Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean or Little Mermaid. Well, except the movies, a Jack Sparrow poster, a magazine with his picture, and the Pirates soundtrack, but that's pretty much it. Only original creations (characters, places, etc) are mine.

AN: Here is the last chapter of the story! Next is an epilogue, and then that will be it. I'm still trying to find a plot for another Pirates story, but so far am coming up empty. Perhaps I've finally used up all of my ideas for this category? If so, this might be my last story about Jack, at least for a while.

Thanks so much to everyone for reading and/or reviewing! I appreciate it very much, and hope to see you all again soon. Long live Captain Jack Sparrow!

Chapter 17: Out in the Open:

I started at the beginning, with my origins as a mermaid and moving on from there. Even as I spoke, I could sense that Jack didn't believe me when I told him I had been a mermaid, but when I explained why I had been cursed (though not how to break it), he quickly changed his mind and began to trust in what I was telling him.

"You saved me from drowning during that storm?" he asked, incredulous as he stared at me. "I knew someone or something had saved me that day, and it was you!"

As my story was revealed to him, Jack's emotions changed wildly with each event. He became grateful that I had saved him; angry at my being cursed; and smug when I told him how thankful I was for his wonderful teachings in sword fighting. His eyes became filled with longing as I told him of my undersea adventures and travels, and envious as I spoke of the friends I had made with creatures of the sea.

When I finished, he smiled at me. "Well, that certainly answers a lot of my questions and concerns about you," he said, taking a drink from his bottle. "But there are a few that still remain. First, I'd like to know how you managed to learn our ways and language so quickly. Since mermaids don't speak like humans do, how is it you've learned our language?"

I looked down, avoiding his gaze. "My people have the ability to speak to each other with our minds," I softly explained. "I was able to enter and read the part of your minds that has to do with speech, and learned it that way."

Jack suddenly looked panicked. "You read my mind?" he asked, suddenly afraid.

At first, I thought he feared me, but he seemed more afraid at what I might learn from his thoughts than anything else. Smiling, I shook my head. "No, not in that way," I hurriedly told him. "Even we merfolk know that invading another's private thoughts is wrong, and I did my absolute best to stay away from those."

I started nibbling my bottom lip. "It was rather difficult, though. Humans are far too free with their emotions and thoughts, and for most of the time, it occasionally felt as though you were shouting them or throwing them at me. You do it unintentionally, of course, but it tended to be rather helpful, even if it was frustrating."

Jack looked thoughtful. "Alright, that's another question answered. But what I would like to know is how you managed to keep me alive for so long? I could feel it was magic, but what was it, exactly? Was it a spell of some sort? I didn't know the merfolk had spells."

"Oh," I said, blushing, "That was what my people call the Breath of the Sea. If given to a drowning human, it allows them to breathe beneath the water for a short time, until the human manages to reach the surface. I used it to help you survive."

"But I remember dolphins," he insisted. "Where do they fit into the spell you cast?"

Well, that certainly surprised me. I hadn't thought he had been awake when the pod had come to our rescue, but clearly I was mistaken. I sighed. "I called them to help me when I sensed the magic inside you fading. The spell is not meant to last long, so when I felt it begin to lose strength, I sent out a call through the water, and they came to our aid."

Seeing his confusion, I continued, "I am not able to swim as well as I had before, when I had a tail. A tail is stronger, more effective in pushing through the sea, and my human form is weaker than it was when I had been a mermaid. Without a tail, I began to fail in my efforts to get you to the surface, and I had to summon help."

Jack seemed to understand that, because the puzzlement in his face melted away at once. "Ah," he said, taking a drink from his bottle. "So I was not only saved by a former mermaid, but also by dolphins. I'll make sure that Gibbs turns that into one of the stories about me."

Unable to stop myself, I burst our laughing. It took a few moments for me to calm myself, but when I did, Jack was looking at me with a soft, tender smile.

"I've waited so long to hear you laugh, Rina," he whispered, reaching out to stroke a lock of my hair. "It tore at me, hearing you try to laugh and talk, and failing. They're things the rest of us take for granted, and I couldn't help but want the same for you."

He set aside his drink and leaned closer to me, causing me to lie down on the bed. "You have no idea how thrilled I am that the first words you said to me were about how you love me."

And then I nearly melted as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

Pulling away from Marina's sweet mouth, Jack wanted to go further, but didn't dare. There were so many ways to show Marina how he felt, but he was willing to be patient. Good things came to those who could wait, and although patience wasn't something Jack possessed much of, for Marina, he was willing to do anything.

