Hello everyone. #Sniff# Yes, this is the last chapter. We are here at the end. So sad. Any way, I just want to thank all you guys for your continued reviews. It made my day every time I read a new one.
Okay, well since no one guessed what I was going to do #Teehee. Be ready for a surprise. Hopefully…# I shall split the mass amount of invisible cookies and split them amongst you all. Enjoy everyone!
Okay, as far as a sequel goes… I don't know if or when one will get typed. BUT I will post at least one short one-shot taking place after this. It won't be under BlackSword, but if you'll occasionally check my author's page, I promise to have one up in about a month. Yes, it really does take me that long to type anything. When it comes to typing school papers, I always totally screwed. Anyways, I hope you guys all check out my other stuff and leave comments. It'd just make my day, week, month, and year.
Okay, time to answer all my lovely reviews.
Smithy – Thanks for clearing that up for me. Well, I hope you are satisfied with the way this story ends. I'm glad this story interesting and I hope it's not too fantastical for you and yet not too disgustingly brutal.
MagRowan – Glad my story has evoked emotion. Exasperation at characters and curiosity are SOOOOO much better than apathy. And yeah, kids are a lot more observant and perseptive than we often give them credit for. Ha. Now I sound like I'm older than 17. Yeah right.
Xo900oX – It's cool. Hopefully you'll figure out the surprise when it comes up. I hope you like this chapter. #sniff# I'll miss you once this is over.
Misorasama – Well, I hope you enjoy this last chapter. And maybe I'll do a nice angsty one-shot just for you. #Smirk# Enjoy. And tell me what you think.
Snoozywoozy – Hey, I'd love to try your invisible cookies. I love them too! Thanks for the guesses, but nope! You still get cookies anyway. Have fun with this chapter.
Williz – Nope and nope, but those were good guesses. Here are your cookies for playing. Hope this last chapter is satisfactory… Now I feel sad. I'll miss hearing from you… Wahhhhhh!
Titus – Sorry you don't like the character, but every story is gonna have the one character someone doesn't like. Personally, I did a happy dance when Boromir died in LotR and I can't stand Norrington from PotC. I recognize that he's not that bad a guy, but I still can't stand him. Keel-haul him! Anyway… The thing about him being mature is that back in that time period, children were generally more mature than they are now. They were taught to behave and speak much more properly than nowadays and Elizabeth, as a "properly raised" child would no doubt raise her child in a similar manner. And the fighting aspect… Well, it's proven that humans as a race are highly adaptable and children even more so than adults. They are able to change to meet extraordinary circumstances placed before them. Granted, I know I took it to the extreme but… #shrugs# And don't worry. At least one or two of the one-shots I have planned are just Will and Jack. And no slash. While I occasionally enjoy slash, I just don't see it between Jack and Will. #shivers# Creepy.
Sanquinedarkness666 – Well, at least I'll be able to talk to you after this is over. And I know you'll enjoy this. So weeeee! Happy day… Except for district. Blegh!
Daphnebandweenie – You know… Cullen hasn't pleasured your spoon in a while… Oh well, not that I'm complaining… And I know you'll like this too. So yay! Now if only we could get out of wearing those awful band dresses on Wednesday. Then life would be perfect.
Hawkstra – Yeah, I see that trailer at least ten times a day at work. It's hard to remember to get people their popcorn when that starts playing. Very distracting. Anyway, at the end here I hope you can manage at least on more review. I'll miss you so much now that this is over.
SpufFan – I'm super glad you were able to review again, so I forgive you. I did miss you though and now I'll miss you again. I hope you enjoy this last chapter.
Lyn – Oh. My. God. #bashes head repeatedly against desk# I can't believe that I did that. Now I feel stupid. I'm getting that fixed as soon as possible. And as to the whole SNEAK thing… It's obvious I'm from Southern Alabama now isn't it?
Well, that's about it. I'm gonna miss you guys SOOOOOOO much, but here's the last chapter. I hope everyone finds it to their liking and leaves one last review for old time sake.
Enjoy.
