[  cliffhangers are mean  ]

✵︎

HELL YES, ELIZABETH!

MALAYSHA COULD FEEL THE OCEAN FLOOR UNDERNEATH HER BACK as her eyes fluttered open. Up above, she could see the moonlight barely breaking through the ocean as marine life swam above her.

Confusion washed over her. Wasn't she supposed to be dead?

Her hand went to her throat, not finding any kind of wound from when Barbossa slit her throat. But all she felt was smooth skin.

What the hell?

Mal looked around at her surroundings, just seeing the ocean. Her tail had sprouted of course, ruining her pants. But she was still in her billowing shirt with her belt around her waist, her bag of money hanging from it.

Her bag of money.

Her bag of money that contained a few coins from Isla de Muerta that she'd grabbed before she understood what the curse was.

She perked up in an instant, realizing what she'd done. She'd inadvertently saved her own life. Meaning she could save the others. Quickly, she swam to the surface and looked around.

In the distance, she could see the island that Jack and Elizabeth were no doubt marooned on. And at first, she moved toward them. But what could she do to save them? She couldn't swim with both of them in her arms.

No, her best bet was to find help. Her best bet was the free Will and the crew.

Malaysha cast one longing glance at the island, wishing she had time to tell her father that she was alive. But she'd have to swim fast and far to catch up to the Black Pearl if she wanted to reach them before they got to Isla de Muerta.

✵︎

Will was locked in a cell like the rest, doing his best to ignore the crew's complaining. Most were saying that this was his fault, and really, it was given that the whole rescue mission was his idea in the first place. But at least the crew wasn't harmed. Barbossa would decide what to do with them eventually — either release them in Tortuga or put them to work.

As for Will, his fate was sealed as they headed back to Isla de Muerta.

He leaned his head back against the bars with his eyes closed, trying to sleep now that the complaining had stopped. He tried to relax, but there was a hole in the ship next to him — not large enough to escape from, unfortunately. But it was right at sea level, so every now and then, water would splash on him, making his time in the cell so much worse.

"Will," someone whispered.

He groaned and opened his eyes, looking toward the other cells to see who was bothering him. But most everyone seemed to be asleep, which confused him. Then he heard it again.

"Will."

He looked around again, not spotting anyone trying to get his attention.

"Christ, Sailor Boy. I'm at the wall."

Will finally faced the hole in the wall, scooting closer until he could see out of it. And there, holding onto the side of the ship was Malaysha.

His heart stopped for a moment, and his brain convinced him he'd gone mad. But he hadn't been locked up long enough to start feeling crazy. So, she must've been real.

"Laysha?" he breathed out, getting as close as he could with the ship separating them. "How? He killed you."

Malaysha smiled, and he had missed the sight of it. He smiled from just seeing it.

"I may have... stolen some gold from the island not thinking the curse would affect me because it wasn't the gold from the chest," she said sheepishly. "But here I am."

"And Elizabeth and Jack?"

"On the island. We'll go back for them once the rest of you are free," she explained. "If we let Barbossa break the curse, we can kill him. Just have to make sure he doesn't kill you first."

But Will shook his head, hating the plan. He reached through the hole, finding her hand to hold tightly. "You need to swim fast and far, Malaysha. I cannot lose you."

"Aren't you listening, silly. I can't die. Not until I return the gold," she reminded him, squeezing his hand back. "I'll be okay. You may not see me, but I'll be there for every second of the ceremony. I won't let you die."

✵︎

Malaysha slithered silently through the water of the caves, going to the same spot she'd rescued Elizabeth at, just behind the mountain of gold. And while she was waiting for Barbossa, Will, and the crew to arrive, she pulled the pieces of Aztec gold from her pouch and returned them, sacrificing a few drops of blood as she did so to ensure she broke the curse she'd accidentally placed on herself.

Finally, she heard as Barbossa led everyone into the main cave, Will shoved along with his hands behind his back. Mal hid behind a rock and poked her head out, watching silently.

"No reason to fret. Just a prick of the finger. A few drops of blood," Pintel was telling Will.

But Twigg shoved past and shook his head. "No mistakes this time. He's only half Turner. We spill it all."

Pintel seemed to find a good amount of delight from that. "I guess there is reason to fret."

Much like Elizabeth had been, Will was pushed close to the stone chest and shoved to his knees. And Koehler shoved Will's head forward so that he was directly over the chest, the medallion hanging low around his throat.

Getting ready, Mal silently climbed out of the water, her tail melting away into legs.

Barbossa grabbed the stone knife and ensured it was sharp enough. But before he could use it — and before Mal could interrupt, someone else did.

"Excuse me. Pardon me. Beg pardon."

Mal's eyes went wide as she spotted her father politely making his way to the front of the crowd. And Barbossa was just as shocked as he stared at the man.

"Jack!" Will exclaimed in disbelief.

"Father!" Malaysha couldn't help but exclaim, standing up.

