The day of Jack Sparrow's hanging was bright, sunny, and hot. It was two days after we had returned to Port Royal. The scaffold had been destroyed when the Black Pearl attacked the town and it had taken them a long time to rebuild it. They had only just finished it the day before. Captain Jack was the first one who was going to be executed.

I calmly and solemnly stood by Jack's side at the gallows listening to the rattle of the drums. The pirate's wrists were tied together in front of him. The cloth I had tied around his left palm was still there, although while he was in jail I had re-tied it a couple of times in an attempt to keep the wound clean.

Jack seemed more disappointed then anything, but ready to face death. He had drawn quite a crowd, made up of mostly wealthy people judging from some of their clothes. I wasn't too surprised. Hanging was considered a public spectacle in these times, especially when it was famous people like pirate captains who were being killed.

A pompous looking man in a grey suit stepped forward on the scaffold. He unrolled a scroll and began to read aloud in a clear voice. "Jack Sparrow…"

My assignment rolled his eyes. "Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow," he said. No one paid any attention.

"Jeez," I thought. "Show some respect! Call the man by his title!"

I missed a part of the announcer's speech as I spotted Will Turner moving through the crowd. He was wearing a long red cape and a large hat adorned with feathers of considerable length and 'fluffiness'. He was moving towards Elizabeth, her father, and Commodore Norrington to confess his love for the only lady he would risk pirate torture to rescue.

"… for your wilful commission of crimes against the Crown," the announcer continued. "Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most egregious of these to be cited herewith."

I took a deep breath and listened to Jack's list of crimes. It was quite a long list, and it included…

"Piracy…"

"Duh. He's a pirate," I thought.

"… smuggling, impersonating an officer of the French Royal Navy, impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England,"

Jack smiled at that one memory and breathed, "Oh, yeah." It must have been quite some time ago, as it seemed that he had only just remembered it. Simply because Jack smiled provoked one from me as well. The executioner wasn't amused though.

"…sailing under false colours, arson, kidnapping looting…"

A flash of colour and movement caught my eye. I looked and saw a blue and gold macaw land on a pole with a hanging banner. I smiled again secretly. I knew who that parrot belonged to, and where that person was.

"… poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness."

"Yep. That sums it up,"I thought. But I couldn't help but notice…or perhaps I had missed it…but as far as I knew, murder was not one of the crimes Jack was being hanged for.

"For these crimes, you have been sentenced to on this day, be hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul," the announcer concluded. Finished with his speech, he rolled up his scroll and walked down the stairs off the scaffold.

"Amen," I agreed in my thoughts. "Jack," I said aloud. "I couldn't tell you this before, but I will tell you now." The pirate glanced at me. "Watch the whelp," I told him, a smile beginning to creep across my features. "Not all of your talk about waiting for the opportune moment went in one of his ears and out the other." I winked at Jack, and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

Just then, the executioner walked forward and placed the dangling noose around Jack's neck and tightened the knot. The drum beats had turned into a rapid rattle, building up the suspense and anticipation. There was a commotion in the crowd as Will pushed and shoved his way towards the scaffold. As the blacksmith drew his sword, the hangman placed his hand on the lever that controlled the trap door.

"Oh, please let this work!" I prayed.

The drums stopped. The lever was pulled. Jack's eyes went wide as he fell. I covered my mouth to stop a cry from escaping. Will threw his sword.

THUNK!

Jack suddenly stopped falling, but he wasn't gasping for breath or suffering from a broken neck. By a miracle, he was still alive, his feet resting uncertainly on the flat of the sword blade impaled through the dangling trap door. It was just enough to support his weight and keep Jack alive.

"Thank you," I sighed, letting out a huge breath. The crowd gasped at this unexpected turn of events. Will raced up onto the scaffold. I knew that he and the hangman were going to battle it out, and I didn't want to be in their way. I hopped down through the trap door hole, careful not to cut myself on the sword. There wasn't much I could do to help Jack at that moment, so instead I smiled up at him in an 'I told you so!' sort of way.

After a short while, though to Jack it must have felt like a month, the rope was accidentally cut by the executioner's axe. The pirate dropped to the ground.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah," Jack choked out.

I looked over and saw the hangman fly off the scaffold and land on top of Commodore Norrington, who had run up to the gallows with a small army in an attempt to stop the impromptu escape. I barked out a laugh.

Jack got to his feet and sliced the roped bonding his hands together with the horizontal blade. Then we ran. Jack whipped of his noose just as Will flipped off the scaffold. It was an unnecessary display of aerobatics, but since he had just saved Jack's life, I didn't care. The pirate tossed one end of the long, thick rope to Will and together they used it to trip up three charging guards. I was sprinting on Jack's right side, out of the way of the rope.

The heroes raced up some stairs, sending more guards flying. Then they wrapped the rope around two more men and a stone pillar, and with a sharp tug, slammed them into it. The pirate and blacksmith punched out one guard each and somersaulted at the same time to dodge more.

