INTO THE CARIBBEAN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – A Single Shot

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The thick fog slowly cleared away as the small boat quietly glided through the water into the caves. It sent small chills through Alex's bones when she remembered the last time she came alone into the dark cavern, but thankfully this time she knew full well what she was up against. Plus, she had Jack.

He sat opposite of her with the oars in hand, facing her with that smug, smirk-like grin he sometimes did that made her question his thoughts. With a raised brow, she watched him row.

"What's on your mind now, Jack?"

He lifted his eyes to hers and smiled. "It'll all be over…Barbossa, the curse, everything, it ends tonight."

He's right, Alex thought with a growing smile. After ten long years, Jack would now be able to reclaim his ship and give what that bastard Barbossa really deserves, and in turn she herself would be able to save Will and return to Port Royal.

And then what?

As she stared blankly into the water, outwardly appearing that she was engrossing herself into the deep depths of the water, she realized how long she had avoided that thought, that single question she didn't know how to answer. It was question she didn't want to answer…mostly because she was afraid to. Obviously, they would return to their normal lives…Elizabeth eventually would be wed to Norrington, Will would return to the smithery with a broken heart, and Alex would return to Port Royal with nothing.

…then what?

"I don't know." Alex sadly whispered.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"Nothing." Alex quickly answered, ignoring Jack's skeptical stare. She decided to change the subject, and in turn avoiding the unanswered question. "So, what's the plan?" She asked eagerly.

"What plan?" He replied quizzically.

"Oh, don't give me that! I know you have something planned out." Alex stated while crossing her arms. From what she had seen, he wasn't the type of man to walk into something blindly – he always had a thorough and well-thought diagram to his actions.

"Well, if you must have to know everything, I simply plan on going in there and taking what's mine by right." He amusedly grinned as he continued to row.

"And what else…?" She eyed him expectantly.

"Hmm…" He hummed thoughtfully. "Oh, and save the eunuch." Alex rolled her eyes. She knew he was playing and had not forgotten about Will, and was thankful that he was able to make her smile in the most serious times.

Moments later, Jack pulled the boat onto the stone shore as Alex jumped out. She waited until Jack passed her to take the lead when she began to quietly follow him towards the growing sounds of pirate's voices. Alex bit her lip in worry as the voices gradually grew louder and clearer, and before they turned the last corner, she grabbed Jack's arm and stopped him. He turned and faced her, looking down at her confusedly.

"What is it, luv?"

"I just want you to be careful…alright, Jack?" Her concern showed clearly through her brown eyes as she stared up at him. It was unexpected what she did, and she was already expecting him to make an arrogant reply or some other kind of amused answer, but he did neither. Instead, he smiled.

"That I will, luv." Jack winked. "After all, I have to make sure I get you out ali—"

He was abruptly cut off when Alex suddenly did something that surprised the both of them, especially herself.

She had leaned up and kissed him.

It was soft and lingering, and she smiled against his lips before pulling away, making him groan in frustration.

"What was that for, luv?" He grinned as he smugly gazed down at her.

Alex shrugged, not quite knowing why herself. "Just a random impulse, I suppose. I just thought I should have one last pleasure in life, just in case I die tonight."

Smugly, he nodded. "Glad to be of service to you then, luv. If you have another random impulse later in the evening, feel free to let me know." He winked, his dark eyes boring into hers as he smiled. "And you're not going to die, darling. I would never allow it."

She grinned. "I know."

They continued to head into the opened clearing of the cave full of gold, treasure, and menacing-looking pirates. Fortunately, they were too focused on the ritual at hand to notice them, and looking over their shoulders Alex caught a glimpse of Barbossa holding the same blood-stained dagger from before. Beside him, leaning over the cursed chest with hands bound behind him, was Will.

Alex felt a wave of relief fall over her; they had made it just in time.

Still remembering that time was soon running out, Alex continued to follow close behind Jack as he pushed through the crowd of pirates.

"Beg your pardon." Jack politely said as he pushed past a few men that Alex recognized to be Koehler and Twiggs, who stared at them in stunned disbelief.

"Begun by blood…" Barbossa began, his bone-chilling voice echoed within every crevice of the cave. As Alex rested her hand readily on the hilt of her sword, she looked from behind Jack and saw Barbossa place the dagger at Will's throat.

"Excuse me." Jack murmured as he walked around another shocked pirate.

"…by blood, un–" Barbossa suddenly stopped, shocked to see Jack yet again. Will struggled against the arms behind him enough to let him stand straight and see.

"Jack! Alex!" Will exclaimed, looking at Alex in relief.

