Captain of His Heart

Chapter Sixteen

      The next morning, Jacqueline was led, alongside Jack, to her execution. They now stood on the giant wooden platform, nooses hanging around their necks.

      "Jacqueline Everleigh." Captain. "You are being charged with piracy, smuggling..." She listened to her crimes, and even snickered to herself at some of the memories it brought back. At one point, she heard Jack laugh quietly, in which she threw him an amused look.

      "Jack Sparrow."

      "Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow." She giggled as she heard Jack mutter to himself. "For your crimes against the Crown..." She focused in on Jack's sentences. "Impersonating a cleric of the Church of England..." She chortled at that. Jack chuckled along with her. 

      "For these crimes, you two are sentenced to be hung by the neck until death. May God have mercy on your souls." She gulped. Despite laughing with Jack, a sense of fear clouded over her. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to see Jack die. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone with a really big hat pushing through the crowd. She felt herself drop in the next moment, but she didn't fall all the way, because something had landed under her feet. She cast her eyes to the ground to find a sword wedged into the wood under her. She struggled to stay that way, as the sword seemed very flimsy. She glanced at Jack and saw him at the same level as her. When she looked back, she found Will in front of them. Young Turner rushed up the stage and clashed swords with the executioner. Jacqueline found a safe spot for her foot as the two fighting brushed past her. At one point, Jacqueline felt a pressure lift from her neck and she tumbled to the ground. She pulled the sword out from its place in the wood. She climbed up the platform and cut Jack loose, then swore to herself as she saw all the guards that bolted towards them. She jumped to the side just in time as the executioner fell into the crowd, knocking the guards down with him. She sniggered, then bolted away with Jack, not long before a soldier cut her off. She fought off three of them, and when she got a glimpse of ahead of her, she almost laughed. Will and Jack wielded a rope to take down their opponents. Jacqueline took out her own man, losing her sword in the process. She chased after her two allies. She caught up with them right as they were surrounded by men armed, their weapons pointed straight at the three.

      "Nice of you to join us at the perfect moment." She stomped on Jack's foot, which shut him up.

      "I thought we might have to endure some ill-conceived escape attempt, but not from you." She tilted her head to her left, finding Norrington, speech directed towards William. She watched the governor approach.

      "I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing the lot in with them? They're pirates." 

      "He's a good man. She's a good woman." She smiled to herself. A non-pirate calling a pirate a good man? Especially a man from Port Royal? It's a new era.

      "If this means the hangman will earn three more pairs of boots instead of two, so be it. My conscience will be clear." That right there is a good man. Jacqueline couldn't help the warmth she felt.

      "You forget your place, Turner."

      "It's right here between you and the two captains." She at last caught Jack's eye, in which she gave him a smirk. His eyes lightened, and he offered her one in return. 

      "As is mine." She focused back on Will, who now had Elizabeth next to him. Jack and her turned their entire bodies to face the scene.

      "Elizabeth. Lower your weapons! Put them down!" The girl's father commanded, and Jacqueline glared at one man who had his gun aimed at her head.

      "So this is where your heart truly lies?" She could hear the heartbreak in Norrington's voice, something she recognized from her past self. Tragic, really. 

      "It is." Jacqueline pitied the man, and she tried to look anywhere but at the three. When she peered up at the sky, a vivid blue and yellow captured her attention. She nudged Jack, and the two watched Cotton's parrot fly off in the direction of the ocean. They came back. She met Jack's eyes once again, filled with hope and determination.

      "Well, on that note, I'm actually feeling rather good about this." Jack departed from her side, strutting over to Elizabeth's father.

      "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh?" The governor drew his face away in disgust as Jack entered the man's personal space. "Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically?" He sauntered over to the Commodore next.

      "I want you to know I was rooting for you mate." Jack marched back over to where Jacqueline stood.

      "Elizabeth." She spun around to face him. 

      It would have never worked between us, darling." Jacqueline rolled her eyes. Jack tugged on her hand, and they made their way to the wall where Elizabeth had first fallen over the edge.

      "Will." Will faced Jack. "Nice hat." Jack let go of her hand as he backed all the way to the ledge. She refused to do the same, as she'd a bad feeling about Jack's clumsiness.

      "This is the day that you will always remember as the day that—" As she'd suspected, Jack's foot slipped, and he released a scream as he fell over. She jumped up to the wall and peered down. Luckily, Sparrow had avoided the rocks.

      "Idiot." She said, not caring who heard. She spun around to find men with confused and amused expressions.

      "You all know what he was going to say, I won't finish it for him. Will," she nodded to the boy, "I appreciate everything you've done. Best of luck to you, mate." Will grinned, and she pinpointed Norrington.

      "As for the rest of you. Especially you, Commodore. Luckily for you, I've a feeling this is not the last you'll be seeing of Captain Jacqueline Everleigh." After her farewell, Jacqueline didn't hesitate to back flip into the water. She choked back a yelp, and soon collided with the waves. She swam to the surface, and found Jack already boarding the Pearl. She quickly made her way across the sea, and was soon helped up by Gibbs, onto the Pearl. Jack waited for her there, and led her by the arm to the helm. He immediately glued himself to the wheel, and Jacqueline watched him, bemused.

      "Congratulations, Jack. You got the Pearl back." He beamed at her, and she herself felt at peace just from his reaction.

      "Not only the Pearl. You too." Her cheeks flushed red, and she whipped her head to the empty ocean.

      "Let's get you back to the Vengeance, aye?" She looked at Jack once more and nodded. Without another word, she ran off, found two bottles of rum, and returned. Jacqueline handed one off to Jack, who uncorked it instantly. She echoed his action, and the two clinked their bottles together, and said in unison,

      "Drink up me hearties yo ho!"