Disclaimer: Ahem…Disney didn't want to trade…*shrugs and winces* still hurts from big scary guys. I still stand by my claim of possession. I possessed Jack, I should keep him…at least 9/10ths of him anyway…or 1/10th…either way I'd make some money hehehe…actually I wouldn't even care if I didn't make any money, just having a piece of him would be nice…ok I'll stop now.
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Haunted
Chapter 10
"Where's Osrick?" Will asked skeptically.
"Out there…tried te get in me 'ead again…fought 'im…guess 'e forgot who I was," Jack offered a weak smile before slowly moving towards Will and Elizabeth.
"Is 'e dead?" Ana questioned. Her eyes narrowed and she tried to sit up straight. Jack looked over to her and shook his head as he bent by Will and Elizabeth.
"Why didn' ye kill 'em?" Ana half asked, half accused. Jack worked at Will's bonds carefully and a moment later they fell away allowing the blacksmith to slump forward.
"I wanted te get te you all first. 'e's hurt pretty bad, can't do anything more," Jack spoke as he undid Elizabeth's hands. When she was finally free she reached down to untie her own legs.
"Did he hurt you more?" Ana looked up with concern as Jack knelt by her and began on her ropes.
"I'll be alright…nothin' a lit'l rum an' rest can't fix," His voice held humor, but Ana could not see the quick flash of red in his eyes and the smirk that played on his lips.
Her ropes fell to the ground and she quickly bent forward to undo the ones holding her legs. Elizabeth was now standing in front of Will assessing his wounds.
"We have to get you all to a doctor quickly," Elizabeth said. Her gaze was on Will's heavy lidded eyes. "Can you move any?"
"'m ok…are you?" Will asked softly. Elizabeth nodded in response. Ana looked wearily from Jack to the young couple, guilt found its way in.
"It's my fault…" Ana spoke. "I hurt you and let that bloody bastard get in me 'ead."
"Anamaria…" Elizabeth looked at the other woman.
"'s'not yer fault…if any, it's mine, but let's worry 'bout that later. I want te finish him off now," Jack seethed. He slowly moved to the door, but not before picking up the pitch fork they'd all been tormented with. Ana silently followed, wanting to exact her own revenge.
"I can't bare to see that man again," Elizabeth shook her head. Will touched her cheek where she'd been hit, and closed his eyes tightly.
"Jack…finish it…please…" The blacksmith weakly requested.
"Aye."
Jack and Ana silently made their way from the small room to the door. After closing it behind her, Ana looked down at the unmoving figure on the floor. Osrick lay on his stomach, his face turned in her direction. Anger boiled up inside her looking down on the man, but she found herself focusing on his face. It held a measure of innocence on it, no evil smirk or snarl. Innocence was not befitting of the man on the ground, how could it be that it sat so easily on his face? Ana's brow furrowed in thought.
"Would you like the honors?"
Jack's voice caught Ana's attention and she moved her gaze to him where he stood holding the pitch fork up in her direction. She observed his stance….it was Jack's, even though it was slumped and held exhaustion. His eyes were the warm brown they had always been. He even tried to hide the fact that he was hurting badly like he did when ever he was injured.
"How do I know it's you?" Ana asked. Jack cocked his head a little.
"It's me Ana…although I wouldn't expect you trust me after what I did te you…" Jack's eyes fell to floor, guilt flooding his demeanor. It reached out and back lashed into her, causing her to feel the way he looked.
"I didn't mean te-"
"Come 'ere…" Jack said, looking up at her. He placed the pitchfork on the table and held out his arms to her. Ana hesitantly walked over to him. She was pulled into his embrace and couldn't help reveling in the fell of it. It was amazing at how much he'd been through and he could still hold her with that much strength. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she needed to know…but she couldn't bring herself to break the contact, to move, it was the only thing that reminded her that it was over…they were free again.
His arms pulled her closer, holding her tighter and she freely allowed it, not wanting to hold back. They were all alive and Osrick was defeated, all that was left was to kill him, get out of this evil place, and move on…but something bothered her. Despite her heart's protestation, she pulled back so she could look into Jack's eyes. He gazed back down at her and gave a weak smile.
