Pirates of the Caribbean: The Amulet Of Atlantis Chapter 15: An Unholy Alliance, a pirates of the caribbean fanfic

A/N: I've decided that instead of making all of you wait for the rest, I'll continue to update regularly, just more frequently. So, expect more frequent updates until I finish the story. Plus, I didn't have the heart to leave you hanging from the last chapter. Also, I recycled a bit of dialouge from the AWE trailer and used it in this chapter; keep an eye out.

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Chapter 13

That night, the crew had been forced to set up a camp on the island so that they would be able to meet the sunrise deadline in the morning. A fire had been constructed after having gathered a pile of wood and most of the crew were sitting around it, either taking deep swigs of rum or gazing blankly into the roaring flames. Will and Elizabeth, however, had decided to spend some time alone with each other; no manner of socialization with their pirate friends could do anything to quell their feelings of immense worry concerning their son.

The couple had strayed far from the others and were currently sitting by themselves on the shore, which was only on the other side of the trees separating them from everybody else. Will and Elizabeth gazed out at the sea, which had turned a very dark black under the night sky. The only source of light was the full moon, which cast a bright white luminosity over the water that could only exist in the Caribbean. Elizabeth had most of her body weight shifted against Will, her hat lying on top of the sand beside her and her boots placed at a safe distance from the flames. Despite the warm fire, Elizabeth shivered as a result of the cool night breeze. Will noticed this and took off his overcoat, placing it around Elizabeth's shoulders in an attempt to warm her up more. Elizabeth pulled the coat tighter around her.

"Thank you," she said, grateful for Will's unwavering affection toward her. Elizabeth breathed in deeply, trying to compose herself. She knew that over the years, these adventures she had been on helped make her more tough and in control whenever she faced danger, but this time, due to the fact that the danger now involved her son, she could not help but let a few silent tears escape her eyes. Elizabeth was confident that she would make Henry Morgan pay for kidnapping Michael. After all, nobody threatened Elizabeth's family and got away with it.

Will noticed Elizabeth's tears and immediately took her into his arms, doing his best to soothe his wife's nerves. Will himself could not help but feel helpless on some level because he considered Elizabeth's and his never-ending desire to engage in piracy the cause of Michael being abducted. He dearly hoped that Jack's plan would work and that Michael would be returned to them safe and sound tomorrow. Will felt like he could skin Henry Morgan alive the next time he saw him, but knew that Jack's idea may involve the heartless pirate captain; so he decided against it.

"It's all my fault, Will!" Elizabeth sobbed into his chest. "I'm a terrible mother! I should have protected him better!"

Will tightened his hold on Elizabeth, though it was a tender action. "None of this is your fault," Will told her, surprising even himself at his tone of reassurance. "You're the most caring mother in the whole world who has her priorities straight; you put family before everything else. Both of us are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect the ones we love, and if that isn't the mark of a true paren, then I don't know what is. You are not a terrible mother. Michael loves you very much, as do I. I see the way his face lights up every time you enter the room, even when he was a baby he would stop crying whenever you picked him up. We must be doing something right, Elizabeth, because at the end of the day Michael loves us...we could not ask for more."

"Oh, Will!" Elizabeth kissed him so hard, they rolled over onto the sand, all the while their lips never leaving each other. Soon, Will and Elizabeth had to break away for air; after they did, they both brushed themselves off and inched closer to the fire once again.

Lying next to the fire as well were a few bottles of rum, which Jack had conspiratorially snuck with him onto the island when all of them came here earlier in the day. Two of the bottles had been noticeably drained somewhat of their contents, while the rest remained full and unopened. Elizabeth scooped up the one closest to her, uncorked it, and took a long swig, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand afterward. However, the alcohol did nothing to ease her sense of worry.

"What if they try to hurt Michael?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

Will once again pulled Elizabeth to him so that her head was resting upon his chest. "Don't think about that. You know that I train him every day with a sword, and for his age he's rather gifted. If Morgan or his men try to hurt him, I know he'll indulge in some type of self-protection. Michael reminds me of myself when I was his age."