With her in his arms, they laid there on the bed, listening to each other's heartbeat and soft breathing. It was the most peaceful he had ever felt in his life, and he knew that if Marina stayed with him, he would always feel this way. And that seemed like a very fine thing.

Something stroked his chest, causing him to look down. It was Marina's thumb, and it was stroking the flower-like tattoo that sat just above his heart. He couldn't remember where he'd gotten it, or how, but it was rather well-done, and he'd grown fond of it over the years. Apparently Marina liked it, too.

"It's very pretty," she whispered into the quietness of the room. "What does it mean?"

He smiled. "It doesn't really mean anything," Jack admitted. "I woke up one morning with my skin hurting like hell, and there it was. I don't know what possessed the artist to give me, Captain Jack Sparrow, a lily tattoo, but if I ever find him, I'll have to decide whether to thank him, or swab the deck with his face."

She laughed, and as he lay there listening, Jack savored the joyful sound, as well as the sparkle in her blue eyes. "It suits you," she said, tracing it again. "It shows that there is a softer side to you."

"Don't let the crew hear you say that," he said, his voice stern, but slightly playful. "I can't have them thinking I'm soft."

She laughed again and let her hand rest on his chest, her face suddenly turning serious. "Jack, how am I going to tell the crew the truth about me? They will have to know, sooner or later. It would be very difficult to hide the fact that I can speak now."

He waved that aside. "We'll figure that out after we finish our talk. Right now, I have other things to ask you. But the first is: how did you manage to break your curse?"

Jack watched in delight as her cheeks turned pink again. "I didn't break it, not directly," Marina admitted, clearly embarrassed. "The only way to break the curse was for someone to love me, even with my muteness and my odd ways."

Something inside of him stirred, both in a good and a bad way. "Did you…set out to have me fall in love with you?" he asked, drawing his words out.

"No!" she cried, looking at him with frighteningly honest eyes. "At first, I had thought to learn what I could about the human world, and once I knew how to survive, I would go in search of someone who could possibly love me."

She looked down and away, but not before he saw the hurt and fear in them. "I never thought that you would love me," she whispered. "The most I had hoped for, even after I began to fall in love with you, was that we would merely be friends. Never did I think that you would return my feelings."

Well, that made him feel better about the whole thing. "So voicing my feelings for you broke the curse," he smirked. "Does that mean I get to have you all to me onesies, for all time?"

In spite of her fear, Jack's words made her laugh out loud a little. "Yes, Jack, you do," she said, smiling slightly. "I hope you know how honored you should feel. My people only fall in love a mere once or twice in their many millennia of life, after all."

He sobered quickly, holding his breath. "So if I had ended up in Rebecca's grasp and broken your heart…" He trailed off, not wanting to follow that thought further.

Marina gave him a sad smile. "If you had broken my heart, I would not have found another to love," she softly told him. "Humans may love as they wish, but my people are not so fortunate."

Jack held her close. "Then it's a good thing we both had our spells or curses broken at the right moment, don't you think?"

Laughing, Marina pressed a kiss to his lips. "A very good thing," she murmured, smiling happily.

They were quiet for a few moments, listening to each other breathing before Jack realized something. "You know, I have a feeling that Marina isn't your real name. Did you have one when you were a mermaid?"

"Of course!" she replied, chuckling. "But I like being Marina. My name before was Coral, which was a favorite of my mother's. Merfolk tend to give or take names after things they do or like –it is part of our way. I once knew a merman who called himself Hunter, and many mermaids who name themselves after the stones humans put in jewelry."

"Ah, so you do know about sunken ships and treasures!" Jack exclaimed, feeling smug at having guessed right about that myth.

Marina grinned. "Yes, and it does explain why I had a pouch full of jewelry when you found me."

He grew thoughtful. "So your name is Coral. Hmm. I think I like 'Marina' better."

"I do, too," she stated, reaching up to gently tug one of the beaded braids dangling from his chin. "Besides, my old name belongs to my old world. My future lies here, in yours."

"And with me," Jack said firmly. "I'm not going to let you get away from me, my pretty little mermaid; no matter what."

He could tell she liked that, since her eyes danced and sparkled happily. "Well, then, there are only two things left to do," Marina said, smiling. "First, what to do about Rebecca; and second, how do we go about telling the crew?"

Jack shushed her. "Don't worry about that now," he said, smiling. "We're going to be moored here for a while, as the crew checks to see what damage has been done by the storm. In a couple days, we'll head back to Tortuga, and everything will work out. You'll see."

