guess what!

"What of Norrington?" Gibbs asked. We had just been pulled aboard the Pearl, and we were rushing to get Isla Cruces out of our sights.

"He fell behind," Jack said grimly, snatching his coat as someone offered it to him. He then walked to the helm. His jar of dirt was clutched to his chest.

"My prayers be with him." Gibbs said solemnly, crossing himself. Then he brightened considerably. "Best not wallow in our grief!" He ran off to yell at the crew.

I treaded after Jack, as I had nothing better to do.

"What now, Jack?" I asked.

He shook his head. "We follow the plan."

I raised an eyebrow. "I've been hearing a lot about this plan, but I have yet to see it executed."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. "That's because there is no plan."

"That's what I thought."

Gibbs trotted up to us. "We need to put as much distance between us and this island as possible."

Jack nodded, frowned, then shook his head. "The further we are from shore the more vulnerable we are to the kraken..." He whimpered, looking into the horizon. It was noon; the sun hadn't yet sunk to shadow the Pearl.

"Yes..." Gibbs agreed slowly. "But on the bright side, you're back and made it off free and clear!"

Almost as if Davy Jones had been listening, the Flying Dutchman burst forth from the water, in all of its algae and seaweed glory, and hove to next to us. Davy Jones himself stood at the railing, looking murderous. I glanced at Jack, who was keeping a carefully blank face.

"Jack, what--" I began.

"Let me 'andle this," He brushed me off and started forward, holding his jar off dirt securely. I watched in anticipation.

"Hey, fish-face!" He called across the water. I groaned inwardly. "Lose something? Eh? Scrungilli--" He hadn't been watching where he was going, and he tripped down the stairs and onto the lower deck. There was a collective oh of sympathy from the Pearl's crew. I winced.

"Got it!" Jack raised the jar over the railing, then popped up after it. "Come to negotiate, have you, you slimy git?" He sauntered forward, past Will and Elizabeth, who looked extremely confused. I hopped down the steps to stand with them, staring at Jack.

"Look what I got!" Jack exclaimed, grinning. "I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt, and guess what's inside it!" He sang, very out of tune, and brandished the jar. I groaned out loud this time.

Jack's shenanigans didn't work as effectively as he wanted. Jones whirled around, to his crew. "Enough!" He snarled.

The caps on the side of the Dutchman lowered, and huge cannons slowly emerged from the holes.

I put my head in my hands, cursing softly in cannibal tongue. Jack had taught me a few cusses after our brief visit.

Jack's playful face fell. "Hard to starboard..." He said quietly, sending an unreadable glance at me.

I spun around, after giving him a questioning glance. "Hard to starboard!" I screeched.

"Brace up the foreyard!" Will yelled, gesturing for the crew to hurry.

The crew scurried around. I started to run to help them, but Jack gripped my hand. I glanced down at our joined fingers and then back up at him. His face was pensieve.

He abruptly dragged me away, to the helm. He jerked me to a stop, pulling me into his side, and we gazed at the crew as they scrambled to prepare the cannons. The Dutchman had already fired a few; the railings one the right side were a splintered mess.

Mr. Gibbs was frantically spinning the ship's wheel; I glanced back at him fearfully. A thousand what ifs flew through my head.

What if they caught up?

What if the Pearl went down?

What if Jack was lost to the locker?...

I shook my head, my hair swishing around my waist. I wouldn't let that happen.

Jack raised my chin with one finger and locked eyes with me. I dropped my gaze to his lips, and then up. No, no, stop...

"They're givin' up!" Marty yelled. His huge voice, coming from his tiny body, echoed around deck, and followed by an array of cheers. I started and looked away from Jack's mesmerizing eyes. Jack pulled me closer to him, and set his jar of dirt on the railing.

"It's not over, is it?" I murmured.

He gave me a slight shake of the head. My stomach dropped to the floor. A single idea filled my head, bouncing around the corners, taunting, consuming my train of thought.

The Black Spot.

It was still there, resting seemingly innocently across his palm. It was still there, calling to the kraken...

Just as I put the puzzle pieces together, a tremor shook the Pearl. Jack's jar jolted, then toppled off its perch. "My jar of dirt!" Jack exclaimed, and bolted down to the deck, releasing my wrist. He had been clenching it so hard that there were red marks staining my tan.

I followed him quickly, as the crew rushed to the railing to peer over the side.

"Where is it?" Jack cried, sifting his hands frantically through the broken glass and sediment. I knelt beside him and stared, petrified, at the dirt. "Where is the thump, thump?"

"It's not here, Jack," I commented quietly.

"It's not a reef!" I heard Will call faintly. "It's the kraken!"

