Chapter Thirty-Five
- The Battle -
"Jack, Mercer's armada's heading for us. The Undertaking's coming up to starboard...and I think it's best to stick to a rather noble tradition-"

Jack took his eyes off of the spinning compass, and looked Gibbs in the eyes as he came up to stand in front of his captain at the wheel. Jack rolled his eyes, and glanced down at Saphira as he said, "I've never been one for tradition, mate."

He snapped the compass shut and said, "Luff the sails and lay on iron." Gibbs made a face, and glanced back at the Sun as she pulled near the Dutchman. Gibbs met Jack's gaze again and said, "But Cap'n-" He shook his head and said, "-you have to belay that. We'll be sitting ducks."

"Belay tha', belay tha'." Jack mumbled to himself. "Just do it."

"The armada..."

"Belay!

"The Undertaking..."

"Belay!"

"But Cap'n, we-"

"Gibbs, kindly shut it." Jack said, smiling sweetly over at his first mate. Rolling his chocolate eyes he said, "Luff the the sails-"

"But Jack, Lila said-"

"Lila is Queen, sure enough. But I'm Pirate King. She has to work around meself." Jack put his hands on the wheel and focusing his eyes on he battle in front of him. Gibbs sighed just as Saphira walked on deck with a worried look on her face. Jack turned to look at her and asked, "Are you alright, love?"

"Yes." Saphie said, coming to stand beside Jack as he pulled the Pearl beside the Dutchman. Will wasn't moving at all. Just sitting there. Jack groaned inwardly at this and said, "Wha' is he watin' for?"

"Lila." Saphira said, and sure enough, once the Sun was beside the Dutchman once again, it was in motion once more. Jack rolled his chocolate eyes in a disgusted way, before opening his compass and watching it spin. "Jackie, what if this doesn't work out right?"

"Darlin', don't ask stuff like tha'." Jack smiled over at his fiancee, bringing her into his arms as he whispered against her hair, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" Saphira giggled, and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. He gave her a wink, and was about to say something when Gibbs ran back up the stairs. Groaning inwardly, Jack waited for what Gibbs had to say.

"Jack, Lila told you to belay that."

"Well, tell her she can go bloody belay 'erself. I'm gettin' bloody mad tha' woman." Jack said, staring at Gibbs. Saphie sighed, whispering a prayer of thanks that Lila wasn't on that ship at that moment. "I told you to luff the iron and lay on the sails." Jack wrinkled his nose at that, and then said, "I mean, luff the sails and lay on the iron." Gibbs nodded, glancing at the Sun, and saying, "Aye, Cap'n." And with that, Gibbs disappeared below deck once more.

Humming 'A Pirate's Life For Me' under his breath, and keeping one arm around Saphira, resting on the wheel in front of him, he flipped open his compass and smirked at it as he hummed the last note, "...drink up, me 'earties. Yo ho."

She kept her hands firmly on the wheel as they neared The Undertaking. Lila glanced across over at the Dutchman where Will was standing at her wheel. He looked over at her, and tried to shoot her what he hoped to be a reassuring smile. She winked at him and turned back her father who was walking up the stairs with Triton closely behind him. She smirked at that, hoping that that meant everything was alright between them now.

"Lila, The Undertaking's on our starboard."

"I know." Lila said, keeping her gaze ahead. Neptune looked nervously over at the Dutchman, before saying, "Do you know what you're doing?" He met his daughter's emerald eye stare as she smiled at him and said, "Of course I do." She was about to say something, but at that moment, her first mate Matthew ran on set.

"Captain Turner? Mercer's attacking." Lila turned around from the wheel and looked back at the Undertaking to see that he was indeed firing at the Widow. Not knowing how Ana and her crew was holding up back there, Lila fell silent. This really was happening.

"Captain Turner? Your Majesty...orders? What do you command?" Matthew glanced up at Neptune who was staring at his daughter. When she still only stared at the Widow and Undertaking, Neptune nudged her and said, "Lila. Orders?"

"Ready on the guns." Will commanded his crew on the Dutchman. Bill nodded, and yelled down to the men below. Will glanced over at the Sun to see that Lila wasn't doing anything. Bill stood beside him and asked, "What is she doing?"

"I have no idea." Will whispered to his father. He leaned against the railing so that he could yell over to her, "LILA! ORDERS!" That snapped Lila out of her trance. She glanced over at the Dutchman to see Will looking rather distressed, and then to the Pearl to see Jack motioning to her, as if he was doing a weird waltz with himself. That momentarily distracted Will, but he was brought out of it when cannons started blaring.

"Full canvas!" Jack yelled, letting go of the wheel and letting his father take it. Jack grabbed Saphira's arm with one hand, and his sword with the other as the pair of them ran down the stairs on to the main deck. He looked over at the Sun and yelled, "Lila! Do somethin'!"

