Aaaah! Freaky Fish People!

by SilverstartheWaterbender

Sequel to A Pirate's Life for Me. Four months later, Mary returns to the POTC world. But this time, she is haunted by Jack's betrayal and death. How will she cope? And does Jack still love her? Rated T JackxOC ALL DONE!

12. Set in Stone

Aaaah! Freaky Fish People!

By: SilverstartheWaterbender

Silverstar: Here's Chapter 12! You all know what happens now…

Myri78: Good idea, but probably not. Thanks for reviewing!

SparrowsVixen: Thanks for reviewing!

Wolfen-Ways: This is why I hate Norrington. Thanks for reviewing!

Midnight226: Thanks for reviewing!

Cat18: Thanks for reviewing!

HoodiesRsoft: I think she was trying to, but no one was listening. JAR OF DIRT! Thanks for reviewing!

maccus lover: Your story's pretty good! Thanks for reviewing!

SilverGhostKitsune: Oooh, let me throw him next! Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own POTC or Toby, who belongs to Wolfen-Ways.

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Chapter Twelve: Set in Stone

(Mary's POV)

A few minutes after we got back to the Pearl, Will came to. Lizzie was kneeling next to him, and Toby and I were standing a few paces off.

"What happened to the chest?" Will whispered.

"Norrington took it to draw them off," Lizzie explained.

"Idiot," I growled.

Toby shook his head. "I don't get it. If Norrington hates us, why would he deliberately put himself in danger to save our skins?"

I shrugged. "He hates us, but he loves Lizzie."

Toby gave me a look. "You know, but you won't tell us, right?"

"Oh dear, how did you guess?" I said sarcastically. Toby growled. I smiled and walked in the direction of Jack. On the way, I spotted Pintel and Ragetti trying to hoist the longboat back onto the Pearl.

"You're pulling too hard!"

"You ain't pulling hard enough!"

I rolled my eyes and reached Jack just as Gibbs did. "Where's the commodore?" he asked.

"Former commodore," I reminded him.

"Fell behind," Jack said simply.

Gibbs paused. "May prayers be with him…best not wallow in our grief!"

I laughed. "Best idea I've heard all afternoon!"

"The bright side," Gibbs said, following Jack to the helm. "is you're back, and made it off free and clear." I rolled my eyes, but had long since given up trying to tell Jack where the heart was.

Suddenly, a huge roar of water broke the general stillness, and the Flying Dutchman surfaced right next to us. "What was that you were saying?" I asked Gibbs.

I saw Toby lean over the railing to look at the ship. "Don't they have anything better to do than follow us around everywhere?!"

"Lord on high, deliver us," Gibbs praised, crossing himself. Jones could easily be seen.

"I'll handle this, mate," Jack said, smirking.

I shook my head. "Jack, don't –"

"Oi! Fishface!" Jones looked at him curiously. "Lose something? Eh? Scungilli!"

Gibbs and I exchanged a look. "And that means…what?"

Jack didn't answer. He was too busy falling down the steps. We all cringed. "That's gotta hurt," Toby winced.

"Got it!" Jack shouted, holding up the jar. He stood, grinning. "Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git? Look what I got! I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt, AND GUESS WHAT'S INSIDE IT!" he sang.

"Oh my God," I groaned.

Jones, apparently, didn't like being treated like that. The faces carved into the side of the ship opened their mouths, revealing a score of cannons.

"Hard to starboard?" Jack said quietly.

"HARD TO STARBOARD!" Lizzie and Toby shouted.

"BRACE UP THE FOREYARD!" Will added.

"GET MOVING, OR WE'LL ALL SINK TO THE DEPTHS!" I shouted.

Gibbs spun the wheel as fast as it would go, turning us. A second later, the Dutchman fired at us. A couple shots broke through Jack's cabin. Pintel and Ragetti looked inside. As soon as they saw the advancing Dutchman, they screamed. "SHE'S ON US! SHE'S ON US!"

I looked back at the Dutchman. She was pulling out her triple guns. "Oh, bugger," I whispered. "LOOK OUT! THEY'RE BRINGING OUT THE BIG GUNS!"

Both cannons shot simultaneously. Cannon ball after cannon ball was shot at us. Most of them missed, but those that didn't hit us hard.