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BlackSword
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Chapter 19
"Well, it's about time," Jack commented softly as he watched Port Bryant rise into view on the horizon. Hopefully, soon after they got there Miguel would be back with word on the Pearl. He had been shocked upon returning to the Dauntless- after Will had dulled his headache with yet another bottle of rum- to find that Commodore Norrington had sent the Spaniard to find out what had become of the Black Pearl.
It had taken them a week and a half to get where they were from their stop at the small port. That made it a total of two months and four days since Will had been taken by Blacksword, making the whole blasted escapade- from the kidnapping of Jackie on down- a total of little more than three months.
'Not as long as some of my adventures, but certainly loner than I expected,' Jack thought to himself.
"I can't wait to see Elizabeth," Will said from beside him. "I know Jackie has been wanting to see her as well."
Jack glanced at his friend, "Are you ready for this? She's going to want to know what happened to you." As he talked, he quickly looked the younger man over, searching for signs of the torture he had suffered through. The only remaining visible signs of the abuse he had endured was the scar on the base of his neck and the sling on his arm, still preventing him from moving his shoulder.
All of the other scars were hidden from view, as were most of Jackie's.
I hope so," Will sighed softly. He looked down at the sling on his arm. "I also hope my shoulder heals soon."
"Unfortunately, you still have several weeks before it's fully healed."
"Jack, my shoulder has been broken for nearly two months now," Will said. "It should be healed by now."
Nodding to show he understood, Jack said, "But it's only been about five weeks since it was set. And Miguel said that your shoulder was healing much slower than normal. You're going to have to deal with it for a few more weeks."
Will scowled slightly, than asked in a quiet voice, "So when Miguel gets back, I guess you're going to leave, huh?" The expression on his face had changed from almost angry to slightly depressed.
The pirate stopped and blinked. For some reason, he had never thought that coming to Port Bryant would mean that Will would go back to being a blacksmith. He had thought… hoped, really, that the young man would decide to be a pirate. It had never occurred to him…
"I guess so," he said slowly. His caramel eyes flickered.
"What's wrong?" Will asked, voice still low. Concern edged his dark eyes. He could tell something had suddenly begun to bother the pirate.
Jack quickly shook his head, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"You sure?" Will pressed.
He nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. I promise." Jack evenly met Will's eyes. "I promise," he repeated. His seriousness was reflected in his own eyes.
Slowly, Will nodded and turned back to the sea, gazing at Port Bryant. "This is going to be…"
"Interesting?" Jack supplied.
"Interesting," Will agreed. "Interesting."
"Jack, are you sure you want to come? After all, you'll be in danger of getting arrested," Will said, hesitating at the Dauntless's gangplank.
"What? I don't get to see Elizabeth?" Jack asked, looking surprised. He made a show of pouting and looking hurt, "That's not fair."
"Don't worry, Captain Sparrow. You can come. I'm sure mom will be glad to see you," Jackie said. He couldn't stand to see anyone he cared about upset and he was just young enough to be unable to tell the pirate was joking.
Jack couldn't help but smile at the boy. "At least someone cares about me," he said sarcastically. The pirate turned his grin to Will to show he was only joking.
The young blacksmith didn't look too amused, but neither did he seem terribly upset. "Come on, Jackie," Will said, glancing to his son. He then turned to Jack, "You can come too… if you want."
Despite pretending to be upset at the thought of being left behind, Jack hesitated. Ever since he had realized that reaching Port Bryant meant leaving his friend behind- again, he had done his best to at least slightly distance himself from Will. "I don't know…"
To his surprise, both Will and Jackie seemed upset. "But Jack…" Will said. "Please… I was only joking about you not coming. Besides, Elizabeth will want to see you. You have to come."
Jackie was nodding vigorously, "You have to come," he said, repeating his father. "Please Captain Sparrow…" His large brown eyes stared pleadingly at him.
Jack groaned, "Don't look at me like that… Fine, I'll come." The little boy broke into a wide grin. The pirate turned abruptly and started down the gangplank, forcing both Will and his son to have to hurry after him.
"Jack, are you okay?" Will asked quietly as he caught up to his friend.
The pirate sighed and started to answer but was interrupted by a soft, excited voice, "Will? Jackie?"
Will's face visibly brightened. "Elizabeth?" His wife stopped in front of him, her eyes quickly taking in his appearance. After a few seconds though, she threw her arms around him – being careful of his visible injuries – and, pulling him close, kissed him.
