Disclaimer: Ah! I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean; never have and never will! I so detest saying that.

Au/N: You are so GREAT! 394 reviews as of this moment, and I have never been so thrilled in my life! And just to put some incentive in the whole review thing, the 410th reviewer for this story shall receive a one shot of their choice written by me! I'll dedicate it to them, and be so, so thankful. But if you're thinking, "Oh, I don't wanna review 'cause I won't be the 410th reviewer," then, that's really sad. I know I have a few people that have reviewed almost every chapter since the beginning, and I love them for that. So…be like them, people! Do it because you like it, not because you want something. Thanks!

Chapter 16, The Ultimate Sacrifice

Captain Jack Sparrow

I'd have to die. To save Elizabeth, I'd have to cash it all in, forever. No turning back…no breath, no ship, no sea…no rum! And why should I give my life for the one woman who'd left me to die?

But I loved her…didn't I? I hated to admit it, but she'd grown on me. And the crew loved her. Gibbs, the man who'd always feared a woman's presence, was in tears because she was gone. That had to mean something. It means she's worth it, I thought.

"Die. Death. Die?" I asked, looking nervously at Tia Dalma. She nodded, her smile gone for once.

"Death, Jack. No other way."

I sighed.

"Die. Sounds so cheery, doesn't it? Makes me want to sing and dance. Woo-hoo," I said sarcastically. Tia Dalma put her hand on my shoulder.

"It is your choice to make, Jack. You have to give your life of your own free will, or de spell will be null an' void, an' you'll die for not'ing." She sounded like she was giving a speech at her father's funeral. I groaned.

"Why'd she have to go and die in the first place?" I pouted. I felt stupid as soon as I said it. Then, a memory, a rather fond memory of mine, struck me.

"How far would you go to save her?" I asked Turner; this was actually one of the most serious questions I'd asked in my life.

"I would die for her!" he replied loudly, looking angry that I'd even have the brass to ask such a question.

"Ah. No worries, then!" I said, and turned back to the sea.

He would have died for her, so long ago. The little eunuch would have actually given his puny life for that woman...I had no doubt that he loved her just as much that moment as three years ago. Now that she was gone, I wasn't sure he had much to live for As a matter of fact, I wasn't sure I had much to live for.

"Jack?" Tia Dalma asked worriedly, startling me out of my reverie. I blinked and smiled at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I said, quite believing it, "and I know what to do."

It took a few minutes and some strange looks from the crew, but Gibbs eventually followed my orders and carried Elizabeth's body outside and down the ladder to Tia Dalma's home. Tia Dalma held a knife in her hands, but I saw her hide it behind her back and slip it between the waist of her skirt and her body when a crew member looked at her strangely.

"Put her in the water." Tia Dalma said, nodding gravely. Gibbs looked at her like she was insane, but a look from me got him to do as she said. Slowly, he set Elizabeth down into the murky water; she floated on the top for a moment, but then began to sink. Tia Dalma, waist-deep in water, slipped her hands beneath Elizabeth's pale body to keep her afloat. Elizabeth's hair fanned out in the water around her. Jumping down from the middle rung of the ladder, I landed heavily in the water; it splashed up to my chest. Tia Dalma nodded to me, and I knew what to do.

"Gibbs…Ragetti…Willy…go back inside. We can handle it from here, gents," I said, trying not to sound suspicious. Gibbs and Ragetti nodded solemnly and walked glumly back into Tia Dalma's house; Will, however, had other ideas. He jumped down into the murky water and approached Elizabeth. Tia Dalma held her afloat as Will softly touched her cheek. A fiery jealously flared inside me.

"Rest, Elizabeth. Rest." Slowly, Will bent down and kissed Elizabeth's forehead. And he wasn't stopping. It felt like an eternity.

"Okay, okay! I think she's had enough…smoochies. Let the woman do her job!" I said angrily, referring to Tia Dalma. Finally, his lips separated from Lizzie's forehead; glaring at me over his shoulder, he hoisted himself out of the water and onto the ladder, dripping wet from his waist down. After one last glance down at Elizabeth, he turned and entered the house.

"Are you ready, Jack?" Tia Dalma asked quietly. I felt sick.

"Er…" I hadn't really thought about it. It dawned on me that I was giving up…everything, as a matter of fact. All of it would be forever gone to me…and, being a pirate, I was sure I'd end up in Hell, if there even was an afterlife. It struck me as very, very odd that I didn't have to think about it. I knew what I wanted to do…and while I was afraid, I would not turn back. "Yes." I said finally. I took a deep breath.

