Author's Note: Super long chapter because this is technically the last chapter. The next one is supposed to be the epilogue, but it might be longer than a usual epilogue. I hope you all enjoy the length…

Will I always be there for you, when you need someone? Will I be that one you need? Will I do all, my best to protect you? -Stacie Orrico

The fact that this was actually happening was incomprehensible. His world slowly started to tumble around him as he realized what this truly meant. Jack was no longer the only one that had been betrayed by one of his lower men. Now, James was added to the list.

"What are you talking about, Gillette."

"How could you? You shouldn't be in command if you're crazy enough to pull something like this."

James narrowed his eyes, his hope of Bianca finding out about his true identity slowly falling away. But the more important thing, Norrington recognized something in Gillette's eyes that he'd seen in only a few men's eyes. Bloodlust.

He thinks I'm ill? "I did this to save the Governor."

"Then you should've followed Jack Sparrow to do that."

"What are you talking about?"

Gillette sighed, visibly irritated. He slid the knife closer to Bianca's throat and Norrington flinched. "Ask dumb questions and she'll pay…and unfortunately for you…I know your feelings toward her."

James took in a deep breath, his emotions were showing on his face. He had been away too long. He needed a stone face, one that could be hard to read and easy to fool. He tried his best to do such a thing, and hoped it was working. "Gillette…tell me you're not behind this."

The younger man paused. "You're not as a big of a fool that I suspected then! You finally figured it out." When Norrington didn't say anything Gillette went on. "The day you and the Governor let Jack Sparrow escape was the day the rule over Port Royal fell. So as a citizen under the British crown, I, naturally, had to act!"

"You're slippin', Jack."

"Ted…just let go of her."

"Why did you even come back? I know the stories, Jack! The whole Caribbean does! You escaped fair an' square, an' yet you come back…why?"

Irritated with exhaustion, Jack lashed out, loosing his temper. "This doesn't bloody concern you Ted! Let her go, you snake!"

The other man paused, seeing his strength failing. Running through the fire wouldn't have done that to the Jack he knew, no, it was something else. Something more important. Something that would put stress on any man. Ted then raised a brow, realizing that Jack's weakness was in his arms.

"This concerns me in more ways than you understand, Jack…"

Elizabeth stirred suddenly and Ted turned to look at her. "She's of no concern either." Jack said quickly.

Ted paused, a small smile growing on his face until he started laughing. "Jack…you've given your whole weakness away, mate."

"Jack was a pirate! And you let him go! What had happened to you, I wondered. You were so strong, but suddenly this pirate had gotten under your skin! Will and Elizabeth influenced you into letting him go! So I decided to take things in my own hands! Something had to be done!"

James watched as the look in Gillette's eyes grew with each word that came out of his mouth. His story was unwrapping into something bigger than the Commodore would've expected.

"I went to Dead Cay to get a mercenary. I had to. The Governor didn't deserve to govern over us if he was so weak in his convictions. The new Governor would soon come from England with better values. That's all I wanted."

Jack swallowed. Will was behind him with a sword undoubtedly on his person. They could win this. But Jack knew Ted was Amy's Theodore and that he too, was a mercenary. Things were going to be difficult, but not impossible. If only he could get Ana Maria free!

"Ted…lets be civilized for a moment, shall we? An' explore the idea of you even being here. Then…I'll tell you why I came…but we might've come for the same reason…" narrowing his eyes, he hoped Ted would get his drift and his ploy.

"I was hired to come here…t' kill the old man."

"This man, he was the best of the best! And to get rid of the governor, he had to be! Who you know to be Jonathan Wilson…is in reality Ted or Theodore Moyer. The mercenary of your nightmares. I told him he would need to come here to observe and get a feel for the surroundings…after all, you can't be too careful.

"But then you left…the perfect time to strike! However…I started thinking about you! To kill you would also mean that there would be another commodore. Most likely me or Captain Bailey. Who, of course, would be better than you. So why not, I thought…unfortunately for you, you came back. Now I'm afraid I have to kill you."

Jack paused, "That was you who came by the Pearl You went to Dead Cay to visit Amy…"

"Oh yea- I thought you were supposed to be dead."

"You didn't really believe that, did you?"

Ted paused, "Only partly. That man who was supposedly captain…that was Norrington, wasn't it?" Jack shrugged and Ted cursed. Jack gave him a questionable look. "Oh that's right you don't know…"

"Don't know what?"

"That the old man isn't the only one I've been paid to kill…his daughter and son…and unfortunately, the good ole Commodore."

Jack couldn't take it anymore. "Ted…let Ana go," He said sternly, raising his sword.

