A/N: Hi all. I just realized I'm not really doing lyrics anymore…yes, I know I said I would, but I'm kinda out of ideas…so I'll only do that when I have an idea for it. Savvy? And my updates will hopefully be faster now. So…the usual disclaimers and weeping and on with the show.
Chapter 12At dawn the next day, Jack was to be found standing at the wheel. He opened his compass, looked up, and closed it again. He shook in vigorously and repeated the whole process. "All right, all right, I know," he grumbled, rattling it again. The compass opened once more. He swore.
"I get it. You can stop any time now," he said, smacking the compass's lid. "Don't do it again…please…damn."
"Compass broken, Cap'n?" Gibbs asked brightly.
"Eh?" Jack slammed the lid down. "Oh. Yes. We're going to have to ask dear old Fishface for a heading or maybe a Fishface Junior to help us out." As if on cue, Davy Jones appeared at the helm. "Aah! You've really got to stop doing that without warning." Jones ignored the comment.
"Having troubles?"
"Yes. Broken," Jack said, pointing to the compass.
"Broken?"
"Aye. So we'll need a heading."
"A heading…" Jones carefully consulted a compass of his own, a starfish wrapped over a flame depicted on its cover. "To the west until I stop you."
"To the west," Jack repeated. "Gentlemen, we have our heading! To the west until I stop you!"
"Aye, Captain, aye!" the crew chorused.
The Silver Mermaid hurriedly set sail after them on orders from Cotton's parrot.
"Gibbs, take the wheel," Jack said. "I need to find rum." With Gibbs at the wheel, Jack could go down to the hold, pluck a bottle of rum from the racks with a happy smile, and have a hearty swig on his way up the stairs, humming a pirate song. He was so immersed in his humming that he ran into the person at the top of the stairs.
"So sorry," he said, going off to his cabin before Elizabeth could say anything. "Wait a moment…not cabin. No. Wheel. No…not that either…aha. That's right. The deck, that should work." Smiling to himself, Jack made his way to a quiet, empty spot at the bow and sat down. He put his rum next to him and took out the compass.
"Now to fix you," he growled menacingly at the unmoving compass. He closed his eyes, shook it, and opened the lid. Tentatively, he cracked one eye. Then he opened them both and looked up…and slammed the lid closed. He flicked it, causing nothing but a pain in his finger, and repeated the steps carefully.
"No," he snarled, snapping the compass shut. "I know already. Something else. Anything else. Come on, now. Damn. Stop it." Jack thwacked the compass on the deck and took another swig of rum. "That's it! Point to the rum. Or the Pearl. Or something of the like. Anything but…not that, damn you!" He swore vividly and threw the compass across the deck. "Oh…" Jack clutched his head suddenly as a headache made itself known, bringing along with it a black lurking at the edges of his brain. He shook his head vigorously. "Eh…no more rum for…whoa…" The deck of the ship spun as Jack stood up, causing him to drop the rum."
"Jack, I found your compass," said a voice. Jack squinted.
"Who's that?" The person before him blurred and wavered.
"Elizabeth. Who else would it be?" Elizabeth said. A small frown appeared between Jack's eyebrows.
"…Oh. I'm just off to me cabin for a bit of a lie-down…" He coughed and fell forwards, limp as a rag doll, in a dead faint.
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Elizabeth watched Jack hurl the compass away from himself and put his head in his hands. Her eyes followed it across the wood until it came to rest near her feet. She picked it up and opened the lid. The needle swung around to point at the sea. Then it moved to the crew's cabin, where Will lay. Then it pointed at Jack.
Elizabeth sighed and closed it. She slowly stood and walked over to Jack, who had just dropped his bottle of rum. "Jack, I found your compass," she said. Jack looked at her confusedly, then squinted.
"Who's that?" he asked.
"Elizabeth. Who else would it be?" Elizabeth was a little concerned.
"…Oh. I'm just off to me cabin for a bit of a lie-down…" Jack trailed off, still looking confused.
A lie-down? When does Jack ever have a lie-down? Elizabeth though. Just then, Jack coughed and passed out on the deck. Elizabeth knelt down next to him. "Jack? Are you all right?" She turned him over. He was pale and sweaty, his brow knit together and his forehead lined with pain, and he was breathing hard.
"Gibbs!" Elizabeth screamed at the fist mate. "There's something wrong with Jack!" Gibbs hurried over to where she sat by Jack's side, directing one of the crew to the wheel on his way.
"Mary, mother of God, 'e's pale. What 'appened?"
"I came over here to give back his compass, and he didn't know the difference between you and I. Then he just sort of coughed and fainted. I don't know what's wrong."
"Help me get 'im t' th' cabin."
Elizabeth found herself hooking Jack's arms over her own while Gibbs took his knees and led the way to the cabin. They laid Jack down on the bed and watched his face change expressions, all the while growing steadily paler. Finally, he coughed again and his eyes fluttered open.
"She wants me back," he said hoarsely. "She wants me back now."
"Tell her she has to wait," Elizabeth told him, completely nonplussed. Jack's eyes rolled in his head, seeming to have a delirious life of their own.
"You said I could have a week…three days left…our deal…three days…" he muttered. "…no…not nice…three…you said…hardly…full strength…enjoy…ouch…"
"Jack…"
"…no…stop…won't…twisted…breaker…hate…try…"
"…Jack…"
"…need…time…no. Ow. Stop…"
"JACK!"
Jack grimaced. His head twisted to the side. "Go…away…" His fist collided with the bedside table. He blinked and groaned.
"Jack…are you all right? What just happened?" Elizabeth said.