Jack pushed Gibbs aside and took the helm. He turned the wheel, and we moved port. On the lower deck, I saw Will hand the line to Toby, shouting, "Make fast!" Toby took the line and pulled, fully opening the topsail.

Pintel and Ragetti put their hands on the railing, stroking it frantically. Pintel kissed it. "Go on, me darling! Show us what you got!"

"Come on!" I whispered to the Pearl! "You can go faster than this! I've seen you do it! Come on!"

As though she heard me, the Pearl shuddered and picked up speed. I looked back at the Dutchman. She was rapidly falling behind.

"She's falling behind!" I heard Lizzie shout.

"Aye, we've got her!" Gibbs answered.

"We're the faster?" asked Will.

"That doesn't make any sense," Toby said, shaking his head.

I turned to him. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. The big advantage of the Dutchman is her ability to sail against the wind. But right now, we're sailing with the wind, so…"

"We rob her advantage," Will finished.

"Aye," Gibbs nodded. Will and Toby exchanged a glance. I knew what they were thinking, but I knew I couldn't stop them.

I backed off from the railing and raced back to Jack, mentally reviewing the next scene. My eyes widened. No…NO! They were going to send out…

"Jack," I whispered, my voice tight. He looked at me.

"They're giving up!" Marty shouted from the railing. The crew cheered.

"No!" I shouted. "No, they're not! They're gonna –"

I was interrupted by Will and Toby. "My father is on that ship," Will said to Jack. "If we can outrun her, we can take her."

"We should turn and fight!" Toby agreed.

I shook my head. "No, you guys…!"

"Why fight when you can negotiate?" Jack asked, holding out the jar. "All one needs is the proper leverage." He placed the jar on the railing.

Suddenly, the Pearl stopped, and all of us lost our balance and fell to the deck. The jar of dirt fell to the lower deck, shattering. Jack whimpered and raced down the steps. He started shifting through the dirt, but the heart wasn't there.

Jack turned to me. "Where is it? Where is the thump-thump?!"

I looked at him. "I tried to warn you! Norrington has it!"

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh."

"We must have hit a reef!" someone shouted.

"NO!" I shouted.

"IT'S NOT A REEF!" Toby shouted.

"GET AWAY FROM THE RAIL!" Will added, pulling Lizzie away.

"What is it?" Lizzie asked.

"I've been trying to tell you!" I shouted. "They're not giving up! They're sending out…!"

"The Kraken," Toby finished softly. The whole crew was silent with fear.

"TO ARMS!" Will shouted.

"LOAD THE GUNS!" Gibbs added. "DEFEND THE MAST!"

"It'll attack from starboard!" Toby told us. "I've seen it before!"

"Run out the cannons and hold for my signal!" Will called out.

I took a deep breath and went to find Jack. He was running in the direction of the boats. "Jack, wait!" I called. He turned around. He looked relieved to see it was me.

I threw my arms around him. "I know what you're gonna do, Jack. I can't stop you, but I just want you to know…no matter what happens, I will always love you. That's the truth."

Jack gently kissed my cheek. He had tears in his eyes. "I love you too, Mary. And I always will."

I reluctantly let go, wiped away my tears, and raced below deck. Staggering under the weight of a cannon ball, I pushed it into a starboard cannon and rushed around to the fuse. Pintel handed me a match. I lit it and waited, trying to keep my thoughts away from Jack. "He's running…but he's gonna come back. And once he does…" I held the match away from my face, fearful it might go out from my tears.

I looked through the hole. Pale green, slimy tentacles were completely blocking the cannon. "Can we fire now?" I asked Will, my voice thin.

"Easy, boys!" Will answered. For once, I ignored the sexism.

"Will?" I heard Lizzie call from above deck.

"Steady! Steady."

"Will!" Toby this time.

"Hold…hold…"

"I think we've held fire long enough!" Pintel said.

"WILL!" Lizzie and Toby.

"SCREW THIS!" I shouted. "FIRE!" I lit the fuse.

The pirates didn't need to be told twice. All the cannons went off at once, turning the water red with the Kraken's blood. I heard the Kraken roar.

Will and I raced above deck, me grabbing an ax. The tentacles slunk back underwater, and the crew cheered.

