Dead Men Tell No Tales

Disclaimer: I write about pirates and the things that they do. Their life can be rough but adventuresome too. Disney still owns Jack and Will Turner. When I figure out how, I'll be their new owner.

Monsters

My thoughts were on Jem and the necklace. I decided to take my bad mood away from Elizabeth and take a walk in the rain. Torrents of rain beat against me as I walked toward the docks. I felt nothing; I was numb to my surroundings. By the time I reached the docks I thought of what I had asked Elizabeth. "You wouldn't throw yourself off would you?" I looked at the rough water and knew Jem would not want me to do that.

As I stood deep in thought, I heard someone approach me from behind. I turned abruptly and I almost lost my footing on the slick planking. I was quite surprised to see the young whelp standing behind me and looking very healthy.

Will grabbed my arm to prevent me from falling backwards into the water. He placed his arm around me and pulled me close. "Jack, please, come join us for supper and have a drink. Have several in honor of Jem and your new daughter. You know she would not want you mourning over her and catching your death of cold."

"William, please don't put yourself out. I am grateful for my friendship with you and Elizabeth and I would be ever so indebted to you if you would take on the raising of me other daughter."

Will shook his wet head and pushed the water from his eyes. "Jack, don't even think about that now. What are your intentions, will you head out to sea and get revenge on Norrington and Barbossa? They are both monsters, just let them lay."

I narrowed my eyes as I looked on Will. "Why, lad, you know me so well. Yes, I plan to get meself a ship and a buccaneer crew and set sail. I will get The Black Pearl back if it is the last thing I do and if I am successful with that task, I will then even the score with Norrington."

A vicious bolt of lightening ripped down and the sound of the thunder rolled out to sea. Will and I jumped but we both tried to hide the fact that we were quite startled.

"Please Jack; the weather is fit for neither man nor beast. I can tell you have your mind set on sailing the seas but perhaps you should think it over. I have to go back to the house. Elizabeth and Kat are taking care of Raven. She is a beautiful baby. Come back with me, get to know your daughter and spend more time with Kat."

The sky once again lit up and the thunder was deafening. I looked out at the rough waters, "Life at sea would not be good for Kat or for Raven." I looked back at Will and I could tell by the way he was twitching he really wanted to get away from the waters edge.

"Will, a question has entered my mind and it continues to nag at me. Why? Why would Jem leap overboard in the middle of a storm? I know she's is as feisty and as fiery as her father, but she would never jump off a ship let alone abandon her child."

Will tilted his head. "Jack, she did and she did. Why? We may never know. I am sure she had a good reason but evidently her reasoning went south."

"No the story of her jumping in and committing suicide has to be a lie." I rubbed my temples with unsteady hands and felt the stubble on my chin and cheeks. "I will have to find Norrington. I will have to question him and then kill the man."

I once again looked up and down at the docked ships. I knew what I had to do; I had to get myself a crew and get myself off this rock. I would have to go after Norrington and get my answers. I knew in my heart Jem Barbossa would not kill herself.

"Come Jack, the servants have prepared a fine meal. Please come join Elizabeth, Kat and I for dinner before we set sail."

"Alright William, I will join you since the weather is not suitable for sailing, but this time, lad, you will not be sailing with me. You have just arrived home and I am sure your fine wife would like your company for awhile."

"Jack, I am sure she would like me to stay but she and I both know you are the one who needs me."

"No William; I cannot and will not accept your help again."

"Jack, when I needed your help I did not hesitate to ask. You know you need me and you also know I am loyal to you and the crew. You're my friend and I've pulled you from many shark-infested waters when you were in trouble, and that's why you really need me. You cannot turn my help away now." He winked and gave me a weak smile.

"Whelp, I can refuse your help. There is no profit in it for you. It appears to me every time you get yourself into some kind of mess it is because of me. I am the one who has to help meself, savvy? You are to stay here with Elizabeth and take care of the children."

"Jack, we have more than paid our debt to one another. I don't want you getting yourself beaten to a pulp again."

"William, thank-you for the concern, and for the vote of confidence, but I really can take care of meself. You will not be sailing with me and that, my friend, is final. Now, let us go get some food and plenty of liquor."

"Jack, in all the years I have known you I have never seen you in such dire straights before. Well, except the time you wanted me to put that bullet in your head."

"Aye, I remember that. I also remember you couldn't do it."

"Not couldn't…wouldn't," Will snapped back. "Jack, it has been a long day and it has taken its toll on all of us." Will took my arm and I did not fight him. We made our way back to the house and up the muddy trail as the rain continued to hammer us. Everything else was quiet across the yard; no sound permeated the dark or the rain. It was as if the whole world were dead.

