toyed with the idea of ordering his men to shoot at the ship that was slowly moving away and the privateers crewing her but quickly decided against it.  Enough blood had already been shed.

"Make for the Defender."  Even as he decided how he would present his case to Captain Jenkin, Rollin couldn't decide whether to hate the pirate captain for what he had done . . .or to thank him for showing his own, rather unique, brand of loyalty.

                                    *                                   *                                   *

The docks at Tortuga were crawling with sailors, ranging from honest merchant sailors to pirates to the occasional crew of privateers looking for supplies and a good time.

"It's been a pleasure working with ye, Captain Sparrow.  Profitable, too."  The old privateer smiled widely and extended his hand.

"Aye, Dave, quite pleasant and quite profitable.  I'm grateful to you and your boys for makin' it such."  Jack returned the handshake, turning with the older man to survey the two ships docked side by side.  "Are you sure you wouldn't want to rethink stayin' aboard?  You made a fine second mate."

David laughed and shook his head.  "I'm too old t' give up my marque and go back t' full-time piracy.  I like only havin' two navies after my head at any one time.  Besides, ye already snagged about half o' my boys."

"They're good men . . .still need a bit more training, but they're good men."

"Aye, they are, and ye're a fair captain.  Ye've earned the Jade, and I'm more than content with the Eagle."  Both men surveyed the ship tied up next to the Jade.  "She's a good ship.  Cost a pretty penny, but a good ship."

"I'm sure you'll do fine with her."

"As I'm certain ye'll do fine with the Jade.  I'll be seein' ye around, Jack Sparrow.  Fair winds and calm seas."

"Same to you, Dave."

The privateer nodded and made his way down the dock, humming the newest song he had learned under his breath.  Jack smiled as he heard it, but the smile quickly faded as he stared at the Jade.

"Not quite the Pearl, is she?"  Ana-Maria wrapped her arms gently around her captain, speaking softly into his ear.

Jack leaned back into her embrace, shaking his head slightly.  "No, definitely not the Pearl.  There'll never be another ship like her."

"I know.  I'm sorry."

"For what?"  Jack turned his head slightly so he could see his lover and first mate.

"That you're hurting.  That I didn't see through Michael's tricks.  That I doubted you.  That I can't do anything t' help you with this."

Jack twisted all the way around in her embrace.  "You are doin' somethin'.  You're being here.  I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost both of my ladies."

Ana-Maria didn't get a chance to answer as Jack leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss, both a display of passion and a reassurance.

When they finally broke apart, Jack's trademark grin was once more in place.

"Now, love, how about we go chase some horizons?"