Alternative Ending - Chapter Six: Bump in the Road

Jack's ship was visibly undergoing some unusual activity. From the Black Pearl, it caught Barbossa's keen attention. The treacherous former first mate took hold of his spyglass and examined the nearby vessel. Jack Sparrow and his crew were certainly preparing for something. The question, however, was what?

A flash of light was seen in the distance, followed quickly by a low thundering. The splash of the water made the matter perfectly clear. Barbossa gazed past Jack's ship to see an on-coming vessel. It flew royal colours. It was a navy ship that was approaching. Its target was Captain Jack Sparrow. A single thought rushed through Captain Barbossa's mind: the charts. Without another thought, Barbossa flung his instrument aside and hollered out the orders. More speed. Prepare the cannons. Barbossa could not risk Jack's ship being lost to the depths, not while something so precious lie aboard. The same thoughts rushed through Amelia's mind when she saw the approaching vessel, however, her concern was for her only son.

They could not reach Jack's ship soon enough. Both father and daughter had their hearts pounding within them. As they advanced, Barbossa began to open fire on the navy ship. The thrill of the action radiated off of the captain. Each step he took was a bound. With each cannon fired, he roared with laughter. Something was wrong.

Amelia rushed to her father.

"Cease fire," she cried to her father.

He ignored her.

"Take a look at them!" she pleaded. "They're too small a vessel. It's a scout. If Jack stole that ship they're probably only trying to reclaim it. If they want it badly enough to send out the guard then they want it badly enough not to shoot it down."

"Then they won't be puttin' up much of a fight, now will they?" Barbossa laughed. "It be as warm butter."

"And you don't think they'll just retaliate against us? What is the Pearl to them? If Jack found that ship who's to say how much powder they even have on board? We're only endangering ourselves."

Barbossa was determined not to listen. Amelia had been away from the seas for too long. Who was she to argue with the captain?

"My poor girl," Barbossa said with a chuckle still in his throat, "this be nothin' but honest piratin'. Stay out of the way if ya won't make yerself useful."

It was as Amelia had predicted. The navy ship was not the least bit hesitant about firing on the bounding Black Pearl. Hit after hit penetrated the Pearl's beautiful black coat. Back and forth the shots were fired until it was apparent that there was no further interest in Jack's undermanned vessel. Amelia watched impatiently, dying to do something useful, but not on behalf of the Pearl or her father.

"Just sail away, Jack," Amelia thought out loud, praying that some how he would hear her.

He must not have. More shots fired. The navy ship was sandwiched between two enemy vessels that would not rest until the colours floundered in the salty depths below. It did not take long before men began to abandon the royal ship. A white flag rose up. They had won, but that wasn't enough for Barbossa. In the height of his greed, Barbossa ordered the cannons to continue firing. The navy ship stalled, hoping that their flag would be recognized, but alas it was not. In desperation, the remaining royal sailors fired everything they had at the Pearl. It did remarkable damage before Jack was able to fire the final blow, sinking the navy ship. He wouldn't have done it had the Black Pearl not taken on such a severe hit. He cringed as he thought about how deep that wound must be. She needed to make berth and soon. The relationship between the two opposing vessels had changed. Jack sailed his ship as an escort to Barbossa's Pearl.

They stopped at the nearest spot of land that they could find. The Pearl was in desperate need of repairs. Both Jack and Barbossa were equally concerned for the fate of the Pearl.

When Jack came ashore, he ran along the beach line shouting out, "My ship! My ship! What have you done to my ship?"

Barbossa did not take on a friendly stance. Immediately he had Jack stopped and held in place by two men who each took an arm. Barbossa sent another to search the captain. There was hardly anything of interest to be found. It was quite disappointing.

"Where be the map?" Barbossa barked at his former captain.

Barbossa took out his pistol and placed the barrel below Jack's chin. Jack fidgeted, but he did not look afraid.

"On the ship," Jack muttered.

Barbossa had a group go out to Jack's make-shift ship and search it. The few crew members that were found were also taken prisoner, all except for young Tristan who was allowed to be reunited warmly with his mother. With the crew in hand and the vessel searched thoroughly, Barbossa became frustrated with the lack of results. His attention returned to Jack Sparrow.

"It ain't on the ship!" Barbossa hollered at his face. He raised his pistol once more. "Me patience be near spent, Jack."

Jack shot a quick glance over at Amelia and then down to his belt. His compass still hung there. Barbossa hadn't clued into the compass's potential, but Jack wasn't going to take the chance that he wouldn't soon make the realization. Amelia wasn't entirely sure what Jack meant by the gesture, but nonetheless, she knew that it called for a delay.

"Hold!" Amelia called from behind her father. She approached boldly, looking straight at Jack. "You shot my father," she accused.

Jack could see a fire in her eyes, he doubted that it could be a good sign. He gave a meek smile and said, "No I didn't."

"Jack I heard about the whole thing. You killed my father!"