Raising his head, Jack stared at me in horror. I gazed into his gorgeous, brown eyes, which reflected such fear I could feel his terror seeping into my soul. I let my eyes slide over his beautiful features before gripping his arm and pulling him up.

"Jack Sparrow," I said, not breaking his gaze. "You will not give up." I stared at him hard, forcing him to listen.

He stared at me for a full minute, then nodded curtly and jerked himself away; a different type of determination settling into his face. He swung around and sauntered quickly off, toward the cabin.

I whirled around myself and headed below decks, to help the crew prepare to fire.

As I passed a port hole, I glanced out. As soon as my gaze reached the water, I gasped and froze.

There were greenish, slimy, tentacles slowly reaching up, out of the ocean, inching up the sides of the Pearl.

I shook myself and pressed on, bellowing insults and encouragement at the crew. I took a cannon next to Will, who, as he had fought it before, apparently, was leading. Elizabeth and him were sharing a broadside.

"Will..." Elizabeth whimpered as the kraken's 'arms' slid their way over the gaps. The undersides of the tentacles were embossed with little pulsating suction cups, slapping against the ship with an unpleasant sound.

"Will..." Elizabeth said again, significantly more panicked.

"Hold," Will held up a hand, steadying the crew, who were all slowly teetering on the edge of frenzy.

"I think we've held long enough!" I hissed, preparing to light the cannon.

"Will!" Elizabeth screeched.

"Fire!" He yelled.

Almost in synch, the cannons were fired and the kraken shrank away, blood pouring from its injuries, into the sea. We all shouted in jubilation, ecstatic at our victory. I was one of the first to sober. I knew we hadn't defeated the beast. The worst was yet to come.

Almost in answer, the kraken shot out of the water and into the ship. The tentacles came in, knocking everything aside, damaging everything it could reach. I watched in a horrified fascination as a sailor was pulled out of the boat, screaming at the top of his lungs. I stumbled back, unable to comprehend.

Suddenly, I was seized from behind. A gag was forced into my mouth, and I kicked my legs, struggling with all I had. I screamed as someone roughly bound my hands, then my feet, I was vaguely aware of being on the floor, not below decks as I was previously. My head was covered with a gunny sack, and I felt myself being drug away, then (sort of) gently being tossed downward. I could tell by the rocking motion that I was in a boat.

The wood beneath me swelled, and I rolled a bit, cursing in every tongue I knew, though it was muffled by the gag.

I was rowed quite a bit before I was pulled up, and the bag and gag removed. I shook the frizzled hair out of my eyes, preparing to send an onslaught of profanities at my kidnapper. Instead, I just stared.

Jack leaned forward and untied the gag from around my neck, his hands gentle. I gazed at him in confusion, then turned to look back at the ship.

Then it clicked.

"You're running away..." I whispered. He watched me carefully, never quite meeting my eyes. He was ashamed, I could tell.

"I'm saving you. Us." He countered, staring into his lap.

"Why are you saving me?" I asked.

"Adeena, love--"

"Why aren't you saving your loyal and faithful crew, who have stuck with even when you were being an idiotic bastard?"

"Please, understand--"

"Why not the Pearl, which you have gone through hell to retrieve?"

"Adeena--"

"Why-"

I was cut off as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to mine in a sweet, chaste kiss. I was so startled that I didn't kiss back, or pull away, or do much of anything, just close my eyes and grip his hand as he wound his fingers with mine.

He pulled away, resting his forehead on mine. "I'm saving you because I care about you," He said, gently undoing the knots on my wrists. I helped him, adjusting my hands as needed. "More than anyone else in the entire world, and I couldn't live with myself if you were sent to the locker." He backed away a bit, so I could meet his eyes. He hesitated only slightly. "Because I love you."

I gazed at him, my lips parted. "What?" I said so quietly, I was surprised he heard it.

"I love you." He half smiled, then leaned forward.

He kissed me again, but softly, as if he were afraid. When I didn't pull away, but I wrapped my arms around his neck, he got more bold. Hot shivers ran down my spine.

He kissed me, a hot and passionate kiss, pulling us into the bottom of the boat. Somewhere in the world, golden fireworks were exploding. I moaned into his mouth and he clumsily worked on the buttons to my shirt; I smiled and then gasped as he turned me over and straddled my hips. He broke away and gazed down at me, grinning like an idiot. I smiled at him, and he leaned back down, but I stopped him.

"I have to tell you something," I whispered. He hovered over my lips.

"Mm?"

"I love you--"

I was going to say more, but he pressed his lips to mine again. His tongue traced my bottom lip and I opened my mouth, allowing him to enter. He murmured the phrase back to me as he moved to my neck.