Elizabeth looked up at Will with an expression of interest. "Really? You were like this at his age?"

Will nodded. "Of course, I mainly lived with my mother because my father was always out at sea pirating. However, on the rare occasions when he was home, my father trained me rigorously with a sword; in some way, I think he believed it was the only way he could really connect with me. I remember eagerly anticipating my father coming home for a few days before going back out to sea. But, uh, our town was soon assaulted by pirates and my mother and I were forced to flee for safety. We hoped to find my father, but quite suddenly, our ship was decimated in another surprise attack. Before I fell overboard and was knocked unconscious, I remember seeing my mother being raped by a group of pirates...after that, I suppose she sank to the bottom of the ocean with the wreckage, quite like the fate of my father." Will's eyes had begun to moisten with tears and he wiped them with the back of his hand. "It's um...not something you'd want to recall." He then gazed out at the ocean.

Elizabeth's heart had melted upon hearing Will recount the tragedies of his past, and before she knew it, she was remembering her mother. "My mother died when I was three. I remember constantly asking my father about her when I got older, but for some reason, he wouldn't say anything about her...almost as if they had ended their relationship on considerably bitter terms." Elizabeth once again looked up at Will, who was still staring at the sea. "You know, sometimes I wonder if it was God's will for me to spend my life not truly knowing what love is, because I always thought a mother was the only person in the world who could offer unwavering affection toward you. But then I met you, Will, and I realized...the only person who can truly love you is the person you're meant to spend most of your life with." Elizabeth gingerly cupped the right side of Will's face with her hand and turned it so that they were looking deep into each other's eyes. "You are my other half, Will. I love you. And we'll get Michael back...together."

Will and Elizabeth kissed passionately once more, their arms encircling each other's necks as they sank into the sandy ground. Due to the exhaustion incurred upon them from the whole day, Will and Elizabeth fell asleep within minutes.

A few miles away, Henry Morgan and his crew had set up their own little campsite. They were only a short distance away from the temple in which they would meet Sparrow and his comrades at sunset, which was now only hours away. An enormous fire was situated in the middle of the campsite, and Henry Morgan sat by it, sharpening a dagger. Beside him was his first mate, who was keeping a watchful eye over Michael Turner. Michael was staring at Morgan with an expression of pure loathing. Morgan finally regarded this with a simple glance out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, cheer up," he said. "Tomorrow morning, you'll be back in your beloved parents' arms and I'll be one step closer to uncovering the Amulet of Atlantis. So, in a way, we both get what we want."

"What's so special about this...amulet you're after?"

Morgan grinned, displaying his yellow teeth. "When I have this amulet, I'll possess the ability to create entire landmasses, continents, and cities from nothing more than the foundations under the ocean."

"You want your own world?"

Morgan kept smiling sinisterly. "You're not seeing the big picture here, son. I'll have created islands and continents on which my fellow pirates can start their own societies without the burden of the East India Trading Company."

"But, the Caribbean..."

"Will be underwater," Morgan finished Michael's sentence for him. "It's simple logic, no two masses can occupy the same area at once."

"But the East India Trading Company, they'll..."

"They'll...what? I'll have the power and secrets of an advanced civilization at my disposal. The East India Trading Company can send their little fleets after me, I can just destroy those vessels with the amulet. And what's more...I'll be the one in control of everything once the first phase of my plan is completed; I'll be untouchable...invincible. But in order for me to do that, I need the other half of the scroll."

Michael gave Morgan a look of deepest disbelief. "And you really think you'll get away with all this?"

"I will."

Michael sneered at Morgan. "No you won't. My dad is going to kick your arse."

Morgan laughed. "Who? The man who ripped the scroll earlier? Me and my men could easily kill him in an instant, along with that bonnie lass. That would be your mother, wouldn't it?"

Michael did not say anything.

"Although," Morgan continued, "I suppose she could serve far more useful purposes with us. After all, with a body like that, we could keep her around for a long time."

