A/N: Thank you so much for your nice reviews! You don't know how much it means to me…nothing much else to say, though, other than that. :D 'Blue Monday' is a song by Orgy. No lyrics were used in the making of this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean(though I wish I did), Jack Sparrow(wish did once again), nor any other character from this kick-ass movie. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this fic; I'd be making another movie. And hanging out with Johnny Depp. I have yet to see a pig fly over my house wearing a tutu either. So, no sueing, please?
Summary: Will is living happily with his newly wed wife, Elizabeth. But when someone from Jack's foggy past comes, sworn to have revenge on Jack Sparrow, he and Jack must stick by the truth and their friendship in order to survive.
~Tell No Lies~
~Chapter 8~
~Blue Monday~
Captain Jones paced back and forth, Jack's hat in hand, the ceiling of the cave which he resided in dripping with dew. He wondered how long it could possibly take to kill somebody. He had told the hypnotized Jack Sparrow that after he killed Turner to come back to the cave. Then, he would have his own little fun of killing Sparrow himself. But with him being so late, the very small patience he had with Sparrow was thinning quickly. Usually he was a very calm man and could keep his emotions, or at least his anger, in check. Sparrow was the only exception to this rule.
He remembered that day 24 years ago clearly, just before he would turn 16. Sparrow had a bit of a head start of him age-wise, 2 years before his manhood. It had been a month or two since his confrontation with the robber who had hypnotized him, and ever since then he had doubts about Jack's loyalty. He wanted to believe the thoughts of Jack betraying him were simply hallucinations, but his worst fears had been confirmed. Jack had shot him in the leg during a fight with an enemy pirate ship, no doubt trying to aim for his heart in a moment of weakness, when Jack could simply blame Jones' death on one of the enemy crewmen.
Even since then Jones had a limp in his leg every once in a while from the old bullet wound. He didn't mind cheaters in battle, since he did so himself, being a pirate and all, but when someone verbally lied to his face, especially somebody he considered a friend, he couldn't stand it, nor traitors. Not only that, but Jones would carry the scar of the bullet wound for the rest of his life. The only way he would be put at peace of mind was to kill the accursed Jack Sparrow--his former best friend, his hated enemy, a liar, a betrayer, and the one who had shot him.
Jones almost didn't hear the echoing footsteps from behind him. Jones swirled around, a triumphant smirk planted on his lips. Sparrow was staggering forward, limping heavily on his injured ankle. He refused to look Jones in the eye.
"Well, ye finally decided to show up, traitor," Jones hissed venomously, "Well? Did ye kill the Turner boy?"
He got no answer, which Jones should have expected. Jones sighed, exasperated. "Nod 'yes' if ye did, moron."
A single nod, which could have been mistaken for Sparrow falling asleep.
"Good. Did ye bring the proof?"
Jack swiftly produced a bloody torn piece of fabric from his pocket. He presented it to Jones, who recognized it as a part of the shirt Turner had been wearing when he saw him in the bar.
Jones grinned maliciously. "Excellent," He whispered, "The boy was more trouble than what he was worth, but he stood against me so he had to die. It's too bad; he was one of the few honest men out there." Jones then pulled out his cutlass, it's clean metal shining brightly in what little sunlight that entered the cave. "And now, Jack…for yer reward." He used the flat side of the blade to push Jack's chin up so he could get to see the look of agony on jack's face when he slit his throat.
He was surprised to see Jack's vivid brown eyes glaring into his defiantly, his own lips pulled into a small smirk. Then, he felt the tip of Jack's own sword touch his stomach. "I don't think so, mate,"
Jones was so shocked he took a step backwards. "B-but how? Ye were hypnotized! There's no way yer back to normal unless I released ye!"
Sparrow shook one of his fingers and said tauntingly, swaying with extreme confidence, "Ye forgot one very important thing, mate," Jack plucked his hat from Jones' hands and placed it on top of his head, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. An'…ye have dear William here to thank for that." Jack waved behind himself, and Turner stepped out of the shadows proudly, his own sword drawn. A piece of his clothing was torn off and Jones noticed that his hand had a small cut on it. Jones realized right away that he had been tricked.
Jones' blood boiled.
