Princess-Maiden: I´m sorry it´s confusing. For the author it´s always clear :) Anyway, I have included a part in this chapter where Jack clears it all out for you (hopefully, as Jack´s explanations are usually confusing). And if you just go back to the previous chapter and read the message for you, you´ll find out that I´ve already answered if this is following DMC or not :)

Foolon the hill: thx again for reading, and I hope you´ll get lucky to post your story

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The Triumph finally appeared on the horizon. A small dot that was slowly becoming larger and larger as the hours went by and the Pearl got closer and closer. Jack grew more anxious with every minute and kept staring through his spyglass almost constantly, wishing to see Chris onboard, waving at him, smiling and unharmed.

Chris. Yer git. She'll never smile at yer again. She'll kill me the first chance she gets. Betraying a fellow pirate's against the Code. I had no choice. Yer did have a choice, yer git – Elizabeth. Why didn't yer give him Elizabeth? Why the hell wasn't I able to give him bloody Elizabeth? She'll never even kiss me, all she cares 'bout's the bloody eunuch. She despises me, she hates me. Chris's different. Different than Elizabeth. Different than all women, come to think of it. And I mean somethin' to her. I mean I meant. Before. Before I…Not anymore now.

Jack was grabbing the wheel so firmly all his knuckles were white. The crew still held their distance from him, given that he would erupt with anger from time to time.

"Jack, is it going to work?" Jack didn't realize Elizabeth was standing next to him.

How long was she standin' here?

"What's goin' to work, luv?"

"Your plan."

"Ah. Of course it's goin' to work. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack grinned, but Elizabeth looked doubtful.

"Look, luv, anybody who wants the curse to work, to become immortal, to live forever, if yer call bein' a skeleton livin', anyways, if yer want it, yer have to posses all of the 882 pieces of the medallions, which Beckett won't, 'cause he'd have one fake one, that's why I left one real one with Tia, savvy? So, he just will be as always, un-immortal, slimy, wigged, betrayin' bastard. Until I kill him."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement and went to help the rest of the crew, who were preparing for a fight. The Pearl was still loaded with enough powder and cannon balls from Beckett to send at least three ships to Davy Jones's locker.All the cannons were being loaded and everybody did their share of work. Even Norrington, who somehow got into it all without complaining and he had to admit it to himself, that he rather liked this style of live. The medallions were all gathered on deck, waiting for Beckett.

When the Pearl anchored next to the Triumph a gangplank was erected between the two ships and this time it was Beckett and a few of his soldiers who came aboard the Pearl.

"Where the hell's Chris?" Jack darted at Beckett immediately and yelled in his face. A smile crossed Becket's lips but otherwise he remained calm.

"She will be brought over as soon as we count the gold and find all 882 pieces there."

Jack was killing Beckett with his eyes, but knew that nothing could hasten it all more than just leave Beckett to count his bloody medallions. Beckett nodded to his men who sat down and began counting. The Pearl's crew was ready awaiting Jack's killing order which would come as soon as the gold was counted and Chris was brought back aboard the Pearl, but the counting stretched forever.

"All pieces are there, Lord Beckett, exactly 882."

"You actually honored your part of the bargain, Jack."

Jack rolled his eyes impatiently. Beckett gave him a cold smile, took one of the medallions and nodded to his men. They gathered the gold and started moving it from one ship to another in small quantities, which according to Jack took another forever. When this was finally over as well, a soldier crossed the gangplank, carrying Chris over his shoulder. As he reached the Pearl he dropped her onto the deck and she hit it with a thud and a sound of bones breaking. However, she made no sound of pain.

Was she dead already? No, we had a bargain. Do yer really trust Beckett to fulfill it, yer git?!

Beckett stayed on the Pearl to savor his triumph, examining the medallion closely, knowing he cannot be killed. He watched as Jack and his entire crew stared fixedly on Chris's body. Her hair was caked together with dried blood; her clothes were torn, her entire skin was covered in scratches, bruises and deep wounds, dried blood everywhere. She had a black eye and her nose was in a weird angle, probably broken, as her right leg. It also seemed like she would have some internal injury, maybe a few broken ribs, a pierced lung, but Jack couldn't tell. All he could do was just stare at how Chris looked like.

Meanwhile, his crew was still waiting for his order. It wasn't coming.

Jack fell to his knees beside Chris, feeling for her pulse. He found some at last, barely noticeable. He took her by the hand, hoping crazily it could somehow comfort her, only to notice all her fingers on her right hand were broken. He shivered. He had never, never in his entire life seen anybody in such a bad shape, ever. After so many years at sea, after seeing so many nasty things, this was the worst. She was dying.

"See, I fulfilled my promise. You got her back alive." Beckett was smiling from ear to ear. "However, I am not intending to fulfill the part of our bargain that included not killing you on the spot."

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he slowly got to his feet, took out his gun from his sash and pointed it straight at Beckett's head. He preferred not to kill people in cold blood. He had done that only once before, to Barbossa. He also preferred to shoot into the chest, not the head. It left the dead body at least with some dignity, even if the body's owner deserved to die. But Jack decided that Beckett didn't deserve such honor. Jack would enjoy all the blood splashed onto the deck of his beloved Pearl.

"You cannot kill me, Jack." Were Beckett's last words as he smiled and raised his hand with the medallion in it.

"Pity yer won't survive this to see that yer wrong." Jack said and pulled the trigger.

Finally, the signal for the crew. The Pearl's cannon fired their shots which hit the Triumph best they could have, mostly below the waterline. She quickly started to make water. Her crew didn't even have time to return fire. The Triumph finally ended on the bottom of the ocean, taking the cursed gold with her.

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OK, I think the next chapter is also going to be the last one. ((Still thinking if I should let Chris die or not, so ... your opinions in the review, pls:)