Michael jumped to his feet. "Don't you dare speak about my mother like that, you gutless pig!"

Morgan rose to his feet, grabbed Michael by the scruff of his neck, and shoved him forcefully to the ground. "You ever talk like that to me again, and I will kill you." Morgan bent down so that he was face-to-face with Michael. "Understand?"

Without warning, Michael spat into his captor's face. Morgan angrily wiped the saliva away, but held himself back from lashing out violently again.

"I suggest you get some sleep, boy. You're going to need it."

"...even as a baby, he would stop crying whenever you picked him up."

Will's words still echoed inside Elizabeth's head as she settled into a deep slumber. Her dreams consisted of memories centered around a time when Michael was just over a year old.

It had been a particularly stormy night then, and the loud claps of thunder had awoken baby Michael, causing him to start crying. Her son's wails had captured Elizabeth's attention, and she immediately went to try to calm him down. Michael slept in the same room as his parents still, but they soon hoped to move him into his own room soon. Michael was thrashing around in his crib, deeply disturbed by the weather conditions.

Elizabeth bent down and scooped her child up into her arms. She rested him against her shoulder and began to lovingly rub his back.

"Ssssh," she cooed tenderly, "it's all right, sweetheart. Your mummy's here, no one's going to hurt you."

Elizabeth sat down in a rocking chair, which sat by the windows that looked out over the wide expanse of sea behind them. She rocked back and forth, Michael's cries of fear already beginning to die away.

Will, who had heard them, hauled himself out of bed and came over to them. "Everything all right?" he inquired.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, the storm just frightened him, that's all. I'm going to sit here with him for a while longer...to make sure he's alright."

"Me too," Will said, standing at the window and peering out the curtains at the relentless downpour.

"You don't need to. You have work to do tomorrow; you need your rest."

"My family is more important than my sleep," Will answered plainly, bending down beside the chair and giving Elizabeth a soft kiss on the lips before gently caressing the top of his son's head. "It's all right, little one. You're safe with us."

Another loud rumble of thunder sounded, and the bedroom door suddenly burst inward, revealing an extremely frightening figure. The figure was dripping wet and encrusted in barnacles; chains were wrapped around his body. Elizabeth let out a scream as the figure made its way over to her and snatched Michael away.

Elizabeth jolted awake, breathing heavily from her nightmare. She felt sweat perspiring on her forehead and wiped it away. Next, she looked at her surroundings; she and Will were still on the Island Of The Mists, sleeping under the stars on the shoreline at the opposite end of the island. The once blazing fire had now been reduced to a dull flicker, casting everything around them in semi-darkness; the bright full moon still offered some light. Elizabeth, who was using Will's chest as a pillow, glanced up to see if her husband was still asleep; he was. Deciding not to bother Will with her nightmare, Elizabeth laid her head back down on Will, slowly and uneasily going back to sleep.

The sun rose over the calm ocean, poking holes through the clouds that still hung in the air from the previous night. Despite their close proximity, Morgan's crew failed to reach the temple before Jack's did.

The temple in question was considerably large, reaching high up into the sky and challenging even the tallest trees. The entire structure was composed of stone, with veins of leaves laying in different locations along its outer dome at the top. Inside were countless benches lined up expertly with one another. Rays of light filtered in to the temple by means of multicolored stained glass windows. Standing before both the benches and the main altar was a tall, prominent stone statue of Poseidon; the God of the Sea. Poseidon had his right arm extended upward, as if he were waiting to catch something that was falling from the heavens. In his left hand, Poseidon clutched his famed trident, and seemed to revel in its glory. But that was not all the statue was doing.

Poseidon was standing upon another massive stone figure, this one obviously of the Lord of the Underworld, Hades. Hades seemed to be struggling furiously to get free, with both his arms outstretched.

Standing directly in front of those arms, and gulping down large amounts of rum, was Jack. He finished his current swig and turned around to be slightly frightened by Hades' face.

"Ugly bugger," Jack cursed the statue.