"Eww," Jackie said, making a face. Jack laughed and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Upon hearing her son's voice, Elizabeth gently pulled away from Will and knelt in front of her son. She embraced him and kissed the boy on the cheek. "Are you okay, Jackie?" she asked.
"I'm fine, Mom…" The boy sounded exasperated, but he was unable to keep the pleased look out of his eye.
Reluctantly, Elizabeth let go of her child and turned back to Will. "And what, pray tell, happened to you?" Her eyes flickered in concern.
"Oh, so I don't even warrant a greeting? Fine," Jack said, faking indignation, before Will could answer her.
Elizabeth smiled at him and glided up to him. To Jack's complete surprise, Elizabeth gently kissed him. The pirate couldn't stop from sending Will a roguish smirk. The blacksmith simply rolled his eyes.
"How nice," a voice said coldly.
Will, Jack, and Elizabeth all turned, searching for who had spoken; Jackie froze completely. Jack's caramel eyes fell upon a man he had completely forgotten about.
"Chris!" Jack asked in surprise, his voice overriding that of Jackie's. Both pirate and small boy stared in shock at the blonde man. Blue eyes glared at them.
Fear swept through Will and he swallowed hard. Quickly, he took a step back, trying to get as much distance as possible between himself and Chris.
Jackie smiled and began to approach the man. "Chris, you don't have to worry about anything. Black Andrew is dead."
The blonde man ignored the boy and stalked forward towards Will. The blacksmith continued to back away; for the first time in a few months, his dark eyes were filled with that same abject terror Jack had seen in his eyes when he had rescued the younger man from Blacksword.
Noticing the look on Chris's face, Jack became confused. "Chris, what's…?"
Before he could finish, Chris jerked his pistol from his belt and, catching up to Will, pressed his gun against the other's forehead. "I swear I should have killed you earlier."
Jack blinked in confusion. "Chris…?"
"You still don't understand, do you, Sparrow?" Chris sneered, not moving the gun from Will as he glared over at Jack. "I guess he's the only one who understands." At that he jerked his head toward Will.
Elizabeth did not look happy. "Who are you," she demanded, "and what are you doing?"
Chris turned back to Will, "So do you want to explain who I really am?" When Will didn't immediately answer, he threateningly pressed the gun harder against his forehead.
"He's… Blacksword first mate," Will said slowly. He could not understand how Jack could have known Chris yet not realized he was a part of Blacksword's crew. The young man didn't realize that he wasn't the only one who had been deceived.
Anger flashed through Jack. "You little bastard." It didn't escape Will's notice that Jack had made sure Elizabeth was safely behind him.
Chris couldn't help but laugh, "Sparrow, don't feel bad. I had both you and little Jackie believing I was on your side."
"Look, I don't know what you want but you had best move the pistol away from my husband or you will suffer the consequences, "Elizabeth threatened, trying to move out from behind Jack. The pirate would not let her though, much to her annoyance.
"What do I want? What I want is for this man," he said, glaring at Will, "to die." His anger was clearly reflected in his blue eyes. "Everything was perfect. We would have you killed, murder Sparrow, and then we would have had the Caribbean. You should be dead!" he yelled angrily in Will's face.
"Go rot in hell," Will shot back. As he said that, his insides twisted. He shouldn't have said that. The fears that had lain dormant in him for more than a month quickly resurfaced. Despite the month he had had to heal, the painful memories and lessons that had been beaten into him were impossible to override.
For several seconds, Chris simply scowled at him. Then he drew back and punched him hard. Will crashed backwards but managed to remain conscious.
He quickly pulled himself to his feet, using his good arm to steady himself. Despite the fact that Will quickly got back up, Jack felt fear sweep through him. The pirate would have attacked Chris except that the other's pistol remained trained on Will.
"Look's like you've got your attitude back," Chris sneered. "I could break you of it again, but I don't think I'll take the chance this time. I'll just kill you, like we should have done last time."
Elizabeth was confused; she didn't follow this conversation at all. "What's going on?" she demanded fearfully. "Jack, Will, what is he talking about?"
