Disclaimer: I do not own any of Disney's fabulous creations.
Author's Note: Thanks for all of the feedback! It is greatly appreciated. Reviews to reviews will be at the end of the chapter. I hope you'll enjoy Chapter 24 and if you have the Pirates 3 soundtrack, I'd suggest reading this while listening to it. It's incredibly fun! The chapter is going to be pretty intense, so hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen.
Sincerely and grammatically,
PineAppleLint
The next morning…
Jack growled in annoyance when the first rays of sunlight hit him square in the face. It jolted him awake, forcing him to peel his eyelids open. Twisting around in the sheets, he instinctively reached for the sleeping form next to him…
….which wasn't there. Terrence's spot was already cold from disuse. Jack panicked. Had Malvado struck in the middle of the night? Did she go off to fight the demons alone?
Not even bothering with modesty, he jumped naked from the bed and pulled on his trousers with jerky movements. Not bothering with anything else, he grabbed his pistol and fled like a bat out of hell out the door.
He crashed right into something solid, and that something let out a yelp of surprise.
"Jack! For crissakes!" The tray full of breakfast goodies and tea that Terrence was carrying dumped all over her fresh clothes, staining them instantly. She let out a sigh of frustration when she lost balance, sending the tray and china crashing to the ground.
Jack shoved the pistol into the band of his trousers and grabbed her arm. "Where were you?" he demanded.
"Isn't that blatantly obvious, you nitwit?" she snapped. Staring at the food on the floor longingly, she said, "I was goin' to eat that." She pointed to a roll. "I had that one picked out to eat first and everythin'."
"You weren't going to share?" Jack asked sourly, crossing his arms.
"I had some for you, too," she replied crossly, suddenly noticing his frazzled, half-naked appearance. The irritation faded away and she found herself smiling. "Were you that worried about me?"
"O' course not," he said, then muttered under his breath, "You're only being stalked by a homicidal man and now the mother o' me unborn child…"
"Eh?" She scrunched up her nose.
"Nothin'." He bent over to pick up the broken cups and plates and she immediately joined him. Jack grabbed a cinnamon scone off of the floor and promptly took a bite from it.
"You're disgusting," Terrence said, observing him.
"You didn't seem to think so last night, darling," he shot back, suddenly taking interest in the cleavage exposed from her being bent over in front of him. Noticing his wandering gaze, she winked when his eyes finally met hers.
"I should have told you where I was," she said, brushing off her hands on her breeches, "I apologize. Gibbs and I just did some sparring this morning to brush up his skills a bit. And I figured you'd want to join me for breakfast."
Jack grabbed the soiled tray and carried it into their room, practically throwing it onto the desk and making it rattle.
"But…" she continued, "Now that the food is ruined…"
"I'll go get more," Jack said with a sigh. "Give me a moment to get dressed, will you?"
"Actually…"
Terrence's pause caused him to glance over where she was sitting on the bed. He felt the familiar tightening in his trousers when he noticed her slowly unbuttoning the front of her shirt.
"I had different plans," she finished, practically purring. "We can always eat later."
She peeled off the inhibiting fabric and sat there, watching and waiting for his next move. Her slow, seductive grin made his blood run hot.
The rays of sunlight hit her tanned body, framing her exotic face perfectly. Her black, tousled hair fell over her breasts in waves. If she had been out on the beach sprawled in the sand, he would have mistaken her for a devilish mermaid.
A mermaid that made him undeniably frustrated. Sexually.
By the time he crossed the room, her breeches had disappeared and he was practically trembling with anticipation. Christ, it had only been hours since he'd last had her, and now it felt like centuries…
"You're beautiful, luv," he said huskily, kneeling at her feet.
"Something I always expect to hear when you're trying to get into my breeches," she retorted playfully, opening her legs for him.
He ran his callused hands along the insides of her thighs and said with a grin, "It seems that you're not wearing any, so the job is already done for me. Thus, the compliment came straight from the depths o' me heart."