From behind, Will approached his pirate friend. "Are you drunk, Jack? Now of all times?!"

Jack faced his comrade with indignation. "Of course not. I'm as sober as a fishcat...catfish, I mean. Yeah, catfish; that's the one!" Jack hiccuped.

"How many fingers am I holding up, then?" Will held up two fingers as a test.

Jack smirked. "Easy. Four; two fingers from both of you."

Will glared at Jack.

"I'm kidding, mate. Where's your sense of humor?"

"I'll get it back when Michael is with us again."

"Don't worry. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?"

"Plenty, as a matter of fact."

Jack frowned. "That was meant to be a rhetorical question."

Elizabeth came over at that moment and sniffed something foul in the air. "Jack, you've had to much rum. There's a stench."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll get rid of it." Reluctantly, he tossed the almost empty bottle away, which caused it to shatter upon impact with the ground. "At least I'll finally have an answer to the question; the rum is always gone because of you." He pointed the wavering finger of a drunken man toward Elizabeth.

"I just wanted you to stop before you did something stupid," said Elizabeth.

"You mean like kiss you? Trust me, darling, after our last lip-lock, I'm not too keen on the idea," Jack stated, smiling roguishly.

"Well, you'll never get the chance," Will answered coldly.

"Don't flatter yourself, Jack," Elizabeth came back simply, "because it would never have worked out between us."

Jack grinned. "Keep tellin' yourself that, darling."

Just then, a shadow that originated from the main doors fell over the trio. Henry Morgan stood there, along with a few crew members and Michael. Morgan had his hand gripped precariously on the handle of his pistol, which was stuffed down the front of his belt. They all began to walk slowly toward Jack, Will, and Elizabeth.

"Let me handle this," Jack told Will and Elizabeth as he mimicked Morgan's actions, Behind him, Elizabeth slightly rolled her eyes; Jack turned around sharply. "Leave that attitude on the ship, luv."

As Jack continued on, Elizabeth opened her mouth to retaliate, but was unable to say anything when Will gently grabbed her arm and began to follow Jack. Within a few seconds, each group had reached one another.

Morgan indicated Michael. "The boy, as promised. Now, what about your end of the bargain?"

Jack pulled the half of the scroll he possessed from his clothes. "Give us the boy first. As a pirate, you must have a sense of decency about you."

"Very well," Morgan said impassively. He shoved Michael forward and Michael immediately ran over to his parents, who embraced him tightly.

"The scroll?"

Jack smirked in his usual manner. "I told you I had a proposition."

Morgan looked irritated now. "Let's her it, then," he barked."

"Am I right in assuming that you're after this amulet so you can have a way to permanently rid yourself and every other pirate of the East India Trading Company?"

"Among other things," Morgan nodded impatiently.

"Excellent! So, since we are both after the same thing, I propose an unholy alliance."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm tired of all this opposition I come across in situations like this, and factoring in the ships the East India Company has out there patrolling the seas, together we can help each other remove them from our path. Savvy?"

"But who would get the amulet, pray tell?"

"Let's leave that matter in the hands of fate, shall we?"

Morgan gazed at Jack thoughtfully, carefully considering his options. Finally, he spoke again. "How can I trust your word, Sparrow? You have to admit, there's really no one left to trust, what with a possible war between pirates and the East India Trading Company brewing right under our noses."

"How can you trust me? I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, the last real pirate left in the Caribbean. If you can't trust me, who can you trust?"

"Aye, but even you can't guarantee that you'll abstain from greed."

"I'll do my best." Jack grinned and stuck out his hand. "Now, do we have a deal or don't we?"

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Morgan finally took Jack's hand and shook it firmly. "We have an accord."

"You're a diamond, mate! Now, one small little matter has yet to be resolved...do you have any rum onboard your ship?" Jack motioned with his eyes over toward Elizabeth. "With that bonnie lass in our company, it'll be a miracle if she doesn't throw it all overboard."

Elizabeth glared at Jack. "I heard that!"

Jack sighed. "Of course you did."