:sighs: Alright, me 'earties...tis the last chappie. I greatly appriciate everyone's past reviews! Anywhosit (Beth I stole it...:LOL:) here you are: THE END!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, neither Elizabeth, nor I, own the rights to Pirates of the Caribbean so we have no right to claim other characters as our own (except Beth and Meg, of course...Through we did come up with the names for CD and Greg (also known as Grapple) ...late night in Houston...LOL). The Pirate King and Pirate Prince will forever belong to Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
Once aboard, soldiers immediately surrounded the two pirates and took the treasure from Jack. Beth was outraged! She ran to Norrington's side.
"What are you doing?" she cried.
"Arresting them and taking them back to Port Royal to be hung," James replied.
"I know that, but why?"
"Because they're pirates. Now, if you already knew that one also, cousin, I'd advise you to ask a question that you don't know,"
Beth opened her mouth to say something but then shut it. Norrington walked away. Governor Swann was speaking very sternly to Will.
"…But taking up piracy? And dragging Commodore Norrington's cousin into it?" he ended lecturing. Will sighed and looked over the governor's shoulder at Beth who turned to them.
"I apologize, Governor Swann, but it was for your daughter's safety,"
"Yes, I understand. That is why I am granting you clemency, Mr. Turner,"
Will looked up and smiled a little.
"Thank you, sir,"
The Commodore ordered the soldiers surrounding Meg and Jack to take them below and lock them in the brig. Meg looked desperately at Beth who only shrugged. She knew there was nothing she could do at the moment. Meg struggled at little as she was brought to the cell and shoved in and Jack after her. The soldiers slammed the door shut, locked it and walked away with one on guard. Meg sighed and sat on the floor. Death awaited her at the end of the voyage. She hoped that it would turn out as it had in the movie. Jack looked around the cell and too sat down next to Meg. He looked as if he wanted to say something but he never made to effort to do so.
Beth sighed as Meg disappeared below deck. She too hoped that no one would die. Will walked over to her and smiled a little. Beth looked up at him and suddenly started crying and hugged him. Her mouth was muffled in his shirt as she began rambling on about Meg being her best friend and if anything happened to her she would not know what to do. Will only hugged back, nodded and rubbed her shoulder. He looked around as a sly idea of rescue came into his mind.
So two days passed. Meg and Jack were stuck in the brig while Will and Beth composed an escape plan. Once reaching Port Royal, everyone had a day to get settled and then as 11 0'clock came around Jack and Meg were led to the gallows. The crowd was gathered in the Square. Jack stood on the gallows as Meg stood by the stairs with her hands bound and two or three guards around her. Little did she know, Beth was standing only yards away, cloaked, and Will was just coming around the corner. As he passed, he paid his respects to the Commodore and the Governor.
"Elizabeth," he said and she looked down at him. "I should have told you from the moment I met you…" Beth turned her head in his direction. "…I hate you…" Beth smiled from under her hood. Elizabeth blinked and Will walked away. The drum-roll started and the noose was placed around Jack's neck. Cotton's parrot screeched from his post on a banner. Jack looked at it and then down at Meg who was staring back it him. He raised his bound hands to his mouth, kissed them and then lowered his hands and motioned to her. Meg's heart beat faster. She could not believe that he had just done that! Elizabeth fainted in the shock of what Will had just said. The drum-roll stopped, the executioner pulled the lever and the trapdoor dropped from beneath Jack.
"Move!" Will yelled and threw his sword at the door. It stuck and Jack stood on it. Will ran up the steps of the gallows to free Jack.
"Meg!" Beth shouted at her. Meg turned around and wove through the people without many of them noticing. So all those year of being impatient to get doughnuts at church had paid off! She ran to Beth who cut her bindings around her wrists and handed her a dagger. Beth ran to help Will with the executioner. Meg ran below the gallows just as Jack was let loose. He fell to the ground. Meg ran to help him up and he cut his bindings on Will's sword that stuck out of the trapdoor. Jack and Meg ran out from under it just as Beth and Will jumped (or in Will's case, did a summersault in the air) off of the gallows. Jack took the rope off of his neck and tossed it to Will. They both tripped and slammed a few soldiers into a column. Beth and Meg ran ahead until they all were surrounded on the tower. Jack and Meg stood behind Beth and Will as Commodore Norrington and Governor Swann came forward.
"I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill conceived escape attempt," said Norrington. "but not from you,"
"On our return to Port Royal," added the Governor. "I granted you clemency and this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with them? They're pirates!"
"And good men," stated Will. Meg poked him in the side and he corrected himself. Meg nodded and Jack pointed at himself proudly. "If all I have achieved here," continued Will. "Is that the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of two, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."
"You forget your place, Turner," said Norrington.
