Disclaimer: The plot, the prophecy, and the riddle are mine. Everything else? Psh... © Disney.

Author's Notes: So... My week has just kind of sucked. What with people constantly lying to me, and it being "Single Awareness Day" on Wednesday and all. Oh, and when I try to cheer myself up by writing more of this story, I forgot that I wrote the Devil's Riddle on my English homework... that's sitting in my locker. So... Yeah, there's mention of it, but the full thing will be in the next chapter. Sorry to disappoint. Well...

Heeeeeere's Jack...

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Devil's Riddle

Chapter Eight: Counting on Your Luck

By: MJ

"…Really bad eggs," Jack muttered, his hands gripping the wheel tightly, as if he was about to fall over it he were to let go. He was back on his precious Pearl, sailing into the horizon to save his best friend from a regrettable fate. He was whistling to keep his mind off of it, his eyes straight in front of him so that he wouldn't have to see that looming figure on the bow, who he knew must be blaming him for everything.

He sighed and looked down at his boots, still covered in the black sands of purgatory, with a blood spot on the tip from when he had accidentally stepped in—

"Nope… no-no-no-no-no, not goin' tithing o' tha'," he said, looking back up immediately. He was trying desperately to get the images out of his mind, the images of his friend sacrificing… "Damn it all!" He declared. "Gibbs—man th' wheel!"

"Cap'n—why don' we just pull inta' port. I fink ever'one needs to jus'--"

"Man the wheel, and keep t'th' 'eadin'. We dun' need t'stop anywhere, undastand? Jus'… jus' keep lookin' t'th' horizon, aye?" Jack said, and Gibbs took the wheel. "'E still at the bow?"

"Aye—still all shaken up as 'ell. Ye should go talk to--"

"Not until I get a bit o' rum in me, savvy?" Jack said, walking down the steps.

"Aye, Cap'n… perhaps fer th'best."

He took off his hat in a fake salute to the older man before he walked past the solemn crew and into his cabin. He walked over empty rum bottles and clicked his tongue, "Aye, William, yer a mess…" he said quietly, moving to his desk. He opened up the bottom drawer and pulled out his prize bottle of rum. He uncorked it, and tossed the thing aside; he wasn't going to need it later. He tipped his hat and lifted the bottle in a toast before he threw his head back and gulped the fiery liquid down.

"Royal Flush, read 'em an' weep, gents!" Jack said, turning to Henry and Bootstrap, who had four aces and four kings, respectively. "I guess tha' means I get me ship back, and Will an' Liz will be namin' their firs' chil' after me." He said, looking to Henry for the first part of his sentence, and Bootstrap for the last. They both were grumbling when suddenly their atmosphere began to change. "Wha'th'ell?" Jack muttered, as he began to twist and turn around.

"We're changing hells, I suppose," Bootstrap commented. Henry was nowhere to be seen.

"Wonderful… just when I started t' 'ave a bit o' fun…"

Bootstrap merely shot him a look, and he shrugged. Suddenly, the twisting stopped, and they were… back on the platform?

"Jack Sparrow and William Turner—you will watch this!" Hades called. They were suddenly jerked out of the fog they had been standing in. Situated next to Hades's chair, they finally were able to see… Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann? Confused, Jack was about to ask a question to the couple—perhaps call out to them a 'hello, help me out here' when a demon guard pushed him.

"They can't see or hear you, chump. Just watch the show, aye?"

"Elizabeth… they can't make me do this—Jack isn't this important," Will's voice seemed magnified at least a thousand times the normal volume. Elizabeth shook her head, smiling.

"Jack is everything—without Jack, there would be no us…"

"Did ye 'ear tha', Bill? Wif'out me, there'd be no them!"

"Shaddup, Jack—what the 'ell is William doin' 'ere? I dun like the looks o' this, Jack… Not at all…"

"There could've been—there would've been; Elizabeth, please…"

"William Turner!" Hades suddenly bellowed.

"Yes?" Bill asked. The guard shook his head.

"Not you!"

"Have you made your decision?" That was when Jack noticed the dagger. Evidently, so did both Will Turners.

"Yes…" Will muttered.

