DISCLAIMER: Nope, I don't own PotC; only this story.

Chapter 15- Mortality of Love

The drums rolled.

Jack stood behind the noose, his hands tied in front of him. Standing next to Elizabeth who was fanning herself, Paris yearned to catch his eye, hold him for one last time and tell him how she felt.

Norrington stood across from them; the smug look on his face seemed permanently attached since he had arrested Jack. It disgusted her that the crowd could be so morbid, gathering around the gallows to watch as a man struggled for life until their body became limp. 'Have they nothing better to do?'

This question she voiced to Elizabeth. "Jack is renowned for his escapees," she answered, "People love seeing an infamous pirate at the gallows."

The corset she wore seemed incredibly tight, and when Jack's eyes scanned the crowd finally settling on her, Paris found it difficult to breathe. His deep eyes delved into hers from where he stood while his crimes and sentence were called to the crowd.

But what did it matter? The words swept past her ears while she held her Captain's gaze. Tears began to sting her hazel eyes, but she blinked them back. Too long she had fought for life, for freedom away from crime on the backstreets of St Huxenburg and the sleaziness of tavern life. Jack was that freedom.

Without even thinking, without even contemplating what she was about to do, Paris moved. Picking up her skirts, she began rushing past the crowds. Paris only briefly heard Elizabeth's exclamation of surprise before all her attention was centred on the gallows. The noose was around Jack's neck. Any moment now the trap would open. The memory of rope around her own neck spurred Paris on and she squeezed herself past the excited crowds.

The trapdoor opened and Jack fell.

Paris ran harder, faster, stumbling over her long skirts while she ascended the steps to the gallows. The crowd gasped and murmurs broke out amongst them at the sight of a young lady flying towards the infamous pirate who was hanging at the end of the noose.

Grabbing hold of a soldier's sword who was taken aback by the action, Paris swung it, severing the rope making Jack fall to the ground. Everyone else, including the soldier, seemed frozen to the spot, both amazed and aghast at what was happening.

Paris ran to where Jack was lying on the ground, evidently shaken and wheezing in breathlessness. "Jack!" Paris slid to her knees beside him, helping him up into a sitting position.

"I know...how ye felt now, love," Jack managed.

Despite everything; the soldiers who were still around them, the crowd and her own fear and anxiety, Paris laughed. How Jack could joke at such a time amazed her. Paris threw her arms around him in relief. "Darlin'", he choked out. "I'm needin' a little room to breathe at the moment."

Unable to contain a grin, she planted a quick kiss on his lips. What she was planning after this, Paris didn't know. She hadn't thought through a plan at all. The hesitation and uncertainty between the lady and the pirate Captain appeared to be the much needed nudge for the Port Royal soldiers. As though awakening from a horrible, reoccurring nightmare, Norrington shook his head in disbelief and then yelled at his men to move.The pirate was not getting away again. Sparrow would die, at his hands if necessary.

As they began closing in on the two fugitives, a scuffle broke out in the middle of the crowd. Paris turned her head to look past the approaching soldiers to where she spotted Mr Gibbs and the rest of Jack's men surging through the chaos. She didn't care how they had discovered Jack was to be hung, because the sight of the crew filled her with renewed hope.

Martinez managed to slip past the battle near the crowd to cut the rope still around his Captain. "Yer lucky we don' take the code too seriously," he told them with a wink, helping Paris to her feet.

Without warning, a soldier flew towards them, but Martinez blocked the blade with his own. Paris could tell instantly Martinez was not a fighter, his expertise lay back in the galley. The soldier had difficulty only with Martinez's size, but it wasn't long before Jack's chef was out cold on the hard ground.

Jack held up a hand, while the other rubbed his throat. "Now, mate, the lady and me onesies are unarmed," he said as though instructing him on the correct use of his weapon. "And besides, me crewmate is standing jus' behind ye."

This, of course, was a blatant lie, but the young man was clearly nervous about facing the infamous Jack Sparrow alone and so his grey eyes flitted behind him. That was the distraction Jack was looking for.

