"Alright… I've decided." Captain Robinson's eyebrows rose in shock. That wasn't something he had been expecting to hear- at least not so soon…

"That was quick sparrow. Thought it would take ye longer t' decide which of yer loved ones you were goin' t' let die." Jack laughed, his face mocking the man that stood before him.

"Well, it's not a decision as such… more like a… proposition if you will." The man in front of him narrowed his eyes, quickly becoming suspicious.

"Oh aye?" Jack grinned.

"Aye. I figured, why kill to innocents, that really have nothing to do with you, when really, all you want to do is see me die?" Jack paused for a moment, and Robinson took this as his chance to butt in.

"Oh I get it, I kill you and both yer girl and kid live. No. I don't like that -" Jack growled.

"I haven't finished yet. As I was saying, all you want is to see me die. But as yer probably guessing' I'm not one to lay my life down for anyone without the slightest chance of getting' out alive. So my proposition to you is, we duel, and if I win, I get my boy back- and the gem, plus my life. But if I lose, all three of us die. What'd you say?" Robinson's eyes narrowed once again, searching Jacks face trying to tell whether he was being serious or not. He had never expected Jack to risk both lives along with his own. He had however been expecting Jack to risk his life.

"I'd say your flippin' mad Jack Sparrow." He paused. "But I take you up on that challenge. You die, and so do your loved ones. I die, they live. Fair price I'd say. Shall we begin?" He drew his sword and was surprised to find that Jack hadn't. "What now?"

"I want that gem to be given to one of my men." Robinson glared at Jack.

"An' why would I do that? What makes you so sure that I have it on me?" Jack chuckled.

"How else would you have kept it from me if I had done your first 'choice' as you put it? I'm not stupid Captain Robinson; I know damn well that you have it on your person or around you. I want one of my men to have it, so that when I WIN – because lets face it, we both know that I will- I know I have it t' take back with me." It was Robinsons turn to chuckle.

"I like the fact you're so confident Jack. It'll make your death all the sweeter for me. But aye, the gem should be out. Although I wont be giving it to your men. It can be kept with the kid. He's too much of a mess to do anything stupid, not that he's strong enough nor cleaver enough." Jack resisted the urge to snarl although his face showed how unimpressed he was.

"Aye. Fair enough. As soon as it's with him, we can begin dear old Robby." Robinson paused, turning to look at Jack.

"Call me that again, I'll shoot the kid and you right now and they'll be no duel. I don't want t' do that because I would like the pleasure of killing you properly- and slowly! Now- LOWER THE CAGE."

Jack watched as the cage that held his son was lowered down to the ground. He couldn't tare his eyes away from the child. Thomas was so battered; bruised and bloody it was unbelievable. He was a mere shadow of the child he usually was. As Robinson opened the cage door, he shot to the back of it. It was the most movement Jack had seen his son do since getting there, and it wasn't much considering how small the cage was. It would be a struggle to get a grown man in it without breaking a few bones. Thomas made the mistake of whimpering, causing him to receive a blow from Robinson. Jacks fingernails bit into to flesh of his palm while watching it. It killed him inside to know that at that present moment he couldn't help.

Robinson placed a small box inside the cage with Thomas, taking one last look at it before closing the door again. He stared at Thomas for a few moments, reducing the child to silent tears from the mere look. Finally he motioned for the cage to be hoisted back up to where it was hanging before. The man plastered a grin on his face before turning back to face Jack.

"There ye go sparrow. Your precious gem is with your precious child." Both men stayed silent for a moment, psyching each other out.

It was Jack who made the first move, bringing his sword out and striking at Robinson taking him by surprise. Although he was taken by surprise, Jack only managed to merely catch Robinson's skin causing it to rip slightly. This only helped in making Robinson angry.

The pair of them duelled nicely for a while. Each trying to wear the other out, neither making any strikes to try and cause serious damage. Pretty soon this began to get boring. Robinson was the first to make a new move, barley scraping against Jacks skin as he moved out of the way. That kind of fighting began to take place, each making cuts on each other, still not making any real damage.

This continued for a while more. Then it happened. The pirates had been taunting Thomas for a while, throwing rocks up at him, keeping score on who could hit him the most. It became too much for the poor little boy and he let out a loud cry. This was enough to distract Jack.

As soon as Jack looked up to see his son, Captain Robinson saw the window of opportunity to strike and did exactly that. Jack hardly registered what was happening as the metal blade dug inside of him. As he pulled the metal out of Jack, a sick smile spread across Robinsons face.

Jack began to try and take deep breaths which were more like gasps. He stumbled over his feet, sword still clutched in his right hand. His left hand began searching for something to hold onto, he began falling before finding the wall of the cave. His eyes were erratic, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, shakes racking his body. His head snapped up as he heard a laugh.

"Isn't that just a beautiful sight men? The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow about to die, from my blade of my sword- and because his son distracted him." Robinson took a step forward so his face was just inches away from Jacks. "I'm sorry about your girl and kid Jack. Shame they both have to die because you took a gamble and lost. Just think- one of them could have still been alive at the end of this day. But now… all that you love, is going t' be dead." He laughed in Jacks face. "Although, I think it would all be sweeter if you could see at least one of them die before you do." He paused before bellowing 'drop the cage'.

Jacks eyes widened as the cage that held his son fell from the roof to the ground with an almighty thud. His eyes could clearly see the shape of his son's body, lying unmoving on the ground. Jack's whole body began to shake, and his eyes were filled with a mixture of emotion; anger, hurt, even terror… and the thought running through his mind at that precise moment-

This is my entire fault…

A/N: ok that was a fairly short chapter, but i didnt want to go any further then the ending of this chapter- in this chapter. if that makes sense:-) Please please please review! Any thoughts on the story are verymuch appreaciated:-) Thank you! Captainme