He kissed her gently. "Now, get some rest. I'll bring you something to eat once you're awake."

She did as he bid, her head settling upon his shoulder as he held her, gently but firmly against him.

As Jack had promised, we stayed anchored in one spot while the crew checked the Pearl for damage. They accepted the fact that my sudden plunge into the sea meant that I needed peace and quiet for a day or two, and Jack had ordered that I was not to be disturbed by anyone, not even Gibbs or Anna-Maria.

Anna, of course, was furious, but once she was assured that I was alright and merely needed rest, she calmed slightly and returned to her duties. The men, meanwhile, were thrilled that I was doing well, and had cheered up considerably once they knew I was alright and that the spell on Jack had been broken. Having their Captain under another's spell had worried them considerably, and if Rebecca weren't already locked in the brig, I had no doubt an 'accident' of some sort would have befallen her.

Once it was certain that the Pearl was no worse for wear due to the storm, we made sail for Tortuga, where Jack made quick work of dumping Rebecca off at his first opportunity. He then sent a stream of messengers into the town, so that they could spread word of the kind of woman Rebecca was, and that everyone ought to watch their drinks around her, since the last thing Jack wanted was for this to happen to another unsuspecting man. Needless to say, it wasn't long before Rebecca was fleeing towards the other ships in port, desperate for a way off the island before someone decided to put her out of their misery.

We stayed in port for two days –just enough time to make a few repairs and resupply. The food that had been brought onboard for Jack's 'wedding' to Rebecca had been consumed by the crew while we stayed at sea, and to replace all of it, Jack headed into town himself to restock the galley with the best food he could find. He had claimed that it was to 'celebrate' his being free of the love potion, but from the glint in his dark eyes, I knew that he had something else in mind.

Of course, I was right about that 'something else'. The moment we left port, Jack locked the two of us in his cabin and presented me with the loveliest ring I had ever seen.

"Do you know what this means, luv?" he asked as he held up the glittering object.

"No," I admitted, taking the ring from him so that I could look at it. A large blue diamond the size of my smallest fingernail was set in a lovely gold band, and there were little white diamonds that glittered around the center stone. "What does it mean, Jack?"

He grinned and took the ring back. "It means I'm asking you to be my wife," he explained. "Or mate, or partner –not sure what term the merfolk use, but I'm guessing you get the jist of what I'm saying."

I nearly swallowed my tongue. "Oh, Jack," I whispered, suddenly breathless. "I would love to be your wife."

His grin widened, causing his gold and silver teeth to glitter. "Give me your left hand, Marina," he said, taking it as I offered it. "Now, when I slip this on, it means that no other man gets to lay a finger on you unless I say so –which basically means never. Savvy?"

Laughing, I let him slip the ring onto my hand. "Savvy," I replied, holding my hand up to admire its new adornment. "It's beautiful, Jack."

"Course it is," he boasted. "It matches your eyes. Why else would I choose that ring?"

And after a statement like that, I had to kiss him, soundly and deeply, which he liked very much.

Revealing the truth about me to the crew was the one thing that stood in the way of my happiness with Jack. I knew that it had to be done, but it still frightened me, so Jack did his best to buy me time, the two of us hoping that I would be able to gather my courage and do what needed to be done.

For nearly five days we managed to hide me away, before the crew started getting impatient, starting with Anna-Maria. At that point, Anna started becoming more and more concerned about my health, and she didn't for one moment like the fact that Jack was keeping her from me.

I was, of course, perfectly well, except for one thing: whenever I managed to decide to face the crew, Jack persuaded me otherwise. Of course, I knew he merely wished to keep me to himself, and I could not begrudge him that, not when he was with me, telling me stories about his past, or asking questions about my own. We always shared our meals together, and when we slept, it was in each other's arms, peacefully and deeply. For five glorious days, I was beyond content.

But finally, on the sixth day, Anna's impatience and frustration was catching, for as soon as she began voicing her desire to see me, the men, in their desire to thank me for saving Jack, began to agree. On that day, Jack arrived with our lunch, looking troubled. Without needing to hear him speak, or read his mind, I guessed what was bothering him. "Perhaps it's time to tell them the truth about me," I said, taking the tray from him.

He made to argue, but stopped when I glared at him. He knew that I needed to do this, and would not stop me this time.

We ate quickly, and I immediately began to see to my appearance. I braided my hair into place, and when I was nearly finished, something dropped to dangle in front of my eyes. Shining lengths of white hovered there, catching the light coming through the windows and glistening with a beautiful rainbow sheen. "My pearls!" I cried, reaching for them.

