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America, the Colonies?

Chapter 10: Goodbye, Captain Jack Sparrow!

The crew of the Black Pearl stared in disbelief at their captain, barely able to recognize him without the grime and dirt. It was shocking to see him so clean and not wearing his usual outfit.

"You look… clean", Will greeted him, not really knowing what to say, getting a playful smile from the captain, who took a swig of his rum. It was then that two others the crew didn't recognize walked to stand by Jack. They also noticed multiple others both running away from the scene and standing by to watch the interaction.

"And ye look… wet", Jack replied, looking at the group critically. He remembered clearly how Elizabeth had tied him to Pearl's mast and left him to die and seeing her now brought all of that back to him. She met his stare despite of this, almost defiant. That was the Elizabeth he knew!

Natasha and Clint observed the staring contest between Jack and the new arrivals, prepared for anything given their previous history with people who came from portals. They noticed some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arriving at the scene and signaled them to be on standby. The portal was unsurprisingly attracting a lot of attention, but some of the agents were turning the crowds away and securing the scene.

"Captain", Gibbs said, moving to the front of the group, flanked by all but Elizabeth, Will and Barbossa. Jack looked at his First Mate.

"Mr. Gibbs", he said in greeting. "Loyal as always, I suppose."

"Aye!" the man said. Jack then glanced at the others, spotting Barbossa.

"Ah, Hector! It's been too long, hasn't it", he said with a grin, having not expected to see the man ever again.

"Aye! Isla de Muerta, remember? You shot me." Jack looked at him oddly.

"No, I didn't", he said, before looking at the others again.

"And why, care tell me, are ye 'ere?" he asked, looking between Gibbs, Will and Elizabeth.

"We're here to take you home, Jack", Elizabeth said, stepping forward. Jack furrowed his brow in thought. He'd known that the moment he saw them, but he didn't know how to respond to that. On one hand, he wanted to stay, on the other, he wanted to go. Still, this lot had mostly conspired against him, and he really liked the world he was in now.

"I can see that", Jack replied, before glancing at Natasha and Clint, who had stayed silent so far. Elizabeth seemed slightly annoyed at his lack of reaction, so she continued:

"We've come to rescue you!" Jack looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Rescue me, ye say?" he replied, before smiling. "Sorry that yer trip was for naught, but I'm in no need of rescuin' as ye say."

"Jack", Will said, stepping forward. "Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones; he controls the Flying Dutchman."

"He controls the seas", Elizabeth clarified.

"The song has already been sung; the Brethren Court is called!" Tia Dalma cut in.

Jack looked between the three who'd walked up to him.

"Leave ye people alone for just a minute and look what happens! Everything's gone to pot!" he said, taking another swig of his rum.

"Aye, Jack! The world needs you back something fierce!" Mr. Gibbs backed them up.

Jack looked between his crew, trying to come to a decision, but unable to do so.

"Please, Jack! Come home", Elizabeth pleaded, and something about the way she said that didn't sit well with Jack, given all that had happened.

"Why should I sail with any of ye? Four of ye tried to kill me; one of ye succeeded", he said, looking directly at Elizabeth. Will looked surprised at that, and Jack caught up on it easily. "Oh! She's not told ye!"

"You're not dead", Elizabeth retorted. Jack looked thoughtful again, before shrugging.

"I am in yer world", he said, before turning to Tia Dalma. "Tia Dalma can come with me, as well as Gibbs, Marty and Cotton. The rest of ye… Enjoy yer stay!" he then turned back to Natasha and Clint.

"Let's go, party's over", he said, walking past the two. Natasha rolled her eyes, knowing fully well where he'd learnt that phrase from.

"No, it's not. These people came from another world; it's S.H.I.E.L.D. work!" Natasha argued, but Jack didn't care.

"We're not coming, Jack!" Tia Dalma announced, and the rest of the crew agreed. That stopped him dead in his tracks. He then slowly turned to face them, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"What was that, my dear?" he asked, taking a swig of his rum, only to realize the bottle was empty. Tia Dalma smiled playfully. "We came to get you back, Jack. We're not leaving without you."

Jack threw his empty bottle away; the bottle shattering on impacting the ground. He had feared it would come to this. A decision. He hated decisions. As such, he grabbed his compass, which only spun around between his crew and Natasha and Clint. Annoyed by the outcome, he pocketed the compass and turned towards Natasha.

"What were ye saying, my dear?" he asked, having forgotten somewhat.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s work as they've come from another world. Just like you", she repeated, rolling her eyes. Jack nodded in agreement.

"Right, do that, then", he said, before walking off, not wanting to deal with the situation anymore.

"Jack, wait!" Will tried for the last time but was ignored. He then tried to go after him, only to be stopped by Clint and Natasha.