Barbossa backed down, waiting to see where this new argument was going. He expected Jack to take a swift beating or two before it was done.

"Look at him," Jack said almost sheepishly, "he's fine."

Amelia reached for her father's sword and unsheathed it. She held it up to Jack menacingly. Jack become worried.

"Look, love, he marooned me," Jack defended.

"And for good reason, you lying bastard!" Amelia shouted, her expression becoming fiercer. She turned to the surrounding men and said, "Hand him a sword."

Everyone looked about in confusion.

"Any man here could have you killed in a blink," Amelia said, "but I've waited for far too long to let his moment pass by."

It was a challenge, and one that no one was going to stand in the way of. Even if Amelia were to lose, there were enough men around who could just finish Captain Jack Sparrow off once and for all. The two men guarding Jack let him go. Someone handed him a sword. Amelia took her stance but she was not yet satisfied.

"Properly," she said.

Jack nodded his head and then proceeded to remove his affects, handing hat, jacket, and belt to Tristan. Once that was taken care of, Jack took his stance. There was no saying how fair a fight this would be. It began suddenly. Jack had only just stood firmly when Amelia came at him. He was unprepared but managed to swing around her. Their blades came crashing down, ringing out to the keen listeners who watched the fight. Jack was surprised by how much strength Amelia had retained after all of these years, and after all of the hardship she had only just recently endured. The longer the swordplay went on, the more Jack realized that that's what it was, just swordplay. Every now and then Amelia would give off a light smile at him. She had a plan in mind and Jack would trust it. They clenched their blades together tightly. They looked into one another's eyes, now fully certain of what was to come. With a blast of energy, they shoved away from one another, as though it were a dance, and simultaneously swung round to pin Barbossa from both sides. It happened so quickly that no one had realized the change of events until it was too late. Any move that Barbossa could make would be met by either Jack or Amelia who now surrounded him. The other men watched in stillness, not knowing what to do or who to follow.

"Amelia," Barbossa said, ready to talk his way out of this nonsense, but the firmness in her expression suggested that she was not willing to negotiate.

"You used me as a lure to justify your mutiny," Amelia accused. "Jack wouldn't have agreed to it had you not insisted. You betrayed him. You betrayed me."

"And you betrayin' me both!" Barbossa shot back. "To think I felt guilty for ya!"

Tears built up in Amelia's eyes but she would not let them show. She closed her eyes only for a moment to hold the tears back.

"Take your ship, Captain," she said to Jack.

"Look here you gutless vermin," Jack shouted to those around him. "Take this traitor to the brig. Anyone seen goin' soft will join him there!"

The men scrambled to and did as they were told.

Jack looked at Mr. Gibbs and the men who had followed him, still with their hands bound.

"And release them," Jack continued.

Being freed from his restraints, Gibbs went to his captain and said, "And what of the condition of the ship, Captain?"

"We'll strip the other one of anything we can use. I'll not see the Pearl misused," Jack said.

With everyone busy with preparing and repairing the Black Pearl, Jack felt more at ease.

"You won't let me shoot him again, will you?" he asked Amelia.

It was said light-heartedly, and Amelia received as so. She smiled and slowly shook her head.

"At the end of the day he is still my father," she replied.

"Well, we can't help that, now can we?" Jack said as almost a joke.

Amelia put her hand on his arm. Jack lifted his arm to take hold of her elbow gently. They stared at one another for a while. Slowly, they began to lean in towards one another. There was a nervousness yet it was governed by the recollection of the past. As they inched closer, they were quickly interrupted.

"See!" a voice cried out excitedly from behind them.

Amelia looked at her son quite startled, while Jack just rolled his eyes in frustration of the ill timing.

"What? What is it?" Amelia questioned worriedly.

Jack took hold of her arm as she tried to move towards her son.

"It's nothing," he interjected. "A bout of cabin fever is all. He's been yammering away the whole bloody time."

"Have not!" Tristan said defending his self image.

"Tristan, love, what is it?" Amelia continued, ignoring Jack.

"He is my father, isn't he?" Tristan said quite directly.

Amelia was taken aback. She shot a look at Jack.

"I said nothing," Jack replied, trying to confirm his innocence in the matter.

"Tristan," Amelia said calmly, "now's not the time."

"I understand," he said. "We can't say anything because Captain Barbossa and those loyal to him will use it as an excuse to overthrow Captain Sparrow yet again. Those unaware will begin to sway and then there's no saying how he will regain his captainship with any amount of respect."

Jack smiled proudly, "I like him. He's quick."

Amelia shot another dirty look to the captain.

"But he's too small," Jack said, changing his tone. "Honestly, what have you been feeding the lad?"

Amelia let out a forced laugh, and then said quite assertively, "Don't look at me. I haven't fed him in months."

"Well it shows," Jack said.

Amelia gave up. She took hold of her son's hand and marched back aboard the ship. It was clear that she would have to endure Jack in small doses before she would be fully used to him again.