"NO!" Bill yelped, his hands flying to his long, curly hair. Gnarled fingers grabbed the locks and jerked. "No… this can'be happ'nin'!"

Jack watched his friend, wondering what he should do.

"I can't hear you!"

"Yes! Can we move along with this?"

"Will," Elizabeth suddenly spoke up. Will wouldn't look at her. He was staring long and hard at the dagger, and then he looked up. He was staring past Hades—could he see Jack and Bill standing there?

"Step forward!" Hades bellowed; he looked absolutely, hysterically happy. Will and Elizabeth both stepped forward.

"Will." She said, a bit more forceful; louder.

"Whenever you're ready!" Hades bellowed again, almost laughing. He was leaning back in his chair. Bill looked as if he was going to cry and be sick at the same time. Jack's insides were twisting, and Elizabeth looked panicked. "Think long and hard over who you want to bring back. Spill the blood over the branch, and it shall be done." Hades leaned forward. "A life for a life, the prophecy speaks!"

"Will!" Elizabeth screeched, attempting to break his gaze away from the knife. Bill went hysterical.
"No! William—dunt! 'M not worth it—Jack's not worth it… No, William—ye got yer whole life ahead a ye! I'm beggin' ye—please!" Bill collapsed to his knees, attempting to shuffle forward to be closer to his son. The guard was blocking his way, sending blows to his back with his tiny, fiery fists, but Bill kept on. "Please, William—dunt!"

Will picked up the dagger and held it in his hands. It felt as though his eyes were staring straight at Jack. He turned to Elizabeth. "Everything I do, I do for you…"

"WILLIAM!" Bill roared.

He raised the dagger—Elizabeth had no time to scream before it pierced flesh; the blood went everywhere. Jack looked to Bill, who had stopped moving. He pushed himself back, horrified.

Jack felt weird all over, as if he was just regaining his senses after being frozen for many, many years. The underworld around him was disappearing, and he was quickly losing his sight of Bill, but he would never forget the words he uttered:

"My son… a murderer."

Jack opened his eyes to see Ana Maria, watching him from the other side of the room. She looked unsure of whether she should hug him, or bring him another bottle of rum.

"Wha'?" He said, grumpily. He took a swig of his bottle of rum and glared at her.

"Ye were screamin' bloody murder—ye scared us all t'death!"

"I was havin' a bad dream… 'm human, ye know," he said, leaning back in his chair. She snorted.

"Barely," she muttered. He rolled his eyes at her.

"What's going on?"

"How far away from this isle are we?"

"Dunno… Could be days, an' it could be months."

"Dun' say tha'," Ana Maria said quickly. "Least not aroun'… ye know."

"Why not?"

"Ye be the one t'tell 'em tha' we can' save their fiancé for another few months, ye see how dey react," Ana Maria said, grabbing the bottle from him to take a swig. "Dey be a mess already—dun make it worse."

Jack grabbed back his bottle and finished it off, glowering at her. "Wha' makes ye think I'd do a thing like tha'?"

Ana Maria grinned, "Because yer Captain Jack Sparrow—stupidity is your middle name."

"Why would you do something so stupid, Will, why?" Bill grunted as he walked along a never-ending beach, talking to himself. "You had all your lives ahead of you… to end it so quickly—just, why?"

"I'm sure he had his reasons, Bill," a soft voice said from behind. Bill closed his eyes and turned around, his jaw dropping to the floor.

"Bring back my heart… heart—oh, please tell me we're not on another cat-and-mouse chase for a second chest!" Jack moaned as he, Tia Dalma, and Barbossa began pondering over the riddle Hades had left the group with. Ana Maria had written it down for them, having a memory like a mousetrap; she hears something once, and remembers it forever.

"I fink it's more or less one of 'is treasures," Tia said, leaning over the prophecy. "'Cause, look—'golden narcissus'… tha' sounds like a treasure… 'Golden'."

"It's a flower," Barbossa growled, walking over to the bookshelf. "I remember readin' abou' it a' one point or 'nother."

"Flower? What the 'ell would 'ades wan' wif a flower?" Tia snapped back. She leaned back in her chair and grabbed the arms. "It's a treasure, believe me."