"It'll be back," Will whispered. "We have to get off the ship!"

"There's no boats!" Lizzie answered.

"HEY!"

I looked over at Toby. He was in his werewolf form again, observing the wreckage of the longboats. "We're a boat short!" I caught my breath.

"Pull the grates!" Will shouted, ignoring Toby. Get all the gunpowder into the net in the cargo hold!"

"Aye, we'll blow the Kraken out of the water!" I shouted.

Will grabbed a gun and handed it to Lizzie. "Whatever you do, don't miss."

"As soon as you're clear," Lizzie replied.

I ran back below deck to the cargo hold. I rolled a barrel of powder into the net, then turned to Gibbs. "We only have six barrels!"

Gibbs nodded and rushed to Will. "There's only half a dozen kegs of powder!"

"Then load the rum!"

The whole crew was silent.

"You can't drink it in Davy Jones' Locker!" I shouted.

"Aye," Gibbs said sadly. "The rum, too!." The crew moaned and I raced back on deck.

I leaned over the railing and squinted. Sure enough, I could see Jack's boat heading back to Isla Cruces. I wiped away a tear. This might be the last time I'd ever see him.

"Oh, you coward," Lizzie whispered beside me. I tried to contradict her, but my throat was too dry for speech.

Suddenly, the ship shuddered and groaned. "Oh, shit," I whispered.

"Not good!" I heard Toby growl.

The Kraken's tentacles shot up out of the water. They reached in through the holes, smashing the cannons. I gripped my ax and raised it above my head.

"HAUL AWAY!" I heard Will shout.

"HEAVE!" Gibbs told the men. "HEAVE LIKE YOU'RE BEING PAID FOR IT!"

"PUT YOUR BACKS INTO IT!" Marty yelled. Slowly, the net filled with powder and rum barrels was raised above the deck.

I chopped at one of the tentacles, tears streaming down my face. I cut off the very tip of the tentacle, and the Kraken roared. I looked back briefly. Jack's boat had stopped moving.

One of the tentacles slammed down right next to me. I screamed and ran to the other side of the ship, casting one last look at Jack. I couldn't see clearly, but I thought I saw the compass.

I grabbed a gun lying on the deck. I aimed at one of the tentacles and pulled the deck. The Kraken didn't make any more sound than it already was, so I couldn't tell if I hit it.

I looked up to see Will climbing the net, looking to see if it was clear. "CLEAR?" Lizzie shouted.

"HIGHER! HIGHER!" The net was raised. Suddenly, the Kraken smashed the pulling device, dropping the net several feet.

I saw Toby run past me. Howling, he closed his jaws around one of the tentacles. For one heart-stopping instant, he was lifted into the air. Then, he let go of the tentacle and hit the deck with a thud. I chopped at the Kraken, but it wasn't affected at all.

Above the deck, Will shouted to the Kraken, "Get me! I'm over here! Come on!" The tentacles swirled around him. I ran next to Lizzie. "Now!" Lizzie cocked the gun, but the net was swinging too fast. She couldn't aim.

"Shoot!" Will shouted. "Elizabeth, shoot!"

"Just do it!" I added.

"I can't!" she replied. "Not with Will up there!"

Suddenly, one of the tentacles wrapped around her ankle and dragged her back. Lizzie screamed. I ignored the fallen gun and closed my hands around Lizzie's wrist. "Don't worry! I got you!" The Kraken pulled harder, and I was being dragged along, too.

I felt the pressure leave as Ragetti brought his ax down upon the monster. "Thanks!" I told him.

"Thank you!" Lizzie told me, her voice high-pitched.

I smiled. "Don't get used to it."

We looked back to see one of the pirates grab the gun. He aimed for the net, but a tentacle grabbed him and flailed him through the air. The gun dropped onto the upper deck. Lizzie and I raced up the broken steps after it. Another jolt, and we had to crawl. Lizzie grabbed the gun as the same time a boot stood on it. Lizzie tried to push the boot off, but then we recognized him.

"Jack!" I shouted. I stood and grabbed his arms. "You have to get off the ship!"

"What, and leave you to die?" he replied. He scooped up the gun. "I don't think so." I looked to see Will fall from the net. Wordlessly, Jack aimed and shot.

