Jack rubbed his hand along the smooth, weather-worn black wood of the Pearl. They were abandoning ship, leaving her behind once more. He'd done a lot to get her back, and now they were throwing her away...

"Jack," He turned. Elizabeth was there, looking a bit hesitant. He studied her, his expression unreadable. "You came back."

He smiled grimly. "We aren't free yet, darling."

She moved forward, very close. Jack's heartbeat sped up. She was too close. "I always knew you were a good man..." She whispered.

Her gaze flickered to his lips. Jack didn't tear his eyes from hers. He was very concerned about this. No, Adeena wouldn't be happy at all. Not at all. He'd just got her back, and now...

Elizabeth leaned in, hesitantly, and pressed her mouth to his. Jack's eyelids fluttered close, he couldn't help it, and he let her push him backwards. He tried a few times to move his arms, to push her away before things got too...heated (Too late), but she wouldn't let him.

And as his back hit the mast, he heard a click. Something cool closed around his wrist.

Jack opened his eyes as Elizabeth pulled away. They were still a breath width's apart, but the bubble that she had weaved around them popped. He glanced down, his heart beating like mad, but for a different reason.

He was chained to the mast.

Elizabeth Swann, the innocent, honorable, beautiful, sweet daughter of the governor had chained him to the mast, to be eaten alive by the kraken.

Her breathing hadn't slowed, as Jack's had. "This is the only way, don't you see?" She whispered, holding him immobile. A small, snide smile spread across Jack's face. "It's after you, not the ship, don't you see? I have to..."

He knew that wasn't the only reason she had set him up. She was afraid, afraid that she was falling for him. Afraid that she was moving on from Will. Jack couldn't help but think for a moment that he tended to have that effect on women, but the idea vanished as she leaned forward again, as if on instinct, almost brushing her lips against his. She pulled away. "I...I don't regret it."

There was a heavy silence. Jack forced himself to not hyperventilate.

"Pirate," Jack called her, almost admiringly. "Do me a favor, love?"

Elizabeth's brow furrowed.

"Tell Adeena I'm sorry," He used his right hand, the one not chained to the mast, to gently push her away.

Elizabeth smiled grimly, and took a step back. "You're a good man, Jack. Don't forget."

With that, she left, and Jack watched her leave, a small smile gracing his features, then turned his gaze to the cuffs holding him to the mast.

He pulled at them, cursing mentally, and shaking the chains furiously. "Buggar, buggar, buggar!" Finally, he turned, and his sharp eyes swept the deck, looking for anything to help.

Jack almost lost himself to panic as the deck of the Pearl shifted and groaned. He paused and did another frantic scan, his gaze darting from the discarded jacket, that torn piece of canvas, a spilt bucket, an oil lantern...

The oil lantern. Jack drew his sword, and leaned forward with it, trying to hook the handle of the lantern with the tip.

He strained against his bonds, praying to anyone who might be listening. At last, the blade hooked the lantern and Jack swung it around, to the mast.

The glass shattered, and the golden oil leaked everywhere. Jack hurriedly held the leaky lantern over his hand, and the oil dripped all over his sleeve, his rings, and the cuffs.

He threw the lantern aside and sheathed his sword, then began on sliding his hand out of the cuff.

He yanked and twisted and pulled, hissing. "Come on! Come on..." He pulled as hard as he could. If he was going to die, he wasn't going down without a fight.

A small smirk lit up Jack's face as his hand began to slide, and he twisted his fingers, adjusting the rings so they weren't in the way.

"Ah-ha!" He pulled his hand free and swayed, grinning.

Then, before he could celebrate further, Jack became very aware of a stench. The stench of a thousand corpses...

He slowly turned around, all of his previous joy vanished, and he focused on breathing through his mouth, as to not smell the stink that was coming from the kraken...

The kraken's mouth was posed just outside the railing, rows and rows of stained teeth, rotting gums, and slimy, sticky saliva. Before Jack could even make a witty comment on its dental hygiene (He didn't have much room to talk) the kraken took a breath, and roared.

Galleons of disgusting kraken snot flew out and covered Jack, who winced and stood still as he waited for the onslaught of grossness to end. He felt the goo stop, and he cautiously opened his eyes. He shivered, it was so disgusting, and wrong, just standing there, living in it.

Jack reached up and wiped some of the slime out of his eyes. "Not so bad," He said lightly, though every particle of his being was screaming, EWW-EWW-EWW!

He glanced down, to see if the rest of him was as slimy as his face was, and he noticed a very familiar hat at his feet.

"Oh!" He bent over and grabbed the hat, ignoring the groans and growls emitting from the kraken's mouth, and pulled it over his red bandana. He felt more confident just having the familiar hug around his ears.

He drew his sword, grinning wickedly. This was what legends were made of. The Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, charging into the mouth of a kraken.

Well, Jack thought privately, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. How much more legend could you ask for?

He took up a defiant and proud stature. "'Ello, Beastie," He said, grinning defiantly at death.

And Captain Jack Sparrow leapt forward, challenging the kraken, a man and a pointy stick versus a human-eating beast with hundreds of tentacles that can suck your face clean off.

He raised his cutlass, and plunged into the mouth of the kraken, the Black Spot fading as Jack Sparrow's debt to Davy Jones was fulfilled.