I went back into the house with Will and grabbed the first bottle of rum I could find. I tossed myself on a near by chair and that is when the grief ripped through me. My loneliness was tangible and my sorrow weighted me down. How was I to live without her? My thoughts went to the time I vowed my love to her and I gave her my ring and my name. This, of course, was at the same time I wanted Will to put the bullet through my head. I drained the bottle and as I placed it down I looked up to see Will and Elizabeth staring at me.

"I'm sorry; I know you two should be celebrating and I am sure I am making a spectacle of meself. It is never a pretty picture to wallow in self pity. If you will excuse me, I shall just retire for the night. I am sure I would be unable to sit still through a dinner. Please have Kat accept my apologies and let her know I will see her in the morning."

My legs were stiff and cramped as I stood up to leave. I stretched my aching arms, my empty aching arms. Jem was lost to me, I knew this in my head, but I could not accept it in my heart. I grabbed another bottle of rum and headed to my room. As I went up the stairs, I could hear Kat's happy voice singing a lullaby to Raven.

XXXXXXXX

When morning came the rain had stopped but the clouds were still low. There had been reports of a hurricane brewing over the seas so complied with Will's wishes and delayed setting sail for a few days. I would wait for the weather to improve then I would head out to get my revenge. But the delay could prove useful, after all I had no idea where I was heading and maybe, with time, I could gather some information.

Since I had decided to wait, Elizabeth took it upon herself to have a funeral for Jem. She felt this would put my mind at ease and make it easier for Kat to move on. In my opinion it just made it harder for both of us.

But Elizabeth had begun questioning Barbossa's motives as well. Why would he give the antidote to Will and why would he hand over the child? Every time I heard the child cry, I knew why he gave her away. He had no patience to take care of a child.

Elizabeth felt Barbossa was underhanded, shifty and untrustworthy but she did believe he had nothing to do with Jem's death. There would be nothing gained in killing his only daughter and it appeared that he really had loved her. The fact the monkey had her necklace was disturbing, but there was no possible way she could be alive, even if she did give it to the animal. Pintel and Ragetti's story seemed plausible. What would be the point and purpose for them to lie?

Elizabeth knew none of us wanted to face the cold, hard truth, but she informed us we could not hide from it. Needless to say, this funeral did not improve my mood at all.

William and Elizabeth managed to find some of me crew to attend the ceremony. They looked at one another and then at me. I felt as if I wanted to crawl into the large hole that was waiting for Jem's empty coffin. I could not help but stand there and frown at the whole situation.

"You know Dad, Gibbs was right, women are unlucky." Kat whispered, as she stood beside me wiping the tears from her eyes. "It seems wherever Jem went there was trouble, and that's all she ever had from the day she was born to the day she died."

I smiled down on, only barely succeeding in holding back my own tears. "Luv, trouble didn't follow Jem, she always went and looked for it. She wanted it. She was the one who searched me out to get revenge for her dear old dad, Hector Barbossa." I could feel my lip curl as I mentioned his name. "She was the one who made me fall in love with her. I'd say her biggest misfortune was her father."

Kat looked up at me and stared for a long time. "Dad, it seems you and Jem have had troubles from the very beginning and it is because of your…your bloody ship. Because of your first love, your ship, Jem tossed herself to the mercy of Davy Jones."

Heads nodded and sharp mutterings were heard. Elizabeth shot a look at us and placed her finger to her lips. I gently placed my hand around Kat's head and covered her mouth. "Darling, the trouble was not due to me bloody ship. It was due to bloody Barbossa. Now, I know you don't mean those harsh words. You know of the rocky beginning Jem and I had, and we had a love hate relationship, that is true." I gave her a golden smile and then I looked up into the cloudy heavens. "But to this day, my little bird, I love her and I know she loves me."

I could see one man jostling another as they were watching me and Kat. They all, however, agreed women were bad luck.

As we stood near the open gravesite, I glanced at the ships that were anchored offshore. A feeling washed over me that, if I looked hard enough, I would see Jem and the Black Pearl. The baby in my arms wiggled and redirected my attention to the ceremony taking place and I removed my other hand from Kat' mouth.

I could hear the priest's droning voice in the back of my mind. "Jem Barbossa is being laid to her final resting place. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust…" I closed my ears and my eyes. I had had enough.

Kat had insisted that we have a burial on land, so we could come and visit her when ever we felt. I really wanted to do it at sea since I knew that was where I would be, but I was out voted.

