When we got to the island two rowboats were gotten into the water and the commodore came up to me and said, "You and Mr. Sparrow will come with me into the caves. Come along."

Jack came up to us when he heard his name and as the Commodore got into the smaller boat and we followed, Jack asked me, "Why do you think he wants both of us along? You'd think he'd rather separate us."

"I don't know."

We were rowed out but they stopped the boats at the point. He got out his scope and looked at the Pearl. There was apparently no one aboard, which meant they must all be in the caves. Norrington closed the scope and said, "I don't care for the situation. Any attempt to storm the cave could turn into an ambush."

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing," Jack suggested, "Jane and I go in and convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats. You and your mates return to the Dauntless and blast the bejesus out of them with your little cannons, eh? What do you have to lose?"

"Nothing I'd lament being rid of."

"Now, to be quite honest with you, there's still a slight risk to those aboard the Dauntless including the future Mrs. Commodore."

Norrington sighed and ordered the rowers to row us back to the ship. When he got there, he gave some orders to the lieutenant and got another boat out. Jack and I were in this additional boat, and the commodore and his men in theirs. We rowed both boats out, back to the cave entrance, and Norrington said to us, "Go in there and do as you said you would, but nothing else, do you hear me?"

"Aye, Commodore," he answered.

Once we were out of sight I patted Jack on the back saying, "Good work. But what's the real plan?"

"I guess I have to tell you, don't I? Well, I was going to tell them that the Dauntless is waiting for them and that's why they shouldn't lift the curse yet, and thus, not kill Will. Then they can kill all of Norrington's men; afterwards, Will lifts the curse, I kill Barbossa, and the men, the Black Pearl and the Dauntless are all ours."

"It's probably not going to work exactly like that, but somewhere in that general direction perhaps."

"One can only hope."

We landed the boat and got out. All Barbossa's men where shouting and chanting as Jack and I pushed our way through the small crowd. "Excuse me, pardon me," Jack said as we went through. He waved his hands in the air in a motion to tell them to stop chanting.

"Jack!" Will exclaimed.

"It's not possible," Barbossa shook his head.

"Not probable," Jack corrected.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked.

"She's safe, just like I promised, she's all set to marry Norrington just like she promised, and you get to die for her just like you promised. So we're all men of our word, really. Except for Elizabeth, who is, in fact, a woman."

"Shut up! You're next," Barbossa said. He took the knife and put it up next to Will's neck.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate."

"No, I really think I do."

"Your funeral."

"Why don't I want to be doing it?" Barbossa was getting irritated.

"Well, because," Jack took a step forward, but the first mate had his hand on his shoulder. Jack slapped him off then stepped forward, "Because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore, waiting for you." The pirates started murmuring amongst themselves. "Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row to the Dauntless. They do what they do best. Robert's your uncle. Fannie's your aunt. And there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. Of course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me captain. I'll sail under your colors. I'll give you 10 of me plunder. And you get to introduce yourself as Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

"I suppose in exchange you want me not to kill the whelp?"

"No, no, no. Not at all. By all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment. For instance…" he picked up some pieces of the treasure, "After you've killed Norrington's men. Every last one," he said each word as he dropped the pieces he had picked up one at a time back into the chest. Except one. He kept one piece, hiding it under his wrist.

Will suddenly realized something, "You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name."

"Yeah."

Barbossa spoke again, "I want 50 of your plunder."

"15."

"40."

"25. I'll buy you the hat. A really big one, Commodore."

Barbossa grinned and held out his hand, "We have an accord."

Jack shook it then lifted his arms into the air saying, "All hands to the boats." He saw Barbossa scowl at him and he corrected, "Apologies. You give the orders."

"Gents," he said, "Take a walk."

"Not to the boats?" Jack asked. Barbossa just scowled at him again. Jack started looking around at the treasure. Barbossa sat down on the side of the pile where the chest was. One pirate was skipping coins in the water, another holding onto Will, and another just milling about. I sat down on a rock and started whittling that same piece of wood from a few days ago.

Barbossa finally spoke, "I must admit, Jack, I thought I had you figured. Turns out you're a hard man to predict."

"Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly stupid." he walked up behind the pirate skipping coins, and as he said the word, "stupid," he drew the man's sword from behind and kicked him into the water. He threw the sword handle toward Will, who caught it behind him, knocked his guard into the water, and turned just as the other pirate was coming toward him with just the right timing that his bonds were cut. Jack drew his own sword and started to fight Barbossa. Jack cut off half of the feather on Barbossa's hat, which seemed to really get him really angry. As the other pirates climbed out of the water, I thought I might join in. I drew my sword and jumped right into the fray.