She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his intimate touches. "Captain Sparrow," she murmured, "We cannot take too long with this venture of ours…I believe our crews need practice and we need to outline strategies and ooooohhhh…"
"Yes?" Jack questioned naughtily, looking up from his rather awkward position between her legs.
"Uh…it seems I've lost all train of thought."
"I thought you'd might. Just enjoy this for a bit, luv. You need it." I need you.
Jack suddenly realized how vulnerable he had become. His bond with Terrence had naturally become too deep. There was no retracing any steps. Even if he could, he wouldn't want to.
After the next few days, judgment day would come and with it, an indescribable evil. That evil would try to take everything from him. It would try to take away Terrence.
Pushing away his morbid thoughts, he focused on the duty at hand, on pleasuring her senseless. Soon enough, Jack found himself lost in her gasps, lost in her moans…
Lost with her.
The next few days proved to be very chaotic. Both crews spent most of the day practicing their swordplay, preparing their weapons and formulating plans. At night, they'd go back to their regular routines…romancing the ladies of Madrid and drinking (in moderation). With each passing hour, tensions grew. Pessimistic thoughts picked and pried at the optimistic ones.
Brookes unsheathed his sword and wickedly circled his captain. Terrence stood with poise on the edge of the fountain, sweating in the noon day sun. A crowd had gathered to watch their training session in the plaza, which did no good for their already over-inflated egos.
"Prepare for your swift death, Captain!" Brookes shouted up at her, doing his best to put on a show for the audience.
"You better not be cuttin' me again, mate," she warned, shaking a finger at him, "At least this time you're not inebriated."
He immediately jabbed his cutlass in her direction, causing her to gracefully jump off the fountain and meet his thrust with a harsh blow of her own.
Their swords rang every time they clashed together, and the scraping of metal against metal gave Terrence a tiny shiver up her spine. She loved a good fight almost as much as she loved standing at the helm of her beloved ship.
They animatedly circled the plaza, trash-talking each other all the while. Brookes crushed his body against hers, their swords locking together.
"You might as well give up, Gallagher!" he stated heroically, flashing a charming smile towards the enthralled crowd.
Terrence took that moment and used it to her advantage. She kicked him in the hips, sending him flailing backwards onto the cobblestones. She struck at his sword and it flew from his hands, landing about ten yards away.
Immediately straddling him, she laid her sword against his neck. "I believe you spoke too soon, mate," she said with a grin.
The crowd burst into applause, and Terrence lapped it up. She even removed herself from Brookes' person, took her hat off and valiantly bowed.
"Show-off," Brookes muttered, walking off to retrieve his sword.
As the group of onlookers dispersed, a flood of children rushed up to Terrence, chattering away. She stepped back, suddenly nervous.
Forcing a smile to her face, Terrence crouched down to get eye-level with them and allowed them to surround her. Laughing and talking in quick Spanish, they began touching her hair and face.
As they admired her features, one of the smaller girls of the group stepped up. She wore a petite green dress and her face was surrounded by tangled black hair. She seemed about four years of age.
The other children grew quiet as they watched the girl cradle Terrence's face in her tiny hands.
Terrence didn't speak. She waited to see what the girl would do.
Finally, after what seemed like a minute of silence, the young girl whispered, "Salvadora." savior
The children cheered.
Later that evening…
Anamaria and Terrence rested in the back of the tavern, watching Madrid's nightlife flourish.
"Savior?" Anamaria whistled. "Damn."
"They're just children, Anamaria. I've never seen them before in me life," Terrence said tiredly, sipping at a glass of cool water.
Brookes walked up and took a seat in their booth, setting down a mug filled to the brim with rum. Terrence scowled instantly.
"I could use a drink," she grumbled.
"Then get one. What, your legs don't work?" Anamaria scoffed. "Or is the "savior" feelin' too mighty to get it herself?"
"See? I shouldn't have told you. Now you're going to relentlessly pick on me," Terrence said, resting her head on the table.
"She can't drink," Brookes said, taking a big gulp of his alcohol, "She's…"
Terrence kicked him underneath the table.
"Ow! Shit!" Brookes swore, spilling some rum in his lap.