Tia Dalma smiled kindly, and I saw tears in her eyes. Then I watched breathlessly as she reached into Elizabeth's pocket…and pulled out a silver music box. Hers, to be exact. Solemnly, she placed the music box on Elizabeth's chest. Suddenly, I noticed ripples in the water, coming from all directions. Looking around me, I saw hundreds—no—thousands of people coming forward, paint on their faces and lit candles in their hands. They were humming songs in a different tongue, one that I'd never heard before. Some were shaking their heads, dancing vigorously, their faces contorted into all manner of expressions. As they came closer, their song became louder. Tia Dalma began to join them, moving her hips back and forth, her skirt swishing in the water. She nodded at me, and then looked down at Elizabeth, signaling me to take over the position of keeping Elizabeth afloat.

I slid my hands underneath her body as I stared down into her perfect face. I noticed that the song was becoming very, very loud now, and everyone was practically screaming. Tia Dalma unexpectedly raised her hands then, and all manner of noise ceased immediately. I could hear the crickets chirping.

In a swift movement, Tia Dalma reached down and opened the lid of the previously mentioned music box. A sweet, soft tune filled the air. My eyelids felt heavy immediately, and I was soon struggling to stand. Elizabeth felt incredibly heavy.

The music seemed to carry me away, and I felt like I was looking down on the whole scene. It was truly a grand sight; the only sound in the whole swamp was the soft, sweet music.

It felt like a dream as Tia Dalma took the knife from her skirt, took one of my hands in hers, and cut across my palm. It did not hurt at all; it only felt as though a piece of ice had slid across my palm. I blinked, and found it even harder to open my eyes. She did the same thing to Elizabeth's hand, and then placed both our hands together. Elizabeth's blood still felt warm, or at least I thought so; it was hard to tell in my dreamy state.

Then Tia Dalma reached up and put her palm on my head, slowly pushing it down. I did not question this; I was far too tired to fight it. I began sinking beneath the black water, feeling a strange, cold sensation as it climbed up my torso, reaching my chin. Then, I hazily noticed Tia Dalma taking control of Elizabeth again. I looked up through the water and saw Tia Dalma's face suddenly contort into an angry, vengeful expression. She raised the knife above her head with both hands. The music was muffled underwater, so it was easier for me to understand what she was doing. In a second's time, I watched as Tia Dalma brought the knife crashing down into Elizabeth's stomach.

It did not phase me when red, curling droplets quickly formed puddles that tumbled through the water and down to me. I blinked upward and saw Tia Dalma, staring down at me.

I finally noticed that I could not breathe; my heart began to pound loudly in my ears as the need to get to air surged through me. I started to swim up, but Tia Dalma shook her head sadly. I knew this was it. I was supposed to die. Right now. I blinked again, the red of the water slowly fading away. Tia Dalma looked down at me; it was growing black around her face. I still heard the music, and so I still felt tired. But a pain so severe began to creep into my chest that I found myself trying to swim upward. Shaking my head, trying to fight the urge, I forced the last bit of air out through my mouth. A few, final bubbles floated to the surface of the water, about six inches above me.

Tia Dalma, crying now, nodded to me, the way you do to someone that you're saying a final farewell to. I tried to smile. Finally, the pressure of the water was too much, and I closed my eyes, surrendering to the finality of darkness.

Elizabeth Swann

I woke up with a great, gasping breath. I felt cold water all around me, saw the night sky above me, felt a terrible pain in my stomach. Almost as soon as I took that first breath, I felt hands around me, pulling me up, helping me stand. I turned and saw Tia Dalma, smiling at me, fresh tears in her eyes. I realized we were standing in the water that surrounded her house; I wondered how I'd gotten there and why there were so many people staring at me.

"What…w-where's Jack?" I asked, my throat dry and sore. Tia Dalma's slight smile disappeared immediately. I saw her eyes glance to the water behind me, but then back to my face. She looked almost fearful. I wondered what she was looking at.

Slowly, trying to control my sudden curiosity, I turned around to look down into the water.

"Elizabeth…no!" Tia Dalma began, grabbing my hand. "You don't want to do that!"

I did not look at her, but stared into the foggy water, searching for whatever Tia Dalma had seen. She began to tug on my arm, but I jerked it away and walked forward groggily. Suddenly, I bumped into something, and I watched as a dark mass of hair rose to the surface of the water surrounding me. I took a deep breath; my heart caught in my throat. Reaching down, I put one hand into the dark mass and pushed on it. Slowly, the mass rolled over to reveal a very familiar, very lifeless face.

A face with smoldering black eyes.

I screamed until my screams faded into aching, hopeless sobs.

End Chapter

Very sad, huh? But this is the last sad chapter of them all! I think I'll only have one more after this, and then maybe an epilogue. So review if you'd like to read the last two chapters sooner rather than later!