Once again, Chris came closer to Will, causing fear to skitter up and down Will's spine. So much of what he had suffered through had been at Chris's hands or his idea and the blacksmith still had those fears deep inside him.
"It's a long story, Elizabeth," Will said slowly, never taking his eyes off the barrel of the gun now pointed at his chest.
"Be quiet!" Chris snapped. To Elizabeth and Jack's surprise, Will instantly obeyed, fear flashing in his eyes. "Sparrow," Chris said, turning some of his attention to the pirate, "Do you remember what I told you?"
"Every single thing," Jack said, "and I swear I will murder you for it." His caramel eyes reflected his seriousness.
Chris smiled evilly, "Good. Well, I thought you should know, it was my idea that broke him. My idea. I tortured him. I did it!" His blue eyes flickered cruelly.
A bolt of pure anger shot through Jack and it was only fuelled by the embarrassed, scared look in Will's eyes. Chris had told him, in detail, exactly what had been done to Will, and he was about to explode. "I'm going to kill you," he promised again.
"Maybe, but Will is going to die first. And you, that woman, and the little whelp are going to watch. Don't get me started on that brat… Where hell is that brat!"
Will and Jack both started as they realized that Jackie was nowhere to be seen. Elizabeth's eyes widened as she glanced frantically for the boy.
"I'm right here," a small voice said, carrying a hint of childish defiance. Chris froze and before he could even move a small body dropped on top of him. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his arm and he instinctively pulled the trigger.
The bullet smashed into the dock at Jackie's feet as he landed. Both Elizabeth and Jack jumped at the sound and Will flinched uncontrollably.
Jackie didn't bother to pull his dagger from Chris's arm; instead he grabbed the pirate's own from his belt. As soon as his small hands had the knife, he flipped the blade around and raked it across Chris's throat.
The blade didn't go deep enough to kill him but that didn't stop Jackie. He spun; as he did, he grabbed the knife in Chris's arm wrenched it out. Then the boy shoved the dagger in his left hand into the pirate's heart while he took the other knife and pulled it up – after stabbing him in the stomach – from his abdomen to his solar plexus.
Chris had never even had a chance, not even a second the react to the danger the child had presented. He fell to his knees, shock showing in his blue eyes.
"No one threatens my family or Captain Sparrow and gets away with it," Jackie said darkly, glaring at the man who was now eye level with him, "especially not a bastard like you." As Jackie finished, Chris's eyes clouded, rolling into the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the ground, dead.
The boy snorted and rolled the body over, pulling the two knives from Chris's dead body. He turned away and grinned a huge, childish grin at his mother and Captain Sparrow. He then glanced at his father and smiled shyly.
Both Jack and Will stared at the boy in absolute shock but Elizabeth reacted instantly. "Jackie!" she screeched. "Look what you did! You killed him! And where did you learn such language!"
Suddenly seeming to realize what exactly it was that he had done, the eight-year-old stammered uncertainly, "Uh… but mom… I…"
"Elizabeth, it's probably my fault," Jack interrupted. He now stood beside Will, eyes uncertain. "I taught him to fight and… he probably picked up the language from me."
She glared at him but her eyes softened as she glanced to her husband. "Elizabeth," he said softly, "Jackie had to learn to fight; if he didn't, Blacksword probably would have killed him."
Slowly, Elizabeth nodded and she stepped closer to Will. Reaching up, she gently touched his face. "What happened that I don't know about?"
Gently, Will took hold of her wrist with his left hand. "I'll explain everything later, I promise. Okay?" He gently kissed the palm of her hand and stared hard into her eyes.
Jack groaned and rolled his eyes and he couldn't miss that Jackie did so as well. "Can we go home now?" the boy asked.
Elizabeth smiled broadly, "Of course. And Jack," she turned to the pirate, "you are welcome to stay as long as you want."
One Week Later
Jack stood on a small, isolated beach just outside of Port Bryant, looking at the Black Pearl from afar. The day before, Miguel had returned with the Pearl and his original crew, including Ana Maria and Gibbs. The pirate captain had been thrilled to see his beloved ship at first, but now his emotions were mixed.