And that shocked everyone a lot more than seeing Jack. Barbossa whirled around, his eyes wide and face as white as a sheet. Meanwhile, Jack looked overwhelmed with pure joy.

"Sunfish!" he shouted, fighting the urge to run and hug her. She was behind Barbossa, after all.

"That's not possible," Barbossa said, looking between the two Sparrows that shouldn't have been there.

"Not probable," Jack corrected. "Though cannot for the life o' me explain how Malaysha is here."

"What can I say? I like shiny things — even Aztec gold," she shrugged, making Barbossa think she was still under the curse. Her glare was fixed on Barbossa. "You made a promise, so I will too. You're gonna die at the hands of a Sparrow, Captain. I don't care which one of us."

"It's adorable really, that you think you're threatening," Barbossa said condescendingly. "Not when neither of us can be killed."

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will then asked, worried about the girl that was unaccounted for.

"She's safe," Jack assured him, "just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington
just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word really, except for Elizabeth, who is in fact... a woman."

Pirates surrounded Jack as Barbosa pointed the knife at him. "Shut up! You're next!" Then he again put the knife to Will's throat.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate," Jack said innocently, rocking on his feet.

"No, I really think I do," Barbossa said, glancing back at him.

Jack shrugged. "Your funeral."

Barbossa pressed the blade to Will's throat but he couldn't help his curiosity. "Why don't I want to do it?"

"Well, because," Jack said, shrugging off the pirates and stepping closer. "Because the H.M.S. Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just off shore, waiting for you."

That made Barbossa truly hesitate.

"Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the Dauntless, they do what they do best. Robert's your uncle, Fannie's your aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. Of course, you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl?"

Jack smiled and spread his hands, clearly indicating to himself. He strolled toward Will and the chest.

"Name me Captain. I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder, and you get to introduce yourself  as 'Commodore Barbossa.' Savvy?"

"And I suppose in exchange, you want me not to kill the whelp?"

"No, no no, not at all," Jack said, shaking his head. "By all means, kill the whelp. Doing me a favor so he doesn't break my Sunfish's heart. Just not yet. Wait to
lift the curse until the opportune moment."

Will met Jack's gaze with a scowl, only to recognize his phrasing. He realized that Jack was planning something — something good.

"For instance," Jack said, scooping up the Aztec coins. "After you've killed Norrington's men." He began dropping the coins, eventuating his words. "Every - Last - One."

Mal hid the smile on her face when she saw her father keep one of the coins, hiding it in his palm. As Barbossa gave the plan some thought, Will played into the story.

"You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name," he accused.

"Yeah," Jack shrugged.

"I want fifty per cent of your plunder," Barbossa argued.

"Fifteen," Jack countered.

"Forty."

"Twenty-five, and I'll buy you the hat. A really big one, Commodore."

Barbossa smiled, pleased enough. "We have an accord."

They shook hands before Jack turned around in grand fashion and addressed the pirates. "All hands — to the boats!" But when Barbossa glared at him, he backed down. "Apologies, you give the orders."

Barbossa stepped ahead of Jack. "Gents — take a walk!"

Jack's grin vanished, and Mal was just as confused. "Not to the boats?"

✵︎

As soon as the pirates cleared out of the cave, Jack rushed to Malaysha, hugging her tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he ordered.

"Wasn't like it was my fault," she said before glaring at Barbossa, who shrugged innocently.

"I must admit, Jack," Barbossa spoke up. "I thought I had you figured. But turns out, you're a hard man to predict."

Jack just shook his head, moving in front of Mal protectively. "Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly! It's the honest ones you want to watch out for. Because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid."

As he spoke, he neared a pirate examining some of the treasure. In one quick move, he pulled his sword from the scabbard and kicked him in the water before tossing the sword to Will. Though he was surprised, he caught it behind his back — his hands were still bound.

Mal was quite impressed as he knocked the pirate guarding him back into the water.

"Sunfish, take care of them," Jack said while taking out his own sword.

Mal grinned wickedly and dived into the water. As soon as she could feel her fangs coming in, she sought out the two pirates still splashing around. They may not come die, but they could be dismembered.

Their screams echoed around the cave wall, and by the time Mal was done with them, she was covered in their blood, emerging from the water on two legs.

Will was holding off three pirates as Jack and Barbossa dueled furiously. And much to her surprise, Barbossa stabbed his sword into Jack's chest only for nothing to happen. He stumbled back into a beam of moonlight, his body becoming skeletal. It seemed both Sparrows had gone and gotten themselves cursed. 

"That's interesting," Jack noted, looking at his hands. In one was the Aztec coin, which he flicked between his fingers.

Knowing that her father would be okay, Mal focused on Will, who was losing his fight. Just as the three pirates thrust their swords at him, Will jumped out of the way and ran, it ending with two of the pirates sticking their swords in each other as Mal tackled the third. She wrestled the sword out of his grip and joined in the fight.

"So what now, Jack Sparrow? Are we to be two immortals, locked in an epic battle 'til Judgment Day and trumpets sound? Hmmm?" Barbossa asked Jack tauntingly.