"Ana, eh? What a pretty name," he swiftly grabbed onto her hair and pulled her neck back so that her neck and his nose were practically touching.

Jack swelled with jealousy and moved his sword tip to Ted's neck. "Let. Her. Go."

Ted, being no fool, and not wanting to necessarily kill Jack, let Ana Maria go. She flew out of his arms with so much force that she toppled into Jack's arms without any warning. He whispered slightly, "Go to Elizabeth and get them away from here."

She nodded and sat down next to Elizabeth. Ted sighed, and unsheathed a sword of his own, making Jack pause. Knowing a mercenary of any kind, a smart one would have some sort of poison on his sword. "Ted…I don't want to kill you, you know that. So why don't you leave? Surely the man who hired you, paid you, correct?"

Ted shook his head, "How soft have you turned, Jack?"

The pirate captain narrowed his eyes, and raised his sword, "Yer not gettin' t' them without goin' through me first."

"Jack…" Will started with a refusal.

"Will!" Jack hushed the man behind him, "Save your wife. Not me." By that time, Ana Maria had already expressed to the Governor and Elizabeth that they would need to be ready to run at any moment. So the moment those words came flying out of Jack's mouth, Ana sprung up and started running, with Elizabeth and Governor Swann close behind.

Ted took a step to follow them but was quickly stopped by the edge of Jack's sword. Jack said one more time, keeping his eyes on Ted, "Will, go protect Elizabeth." Jack knew Will took him seriously when he saw Ted's eyes following someone retreating.

"So now it's down to you…and me…" Ted said, focusing his attention on Jack.

He had to think quick. There seemed to be no other solution but to let Bianca go and have him fight Gillette somehow. And even though James didn't want to fight his own officer, he saw the look in Gillette's eyes. The man just wasn't sane anymore.

"Look…I'll do anything….just let her go."

Gillette raised a brow, "Is she really that important? A pirate? A whore, even?"

Bianca had been quiet too long, and with a dagger in close proximity to her neck, there was no reason to make a sound. But this man, call her a whore, she wasn't going to stay quiet for that insult. She quickly swung her arm back and her fist hit this man's pelvis. He immediately freed her and she ran behind Norrington while James took a swing at Gillette's face.

The naval officer tried his best not to sink all the way down to the ground, finding his dignity flying away. "I will make you pay! I swear it! You have failed to do your job on Port Royal, and anything else in life!"

Norrington sneered, "Who are you to judge me, when you were willing to murder the Governor?"

Gillette looked up, hatred glaring from his eyes, "Justice. I came into this believing no one was going to be favored. We had rules and we were going to follow them. You and the Governor did no such thing. Just because his precious daughter and a blacksmith took favor in a black hearted pirate meant he could get away scott free! What happened to your philosophy of killing all pirates! To give them what they deserved!"

James paused, what had happened? He looked at his friend and fellow officer and with bitterness said, "I realized that pirates are people."

Gillette yelled and grabbed for his pistol in his holder on his waist. Reaching it, he aimed it at James and said, "I have been waiting for the moment for months." But before a bullet could shoot out of it's place at top speed, James ran into him and knocked him over. The pistol fell out of Gillette's hand as the two tumbled around on the ground. Gillette, using all his energy and anger, somehow got on top of James and started to strangle him.

"Well, now that you have come to that brilliant resolution, you will die."

Jack and Ted parried for a few minutes with Ted's extra long and extra poisoned sword. Jack soon realized however, that Ted was not just a mercenary, but an excellent swordfighter. One that tested Jack's skills immensely.

A few more parries and Jack noticed the force coming from Ted's sword was weakening. He's tryin' to get rid of me… "Jack, really, you're missing the point of why I came here. I need that man dead. Why do you need to protect him?"

Their swords clashed together and stayed still while Jack answered, "Because there's no reason to kill that man. Yer probably working for a lunatic."

"Those are my best customers."

Jack drew his sword away and shook his head, "I don't want to fight you either, but I can't let you kill him. Or the Commodore."

Ted raised a brow, "Grown attached, have we?"

Jack's eyes narrowed and he made a sharp move to cut Ted, but Ted saw it coming and jumped aside, quickly facing Jack's back. "And you're in my way of doin' my job!" Ted shouted, and with one mighty motion, his poisoned sword made contact with the pirate's back.

Jack cried out in pain as blood and poison mixed. He doubled over, but only yelled more, the cut tearing. He was totally defenseless. And as Jack's world slowly started to turn around him, he hoped he was headed toward the ground because anything other than that would be dangerous.

"I'm sorry Jack…" He faintly heard, his heartbeat throbbing in his ears.