"I need t' ask ye somethin'…t' make sure…" Ana said trying not to hurt him with her words.
"What is it love?" Jack asked, confusion in his eyes.
"What did ye say t' me before…before you went t' 'at place in yer mind?" Ana asked. Jack's eyes searched hers, rather he was trying to think of the answer or analyze her question, she didn't know.
"Why do ye ask?" He replied.
"I need te know it's really you…"
"I don' really remember…I was about t' past out at the time," Jack played around the answer Ana was looking for.
"Try…fer me…" Ana said, her mind beginning to ask questions. He silently looked her over as if rolling the request around in his mind.
"I said…Don' let 'im win…" Jack finally answered. Ana sighed with relief and chuckled a bit.
"'m sorry I just-" Ana was cut off by Jack's lips as they connected to hers. They moved slowly as if asking permission to do so. After a moment of shock Ana melted against him and allowed him the access his mouth requested. Her lips parted and his did as well, quickly changing the pace of the kiss from slow to passionate. Tears streamed freely from Ana's eyes as she lifted her hand to his face and running her thumb along his cheek. His hands slid down her back to her hips and pulled her even closer to deepen the kiss. Ana's eyes fluttered open and she pulled back slowly. Jack's eyes flew open, still dazed from the kiss, wondering why she had stopped.
"I'm sorry…" Ana whispered. Jack's head dipped in further confusion of her words.
"Fer what?" He asked.
"If I'm wrong…" She said.
"What-" Jack's confusion deepened, but a sudden blow from behind cut him off and Ana jumped away from him as three spikes shot out from Jack's chest. Jack's eyes were wide in shock and pain as he looked down at the bloody spikes emitting from his chest. His mouth moved, but no words were breathed; only gurgling sounds from deep with him. Over Jack's shoulder Ana saw Osrick standing behind him with the other end of the pitch fork in both his hands as he pushed and drove the spikes further in. A cry of agony rushed from Jack. Dear Lord, had she been wrong?!
Abruptly, the world around her flickered and the two men before her swapped places. Osrick now stood before her with the spikes sticking out from him and Jack stood behind him pushing on the broken wood.
"Die!" Jack exclaimed before giving a final push and stepping back. Osrick fell to his knees as he looked up at Ana, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.
"But…how…" Was all he could say before falling to his side and letting out his last breath. Blood began to pool around him, but he moved no more. Ana's chest heaved as her eyes quickly flew from Osrick to Jack. He stood too, his chest moving rapidly in pain and difficulty, looking at her, his hair dangling in his face. His shirt was in tangles, shredded and bloodied, his body was slumped forward from the wounds and exhaustion he endured, but Ana had never loved the sight of him more.
"Jack…" Ana said almost in question, she'd been fooled too many times already and if this wasn't the truth, she didn't think she could take it. She waited, hoping and praying and watched his simple nod and knew more than anything else that it was truly him.
She couldn't stop herself from running to him even if she had wanted to, her body ached and burned, but she didn't care. She ran into his open arms and felt she could breathe for the first time since the whole thing had started. Jack winced in pain at the impact, but when Ana tried to pull away as to not hurt him, his arms closed around her and held her to him.
Ana's body trembled despite her attempts to make it stop and she buried her face into his unharmed shoulder. Jack laid his cheek against her hair and moved his hand up to her head to stroke it slowly, reassuring her the ordeal was over. He softly hushed her, not caring that her tears dampened his shirt, but instead fought to keep his own at bay.
"It's ok now…'m here…" He murmured softly to her.
"I wasn't sure-he seemed different, but I thought it was you-what if it was? He would've killed ye..."Ana shook her head.
"But it wasn't, love…how did you know…it wasn't me?" Jack lifted his head to look at her.
"I wasn't sure until…'e kissed me…I kissed that man," Ana said with disgust. "It wasn't the way you have," she looked up at him. "It was different, and then I saw you standing up behind him, grabbing the fork. I jus' had te take the chance."
"I knew I could trust you…I knew you'd know t' truth." Jack shook his head.
"Jack, I don' know if ye could e'er forgive me. I won't be able to my self. I did all those things to-"
"Don't do that te yer self. 'm just as guilty…I did too many-"
"If I can't, then you can't." Ana looked up at Jack's pained expression that she knew mirrored her own.