"I'm waiting for the opportune moment..." She said, climbing on the Sun's railing, and leaning over the edge, holding on to the rope. When she saw the Undertaking lined up with the Dutchman, she said quietly, "Fire." When no one did anything, she turned around, jumping off of the railing and yelled, "FIRE ALL! NOW!"

Will heard her and yelled, "FIRE!!" The Dutchman and the Sun started shooting at the Undertaking that was seeming to take down the Widow. Jack, who had just yelled at his crew to fire, looked at Saphira and said, "It's not goin' down."

"Give it time, Jackie." She said, trying to sound reassuring. Jack nodded and leaned against the railing as the cannons shot off at the Undertaking. "Why is she not goin' down?"

"She's not...what?" The Undertaking had somehow gained speed. She glanced back at the Pearl and said, "What the bloody hell? The Pearl's the fastest ship in the Caribbean." She glanced at Neptune and said, "This is madness." The Undertaking was coming up fast on the Sun's starboard. Lila groaned and yelled, "LIGHT THE STARBOARD!" Neptune ran down the stairs with Triton closely behind him. Lila glanced over at Will who nodded at her, and yelled for his crew to do the same.

"Take them." Mercer hissed on the Undertaking as the four ships circled him. The Undertaking was known to take down anyone, no matter the size, in her path. The Dutchman came on her side, and blew the side out. The whole ship shook during the impact, and Mercer yelled, "TAKE HER!" His men scrambled about the ship trying to hold the Dutchman off, but it's captain wasn't allowing it. Mercer cursed under his breath and said, "ATTACK!"

The men on his ship began swinging over to the ships, attacking anyone in their way. Mercer glared at the Sun, and grabbed the rope, making his way over to the ship. Will was busy holding off one of Mercer's men on his ship when he saw Lila fighting off Mercer.

"Jack...JACK!" Will cried over to the Pearl. Jack was too caught into a fight with another man. Will groaned as he pushed the man he had been fighting over the railing. He stood on it, and grabbed the rope, before swinging over to the Sun, knocing Mercer over as he did so. He grabbed Lila's hand, and pulled her down into the cabin. Will slammed the door, before turning to Lila and asking, "Li, are you alright?" He rushed over to her side as she nodded. He kissed the top of her head as her eyes drifted off into the corner.

"Oh my gosh." Will pulled back and looked down into Lila's horrified face. She pushed herself out of his grasp, and ran to the door. Before he could catch her, she was already back outside as the battle raged on. "Lila! LILA!" He came face to face with Mercer. He was holding the open chest as one of his men restrained Lila. He looked back to see that Neptune and Triton were also being restrained. "Ah, Captain Turner." Mercer said, good naturedly as he raised a knife to the open chest. "NO!" Lila screamed, trying to make a run for the chest, but the men pulled her back. Her gaze locked with Will's as if to say a sorry apology.

"Captain Turner." Mercer said, smiling. "Your Highness, I'm so glad you could join us in witnessing this joyous occasion." Will froze. It was at that moment, he felt completely helpless. Mercer would get what he wanted, Immortality, since he was about to kill Will. He'd most likely kill everyone else after he was immortal. And Lila...Will felt sick. He wanted power, and with Lila alive, Mercer would have that power. And Will couldn't do a thing about it.

Mercer won.
He'd lost.
They'd lost.

And the look of defeat on Jack Sparrow's ageless face when he was captured and dragged to the Pearl made William feel even worse. Jack never looked defeated. Even when he was defeated. Saphira was looking on at Mercer with disgust, but a single tear rolled down her cheek. Will saw Ana, and then Bill and Grant. But where was Rupert? Saphira must have been thinking the same exact thing, because at that moment, Saphira looked over at Will, and when they're gazes locked, something passed between them. Will was about to say something, but Mercer cocked his gun and placed it at the heart.

Tears were flowing freely down Lila's face when Mercer put his hand on the trigger. Lila looked over at Will, who mouthed a simple 'I love you', before the a gunshot rang through the early night sky. After the gun shot rang out, an eerie silence passed through the ship. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of Lila screaming, and someone falling down.

"Will..." Lila sobbed.

"Lila?" She opened her eyes, and squinted through the smoke to see Will standing there, walking towards her. She screamed and threw her arms around his neck, almost tackling him. Lila was crying as Will held on to her, not wanting to let her go. He kissed her cheek and said, "Darling, it's alright. I'm here." He rubbed her back and held her close. "Li, I'm here."