Ted backed away from the wounded captain and towards the direction where the Governor ran, only to be met with another sword. Ana Maria was behind it, with nothing but hatred in her eyes.

"Where did you come from?"

"Drop your sword." She said forcefully.

He smiled, "Quite humorous, but how do you think you're gonna defeat me, when Jack can't?" He started to back up, his sword towards the ground. He was moving towards Jack.

Ana, quite mad already wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. She swiped at Ted with her sword, hitting his arm and surprising him. He backed away from Jack completely and Ana Maria took her place as Jack's protector.

"I will kill you if you touch him."

Ted looked up, evil lining his words, "I believe I'm the one who's doing the killing around here."

She raised her sword, "You must be mistaken, 'cause you already have touched him,"

"You seriously think you can go up against me?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You can surrender…"

He smiled evilly, "Don't count on it." He raised his sword and started parrying with Ana, as she kept a steady position in front of Jack. She too, quickly found out that Ted was much more skilled than she and figured she had to do something. Mentally going over all the places where she kept weapons concealed, she thought the best place was her boot.

She took in a deep breath, taking a huge swing at his sword and then quickly ducking while he retaliated. While bent down, she reached inside her boot and grabbed the knife. Coming back up she missed his sword again and jammed the knife into his chest.

Stunned, Ted stopped. He looked down at his chest and quickly dropped his sword as Ana Maria backed up a little. He looked up at her and she said, "If Jack dies, then I will come after your spirit, you can count on it." He fell over a moment later and died.

BANG! The shot was so unexpected, James lay there for a minute wondering what had happened. One moment, he was looking up at Gillette's face, gasping for air- and the next, a gun went off, and Gillette was no longer in his immediate view.

Catching his breath, he saw that Bianca had ran to his side and was hugging him and practically crying. "Nathan…I'm so sorry…but it was either you or him…now I know how Jack feels…"

He looked around, and there, over to the right, he saw a dead Gillette, with a bullet through his head. He grimaced and looked away. Bianca had killed him. To save him, Bianca killed a man. Realizing that fact, James sat up a little and wrapped his arms around Bianca.

"Jack…Jack!" Ana Maria had gone to Jack's side the minute Ted had died and picked up his head and started looking him over to see if he was alright. "Please talk t' me, Jack…" Ana said softly, brushing the hair out of his face. But there was still no response.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she turned him over and saw the large sword cut across his back. She tried to sit him up, but knew that he was going to need tender care, and she wouldn't be able to give that alone.

"Will!" She called behind her, knowing he had stayed behind at a safe distance while Elizabeth and the Governor went to the Turner house. She heard the steps coming from behind her as she whispered in Jack's ear, "I promise you will get through this…I promise, Jack."

"What's wrong? Is he dead?"

Ana shook her head, "No, but he will be if we don't do something quick."

Bianca and James had made it to the Turner house about ten minutes after Will and Ana had. Elizabeth and the Governor welcomed them with open arms. Elizabeth was especially taken with Bianca, though. "Where's Jack and Ana?" Bianca asked right away.

Elizabeth sighed, "The assassin cut the length of his back with a poisoned sword…Will and Ana are with him right now in our room."

Norrington paused, "Is he alive?"

"Yes…but hanging on."

They then heard a door shut and heard someone coming down the hall. The someone turned out to be Will, with a solemn look on his face. No one said anything after Bianca was introduced, and Will didn't offer anything.

Breaking the silence, Elizabeth said, "Bianca, would you like a bath?"

Taken by surprise, Bianca paused, "…Bath?"

"Yes…we have a tub that I'm sure Jack or Ana won't be using…so you're free to…"

"You're offering me a bath?" She said, clarifying.

Elizabeth smiled, "Of course."

Bianca paused, looking at Norrington who nodded slightly. "Sure…why not? I haven't had one in a while!" Elizabeth smiled wider, happy to help someone she could and led her down the hall.

Will heaved a sigh and started to collapse, his knees buckling beneath him. Norrington ran to catch him and barely did. He carried the young man over to the couch where the Governor followed and sat down.

"It's not your fault, Will." James said immediately.

Will rested his head on the back of the couch, "I never said it was…"

"Then stop acting like it is."

He looked at James, realizing the Commodore must be feeling the same way, "What happened, Commodore?"

James dropped his head, his strength failing. "Gillette's dead. He tried to strangle me to death and almost succeeded, but Bianca shot him…"

The Governor sighed, "Don't fret about it James, the man was…" he paused, not sure what to say.

"Insane?" Will offered.

The Governor shrugged and kept going, "A corrupted man, if you will, wouldn't be alive very long anyways. And I'm sure the young woman was thinking of you, instead of him."

