Chapter 7
"Jack?" Ana whispered, worry weighing down her voice as Jack's respiration slowed even further. He was barely breathing now and a quick check at his inner wrist told her that his pulse was similarly suffering.
"C'mon ye daft pirate, ye can't die on me!"
Jack's only response was for his breathing to come to a complete stop.
"Jack! No!" Ana nearly screamed, shaking his limp body furiously. "No!" She repeated, hoping beyond all hope that it would bring him back. When that tactic failed, she brought back her hand and swung it forward. The blow landed on his cheek and sent his head lolling to the side.
Still no response.
She pressed her fingers to his inner wrist once more, searching out his pulse. She found it, only to discover that it was slowing and becoming weaker.
In a last, desperate act, she pressed her lips to his and forced air into his lungs. She did this twice more, hoping, praying that he would breathe.
To her great relief, her silent prayers were answered as his chest expanded on its own. Once she was sure he would continue to take breaths for himself, she rocked back on her heels and looked down at him with a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. It disappeared however, when she noticed the dark purplish mark encompassing his neckline and the noose of rope that had created it still wrapped tightly about his neck. She peeled the rope off and examined the braided pattern embedded in the tender flesh.
Ana rose to her feet decisively, dragging Jack up with her by hooking her arms beneath his. She shuffled towards the horse, who was casually grazing in the ditch and, once there, hoisted Jack's dead weight up into the saddle. She then carefully laid him forward on the animal's neck, making sure his body was balanced. She secured her own foot in the stirrup and swung up behind the saddle, collecting the reins on her way. Wrapping one arm around Jack's chest, she pulled him close to her and held the reins in her free hand. She then clucked to the horse, kicked its sides, and they started for the countryside at a flat run.
~*~
"Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed, bursting into the forge and very near well falling into his arms, crying hysterically.
"Elizabeth," Will muttered in surprise, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her trembling shoulders. "I thought you were going to that hanging with you father…"
"They got him, Will, they got him," Elizabeth sobbed, burying her face in his soot-covered leather apron.
"What? Slow down, Elizabeth, slow down, here," he said softly, carefully pushing her away from him and removing the leather apron. Tossing the clothing article aside, he once again collected Elizabeth in his arms and held her close until her panic-stricken weeping had mostly subsided.
Elizabeth pulled away from him, wiping a hand across her eyes carefully, trying to compose herself. Once her breathing was normally paced and her tears were dried, she took in a deep breath.
"Alright, now tell me what happened."
"They caught him; I'm not sure how-"
"They caught who? Jack?"
Elizabeth nodded, not trusting her voice to deliver the message as her throat constricted.
"But that means…" Will's eyebrows came together as some of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "Was he the one?"
Elizabeth nodded again, fresh tears sliding from her eyes.
Will stepped back, the news hitting him harder than a bullet to the chest. Jack—his only connection to his father—was gone…dead…killed, no, murdered. He slumped into a nearby chair and leaned forward, holding his head in his hands and silently mourning his friend.
~*~
The clatter of frantic hooves on stone echoed down to the dark-stained deck of the Black Pearl. Gibbs released the loose end of rope from the knot he had finished tying and looked up the hill from which the sound had emanated. There shouldn't be any civilians out this far, in this harsh, uninhabited side of the island.
A tall, sturdily built horse tore around from behind a large boulder. His chestnut-colored fur sported large patches of sweat which darkened the hide to an almost black color in the waning light. White foam dripped from corners of the animal's mouth, spattering on its legs, chest and the ground beneath its feet.
Ana sat firmly on the creature's back, her hand hard on the reins, drawing out any slack and keeping tight control over the beast. Her right arm was wrapped securely around a very familiar figure…
"Jack?!" Gibbs exclaimed, watching as the horse and his two riders flew down the rough hillside. There was something noticeably wrong with the picture: Jack was jerking about with the horse's stride like a rag doll.
The horse's footing faltered as it slipped harshly on a loose stone, sending him and his riders skidding extra feet towards the beach in a cloud of brown dust. The animal clumsily regained its footing and continued hastily weaving through the field of rocks.
Once they reached the shoreline Ana quickly slipped form the horse's back and dragged Jack down after her. She did her best to hold him up as his lifeless weight slouched towards the ground.
[a/n: Please review. Also, this story won an award in a local contest, although the ending had to be changed for the worse at the beginning of Chapter 4.]