Author: Beautiful x Lie (On LJ im Truexxxlust)
Rating: PG13 for inuendo and fighting
Summary: The end of the huge fight between the company agents and the pirates plus Davvy jones a fight for freedom, Jack and Elizabeth should know about that...

Scars

By Beautiful x Lie

When a man comes back from hell, and is faced by the object of his desire, and the fuel of his anger all in one person he isn't very willing to forgive. He covers it up with a fake smile and dismisses portraying on as 'no big deal'. In all honesty this man is anything but sure of himself. He seems lost and confused his thoughts on only one thing and one thing only the person he wants meaning also the person that did this to him.

She bit her lip each time her sword made contact with her opponent's. Straining to remember all of the techniques she had learned from her lessons with Gibbs, considering Jack and Will were anything but humble to her the whole journey. She kept to herself becoming asocial to the rest of the crew also being subject to some very cruel rumors. Fake smiles and false security go a long way.

The only one that made an effort to talk to her was Mister Gibbs. He was like a father figure to her especially when her real father wasn't around. But when Gibbs was not around to comfort her, she adorned a mask. It was her shield against her own emotions that she learned to keep on at all times.

Her phony smiles seemed genuine, yet her eyes did not match the gesture. They were weary and tired emotionless. The dark circles around them seemed to match the guilt and remorse hidden deep inside her. No kind words were passed along only frigid stares and distainfull glances.

Jack kept himself locked away in his cabin busying himself with the charts only coming out for supper and to go on night watch. Will made his new home the rum cellar. Anyone could plainly see the swagger in his step as he tired to forcefully best his opponent. His tactics were in a pattern, parry, block, slash, parry, block, slash. His opponent didn't seem warped at all by the fight. He calmly blocked each attack momentarily playing defensively. But he had his chance when Will sidestepped, his left foot planted in front of his right ergo he tripped over his foot. He hit his head against the unfeeling boards of wood and shattered his perception, fleetingly.

Elizabeth's breath hitched as she watched Will crumble to the ground, unconscious. As his attacker was about to charge and deliver the deadly final blow another crew member came behind to take on the burly man. Will was left on the ground dwarfed in comparison to all of the turmoil around him. He seemed to have blended in with all of the other bodies that littered the ground of the Pearl one might have thought he was actually dead.

She could just see Jack out of the corner of her eye he was dueling with none other than Davy Jones himself on the mainmast. A curious place to duel yet a hazardous place none-the-less. Usually when Elizabeth saw Jack duel, he put his body and soul into the fight, yet this time he seemed distant and icy. Every slash and parry he threw at Jones seemed to be fueled by anger and confusion in all truth,

Jack was just as alone as she was.

After they retrieved Jack, everything seemed to be looking up. But things were very awkward between Jack and Elizabeth. They still wanted each other yet did less and less about it each day. With every brush of the shoulder or stray glance sparks flew. They never wanted to let go of this new feeling, this strong pull of emotions that kept them emotionally connected. Jack would occasionally see her with Will in an isolated corner of the ship or sneak away below decks the pain in watching her with him while Jack lusted after her made his simple pirate life a bit more confusing. Each time he had to quickly turn his head in anguish he missed their constant flirty banter. He missed seeing the way her face would distort as she would understand his sexual innuendos, and the way her eyes would light up as she watched the setting sun over the horizon the reflection of it always seemed to be in her eyes. He was too much of a cowered to admit his feelings toward her. Her chaining him to the mast just proved his point and had him win their little game.

She was a pirate and the proof is written all over her face.

Elizabeth constantly forced herself to love Will but it was only pushing her more toward Jack. She watched him at the helm when she wasn't with Will. He seemed so luminous and radiant steering his beloved ship. She always believed his ship had a special sentimental value to him and he was connected to it. She knew he couldn't find trust in another person. Honestly she couldn't either. With her life or corsets, parties, and suitors who was there to trust? The suitors only wanted her for power, the parties were only a chance for her to meet suitors and the corsets were only proof of how constricting it all was for one person. Secretly her mother told her stories of pirates and she was fascinated by them. Every Sunday after Church, she would go down to the docks and watch the ships come into harbor. Very rarely did she see a pirate ship. Whenever she was at those docks, she felt she could finally breathe. When she was on The Peal freedom came all of the time. But the most constricting time onboard that ship, was when it was cursed by the Kraken. The whole crew fought vigorously and did whatever it took to defeat the beast. But Jack walked out on everyone like the coward he was known to be. Yet that day he did the bravest thing of his life, he came back.

