Chapter Nine
One Last Shot

"I don't like the situation. Any attempt to storm the caves could turn into an ambush." Norrington sighed.

According to Jack's luck, he had been the one to save them from the island. Jack was starting to get severely annoyed with his constant capture in the past few days. At least he was holding up better than Arlen, who was sitting in the boat looking thoroughly peeved. Norrington hadn't wanted to bring her, but no one else seemed to want her but Jack.

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing. Look, I go in, convince Barbossa to send his men out in their little boats. You and your mates go back to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus out of them with your little cannons, eh?" He put a companionable arm around Norrington's shoulders. "What do you have to lose?"

"Nothing I'd lament being rid of." Norrington said stiffly, moving Jack's arm like it was something distasteful.

"You know, you really could be a little more polite!" Arlen shouted. "Jack is even nicer than you are! You're always acting like you have a stick up your-"

"Will someone please gag her?" Norrington hissed. It was done. She still didn't shut up, but at least the obscenities were a little quieter.

"Now to be quite honest with you, there's still a slight risk to those aboard the Dauntless, which includes the future Mrs. Commodore." Jack added delicately.

"And you know, I still don't see how she could even begin to consider sleeping with you even if it saves Will's life."

"How did she get out of the gag?" Norrington nearly growled. Mullroy and Murtogg just pointed at each other. Jack smiled, knowing all too well that Arlen never stayed quiet for more than a couple minutes, gag or no gag.

Later, by virtue of their combined annoyance, Jack and Arlen were in a boat together rowing into Isle de Muerta.

"I told you my constant talking would save our lives someday." Arlen said smugly.

"That you did, Lone Star." Jack chuckled.

"Jack... do you really think I am who you think I am?"

"Well, that depends on who you think I think you are."

"I don't know." She sighed. "I really don't know anymore."

Within a few minutes they were pushing through the crowd, who looked at them like they had risen from the dead.

"Excuse me, pardon me, coming through..."

"Begun by blood... by blood undone..."

"Jack!" Will cried. He was being held over the stone chest, Barbossa's knife at his throat.

"It's not possible." Barbossa groaned.

"Not probable." Jack corrected.

"Please don't make me do probability problems right now," Arlen groaned. "I'd rather die than do another math class and I soo failed the probability exam."

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked.

"She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Commodore Norrington, just like she promised, and you get to die for her just like you promised. So really were all men of our word, except for Elizabeth who is, in fact, a woman."

"No shit, Sherlock." Arlen muttered.

"Shut up! The two of you are next!" He leaned in to slit Will's throat.

"What? What did I do? You always liked me!" Arlen cried.

"Actually, I always liked Black Wolf better." Barbossa grinned.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate." Jack pointed to the knife, ignoring Arlen's jilted mutterings.

"No, I really think I do."

"Your funeral." Jack sighed, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Please, I'm tired of funerals. Or threatened funerals. Or even just talking about funerals." Arlen whined.

"Will you shut UP?" A nearby pirate cried, drawing a knife. Arlen calmly seized his arm, twisted it around and shoved him to the ground.

"By the way Jack, I studied fighting some more while I was away." She smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said dryly.

"Now, why don't I want to be doing this?" Barbossa asked, sounding just as tired.

"Because the H.M.S. Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just outside waiting for you."

The cave was instantly filled with noise as the pirates debated about what to do.

"Okay, what happened?" Li asked as she sidled in. She'd found a couple swords in the piles of swag and was carrying them around. Arlen waved her over to her side and then stole a sword from her.

"Thank god you're here. Jack was starting to get annoying."

"Just hear me out," The annoying pirate in question said. "You order your men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best. Robert's yer uncle, Fanny's yer aunt, and there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet.

"Of course you'll take the grandest for your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Make me captain. I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder, and you get to introduce yourself as Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

"I s'pose in the exchange you want me not to kill the whelp."

"No, by all means, kill the whelp."

Both Arlen and Li looked awestruck. "You can't kill our pillow!" Jack chose to ignore them.

"Just don't kill the whelp yet," He continued. "Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment. For instance," He ran his hands lovingly over the gold, and lifted a few pieces. "After you've killed Norrington's men." He began to drop them, one piece at a time. "Every, last, one." Unknown to everyone but Will, Li and Arlen, he slid one carefully into his sleeve.

"You've been planning this all along," Will snarled, catching on for once. "Ever since you learned my name."

"Yea." Jack replied blithely.

"I want fifty percent of your plunder." Barbossa decided.