Despite the fact that Jack had spent much of the past week trying to avoid the guards in the port, he now found himself reluctant to leave. He knew he had to go, he wanted to go – his heart belonged to the sea and no one else – but … still he found himself hesitating.
"Jack?" the voice behind him was soft but it still surprised him.
He turned to see Will and Elizabeth standing together, watching him. The pirate forced a small smile and nodded in acknowledgement of them. From behind them, Jackie appeared, his eyes downcast.
Kneeling in front of the boy, he asked, "What's wrong, kid?" His caramel eyes studied the child for a moment before glancing to Will. The young man shrugged slightly, as least as best as he could with a broken shoulder.
"I don't want you to go, Captain Sparrow," Jackie said, large brown eyes nearly beginning to fill with tears.
Jack was surprised, "I have to go. I'm a pirate. But don't worry. I'll be back. After all, I'll have to come bother your parents." He stood back up and gently patted the boy on the head. "You'll see me again."
Glancing backwards, he saw the small rowboat that had been left on the beach so he could return to the Black Pearl. Miguel was leaning against the small boat, waiting for him. Jack had asked the Spaniard to become a member of his crew. He had lost several of his crew in Tortuga, so there was plenty of room for him aboard the Pearl.
The pirate looked back to Will and Elizabeth. He noticed that Will also looked upset, most likely for the same reason he himself was.
"Will…" he hesitated for a second, "there's… something I need to ask you. I already know the answer but… I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't ask."
The blacksmith watched him questioningly as did Elizabeth. Will remained quiet though, waiting for Jack to finish.
"Will…" he hesitated. "I want you to be first mate aboard the Black Pearl." Jack knew his friend couldn't accept but he had to offer anyway. He knew Will would never leave his family to become a pirate but… he wanted Will to know he had that option.
The young blacksmith blinked in shock. "What? You… you want… me to be…your first mate," he repeated, choking slightly on the words. His surprise was obvious, but at the same time it was clear he was pleased. For a few seconds anyway. He then looked down as reality returned. "Jack, I wish I could but… I… I can't."
Nodding, Jack said, "I know… I just had to ask." He couldn't help but notice that Will had grown depressed.
Elizabeth glanced at her husband and elbowed him. "What-?" he began, turning to her. She glared at him, and then her eyes darted to Jack. "I- I can't… Elizabeth, I can't."
Jack raised his eyebrows as he attempted to follow the conversation. "I must be drunk, because I can't understand anything the two of you are talking about."
Elizabeth sighed, and then turned away from her husband so that she was facing Jack. "Captain Sparrow, Will accepts you offer." Both Will and Jackie seemed shocked. "Dad's going to be a pirate?" the boy asked, surprise mixing with excitement.
"No," Will said, not even looking at the boy. His eyes remained fixed on Elizabeth. "I can't. I'm not going to leave you and Jackie here alone. I grew up without a father, I know how it feels; I'm not going to force my son to go through that. So the answer is no."
Jack hadn't said anything, but a small bit of hope had risen inside of him. Maybe Elizabeth… maybe she could talk Will into becoming a pirate. Maybe…
"Will, I know you want to be a pirate. Jackie and I shall be fine without you. This is what you're meant to do. It's in your blood; you can't deny the call of the sea any longer. I know you've felt it," Elizabeth said, seriousness obvious in both her eyes and tone of voice.
To Jack's surprise, Will didn't back down. Normally, he would simply accept what the high assertive young woman said, but not this time. "No! I won't leave you and Jackie. I may want to be a pirate but not so much that I'm willing to leave you."
She grunted – in a manner as dignified as possible, of course – and looked back to Jack. "You… lost several of your crew when you dropped them off in Tortuga, right?"
Slowly, Jack nodded, "Yes, why?"
"Well, Captain Sparrow, if you'll have us, you just gained three new crew members."
"What!" both Will and Jack asked in surprise. Jack stared at the woman, then asked, "Are you telling me that both you and Jackie want to become pirates as well?"
Will's dark eyes were wide, "Elizabeth… you… why?"
Smiling softly, Elizabeth answered her husband, "I know you want to be a pirate. Jackie does too. I don't exactly like it here either, so why not?"
Jackie's eyes were filled with barely contained excitement. "Does this mean we get to stay on the Black Pearl?"
