Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, only my OCs; Jacob Karver, Stiles Karver, John Porter, Wilford Hampton, and the ship known as the HMS Lady Rose.

A/N: Yeah, two chapters in one day. I had a lot of free time because it was all studying for finals for next week, really. I had to do something with myself.

Chapter 13:

Jack's tunnel sloped downwards. Steeply. As he walked along, he put a lot of effort into trying not to slip on the smooth surface of the stone cave floor. He did slip, once or twice, but managed to regain his balance before he could fall over. So many years of working out at sea had paid off in that aspect.

Despite feeling weary and sore, he still pushed on, fuelled by his desire to see and speak as he once had. The rewards would be worth the journey, he knew. That and, well, he was Captain Jack Sparrow. He didn't give up. It'd taken him ten years to defeat Barbossa, but he had. If he could do that, he could manage to pull this off. His greatest enemy wasn't Hampton, it was himself. Ignore the urge to give up and nothing could stop him.

He wondered how the others were doing. He figured they were probably walking down their tunnels, similar to him. Probably worrying about what was ahead of them, still to come, before they got what they had come for.

Jack had to admit, he had no idea what he still had to face. He was both curious and dreading what it was. But the one thing he knew about it was that no matter what he had to face, he'd do it. Whatever it took.

As he pondered what it could be, he didn't notice the floor turn to near completely vertical. He found himself sliding down the stone on his back, his eyes wide. He reached out for anything to grab onto, but the surfaces around him were too smooth. He closed his eyes, hoping it would flatten out soon.

The angle adjusted more horizontal, causing him to slow down a little as he slid. Just as he opened his eyes to look around again, however, he was thrown into a pool of water at the bottom of the slope.

He surfaced, blinking the cold, salty water from his eyes and coughing it from his lungs. To his relief, this new cavern was lit by a blue tinted light that shone through different columns of water in the corners. The floor was covered in the same moss as the first cavern, the walls covered in the same vines. He tilted his head, trying to view the chamber at different angles with his eye. He could make out a fountain of sorts in the back of the cavern.

Jack swam to the edge of the pool, climbing up to the stone floor of this cavern. He shivered. It certainly hadn't gotten any warmer in this new cavern than the rest of them. He rubbed his hands together to warm them a little, walking towards the fountain.

Before he could reach it, however, something charged into his side, throwing him to the floor. He gasped as a new surge of pain pulsed through his aching ribs and limbs. Rolling onto his back, he looked up into the eyes of Wilford Hampton.

The pirate stared at him with a mix of horror and disbelief. There was no way Hampton could be there. There'd been no other ships when the Dauntless and Pearl had arrived. The cavern didn't seem to have any other entrances than the one Jack had come down.

"Miss me, Sparrow?" The Lady Rose's captain sneered.

Jack quickly shook his head, scrambling back. "Don't touch me."

As soon as he'd said it, he knew it'd been the wrong thing to say. The other man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him harshly into one of the cavern walls. The pirate grunted, collapsing at the base of it. He clambered to his feet, drawing his sword from his side. He held it up defensively.

Hampton drew his own sword, knocking Jack's aside in a single swing. "You're weak. Pathetic. Filth that the world needs to rid of."

"You're weak! The whole lot of your kind are! You think you're strong enough to disobey the world's laws, so you make your own that contradict ours, then you wonder why we punish you! Weak and foolish! There's a reason we hang the lot of you; there's only room for the strong men in this world. You're not built for this world, Sparrow!"

"I'm stronger than ye." The pirate said quietly, defiance slowly building up in him.

"Then why are you still cowering beneath me?" Hampton asked him. "Why do you fear me?"

"They always said I was a bloody good actor." Jack bluffed, using the wall to brace himself as he got up. "Ye see, mate, it's the other way around, really. Ye're afraid of me."

The other man frowned, realizing he was losing his hold on his former captive. "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Keep tellin' yourself that. Ye can break me again an' again, 's much 's ye want. But I always bounce back. An' now, it's time for my revenge. I'm not afraid of ye. Not anymore. When I find ye, I will kill ye."

As he finished speaking, he put all the strength he had into his arms, swinging his sword. It cut through the illusion of Hampton slashing the image from his sight.

Jack stared at the spot where Hampton had been, a smirk curling his lips up. It hadn't really been Hampton. It'd been the final trial of the Craving Caverns. He'd had to face his worst fear. And he had. He'd overcome it.

Sheathing his sword, the pirate took the last few steps to the fountain with confidence. He stopped at the base of it. The fountain towered a couple dozen feet above him, water falling in the middle like a light drizzle. It gave off a mist that fascinated him. He ran a hand across the engravings in the stone, marveling over it.