"What he said…about me not caring…it wasn't true, I do care. Yer not jus' like the rest, yer better than that," Jack looked at her, silently hoping that she would believe him. She smiled lightly at him, smiled for the first time after the ordeal.
"I ne'er believed for a second…"
Jack let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He was grateful to be alive, grateful that they were still safe, and more than ever, grateful for the woman before him. He tightened his embrace and dipped his head so that his lips were a whisper away from hers. Ana didn't wait, but lifted her mouth to his, softly pressing against him. Their lips brushed lightly before Ana deepened the kiss causing Jack to intake a deep breath. Jack's hand rose to her cheek to wipe away the tear that trailed downward slowly. It traced to her jaw line and followed down to her chin where he cupped it lightly and brought her mouth even closer to his.
Ana suddenly became aware of something sticking to her shirt and she quickly broke the kiss. She took a step back and looked down to see that Jack's blood now covered her own shirt. Her eyes widened and she stepped back even further to look him over. He was pale, too pale and his eyes showed clearly the pain he was feeling.
"Damn it Jack, we need te get you out o' here…" Ana hissed. She placed her arm around his back to help support him. The door opened behind them and Elizabeth stood next to Will as he leaned heavily into her. His shirt was off exposing the many injuries he had sustained. Multiple puncture wounds riddled his body burned closed from the heated metal used to create them. Most had been covered with strips of Elizabeth's dress. He too was pale and favoring his leg that hadn't been injured.
"Is he…" Elizabeth trailed off as she stared at the body on the floor. The female pirate nodded slowly not seeing the need to explain what had happened.
"Will…'m sorry mate," Jack's voice wavered as he took in the extent of the blacksmiths wounds.
"It's just good…to have you back, Jack." Will said weakly.
"We have to go now." Ana moved to the front door, taking her time so she didn't open Jack's wounds even more. Worry was evident on her face, they all needed medical attention, but if the two men didn't get any soon, it wouldn't end happily after all. After fifteen minutes of walking it was becoming more and more difficult to continue moving them.
"Stop…I have to sit down for a moment…" Will's gruff voice broke the silence that was thick with unease.
"We have to get you to a doctor," Elizabeth said.
"The lad's right," Jack said, moving from Ana's grip to lean against a tree. "We can't keep goin' like this."
"We're not stopping. We're not going to lose you two after all that!" Ana's face was stern, but her eye's held the fear and uncertainty within her.
"Go get help…" Will spoke after a moment. "Get the commodore and some of his men. You two need attention as well."
"What about Jack and I? We can't get help from them." Ana shook her head.
"Jack saved us…I won't allow anything to happen to you, no matter what. If he doesn't receive the best of care…" Elizabeth looked at the pirate as he slowly slid himself down the tree to a sitting position. Jack snickered up at the two women.
"You make it sound like 'm gonna die 'er somethin', love. Gonna take a lot more 'n-" Jack broke out into a cough before continuing, "-that te get rid o' Jack Sparrow."
Ana looked at the two men as Elizabeth helped Will settle to the ground.
"Go get them…I'll stay here."
Elizabeth only nodded at the other woman's words. She leaned down and kissed Will softly before quickly continuing towards the port town. Ana kneeled down beside Jack and shook her head.
"I need to do something about those." Ana said before reaching for Jack's shirt. He smiled up at her before nodding towards Will.
"Don' think that's a good idea te be doin' in front of the whelp, 'e might get ideas fer 'is weddin' night."
"Close yer trap and save yer energy…"Ana ordered. "I have to put something over these…this shirt is as good as gone anyway."
"Leave it…I won't be able to move to get it off," Jack said soberly. Concern was etched across Ana's face as she looked from him to Will. Sudden Jack hissed in pain and lurched forward away from the tree.
"What!" Ana held his shoulders and looked behind him. A long slash ran along his back. "Holy Mary...where'd that come from?"
"Long story…" Jack muttered. Ana moved behind him to better examine the cut. She noted with a bit of relief that it wasn't deep, and the blood had stopped flowing except in a few places. She pulled loose the bandana from around her head and held a corner in her mouth before pulling hard at it. It began ripping and the pirate continued to stripe pieces off. She constantly glanced over at Will to make sure he was doing ok.