The ensuing battle raged for a while, then when I got the chance I watch Barbossa and Jack. Jack had just fallen down and Barbossa had thrown down his sword saying, "You can't beat me, Jack."

He stood up and stabbed Barbossa right through. He rolled his eyes and sighed, then took the sword out and stabbed Jack right through. "Jack!" I shouted. He staggered for a moment, then backed up into moonlight and suddenly he no longer looked human. A skeleton with shreds of flesh hanging from the bones is a better description. So he got himself cursed by taking that one piece. Clever of him really, so he can't die now. Then he can just get rid of it later with his own blood.

Will put a pot on the head of the pirate he was fighting, slammed it on tight, and threw him into the water. He looked up and saw Jack's moonlit skeleton. Jack was looking at his hands and said, "That's interesting." He flipped a coin between his fingers, and it made a clicking noise as it hit each bone. "Couldn't resist, mate." Everyone continued fighting. Jack and Barbossa kept going in and out of patches of moonlight and the constant switches looked rather strange.

Barbossa sat on a moonlit rock for a moment and said, "So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until judgment day and trumpets sound?"

"Or you could surrender," Jack answered.

Something blew up on the other side of the cave but I ignored it. Then Will was on the ground and I couldn't help but watch. The pirate shouted, "I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain!"

Suddenly Elizabeth showed up and slammed him in the back of the head with a big pole. "You like pain? Try wearing a corset." They looked at each other for a moment, then I came up to them. She saw Jack in the moonlight and asked, "Whose side is Jack on?"

"At the moment?" Will shrugged.

"I think it's you two, Norrington, and Norrington's men on one side. Barbossa and his men are on another. Then there's me and Jack. So it's a kind of triangle thing, really. Except that right now everyone's fighting against Barbossa. Jack and I are our own little group because we couldn't possibly be with the other two sides. We're pirates, but Barbossa hates us. And by the looks of things, Jack and I are losing, seeing as we don't have an advantage in numbers."

"Umm, right," Elizabeth agreed.

The battle continued and the large golden pole was made very useful. Elizabeth and Will managed to spear all three pirates with it, put a bomb in the middle one's belly, push them into an area without moonlight so he can't get the bomb out, and they ran before the explosion. Will climbed to the top of the pile where the chest was, cut his hand, and grabbed the medallion with the cut hand. Jack cut his own hand, and after placing his medallion in that hand, tossed it to Will. Elizabeth was running toward Will, when Barbossa got out his pistol, pointing it at her, and Jack got out his pistol, pointing it at him. A shot rang out and Elizabeth gasped. Smoke rose up from Jack's hand.

"Ten years you carry that pistol and now you waste your shot," Barbossa said.

Will held out his hand over the chest and saying, "He didn't waste it," he dropped the two pieces into the chest and when they fell, Barbossa shuddered. He pulled on his jacket collar to reveal a bleeding hole in his shirt, right over his heart.

"I feel cold," he said and he fell to the ground.

Jack put away his pistol and walked away. Will closed the chest and Elizabeth walked over to another part of the cave, Will following her.

I followed Jack behind a large pile of treasure. "Jack, your plan today was pretty clever. But you know Will and Elizabeth can't let us return to the Pearl. And if they did, Norrington will argue. He's still got his men and a ship. He'd be after us in a split second. You can't expect anyone here to let us go. We've got no allies now. We're as good as dead. It's the noose for us, Jack. You understand that."

"Aye. Well, I tried. I guess Davy Jones will get me a lot sooner than he thought."

I hugged him tight. "At least we'll die together. Neither of us will have to live the rest of life out alone."

"I suppose that's a good thing. But I really don't want you to die."

"I don't want you to die, either, Jack, but there's nothing we can do."

"I want to at least take some treasure with me."

"Go ahead. Find something you like." He started searching through the piles, throwing stuff that was in the way over his head into other nearby piles. He put on a crown he found and some pearls, then he took a statuette and a golden goblet.

"I think that's it," he said. He looked over at Will. Elizabeth had just walked away from him and as Jack approached he said, "If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it. And if you'd be so kind I'd be much obliged if you'd drop me off at my ship." Maybe they will let us go.

All four of us in one rowboat, Will did the rowing, and thus we left the cave. When we came out at the point I looked around but I only saw one ship. The Pearl was gone. "Where's the Pearl?" I asked.

Elizabeth answered, "When I freed the crew, they took it. They sailed away. They said you owed them a ship, so I didn't argue. I'm sorry, Jack."

"They've done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that."