All eyes turned to Will. Jack forced a large, drunken smile and held out his hand. "So… what do you say?"
The young blacksmith stared at the pirate then glanced to the outstretched hand. Glancing back up, he met Jack's eyes and waited.
Jack slowly grew confused. He looked from to his hand and back up. "What-?" Suddenly he understood and he laughed as he realized his mistake. Quickly, he switched hands; out of habit, he had held out his right hand, forgetting for a moment about the fact that Will couldn't use his right hand.
Smiling ruefully, Will shook his head. Despite the fact that he had been arguing passionately with Elizabeth about joining Jack's crew, he was pleased with how things had turned out. Finally he shook Jack's hand, using his left hand.
"Well Jack, it looks like you've got three new pirates," Will said with a grin. His dark brown eyes were glittering with excitement.
The pirate shook his head. His own excitement he could barely contain, and it was obvious in his smile. "No, I just gained one pirate, a pirate-in-training, and a first mate." He cocked his head as he looked at Elizabeth. "You might want to change clothes. I don't know how well a dress will work aboard the Black Pearl."
"If you'll wait for me, I'll get a change of clothes."
Jack's large smile only grew wider. "Okay, but remember the code," he said, eyes gleaming. "Anyone who falls behind gets left behind."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and, gently taking hold of her husband's left arm, began to drag him away. "Come on. The sooner we get our things, the sooner we can leave with the Pearl."
Their eight-year-old son was beaming. He had wanted to become a pirate all along. "We get to stay aboard the Black Pearl!" Spinning around to face Jack, he launched himself at the pirate and gave him a fierce hug. "Thank you, Captain Sparrow."
The pirate smiled then said, "That means you're going to have to take orders from me. "Do you think you can do it?"
An even larger smile spread across the boy's face. "Yes, sir!"
Three Weeks Later
"You sure you want to do this, Will?"
The younger man nodded, "Why do you ask? Are you afraid?"
Less than a day before, Miguel had decided that Will's shoulder was fully healed. It had been to Will's great pleasure when he had once again been allowed his full freedom. Now, he had forced Jack to agree to a sword duel, and he wasn't going to let the slight ache in his shoulder stop him.
A sharp laugh interrupted them, "Captain, that boy thinks you're afraid. He must be smarter than he looks."
Jack looked over his shoulder. "Shut up, Ana Maria," he growled. The black woman simply laughed again.
This time a few more voices joined in her laughter. The captain stopped and glared at Gibbs and Miguel. The two men were in no way intimidated at the moment.
"Shows how much respect you have for me," Jack muttered. "Even Elizabeth and Jackie are laughing."
The small group had gathered in one of the Black Pearl's cargo holds. All wanted to see the captain fight the new first mate- especially since all of them knew of Will's extraordinary swordsmanship abilities.
Will's smile was large. "Come on, Jack. Looks like you don't have a choice."
Turning back to his first mate, Jack pulled out his sword. H didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes told Will he was looking forward to the duel.
Slowly, Will drew his own sword. It was, at the same time, a slightly strange feeling to be using his right hand again, and yet it was a great relief to be able to.
"The record: me, two wins. You, one. You've got some catching up to do," Jack said.
"You cheated," Will said, almost instantly.
Jack's drunken smile grew larger. "And what, pray tell, are you going to about it?"
"Come on dad. I know you can beat Captain Sparrow. He told me so himself," Jackie spoke up for the first time.
The pirate captain rolled his eyes, "You weren't supposed to tell him that, kid." As he watched Will, he decided that the younger man was ready and waiting.
Hoping to catch Will by surprise, Jack suddenly lunged, bringing his sword down hard. Will slipped his own blade up, and then spun away.
He had his own plan and he was setting Jack up. The young man had no intention of losing again. "You're going to have to do better than that, Jack," he said, smiling. "Are you sure you're not holding back?"
Jack didn't answer, but he didn't need to. He struck again, even harder this time. Again, Will blocked it effortlessly. This time, both the young man's laughter and the sound of swords clashing together echoed through the Black Pearl and out into the Caribbean night.
Fin
Ha! Did you guys see the thing with Chris coming? Haha! I win!