Twilight Poet: Chapter 12 and already nearing the end. How sad. Still, plenty more fun ahead!

Disclaimer: as usual Twilight Poet owns nothing…

Chapter 12 – In which one must say Farewell

-- Anamaria & Ruby --

Ruby pulled herself onto the deck of the boat and looked up at the group, "About time you guys got here," she muttered jokingly.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Sarah," laughed a voice from behind Gibbs

Ruby gasped in shock, "OH MY GOODNESS LEANIE!" leaping up, Ruby flung her arms around the red-haired girl, enveloping her in a crushing hug.

Gibbs shook his head and turned to Will, who had made his way onto the ship, "Hey, boy, where be Jack and the little-un?"

"They fell behind…"

Suddenly Ruby froze, "WAIT! Where's Jade? JADE! LIZ? Oh no, what if she got lost!"

"Don't worry, Alex is there…" Anamaria murmured, "And Jack too…"

Ruby stared straight up at her, "But… they're not part of the story…"

-- Gin & Jade --

Completely ignoring Gin, as most of the characters seemed to do, Barbossa glared at Jack, "How the blazes did you get off that island?"

Jack laughed, "When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Ah, well, I won't be making that mistake again." Barbossa turned to the rest of the men, "Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill him."

The pirates all point their weapons at Jack and Gin when Jack piped up, "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?"

Barbossa groaned, "Hold your fire!" the pirates reluctantly lowered their weapons, "You know whose blood we need?"

Jack grinned, "I know whose blood ye need."

"Who?" growled the pirate, holding a gun to Jack's head. Gin and Jade (in her hiding spot) froze. This wasn't in the movie.

"Now what would killing me gain you?" Jack smirked, "a dead pirate and no name."

Barbossa snorted and pointed the gun at Gin, "Give me a name or I'll shoot your little whore."

Gin's eyes widened and she stared at Jack. Jack stared back at her, confusion filling his eyes as he tried to process this new development.

Gin shook her head, "I'm not meant to be here anyway…" gulping, she looked Barbossa in the eye, "Go ahead and shoot me you over-grown wart! I've been nothing but a pain in the dear Captain's butt since he pulled me out of the sea. You can't use me as blackmail, he'll be happy to see me go."

Jack frowned, "Gin…"

Gin glared at him, a warning in her eyes, "Hah! I know you wanted to do it yourself, but you can't have all the fun."

"No…" Jade watched in shock, "Alex, what the hell are you doing?"

Barbossa shrugged, "Doesn't bother me either way," he cocked the gun, "sure you don't mind her blood on your hands Jack?"

Jack opened his mouth but Gin beat him to the punch, "OH JUST SHOOT ME ALREADY YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING MUTINOUS SACK OF BLOODY ROTTING-"

The shot that echoed through the cave's many chambers drowned out the ending to Gin's dramatic sentence. It was followed by a deafening scream.

"LIZ!"

Gin pulled from her capture's grasps and fell down next to Jade's body, "No, no, why? You stupid, reckless, crazy girl!" She pushed her hands onto the bullet wound in Jade's stomach and cringed as the blood rushing out pushed against her hands and stained her fingers and clothes.

"Q-quick, "Jade coughed, "give me one of the cookies."

Gin chocked back a sob, "How can you think of food at a time like this?"

Jade's cold body started to shake, "n-no! Let me go home… please Alex! …send me home"

Eyes blurring up, Gin pulled a fortune cookie from her pocket and pushed it into the dying girl's hands.

Jade cracked it open and read the note, "They may crush your cookie… but you'll always have your fortune…" she let a sad chuckle escape her lips and just like that, she was gone.

Crying openly now, Gin reached up and shut her friend's eyes. She didn't even try to struggle as the pirates around her pulled her up and dragged both her and Jack out towards the black pearl. She only looked back once to watch in silent amazement as Jade's limb figure slowly vanished into the swirling air around it, leaving only the small piece of paper behind.

-- Ruby & Anamaria --

In the cabin of the Interceptor Ruby tried to bandage her own hand, "What sort of a man trades a man's life for a ship?"

Will snorted, "a Pirate. Here. Let me." He took the bandages and wrapped it around for her

Ruby blushed, "Thank you."

"You said you gave Barbossa my name as yours." Will paused and looked at her, "Why?"

"I don't know." Ruby winced and pulled away

"I'm sorry." Will apologised, "Blacksmith's hands - I know they're rough."

Elizabeth blushed even more, "No…I mean yes, they are but… but don't stop."

In the background Anamaria gave a deep, very fake, cough, "You are soo lucky Alex isn't here love, 'cause you KNOW she'd kill you for using that line."

Will blinked, "What?"

"Umm…" Ana laughed, "Yeah I'm gonna go and drive the boat now…"

She left and Will turned back to the girl who's face had gone an interesting shade of pink, "Ruby…?"

She took the real medallion and placed it in the blacksmith's 'rough' hands, "It's yours."

"I thought I'd lost it the day they rescued me." Will looked it over, "It was a gift from my father. He sent it to me. Why did you take it?"

As Ruby sat down stairs reciting the lines she knew by heart Anamaria stood at the wheel. Suddenly something tugged at her heart and she looked back at the island that was quickly disappearing on the horizon. Running her hands over the soft wood of the helm, Ana thought about the piece of paper that had come from her cookie, "Be careful girls," she whispered, but the feeling in her heart didn't go – the feeling that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

-- GIN --

In the Captains cabin of the Black Pearl Barbossa addressed Jack and Gin, "So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need and watch you sail away in my ship?"

Jack smirked, "No. I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on my ship and then I'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?" HE took a quick glanced over at Gin who was curled up on the window seat before focusing on Barbossa again.

"But that still leaves us with the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need."

Finally Gin spoke out, "Of the three of us, Jack is the only one who hasn't committed mutiny, therefore…his word is the one we'll be trusting."

Jack's eyes narrowed in the girl's direction when a thought struck him and he turned a cheerful face to the rotting pirate, "Although…I suppose I should be thanking you because, in fact, if you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you." He took a bite from the apple in his hand, "Funny ol' world, innit?"

He offered Barbossa a bite only to receive a violent glare in return.

Suddenly Bo'sun entered, "Captain, we're coming up on the Interceptor."

Barbossa grinned and went topside, Jack and Gin close behind.

Jack ran out after Barbossa and stood in front of him at the bow, blocking the view of the Interceptor, "I'm having a thought here, Barbossa. What say we run up a flag of truce? I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?"

"Now you see, Jack," Barbossa hissed, "that's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl . People are easy to search when they're dead." He turned to Bo'sun, "Lock them in the brig."

WVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVWVW

Twilight Poet: Yes, sorry this is short, but I want the fight scene to be separate and fresh. LOVE YOU ALL KITTENS!