Chapter Fifteen: Fallen

It was a shout that roused me. Reaching blindly toward Jack's half of the bed, I struggled to open my eyes. Just what in bloody hell was going on? With a mighty heave, I threw myself out of bed, not really caring what kind of state I was in, dressed or undressed, and toddled through the open doorway and up the stairs onto the sun-warmed deck.

"What's going on?" I demanded, shoving my dark hair out of my face and squinting at the activity swirling around me. I looked around me and spotting Ana and James near the bow, I raced towards them. "Oy!" I shouted, bare feet pounding along the deck as I ran. "What's going on, Anamaria?" She started at my voice and shook her head when I approached.

"Damn fool." She muttered. I went ashen. There was only one man who deserved that title ninety-nine percent of the time, and that was the man I had fallen in love with.

"Damn you, Jack." I whispered, turning without so much as another word to the pair and racing back towards the helm in search of Gibbs. The island to starboard lay dark and foreboding in the azure waters of the Caribbean, and I had to fight the urge to scream. I knew that damn pirate couldn't be trusted. For, in the distance, lay the miniscule figure of Captain Jack Sparrow, rowing his dinghy merrily to his death.

"Gibbs, ready a boat for persuit. The damn bloody bastard is going to get himself killed." I grumbled, recognizing the portly pirate's rum-soaked stench near my left arm. If that idiot did something rash like getting himself killed, I would hunt him down and tear out every last one of his braids before making him walk the plank naked into waters fraught with sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads.

I glowered in frustration as I lost sight of the dinghy, but the glare turned into a smirk as I heard the boat splash into the water. "Looks like Phase Two: Operation 'Free-Bird' is commencing a little earlier than anticipated." I mused.

"Aye, Miss Chloe." Gibbs agreed.

"Make a note, Commodore! Let your men know." And with that I had swung over the side and into the boat. Gibbs growled low in his throat about the stupidity of women, and grabbed two swords on his way down the rope. He tossed me one of them and I flushed. "Thank you." I murmured, moving so that the three other pirates joining us would have room to sit. I glanced up, waiting for Anamaria's spry form to catapult from the deck. Instead she stood on the brink, looking over her shoulder at something. Not something, I realized, grinning a little. Someone. With what seemed to be the greatest of hesitation, the Commodore leaned over and kissed her on the lips, soundly enough to have the crew whistling. He flushed and murmured something in her ear, before turning on his heel and marching away. Ana dropped into the boat heavily, and I grinned at her.

"Should I let you two stay behind and finish that?" I chuckled and she glared at me.

"Hist!" She grunted, grabbing up an oar. "We've got more important things to worry about than my love life." I nodded, but cast a sidelong look at her, grinning. I couldn't resist one last shot; it wasn't every day a chance such as this fell into one's lap.

"Up until five seconds ago, I wasn't aware you had one." She glared at me half-heartedly, I could tell she was pleased more than she was pissed. My smile faded as we pushed away from the Pearl's hull and began the pursuit of our hasty comrade.

Within minutes we pulled our boat beside Jack's and stared into the dense forest. It would be damn near impossible to track him through this underbrush. I grimaced and looked at Anamaria for advice. She was busy scanning the line of trees, desperate to find the break, which would show us Jack's path. The sound of breaking wood had our heads swiveling around and we all took off as one, racing toward the noise.

I came upon him first. He was seated, calm as you please on a rock, a dagger in one hand, bottle of rum in the other. "Ahoy!" He chimed; grinning merrily at us as the remainder of my group stumbled into the clearing. The idiot was drunk as a skunk in November, I decided, anger coloring my worry until all I could see was red. "'Bout time ye blighters got 'ere." He muttered, swinging his arms about his head. "Been waitin' I 'ave."

"Sparrow, you good-for-nothing cad!" I leapt at him, my hands grasping his throat with a bloodthirsty intent. We both tumbled off of the rock, me straddling his waist and him trying to keep his rum bottle from dumping its precious contents on the ground. It struck me then, and I raised a fist, punching him square in the nose, or at least, what I thought was his nose. The tears kind of distorted my vision.

"You blithering idiot, why are you getting drunk? You sorry excuse for a Captain, I hope your fucking perfect nose is broken and you can't ever stand again..." I hiccuped, allowing the other pirates to pull me off of him. Jack sat up, one hand cupping his offended cheek (apparently my aim was WAY off), and the other shoving the bottle of rum towards Gibbs who took it, looking on at the scene with a reproach only a father can wear.

"Why'd ye hit me?" Jack demanded, palpating the puffy skin of his cheek gently.

"Because you're an ass, that's why." I seethed, struggling in Anamaria's grip, wanting to jump him again.