"It's right here, between you and Jack and Meg,"
Beth moved closer to Will.
"As is mine," she said. Elizabeth was still out cold in the square.
"Elizabeth!" said Norrington.
"Lower your weapons," ordered the Governor. "For goodness sake put them down. She is the Commodore's cousin,"
"So this is where your heart lies, then?" asked James to his cousin.
"It is,"
Meg smiled at her from behind. Jack looked up and saw Mr. Cotton's parrot.
"Well!" he began. "I'm actually felling rather good about this," he walked over to the Governor. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically…grammatically?" He moved over to the Commodore. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate…know that," He backed away and started for the wall but paused. "Beth," she looked up at him. "It would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry…but…Meg?" Meg looked up too. "I love you," Meg blinked and Jack walked farther, almost to the step but then turned around. "Will…nice hat." Finally, Captain Jack Sparrow reached the wall. "Men! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that—," and he tripped backwards and fell into the waters many feet below. Everyone rushed forward to see him hit the water.
"Idiot," said Gillette. "He has nowhere to go but back to the noose," As Jack resurfaced, someone yelled, "Sail ho!" and the Black Pearl came around the cliff. Beth and Will exchanged looks and Beth grinned. Meg, who was looking down at the small figure of Jack, sighed a little. Beth shoved her in the back and she fell too. Splash! Right next to Jack. She came up coughing.
"Well," said Jack rather amused. "What have we here?"
"Beth pushed me!" Meg replied rather surprised as she wiped some water from her eye. Jack nodded towards the Pearl and they began swimming towards it.
"What's your plan of action?" asked Gillette. "Sir?"
Norrington knew not what to say.
"Perhaps on the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course?" suggested Swann. Norrington smiled a little but immediately wiped it off his face.
"Mr. Turner,"
Will looked at Beth. "I will accept the consequences of my actions," he then turned to Norrington. He pulled out his sword and held it in front of Will.
"This is a beautiful sword," James said. "I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life."
"Thank you," replied Will. The Governor began walking away. The Commodore took a few steps away.
"Commodore! What about Sparrow and the girl?" asked Gillette.
"Well I think we can give them one day's head start," he then turned to Beth. "Are you sure this is the path you've chosen? After all…he is a blacksmith,"
"No," replied Beth looking at Will and taking off his hat. "He's a pirate," Norrington nodded and walked away. Will leaned in and kissed Beth for a really long time. After, they watched the Pearl until it sailed away.
(Beth::is giddy and faints:)
Jack put his arm around Meg's waist and grasped onto the rope thrown down by Cotton. They were pulled up by the crew and landed on the Quarterdeck. Jack looked up a little unhappily at Gibbs.
"I thought you were supposed to keep to the code?"
"We figured they were more actual…guidelines," he helped Jack and Meg up. Cotton handed Jack his hat and someone else handed Meg Jack's coat. She looked at it and smiled.
"Captain Sparrow," she said and turned to him. She put his coat around his shoulders. "The Black Pearl is yours," Jack looked at the helm and rubbed it lovingly. He smiled and looked around seeing everyone staring at him.
"On deck, you scabrous dogs! Man the braces!" Many other random orders came out of Jack's mouth. Meg went to attend one of the duties but Jack pulled her back.
"Oh, nonononono…you're staying right here…" Meg looked up at him a little surprised and he smiled and pulled out his compass. "Want to help me with something?"
"What's that?" asked Meg. Jack began with the song.
"Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh…."
Meg joined.
"And really bad eggs…" Jack turned the helm. "Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" Jack snapped the compass shut. The end credits music began playing in Meg's head. Jack looked at Meg who looked back. He leaned down quickly, kissed her on the lips and then pulled back looking straight ahead, grinning.
"You have no clue how long I've been waiting to do that," he said. Meg blinked at him and smiled, too, and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Everything faded. Jack, the ocean, the Pearl, the fort with Beth and Will standing on it, everything. Megan found herself back in her bedroom standing next to her bed, right where she was when she answered the phone! And it just so happened that the phone was in her hand.
"Beth?"
"Meg?" said the familiar voice on the other end.
"Was that a dream?"
"It couldn't have been,"
"Yea…" Meg shrugged her jacket off and did a double take at her arm. She then began grinning and then laughing.
"Beth, it was so not a dream,"
"Why? What's wrong?"
"I have my brand!"
"Really!"
"Yea!"
Beth looked at her shoulder. There was a bruise that had definitely not been there before the time travel.
"The conversation in the cell," she thought.
"I wish we could go back," Meg said.
"I know," replied Beth.
They then both accidentally hit their signs and were back in the pirate world; Beth standing next to Will watching the Pearl sail away and Meg standing next to Jack, sailing into the horizon.
Well, that's the end, folks! I had so much fun writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it! R&R please!