They had reached another pillar on their path to the edge of the fort. They knocked out two more guards and ran to the other side of the stone support. Will grabbed the sword of one attacking man and hit him hard in the face. Before either I, him, or Jack could take another step, dozens of redcoats carrying muskets surrounded us. Will and Jack circled around back to back, so that Jack was now facing the sea, but it was obvious now that they were trapped. The feathers in Will's hat tickled Jack's face. He blew it away as the Commodore approached, sword drawn. He pointed it at Will's throat.

"I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt," he said.

"Ah. So that would explain all the redcoats," I whispered to myself. Jack turned around to face Norrington, but still hid behind Will. Governor Swann ran up beside Norrington.

"But not from you," the Commodore told Will. Clearly, he was surprised at Will's sudden turn of attitude towards pirates. Governor Swann must have felt similarly, and he wasn't pleased.

"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency," he reminded Mr Turner. "And this is how you repay me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!"

"And a good man," Will insisted. He dropped his sword as Elizabeth approached. Jack looked at some of the guards and smiled, pointing at himself.

"That's me," he mouthed. I smirked.

"If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear," Will said.

"Finally, a good use for his stubbornness! He must be a Taurus," I mused.

Norrington took a step forward, asserting his authority. "You forget your place, Turner."

"It's right here," Will replied. "Between you and Jack."

I could have kissed that boy! Okay…not really. But I did quickly and solidly add, "Me too."

Elizabeth stepped forward and stood defiantly beside Will. "As is mine," she stated.

"Elizabeth," her father gasped. The two lovers looked each other in the eyes. I could tell Will was very appreciative of her support.

"Lower your weapons," the Governor commanded the soldiers. "For goodness sake, put them down!" he shouted when they didn't obey the order immediately. Gradually, the guns were pointed safely away. Jack made a lowering gesture to the men surrounding us, as if he were in command. I smirked again. Norrington just stood there, stunned at Elizabeth's revelation.

"So this is where your heart truly lies, then?" he asked her, heartbroken.

"It is," she confirmed.

I looked up and saw the blue and gold macaw again, perched on a cannon. I tapped Jack's shoulder and pointed up to the bird as it flew off. "Time to go," I informed my assignment. He too recognised the tropical bird and suddenly, and understandably, became very excited.

"Well, I'm actually feeling rather good bout all this," he said. He stepped out from behind the couple and swaggered confidently up the Governor. "I believe we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically." Jack got into the older man's face, and he reeled away from the pirate's bad breath.

Captain Sparrow moved to Norrington, getting face to face with him as well. "I want you to know I was rooting for you, mate," he told him. "Know that."

I watched all of this in amusement. I was standing back closer to the edge of the fort. Jack moved around to Elizabeth, who had gone back to gazing deep into Will's eyes. "Elizabeth," Jack said. She turned to face him. The pirate looked extremely apologetic. "It would have never worked between us, darling. I'm sorry."

"Oy," I thought with an eye roll. Jack began to move towards me. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat loudly. "Forgetting someone?" I reminded him.

Jack's eyes lit up in an 'oh, yeah!' way and he turned. "Will," he said. Will and Elizabeth looked at him. Jack couldn't think of anything to say to the blacksmith who had helped him out so much, except for one thing: "Nice hat."

I smiled uncontrollably. "It'll do."

The pirate and I bounded up the stairs closer to the edge. "Friends," Jack called. Everyone carefully followed him, the guards ready in case he tried to attack them or something. Jack stopped right on the very rim of the fort, right where Elizabeth had fallen off at the beginning of this story. I rose a few feet into the air in preparation for the evitable plummet into the Caribbean Sea. Jack continued with his announcement. "This is the day you will always remember as the day that…" And with that incomplete statement, Jack tumbled over the side. Either accidentally or purposely, he had backed up to far.

After one last look at the group on the fort, I dropped through the air after my assignment. "Boy, he sure knows how to make and entrance and an exit," I thought. Jack splashed into the Caribbean. I looked up and saw everyone looking down at us, or rather, at the pirate. I resisted the urge to wave at them.

Jack gasped as he broke the surface. I giggled in spite of myself. I felt giddy. Happiness and joy filled my soul. I knew what was going to happen next. The Pearl was going to come! I grinned and back flipped playfully into the sea.

"All right, now what?" Jack asked when I surfaced, dripping wet and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Just wait. You'll see."

I felt insanely excited for some reason. I knew that soon, very soon, I was going to have to leave the Caribbean. Thinking of that, my wide smile began to shrink.

"See what?" Jack asked.

The answer came from above. We heard a faint shout from up on the fort. "Sail ho!"

Jack and I looked to the cliff where the Dauntless had been anchored. A ship appeared from behind the wall of rock, her black sails full and billowing. It was clear they had been repaired. The Black Pearl looked like new, no longer a spooky ghost ship. It was without a doubt one of the best things Captain Jack had ever seen in his life. His face showed it. He smiled, grateful and happy as he began to swim towards his ship. I swam steadily along beside him.

"I told you!" I exclaimed. "I told you you were going to get your ship back!"

"You did," Jack agreed. "You finally kept up your end of it." It was an amazing turn around from when Jack was in jail. He was almost a different person.