As Jack leaned forward, Ana laid some of the strips down on his back and pressed down lightly. Jack shuddered at the applied pressure, his muscles tensed, but he said nothing. Her attention was suddenly caught by the bloody cut on his left shoulder and her breath caught hard in her chest. It was the one she had inflicted upon him and guilt gnawed at her. Suddenly Jack slumped forward and Ana moved in front of him, pushing him up so she could see his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing shallow.
"Jack! Wake up!"
"What happened?" Will asked, wincing against the pain it caused when he moved.
"He pasted out…"
"'m…still…'ere…"Jack whispered.
"Open yer eyes!" Ana demanded, tapping his face lightly.
"So tired…Ana…" Jack murmured.
"Open them, damn it!" Ana gave a sharp smack to his cheek and his eyes fluttered open.
"Can't…" His voice was barely audible. The sound of horse hooves beating against the ground rose up as birds called out in the trees alerting the rest of the forest to their presence. A smile tugged at the pirate captain's lips. "Calvary's…'ere."
Ana looked up and saw two horses racing towards them with two more behind them pulling a cart. The commodore sat upon the horse that was closing the space between them fastest. She looked back down at Jack and saw his eyes closed again.
"Jack!"
No response.
"Jack!"
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A/N: Ok, I lied. There will be another chapter after this one, the muses aren't letting it go as easily as I thought. Who knows when it'll end? I hope soon, I have to get started on the new one that's forming in my warped lit'l mind. Was everyone able to understand what happened? *looks around nervously* If not, just whack me up side the head and I'll try to make it better, promise!
Also, I just want to say…THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've reached 90 reviews, and it's all because of YOU GUYS!!! I never expected that to happen, and I have all you wonderful peeps to thank.
Inu lover: The memory of the two men themselves are real, and the things that happened really did happen, just not at the time this takes place. Thanks! XD
Kacijo12: er…sorry…I can't say it's really over…*winces* I know, I'm horrible…I'll let you know I promise ;o)
Jack the monkey: Huh…I didn't know he could use the computer. Must be a very talented monkey. :P j/k…thanks!
LaVieSansAmour: Oh yes, gouging his eyes out would be fun. Hehe, perhaps you should get together with AhiFlame, she's very fond of the idea of letting the readers have at Osrick. *blushes* ooo…best story ever, what a great compliment…thanks mate!
Ferntree: *ducks as fists fly* Hehehe, we should stick this girl in a boxing ring with Osrick. Hahaha, s'ok we're allowed to be a lit'l crazy here. I look forward to it too, make sure to stop by and check it out when it comes up.
Kungfuchick: Jack's back! Jack's back *does song and dance* hehe, I just like rhyming.
Dontuwant2know: I do…I really do want to know… ;oP. Thanks!
Capt.Cow: Ah, good te see ya again Cap'n Cow. Hehe, oh the images of a cow with Jack's hat are just so funny. Thankie!!
Shaz1: NO I DON'T-er…ok…yes I do…favor granted!
French chipmunk: Yup, lots of angst…in fact…probably so much that I should be seeking psychological help. There's gotta be somethin' that's wrong with writing so much dark stuff like that…oh well, guess we'll never know hehe, they haven't caught me yet!
Ahiflame: *backs away defensively* Almost isn't in my vocab…threatening is almost as good as doing…*looks at sentence* ok, I lied…it is as bad, ok? Happy ending…*looks up at how chapter ends* umm…we'll have to work on that. Is getting a bunch of spikes shoved through his body painful and agonizing enough? Hey, good idea, HAVE A FREE FOR ALL ON OSRICK!! Candy to the person who spills the most blood! *sometimes I scare myself* Be careful wit' that sword there mate, don' need any missing fingers, you have to type!!! ;o)
Jackfan2: *sighs* no…it's not over. You've managed to spur on the muses once again. You have a habit of doin' that *raises eyebrow* lol sure you don't want to write it yourself? Sounds like you got it all planned out. No need to beg, it'll happen! :o) Thank you!!