Time seemed to slow as the bullet zoomed towards the net. Then the entire thing exploded, sending several tentacles aflame. The Kraken roared louder than ever and pulled its tentacles back underwater. All was quiet. I looked around. Only me, Jack, Will, Lizzie, Toby, Pintel, Ragetti, Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton (parrot included) were alive.

"Is it dead?" Toby asked after a moment. He was back in human form, clutching his pistol and breathing heavily.

"No," Gibbs whispered. "We just made it angry. We're not out of this yet. Captain, orders!"

"Abandon ship," Jack answered softly. "Into the longboat." He walked off.

"Jack! The Pearl!" Gibbs protested.

I answered for Jack. "If we time this right, Jones will think we were dragged down. Someone would've seen that explosion. If we wait on Isla Cruces, we'll be safe."

"But –"

"She's only a ship, mate." He was silent.

"They're right," Lizzie said. "We have to head for land."

"It's a lot of open water," Pintel murmured.

"It's a lot of water," Ragetti added.

"It'll seem like a lot more water if you don't hurry! Now get in the boat!" I ordered.

"Abandon ship," Gibbs said finally. "Abandon ship or abandon hope." I started moving off, but stopped. If Jack was staying, so was I.

"Mary," Jack whispered. "Get in the boat."

"No," I whispered. "Not without you."

Jack's eyes brimmed with tears. "You have to, luv. I won't have you die."

"But Jack –"

Jack came over and hugged me tight. He kissed the top of my head. "I know this isn't easy, luv, but you must go."

"I love you, Jack," I whispered.

"I love you, too. And I will forever. Know that."

Slowly, painfully, I started down the ladder. As I lowered myself into the boat, I tried without success to ignore the conversation above.

"Thank you, Jack," Lizzie said.

"We're not free yet, luv."

"…You came back. I always knew you were a good man." I looked up at the deck to see what I'd dreaded the whole voyage: they were kissing. I felt my breath quicken. Tia was wrong. Nothing had changed. Jack was going to die.

The click of handcuffs confirmed my fear. "It's after you, not the ship," Lizzie whispered. "It's not us...This is the only way, don't you see?...I'm not sorry."

"Pirate," Jack answered.

I looked down, begging for a miracle. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew the hat off my head. My gaze followed it as it flew onto the deck. I couldn't see where it landed.

I looked at Lizzie climbing into the boat. I shook my head. "Murderer," I hissed. No one heard, but Lizzie froze at my gaze.

"Where's Jack?" Will asked shortly. His face was deathly calm.

Lizzie matched his stare. "He elected to stay behind and give us a chance."

"No," I whispered. "NO!" I lunged at the ladder, but Toby and Gibbs held me back. "NO! SHE'S LYING! JACK"S TRAPPED! HE CAN'T GET OFF! NO! NO! LET ME GO! JACK!"

"We can't let you go back there!" Toby puffed, straining. "You'll die!"

"If I don't go, Jack will die! LET GO OF ME!"

"Go!" Lizzie ordered, and Marty let go of the rope. It was too late.

"NO!" I wailed. "JACK!" I looked up at the Pearl, tears streaming. Jack, to my surprise, had already escaped, but wasn't jumping off. He had his cutlass in one hand. In the other, he had my hat. He pressed it against him, crying and whispering. I read his lips: "Mary…I'm sorry, Mary…I'm so sorry."

The sight renewed my strength. "JACK! NO! GET OFF THE SHIP! JACK!" He looked at me sadly and clutched my hat closer. All I could do was watch as the longboat sailed off.

I watched, terrified, as the Kraken rose out of the water. It's tentacles slammed down upon the ship, crushing it. Slowly, slowly, the Pearl was dragged to the depths.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed. "JAAAAAAACK! NO! OH PLEASE, GOD, NO!"

I vaguely felt Toby and Gibbs let me go, and heard soft condolences. But I didn't hear them. It was though a void had opened within me, sucking in everything and letting out one thought: "Jack Sparrow is dead."

As I lost myself to the void, I could swear I heard a voice: "Forever is a long time, luv. But I'll always be here. I'll wait for you." I felt my body freeze, someone call my name, and then there was silence.

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Silverstar:………………R&R.