"Unh. What is it with women and wanting to murder me?" Jack mumbled. Still as pale as ever, he rolled out of the bed and stumbled out of the cabin. Elizabeth exchanged a look with Gibbs and followed. When they found Jack, he was being sick over the railing. Elizabeth put her hand gently on his shoulder. "Don't touch me!" he snapped in a rough voice. He threw her arm off him and lurched towards his cabin.
Gibbs watched the door slam shut. "Best leave 'im to it," he said quietly. Elizabeth, though reluctant, nodded in acceptance.
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Jack's head was pounding horribly. He rubbed fruitlessly at his temples and tried to push the mad whisperings of Hel's demons away. "Just leave me alone for a while. I have three days left," he grumbled.
Three long, miserable days, the demon whispered. Come with us now and save yourself the pain. They continued to drip honeyed venom of this sort into Jack's mind.
"Oh, shut it. I'm not coming till I'm good and ready. Come back in about…sixty-five years and I might call it quits." He finally managed to quiet them down, if only slightly. A cough escaped him. "Oh, come on. At least let me enjoy my last few days," he complained. Another cough was his only answer, and a stabbing pain in his gut.
Jack sighed. "Strangely, I've been offered two deaths, both of them force-fed. And neither of 'em's the way I pictured meself going down."
Oh. And how did you picture yourself going down? the demons snickered.
"Actually, I didn't picture meself going down at all. Maybe that could be arranged?" Jack said hopefully. "Oh, it was just a joke…" He nearly threw up again and his head throbbed.
"JACK! IT'S A BAD ONE; I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT!"
"Uh…" Jack opened his eyes and squinted blearily at Gibbs. "'Ave I been asleep this whole time?"
"IT HARDLY MATTERS NOW, CAP'N! WHAT DO WE DO?"
Jack rolled himself out of bed. "Go make sure Turner's holding up! I'll take the wheel!" he said strongly. He stepped out after Gibbs into the lashing rain.
The first mate had been right. It was probably the worst storm Jack had ever seen. High waves crashed over the rails, sending men washing across the deck. The lightning was so frequent that the ship almost constantly looked as though it were sailing at noon. Some passed so close that Jack's hair would lift. The thunder was like continuous cannon fire.
Jack stumbled up the stairs to the helm and put his mouth next to the ear of the man steering. "I HAVE THE WHEEL!" he roared. "GET TO THE PUMPS!"
The man said something back, but it was swallowed in a clap of thunder.
Jack grasped the wheel tightly and blinked water from his eyes. The waves were so high that it took all his strength to keep the ship from going off course. A huge wave crashed over the stern and over Jack's head. He slipped, still holding on to the wheel, and was dragged nearly over the edge of the stars. His shoulders screamed protest at the ripping force of the water, and his head started to throb steadily again. He hauled himself upright and set the wheel straight again, shivering.
"JACK!"
Jack looked around to find Elizabeth at the bottom of the stars, clutching the rail for support. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE? IT'S DANGEROUS!" he bellowed. Nevertheless, Elizabeth struggled up the stairs towards him.
"GIBBS TOLD ME TO TELL YOU THAT WILL WAS OKAY, BUT HE WAS GOING TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP HIM STILL! HE TOLD ME TO TIE YOU TO THE WHEEL!"
"FINE! BUT DO IT FAST AND GET BACK TO YOUR CABIN!"
Elizabeth was already wrapping the rope around his waist and knotting it tight. She tested the knots one last time and looked up for Jack's approval.
"THEY'RE FINE! GO!"
Jack watched until she had disappeared below and then turned his full attention back to the water. Automatically, his eyes scanned the rigging and sails, and he called for adjustments. He spotted one man, a slight, blond-haired sailor named Barlow, hanging upside-down with his ankles tangled in the rigging. "HARRINGHAM, GET UP THERE AND HELP BARLOW!" Jack shouted. A flash of lightning illuminated the sailor quickly scaling the mast to free his crewmate. It glinted off the strange material of the Silver Mermaid's sails and cast the wave ahead into shadow.
The Pearl's bow rode up the giant wall of water, so far that it seemed that they would capsize, and for a moment Jack was afraid that they would; he clutched the wheel as his feet nearly slid out from under him, glad for the ropes that held him fast; the bow tipped back another fraction; and they rushed down the opposite side and into the valley between the waves.
Gibbs came lurching from nowhere, his clothes sticking to him and his hair plastered to his face and neck. "Good, Elizabeth found ye!" he yelled.
"Aye! 'Ow's Turner holding out?" Jack inquired.
"All right! In a fair bit o' pain, but said 'e'd live! An' you?"
"All right! Best as can be expected! We'll make it! We just 'ave to ride it out!"
"HOY! SPARROW!"
Davy Jones stumped across the deck towards them as though her were on land.
"YOU'VE BEEN BLOWN OFF-COURSE! LET ME TAKE IT FROM HERE!"
Jack gratefully sliced through his bonds and handed the wheel over.
"THANK YOU KINDLY! BUT WOE BETIDE YOU IF YOU SHOULD STEER US WRONG!" he threatened.
Jones ignored him and turned the wheel to the right.
Jack slipped through the door to the crew's cabin and the gale slammed it forcefully behind him. "How're you doing?" he asked Will hoarsely.
"I'd rather be out there than laying in here, but I'm doing okay," Will told him.
"Good," Jack said wearily. "I need a bit o' shut-eye meself, so don't feel like you're the only one."
As soon as the door to the cabin had shut, Jack groaned and flopped tiredly on the bed.
Hot breath tickled his ear. "Two days," a voice murmured huskily. Jack's eyes popped open. "Two days!" The voice laughed a grating, mirthless laugh, and Jack watched its black-red eyes dance with enjoyment.