A/N: Okay, it's really late and I kind of pulled this out of nowhere. I worked all day and wrote part of this there. However, the theater isn't always the most conducive place to write. If it doesn't make any sense and is totally random, I apologize in advance. I just wanted another long chapter. And I wanted something important to happen. There's the author's note.

thomthom

At World's End: Chapter 23

Jack hid the heart in Dani's dresses and hoped it wouldn't be found. Hell, even Dani didn't go there, so he was pretty sure it was safe. And the thick fabric muffled the sound of it beating, which when left out echoed through a cabin.

Danielle insisted that her back was fine. Every time Jack tried to talk to her about it, she changed the subject. However, he knew her better. He could see her wince in pain as she did her normal chores on deck the next morning. Elizabeth and Will tried to convince her as well, but Dani wasn't having it. She just continued about her business, refusing to let herself rest.

Barbossa, on the other hand, was busy making plans to break into the fort. He was going that night. He would slip in, kill whoever got in his way and take the heart. Then he'd kill Sparrow once and for all and take Danielle for himself. He had no doubt in his mind that he could pull this off. He had fooled Sparrow before and now he would do it again, along with the whole Royal Navy.

So, around midnight, Barbossa headed out for the fort. He snuck quietly along the wall to a side entrance. He crept behind the one guard at the door and killed him with one jab of his sword.

Barbossa walked into the fort, smirking at what he thought was a job well done, but immediately had ten guards surrounding him. He had been completely silent, where did these men come from? He fought them, doing well at times, but was no match for the Royal Navy guards. He knew they couldn't swim, but apparently they could sword fight…and shoot. Someone, no knowing which guard, shot him and he hit the ground hard.

The bullet went through his chest and out of his back. He didn't even have a chance to make another pact with Davy Jones. Nothing could save him now and he knew exactly where he was going. He was never going to taste another apple or know what immortality, without a curse, was like. And without another second passing, he was dead.

Becket walked out of his office and over to Barbossa's body. "You got the wrong man, but I applaud you all because you did, indeed, hit a pirate. A wanted one at that. Congratulations. But you didn't get the one I wanted!" He yelled at them and sulked back into his office.

Back on the ship, Jack was readying everyone to leave port. They were going to leave Barbossa; on the count that they didn't know he was dead. Guards would start looking for ships soon and they would be under attack. Dani joined him at the helm.

"Jack, he'll find us and it'll be worse."

"I'll take my chances, love," Jack told her as he steered the ship out of port. "We've got work to do."

"Won't Jones know you have the heart?"

"You have the heart?" Will interrupted, as he came out onto the dark deck. The lanterns had been extinguished in order to hide them a little better.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It, sort of, slipped my mind when Barbossa asked, I guess. Yeah, that's right."

"I'm not sure if I should be happy for us or appalled. I mean that you let him go into a fort full of angry guards and navy officials."

"I got very tired of his attitude and his face and all of his threats towards Dani and myself. He was probably going to switch to your Elizabeth over there," he knew he had hit a nerve in Will. Any mention of a threat towards Elizabeth and Will was there to take care of it. "I'm sure it was for the best. I'm good with it," Jack smiled.

"Well, since you put it that way…" Will grinned. He really couldn't argue with that. He never liked Barbossa either. After all, he did kill his father.

"Pirates," Dani muttered under her breath.

"Shall we celebrate?" Jack asked as they made their way out to sea. He had Dani, whom he kissed on the cheek, the heart and a new jar of dirt, just to be safe. Nothing was in his way now.

"What are you going to do with it?" Will asked.

"I'm going to stab it."

"What if he sends the Kraken back after you?" Elizabeth asked.

"I outsmarted it once, didn't I? I can do it again." He told Elizabeth. They had since stopped fighting when Dani almost drowned. Nothing like a near drowning to bring people closer together.

"That isn't a very good idea," Dani told Jack. She got a very nasty look in return.

"I am the captain and what I say goes."

"So you want to put all these people in danger again?" She waved her arm around at the crew around the ship. She didn't know why she was pushing this, but she also wanted to know why he was waiting to do anything with the heart.

"There will be only a little bit of danger," he tried to joke, but only half-laughing himself. He looked over his shoulder just to be safe. "And the Kraken was called off already, otherwise I wouldn't be here, talking to you now. I've just got to find the time to complete the task."

"What do you mean 'find time to complete the task'? Jack, we're in the middle of the bloody ocean! What more could you ask for?"

"I want Jones to see me do it. I want to be there to save Bootstrap," Jack sad quietly. "Then I've done everything I promised when I was marooned. Then we can continue on with our life." Jack finished, looking straight into Danielle's eyes.

The entire ship was silent until dawn. Jack stayed on watch, with his jar of dirt, when everyone went to bed. He thought it would be best to let her have the bed, as she tended to kick him in her sleep and steal all the covers…and push him to the edge to the point that he was almost on the floor. Jack never really thought about it before. He always had his most contemplative moments about Dani early in the morning and late at night. He planned on spending the rest of his pirating life with her. He would marry her. There were going to be some very unhappy women in Tortuga…and every other pirate port in the Caribbean. He smiled. The only woman he wanted was Dani.

"What are you smiling about, Captain?" Dani said to him as she walked up the stairs. She was barefoot, standing in one of his shirts. His shirts were loose and therefore, hurt her back less.

"I wasn't smiling," he lied.

"Jack Sparrow, why were you smiling?" She asked again, after kissing him.

"I'll tell you later, love. Go back to bed. I'll be there soon, when Mr. Gibbs wakes up."

She kissed him once again, this time on the forehead, and then walked back down the stairs.

"I love you," she called back to him, and the smile spread even wider on Jack's face as they headed into the sunrise.

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La la la, I killed off Barbossa and I am darn proud of it! I hope I didn't offend any Barbossa fans. I'm sorry if I did. I was just running out of insults that Jack and he could trade. I was also so tired of typing his name. Oh well...off to bed.