Jack sat inside the bar that was next to the portal that was still up for some reason. His crew had been taken in for questioning by the S.H.I.E.L.D. as he'd basically told them to do that. He wasn't worried since he knew they were good people, but he was still feeling conflicted over which world to choose.

"Hey, Cap!" a familiar voice called as a hand landed on his shoulder. Jack turned to see Tony there, smiling.

"Oh, hey", Jack said, taking another swig. "Care for a drink?"

"Of course!" Tony replied, sitting next to the pirate and pouring himself a drink. He then dropped his cheerful act and looked at Jack seriously. "I heard your friends came knocking."

"Did they now?" Jack asked despite knowing exactly what he'd meant, taking another swig.

"You should go with them", Tony blurted out, not one to beat around the bush. This earned him a shocked look from the pirate.

"What do ye mean, Tony?" he asked, not knowing how to respond to such a suggestion.

"You've lived most of your life there while you've only been here for a few months; of course you should go", Tony said, taking a sip of his drink.

"But-"

"Or would you rather stay here?"

Jack stared at Tony, still undecided. Then, he sighed and turned back to his drink. "I don't know." Tony patted his friend on the back, knowing why he was hesitant.

"It's been great to have you as an Avenger, it really has, but you don't belong here. You're a pirate Captain through and through. If you stay here, you'll probably never sail your ship again."

Hearing that really resonated with Jack. He hadn't even thought of that. He had been hiding his desires of captaining a ship by having everyone call him Captain even though he'd thought the Pearl was gone forever, and the moment he found out it had been fixed, he'd wanted to set sail.

Jack turned to Tony, a grateful smile gracing his lips, before he took one last swig of his rum.

"Ye've been a good friend, Tony, but it's time for me to gather my crew", he said, getting a laugh from the billionaire.

"That's the spirit, Cap!" Tony cheered as Jack rose to his feet-

Only to fall to the ground in his drunken state.

"I'm fine, just a little iffy!" the pirate announced, trying and failing to get up a few times, before managing to stay upright with Tony's help. The billionaire laughed at his friend's antics as he helped him out of the bar.

"Let's go get your crew, Cap!"

Nick Fury was going through all the information they'd gathered from Jack's crew, looking thoughtful. It seemed they were the real deal at least, and not some ploy to get close to the Avengers through Jack. It also seemed this Tia Dalma was an actual witch, a voodoo queen, as they'd called her. She was also apparently the one who opened the portal, despite her denying it by saying it was the Gods or whatever. Then again, she only spoke in riddles, so they couldn't take her word literally. The lot also smelled. Really bad.

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was shaken from his thoughts when he saw Tony and Jack, who'd changed into his pirate gear, walking over to him. He had a vague idea what it was about but greeted them regardless.

"Ah, Captain Sparrow, Mr. Stark! What do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.

"Look 'ere, Mr. Furry- "

"It's Fury- "

"-Right, whatever. As I was sayin', I've come to collect my crew, take back my ship and return to my world", Jack said, getting Fury's name wrong at first, much to Tony's amusement. Fury shot a glare at the sniggering Tony, before turning his gaze to Jack again.

"If that's what you wish, you're free to do so. We've gathered everything we need to know about your crew, so you're free to go. I'll tell my men to release them", Fury told him, getting a nod from Jack.

"Thanks, much appreciated", Jack said, before stumbling off, only barely able to stay upright.

The three then made their way to where the crew was being held, Fury calling ahead to let his men know the crew was to be released. As such, when they arrived the crew was waiting.

"Jack- ", Elizabeth began, only to be cut off by Jack.

"Save yer sorry, Miss Swann. I've come to gather ye to crew my ship, unless any of ye would rather stay 'ere", Jack told them, looking from one to another. Only Barbossa spoke up:

"Actually, it's my- "

"Splendid, now, for my ship", Jack cut Barbossa off, turning to Fury with a grin, who cleared his throat.

"Right, Captain Sparrow- "

"Captain Jack Sparrow- "

"Captain Jack Sparrow. Your ship will be towed to the portal by my men, but you'll have to continue the task from that point on. I can't say it's been a pleasure working with you these past few months, but you've certainly proved your worth. The Avengers will gladly have you back, if you ever wish to return", Fury told the now grinning pirate, shaking his hand.

"It's been a pleasure for me as well", Jack told him, before remembering something. "Sir."

Fury smiled at that, before excusing himself from the room.

Later that day, the crew was standing beside the portal, ready to leave, but the Avengers, who'd returned together just for this, were holding them back as they were there to say goodbyes to Jack. Or, well, more of the other way around…

"Clint", Jack started, looking at Hawkeye sternly. "Despite our earlier differences, we managed to get on the same side when it mattered. I can even forgive ye knocking me out." Clint smiled at him, giving him somewhat of a mock salute.