"S'not possible…" Barbossa incredulity declared.

"Not probable." Jack corrected with a lazy raise of his finger. As walked closer to the mound of gold where the cursed chest lay, Alex followed, passing by Pintel and Ragetti. Remembering them, she gave them a mocking grin.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked frantically, seeing that she was not with them.

Jack stopped and sighed in exasperation. "She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really except for Elizabeth and Alex here, who are, in fact, women." He finished with a cheeky smile.

"Shut up!" Barbossa barked and pointed the ceremonial dagger at Jack. "Yer next!" Will was pushed down over the chest, and Barbossa leaned in and placed the dagger at his throat. Alex's eyes widened and opened her mouth to shout, but nothing came.

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you, mate." Jack stated knowingly. Barbossa stopped, and glanced up at Jack irritably.

"No, I really think I do." He impatiently answered.

Jack shrugged. "Your funeral." Crossing his arms across his chest, he looked at the ground unconcernedly. Looking atop of the mound of golden treasures, Alex saw the darkly dressed figure roll his pale yellow eyes.

"Why don't I want to be doin' it?"

"Well, because…" Jack paused momentarily to slap Bo'sun's hand off his shoulder, then took few steps up the heap of gold. "…because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore," He motioned his hands towards the opening of the cave before solemnly adding, "waiting for you."

Silently, Alex took pleasure in hearing a wave of alarmed murmurs coming from the pirate crew as they all repeated Jack's words. Barbossa, on the other hand, remained silent as he stood tall, and to Alex's relief removing the dagger away from Will's neck. His cold expression revealed that he was contemplating Jack's revelation, but still doubted its truth.

"I do believe ye be lyin' to me, Jack." Barbossa finally answered with a smirk.

"How do you think we got off that bloody island, then?" Alex answered, making her presence known to Barbossa. They briefly glared at one another until Jack spoke up.

"She's got a point, mate." Jack agreed.

"Fine." Barbossa snapped. "Say I do believe ye and the wench. What is it to ye?"

Jack grinned, his golden teeth reflecting the flaming torches in the cave. He approached Barbossa, and Alex stole that moment to glance at Will. She smiled reassuringly at him when she caught he looked her way, but he weakly returned it. His dark hair was let down and fell to just his shoulders, framing his dirty and tired face. But in his deep brown eyes, Alex saw he still had strength for whatever would be coming next. And Alex knew that death would not be an option.

"Just hear me out, mate." Jack started, pausing in front of Will and the chest of Aztec gold. "You order your men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best." Laughter and sneers erupted from the proud, cursed crew. "Robert's your Uncle, Fannie's your Aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet." He let the picture he framed linger in the air for Barbossa, who seemed to enjoy the idea, before continuing. "'Course, you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me Captain, I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself as…Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

Barbossa thought about the proposition, eyeing Jack suspiciously. "I s'pose in exchange, ye want me not to kill the whelp." He stated accusingly, sharply turning his head towards Will.

"No, no, not at all. By all means, kill the whelp. Just…not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment." Jack glanced at Will, who stared back at him in angry disbelief. "For instance," He continued, dipping his hand into the chest and picking up a few of the golden medallions. "After you've killed Norrington's men…" One by one, he tossed the coins back into the chest. "Every…" Clink. "…last…" Clink. "…one." Clink.

If Alex didn't know better, she would have become enraged at his betrayal and sudden alliance with his very enemy, but she knew it was all a trick to keep Will alive until the rest of his plan went into effect…whatever it was. But Will didn't know this. Glaring with hate, he looked up from Jack's hand into his eyes.

"You've been planning this from the beginning, ever since you learned my name!" He spat angrily.

Jack glanced at him, simply answering, "Yeah."

"I want fifty percent of your plunder." Barbossa suddenly declared.

"Fifteen!" Jack bartered.

"Forty!"

"Twenty-five!" Jack paused, and then added, "And I'll buy you a hat. A really big one…Commodore."

Barbossa pondered the offer, and then finally agreed. "We have an accord."

Quietly, Alex watched as they shook hands, sealing their agreement. She gulped. You better know what you're doing, Jack, because I don't have a bloody clue.

"All hands to the boats!" Jack ordered, facing the crew with raised arms. They remained still, and he turned to see Barbossa narrow his eyes at him. "Apologies, you give the orders." Jack murmured, placing his hands together and nodding at him.

"Gents," Barbossa grinned knowingly, a grin that sent unpleasant vibes through Alex. "Take a walk!"

