Disclaimer: Me owning Pirates of the Caribbean? Yeah, right. You got the wrong person. Only things I own are Wilford Hampton, Stiles Karver, Lord Jacob Karver, John Porter the doctor, and the HMS Lady Rose.

Chapter 8:

"Would it hurt his health if we were to set sail tomorrow?" Norrington asked the man he'd assigned Sparrow's personal doctor. It'd been a week since the pirate's arrival in Port Royal.

"It wouldn't kill him." The doctor, a kind man, responded. "The fresh air might brighten his spirits. The sea's his home, after all. But it won't help the physical healing go any faster."

"Very well. Thank you, Mr. Porter." He thought for a moment. "Would it be alright if you were to join us on the voyage?"

"Of course, sir." John Porter responded.

*X*

The voyage had been underway for four days. They'd taken the HMS Dauntless. Jack had never been happier to be on the move. The sooner they got to their destination, the sooner he'd be able to speak and see properly again. Or so he hoped.

The stab wound in his leg had been stitched up, as well as the worst of the lashes on his back and the knife wound in his cheek. The stitches irritated his skin and he'd scratch them if every time he was caught doing it he wasn't scolded. The other wounds were slowly healing, the dark bruises marking most of his skin slowly fading.

His tongue, too, had a thicker layer of new tissue over it and didn't hurt as much upon contact with anything. On occasion, he even attempted to actually talk in conversations, but often his words were too distorted to distinguish. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about that issue.

Elizabeth, her father, Jacob, Stiles, and even Will had joined them on the voyage. He was rarely alone. Even Norrington took care to stop by every now and then. The others seemed to know that his dark pit grew when he had more time to think about Hampton and what he'd done.

When he was free of conversation or alone, he indeed felt his fear and various other bitter feelings rise up. As he grew used to the luxury and care of the others, a new one developed; anger. He was angry at the pity he received; he was even more angry with Hampton for what he had done. One could call it hatred and a yearning for vengeance.

"Jack." Will's voice snapped him back to reality. He turned to look at him through his good eye. "You were drifting again."

The pirate captain sighed, slurring out a mumbled,"Sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jack." The blacksmith pointed out. "You can't help it."

Jack felt a sudden pulse of anger. His jaw set and his eye narrowed. I'm not helpless! You try the whole get-tortured-thing and tell me how you feel!

"Are you alright? What did I say wrong?" The younger man noticed his companion's agitation.

"I'm not helpless!" He snarled, voice clearer than ever since he'd lost his tongue. "Stop actin' like I am!"

The pirate captain leapt to his feet and stormed out of his cabin. He ignored the looks the others gave him as he crossed the ship to the bow and leaned on the gunwale. His arms dangled over the water, giving off a relaxed look. The air around him- and on the entirety of the deck- was rather tense, however. The fact that his jaw was clenched tightly shut proved it.

The men on the Dauntless quickly went back to their duties, ignoring the interruption.

"Jack." Elizabeth approached him. "You know Will was only trying to help."

"I don't need help." He growled tersely.

She sighed, taking up a position on his right. "I'm sure you don't, but there's no harm in it."

Jack gave a grunt, begrudgingly giving in. He allowed his jaw to loosen and his shoulders to sag.

"SAIL HO!" Someone shouted without warning.

The pirate captain flinched, heart skipping a few beats, and his teeth snapped together- would've crushed his tongue if it was still in one piece. For once, he was thankful it wasn't.

"You're alright, Jack." Elizabeth assured him, rubbing his arm gently. "You're alright."

He allowed himself to breathe again, sighing raggedly. He and Elizabeth exchanged glances when Commodore Norrington ordered his men to their battle stations. The man himself approached them within another minute.

"Sparrow, you should return to your cabin immediately. Elizabeth, please accompany him." Norrington ordered.

"Why?" Jack asked, almost boldly. "What ship is it?"

The other man stayed silent.

The answer- or rather, lack of answer- told the pirate all he needed to know. He paled, legs weak. His voice was a slurred whisper. "The Lady Rose."