A strong, powerful female voice suddenly boomed around the room, bouncing off the walls and echoing. It felt like he was in the presence of a goddess. "What is it you seek here, Jack Sparrow?"

He swallowed hard, admittedly a bit intimidated. "Everythin' he- Everythin' Hampton took from me."

"You desire the restoration of your eye and tongue."

"Aye."

"Then that is what you will receive."

Jack took a step back as a figure emerged from the light drizzle of the fountain. He tried not to gape, but couldn't keep his eyes from widening. Standing before him was a young woman with flowing back hair, ancient, wise eyes, wearing a silk white dress. He half expected her to say something, but she didn't. She merely reached up with one arm, a single finger extended. She touched the skin between his eyes.

He blacked out.

*X*

When Jack came to, he was laying on the cold stone floor of the cavern. Upon opening his eyes, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he had full vision. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't in a dreamworld, a grin spreading across his face at the pain. He swept his intact tongue across his teeth, reveling in the feel of the smooth surfaces on his flesh.

It had worked.

For the first time in weeks, he could see perfectly again. He wouldn't be eating soup that night either. He felt this childlike happiness inside of him, climbing to his feet quickly, despite the aches and pains across his body.

He felt whole again.

He couldn't remember a better feeling.

The pirate turned towards the fountain, finding the woman still there. She had a peaceful look upon her face, an aura of gentleness radiating from her.

"Thank ye." There was no trace of the slur that had been in his voice ever since his tongue had been cut. His voice had never sounded so clear to him.

The woman smiled, but didn't respond to him. She gestured to a section of the cavern wall and it shifted, revealing a column of water behind it. Through some supernatural nature, it didn't spill out onto the ground. The current seemed to be moving upwards.

"Is that the way out?" Jack asked her.

She nodded, finally speaking. Her voice was the same one he had heard previously, just much quieter, softer, and less echoey. "Step in that current and it will take you to the surface, and to your friends."

He approached the column, turning around to face the woman one last time. He gave her a captain's salute- two fingers to his brow- and took a step backwards, into the current.

It whisked him up immediately. He flew through the water like a bullet through air. He saw fish of all sorts blur past him. In no time, he burst through the surface of the Caribbean waters, back into the heat of the sun.

Blinking to adjust his eyes to the light, Jack scanned the area for the beach. He spotted the two ships docked nearby, a third not far from them- it was the Lady Rose. He spotted the island. To his horror, he could see figures fighting in the sand. He found himself annoyed that he was already getting into something else so soon, but he had a feeling that this would be the end of it. He began swimming to the beach, knowing Hampton- the real Hampton- would be waiting for him. It's time to end this, once and for all.

*X*

Jack felt sand against his boots as he reached the shallows. Once he'd waded far enough, he drew his sword and jumped into the fray. He parried the blades of some of Hampton's men, scoring his own across their skin.

"Sir, I found him!" A man shouted excitedly. "I have eyes on Sparrow!"

The pirate captain quickly dispatched the man, though he knew the man he was seeking out had more likely heard the call than not. Turning around to slash his sword across another soldier, he nearly collided with Will.

"Jack!" The blacksmith exclaimed.

"Fancy seein' ye 'ere, William." Jack greeted, blocking a swing on his left. "What's goin' on up 'ere?"

"We've been attacked, apparently." Will grunted as he jumped over a low swing. "They were already here when I reached the surface."

"Norrington's not gonna be happy." The pirate mused.

"No, definitely not." Came the response of agreement.

"Have ye seen Hampton?"

"Not yet."

"Right, well, good luck 'ere, mate." Jack offered, fighting his way further into the mess that was the battle.

He caught a glimpse of Jacob and Stiles fighting side by side, the boy's leg healed by his father's desire. He suppressed a smile, fighting off men as he searched for Hampton. He parried a swing aimed at his chest, swinging his own sword at the attacker's legs. The man got swept off his feet, falling to the ground with a grunt.

Someone tried to stab his torso, but Jack dodged to the side and knocked the sword from the soldier's hand. He hit another man over the head with the hilt of his own weapon. Overall, the men of the corrupted Navy captain hadn't improved at all.

"Sparrow!" He heard Hampton roar amongst the fighting. "Show yourself!"

Jack fought his way up the beach, towards the edge of the jungle. He slipped out of the scattered outer duels, climbing atop a rock. He took a deep breath. You're not afraid of him.

"Oi, Hampton!" He called, seeing the Navy captain turn to face him. "Come an' get me."