"Why can't you drink?" Anamaria asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Eh…I developed an allergy?" Terrence suggested while glaring daggers at Brookes. He was busy wiping his lap with a cloth.
"I thought you had a bun in the oven," Anamaria laughed, "Dear God, that would have been hysterical. You and Jack with…"
She realized Terrence wasn't laughing.
"Fuck," Anamaria whispered. "Really?"
Terrence quickly grabbed Anamaria's arm, holding it firmly. Leaning in close, Terrence said, "Jack and Brookes already know. You keep this to yourself, alright?"
She released Anamaria, who massaged her arm. "Aye," she replied with a nod, examining her closely. "Are you alright, though? I mean, Jesus."
"Nothin' I can't handle," Terrence said with a small smile, trying to calm her friend down. "Let's focus on matters at hand, eh?"
Brookes shot an apologetic look at Terrence before saying, "Those children were odd today. Like they knew what you were getting yourself into."
"Children have a way of seeing things adults can't," Anamaria said quietly. "Perhaps they know what's coming."
"Those poor dears," Brookes joked.
"More like 'poor us,'"Anamaria shot back. "It's not every day you find the weight of the free world resting on your shoulders."
"Or find yourself stuck in a battle between good and evil," Brookes added.
"Or end up as the woman humanity is relying on," Terrence said softly. Glancing down, they noticed Terrence's hands glowing and crackling with unspent power.
"We're getting close," Brookes whispered.
The three pirates made the sign of the cross.
Judgment Day
The only sound to be heard was the clattering of dislodged pebbles rolling down the steep path. Silence was thick like the jungle surrounding them, threatening to envelop their sweating bodies.
Terrence led both crews up the hill, sword drawn and hand resting on her pistol. There were about 25 of them total, forming a line that snaked through the brush and trees. Everyone remained tense. They were listening for any inclination that they were being followed.
"It's not like you need those weapons, luv," Jack murmured behind her, tugging on the back of her coat.
"Shhh," she replied, not bothering to turn around. She stopped and like a domino effect, everyone stopped behind her. "We're here."
The cave loomed ominously in the distance. Its huge opening gaped at her. It looked like it wanted to swallow them whole.
"Look out for traps along the way," Terrence said quietly. "There may be a few waiting at the entrance." She glanced up at the large rocks surrounding the cave. "Anyone could be keeping a hiding spot up there."
As soon as they entered the cave, a swarm of bats flew right above their heads, causing some of the crewmembers to aim their pistols in a moment of confusion.
"Don't fire," Terrence whispered, crouching as the beat of bat wings made her hair rustle, "You'll give us away."
Dangerous laughter filled the cave, echoing over the walls. Everyone froze. And as soon as the sound came, it was gone.
"I think they know we're here," Jack said matter-of-factly. When Terrence turned to give him a look, he grinned.
At that same moment, large rocks rained down at the entrance of the cave, piling up and prohibiting anyone from escaping. The ground shook and shimmied as light from the sunset vanished. The rocks had them trapped.
"They certainly know we're here," Jack said, staring up at the mountain of debris. It would take hours to remove.
In the darkness, the crew lit torches and Terrence started examining the scene in front of them. A large pool of water took up most of the cave's floor space. That would pose a problem during battle. There wouldn't be much room to move.
The cave smelled musky, like wet dirt and mold. Broken rocks scattered throughout the cave created raised platforms that would be perfect for fighting atop of…if they proved to be stable.
A spider crawled across Terrence's boot and she kicked it off.
"Orders, Captain?" Brookes questioned calmly.
A flash of unnatural light momentarily stunned her. When her eyes readjusted, she let out a strangled gasp.
They were surrounded by at least 30 towering men. Each had a weapon drawn, scowling. Sweat dripped from their brows. Their teeth bared in cruel grins.
"How…how did…?" Pete stammered, grasping his pistol.
"Holy fuck," Jack cursed, hand tightening on his sword. "Where did these ugly brutes come from?"
"I believe these ugly brutes are Malvado's men," Terrence replied through clenched teeth.
