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Spoiler: Angst!/I was so scared & could hardly proofread this chapter.../

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack, Elizabeth, Will...

Chapter 16

"How far is it?", asked Jack impatiently.

"I don't... I don't know... exactly...", gasped Gibbs, utterly exhausted.

Jack was about to ask, whether he was sure they were going in the right direction, but then remembered that there was an easier way to ensure that. He pulled out his compass, and opened it. It was spinning around for less than a few seconds, and then it stopped unequivocally and decidedly, pointing into the direction in which they were heading.

"Good", muttered Jack, and continued walking.

Gibbs was too tired to ask questions, moreover he was aware that even if he asked certain questions, he probably would not receive satisfactory answers. He was virtually taken aback by what he heard. He could not decide which part of it actually stunned him most: Jack marrying Elizabeth, Elizabeth marrying Jack, Jack marrying at all... well, perhaps, even Elizabeth marrying at all was not all that obviously plausible possibility as well, after all. Of course, taking it was all true. But maybe it was some kind of a metaphor... He was not sure, but he did not dare to make any further inquiries, seeing Jack being really vexed, and trigger-happy at the moment. Besides, he still did not feel too well, and running through the forest did not improve the way he felt.

Finally, they reached what seemed to be their destination. A high, dark mountain stood below the level of the forest, near the beach and the dark-blue ocean. Jack looked more carefully (as Gibbs has suggested) down the steep cliff, and saw not only the darkness of the ocean, but also the reason of it: a long row of ships floating aimlessly on its surface. The majority of them looked more like abandoned wrecks than actual ships. Their sails were ripped, their masts broken. It looked like a graveyard. A ghastly graveyard of ships.

"You said we were free to go!", shouted Will pulling out his sword, and pointing it at captain Harness, who looked at him rather disinterestedly.

It crossed Will's mind that it was strange he still should have his sword with him. However, since he after all had it, it did not hurt to try and use it...

"I can say whatever I want. And you can believe whatever you want", said the man, walking away across the dimly lit room.

It was difficult to judge the size of the room by its appearance. It did not seem to be large, however, the faint light did not make it possible to see where it ended; if it ended at all.

"Let her go", said Will, not really knowing what to say.

The man turned around, but Will could not make out his facial expression. Although he had a feeling that the man smiled.

"So it's you", he stated casually. "I was wondering which of you it was", he said coming closer.

"Why do you care? If she doesn't love you."

Will listened to him, grimacing. He did not understand what the man was saying, he did not understand the meaning of it.

"And how can you know it?", he asked, wondering at the same time why he did not use his sword as he should yet.

"Because I've taken the ship", explained captain Harness looking at him intently.

Will raised his eyebrows indicating the failure to grasp the logical connection between those statements.

"I can take every ship, unless... there is mutual love on board", he explained with artificial irony in his voice. "Therefore your love presumably lacks... reciprocity. Doesn't it?", he added, seeing Will's confused facial expression.

"What do you want?", asked Will in a low voice, sensing that there was more to this whole affair, than he initially thought.

"Finally. A useful question", he said with a strange smile flickering across his frightening face.

Will stared at him searchingly, still holding his sword, but not seeming to acknowledge it anymore. He tried to figure out what was going on, but somehow he could not. There was something appalling in this man's eyes. Something frightening. Something... that he knew.

"You do not behave very friendly", said captain Harness, glancing at the sword. "And you're lucky I'm being currently in such a fine mood", he said with a sigh.

Will hesitantly lowered the sword.

"I'm quite content now... I've got my ship back... My ship, my Black Pearl, which should rest in peace along with me, but has been raised from the depths by some bloody blackguard on the request of another bloody blackguard."

Will looked away, narrowing his eyes in an effort to comprehend what he was hearing.

"One of them dead", said the captain in a strangely blank voice, gazing at Will steadily. "Or even more than that..."

Will looked up at him.

"Because somebody has at last conveniently pierced his heart..."

Now Will knew. The man was talking about Davy Jones, for some reason. For some reason, he seemed to know who pierced Davy Jones's heart.

"I wonder whether said somebody knows why, despite doing said piercing, he did not inherit Jones's bleak fate?"

Will felt suddenly very cold, as if his blood was freezing, circulating the coldness throughout his body.

"And to whom he owns thanks for that. Any idea?", he hissed quietly.

"What do you want?", repeated Will with the mixture of irritation and anxiety in his voice.

"I mentioned two bloody blackguards. You stabbed the heart of one of them already", he said catching Will off guard with this sudden frankness. "Perhaps you could do the same with the second."

"Jack!", whispered Gibbs cautiously. "There is somebody standing by the entrance... See 'im?"

"Aye", answered Jack, being lately quite laconic in his answers.

They were hiding behind the rocks, near the "entrance", which led inside the dark, almost black mountain. They saw somebody standing close to it, from time to time walking around in a nervous manner, but could not see who it was, because it was growing dusk already.

"Maybe it's a guard...", suggested Gibbs without much conviction. "But I haven't seen any before..."

"We'll see", muttered Jack, grabbing his pistol, and slowly leaving the concealment.

Jack carefully and noiselessly made his way towards the mysterious figure, which was possible, because the person was standing now with his back turned to the side from which Jack was coming.

"Stay calm!", said Jack in a low but firm voice, pressing the pistol to the man's back.

The man raised his hands, surrendering. Jack smiled quite content with this immediate submissiveness.

"Turn around!", he ordered in a menacing voice.

The man slowly turned around.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. And although he put his pistol away as fast as he could, it was perhaps not fast enough to avoid an apparently unfortunate impression that it must have made on Governor Swann anyway...