There were many people present and, as the priest said his final words, we all bowed our heads. There was a long silence and I could tell they were waiting for me to find the proper words. Clearing my throat, I managed to say simply: "Jem was my life. She was my lover and she was the mother of my children and most of all she was my friend. Her only sin was her love for life, adventure, and for me. For that I ask forgiveness in her name."

My hands shook slightly as I bent down picked up a clod of dirt and threw it into the yawning grave. Tears welled in my eyes as I passed Raven to Elizabeth and walked away, unable to watch as the rest of the attendant's heaped the black, rich earth onto the simple coffin.

I turned towards the ocean and slowly walked to the shore. I wandered for what seemed like hours and I eventually found myself back at the burial site. By this time, the daylight was long gone and everybody had gone home. I sat down and placed my head into my hands.

I knew without a doubt that the most important thing to me was not to get revenge, it was Jem, and it was her heart. I loved her without reservation. Yes, I loved her more than my ship, the sea and my freedom. I sat there alone on the dirt and I could feel my heart breaking. I looked up into the sky and spoke softly to anyone who would listen. "There now, are you happy? Yes, I may be Captain Jack Sparrow but, alas, I am human."

My mood was dark and I had nothing more to do but return to the sea. I knew I would feel better when I was sailing, or at least I could pretend I did. I jumped when I heard someone banging something into the ground. I looked up to see Will pounding a wooden cross in to the soft soil. He looked down at me and started shuffling his feet. "Jack, it seems that we should be doing something else, saying something else. This is so…so final."

"Death is always final," I mumbled. I could tell Will was also grieving. Will sat down beside me and handed me an unopened bottle of rum. I popped the cork and we both shared it. We sat and we talked, we laughed and we cried. I then confided in Will that I genuinely felt Jem was my soul mate, just as Elizabeth was his, and that if I had to do it over again, I would marry Jem without any silly conditions.

Will took the bottle from my hand and held it up. "Jack, I drink to you and Jem. Jem loved you. She loved being loved by you. She certainly knew you and understood you, which, I have to say, was amazing. You, my friend, appreciated her and intuitively perceived the woman behind the flesh, the soul beneath the intellect. The loving and the giving were enhanced by your mutual joy. Your passions were flamed by the tender devotion you gave to one another. You both gave each other a tremendous treasure, your love. You should cherish that more fervently than a kingly prize. You found Jem and Jem found you." Will took a swig and stood up. "Jack, Jem was your wife; she belonged to no one else. Now come, we have to make plans. We have a ship to find."

Will looked at the bottle in his hand and gave it to me. "Go ahead and finish it; there is more at the house."

I took it, drained it and then tossed it as far as I could. "How sweet, Will, we each found our destiny in each other and then destiny took Jem away." I stood up and looked at the wooden cross Will had placed over Jem's grave. He had attached a metal plaque to it and he had also engraved it. It read, Jem Barbossa Sparrow, loving mother to Pearl and Raven.

"Will, my lad, time will have to be our friend. Death always leaves the living in agony."

I looked at Will and he looked at me. We were both devastated. "Thank you Will, I know she would like that." I shook my head and held back the tears. "I just cannot believe this."

We both walked back to the house. We were both quiet and drunk. Elizabeth met us at the front door and made sure we both ended up in a fine feather bed.

XXXXXXXX

I lay awake late into the night. I could hear Elizabeth and Will talking with one another. I could just imagine them snuggling up to one another. It was becoming clear to me that I would have to leave without Will. He really did belong here with Elizabeth and his family.

I did not have a plan and I had no idea how I was going to get my ship back. I did know Kat and Raven would be well taken care of and, with that thought swirling around in my head, I finally fell asleep.

William woke me up a short while later. He came running into my room and threw open the sash. "Jack, the island is on fire. Hurry, we have to get help." He was strapping his sword belt to his hips and grabbing his pistols. He tossed my pants and boots at me and his aim was very accurate as the boot hit me in the head.

I tried to pull my thoughts together in my sleep-muddled brain, but he was running out of the room already, yelling for the few servants he had.

"Fire?" I asked, sitting up in bed, sniffing the air. "Are you sure? I don't smell smoke. How do you know there's a--"

I swung my legs over the bed and looked out the window. Beyond the scraggy line of trees that marked the boundary between the settled part of the island and the jungle, the sky glowed orangey red.

"Oh hell," I swore, jumping from the bed grabbing my clothes. My arms and legs protested the quick movement, but I ignored the stiffness and hurried into my boots, grabbing my foil and guns. I ran from the room and followed Will down the stairs.

Kat emerged from her bedroom rubbing her eyes. "What's happening?"

"Kat I want you to get dressed and grab Raven. Then run to the town. Raise the alarm if it has not already been done."