Some of Malvado's men laughed, delighted about their element of surprise. The largest one of all stepped up to her, silently sizing her up. He was shirtless with lean hips, huge muscles and a hairy chest. A scar sliced from forehead to chin, right down the middle of his face.
"I'm Titus, Malvado's first mate," he said in a booming voice, leaning in close to her. "You're the new Protector, I presume?"
"A pleasure to meet you," Terrence said dryly, "I'm terribly sorry in advance."
The large man blinked. "For what?"
"For killing your Captain."
"Let's not prematurely come to conclusions, Captain Gallagher," a familiar voice replied in amusement.
Terrence whirled around to find Malvado sitting on one of the rocks, leisurely watching the exchange.
Before confronting Malvado, she caught Jack's hand in hers and hastily gave it a squeeze. Jack nodded and let her go.
"Well, here we are," she began, "Three nights later, just like you so rudely commanded of us." Terrence mockingly glanced around before adding, "This all seems very unproductive."
"You're too anxious to get to the big finale, pet," Malvado said with an easy smile, getting up from his perch. "That instantly gives you a disadvantage."
"You know…" Terrence calmly walked up to him. "This all wouldn't have happened if you had kept your hands to yourself."
"Stealing the key was the easiest part, Captain Gallagher. Perhaps you should do a better job of hiding your valuables…or secrets."
Terrence narrowed her eyes at him.
"Ah, yes…does everyone fighting for you tonight know?" Malvado went on, turning his attention to the crews. "Do they know what you're carrying? What you have to lose?"
Malvado suddenly focused all of his attention on Sparrow, who was busy staring up at the ceiling in a flamboyant manner. "Ah, Jack. It's a pleasure to see you again. I hope you don't mind me killing your woman and unborn child."
Silence consumed everyone as the facts sunk in. Terrence was pregnant. It was all out in the open now.
Jack rolled his shoulders and then relaxed them. He seemed unaffected by everyone's sudden scrutiny. "You see, Everett…mind if I call you Larry? You see, Larry, I have the utmost confidence in me gel to succeed. So I'd appreciate it if you stop egotistically ranting, because the rants will soon eat away at the ego you always think of ranting about! How can you rant in order to enhance your ego if the ego has perished along with your ranting body?"
Malvado actually looked confused, which was a first. And that confusion made him irrefutably angry. "It's simple, really. I get rid of Terrence, I get rid of two generations of Protectors."
Jack's eyes cut to Terrence, who, like a coiled snake, seemed ready to strike. She nodded a tiny nod, and that's when all hell broke loose.
The Dancing Horizon and The Black Pearl crews belted out courageous roars as they suddenly attacked Malvado's men. Catching the enemy off-guard gave them a small advantage as swords flew and shots rang out, echoing eerily throughout the cave.
Terrence bit her lip, watching as Jack disappeared in the scuffle of battle. Turning to Malvado, she ground out, "Finally. The moment I've been waiting for."
His perverted grin gave her goosebumps. "And I can't wait to see your head rolling across the floor."
Simultaneously, both of their hands shot out, igniting with power. His body sparked black; hers, a gentle blue.
Jack Sparrow felt his sword slice through skin and bone before he pulled it out of the body in front of him. Looking up, he realized the whole cave was illuminated with an unnatural glow.
If Jack was standing closer, he'd see Terrence's eyes go milky white. Right when Malvado's and Terrence's forces combined, there was a loud crack.
Terrence gritted her teeth when she felt the heat of Malvado's power rush over her body. Struggling to fight it back with her own, she glanced over to observe the bloodbath taking place between crews.
Malvado took that opportunity to step forward and slam his sizzling fist into her face, throwing her back against a sharp rock.
Momentarily stunned and breathless, Terrence lost control of her powers. She began sparking uncontrollably in different directions. She rolled to the side just as Malvado slammed his boot down where her head would have been.
"Losing your touch, Captain?" Malvado growled, stalking after her.
Jumping to her feet, she snarled, "Perhaps I'm just toying with you first."
