Death was something that was on every pirate's name. If it wasn't, you were either too sane or completely insane. And Violet was no exception. But never in a million years had she dreamed that her death would be hanging at the hands of British soldiers.

Violet and Jack stood on a gallows, their wrists bound and twin nooses around their necks. Underneath them, the trapdoor that would send them plunging to their grisly fate was being checked by an executioner.

"Going together then, are we?" muttered Jack, and when she turned to face him, his eyes still held their familiar gleam.

"So cheerful in the face of death," she said, rolling her eyes, and Jack grinned.

"What's the point in being cowardly, love? I've got Captain Coldblood by me side," he said with a smile, and Violet felt herself smile against her will. It was the worst kind of smile, too, small and sweet and blushing.

"Jack Sparrow and Violet Charles," announced an official from beside them, holding a long list of their crimes, "be it known that you have been charged, tried, and convicted…"

Immediately Violet and Jack blanched, and she rapped loudly on the wood pole beside them, getting the attention of the official.

"It's Captain. Captain Violet Charles," she demanded, and the official simply shot her a nervous look before continuing.

"For your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature The most aggrieves of which to be cited herewith- Piracy, smuggling…" The man droned on and on, and Violet yawned loudly.

In front of her, a large crowd of excited Port Royal locals was gathered, and her eyes went immediately to Governor Swann standing protectively next to Elizabeth. Commodore Norrington stood near them, his eyes locked on Violet. She met his stare, and his face showed a flicker of sorrow before transforming back into his usual stoic expression.

Suddenly, she caught sight of Will, who was slowly snaking through the crowd, his eyes darting around. To be completely honest, she didn't know why he wasn't arrested. All she knew was that Norrington was dead the next time she saw him. If there was a next time she saw anything.

"Mr. Sparrow, you have been accused of impersonating a person of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England, sailing under false colors, kidnapping, looting, poaching…" Jack snickered at these words, and Violet turned to him, confused.

"Did you really?"

"You doubt me?" he asked with mock hurt, and she rolled her eyes. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Will moving past Elizabeth, and as she was about to turn, Jack reached forward with bound hands and gripped hers.

"Jack-" she said suddenly, moving to pull away, but his grip was firm.

"If this is where I meet the end, I at least want to go after saying this," Jack said, his face serious, and Violet couldn't drag her gaze away from his dark eyes. "Violet, I love-"

Suddenly, chaos erupted through the crowd, and Violet and Jack broke apart immediately Elizabeth was lying unconscious in Norrington's arms, and Will was rushing over towards the gallows.

"What in the-" she began, but a flash of black caught her eye as the executioner started to pull the lever that would kill them both. "Wait!"

She watched helplessly as Will threw open his coat to reveal two swords on either end of his belt. Quickly, he drew them both, and with expert skill he threw the two weapons with a flick of his wrists, sending them both speeding toward the trapdoor. Just as he did so, the door opened, and Violet and Jack were sent plummeting downwards.

She fumbled, her hands clawing at the rope, but Will's swords embedded into the door just in time, and she managed to land on one of the swords, Jack beside her, the two of them dancing on the metal in an attempt to balance.

The rope cut into her skin, making it hard for her to breathe, and she could barely make out Will battling the executioner through her swimming vision. Just as her balance was about to give out, something slashed through the rope above her, and both she and Jack tumbled to the ground.

Jack reached up and cut the rope from his hands on one of the exposed blades, and Violet did the same. Quickly, they raced out from underneath the gallows as Will jumped down to join them, and the three of them snatched the noose from the gallows. They sprinted into the crowd, and managed to trip a few marines who were running towards them.

They darted to the left, but suddenly, soldiers came up in front of them.

"Right!" Violet called, and they turned sharply, only to find more soldiers awaiting them. The men brought up their rifles, and Jack, Will, and Violet found themselves cornered.

Norrington, flanked by Elizabeth and Governor Swann strode up to them, pointing his sword menacingly.

"I thought we might have to endure some ill-conceived manner of escape attempt. But not from you," he said coldly to Will, who simply glared at him.

"On our return to Port Royal I granted you clemency, and this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with them? They are pirates!" shouted Governor Swann, outraged, but Will shot him a hard stare.

"Yes, pirates. But Jack is a good man. And if you-" he said, turning to Norrington, "were even half as brilliant as Violet, we would all be dead already. If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of two- so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."

"You forget your place, Turner," sneered Norrington, and Violet scoffed. Will, however, smiled softly, and looked around.

"It's right here - between you and Violet," he said with a grin, winking at Violet as he turned. She shot him her best wicked grin, and Jack muttered something like 'what about me' to himself.

All of a sudden, Elizabeth stepped into the ring of soldiers and slid her hand into Will's, staring defiantly at them.

"As is mine," she said softly, and she too turned to smile at Violet.

"Elizabeth," breathed her father, but she stood firm. Norrington's face fell as he stared at their linked hands, and Elizabeth's father turned to stare at him.

"Lower your weapons! For goodness sake, put them down!" he shouted frantically, and Norrington reluctantly gave the signal to his men. Slowly, they lowered their rifles.

"So this is where your heart truly lies, then?" he asked, eyes full of sadness.

"It is," said Elizabeth quietly, and the two stared at each other, silent words passing between them. Beside her, Violet saw Jack turn to the sea- and the two of them spotted it at the same time. Cotton's parrot.