Elizabeth bolted past me, running down the stairs with her baby son. She took control of Kat and Raven and she ran to the town. I could hear her voice yelling. "Fire! Fire!" She ran into the town not having to explain any further.

Will was standing just outside the opened double doors shouting orders to his servants. The smoke was thick and heavy as I reached the point where the lawn ended and the scrubby, sparse forest that covered much of the island began. The palm trees and surrounding tall grass were fully ablaze, casting grotesque shadows as Will and his men danced around it, trying to beat out the burning areas.

Billows of black smoke shot up into the night sky, mushrooming as they hit the cool air. The heat from the fire at ground level was breathtaking—literally—absorbing the oxygen and leaving me breathless and gasping.

"Will, we have to form a bucket line," I yelled when I saw him standing, staring helplessly at his burning home.

"Send the men to the well. We must carry the water from the well around to the edge of the lawn." Will, myself and several of the helping hands hurled buckets of water on to the grass. We hurled bucket after bucket and our hands were quickly forming blisters from the wet handles. My arms and shoulders ached and I could tell there was going to be no relief soon.

Will started coughing on the acrid smoke that filled the air. Breathing was a labored chore and I knew his lungs were burning. Our eyes were watering, sending tears down our cheeks, but we couldn't stop long enough to wipe our faces.

It seemed like an eternity, but it was probably only a half hour later that I called a halt to the bucket line. "It's no good. It's too far spread," I yelled in between gasps for air. "We'll never get it out."

One of Will's men fell to the ground, overcome by the smoke. Will pulled him up. His arms were shaking with the stain, his breath raspy and painful. "What now Jack? What should we do? Do you think this is Barbossa's doing?"

My throat was raw. I wheezed as I tried to breathe and talk. My lungs burned as if they were filled with hot embers. I looked at Will and his servants. They had all collapsed; everyone was on the ground panting for air, rubbing their aching arms and blistered hands.

"We make a fire break to keep it from going down to the town. We need shovels and axes, as many as you can get."

Will nodded to one of his men and he ran to the gardening shed. Two others from the bucket line staggered to their feet and followed.

I looked at Will and answered his question. "No Will, this is not Barbossa's doing. Yes, it is a traditional pirate action and he does blame me for the burning of his home, but this, my friend, is Norrington's handy work. I can smell the monster." I looked at the flames leaping from tree to tree. "Aye, this is Norrington's doing."

"Norrington?" Will asked quietly.

"Will, I'm afraid you're going to loose your house, stable and shop. There is no way we can save it and the town too."

"That's all right, it's just a house. The town is what matters." Will dipped his bandana into a water bucket and wiped the soot off his sweaty face. "Did you send Elizabeth to rouse the town?"

"Yes, and hopefully she will bring back my crew to help fight the fire."

As Will's men returned I grabbed a shovel from one of them. "Will, you go down to the town and see what you can do about getting us more help. If we want to save the town, we're going to have to have a lot of it."

"No, I should stay and help dig trenches--" Will started to say, but he saw the flicker of determination in my eyes and he turned to leave.

Will had only but to take a few steps when a massive blast shook the ground; the sound of it was so palpable that it could be felt as well as heard. "What the bloody hell was that, an earthquake?" Will yelled, as he steadied himself. "I definitely felt the ground tremble."

"Cannons," I answered. I pointed toward the harbor, barley visible through the smoke as a slightly lighter black patch on a field of ebony.

"Cannons? Someone is firing cannons now?"

"Not firing," I yelled throwing down my shovel as I jumped forward. "Blowing them up! They are attacking our ships, they are attacking the town."

I grabbed Will by the arm and headed for the town. Another blast rocked the island, this time slightly more distant. A huge fireball lit the night sky, illuminating, for a few seconds, the far area of the harbor. "I have to say he is good. He is attacking our ships so we are unable to defend ourselves."

"Why is he attacking us?" Will asked.

I looked at Will as if he had lost his mind. "Because he's a rotter?"

"No really Jack, he must have a reason for attacking our harbor. Norrington has no idea you or I are here."

I stopped short and my jaw tightened. "Your right, but you should never underestimate Norrington. I know you have seen him in battle. He is a wild man behind the wheel of a ship. He would do anything, anything at all, to take down The Black Pearl."

"Precisely," Will smiled at me. "Norrington is here because of The Black Pearl. Jack, the Black Pearl is near, can't you feel it?"

I cocked my head and I gave Will a wide golden grin. "Lad, you are brilliant. Norrington is attacking because he thinks Barbossa is here, and, you know, he probably is. Norrington is after him and The Black Pearl. I swear I'm going to gut Norrington if he sinks my ship. When I finally get my hands on him he will be---."