"Why should I believe ye, ye were the one 'o put William up t'dis in th' firs' place!" Jack fired back. Tia rolled her eyes, and Barbossa grinned. "Wif'out yer bloody 'elp, we wouldn't 'ave t'find this damn thing in the first place."

"An' if ye had jest accepted yer debt t'Jones, we wouldn't either…" Tia retorted. "Or, perhaps, if ye had held ont'a de hear' fer a bit longer, ye know."

"Ye'd know a bit 'bou' tha' 'eart, wouldn't ya, Tia? Bein' ye were the one 'o caused him t'—"

"Shut up! Both of ye! We aren't goin' t'finish a damned thing if ye can't stop bickering like children," Barbossa dropped a book on Jack's desk to emphasize his point. "There. I collected a bunch o' sailors' tales in hopes of findin' those medallions quicker. We should look at those before we discuss this any more. Perhaps someone else knows a bi' abou' dis devil's riddle."

"'Ow is 'e?" Gibbs asked James, as he walked out of the crew's quarters, a place being avoided by the rest of the crew at all costs. None of them have been in there for the past three days, as everyone wanted to avoid having to come face to face with an emotionally distraught pirate who knew how to handle a sword very, very well.

"Fine, for now, anyway. Why—do you need something? Perhaps… I should get it," James said quietly, poking his head back in the room for a second.

"'E asleep?"

"Yes, yes… Just fell asleep, but I don't know for how long…" At Gibbs's look, he shrugged. "Nightmares."

"Ah, yes… I 'aven't slept fer days meself, an' I didn't even see anythin'."

"You were lucky… I've been told everything… in… explicit detail," he said. Gibbs smiled and began to dig something out of his pocket. He offered his flask to Norrington, who shook his head.

"That stuff nearly ruined my entire life at one point… I don't want it to do the same again…"

A scream resounded out of the crews' quarters, and James sighed. The crew seemed to stop working to stare at the opened door, and Gibbs hung his head.

"God speed," Gibbs whispered, clapping Norrington on the back as they heard the call of:

"James?"

"'ere's one!" Jack shouted suddenly, causing the other patrons in the room to walk towards him. He set the book on his desk and prodded the page with his finger over and over. "There—righ' there! 'I met d'devil around th' coast o'da Americas…He said 'e could help me if I helped him… but I don' go' no boat t'go t'da isle he wishes…'." They were all staring at Jack, confused, and he raised a single brow. "Wha'? I got somefink on me face?"

"I didn't think ye could read…" Ana Maria let out slowly.

"Then why was I da one wif th' book?"

"Just wanted t'keep ye occupied," Barbossa shrugged, taking the book off the desk. "This is a bit too convenient… That riddle was personal—as if specifically fer…. Well, ye know… our situation. This could mean anything… Remember tha' story Gibbs told us las' nigh'? Th' one abou' th'man who made a deal with th' devil t'find 'im some gold?"

"Aye, an' the devil stole his soul? This's probably just a drunken pirate version o' th' same thing," Jack shrugged, sighing. "We're not getting' nowhere wif this…"

"We can't jes' give up!" Ana Maria said quickly, getting up. "We'll get this—we have to…"

"I never said anyt'ing about giving up… We just need another opinion… Does our ol' pal Norry still 'ave th' heart o' Jones?" Jack asked, looking at Barbossa, who suddenly looked as if he was in a lot of pain.

"He gave it to William…"

"Who, with our luck, 'as prob'ly stabbed it by now," Jack grunted, shifting his weight in his chair. "Damn it…"

"Charlotte?" Bill called out, anxiously, looking at the faint figure a few yards away. "Charlotte—is it really you?"

"Yes," her melodic voice returned, and Bill smiled.

"I'd have thought… you'd… well, I'd never thought I'd see you here," he gestured around them. She walked closer, a hand flying to his cheek. She stroked it and smiled, her beautiful smile that had caused him to ache many a-times while he was at sea. He reached up to touch her—to know that she was real and not some mirage—some apparition. His fingers intertwined with her honey hair, and tears sprung to his dark brown eyes. "It really is you."