"Now, we promise we won't kill ye, as much as ye deserve it, ye sadistic bastard, as long as ye just listen, an' listen well." Sparrow said calmly, his odd motions returning more so with a vengeance.
Listen to Sparrow? The one person he hated more than anything else? Just to hear more of his retched lies? Over my dead body, Jones thought angrily.
"No," Jones said thickly, "The only thing I'm goin' to listen to is the sound of yer lifeless bodies droppin' to the ground once I'm through with ye."
~*~
Elizabeth couldn't stand it, hanging around The Black Pearl doing absolutely nothing of importance. She fidgeted greatly with his fingers, her lips a thin line as she sat on top of Jack's bed in his cabin. The whole room smelled of stale rum and ocean water, a bittersweet scent. The bed felt very worn but comfortable, and she wouldn't have minded sleeping on it, as long as Jack was beside her at the time.
Jack. Thinking about him and his roguish ways made her heart leap into her throat. Sometimes Jack made her just want to scream, other times she hated being without him. This was one of those times. All she wanted to do was see him, and her husband safe and with her. Being in Jack's room was the closest thing to it, since the room smelled almost exactly like Jack, and Will was still fresh in her mind.
One thing about her was that she was very stubborn. When someone said no, she would say yes. Almost nobody would question her, her body stance and determined almond eyes saying that it was useless to argue.
But this time she had lost the fight. Will was out there without her, doing who knows what. That Jones character was to meet Will at a bar, and she didn't like the situation one bit. It had been a while since they made port, and there was no sign of either her husband or Jack Sparrow.
Even though Will had said no, her heart still cried 'yes'. And she intended to listen to it.
Within the next few minutes, Jack's cabin was empty, a soft breeze blowing through the open window.
~*~
Elizabeth entered The Drunken Monkey bar, trying her best to look like she belonged in the pub. It was very hard to, though, since her hair was tied neatly into a bun and everyone else's were in clumps since they had torn out each others' hair in drunken rages. Her dress was a simple power blue and clean, and everyone else looked like they had just bathed in a mud puddle. In other words, she was very out of place.
Nevertheless, she strode up to the bar counter gracefully, her head high. She tapped on the shoulder of the female bartender, who looked like she was about to fall asleep with exhaustion, and her long black hair falling over her face like a mask. The bartender jerked, and looked up at Elizabeth expectantly. Despite her tired demeanor, Elizabeth could tell she was the only sober person in the whole bar other than herself.
"Excuse me, but had a man who goes by the name of Will Turner come in here recently?" Elizabeth inquired politely.
The bartender blinked, and said, "Sorry, but I get lots of customers in here, miss, and nobody tells me their names. Could ye be a bit more specific and describe what he looks like?"
"He's about five foot eleven, has dark brown hair in a pony tail, brown eyes, and carries a sword with him everywhere. Have you seen him?" She asked once more urgently.
The bartender frowned. "I might have…can ye tell me anything else about him?"
"He was supposed to be with some called Captain Jones,"
The bartender's eyes widened. "Aye, I've seen him. Him and Captain Jones were sitting over there--" she pointed to a set of tables, "--And they ordered two mugs of rum. Nice guys, the only ones I haven't to drag out of here. Captain Jones comes in here often and he's always such a gentleman."
Elizabeth nodded. "Right. Where did they go?"
"Don't know," she shrugged, "That Will Turner boy left a bit earlier than Captain Jones…they could have gone anywhere."
Elizabeth's heart sank; a dead-end. "…Right. Thank you, miss."
She turned around and was about to walk away, when the bartender called to her, "They might've gone over to that cave over the other side of the island, not too far off shore…Captain Jones has been known to make berth there, ye know."
Elizabeth turned around and smiled. "That helps a lot. Thank you very much."
~*~
For a moment time froze. The only thing that moves was the never-ending drips from the cave ceiling. Jones' sword pointed threateningly at Jack, while said pirate and Will had theirs' pointed at him in turn.
Jack's heart pounded in his chest, his fear hidden under his calm mask. Looking Jones in the face, blood lust written all over it, it made him feel a bit sad. Knowing that this man was once his best friend and that he might have to kill him if so needed. And he didn't even know the truth. He wouldn't hear it. Not that he really blamed him; he had his own fair share of lies in the past and he tended to sugarcoat pretty much all of his stories, so no wonder nobody would believe him otherwise.