"Smuggled them out of the cabin you share with Anna," Jack said as I took the strands from him.

He watched in fascination as I twisted the long strands around and over my braid, the single large pearl resting perfectly on my forehead. The pearl bracelets went onto my wrists, and I was ready. Jack grinned in approval and offered me a hand.

"Come on, luv," he said, helping me to my feet. "Let's go knock the crew out of their boots."

Grinning back at him, I let him lead me out of the cabin and onto the deck. As I blinked in the sunlight, the crew began to gather around, smiling and cheering as Anna shoved her way through the crowd to face us.

"Well, it's about time!" she snapped, glaring at Jack. "I thought you'd somehow managed to kill her with care, what with all the fuss you were making over her food in the galley." She turned towards me. "And as for you-"

I smiled at her. "I missed you, too, Anna," I said, trying not to laugh.

The deck went silent as everyone went quiet. Jack, however, leaned close to me and whispered a few words of support into my ear before kissing it. My smile didn't falter once as those around me stared for several moments. Finally, Anna stepped forward, coming to put her arm around my shoulders.

"I'm thinking an explanation is in order," she said, nodding towards one of the covered barrels on deck. "And I'm guessing that it's going to be a long tale as well."

When I finished, there was disbelief everywhere I could see. Well, maybe not in Anna, but I could see doubt in many pairs of eyes, and their minds practically screamed that they thought me insane for telling them such a story.

"You might as well believe her," Jack said, standing protectively beside me. "There's no other explanation for the both of us surviving that storm, not to mention the first one she saved me from, all those months ago. How else could I have somehow come up beside the Pearl, almost none the worse for wear?"

Gibbs cleared his throat. "That may be, Cap'n, but the lads and I would like a bit of proof of the girl's story." He gave me an apologetic look. "After what that wretch Rebecca did, you can't really blame us for being careful."

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but I put my hand on his arm. "It's alright," I said, smiling softly.

Walking to the railing, I closed my eyes and cast out my thoughts. I found the same pod of dolphins that had save me and Jack those few days ago, as well as a small family of whales. Hearing my call, I felt them change direction to come to me.

Opening my eyes, I turned to face the crew. "There are some friends of mine coming, so don't be alarmed," I said, giving Jack a teasing look. "You know some of them, Jack, whom I'm sure you'll recognize."

At that moment, the pod arrived first, the little ones leaping from the water and chattering gleefully at me as they played. The more dignified adults poked their heads out of the water and called their greetings to me, and asked that I convey their 'hellos' to Jack, who stood beside me, grinning.

All along the railing, the crew had gathered. Some still had doubts upon their face, so I judged that a bit more proof was needed. Smiling, I lifted my hand and waved at the dolphins, all of whom immediately mirrored my gesture, leaning to their right so that they could wave their left flippers at me.

"Well, if that ain't enough proof, I don't know what is," Marty said, getting nods from even a few of the hardened disbelievers.

Then a whale leaped from the depths fifty feet away, drawing cries of awe and surprise from everyone.

Jack put a hand on my shoulder. "Rina, luv, I think it might be best to send the whales on their way," he gently suggested, though there was an amused gleam in his eyes. "The crew might get a bit nervous with such large creatures nearby."

Feeling slightly shamed in my showing off, I politely thanked the whales, praised them for their efforts, and wished them good travels on their way to their breeding grounds. They returned their well-wishes, and swam off, though the dolphins still remained.

Before I sent the dolphins on their merry way as well, however, Jack asked me to convey his thanks for saving his life, and asked Gibbs to bring up whatever fish we had below, so that he could show his gratitude by giving the dolphins an 'easy meal.' Since the men had gone fishing earlier for the afternoon meals, there was indeed a lot of fish below, and the men were thrilled to show their gratitude to the creatures who had rescued their captain. The dolphins, in turn, were thrilled with their feast.

When it was finally just us humans (and Mr. Cotton's parrot), the crew immediately flooded me with apologies and thanks, praising me for being such a strong and unique woman. That was when Marty noticed the ring on my left hand and loudly announced that "it looks like our Captain got hooked by a mermaid!"

The men all let up a roar of congratulations, and before I could blink twice, food, instruments, and games were brought out, and Jack and I found ourselves the center of an impromptu party on deck. As a lively tune started, Jack grabbed my hand and pulled me into a dance, the two of us whirling around the deck, laughing as the crew cheered us on.

As I whirled around the deck with my soon-to-be husband, my new life began in a whole different way –and I knew that it was going to be a wonderful one.

AN: Just the epilogue left! Please review!