Here we go, folks! Second to last chapter!
Evelyn POV
It was relatively quiet in the cavern except for Jack rooting around in the treasure. A few of the crew had stayed behind to guard Will. One stood next to him and two others were skipping rocks. Barbossa sat on one of the many piles of treasure while I stood nearby, a hand on my cutlass and keeping a close eye on Jack. I didn't trust him one bit and I thought Barbossa would've known better than to trust his old adversary. The fact that Jack was here after being marooned a second time was testament to his resourcefulness even when all odds were stacked against him. There was no telling what the dreadlocked pirate had up his sleeve.
"I must admit, Jack, I thought I had you figured. But turns out, you're a hard man to predict," Barbossa remarked, giving the other pirate an appraising look.
"Me? I'm dishonest," Jack said, tossing aside a golden statue he had been examining. "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 going to do something incredibly... stupid." While he was speaking, he sauntered toward Jacoby who was skipping stones across the water. In one quick move, he pulled the sword from Jacoby's scabbard, kicked him into the water, and tossed the sword to Will. Will caught the sword behind his back in his still bound hands and knocked the pirate holding him into the water. Barbossa looked from Jack to Will as he tried to understand what was going on. Jack pulled out his own sword and advanced on Barbossa. Barbossa just managed to get out his own sword in time to block Jack's swing. I growled. I knew that no good pirate was up to something! I got to my feet, drawing my cutlass and preparing to join the battle.
"No!" Barbossa shouted at me as I moved to help him. "This is between me and Jack. Go get Turner!" I growled again, but obeyed. I ran over to where Will was fighting two of the crew at once. He knocked one to the ground and spun around, blocking my attack.
"What are you doing?" He demanded.
"I'm sorry, Will," I apologized. "But they still need your blood." Will and I began to duel.
Abby POV
Elizabeth and I quietly climbed up the side of the Black Pearl. We heard voices as we climbed. Apparently, the ship wasn't completely empty. We climbed over the rail, careful not to make any noise. We began to sneak along the deck when a skeletal monkey dropped in front of us. I had to clamp a hand to my mouth to keep from screaming. Elizabeth gasped, but her expression quickly became annoyed. She grabbed the monkey and tossed him over the side. There was a bang as the monkey hit a cannon on the way down. We glanced over the rail to see the two pirates poke their heads out. We pulled back before they could see us and rushed down the stairs. We hid and the pirates raced past us. Running down to the brig, we found Gibbs and the rest of the crew.
"It's Elizabeth and Abby!" Gibbs exclaimed.
Evelyn POV
Will and I continued our fight, both of us evenly matched. Barbossa and Jack had moved their duel up on a ledge. I had no actual intentions of hurting Will, I just needed to keep him occupied until Barbossa needed him. Hopefully without the rest of the crew around, I could convince him to only slice Will's hand like he did Elizabeth. Will and I glided about the cavern like a pair of dancers. It reminded me of the fight between Inigo and the Man in Black in The Princess Bride. As we fought, I was able to fully appreciate Barbossa's teaching for the first time. Most opponents I had fought over the years were other pirates, often hardly skilled enough to be an issue. Will on the other hand, certainly knew how to handle a sword, I couldn't deny that. Our blades flashed so quickly I had to rely on muscle memory and instinct alone. I couldn't even use my smaller size to my advantage as Will wasn't that much larger than me and most of my concentration was on trying to keep him from slicing my face. Just as Will brought his sword up to catch my downward swipe, I heard a choking sound and turned. To my surprise, Barbossa had a wicked grin on his face as he stared at Jack who happened to have a sword stuck in his stomach. Will and I stared in shock as Jack staggered back into one of the many patches of moonlight around the cavern. Immediately his body turned skeletal.
"That's interesting," Jack commented. My jaw went slack as I watched Jack twirl a golden coin between his fingers. He pawned an Aztec coin! I had to grudgingly admit, it was a smart move. Jack turned back to Barbossa whose smirk had fallen. "Couldn't resist, mate." Barbossa growled and threw a handful of coins at Jack and their duel continued. I turned back to Will with a look of exasperation. Will merely shrugged in answer. I sighed and with a shrug continued to fight. Will blocked a swing and shoved me, causing me to trip into the water. I came up sputtering. A little ways away, Jack knocked Barbossa into a wall. Barbossa swung wildly at him and gave chase.
"Sorry!" Jack called as he ran, Barbossa hot on his heels. By the time I had pulled myself out of the water Jacoby and the other two had rejoined the duel. I blocked a swing from one of the crew I could never remember the name of aimed at a preoccupied Will's back.
"What-?" The bald pirate sputtered as I shoved his blade back.
