Yay! Final chapter! Thanx to everyone who reviewed!

In the morning, Skinner was told the story of his getting drunk, and believed it, cursing the guards for letting his two prisoners escape.

Robert came to talk to Rose, but did not find her in her cabin, only Haley.

"Where's Rose?" he asked the still sleeping girl.

"Drink up me hearties, yo ho..." she sighed still dreaming.

Robert kicked the under side of Hal's hammock, "Wake up, you lazy pirate."

Hal sat up grumpily, "I'm awake."

"Good," Rob told her, "now you can tell me where Rose has got off to."

"I dunno," she grumbled, "she never tells me anything."

"You're a very bad liar." Rob informed her.

"I know, I've been told that before." she flopped back on her hammock, "I'll tell her you were looking for her if I see her." she said, and went back to sleep.

Rose was in the hold, telling Will and Elizabeth about her plan that had failed. "It didn't work!" she said, punching the wall in fury, but bringing her nothing but a hand full of splinters. She yelped, and buried her hand in her skirt.

"Here," said Will, "let me see."

Rose held out her hand gingerly, and Will examined the largest splinter, which was just barely sticking out.

"Wait," said Elizabeth, handing Will a hairpin, "use this."

Will took the pin, pinched the end of the splinter in it, and pulled it out.

Rose yelped again, and punched Will in the side.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, trying to be quiet, "What was that for?"

"Sorry," Rose told him, "it's a reflex."

"Shush, someone's coming!" Elizabeth said, putting out the lamp, and huddling closer to Will and Rose.

The footsteps stopped right outside the hidden door.

Rose drew in a sharp breath as one of her splinters caught on Elizabeth's lace sleeve.

The door creaked open to reveal a man's figure, silhouetted by the light from his lantern. The man put out his arms and stepped toward them.

"Well aren't you glad to see me?" he asked.

"Jack!" Elizabeth ran to hug him, very relieved, but pulling out Rose's splinter as she went.

Rose gasped in pain.

Will sighed, "That's one way to remove a splinter."

"Did you miss me love?" Jack asked Elizabeth.

"Just a bit." she told him, hugging him tighter.

Will grabbed Jack's arm, "What's happening out there?" he asked, "Rose told us some things, but what are the details?"

"Well," said Jack, scratching his chin, "there's gonna be a duel, and someone's gonna die."

Will rolled his eyes, waiting for Jack to continue.

"And that's about it." Jack concluded.

"Oh please," Rose scoffed, picking the last of the splinters out of her hand, "that is not it, there's a lot more than that."


Robert stared out at the vast blue ocean, this, he thought, will probably be my last look at the Caribbean.

A whistle sounded, it was time to go ashore.

Rose approached Rob, "Come on, let's get this over with." she said, nudging his shoulder.

He turned and smiled at her, then saw her bandaged hand, "What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Rose shrugged, "Splinters; part of life on a ship I guess." she smiled at him, "Come on, she repeated, "it's time for you to beat that old swordfish to the bone."


Once ashore, Robert began to feel queasy and stumbled a bit.

Rose caught him and straightened him up, "Haven't got your land legs yet, huh?"

"'Fraid not." he said, forcing a smile.

"'S okay, Skinner's isn't ready yet, you'll have some time to stretch your legs."

Rob nodded, there wasn't much to say, the growing tension was too nerve wrecking for words to do any good.

Haley came up behind Rob and patted his shoulder.

"Where've you been?" Rose asked Haley, the thought occurring to her that she hadn't seen her for a whole day and night.

Around, she mouthed to Rose.

Rose rolled her eyes; Haley never liked being around other people.

Skinner cleared his throat, "Gents, m'ladies," he said inclining his head towards Rose, Haley, and Ana-Maria, "the duel is about to start, so gather 'round."

They all moved closer, as not to miss a word.

"As ye all know, we are here to settle a bargain, one which was almost lost when two of our bargaining chips were lost, but they have been recovered." he smiled a terrible smile, motioning to two men, who brought Will and Elizabeth forward, "and all thanks to this little girl." Skinner flashed his terrible grin upon Haley.

Rose's eyes widened, "What's he talking about Hal?" she whispered frantically to her friend.

Hal shrugged, "Don't worry, it's part of my plan."

"This had better be one hell of a good plan." Rose snarled under her breath.

Haley smiled, "As good as it gets." She replied, as Skinner read off the duelling rules, and each man was given a pistol and a sword.

"Now," he said, his eyes gleaming with malice, "let the games begin."

The men took their places, and the order to start was given.

