Rose of the Sea

Growing Powers

Jack's POV:

I stare into the mouth of my bottle of rum, tilting it so the last few drops dribble onto the charts in front of me. "Why is the rum always gone..." I mutter to myself.

I grab the lantern off the table and descend the stairs to the rum locker in the belly of the Pearl's hold. Most of the racks are empty, but there's one bottle at the very end of the row. I tug on it once, but it doesn't budge. After tugging again, it cracks loose. The glass is covered in barnacles, but it's weight is promising. I uncork it, but after looking inside, I flip it over for a stream of sand to pour out.

"Time's run out Jack."

The empty rum bottle shatters against the floor. I turn around, searching the dark corners for the source of the very familiar voice. A voice  I haven't heard in years. "Bootstrap?"

He walks out of the shadows, smiling weakly. "Jack, you look good."

I take in his appearance, his hair matted into strings, barnacles spotting his face and clothes. 

What in the hell happened to him? 

"Is this a dream?" I mutter.

"No." He replies curtly.

I grimace. "I thought not if it were there'd be rum."

Bootstrap grins at me and holds up a rum bottle. I pry it from his grasp and sniff the mouth of the bottle. 

Rum...

"You got the Pearl back I see." He remarks, looking around.

"I actually had some help with that." I point to him. "Your son."

His eyes widen. "William?" I nod. "So he ended up a pirate after all." He mutters.

I shrug, taking a swig of rum. "Given a liberal definition of the word 'pirate.' He's got an unhealthy streak of honesty to him."

Bootstrap smiles at the thought of his son. "That's something then. Though no credit to me."

I take a step towards him. "So what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Davy Jones." He says, sending a shiver down my spine. "He sent me as an emissary."

"Ah, so it's you he sent. He towed you into service then."

"I chose it." He snaps. "I'm sorry for the part I played in the mutiny against you, Jack." His gaze falls to the floor. "Everything went wrong after that. I ended up cursed, doomed to the depths of the ocean, the weight of the water crushing down on me. unable to move... unable to die. All I could do was think. Think about the tiniest flicker of hope of escaping the fate I had been dealt."

I take another gulp of rum. "That is the kind of thinking that catches his attention."

"You made a deal with him too Jack." He points out. "He raised the Pearl from the depths for you, and thirteen years you've been her Captain."

I hold up my hands. "Technically-"

"No!" He cuts me off, shaking his head. "You won't be able to talk your way out of this one." He snatches a crab off of a nearby crate and tosses it into his mouth. "The terms that applied to me apply to you, as well. One hundred years before the mast."

I wince at the thought. "The Flying Dutchman already has a captain, so there's no need for me."

"Then it'll be the locker for you!" Bootstrap exclaims. "Jones' leviathan will find you, drag the Pearl back to the depths, and take you along with it."