"We just need his blood. We don't need to kill him!" I snapped.
"We're making no mistakes this time! We spill all his blood! And if you want to stand in the way, then we'll spill yours too!" I was taken aback as he lunged at me and I quickly brought up my cutlas to block his attack. Sure, I wanted the crew to be rid of the curse, but if I could save Will's life and break the curse at the same time, then I was going to try my hardest to do just that.
Abby POV
Elizabeth, the crew, and I waited for the two pirates to get near the edge of the ship before releasing the longboat. The boat swung and knocked the pirates off the ship. We all cheered.
"All of you! With us!" Elizabeth ordered as she and I grabbed the gunwall of the boat. "Will is in that cave, and we must save him. Ready and...Heave!" The boat didn't move and we glanced around to see the crew had not moved. "Please, we need your help! Come on!"
"Any port! In a storm!" Cotton's parrot squawked.
"Cotton is right. We've got the Pearl," Gibbs said.
"But we can't just leave Jack!" I protested.
"Jack owes us a ship," Marty retorted.
"And there's the code to consider …" Gibbs added.
I stared at them. "You're pirates!' I shouted incredulously. "You live to break the rules! The code is more like a guideline anyway!" The pirates glanced at each other, thinking over my words.
"Bloody pirates …" Elizabeth grumbled and she and I rowed for the island, watching the Black Pearl sail away.
Evelyn POV
Will and I were thrown to the ground as one of Jacoby's bombs exploded.
"Oi! Watch where you throw those!" I shouted at him.
Jacoby ignored me and advanced on a now unarmed Will. "I'm gonna teach you the meaning of PAIN!"
"You like pain?" A familiar voice said. Jacoby turned in time to get clobbered with a pole. "Try wearing a corset."
"Need a hand?" I glanced up to see Abby hold a hand out to me. I grinned and took it, then crushed her in a hug.
"I thought I'd lost you!" I told her.
Abby grinned. "Can't get rid of me that easily."
"Whose side is Jack on?" Elizabeth asked. We turned to see a skeletal Jack still engaged with Barbossa.
"At the moment?" Will shrugged. He moved to dart away, but I blocked him with my cutlass.
"What are you doing?" Abby demanded.
"I'm sorry, but Barbossa still needs Will's blood to lift the curse," I replied.
Abby grabbed a nearby sword and placed it over mine. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't let you take his blood."
"Guess we'll have to duel for it," I decided. I twirled my blade. "Hope you know how to fight." I swung at her and she blocked. The two of us we like ballerinas, dancing around as we fought. I brought my blade up to block a swing from her blade. "We're still friends, right?"
"Till the end of the line," Abby replied.
I shoved her blade away. "Aw, come on! You had to choose that line? Are you trying to make me cry?"
Abby shrugged, a playful grin on her face. "All's fair in love and war." We were distracted as another explosion went off and I had to duck as a bone went flying over my head. Will and Elizabeth darted by. Jack took Barbossa's moment of distraction to cut his hand. He drove Barbossa back towards the bottom of the pile where the chest sat. Jack tossed his medallion to Will who now stood by the chest. Barbossa noticed and pulled out his pistol, aiming it at Elizabeth.
"No!" Abby shouted. A gun shot rang out, but Elizabeth remained standing. I looked to see Jack had his pistol aimed at Barbossa, the muzzle still smoking.
"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot?" Barbossa smirked.
"He didn't waste it," Will declared. Barbossa turned and spotted Will standing by the chest. He held his hand over the chest. Will opened his hand, dropping both Jack's coin and his own. Barbossa dropped his sword and opened his coat and waistcoat. I watched, horrified as blood blossomed around the bullet hole in his chest. Barbossa looked at Jack.
"I feel…" Barbossa began, a serene smile gracing his face. However, his smile faded as he registered pain for the first time in ten years. "Cold." He collapsed, the apple he had been carrying rolling from his grasp.
"No!" I screamed. I rushed forward, dropping my knee beside him. "No, please!" I tore off my coat and pressed it to his wound, trying to stem the blood flow.
"Evie…"
"You're going to be ok! Just stay with me!"
"Evelyn." I looked up at my captain, tears threatening to fall. "It's no use," he told me softly. I shook my head frantically as I pressed a little harder against his wound.
"Shh, don't talk. You're going to be fine." My voice cracked, betraying that I didn't believe my own words. Barbossa lifted a hand, hesitating only for a moment before placing it on my cheek. I closed my eyes briefly, leaning into his touch.
"Your skin is just as soft as I imagined it would be," he murmured. He used his thumb to wipe away a tear that had slid down my cheek. He pulled his hand back and tugged the pendant he wore from around his neck. He set the golden pendant in my hand. I gazed at him with wide eyes.
