The Captain's Treasure

Shock and Hope

Tia's shack

The remaining crew paddles the longboat through the waters to Tia Dalma's shack. Charlotte is sitting wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly ahead. Beside the water dozens of natives stand in the surrounding the shack. They are all holding candles, mourning Jack Sparrow.

Inside the shack, Will absent-mindedly keeps throwing his father's knife into the table top. He watches Charlotte worriedly. She still hasn't spoken, has barely moved, he had to carry her into the shack as she seemed unwilling or perhaps incapable of walking herself so complete was her shock at losing Jack. Elizabeth sits besides her sister, as if guarding her but won't look at her or touch her so deep is her guilt. She thinks to herself that perhaps none of them truly understood just how much Charlotte loved Jack.

Tia carries a tray around to all of them and offers the mugs to Elizabeth.

"Against de cold... and de sorrow." She nods to Charlotte and Elizabeth takes two mugs. Pressing one into Lottie's cold stiff fingers. Her sister doesn't drink, her fingers curl around the cup in muscle memory but her normally bright amber eyes are dull and stare blankly. Elizabeth holds her own mug but doesn't drink.

"It's a shame. I know you're t'inking that wid the Pearl, you coulda captured the devil and set free your fadder's soul." Tia address Will as she hands him a mug.

Will scoffs. "Doesn't matter now. The Pearl's gone. Along with its captain."

Gibbs is standing in the doorway on the side of the shack. "Aye. And already the world seems a bit less bright. He fooled us all right to the end. But I guess that honest streak finally won out. To Jack Sparrow!" Gibbs toasts.

"Never another like Captain Jack." Ragetti toasts.

Pintel sniffs. "He was a gentleman of fortune, he was."

"He was a good man." Elizabeth adds, not noticing how Charlotte flinches at the phrase. They all take a drink out of their mugs, except Elizabeth and Charlotte.

Cotton silently walks over and his Macaw hops from his shoulder to nestle in Charlottes lap, his little beak nibbling at her fingers until she finally starts to lightly stoke his feathers. The first sign any of them have seen from her in hours that she is aware of anything around her.

Will leans forward and address her. "If there was anything could be done to bring him back... Charlotte, you know..."

"Would you do it?" Tia suddenly pops up, animated suddenly. "Hmmm? What... would you? Hmmm? What would any of you be willing to do? Hmmm?" She address everyone in the room. She alone perhaps notices the sudden almost feverish glimmer in Charlottes eyes. "Would you sail to the ends of the eart', and beyond, to fetch back, witty, Jack and 'im precious Pearl?"

Gibbs steps forward first. "Aye."

Pintel and Ragetti are next. "Aye."

Cotton's Macaw squawks from Charlottes lap speaking for his master. "Awk! Aye."

Elizabeth nods and looks at her sister. "Yes."

Will nods as well. "Aye."

They all turn to look at Charlotte, noticing that her eyes are focused on Tia as she steps next to her and gently almost fondly reaches out to brush her hair back from the tear streaked cheeks.

"An you, little princess. Jack's mos' presious treasure. What would you do?"

Everyone is holding their breath as Charlotte finally speaks for the first time in almost a day. He voice is horse from all the tears she has cried and her frantic screams and pleads.

"Anything."

Tia smiles. "Alright. But if you're goin' brave de weird, and haunted shores, at world's end, den... you will need a captain who knows dose waters." She glances over her shoulder and a man wearing boots descends the stairs into the room.

Hector Barbossa glances about at them all, Jack the monkey perched on his shoulder. "So tell me, what's become of my ship?" He asks and bites into a green apple, juice drip down his chin and he laughs as Jack the monkey snarls.

End Book Two.

[On Cannibal Island the drums can be heard beating loudly and the natives are dancing around a bonfire. On the thrown recently occupied by Captain Jack Sparrow sits... A dog, wearing a small crown and holding a large bone and a ring of keys in his mouth.]

A/N: Book three coming soon and most likely in smaller parts as opposed to all at once like book two was. This is the story I have been waiting to tell since starting this. Losing Jack will change Charlotte in fundamental ways, making her realize who and what she truly needs to be in order to be in control of her own destiny. Jack also is changed in some subtle ways by Charlotte's inclusion in his life and his motivations for certain things have shifted, but he will always remain the one and only Captain Jack Sparrow.

I also have some final decisions I have to make on the levels of detail and heat for upcoming smutty scenes. (If anyone has feedback on that let me know.)

Keep a weather eye me hearties. YOHO!