Chapter 11, everybody! One more chapter and then we're done! :D

Did Will and Elizabeth think to pocket any of the non-cursed treasure? Good question. And writing the climax fight with the mindset of they're divorced was entertaining, not gonna lie. Also don't know if I've mentioned it before now but all the chapter titles have been in reference to either titles from the PotC soundtrack or from the chapter titles on the scene selection page in the DVD. You know, back when they actually had stuff in the case and on the DVD and there was art on the discs and what happened.

Don't Starve © 2013 Klei Entertainment

Pirates of the Caribbean © 2003 Disney

Wilson wasn't sure what was worse—sitting here crosslegged against a chest of cursed gold, or not knowing what was going on out there.

"At least tell me Willow's all right," Wilson said to Maxwell.

"Eh?" Maxwell noised, examining a gold statue. "Oh yeah sure she's safe just like I promised, you're about to die for her just like you promised, nuptials are happening just like someone else promised…so we're all men of our word, really. Well, except for the pyromaniac, who is in fact a woman. She burned the entire stock of rum I need you to know this that was the good stuff."

"I was wondering what got you off that island so quickly," Charlie said, reclining in some deeper shadows.

"Yeah after all the food, drink, and shade was burnt up I got motivated," he grumbled, tossing the statue away.

"Why is he like this," Wilson sighed, looking at Charlie.

"I've wondered that myself," she commiserated. "I want to say he used to be better than this, but that would be a lie."

"Oi, both of you," Maxwell groused. "Look, me? I'm dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you need to look out for, because you'll never know when they decide to do something monumentally stupid."

And with that, he lifted the sword off the bosun and tossed it at Wilson.

Wilson scrambled to catch it, fended off the nearest pirate as he slipped away from the stone chest. Charlie burst into action, drawing her sword in one smooth motion—

Maxwell intercepted with his own sword. "About my percentage—"

Charlie's opinion of that was apparently a sock to the face, sending Maxwell staggering and on the defensive—from the glimpses Wilson managed in between his own fights, he wondered if Maxwell was loathe to actually fight his former beau despite the arguing.

At least, that was his thought right before Maxwell ran her through.

Dead silence as the cavern paused to process this.

"I didn't mean it like that," Maxwell tried.

Charlie's response was to rip the sword out and run Maxwell through instead.

Wilson about dropped his sword, stunned—despite everything, the actuality of him dying and dying here—

And then Maxwell staggered back into a puddle of moonlight.

Okay. Okay. So maybe there was a curse, because he couldn't rightly explain away the crystal-ridden skeleton examining itself—could definitely identify it as Maxwell when it leered at a stunned Charlie, flipping the coin he had failed to return to the stone chest between his fingers. "Couldn't resist."

Charlie bellowed in anger and charged at him, and after that Wilson had bigger problems, doing his darndest to keep the other pirates off of him—

Suddenly had the tide turn when Willow leaped in, swinging a golden pole around and clocking a pirate hard enough for him to go down.

"Willow!" Wilson gasped. "What are you doing here!?"

"Saving your life," she said, swinging again to get another pirate to back off—froze when she spotted Maxwell and Charlie fighting, barreling through shafts of moonlight and showing their current predicament. "Whose side is Max on?"

"At the moment?" Wilson asked drily. Willow made a dismissive noise at that, the both of them having to focus on the more immediate issue of not dying to pirates that couldn't be killed.

They could, however, be blown to smithereens, as they found out.

The blast staggered Charlie and Maxwell both, the latter drawing his sword across his palm before flinging something to Wilson, who caught it instinctively—look to see a medallion in his hand, dark with blood.

Exchange panicked glances with Willow before scrambling for the stone chest, Willow dodging another pirate and barking go!—froze in place when Charlie pointed a gun at her—

Flinched at the bark of a gun, Wilson's own heart clenching—

Charlie blinked, looked at Maxwell, holding a smoking gun.

"Really?" she asked drily. "Ten years you carry that thing and now you waste your shot?"

"He didn't waste it," Wilson said, redirecting her attention—

Just in time to watch him drop the medallion, now stained with his blood as well.

She stared, stunned—dropped the gun to slap at the wound in her chest—

Her hand was shaking as she examined the dark blood there.

"I…I feel—" Elation quickly replaced with realization, as the light started leaving her eyes. "Cold."

And then she collapsed, as the last of her life left her.


Outside, pirates started falling to their wounds as well.

This sudden change in fortune made everyone stop, stunned—the pirates looked up, at each other, back up at the moon in full view in the sky—

They were no longer crystal-ridden skeletons. The curse had been broken. They were men again.

They were mortal men again.

Those remaining quickly made the executive decision to surrender—death later was preferable to death now—Skits having the gall to tremulously ask for "Parley?"—

"The ship is ours, gentlemen," Norrington announced, sword pointed at the nearest pirate and pinning him in place.

The navy men immediately broke out in wild cheers, some eventually corralling the pirates to take them to the brig—was definitely going to have to question Wilba being there, gesturing wildly with a now-heavily-dented frying pan she had procured from somewhere.

"I feel we need to discuss your propensity for getting into trouble," he pointed out to her.

"We can discuss it on the way back," she promised.


Wilson and Willow had retreated some distance to give Maxwell some space—despite everything, those two had been married, and he couldn't imagine such an action was easy, no matter how necessary.

He doubted Maxwell would appreciate his gratitude on saving Willow at the moment either.

"So this has been a month," Willow said finally.

"It…yes" he said, glancing away—back at her sharply when he heard coins clinking. "What are you doing?"

"Call it hazard pay," she said, grabbing another handful of coins and stuffing them into her pockets.

"Need I point out that stealing coins is what started this mess?" he asked, gesturing at the stone chest, bathed in moonlight on the little hillock.

"Technically I can't take those coins—these coins are fine. D'you see any rubies?"

"Oh good grief you're hopeless," Wilson sighed.

"And yet here you are," she said, grinning at him as she stood, dusting herself off. "Uh…thank you, by the way, for coming after me—Wilba told me everything, and…thanks."

"Of course." I'd do it again—despite everything, despite the fate waiting me, I'd do it again. I'd do anything for you. Tried to say something along those lines…finally swallowed against his tight throat. "We should…probably get back, before they leave without us."

She nodded, watching him peculiarly, like she expected more than that…finally turned and headed for the longboats.

Maxwell came up next to him once she was some distance away, also loaded down with swag. "If you were waiting for the opportune moment…that was it," he pointed out. Ignored Wilson's scowl as he swaggered by. "Now if you lot would be kind enough to return me to my ship I'd be much obliged."


Willow had bad news.

"Sorry, Max," she said once he was able to see the empty quay for himself. "The ship is gone."

"They done what's right by them," he sighed. "Guess I can't ask more than that."

Although it did leave him with a particularly nasty problem to deal with.