"Fifteen."

"Forty."

"Twenty-five. And I'll buy you a hat. A reeaally big one. Commodore?"

"We have an accord." They shook hands. Jack had to keep down his disgust at touching the man who'd betrayed them all and destroyed the life he had. He swore to himself then that when his last shot was fired and Barbossa lay dead, he would begin setting everything to rights. Starting with those two girls.

"All hands to the boats!" He cried, eager to get started. "My apologies. You give the orders." For now.

"Gents? Take a walk." Barbossa smiled his constant smile, and the pirates took off.

"Not to the boats?" Jack asked hopefully.

"No, Jack. I think they're taking a walk up your butt." Li said dryly.

With the men gone, they sat down to relax- as much as that was possible -and wait.

"So will you keep the girls with you, Jack? Or shall we share them like the treasure? I never did hear of their fathers again after the Running was destroyed."

"Oh, I'd imagine that's up to them." Jack replied, idly playing with some of the treasure about them.

"Oh, please. As if you ever ask our opinion on anything." Arlen grumbled.

"You know, I should probably give you to our new Commodore. You could probably learn more from him." Jack shrugged.

"You know Jack, I thought I had ye figured. But it turns out that you're a hard man to predict." Barbossa said with a measure of respect.

"Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you want to watch out for. Because you can never predict when they're about to do something... incredibly stupid." With that, he drew a nearby sword and threw it to Will.

"You know, Arlen," Li muttered. "I do believe Jack just called himself and honest man." With that, they drew their swords and plunged into a fight with the remaining pirates.

Barbossa and Jack's struggle finally came together as they began to fight. Years of resentment, hatred and paranoia culminated into a fantastic duel. Arlen and Li watched whenever they could, but they were wrapped up in their own struggle. It was wonderful to be fighting, because for now they could forget the confusing question of who they were and why the hell they'd ended up here.

"You can't beat me, Jack." Barbossa was saying. Jack let his sword talk, and drove it home into the captain's stomach. Barbossa gave a dramatic sigh and pulled the sword out, replacing it in its owner's stomach.

Li gasped and Arlen actually screamed. It didn't matter that they'd seen Jack take the medallion only minutes before or that they weren't supposed to really know him. In those few moments before he stumbled back into moonlight and his flesh melted away into ragged clothes and white bones, they were convinced the world had ended.

"Now that's interesting." Jack remarked to himself, playing the medallion back and forth between his knucklebones. "I couldn't resist mate."

The fight continued. Jack too was lost in his own world, fighting as he had the night when he lost everything, from his ship to his goddaughters. Barbossa could barely stand up to such an emotional onslaught.

"So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound? Hmm?"

"Or you could surrender."

"Oh, please." Arlen murmured. She stood a few feet away with Li. "Pirates never surrender."

They continued on, working with Will to keep the others busy, and prayed that Jack actually had a plan this time. It would've been nice if he'd shared it, but they had to trust him instead. With Elizabeth's entry they sensed the change, and knew their trust was well placed. The battle shifted imperceptibly. Jack managed to get away from Barbossa, cut his hand and throw the medallion to WiIl.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Barbossa aimed a pistol at Elizabeth. She gasped, and there was the sound of a gun being fired. But it was Barbossa who looked the most stunned, who turned to see Jack's gun smoking.

"Ten years ye carry that pistol and all yer hate and now you waste your shot?"

"He didn't waste it." Will replied, calmly dropping two bloodied medallions into the chest.

Barbossa froze and looked down to his chest in time to see a slow, deadly gush of blood down his front. He staggered and gave a faint smile.

"I feel... cold."

Without knowing why, Arlen and Li rushed to his side as he fell. Li produced the apple she'd hidden in her pocket.

"Take a bite. I remember how much you loved them."

Barbossa tried to take it. It had just touched his lips when his hand went slack and it rolled away from him. He died with his eyes open, a strange sort of peace in his eyes.

Jack approached and looked down at the body. He felt the same as Arlen and Li did; he felt relief at the death of an enemy, at the passing of ten years of strife, but at the same time he felt no happiness. After all, it was a death. At one time he'd been a good man.

"What now, Jack?" Arlen asked.

Jack put one arm around her and one arm around Li.

"We go home, lasses. At last."

A/N: Please make a comment. Anything will do. There is only one more chapter left! Until the second book. Which I can promise is amazing! More excitement and a huge fight scene. So the more responds we get it will be up even faster! Thanks so much for reading this!
Black Wolf and Lone Star