"Hector-"
"It's yours, he said simply, placing his large hand gently over mine. He lifted his hand to my cheek again and I quickly placed my hand over his to hold it there. I blinked tears away and attempted to swallow the lump in my throat. "Will ye look after Jack fer me?" He asked. I just nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment. Barbossa gave me a pained smile and closed his eyes. I grasped desperately at the hand on my cheek as it went slack.
"Hector," I whispered, pleading with him to come back. "Don't go, please. I...I love you." But it was no use. He was gone. As I stared at my dead captain, all the tears I had been holding back started flowing, spilling down my cheeks. Blinded by despair, I stood, drawing my pistol and aiming it at the man responsible. Jack took a step back, surprised by the determined fire in my eyes. He had taken away the man I cared about and I was going to make him pay. Abby quickly placed herself between Jack and my pistol. "Get out of the way," I snarled, angry tears still spilling down my cheeks.
"Evie, please, killing Jack isn't going to solve anything," Abby told me softly, holding a hand up pleadingly.
I cocked my pistol, still staring determinedly at the dreadlocked pirate hiding behind my best friend. "It'll make me feel better."
"Will it though?" I hesitated, readjusting my grip. "You know it won't bring him back, all you'll be doing is hurting me." My breath hitched, my entire body freezing. The hand holding my pistol began to shake as my resolve began to slip. No matter how much I hated Jack in that moment, I couldn't bring myself to knowingly harm my best friend. I let my arm fall back to my side. My knees began to wobble and I collapsed next to Barbossa's body, my pistol slipping from my hand. My shoulders shook with silent sobs as I buried my face in his chest. I didn't care about anything going on around me. My captain was gone.
Abby POV
I watched Evie sadly as she cried over Barbossa. I wished there was something I could do for her, but I knew that what she needed most at the moment was to be left alone.
"Will she be alright?" Jack asked, looking over top of me at the sobbing redhead. I was surprised that he was concerned at all for my friend.
"Only time will truly tell." I glanced back at my best friend. "I've seen her after being dumped by a guy before, but she never took it this hard. She must have really loved him."
"Well, if she put up with him for five years, she must be tough," Jack commented. He gave Evie one last look then wandered over to one of the piles of treasure and began rooting through it. I looked back at Evie. Her fists were clenched in the dead captain's coat, her entire body trembled as she cried silently. Jack called my name and I walked up next to him. "Turn around," he told me.
"What for?" I inquired.
Jack gazed at me with his deep brown eyes. "Please?" I sighed and obeyed. He slipped his arms around my neck and I felt a cool metal settle against my chest. "What do you think?" My hand went to my neck and I glanced down. Around my neck was a pendant on a silver chain. The pendant was a silver sparrow with a sapphire for its eye.
I ran a thumb over the wing. "A sparrow. How fitting," I chuckled lightly. I smiled at the dreadlocked pirate. "Thank you, Jack."
"Anytime, luv," he replied with a soft smile. He turned and began rooting through more of the treasure, tossing stuff that he didn't want. A little ways away, Will and Elizabeth were talking. I smiled. Maybe now they would finally confess their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted as a loud bang sounded from behind me. I turned and shot Jack a glare. He shrugged apologetically as he waltzed by, covered in various treasures, complete with a crown on his head. Elizabeth walked off and Jack paused beside Will.
"If you were waiting for the opportune moment...That was it," Jack told the young blacksmith. "Now, if you'd be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you drop me at my ship." I cringed, but said nothing. He would find out soon. I walked over to Evie, who still hadn't moved and placed a soft hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head to look at me and my heart wrenched. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were tear stained from crying. The usually gleam in her green eyes was gone.
"We need to go," I told her softly. Evie nodded numbly. I waited patiently as she picked up the apple that Barbossa had dropped and placed it in his hand. She reached up and closed his eyes, then placed a lingering kiss to his forehead. She gave Barbossa one last longing look before following me out.
The five of us sat in the longboat. Jack sat at the front, looking at the area his ship should have been. I placed a hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry, Jack," I told him.
"They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that," Jack said, sounding depressed. Will glanced at the pirate before continuing to row back towards the Dauntless. As soon as we stepped aboard, Jack and Evie were immediately arrested. Evie didn't resist, merely staring numbly at her feet as she was dragged to the brig. I tried to protest, but Elizabeth and I received a stern scolding from our father and were shoved back into the Captain's Cabin. I knew very well that Evie and Jack would be hung for piracy, but I wasn't going to let that happen without a fight. I sat down and began working on a plan.