"That's not your usual approach," he replied calmly, watching her stumble as his power hit her full blast in the abdomen. "I do not think you'd stall during an attempt to get your precious key back."
And that's when Gallagher noticed it. Her key hanging around his neck.
With a sudden push of supernatural force, Malvado sent her flying against the wall.
"Why not give up now and save yourself the hassle?" Malvado questioned cruelly, baiting her. He grabbed her by the chin, drawing her close.
She immediately pushed him away and elbowed him in the face. As he howled, Terrence grabbed him with her power and sent him flying across the cave.
"This is getting tiresome, Everett," Terrence said, yawning. Her face smarted a great deal, but she didn't let the pain show. "Let's end this, here and now."
"Yes," he said cruelly, "Let's." And then he took out his pistol.
"Are we exchanging powers for weaponry now?" Terrence asked, crossing her arms. She dropped the act when she noticed where he was pointing the gun.
It was pointed right at Sparrow.
Sparrow made another kill with his sword and then turned around, realizing the dilemma at hand.
"Ah, finally. Some drama," Malvado said giddily, "I love it. I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to kill all of those you loved, dearest."
"No," Terrence whispered, frozen in place. "What do you want?"
"I want you to admit that I win," Malvado replied with a slow smile, "And I might just let him go."
"Terrence, don't," Jack said calmly, "He'll kill me anyway."
They both made eye contact, and Terrence couldn't say a word.
"Too late," Malvado said and instantly fired. Terrence let out a muffled scream as the bullet intercepted Jack's body and sent him to the floor.
Terrence's mind went numb. She could feel herself running over to him. She let herself forget about Malvado, about the battle raging on a few yards away.
Kneeling next to him, she could only think about Jack dying in her arms and it being all her fault.
"Jack…" she whispered, eyes growing glossy with tears. She grabbed him and placed his head in her lap. "Please…"
Jack looked stunned. "I've been shot."
"Yes," she replied frantically, "Stay with me, alright?" She moved his coat to watch as blood bloomed onto his faded shirt. She pressed her hand against the wound, trying to ignore his pained curse.
"Aw, isn't that a sad sight."
Terrence turned her head to see Malvado watching the scene with sick pleasure. She clutched Jack, keeping him close.
"You son of a bitch," she shouted, "This was between the two of us!"
"I know," Malvado sighed, "But seeing the tortured look on your face made it entirely worth it." He unsheathed his sword. "Now I'll kill you and leave you with your captain. Very Romeo and Julietesque, don't you agree?"
"Go, now," she heard Jack murmur. But before she could get up, another body blocked hers from Malvado's.
It was Brookes.
"Get out of the way, boy," Malvado said with a sneer, "Or do you have a death wish of your own?"
"Get away from him, Brookes!" Terrence cried, "Just get out of here!"
Brookes took out his sword and said gravely, "You're fight's with me now, Malvado."
"I'm going to warn you now: you won't last long," Malvado replied with a wicked grin. Then, he attacked.
Terrence shouted for Mister Gibbs, who dodged a bullet and emerged from the fray.
"You have to bind his wound," she stated quickly, "I don't think it's fatal. Stop the blood…I need to end this. Now. Before anyone else gets hurt." Before Brookes dies.
Gibbs helped a cursing Jack to his feet as Terrence ran off towards Malvado and Brookes, who were deep in battle.
Terrence knocked Malvado against the wall and burned his arms with her sparking hands. Screaming, he swung his sword right at her head.
Having to duck so quickly, Terrence lost her footing and fell at Malvado's feet.
She could hear it before she saw it.
The piercing ring of the sword. Malvado's victorious grunt. The weight of his foot on her back.
Death was imminent, but the pain never came. Instead, the sickening sound of metal intercepting flesh came from someplace else.
Terrence glanced up in horror. Brookes was hovering over her, trembling. The sword had gone straight through his heart.
Malvado removed the sword with a sickening 'thwack', and Brookes could only stand there, gaping at his wound.
He had given his life for hers. He was trying to save her.
He was her sacrifice to restore order.