"Jack please," Will looked at me with concern. "It is clear Norrington wants to destroy your ship, but he'll take the whole island down in order to do it. He will show no quarter, so if you want to save your ship and our families we need to do something."

"Aye, go get as many hands as you can. We will go into battle. I know of a small ship in a hidden cove. It is a secret cove and nobody knows where it is except me. The ship is small and does not have many cannons but she will do. We will sneak up on them and attack the ship Norrington is on. We can do this Will, we will do it or we will die trying."

"It's the 'die trying' part I object to." Will mumbled.

"Will, go get the crew and meet me at the cove."

"Jack, I can't."

"William," I placed my arm around his shoulders. "Now is not the time to get all sentimental. I need you to do this. You have to go get the crew, I can make ready the ship. Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

Will rolled his eyes and removed my arm. "Jack, I don't know where the ship is, remember it is in a secret cove? You will have to get the crew and take us."

The look he shot me was priceless, and I mentally tucked it away so I could examine it later, when I could appreciate the look.

Will placed his hands on his waist. "If you're the only one who knows the way..."

"Don't even go there." I held my hands up and went to gather the crew. As we ran, the sounds of cannons thundering through the night air left a chilling effect on all of us.

Will and I ran threw the town, gathering up our families and crew. One of the townspeople pointed at the hill where fire had fully engulfed Will's house. Beyond it, a line of fire stretched out, sweeping a path straight for the town.

The townspeople, upon seeing the red glow, went crazy. They ran around like headless chickens, screaming, wailing and demanding that I save them. I finally had to shoot my pistol into the air to get the people to stop acting like idiots.

"That's better," I yelled, tucking my pistol back into my sword belt. "If you want to survive, listen up." I started detailing the town and had them gather supplies and set firebreaks. Once the town was busy, the crew took the supplies and followed me.

Will gathered up Elizabeth, his son, and my daughters and followed. Will staggered up next to me as we made our way to the cove. "Jack, how are we supposed to fight those ships with just one ship?"

"William my boy, you have to have a little faith in me."

"Jack, I have oodles of faith in you. I have a veritable fountain of faith in you, but that doesn't negate the fact that one ship, with a shorthanded crew, against a herd of Naval Ships isn't going to win. We are doomed."

"Fleet, not herd," I gave him a gentle shove forward. "To the cove mate, we've got a ship to sail."

We all stopped suddenly when one of Norrington's ships blew up. The blast was so loud it hurt my ears, followed almost immediately by another ship exploding in a furry of metal and wood.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," I gasped. "I know those guns. Hurry, we can not waste anymore time. I don't want the Pearl to end up on the bottom of the harbor."

I lead everyone to the edge of a cliff and directed them down a sharply angled path. Elizabeth complained the sharp tang of the sea was stinging her eyes and the rest of the crew was whining that they were tired, overworked and the journey was much harder than they expected.

When we finally got to the beach, I pulled off my boots to wade out to the ship. I looked at my motley crew. "This is not a game; I need every able man to do as they are told. If we are to save the town, and ourselves, you will all have to follow my orders, savvy?"

"Aye, aye sir," Will yelled out and the rest of the crew followed.

We all waded through the warm water and boarded the ship. I took immediate charge, ordering people to various stations, putting those with knowledge of sailing in the key positions.

"Will, I want you to take charge of the people on the sails and take the helm. Explain to them the correct way to unfurl the sails and how to raise and lower the boom."

"Sure Jack, but don't you think, based on my experience and yours, that you should be the one in charge?"

"Will, you'll be fine. Just get us to the harbor, and I'll do the rest."

"What are you going to do?" he asked me as he was giving orders to the men.

"I am going to start loading the guns. I've got several to load, and it's going to take a while." I smiled at Will as I ordered the anchor lifted and the sails dropped.

I had just finished loading the last gun and I came up onto the deck with William. We were rounding the pinnacle of land that lead into the harbor. My breath caught in my throat and stuck there in a painful lump.

The harbor was filled with ships, big ships, warships, monsters…and all of them had their guns trained on my sweet Pearl.

"That's not a fleet," I said softly, blindly grabbing William for some much-needed support. "That's a friggin' armada."

A/N: At long last, another chapter. As you can see, Jack is getting closer to his beloved ship but there may not be anything left of it after The Royal Navy blows her sky high. Let me know what you think. My story is soon coming to an end and I would love to hear from all of you. Tell me what do you think is going to happen?

TA FOR NOW

LOVELY RAVEN SPARROW