He was a good man.

They both were struggling and longing yet they lived like they were perfectly content.

Lately the weather seemed to mimic the emotions of many. The gray clouds were overcoming the immaculate blue sky, becoming a fog of confusion and mystery surrounding everyone, suffocating them. Breaking each of them making sure there was distain and betrayal left in its wake. All forgotten and fading away with all of the joyous memories that they once had.

Elizabeth continually fought with herself as she tried to get her mind off of all of her internal battles desperately wanting to focus of her battle with Mercer, Beckett's manservant. She fought with vigor and courage each of her parries and blocks had her heart and soul behind them.

Mercer's face twisted into a distorted smirk as he rose his blade above his head and brought it down fast Elizabeth immediately jumped out of the way landing on the cold, wet ground.

Just when everyone least expected it, the sky erupted in random bursts of thunder. But that wasn't what brought everyone out of their stupor. Elizabeth looked up and there shining in the fading blasts of lightning, was Jack he was dangling by a hand on the main mast.

"Jack!" Elizabeth called out, but her voice was carried with the wind and washed away with the raindrops as they sprayed the morbid deck covered in enemy blood and brethren blood mingling together taking their last moments on earth to mix and form one. Their last moment mixing and surrendering together.

If only this battle was that easy.

And for that millisecond that her back was turned, she broke rule number one of sword fighting. In cold blood Mercer slashed her across her right forearm and left a nasty reminder of her mistake.

She cried out in anguish as her left hand instinctively covered her gash trying not to let the blood flow out. But the crimson liquid spilled out and covered her hand.

She lifted her head and looked at Mercer his face was smug as he was about to walk away and try to harm some one else, Elizabeth took her sword and mercilessly slashed his back and took out her pistol to point at his head.

"Do you want to die a monster?" She hissed in his ear her voice ghosted across his skin like the cold air and raindrops.

"Like I have a choice." He frigidly responded his face cold and unfeeling dwarfed by the menacing woman in front of him.

"Very well then…"

There was a loud gunshot on deck and Mercer dropped to the ground landing in a disgusting heap. Elizabeth looked up at Jack once again. He was still dangling looking up at Jones seemingly bargaining with the devil. Elizabeth could not imply what they were saying, but by the look on Jones face Jack was losing.

"Come on Jack." She mumbled, "Get up."

She saw Jack trying to maneuver himself up without Jones to notice and as a bonus Jack had the chest in his hand. All in one motion Jack took the chest and hit Jones with it gaining enough time to get back on the mast. She knew Jack had the heart in his coat pocket from when they stabbed Beckett. Jack has been playing Jones the whole time.

Elizabeth smiled genuinely. "That's my Jack."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Will climb onto the mast. Jack slashed Jones and knocked him down for time. Jack turned around to Will and whispered something incoherent. He grimly nodded and Jack took an object out of his pocket and gave it to him. Jack went right back to fighting as Will took out his knife and rose in up to the sky. His face emotionless yet there was a tiny spark of determination in his eye as he brought the knife down onto Davy's heart.

And after that everything seemed foggy Davy disappeared, his crew free yet Will was bound to the ocean and as Tia Dalma would have said, a touch of destiny. The company agents were defeated and they went down in cold blood taking many.

The whole crew let out a cheer and ran up to Jack to get the story of dueling Jones. He told the story with various hand flailing but it sounded exciting none the less.

With once last glance at him Elizabeth fled to Jack's cabin to attempt mending her wound.

Jacks POV.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her leave deck and go into his cabin. He followed curiously.