James covered his face with his hands, "Yes, but it is she who did it…she'll be prosecuted! And she's a pirate!"

Will paused, "Bittersweet endings such as these…people should never have to face. What's the point of 'winning' if we have to deal with the horrible aftermath?"

Jack slept somewhat peacefully as Ana Maria carefully put some a poultice on Jack's back, hoping it could pull the poison out of his system. Will had mixed it up but left, assuming Ana would want to be alone with Jack. But she was torn between kissing him or punching him.

He lay on his stomach on the Turner's neatly made bed, and once the female pirate was done, she went and laid next to him. She sighed, and put her head in her hand as she laid on her side, watching him sleep. She brushed some hair away from his face and said quietly, "You can't do this Jack…You have to stay with me." Then she kissed his cheek lightly, and hoped that he would come back to her. Because whether she liked it or not, she needed him.

The whole day had flown by. That mornings eventful happenings had taken their toll on all the people in the Turner home, so throughout the day, people were sleeping anywhere they could find room. The Governor took the guest bedroom, Ana and Jack stayed in Will and Elizabeth's bedroom, Bianca took a couch and Norrington took the other in the living room and Will and Elizabeth took the two couches in the family room.

Later that night however, people began to wake up and started eating. Bianca had gotten up only to get a piece of bread and go back to the couch and sleep some more. James woke up and found Will and Elizabeth in the kitchen, both of them trying to draw out for everyone to eat.

Finally, Ana Maria surfaced from the bedroom and made it into the kitchen, looking weary and exhausted. She smiled meekly and James sat down at the table, "How is he?" Will asked.

"He woke up…he's hungry…and a little out of it…but doing alright."

Elizabeth smiled, grateful. "What does he want?"

"Do you have any soup? And maybe an orange and bread would be nice…" Elizabeth nodded and soon started heating up some soup while looking for an orange.

Ana Maria turned and looked at James, who was avoiding eye contact with her. "You surprise me…" she started. He looked at her and wished he didn't. Her eyes didn't look very inviting. "I never knew a Commodore that would step one foot on a pirate ship, no matter the reason. But you came on…seemingly willingly." She paused, "But it's all fake, isn't it? The name obviously is, and the reason too. You're not going to be comin' back on…are you?"

James swallowed, "No. No I'm not."

She took in a deep breath, "Bianca doesn't know, does she?"

"No…and I don't want her to either."

Ana raised a brow, surprised. "Why?"

"To protect her. I don't want her knight falling off his steed."

She shook her head, "You don't think she'll find out, do you?"

"I'm hoping she won't."

Ana took in a deep breath and let it out, acting as if she was making up her mind about him. She finally stuck out her hand, "Although I really don't like you…you have my respect, Commodore."

James stood up and shook her hand firmly, "Call me James."

She smirked and Elizabeth handed her a plate of food, and then she left, taking the plate to Jack. James breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you know how I've been walking on eggs around her?" James told Will and Elizabeth, who laughed slightly but knew it was true.

"Why aren't you telling Bianca the truth James…" Elizabeth asked, "And why are you her knight?"

James rolled his eyes, sitting down again. "Don't give me that Elizabeth. You already know but want me to tell you."

"Do you love her?"

James sighed, "Yes. I do. But I'm never going to see her again after this…so why…"

"Tell her the truth?"

James shot Elizabeth a look, "This is truly for her."

"I know James, but telling the truth, while it may be hard, is probably the best thing to do!"

"If she was staying here, or I was going with her, I would tell her, but there's no future for our relationship, so why leave it in shambles?"

Elizabeth sighed when Will put his arm around her back, silencing her. "Do whatever you feel is best, James," Will said. The Commodore took in a deep breath, once more convincing himself that this, indeed, was the right thing to do.

Even later that night, just a few hours before morning light, Ana ran out of the room, yelling for Elizabeth. Quickly finding her and waking her up, she pulled her down the hall to the room Jack was in, with Will in tow. There was Jack, yelling, cursing and kicking. "He won't wake up! I think it's the poison!"

Elizabeth went to restrain him but first said, "Ana, go get the rest of the a poultice! Will, help me…" Ana nodded and quickly left the room while the two Turners inched their way to Jack.

"Jack! Listen to me, Jack!" Will said, reaching him first and holding on to his legs, and seeing that his eyes were open. A waking nightmare."Tell me what you see! What do you see?"

Jack's eyes shifted uncomfortably as a non curse word escaped his mouth. "You."

Will paused, not sure what to say, "Jack…I'm right here. What else do you see?"

Suddenly, as Ana Maria walked in, Jack sat up and grabbed Will's face with both hands. "Stop bloody tellin' me that!"