Elizabeth moved closer to him, hoping it'd comfort him. She spoke directly to the Commodore. "Do you think they'll attack us?"

"They were preparing their cannons when I looked through my spyglass,"was the reply.

Jack's heart pounded in his chest, wanting to burst free. He spoke up anyway. "I want to fight."

Norrington gaped at him for a moment. "You're sure?"

Absolutely positive, mate. This is my chance for revenge. He nodded.

"Very well." He agreed. Then he called to Will,"Mr. Turner, fetch Sparrow a sword!"

You're going to wish you never found the Black Pearl, Hampton.

*X*

The Dauntless shook under another blast from the Lady Rose's cannons. Smoke filled the air from the previous shots. Norrington's ship held up, taking minimum damage. Jack had crouched on the deck, out of the way. His eyes were wide in fear, his hands were covering his ears. This battle reminded him too much of the one he was captured in.

"They're boarding!" Someone shouted above the screams, cannonfire, and splintering wood.

Sure enough, the pirate captain could see men swinging across the gap of the two ships. He leapt up, drawing the sword he'd been given. He could only hope that Hampton was part of the boarding party.

It wasn't all too difficult to differentiate between Norrington's men and Hampton's. The latter's men were rather sloppily dressed, their uniforms a mess and incomplete. And some spoke with more slang than a man employed in the Royal Navy should. Jack quickly dispatched once of the first men, deafening himself to the man's cry of agony. He slashed across another's chest.

"CAPTAIN! Sparrow's here!" One of Hampton's men shouted.

He quickly killed the man, but the alert had already been sounded. His eye instinctively searched out the man he so desperately wanted to cut to pieces. His gaze locked with the arrogant Navy captain's and his lips curled back like an angry animal. I'm going to kill you.

The pirate captain heard the swish of metal through air as someone swung at him from behind. He ducked, leaping up to face his attacker. Swords locked for a moment, before his slipped below the other man's and dug into the flesh of his stomach. He kicked the man back, watching him collapse. He whipped around, but Hampton had vanished into the chaos. He growled in frustration.

A foot suddenly slammed into his broken ribs and he cried out as he stumbled to regain his balance, raising his sword to block an incoming one. His free hand touched the deck and he pushed off of it to stay up. He salvaged his balance, backing his attacker up against the gunwale. His attacker didn't know it was there and toppled over it, into the waves.

They're all idiots. Jack smirked to himself.

Someone barged into him from the side, throwing him to the ground hard. He hissed, ribcage feeling like it'd shattered, the wind knocked out of him. He looked up into the face of Hampton himself.

A pang of fear and panic rose up inside of the pirate captain. He took a quick moment to regain himself and then the rage returned.

"Still alive then, are you, Sparrow?"

"Ye won't be for much longer."

The Navy captain looked more surprised at the fact that his former prisoner could talk at all than at the slur to the words. He stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, which gave the pirate all the time he needed to get up and retrieve his sword. The metal blade was pointed toward him dangerously.

"Ah, recovering well, I see." Hampton's teeth showed in a wicked grin. "If it's a fight you want…"

Arrogant bastard.

"Oh, do shut up." Jack snarled impatiently, feeling a small pang of irony at the situation. How the tables have turned.

The other man's grin widened.

This only further provoked the pirate's fury. He lashed out with his cutlass, slashing the air mere inches from the Navy captain's face. Yet, he seemed completely unphased by this. Unhinged hatred tore through the injured man and he attacked wildly, his fighting form long gone.

Hampton brought his own sword up to fight back. Wherever Jack struck, he was there to block it.

The Navy man's sword scored lightly across the pirate's arm. However, the injured man was too intent on killing him to pay attention to it- the only indication that he'd even felt it was the light gasp that escaped him. He swung again, his opponent actually missing his attempt to block, and his weapon cutting a groove on the other man's jawline. The arrogant naval captain howled in mild pain and enragement, losing his own form.

Jack noticed this and took it to his advantage. He composed himself and began to be a bit more tactful in his own movements- if only slightly so. As he fought off the angered Hampton, which he had to admit was rather easy at the moment, he pulled up emotions from the best of his memories to overcome his own current edgedness.