"Let's see what ye're made of lad." Skinner chuckled as Rob took a swing at his side, and countered it quickly.

"Well I know what you're made of." Rob's cutlass barely missed Skinner's ear. "Naught but a fat old man with a bad temper and a liking for causing pain."

Skinner growled like a wild animal and sidestepped Rob's blow, "You'll know the meaning of pain shortly!" He slashed wildly and caught Robert on the arm and across the chest.

Rob fell clutching his wound.

Rose let out a little scream of terror as Skinner drew his pistol.

"Say goodbye." he grinned and took aim.

"Just a moment!" Haley cried out, everyone staring at her as she stepped forward.

"Yes?" said Skinner annoyed at the disruption of his moment of glory.

"Goodbye." Said Will, as he broke away from his captors, stole a pistol and shot Skinner, square in the back.

The old pirate captain fell, glaring up at them even in his death.

His crew stood there, too shocked to do anything.

Rose ran to Rob's side, "Are you alright?" she asked him, wiping his wound with her skirt.

Will shoved the man who had Elizabeth aside, and they went to see to Rob as well.

Rose was helping him off of the ground, "Thank you, Will," she said, struggling to hold Robert up.

He smiled, "Well, it was Haley's idea."

"That it was!" said Haley, marching over to them, "So you must always remember the reason why you are still alive is me!" she said firmly to Robert, who smiled weakly.

"I'll remember."

"Good," she said, helping Rose get him into the rowboat.

"I know I'll never forget," said Jack dazedly, as he came up behind them, "they'll be talking about this one for years."

"That they will," said a new voice, "and they'll wonder how none of the members of the Black Pearl survived!" Skinner's first mate grabbed Rose from behind, and the rest of Skinner's former crew flocked to them.

Rose struggled, but stopped when she felt the cold metal of a cutlass at her throat.

"Let her go!" Robert shouted at him, but Jack stopped him from attacking the man.

"What do you want?" Jack asked him.

"'What do I want?'" the pirate mocked him, "you see," he said grinning, "we don't want nothing this time, just to see you all die slow and painful deaths, starting with her."

Just a bit closer, thought Rose, inching her hand closer to the man's pistol, finally she had it. She grabbed the sword at her throat hand twisted it free from the first mate's grasp, now she had two weapons. "Stay back!" she ordered them, backing away slowly.

The first mate swore and advanced on her, "She's only a little one mates, don't be afraid. She couldn't hurt a fly."

He was only a few feet from her now, but he didn't seem to be stopping, he didn't believe she had the stomach to fire that pistol in her hand.

But she did.

The gunshot broke the impenetrable silence, and the man stood there, looking down at the hole in his shirt, from which blood began to pour, wetting the dry, white sand of the beach, and then he fell.

"Wench!" growled another pirate, "you'll pay for that one."

She didn't hesitate this time, she fired, and he fell.

By now she had backed all the way to where the rowboats sat, along with her father and her friends.

"Sorry ladies," she called to the angry pirates, "none of us are going to be dying today."

At first she thought they would charge at them, but to her surprise, they dropped their weapons and retreated.

Jack grinned at his daughter, "You'll be a fine Captain someday love." he told her.

She grinned back, "Shall we maroon them?"

"Good choice," Jack stroked his chin thoughtfully, "or we could take them back to Port Royal, I'm sure that Commodore Norrington wouldn't mind disposing of them."

"No, I'm sure he wouldn't." Will spoke up.

But Elizabeth thought better of the idea, "He's gotten rather pompous, since the capture of Barbossa's crew," she smiled at the memory of their previous adventure, "it would probably only inflate his ego further."

Jack pondered this for a moment, "I suppose we shouldn't give him another good deed to turn against Me." he put his arm around Rose, "We'll be going with Rose's suggestion." He announced to the crew.

"Good," said Gibbs, patting Jack's shoulder, "it'll be what they deserve."

"Alright then," Rose shouted to a nearby shipmate, "you there, go collect the weapons."

The man nodded and scurried across the sand to pick up the abandoned pistols and swords.

"Now," she called to the rest of her crew, "let's weigh anchor!"


Later, when everything had settled down, when what remained of Skinner's crew had been safely marooned, and Robert's wound had been taken care of, Rose stood on the deck of the ship, watching the sun set.

This, she thought, is the life.

Robert came and stood next to her quietly. "Rose," he said after a moment, "did you ever think of really getting married someday?"

She flashed him a smile, "Maybe someday," she told him, "but right now, the only life for me is being a pirate."

Rob leaned over and kissed her.

She kissed him back, then laughed and began to sing, "We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho!"

The End