Paris began to watch as he leapt forward to disarm the young man when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She whirled around, knowing that the blur of blue meant only one person could have arrived behind them. Paris was intent on making the Commodore hear her cause whether he wanted to or not, but something prevented her from ever opening her mouth.

Jack caught the young man's blade, effectively knocking him out as he did so, and then swivelled back round to his lady. Paris had her back to him and Norrington stood before her. At first glance, it appeared the Commodore was holding her at knife point; but the peculiar, rigid way in which she stood confused him. Jack frowned in uncertainty and stared up into the Commodore's eyes, suddenly wishing he hadn't.

The Commodore stood wide-eyed, his mouth agape, and his face contorted in disbelief and horror. Norrington finally moved the blade away from Paris and something red glimmered on the point. Blood. Time lost all meaning. "Paris...?" Jack said, his voice so thick with despair it sounded unrecognizable to him. That blood should have been his.

Paris didn't dare turn around to face him. The pleading in Jack's voice when he spoke her name was already too much. Pain had erupted in her chest and anguish riveted her to the spot. She knew Commodore Norrington had not meant for this to happen. Paris felt her legs give way. "Hell," she heard Jack mutter as he caught her from behind, lowering her gently to the ground.

She sat, propped up against the pirate Captain's chest, his legs on either side of hers and his arms wrapped around her. Jack pressed the palms of his hands against the wound in the upper right side of Paris' chest. "Stay with me, darlin'," he whispered into her ear as her crimson blood seeped between his fingers.

Paris wanted to, more than anything; but her breathing was heavy and weak. Every intake of air was excruciating, like another stab wound to her chest. She turned her face slightly then, to look into Jack's soft, kohl-lined eyes. Paris was genuienly amazed everytime she gazed into them how deep and mysterious they were; only this time they held an emotion that did not fit the mischievous characteristics that usually defined them and she had to turn away. Each breath felt like her last, and for a brief moment, Paris wished it was; but as Jack cradled her in his arms, life pulsating through his own body, his heartbeat against her back, like oxygen to her veins, Paris willed herself to live, if not for herself, then for him.

Paris was only barely aware that all fighting had ceased and that an unnatural silence had fallen over the crowd. Commodore Norrington remained transfixed, his mouth still open in dismay. Paris stayed unmoving in her Captain's arms. The fire in her side was agonizing, rising and falling with her slow breathing. Paris could feel the darkness consuming her. She only wished that she been given longer; her life was only just beginning. Paris' fateful meeting with Jack had given her a second chance at happiness, only to be now unfairly taken away from her. 'Maybe this is the way it's supposed to be?' The pain was suffocating. "I love you, Jack," she said so softly, he nearly didn't hear her.

His hands pushed harder against her wound, attempting to hold in the life that ran down over his hands. Jack was unwilling to accept what could only be the inevitable.

Paris closed her eyes and saw no more.

Author's Note: >Hides from objects thrown at her> Here's chapter 15. I hoped you enjoyed it...if I'm allowed to say that ;) By the way, the next chapter is the final one :(

LegolasLvr71- Awww, you're much too kind :) Thankyou so much for reviewing once again!

The Future Mrs. Jack Sparrow- Yep! I totally agree! After watching CatCF again on sunday, I don't think it can beat it, but I bet it will be excellent! Let me know when you see it ;) And yeh, bring on PotC 2! Thanks for reviewing and yep, only one more to go after this:(

beadedreams- I just wanted to let you know that I didn't forget you! At first I was feeling really bad thinking I missed you, but I checked back to make sure. I saw that you reviewed chapter 12 and so I thanked you on chapter 13. It's right down the very bottom, the last 'thankyou' actually, so perhaps you missed it? Oh, and thankyou for pointing out my spelling error, I fixed it up ;)

Queen.Bowie.Jack.Sparrow.Lover- >Hides> You might not love it after this chapter ;) Hehehe, thanks so much for reviewing once more! One chapter to go!