"Yes, Bill, it's me," she laughed, tears springing to her own.

"How… how is this still hell?"

"…It's not," a voice called from a distance. They turned and looked, and both of them screamed. Blood was seeping out of a fatal chest wound, the dagger stuck outright in this person's chest. They managed to chuckled, however, and called, "It's all right—I don't feel a thing…"

"What if he gave it back before… it all happened? There's still a chance he had given it to James, or… Gibbs, maybe?" Jack asked, the hope evident in his voice. Ana Maria shook her head.

"The heart went up the platform, and it never came down."

"Bugger…" Jack growled, slamming a fist onto the table. "Could there be a rule? What if he hadn't stabbed it after all, and… he traded it to Hades for something?"

"Why would he do a thing like that?"

"Hades, when I first wen' t' you-know-where, had made th' off-handed comment tha' 'e personally hated Jones's guts 'cause 'e often kep' 'im from receivin' souls 'e had always wanted fer many, many years," Jack said. "What if Jones struck a deal with him before the deed was done and he did something… irrational?"

"I guess we'll find out one way or 'nother."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked Barbossa, who

"Jones was supposed t' protect th' Pearl… if'n offendin' ship comes on th' 'orizon, we know Will stabbed th' 'eart. If nothin' happens, nothin's changed," Barbossa shrugged. Tia and Ana Maria did the same.

"Well, I'll be countin' on yer luck, 'cause I'm a 'orrible gambler," Jack said with a smile.

"Captain!" Gibbs shouted as he pounded on the door to Jack's cabin.

"Wha' is it, Mister Gibbs!" Jack called. Ana Maria opened the door.

"It's Miss Elizabeth, sir!" Gibbs said nervously. Jack stood up; the girl was an emotional wreck on a good day, but… after what happened, she was probably suicidal.

"Wha' abou' 'er?"

"She has Jones's heart… and she's about to stab it."

"Will!" Bill shouted as he and Charlotte finally reached their still-bleeding son, who was sitting in the sand, staring at the oblivion around him. "Will, are you all right?"

"Well… Literally speaking, I'm dead," Will said grimly, looking up at Bill and Charlotte. "…but in the sense that I think you initially wanted… I'm fine."

"Why… are you still bleeding?"

"Because it causes you both pain," he grunted, standing up. He put a hand to the dagger and grabbed it. He yanked it out and threw it on the sand, but the bleeding persisted. Charlotte went to attempt to stop it, but Will pushed her back. "There's nothing you can do… but, honestly, I don't feel a thing."

There was a pause, followed by a long, awkward silence. Finally, Charlotte enveloped Will in a long, fierce hug. "Son," she whispered into his hair, wet with sweat.

"Mum," he whispered back, holding her close.

"Son," Bill muttered. Charlotte pulled away and Will sighed, biting his lip.

"I'm… so sorry, Father," he began, looking at the dagger before he looked up at Bill.

"Fer wha'?" Bill asked, confused.

"…I… I wasn't able to save you. I… I killed you, and now… you're stuck in purgatory until Hades decides what to do with you."

"Is tha' wha' this is? Purgatory?" Bill looked around. Charlotte smiled, and Will looked confused. "Damn."

"What?"

"Well," Bill said, looking back at Will. "It seemed like heaven, wif me beautiful wife an' me boy righ' 'ere… by me side." Will smiled, and Charlotte giggled.

"You always were a tad overdramatic," she said softly. Bill shook his head.

"'M a pirate—it's allowed…"

For the first time in a while, Will laughed outright.

So... Bittersweet?

Oh! Charlotte's an OC that I decided would be Will's mother. I was half way through writing the story when I realized... I have an Uncle Bill and an Aunt Charlotte. Hah.

Oh. In answer to many requests/questions:

I have this... disability, where I can't write a story with an unhappy ending. So, again, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this story definitely has a happy ending. I've written the epilogue already, so... it's happy. Definitely happy, possibly sad, but it depends on how you look at... zips lips Oops. Almost gave it away.

Well... Cheer me up with a few reviews--and thanks for those who reviewed last time. They always put a smile on my face. :-)