"Aye, Cap. I'll miss you too, believe it or not", he said, getting a smirk from Jack, who then moved on to Thor.

"Thor, I appreciate yer offer to help me find out about my time travelling, even as it turned out not to be the case. I apologize for accusing ye of working for the King of England and recognize ye as the actual killer of the Kraken", Jack said, getting a confused look from everyone but Thor, Natasha and Tony.

"Farewell, Captain Jack Sparrow. May our paths cross again", Thor said with a smile, before wrapping the pirate into a hug, much to Jack's discomfort.

"Right, that's enough", he said as he felt his breath leaving him and the Asgardian released him. Jack then moved to Bruce.

"Bruce, I apologize for not believing ye were the Hulk when the others told me so. I also apologize for trying to kill ya with my sword. So, no hard feelings, eh?" Jack said, looking slightly wary of the scientist, who just shook his head in amusement.

"Sure, buddy. No hard feelings", Banner said, shaking the pirate's hand. Jack looked relieved at that. The pirate then moved to Rogers, who was looking somewhat amused.

"Steve, I leave ye the most important task of all: as ye know, I 'ave always thought of ye as my successor, and now that my leadership over the Avengers must come to an end, I hereby officially recognize ye as the Captain of this crew. Make me proud, Captain", Jack said, getting a smirk from Steve, who saluted Jack in amusement. Some of the others shook their heads in disbelief at what Jack said.

"Aye! I'll do my best, as always, Captain Jack Sparrow", he said, getting a smile from Jack. The pirate then rubbed his eyes.

"There must've been a fly in my eye", Jack said, before moving on to Tony.

"Tony, ye 'ave been a good friend ever since I arrived in this world. I thank ya for all ye 'ave done for me and I recognize that I'm in yer debt. As such, I'll 'ave ye know ye'll always 'ave a spot in my crew, wherever I may sail", Jack told him, before giving him a hug that was returned. Tony patted Jack on the back.

"I'll miss you, Cap! Take care of yourself", Tony said as they separated. Then, it was time for Natasha.

"Natalie, my dear", Jack began with a smile, taking her hands in his own, making Natasha roll her eyes. "It pains me that it's come to this, but our time together must come to an end. I will forever treasure the moments we made together, good and the bad. Also, I apologize for trying to seduce ye the first time we met", Jack said, adding the last part as an afterthought. Natasha just shook her head in disbelief.

"You make it sound like we're breaking up", Natasha teased, laughing at the look on Jack's face. She then paused for a second to look into his eyes. "Oh, to hell with it."

Natasha closed the distance between her and Jack, her lips colliding with Jack's. She held the kiss for a few seconds, before moving back, a playful smile on her lips. She laughed again at the shocked look on Jack (and everyone else's) face.

"See ya 'round, Captain Jack Sparrow", she said with a wink. "Oh, and you definitely deserved that one", she added. Jack smiled at Natasha, before stepping away from her and turned to his crew.

"Right, ye lads! Get the Pearl through the spiraling storm thingy, or whatever you call it!" Jack ordered, getting disbelieving looks from his crew.

"Wait, you expect us to push the Pearl through the portal?" Will asked, getting a serious nod from Jack.

"Of course, Will, my boy! Unless ye'd prefer to pull, of course! Now chop, chop! We haven't got all day! The Seven Seas are awaitin'!" Jack said, before climbing up to stand on his ship. "Tia Dalma can come join me up on the deck, of course, but the rest of ye, get to work!"

The Avengers watched in a mix of amusement and disbelief as Jack's crew, including the monkey, pushed the massive ship through the portal. It was a massive task, even with tires under the ship.

Just before the ship went through the portal, Jack looked to the Avengers for the last time and shouted: "Let this day be remembered as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow returned to save the Seven Seas from the clutches of the what's-his-name with Davy Jones heart! Farewell, Avengers! Till we meet again!"

When the portal closed after them, Bruce Banner shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, that was eventful." Everyone agreed.

Jack pulled out his telescope and looked towards the horizon, before turning to his crew. "Set sail straight to wherever the Brethren Court are a gatherin'!" he ordered, only to be met with blank stares.

"What?"

"We're still in Davy Jones' Locker, Captain", Gibbs supplied.

"Oh, right. Wait, when did we end up there?"

"When we went over the World's End", Will said.

"Oh. Okay then. Wait, when did that happen?"

The whole crew face palmed.

On the shore in Davy Jones' Locker, a man sat, looking on as the Black Pearl sailed away. He then rose to his feet and shook his head in amusement.

"You are an interesting one, Captain Jack Sparrow. Maybe I'll look more into this world", he mused, before opening a portal just like the one the crew had gone through earlier and stepping inside, leaving the Locker behind. He was, after all, The One-Above-All.