The pride of the crew of the Barnacle, back in his teenage years.

The delight of receiving the Wicked Wench, when he worked for the East India Trading Company.

The satisfaction of watching Hector Barbossa's body fall to the cavern floor on Isla de Muerta.

The tender vulnerability he felt whenever Elizabeth was in his presence.

His anger was gone.

He felt rather calm.

The pirate captain drew himself back into reality; back to the current duel against Hampton. He straightened himself so that he stood at his full height. His opponent swung wildly at his legs, but he nimbly jumped over the sword with ease. The other man roared angrily, but the pirate himself smirked in mild amusement.

He could feel someone watching him from across the deck, but he ignored it.

With Hampton clumsy in his anger, Jack withdrew from his defensive tactics and went on the offensive. He slashed his cutlass through the air. It sliced across the other man's leg deeply. He dropped his sword, hands flying to the wound. The pirate punched him across the face with all the strength he had in his bruised hand. A sickening crunch sounded- it could've been the injured man's fist or the other man's jaw; maybe both.

The Navy captain fell to the deck, Jack's sword at his throat in an instant.

"I'll give ye a choice 'ere, mate." His slurred voice was cold, eye intense. "Ye can either surrender or I can kill ye now. What'll it be?"

"RETREAT!" Hampton shrieked, his eyes focused on something behind Jack.

"What?!" The pirate's brow furrowed.

The arrogant naval captain kicked Jack's feet out from under him. His upper body slammed to the deck painfully, his head screaming at the impact. He retrieved his blade from the Dauntless's deck. He scrambled back to his feet, but Hampton was back aboard his own ship, his men fighting through Norrington's to get back to it.

A growl of frustration rose up in the pirate's throat. He started towards the Lady Rose, but something held him back. He turned to see who was, finding Norrington himself with an iron grip on his upper arm.

"Let me go." Jack demanded impatiently, glancing back at Hampton.

"You're not leaving the ship, Sparrow." The Commodore told him.

"I 'ave to." He argued desperately. "I can't let him get away. He has to pay!"

"Now is not the time for revenge." The Navy man warned.

"Now might be the only time." The pirate snarled. "Let. Me. Go."

"I'm sorry, Sparrow." Norrington sighed. "Have Doctor Porter check that cut on your arm, then you may return to your cabin."

"Sorry, Commodore." Jack growled, giving his arm a sudden jerk that was hard enough to pull him free. He took off across the deck, towards the Lady Rose.

"SPARROW! Get back here!" A furious Commodore Norrington ordered.

He ignored him, picking up speed as he raced towards the portside of the ship. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Will sprinting to intercept him. He grimaced. Not now, whelp. Any time but now.

He slowed down slightly to leap up onto the gunwale, but his feet never touched it. Instead, the blacksmith plunged himself into the pirate's side with such force that the wind was knocked from them both. The latter let out a piercing yelp at the pain the impact caused in his ribs. The sword he'd been holding fell to the deck with a clatter. The two men followed within a moment.

Jack let out a grunt upon collision with the Dauntless's deck. Even Will groaned, getting thrown off of him by the power of how hard they hit. He scrambled to his feet, coming to stand beside the man he'd intercepted. Only, the pirate laying on the deck genuinely couldn't breath.

His breath came out wheezing. His vision was spinning. He felt like the whole skeleton of his torso had been smashed. There was a piercing pain in his chest, somewhere dangerously near his heart. His head felt like it'd split, and he couldn't think. In all the pain and confusion clouding his body, panic rose up. That only caused everything to grow worse.

Several others- the pirate's vision was too blurred to recognize exactly who- swarmed around him. He could see their lips moving, but it all reached him in a blob of words. He couldn't separate anything. He tried to sit up, but something salty and metallic overflowed from his mouth and spilled down his front. He coughed, weakly collapsing to the deck. A hand cupped the blind side of his face, attempting to encourage and rouse him.

He thought he heard someone say "The Black Pearl is here" before the darkness consumed him and everything came to a halt.