Saphie looked up to see who was walking through the smoke. Rupert was standing there, with his right hand outstretched, holding the gun in Mercer's direction. He had a look that neither she, Lila nor anyone on the ship had ever seen him have before. He lowered his hand, but not before blowing the smoke out of his gun. "Rupert?" Saphie croaked, when she saw the lifeless body of Mercer laying on the ground. Rupert's eyes locked with hers as she ran out of the men's reach and threw her arms around her brother. Rupert put his around her, and kissed her cheek. "I love you." She whispered, kissing him lightly.

He smiled down at her, pushing her curls back and said, "I love you too, Saphie." When Saphie stepped back, Lila jumped over Mercer, who was still laying on the deck, and nearly tackled Rupert. Rupert, who looked momentarily taken back, wrapped his arms around her. "Lila, darling...can't breath." Lila pulled back and kissed him, causing Jack to start laughing and Will to smack him in the head. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, love." Rupert said, hugging her back. She kissed his cheek, and moved. Rupert looked over at Ana, who smiled at him, but didn't say anything. Saphie cleared her throat, and said, "Let's go help the others?" Lila smirked at Saphie, and took her arm, dragging the two others behind them. Ana walked up to Rupert. He smiled down at her, and was about to say something, when Ana leaned up and kissed him. He was shocked at first, but moved his arms around her waist.

"Only they would do tha' over a dead body." Jack said, leaning against the Sun's railing. He glanced over at Will and Lila, and sighed as he said, "I stand corrected."

"Actually, he's not dead." Triton said, kneeling down beside him. He glanced up at Neptune. "He's still got a pulse." Neptune sighed, and went over to some of their men. Within moments, Mercer was in custody and sent back to Neptuno where he would await his hanging the following month after his trial, and suffering in their prison.

After Lila hugged her father, she walked over to Will. He picked up the key when Mercer dropped it and walked over to her, "You were suppossed to keep it safe, love." He reached behind her neck to fasten the hook, and when he was finished, she moved closer just a little so that she kissed him.

"So sorry, querido." He smirked and leaned down and kissed her again.

Saphira was standing against the railing, looking over the edge at the sparkling ocean below. She was part mermaid, she had inherited that from her mother. She closed her eyes and could practically see her in front of her, when she heard footsteps come from beside her.

"Neptune told me." He said, quietly. Saphira didn't say anything at all. She just stood there, as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Saphira, if I had only known you were still alive, I would have come for you. Both of you. I had no way of knowing. I just-"

"-it's alright." Saphira said, turning to look at her real father. Triton took her in at that moment. He smiled at how much she looked like her mother. He pushed back her curls and said, "You look just like your mother." She smiled and looked down for a moment, before Triton pulled her into his arms and said, "I've always loved you." Saphie smiled and wrapped her arms around him too. He kissed the top of her head, and for once, everything seemed right.

He took one hand and placed it on the wheel and the other hand clutching the bottle of rum. He hummed the song to himself as the sun set. As they sailed through the horizon, a green flash shot through the sky. At hearing the footsteps behind him coming closer, he raised the bottle to meet his lips and sang, "...we're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs..."

Lila took the rum bottle from Jack. Smirking, she took it and moved it in circles, making the clear, brownish liquid swish around in the bottle. Jack raised his eyebrows as she did that, but smirked when she raised the bottle to meet her own lips and finished for him, with a smirk, "...drink up, me hearties. Yo ho." He winked at her, as Saphira walked up the stairs to meet them, followed by William. Jack saw the teasing look in Lila's eyes as she looked down at where Rupert and Ana still were. He smirked himself as he asked, "Wha'?"

"What?" Lila said, as Will walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

Jack smirked, before shooting a wink over at Saphie, and saying, "Wha' are you thinkin' 'bout, love?" Lila smiled, and said, turning to look at him, "I wonder if he loves those moments."

"Reginald?" Jack said, with a smirk, meeting his cousin's gaze. She nodded as they remembered a similar conversation they had had just over a year ago. Jack chuckled softly and said, "Well, darlin'. He may. But not nearly as much as me."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Jack said, kissing Saphie's cheek. He smiled over at Lila, letting go of the wheel, and walking to the railing. As if there was a ship passing them, Jack said, "Because I, unlike our dear Reginald-" He started waving at his invisible ship and said, "-like to wave at them as they pass by." Lila laughed and leaned against Will. Jack smiled and walked back over to the wheel where Saphira was.

Jack wrapped his arms around Saphira's waist and rested his head on top of hers. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, causing her to giggle as he hummed the song once again. He smirked and said, raising the bottle up, "...drink up, me 'earties. Yo ho."

He flipped his compass open, and watched it spin, before snapping it shut, and glancing ahead of him. Feeling Saphira come at his side, he moved his arm around her and said with a smirk, "Now, bring me tha' horizon..."