The cabin door was cracked and Jack could hear various mutterings along the lines of 'bloody bastard' and 'stupid sword.' He smirked.

It was Lizzie alright.

He leaned against the door with a genuine smile listening to her walk around the cabin slamming various objects and screaming obscenities. That was his Lizzie. He was about to reach for the doorknob, but his anxieties caught up to him.

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." He mumbled opening the door.

He sashayed in going straight for his desk. He heard Lizzie gasp scandalized as if he walked in on her naked or something. Wish I did he thought smirking.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" She questioned eyeing him intently challenging him with her eyes. She didn't know what she could be getting herself into, Captain Jack Sparrow NEVER turns down a challenge.

"Well Lizzie this is my cabin and I should be asking you that question." He responded with his back still facing her.

She paused for a moment waiting for something to say. Finally she responded.

"I got injured."

Jack swiftly turned around and his gaze fell upon the bloody cloth around her entire forearm.

"Ah it's about time, with that mouth; I would have expected it sooner." Jack retorted not backing down.

She rolled her eyes stubbornly. Holding her ground she fired back,

"With your egotistical attitude you should have gotten this-." She pointed to the red gash across her forearm.

"I bloody would have handled it better."

"There you go again with your 'I can do anything better than you' outlook."

"Well I can."

"Okay then Jack prove it. Prove YOU can hold the burden of killing a man, a friend and not telling anyone. Live with a fiancé you do not love and sail on a ship with Barbossa!"

Her face was beet red, fired up by some unknown source. She was gasping for breath eyeing Jack with accusing orbs.

Jack's face softened then turned grim.

"Okay then Lizzie you have had ordeals, but how would you deal with being chained to a ship by someone you… respected and got yourself eaten by a beast that does the bidding of BLOODY DAVY JONES!"

Elizabeth was about to open her mouth to say something but Jack cut her off.

"And tell me Miss. Swann how would you handle being trapped At World's End constantly thinking about what had gotten you into this blood mess!"

She thought for a second at what got him into that disarray and her eyes flashed with realization.

"Yup that's right Lizzie, as a mean of torture Jones replayed that kiss over and over again right before my eyes. It was not the act of the kiss that tortured me; it was that I couldn't do it again…" His face turned grim and he was about to leave but Elizabeth stopped him.

"I don't know Jack. I don't have the faintest idea of how you handled it all." She coaxed him, as a last resort to persuade him into staying. She looked down and twiddled her thumbs. "I really don't want to know either." She patted the spot next to her on the bed for Jack to sit. He gingerly walked over but sat at the edge of the bed.

"It really must have been hard to deal with that Jack, but I wasn't thinking at the time. I was trying to save the rest of the crew and myself. What would you have done Jack hmm? Would you have done it or put everyone's life in danger?" Jack took a moment to think and responded,

"Well Lizzie we were doomed either way you look at it. If I chained you to the mast, you would have died and the crew would have grieved and be spiritually dead or have to live with the guilt that they could have stopped it. If we stayed, we all would have died physically and our spirits would have lived on. Take your pick luv."

Elizabeth looked up at Jack in awe his answer was genuine and entirely true she opened her mouth to react but Jack cut her off.

"But darling, I only have one last question. Why did you kiss me? Weren't there other ways to chain me hmmm?" He was just getting accustomed to flirting with her and pushing her buttons, and hell he was good at it.

Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. Her brain fought with itself for answers and her heart chimed in time to time to retort.

"…it was something that should have been done in, better circumstances but been done none-the-less." She paused to attempt putting her makeshift sling on her wounded arm but she felt Jack's arm slowly pull it over her shoulder.

His hand gently brushed her cheek. He ran his hand along her jaw line and landed on her chin gently forcing it up for her to look at him.

Her face was soft and dazed at Jack's actions but his eyes were already closed and his face was leaning in. She slowly closed her eyes and the words left unsaid and questions unsolved were momentarily forgotten along with Elizabeth's bleeding arm the blood trail slowly leading up to the bed and even got under the covers. The battle may have been a loss, but the war was won, both of them.