"Here's the part where you let her go, Commodore," Violet said, and Norrington turned to her. "Need me to help you find the words?"

"How dare-"

"Yes, yes, how dare I be such a horrible, idiotic, utterly disgusting pirate. Well, surprise, Commodore, but I am one. And it seems that Elizabeth might be on her way to becoming one too," she said, and Norrington stared at her warily.

"Well, I'm actually feeling rather good about this. I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically," Jack said, interrupting their staring contest. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that," he said to Norrington, who glared darkly at him. "Elizabeth, it would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry."

"That's a good thing. You don't want to get to know Sparrow more than you have to," Violet added to Elizabeth, who smiled and shook her head at them.

"Will…" Jack said, turning to the boy, "Nice hat."

Suddenly he was looking at her, and it was like the whole world silenced around them. There was no Port Royal, no Commodore, no Will or Elizabeth. It was her and Jack and a sea of unmade decisions.

"Well, love? Are you coming?" he asked, and she felt a tug at her heart. She was pulled to him, she knew it, drawn like a moth to a flame and she couldn't stop it. But to sail with him- he wasn't good. She knew it. If she- cared for him, he would break her. He would betray her and snap her into pieces over and over again even if he didn't plan to. It was his nature.

"Jack, I- I can't," she said softly, staring at the ground. She was vaguely aware of the eyes on them, but nothing distracted her from the hurt that flashed painfully across Jack's face.

"Why?" he asked quietly, but she simply shook her head, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

"I want to, Jack, I do, but I can't trust you. I just can't. And I'm a bloody pirate captain, I should be able to get my own ship back," she said with a dry laugh, tears springing to her eyes, and Jack slowly reached for her hand.

He pressed something small and round and cold into her palm, and when she unfolded her fist, a small coin lay in her palm.

"A piece of eight," she said quietly, and they stared down at it.

"It's all I had in my pocket," he admitted, and she let out a choked laugh, running her finger over the ridges. "But, love, I'd cross any sea to get to you if you needed me. I know I don't have your trust, but I'll get it back someday, all by me lonesome. So don't forget me, savvy?"

She stared at him, the words sounding like they were from a different person. This wasn't the Jack she knew. And she didn't think she hated that.

"I could never," she said, smiling, and she took a step closer to him. Suddenly, he slipped an arm around her waist and leaned down, his face inches from hers.

"You had better not," he whispered, and then he was kissing her.

His lips tasted like salt and rum, and she leaned into him, her heart singing. Fireworks exploded in her head, and she gripped the neckline of his coat, her hair falling down to frame her face. This was real. This was Captain Jack Sparrow, her enemy, her friend, her temporary acquaintance, who- loved her.

This love was raw and dangerous, but where Jack Sparrow went, wasn't everything? She didn't know how she felt about him, but as he held her, there was nothing else in the world that she wanted more than this.

Slowly, they broke apart, but Jack still held his arm around her waist, staring into her eyes.

"I'll see you again, Captain," Jack said, slowly stepping away from her, and she willed herself not to cry. She was Captain Coldblood, and she could do this. She could.

"Goodbye, Jack," she said as he stepped onto the wall, and the two of them turned to face the surprised faces of Elizabeth, Will, and Norrington.

"Friends, this is the day you will always remember as the day that you-" Jack began before tumbling off of the wall. Quickly, they all raced to the edge, staring down into the churning waves below. She could see him surface, a small dot against the blue, and one of the soldiers scoffed.

"Idiot. He's nowhere to go but back to the noose," a soldier said, and Violet was tempted to skewer him when suddenly something caught her eye. The Black Pearl, bursting into view and sailing majestically towards him. She couldn't help herself from smiling. She'd known she would see it again.

While the men were distracted, she slipped down the stairs, away from the fort and down to the docks. There was bound to be some ship to steal.

As she made her way down the stairs, she caught Elizabeth's eye, the only one to notice her, and the two women exchanged a look.

Thank you, Elizabeth mouthed, and Violet smiled, nodding solemnly.

Then she was gone, down to the docks of Port Royal and whatever awaited her there.

Violet threw the hood of her black cloak from her head, revealing her face and letting her hair spill across her shoulders. The rest of the ship's crew had gone to sleep below deck, and Violet was alone, shrouded in darkness and night and the cloak that hid her sword and the hat that Jack had given her all those years ago.

It was a small merchant ship, one she had only managed to get on board by pretending to be a penniless widow who needed passage. The crew members were kind people, disgustingly kind, who were more than willing to help the young widow.

They had asked her for a name.

Katherine Sparrow, she had told them.

Funny name, they had said. Sounded like a pirate's.

She stared out at the dark, moonlit sea, and wondering if the Pearl sailed these same waters. In her hand, she rolled the coin back and forth between her fingers, trying to figure out where to go from here.

She had no obligations, no possessions, and no one out there for her. It was somehow freeing, knowing that she was completely alone, just like she was used to being.

But even though she was here, alone, starting over, something inside her still pulled towards Jack, wherever he was.

And she knew, as she clutched the piece of eight in her hand, that she'd see Captain Jack Sparrow again. After all, they were bound to each other, by the sea that ran through their cold, cold blood.

A/N: And that's the end of the first movie! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this story, and I hope you've enjoyed what's happened so far! i'm hoping to continue to the second movie, so I'll hopefully be posting the first chapter of that soon. Please review and keep reading because there is still so much left for Violet and Jack :)