But the sharp pains in his ankle, head, entire body for that matter, the lingering fever and thoughts that he almost killed Will came to mind. Even though a part of him didn't want to kill Jones, if he had to, he would enjoy the moment of revenge, even if it only lasted for a second.
Time sped up again as Jones charged with a roar.
Jack and Jones parried and when Jones struck again Will intercepted. It seemed almost unfair for Jones, two against one. But then again, Jack was in pretty rough shape, enough to even the odds slightly.
Jack's head swam with every strike he blocked or dealt. Will refused to leave Jack unguarded, which made him a bit vulnerable to Jones' attacks. Jack couldn't help but feel lucky that Will was such a loyal friend, and he reminded him more than ever of old Bootstrap Bill. But even though he felt like he was about to fall apart with pain, he would not show weakness. He would fight his hardest, with or without Will's help, and if necessary, his dirtiest.
Jack and Will backed Jones up with each attack, who was now looking pretty desperate. A river of water was running through the middle of the cave, and the trio was closing in on it rapidly.
But Jack didn't see it coming, concentrating too hard on his attacks and ignoring his pain. His feet sloshed in the wet and he tripped over a rock buried underneath. He swore to himself, and Jones was about to bring his cutlass down onto him, when Will came up from behind.
"Don't even think of it," Will said tightly.
A snarl grew on Jones' face, and Jack rose up from the ground rapidly, sword extended.
"Ye can't win, Jones," Jack slurred, "Dear William and I work together in this, savvy? We'll defend one another when we need it, which blossoms from something I like to call 'trust', but ye wouldn't know 'bout that, would ye?"
"How he can trust ye I'll never know," Jones growled, lunging for Jack again. Jack blocked and Will stuck close beside him. Jones glared at Will with narrowed eyes, then pushed Jack away, taking a few steps back. Jack stumbled back a bit as well, then the two charged back at Jones. Jones dodged their attacks or blocked, being back up while doing so.
Then, finally, Will struck again, but Jones ducked just in time--only to have Will's sword get lodged into a crack in the cave wall.
Will gritted his teeth and pulled to get his sword out of the wall, but it wouldn't budge. Jones smirked, and was about to chop his head off when Jack came from behind swiftly and blocked the attack.
"Now, now, no need to lose yer head 'bout things," Jack said almost casually through gritted teeth.
They released parry and slashed at each other relentlessly, the sound of their swords clattering together almost musically. Then Jones, who looked infuriated by the whole ordeal, swung his sword with the force that Babe Ruth would have used to hit a home run at Jack's stomach. Jack twisted his arms just in time to block this attack, but it knocked him backwards--right into Will, who was still struggling to release his sword.
They banged heads and backs together, Will's forehead hitting the wall with great force. While Jack was only momentarily stunned by the collision when he fell, Will crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Jack shook his head, ignoring as much as he could the new pain that added to the list of injuries he was quickly creating. Jack looked back to see if the blacksmith was okay, but his eyes widened to see Will's unconscious form.
"Will?" Jack called softly, poking the blacksmith in the shoulder. He didn't stir. "Come on, whelp, don't quit on me now!"
"So, it's just me an' ye now," Jones said, pointing his sword at Jack and motioning him to stand up.
"Just ye and old Jack," Jack whispered to himself, standing up obediently. Jack clenched both of his hands tightly, his sword shaking slightly under the pressure, and his back turned to Jones. No word in the English language could describe how Jack truly felt at that moment. But when it passed, and the pirate captain looked back at Jones, one word was written across his face: determination.
"You," Jack said softly, for once speaking with true clarity, "Are going to pay for this. If yer goin' to keep bein' a stubborn ass, then you shall pay for what you put William and I through, Jones. Savvy?"
"Well, ye deserved everything that caused ye pain, Sparrow, and ye know it,"
"I've had enough of this," Jack growled in a low voice, "I'm goin' to make ye listen even if it kills me…or you, whichever comes first."