Will frowned, "What am I telling you?"

"Make up your mind, boy! You either hate me or don't! You either are disappointed and ashamed, or yer not!"

Grabbing Jack's face in the same way, he shook it a little, "Jack. Wake up. I'm here, I'm real. And I don't hate you."

Jack paused, his eyes fixed on the young man's in front of him. "Tell me that I'm not worthless in your mind. In Lizzie's…"

Elizabeth gasped slightly and moved to Will's side, looking at the pirate captain. "Has he blinked?"

Will tried to shake his head, but he couldn't in Jack's grasp. "No. He must still be dreaming."

"Try slappin' him," Ana Maria said quickly, and then left the room. Will saw her leave out of the corner of his eyes and sighed.

Letting go of Jack's face, he forced his arms down. Jack started to kick again, "No! NO! Tell me! Bloody tell me!"

Elizabeth grabbed his shoulders and forced him to lie down, "Will, go get the a poultice…" she said quietly. He nodded and got it, while she continued to shush Jack, "Jack…Jack…we don't hate you…and you're not worthless…Jack…" He let out a few exasperated breaths, but then calmed down, finally closing his eyes and laying back down. Will sighed and sat on the corner of the bed. Elizabeth knew how her husband was feeling, and wrapped her arms around him, but now the problem was how Ana was feeling.

The next morning, after hours of pacing in his room, down stairs and not eating, Will finally approached his bedroom door. Ana Maria was sitting outside of the closed door, knees bent close to her body and head in her hands. "How's he doing?"

Ana Maria looked up and saw Will's worried face. She paused, and shrugged, "How would you be?"

Fearing that the female pirate was angry with him, Will quickly said, "Look, I don't blame you for being angry at us…but Jack was just-"

Ana smirked, cutting him off, "You an' Jack are alike in more ways than you realize…"

"Does he remember last night?"

"Doubt it."

Will paused, "Can I go in?"

She shrugged again, "If you think you can bear it."

Will paused and slowly walked into the room. Jack was lying on the bed with his shirt off and the sheets tangled up around him. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully and just as Will was about to leave, Jack said, "Make up your mind, boy."

Will smiled and shook his head, walking to the bed. "I thought you were supposed to be sleeping."

Jack opened his eyes slowly, "Did you seriously think I would sleep with a cut running down m' back?" Will paused, not answering. Jack sighed, feeling uneasy. This was the thing he had been dreading.

"I…I came to ask you something…" Will started, rubbing the back of his neck, also feeling uneasy. "Actually ask you two things. Why did you come back…and what made you come in the first place?"

Jack sighed heavily. Also something he had been dreading. He didn't want to answer the Commodore's questions or Will's. Why does he want to know? "So why did I come?" Will nodded. Jack opened his mouth to talk but closed it again. He looked at Will, "Honestly?"

"Preferably."

Jack paused, trying to find something around the room to hold is gaze, instead of Will's eyes. "Well our last…interaction wasn't exactly… 'all the loose ends' you could say, weren't…tied." He looked up, "Things were left unsaid…"

Will paused, not sure if he should help the conversation along. "…and you thought you should…"

"…could tell you…that I…"

Will waited.

"I…" He sighed, worn out. Thinking of a different approach, Jack started over. "What's yer…opinion of me, boy?"

Will stared at him. He had turned the tables suddenly, without warning, and Will wasn't sure he liked it. But that's Jack. "What do you think my opinion is?"

Jack narrowed his eyes, "Is that your answer?"

"Is that yours?"

"Are you avoiding my question?"

"Are you avoiding mine?"

Jack stopped. Will had figured out his plan. He was determined to get an answer out of him though. "Please Will…" Jack said quietly.

Will took in a deep breath, acquiescing. "Well, though it wasn't any longer than a fortnight…I think our 'adventure' if you will…" he paused. Why was this so hard? Neither men could express their feelings the way they wanted to. "Well it gave me a different opinion of pirates. You gave me a different opinion of pirates."

Jack raised a brow, "Meaning…?"

"Meaning…that I would hope the relationship that I think is there…is there."

Smirking slightly, Jack said, "I came to confirm that as well."

"Then why not just do it? Why lie?"

Jack rolled his eyes, "I lie, Will, get over it. But how was I s'posed t' know you didn't think of me as scum? That Elizabeth didn't think of me as a dirty lout?"

Will said the first thing that came to his mind, "Why didn't you just trust us?"

Jack paused, knowing the answer, but finding it hard to actually say it, "…I didn't know if I could."

Will took in a deep breath, "Well now you know."

"I s'pose I do."

Author Thanks:

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