"Or you could surrender," Jack shrugged before dodging an attack.

Jacoby, who Mal had been fighting off, began pulling grenades from his pockets, throwing them toward Will.

"Why do you just have those?" Malaysha asked in disbelief, swinging her sword at his chest. But of course, it didn't do him any harm.

Will was thrown to the ground by the explosion and lost his sword. Malaysha backed her way toward him to protect him, Jacoby following after.

"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain!" he threatened.

"You like pain?" Elizabeth suddenly asked from behind. Just as Jacoby turned; she appeared, swinging a long gaffe and knocking him to the side. "Try wearing a corset."

"Hell yes, Elizabeth!" Mal exclaimed, proud of the girl for joining the fight.

Then both Mal and Elizabeth gave Will a hand up. But then Elizabeth noticed Jack's skeletal form.

"Whose side is Jack on?"

"At the moment?" Will questioned, not quite knowing the answer.

"He's on ours," Mal assured them as Jacoby prepared another bomb.

Will for an idea then. He moved between the pirates, parrying their blows. He helped Elizabeth thrust the gaffe, using it to hook all three pirates together with Jacoby in the middle. They were pushed back into the moonlight, revealing their skeletal forms. Then, Will grabbed one of the bombs and ignited the fuse before thrusting it in Jacoby's chest.

Then they were shoved out of the moonlight. Jacoby clutched his now-flesh chest with no way to get the bomb out. Smoke escaped his mouth as he opened it. "No fair!"

Mal grabbed Elizabeth and Will, yanking them both out of the way just before the bomb exploded. Then Mal sat up on her elbows, watching her father fight.

Barbossa was clearly frustrated beyond measure as he continued to drive Jack back. Quickly, Jack sliced his own hand with his sword and held the medallion, coating it in his blood before tossing it to Will.

As he fought, Barbossa noticed Will moving toward the chest, so he withdrew his pistol and aimed it at Elizabeth, who froze.

A gunshot echoed throughout the cave, and Elizabeth flinched, terrified she'd been shot. But Jack was the one with a smoking gun. He'd done it. He'd used his pistol to shoot Barbossa in the chest, who was looking at him in surprise.

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot?" Barbossa asked in disbelief.

"He didn't waste it," Will called out, earning Barbossa's attention.

Will was standing over the chest, holding the knife in one hand and the medallions in the other with his fist clenched. When he opened his palm, it revealed a bloody hand as he dropped the two gold pieces.

In an instant, blood began pooling from Barbossa's chest around the bullet hole. Jack lowered his pistol, watching smugly as Barbossa looked at the wound, feeling the pain.

Anger, dismay, and even relief crossed Barbossa's features. "I feel... cold."

Feeling petty, Mal came up behind Barbossa and kicked the back of his knees, watching him collapse in a heap. He fell to the ground, eyes vacant and glassy as he died.

Though he was dead, Malaysha didn't feel any kind of relief. Her mother had still died horrifically and she wasn't coming back. And they'd given Barbossa exactly what he wanted — an end to his torment.

Jack watched as Mal angrily spat on his body before pulling her close in a hug, just glad that she wasn't dead.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he muttered.

"That's a bit extreme," she said with a chuckle, pulling away.

But as she turned around, all she saw was Will and Elizabeth hugging. Her smile slowly faded as the two gazed into each other's eyes, fearing that she was about to watch them kiss.

But Jack came in clutch, knocking over pieces of treasure to purposefully startle them.

The moment was broken, and Elizabeth knew they had to return to the real world. "We should return to the Dauntless."

Understanding, Will nodded sadly. "Your fiancé will be wanting to know you're safe," he said tensely.

Perhaps he was confused about his feelings for Elizabeth and Malaysha, but he did know that Elizabeth marrying someone who wouldn't make her happy made his blood boil.

Elizabeth turned and headed out of the cave, leaving the three alone. Jack was holding — and wearing — a lot of treasure nonchalantly as he strolled up beside Will.

"If you were waiting for the opportune moment... That was it," Jack said teasingly, knowing he'd ruined it. "Now, if you'd be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you drop me and Malaysha off at my ship."

The problem, however, they realized as they took the longboat out of the cave, was that the Black Pearl was not there. Jack scanned the area sadly, realizing they'd been left behind.

And that meant one thing.

They'd be hanged for piracy.

"I'm sorry, Jack. Mal," Elizabeth said softly, her not so stupid as to not know their fate.

"They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that," Jack shrugged, pretending it didn't bother him.

But it did just as much as it bothered Mal. Death was coming for them, and nothing could be done about it. Something told Malaysha that her father wasn't going to be able to get them out of this bind this time.

Her more feral instincts told her to jump ship and swim away, but she knew she couldn't leave her father to die alone. She'd stay with him and face death alongside him.

And at least, she thought, she'd have the memory of a heart-melting kiss on her mind as she went.