As Barbossa's men laughed wickedly and departed from the cavern, Jack glanced at him uncertainly, making Alex feel even worse about the current situation. "Not to the boats?"

Barbossa only narrowed his eyes at him before nodding at the remaining pirates, placing on their shoulders an unspoken order which they clearly understood. Watch them.

As he left the chest, Alex waited until he was far enough away before stepping beside Jack and harshly whispering, "Good job, oh mighty Captain."

He didn't reply, but instead gave her a cheeky smile before walking over to a mound of gold and examining all the jewelry and golden statues. One pirate pushed Will away from the chest, shoving him roughly down the hill of gold and closer to the water's edge. Alex stared at him worriedly before catching his eye.

"You okay?" She mouthed quietly. Confidently, he nodded, but yet Alex felt a pang of sorrow for her friend, and a rush of hate for Barbossa. If it hadn't been for their lucky timing, he would have killed the one person that she had become closest to, the one person who unknowingly stole her heart.

"So, what is a wench like ye doin' with a man like Jack, eh?" Barbossa's chilling voice echoed throughout the cave's cold walls, his unpleasantly cold gaze on Alex. "Did ye pick her up in Tortuga, Jack? She's diff'rent than the rest of the whores…maybe ye'll like to share her after this is through." He grinned suggestively at her, his pale yellow eyes slowly eyeing her body.

"I am no whore, you disgusting bastard." Alex seethed, her dark eyes glaring their hardest. "And if you even do as much as breathe on me, I will rip out your black heart myself. Savvy?"

For a moment, Alex noticed Jack's admiring gaze on her for a split second, making her feel more confident than before.

"Well, well, well, she's a feisty one, isn' she gents?" Barbossa coldly laughed as he took a seat on a pile of gold, his arm resting on his knee. "I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured. But it turns out that you're a hard man to predict."

"Me?" Jack spoke, turning his attention away from a small gold statuette he was admiring. "I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly," he tossed the gold figure onto the large pile as he walked closer to where they gathered. "It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly…." He paused, stopping beside a pirate who was tossing stones into the water, and found Alex's gaze before holding it in silent understanding. Realizing what he was planning to do, she faintly nodded. He moved his same gaze to Will, and it suddenly dawned on him what the pirate's intentions truly were.

"…stupid."

Swiftly, Jack kicked the nearby pirate into the water while also unsheathing the man's sword before tossing it to Will and pulling out his own. Alex grabbed her own sword and hurried over to her friend. His ropes were free and he momentarily warded off the pirate who was guarding him, and simultaneously they nodded their "good luck" before going their separate ways.

Thrust. Parry. Move. Those were the repeating steps Alex unconsciously made, like dance steps at a ball. As she defended herself from one of Barbossa's men, she saw Will from the corner of his eye advance on another, and knew with confidence he would be fine. After sidestepping away from a heavy blow, Alex punched the pirate square in the jaw, sending him into the water, and fought her way over to Will.

"Different from our usual practices, huh?" Will laughed, thrusting and parrying with one man as Alex's challenger recovered and charged. She smiled.

"Yes, but I've had a good teacher!" She replied excitedly, adrenaline from the sudden action coursing through her veins.

"Really, who? I'd like to meet him!" Will joked. As they were separated once again by their different adversaries, Alex silently laughed inside, thankful for Will's upbeat attitude and humor amidst their current struggle.

Her rival, Jacoby, charged with full strength at her, clashing his sword with hers with such force that she almost lost her hold. Recovering quickly, she came back with the same might and drove him back towards the water's edge, and with a smirk, she made one last thrust and shoved him in. This momentary break gave Alex enough time to search for Jack, and she found him quickly at the side of the cave fighting up an incline. Dueling with Barbossa, they fought with equal skill and power, and Alex mentally cheered Jack on. Finally, it looked like the battle was over when Jack took his sword and impaled Barbossa through the chest. But he did not fall.

Instead, he pulled the blade from his body and pushed it with full force into Jack's flesh.

"NO!" Alex yelled, her eyes widening in horror as she powerlessly watched Jack's own eyes broaden with pain and shock. Not since her father died did she feel what she felt now; pain, anguish, loss. And it was repeating all over a man she had only known for a week, a man she thought she couldn't stand, a man she least expected to feel like this for.

Helplessly, Alex forced herself to watch as Jack suddenly staggered backwards into the moonlight…making his skin turn to bone.

The coin…Alex suddenly remembered, her hope suddenly lifting. She smiled widely with relief as Jack pulled one of the Aztec medallions from his vest, toying with it between his bony fingers.