"An ass, now, is it?" He demanded, standing up. "Well, just an hour ago, you were calling me all manner of things. None of which were any less than complimentary." He walked over to me and stuck his face in mine.

"Well I take them all back!" I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him. He did the same and we stood like that for some time. When he continued to stare at me, I could feel my mutinous tears welling up again and I averted my head, yanking my arms from my captors' grasps.

"We don't have time to argue." Anamaria, ever the voice of reason, declared. I shook my loose hair out of my eyes, raking my fingers through it. "Let's go, before those horrible excuses for pirates steal all our booty, aye?" I glared at Jack, and moved up beside her.

"Aye." I nodded emphatically, leaving Gibbs to handle Jack.

Ten minutes later I was staring at the map, with Jack looking over my shoulder. "Left." He decided emphatically. I rolled my eyes.

"Are you blind, Sparrow?" I asked, pointing to the road as though that explained everything. "We go left, and we'll end up back in the ocean. Now, if we go right..." I pointed down a well-packed dirt road that curved off into the trees. To me it seemed like the obvious solution. Jack shook his head.

"No. They'd be expecting us to go right." He pointed left again, and I stared at the dark and overgrown path. My nose wrinkled.

"We'll go right." I muttered, starting off in that direction, only to be pulled up short and spun around to stare at Jack's angry face. He glared at me.

"Don't be daft, woman." He bellowed, the trees shaking from his shout. I blinked. I had no recollection of any time Jack had to raise his voice. It was, to say the least, terrifying. I straightened my shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. He glared at me before dragging me around. I resisted the whole way, finally making him stop, and turn towards me. I was about to launch into another diatribe on his character when he grabbed me around the leg, and hoisted me over his shoulder.

"Jack!" I squirmed, but his grip remained firm. "Jack Sparrow, put me down this instant!" He stopped and I smirked, but he only bounced me, adjusting my position on his shoulder. I grunted at the movement, wondering if this was how a kabob felt. My midsection felt positively skewered.

"Be silent, lassie." He cautioned me, and with that we began moving again. Every time I struggled he'd bounce me, bruising my kidneys and liver to the point I'd begun to think of them as mush. After a long while of walking he dropped me on my feet. Unprepared for my sudden freedom, I toppled to the earth and stared up at him.

"We'll be there in a few minutes. Go and collect your sword from Gibbs." He ordered a darkened look in his eye. I frowned at him, but he just turned on his heel and marched away. I got up hastily and followed him.
"Jack..." He stopped and I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"T'would not be wise to touch me now, lass." He murmured. I did not heed this quite plea, and walked around to look him in the eye. "Leave me."

"No." I stated, crossing my arms over my chest and looking up at him. He looked away and I grabbed his face in my hands, turning his eyes back to mine. "I'm sorry." I traced gentle fingers over his cheek, discolored from my punch. He smiled slightly. "Not just for this, but for how badly I've treated you." I shook my head when he opened his mouth. I stared up into his scruffy face and felt something inside me rip. With a small gasp, I turned away. "I was just worried...and don't you tell me not to because you're Captain Jack Sparrow. That name doesn't make you immortal." He put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed.

"I know that, love." He whispered. "But, I'll always come for you." He pressed a gentle kiss to my neck, his breath feathering my cheek and making my hair flutter slightly. "Always." I turned to look at him and smiled.

Something rustled in the bushes to our left, and by the time I saw the gleaming metal of the blade, the shadow was already rushing towards me. I saw the thrust, turning my body to shield Jack from the blow. The pain shot through me like a thousand firey darts and I tumbled to the earth, Jack's name on my lips.

I thought I heard Jack cursing the man as he parried with him over my prone body, and I felt his hands on me, his voice in my ear. "He's dead, lovely." His breath brushed sweetly against my parted lips and I closed my eyes, breathing in sharply. "You just hold on, you hear me?" His hands pressed into the wound in my side. "Hold on, damn you. Chloe!" With the feel of the cool earth on my cheek, and Jack's voice in my ears, I fell into the darkness that had opened up and welcomed me warmly inside.

A/N -- Huddles inside my fort waiting for flaming arrows to skewer my body. GOMEN! GOMEN! Mesa sorry! It had to be done...well...yeah; it had to be done. I know...first I go all cheesy then my character gets stabbed (At least it wasn't Jack right?)...I guess I like stabbing and mutilating my OC's... SO SUE ME! I'm the writer here...right? ...Anyway, I will have the next chapter up poste haste....promise. Waits for the boos and hisses. I know! EVIL CLIFFIE!! As for flames on that little 'lovey-dovey' scene between Chloe and Jack. I don't give a flying fart in space if y'alls don't like cheese. I do, and I think that part is particularly lovely, thank you very much. ( Anyway...off
to bed now...new chapter will be up soon.