"Jack," I whispered, as he nipped at my skin. I forced myself to push him away. There were more pressing matters at hand...

"I forgive you," I said, louder, and turned my face to look at him. He backed away slightly, looking as if he would protest. "But you have to go back."

He immediately stiffened, looking uncomfortable. "I..."

"Jack." I gave him a look, and reluctantly retied my sash. He allowed me to sit up, but I was practically in his lap.

He glared at me, but there was a glint of amusement in his chocolate eyes. "Fine. But before I do anything more..."

He reached into his mane of dreadlocks and tugged at a blood red Jamaican bead; he pulled it out easily and showed it to me. I gave him a questioning glance.

He smiled. "This was the first one I tied in. I think it would look better, though..." He reached around my neck and unclasped my locket. I watched as he slid the bead on and then replaced the chain under my hair. "...if you keep it here."

I fingered the bead and gazed at him. "Thank you," I whispered hoarsely. He kissed me softly in response.

And before I could say anything else, he was tying my wrists again. I glanced from him to the ropes, incredulous, my mind still numbed from the intensity of what just happened and what I was still feeling. "Jack, what..." I gasped indignantly and began to struggle again. "You can't leave me behind!"

"I have to," He said, looking pained for a moment, but then unable to keep a small smirk off of his face. "I can't risk it."

With that, he grabbed the oars and rowed us back to the ship. Once we were considerably closer, he dove off the boat and into the water, and began to swim to the Pearl.

"Jack Sparrow!" I screamed, turning over so I could see the Pearl. He was climbing up the side, finding the footholds and ledges out of memory. "When I get off this boat I will fucking, kill you!" I called him a series of very rude, very inappropriate things, but he didn't turn around, and I wasn't magically transported to the ship.

Concluding that screaming wouldn't solve my problems, I set to free myself. After much struggling, I jerked my hands free, and started on my feet. Jack had tied them quite well. I made a mental note to slap him later.

I craned my neck to look at the ship as an explosion rocked the water. There was only one thing that could make that sort of boom...

"The rum? Are you kidding me!" I shrieked.

I rolled my eyes, resolving that I would slap a certain captain more than once later, then went back to the knots.

"Ah ha!" I undid the final knot and threw the ropes into the air, doing a sort of happy dance. "Take that, Captain Sparrow..."

"Adeena! Hey! Adeena!"

I turned. I could see the remainder of the crew rowing toward me in a small boat. Will was at the back, and waving. It had been his voice calling me. He didn't look very happy. In fact, he looked a mixture of furious and miserable, and about as solemn as I had ever seen him.

I grabbed the oars and stroked to them, climbing inside once I reached the small boat. "Hi!" I exclaimed, almost giddy. They were safe, I was safe, Jack was safe...

Wait. Jack?

"Where is--where's Jack?" I asked quietly, all of the happiness suddenly sucked out of me.

Everyone turned their gaze away from me. I glanced around at them, un-accepting. "No, seriously. Where is Jack?"

Elizabeth met my eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Ragetti. "Look," He raised a shaking finger and pointed at the Pearl...

The kraken had a hold of the ship, and was slowly pulling it down, down beneath the sparkling waves, its slimy tentacles ripping and tearing the beautiful ship to shreds. The kraken was taking the ship down, and along with her...

"Jack..." I whispered. My world shook, and I turned to them. "Jack is on the Pearl still."

They stared at me. "Jack is still there!" I yelled, as if they hadn't heard me. "Turn around!" My vision blurred.

"It was his choice, Adeena," Elizabeth turned to me. Her voice was shaky and she sounded as if she would cry herself. Guilt radiated from her as she attempted to calm me. "He wanted to stay behind. To give us--you--a chance."

I shook my head. The tears were there but they wouldn't come. My throat constricted and my eyes burned, I wanted to just sob and let it all out, but I couldn't. "No, he wouldn't do that to me! He's..."

I let my gaze flit out over the innocent waves again, finding the blackened hull of the Pearl. Jack, I thought.

"He's gone." I said quietly.

Elizabeth took my hand as the tears came, all of a sudden, silent as they spilled down my cheeks. "And the Pearl," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Gone." I ignored the stares of the remaining crew.

Elizabeth's eyes were suspiciously shining when she tucked my hair back. "I'm so sorry," She said in a choked voice. "If I'd known that you would..." She stopped, and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry." She said again, shaking her head. She was crying too, now.

I wrapped my arms around Elizabeth and we held onto each other, doing our best to give condolences. I watched as the sails fell, never to be seen again.

"See you." I whispered softly to myself, gripping Elizabeth's hand.