"I wouldn't have it any other way,"
Action flashed. Jack and Jones both dove for each other, their swords coming together like magnets. They struck at each other in turn, both able to block each other perfectly. They circled each other step by step, finding themselves traveling the length of the cave. Jones suddenly swung for Jack's head, but Jack ducked, his ankle caving in slightly at this motion and making him stumble a bit. Jones slashed at Jack again, but said pirate captain regained his balance just in time to turn his arm at an odd angle and block.
"This is getting old fast, Jones," Jack suddenly announced, "Why won't ye just listen to what I have to say and spare us both the pain?" Jack still felt rage towards Jones boil deep inside himself, but he had hope…deep underneath all of the anger…that he could get through to his former best friend.
Like Will had done. When he had come out of his trance, Jack had felt unbelievable guilt well up inside himself. He had almost lost control and lost himself, and it almost cost his friend's life. But he had come through it because of Will. Would he be able to save Jones from his hatred, much like Will had done for him?
But, Jones was a stubborn one. "I have no reason to listen to a traitor like ye and yer lies, Sparrow," repeated Jones with a snarl. He then began to attack Jack with even greater strength, apparently now fueled by pure rage.
But Jack still hung on. He attacked back, but he soon felt his wrists grow sore and his head spun on vertigo. He had to end this before he passed out, in which he was sure Jones would finish him off in his moment of weakness.
Jack found himself backing up onto a large rock, giving himself a bit of distance away from Jones where he couldn't reach. "Ye know I never take 'no' for an answer, mate," Jack shouted to Jones, waving his free hand aimlessly, lurching forward slightly as he talked, "Now pay attention. I want to tell ye what really happened that day 24 years ago. I'll even put down my sword to show ye I don't want to hurt ye. Do we have an accord?"
"No!" Jones shouted impatiently, stomping his foot for effect, "I don't want to hear yer lies!!"
"Then ye won't. I'm not goin' to lie to ye, son," Jack answered crossly, "Just give me a chance--"
"SHUT UP!!" Jones bellowed. Jones pulled his arms up to what Jack thought was to cover his ears, but when he heard the loud BANG that followed, he knew something was wrong.
Jack looked down and saw red. He felt no pain, but the feeling in his fingertips leaving and even more weakness in his legs told him what he feared. Jones had shot him.
Thankfully, it had only hit him in the side. But Jack felt a dull awareness over the shock that blood was gushing from the bullet wound at rapid speed, and that with all of the other complications he was experiencing, he would bleed to death.
Jack was remotely aware of him taking a few steps forward and off of the rock. His sword fell from his hand as he collapsed to the ground and leaned against it. He started to feel the dull pain radiating from the bullet wound. His hand drifted towards it and covered it weakly, and he glanced at Jones' face with shallow breathing.
Jones was looking at Jack with triumph, his pistol still smoking a little.
Jack barely and when he did, it was softer than he would have liked it. "Well, ye got what ye wanted, Tristan," Jack whispered softly, "But for what? You…have no idea…no idea…"
"I believe I have an idea," Jones replied harshly, pocketing his pistol, "Justice has been served."
"What justice?" Jack asked hoarsely, "I never did ye any wrong…except attempt to be yer friend…I've felt guilty because ye never knew the truth. I could have told ye it all along, but ye didn't have enough faith to listen."
"Please, yer dyin' and yer still lyin'?" growled Jones, "I should just finish ye off now,"
"True, ye could just kill me now," Jack replied, "But if I've been tryin' to tell ye for 24 years…don't ye think it must be important?"
"Not especially," Jones shot back.
"Well, then as a dyin' man's wish, will ye listen to what I have to say, just once? Afterwards, as ye should know, ye won't have to hear from me ever again."
Jones sighed in exasperation, "Fine. At least I know I'll never have to listen to yer vile voice ever again afterwards."
Jack inclined his head. "Much obliged to ye," he said almost sarcastically, "Now, what I'm about to tell ye, no matter what ye've heard or what ye think, is the honest truth. So pay attention…"
~To Be Continued...~
Next Chapter: Truth comes out, yo (finally).
*ducks from Jack fangirls* Don't hurt me, please. I love Jack, too. It pains me to hurt him, but it's for plot's sack. I have my other chapter written and I just need to type it up, so hopefully it won't be too long of a wait. Reviews are always nice. ~_^