"Brookes," she whispered, watching as droplets of his blood fell onto her chest. He was her first mate. Her confidant.
Malvado's power jumped out at her again and she met the blast with her own. They each struggled for dominance, struggled to be the victor. Terrence could barely catch a breath as Brookes fell, his eyes glazing over. He was dead.
And Malvado suddenly let out a piercing scream. Terrence shielded her eyes as the man began convulsing. His skin rippled and stretched.
Not knowing what else to do, she sent him flying into the pool of water and waded up to her waist after him.
She had never seen anything like it. It was as if he was burning from the inside out. She turned her head with a grimace as his face melted away and turned to ash.
When she found the stomach to look again, all that was left was the key surrounded by ashes.
Cheering startled Terrence out of her shock. Looking up, she realized they had won the battle. All of Malvado's men were dead.
"Who did we lose?" Terrence asked with a shaky voice, remaining in the water. She continued to eye the key.
"Brookes and Jacobs from your side, Captain," Gibbs called out to her from where he stood at the edge of the water. "We lost Mister Cotton and Marty."
Jack had an arm around Gibbs and was studying her with a solemn expression.
Terrence blinked back tears. She cast her eyes towards the heavens and inwardly thanked them all for their bravery. She knew they would later gather the bodies and hold a proper ceremony.
A boiling sound caught her attention. The key, from where it floated in front of her, began to disintegrate. Smoke wafted up and tickled her nostrils.
"The key…" she started. And then an excruciating pain hit her in the stomach, causing her to hunch over in the water.
"Terrence!" Jack shouted, grabbing Gibbs.
"Something's not right," she murmured brokenly, clutching her abdomen.
Terrence's vision doubled. Dizziness grabbed her. The agonizing pain wasn't stopping. Why won't it stop?! It ran from her stomach to her thighs, shaking her core. What is happening to me?
Isn't it supposed to be over?
Jack jumped into the water, madly wading over to her despite his bleeding wound. Gibbs followed suit.
All Terrence could remember was hearing the splash of water and Jack's frantic calls until everything fading away.
One more chapter to go, and you darling reviewers will get closure and a super duper epilogue.
Reviews to Chapter 23 reviews:
Pirate Gyrl: I think Jack can make any situation awkward if he tried hard enough. Congratulations on the recent updates of your stories!
Alonefreehearted: Thanks for all the kind words, Rachel!
Black Wolf-Dog: I agree…fortunately, Malvado has been taken out of the picture. He can no longer rule the story with his creepiness.
Depps darlin: I'm glad you like Terrence's and Jack's relationship. It wouldn't be much fun without the spark!
Myheartswiththecaptain: Hey Captain Night James! I appreciate your reviews. I hope you liked the chapter!
Evil Duckie of the BlackLagoon: Haha! Your review was so funny. "Whoa Momma!" My thoughts exactly.
The DuTchess of Doom: It's alright, dearie! It happens. And I understand about the "reveal the baby" chapter…it can be damn hard, especially if you're dealing with two stubborn characters. Especially someone like Devon! I wish you the best of luck with that, and I hope you enjoyed the major action scenes!
Vixter: Steaminess is the best part! Hehe! I hope you enjoyed the update.
Sparrow's strumpet: I was proud of Jack as well. He was definitely fighting the urge to run like a pansy boy.
Gothicluver13: I hope you enjoyed the intensity of Chapter 24!
XShadowCatX: Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long! I know it can be a real pain when you're waiting for someone to update. I hope it was worth the wait!
Deathly Nightshade: Loved the mini-scene in your review. You go ahead and tell Malvado who's boss! Hehe!
Arrabellasmith: Thanks for reviewing, luv!
SparrowMuse: Thanks for the heart-warming compliments! Your review made my day. And thanks for thinking that last chapter was realistic in regards to Terrence's and Jack's reactions.
Heydeppy: Thanks for finding Terrence's adventures and having a reading fest! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Anastasia Walker: Sultriness, huzzah! Thanks for the random story idea parties on AIM. They rock.
Kellyann: Cheese and toast sounds positively delicious. Make sure to share, dearie!