As the ship slowly but surely got closer, a thought crossed the pirate's mind. "Calypso, what about that bloody Norrington? I would think he would be wanting to come after me."

I nodded and a small smile appeared on my lips. "I wouldn't really worry about him too much," I said. "You should expect about one day's head start before he'll come after you, and by then you'll be long gone." Jack flashed me a smile.

I was fighting back a nagging voice in the back of my head, telling me to hurry up and get on with it. "Just tell him already!"

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"This is it," I told him. "It's time for me to go, to leave you."

Jack kept swimming, but his expression had changed. He wasn't quite as happy now. Neither was I. "I really don't want to go, though," I told him.

"So don't," he replied.

"I can't stay," I insisted. "I've done my job. You've got your ship back and now I have to go."

Jack was quiet for a moment. "Is there any chance I might be able to see you again some time?" he asked.

It made me smile again to think about that. "Oh, yes," I said. "There is an extremely good chance we'll meet again. I don't know exactly when, but I promise I'll be back."

Jack brightened. "I'll be looking forward to your return," he said, looking me in the eyes. I swear, if we weren't in the water, he would have bowed to me or something. Instead, he found my hand and kissed it like a gentleman. I blushed.

A few minutes later, we had gotten close enough to the Black Pearl. Mr Cotton was in the rigging and tossed Jack a rope. As soon as he had a firm grip on it he shot out of the water, hulled onboard by the crew pulling on the other end. I leapt out of the sea like a dolphin and flew up beside Jack as he swung over the deck, spraying seawater everywhere. He landed with a thump on his backside near by the helm. I landed more gracefully on my feet beside him. Mr Gibbs and the rest of the crew gathered around. I knew that Jack was happy to see them, he just chose not to show it. Instead, he faked anger.

"I thought you were supposed to keep to the Code," Jack reminded Gibbs.

"We figured they were more actual…guidelines," his friend replied.

I imagined how the crew would have moped, thinking about Jack and how he had worked for ten years to get his ship back, only to have it taken right out from under his nose, right when he had been so close to achieving his goal. I knew there wasn't a Code about that, but there ought to be one now. When it came to a vote as to wether or not they should go to Port Royal, a dangerous space for a pirate crew, and fetch the person who was the rightful owner of the Black Pearl, the decision would have been unanimous. The evidence of this was all around me.

Gibbs offered Jack his hand and helped him to his feet. Cotton gave Jack his old, brown tri-cornered hat. He had left it, along with his coat, on the Pearl when he was bartering with Barbossa the previous week. "Thank you," Jack said. The mute man smiled and Jack put the hat on his head.

"Captain Sparrow," a female voice said. Anamaria was leaning against the helm. Her tone held no trace of the anger and scorn that she had towards Jack back when the crew was first formed. She approached her Captain and draped his old coat over his shoulders. "The Black Pearl is yours."

There was a different kind of smile on Jack's face as he approached the helm. He caressed it gently, rubbing the wood as one would comfort a long-lost lover. There was a smile on everyone's face, including mine. I even caught myself blinking back a tear.

Jack noticed that he was the centre of attention. Everyone was just standing there watching him. His chocolate eyes darted around, a small frown on his face. "On deck you scabrous dogs!" he shouted to the crew, easily falling back into the role of pirate captain. "Hands to the braces! Get go and hull to run free!"

The crew scurried off, heading in all directions to obey the commands. I was the only one who stayed still. "Now," Jack said quietly to me. "Bring me that horizon."

I smiled again and saluted. "Aye, Captain." I drifted up into the air as Jack pulled out his compass and began humming the tune to 'A Pirate's Life for Me.' I flew higher into the atmosphere, far above the pirate ship. I could see Will and Elizabeth kissing each other passionately on the fort. I took one last look down at the Black Pearl and smiled again faintly.

"See ya later, Jack," I sighed. Then I was gone.

AN/ Holey cow. I'm done! (Well, save for one more follow up chapter, but that'll come later.)

Here comes my Academy Award acceptance speech. Luckily, I have a mini-Oscar from Warner Bro's Movie World. This fic would not have been possible without the help of many people, most of whom don't even know it. I would like to thank Gore Verbinski for directing the film, Johnny Depp for, well, everything he did in the movie and for signing on to do more, (Why didn't he win the Oscar?) Disney for the ride that inspired the movie, and my best friend, Kizz, for her help in getting these chapters on the site.

I would like to dedicate this fic to my friend Troy, who was always there to listen to my problems, give advice, and threaten to beat up the people who make my life miserable. This fic is also for my reviewers, especially Flute Damioh (AKA Tiffany Sparrow, who wrote a very good fic inspired from this one) Jinxeh, Kazz, and Kizz. Thank you, guys, and everyone else, for your support, encouragement, and putting this fic on your favourite's list.

I also want to acknowledge the very useful Captain Jack Sparrow Character Analysis I found.The link for it will be on my bio.This proved to be quite helpful to me in writing this fic.

Drink up, me hearties, Yo Ho! And remember, not all treasure in silver and gold.