You thieving bastard! Alex thought with relief, her spirit rising again. She could nearly hear Jack saying his response with his infamous grin.

"Pirate, luv."

"Alex, watch out!" Will warned from behind her. Turning, she smiled at a snarling Jacoby.

"This is all getting tiring for me, darlin'. How about you surrender and we call it quits?" She smirked, and in reply she was met with his dueling blades.

Swords clashing and quick steps sounded throughout the air, endlessly continuing. She was beginning to tire, and was thankful for Will's sudden assistance when she almost missed a deadly thrust.

"Thanks, mate." Alex breathed, clenching her fist and punching Jacoby hard in the nose.

"Not a problem." Will chuckled. In the next moment, he suddenly was kicked over by a third pirate as Will's earlier rival cornered Alex. He towered above Will with an angry snarl on his parched lips, his sword raised and ready to pierce.

"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain!" The pirate exclaimed.

"Do you like pain?" A new yet familiar voice asked. The pirate turned, and instantly his head snapped back from a blow caused by a solid gold staff. Alex smiled widely. It was Elizabeth. "Try wearing a corset!"

Alex punched her pirate in the jaw which sent him falling to the ground as Elizabeth helped Will to his feet. They smiled at each other.

"It's about time you showed up!" Alex chuckled.

"Me, miss fighting with pirates? Never!" Elizabeth laughed.

Hearing a sudden crash, they all looked up to see Jack fighting Barbossa some ways away in the moonlight, his skeleton form revealed.

"Whose side is Jack on?" She questioned confusedly.

"At the moment?" Will shrugged, yet grinned.

They dispersed, Elizabeth grabbing the gold staff and Will and Alex fighting with the pirates and herding them together. When they happened to be in perfect alignment, Alex dropped her sword and rushed over to Elizabeth, grabbing the staff and grinning.

"On three." Elizabeth instructed, and Alex nodded. "One…two…three!"

Together, they rammed the staff through the pirates, stringing them together. They stood back with Will and watched them struggle; the two end pirates trying to pull the rod opposite ways as the middle man helplessly stood there.

Picking up a fallen bomb that Jacoby once held, Will pushed it into the empty cavern of the skeleton pirate himself as Alex and Elizabeth pushed them out of the moonlight and into the shadows, his skin trapping the bomb within him.

Desperately, his fingers clawed at his stomach before he gave up in defeat. "No fair." Jacoby groaned.

As they sprinted away, the pirates exploded behind them. Pieces of gold and jewelry fell like light rain around them, and as Will ran up towards the cursed Aztec chest, Jack cut his hand with the medallion and tossed it up to him.

The next moment ensued entirely too fast.

Barbossa cocked his pistol, turning his cold stare directly at Elizabeth and aiming at her. Gasping, Elizabeth stopped in her tracks, right when a gunshot rang out. Elizabeth flinched, and so did Alex. Her friend's eyes widened with shock, and Alex thought in horror that she had been shot, but the smoke didn't seep from Barbossa's pistol.

It came from Jack's.

Standing tall, he didn't sway or swagger, but instead stood motionless with such fierce somberness that Alex had never seen before. His dark eyes stared impassively at Barbossa's cold eyes; his pistol pointing at his heart.

"Ten years ye carry that pistol, and now ye waste yer shot." Barbossa taunted smugly.

"He didn't waste it."

Barbossa shot his head around up at Will, and watched as he slowly opened his hand. Two bloody medallions fell, and a clean cut showed on the palm of his hand. A relieved breath escaped from Alex when she heard the coins fall into the chest.

It's over…it's finally over.

Stunned, Barbossa dropped his sword and ripped open the coat of his jacket, revealing the bullet's entrance. Seconds passed, until suddenly blood appeared and spread from his wound, staining the white fabric over his heart a crimson red.

He looked up at Jack blankly, his eyes revealing his pain, but Jack remained still, his expression unchanging.

"I feel……cold."

Barbossa fell back onto the mound of gold, his eyes open and empty. As his last breath left his cold body, a green apple rolled from his hand.

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A/N: So, what did everybody think? It was my first time actually writing action, and I don't think I did that well / But I have this story finished, so chapters will be posted quicker now.

Anyways, thanks for all the positive reviews for the last chapter! And welcome new readers! I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I would thank everybody's reviews individually like I usually do, but I'm leaving right now for a Christmas party. But thank you all! Your comments encourage me to keep on writing. Mucho love!

But a quick note to zumanity57: No, I'm not planning on doing a sequel for the new POTC movie(s)...but I'm so looking forward to seeing them!

You all know what to do! REVIEW! )