Author: Lostiawen

E-mail: changeling@planetx.org

Rated: NC-17

Pairing: Will Turner/Jack Sparrow,

Summary: The finale. 

Archive: Parley.  All others please ask.

Feedback: Yes, please.

Warnings: None. 

Disclaimer: The characters within are the property of Disney.  The author does not own them, and is not making a profit off of their depiction here. 

Author´s Notes: Many thanks to Jassy, for giving me this bunny, and to Elizabeth for her support and suggestions. 

This arc will continue in the next installment, "Rum and Triangles. "

Posted Oct.  12, 2003.

It was dark when Will opened his eyes again. Jack had lit a candle and was reading something at his desk. 

Jack turned to look at him. "Evening, luv. Ye wore yerself out pretty handily." 

Will flushed as memories of how aggressive he had been flooded his mind. "I´m sorry," he said in a small voice. 

"For what?" 

"For attacking you like that." 

"Ye needed it last night," Jack grinned at him, "Besides, I enjoyed it immensely." 

Will blushed crimson. "That wasn´t right, though." 

Jack was by his side. He tilted Will´s head up, "Don´t be thinking that. Yer a passionate man, Will Turner, and ye can´t keep it bottled up forever. ´Sides, if I really didn´t want it, I would´ve stopped ye." 

Will kissed Jack softly. "Thank you."  He looked at the document that Jack had in his hand. "What´s that?" 

Jack toyed with the paper. "It´s somethin´ yer father found whilst he was walkin´ on the bottom of the sea. I think it may help us get him back." 

"How?" 

Jack cupped Will´s face. "Will, do ye trust me to do this right?" 

Will swallowed. "Yes." 

Jack replied, "Good, because it´s best if I don´t tell ye my plan. I´ll be above deck."  He stood up and grabbed his hat. As he was leaving the cabin, Will heard him shouting out a bearing to Anamaria. 

***

Will eventually came above deck, and he swallowed nervously when he saw Elizabeth approaching him. 

"Good evening," he said stiffly. 

"Good evening," she replied. "Will, can we talk?"  she asked softly. 

"Um, of course." 

"This situation with your father is bad enough without my bloody temper making it worse for you. I´m sorry that all I´ve done is start a row every time you speak to me. Can you forgive me?" 

Will smiled gently at her. "Yes. And I should ask you to forgive me for leading you on. What I did was completely unbecoming of a gentleman." 

Elizabeth laughed. "But you´re a pirate, Will Turner. Although I don´t think that Jack´s gaudy beads suit you." 

Will chuckled. "He´s threatened to braid them in my hair if I get too cheeky." 

They laughed together for the first time in what seemed like ages. 

"So, where are we going?"  Elizabeth asked once she stopped giggling. 

Will shook his head. "Only Jack knows. I think he has another plan." 

"I guess we´ll just have to wait, then," she replied. 

They sailed on for many days. Will and Elizabeth were puzzled, because the Pearl was not following any of the usual trading routes. But they knew better than to question Jack, knowing that he would not reveal anything until the time came. Until then, they busied themselves with their day-to-day duties and chatted amiably with each other. 

Will was repairing a sail when he suddenly heard a shout from Gibbs. 

"Captain, I see the Gallant on the horizon!" 

He rushed to Jack´s side. "Jack, how did you know?"  Will asked. 

Jack grinned at him and said, "Ye´ll find out. Get yerself ready, and tell Elizabeth to do the same. I need t´talk to Ketch." 

They pulled alongside the Gallant and Pintel called out, "Oi! What are yer doing ´ere!" 

Jack yelled back, "We need t´talk to yer Captain! I have somethin´ of interest for him!" 

"That´s awfully vague, Jack," Pintel retorted. 

"Would ye rather he take off yer head for lettin´ this opportunity go by?" 

Pintel though for a bit and then said, "All right, but don´t blame me if he takes yer head off." 

Many tense minutes passed before Ketch reappeared. "What is it?"  he snarled. 

"I would like to discuss it with you in private, along with these two fine crewmembers," Jack said, indicating Will and Elizabeth. 

"Doesn´t sound very private t´me, Sparrow," Ketch said. 

"To make things even, bring William. Ye´ll need someone reliable." 

Ketch´s nostrils flared. "All right. Meet me in the Captain´s quarters." 

Pintel ushered them in. In a few minutes, Ketch reappeared with Bootstrap in tow. 

"Father!"  Will exclaimed. 

"Quiet, whelp. Now, what is so damned important?"  Ketch said. 

Jack said, "I know what´cher lookin´ for. The Aztec Immortality Potion." 

A glimmer of interest appeared in Ketch´s eyes. "Go on..."

Jack held up the flask. "William found this whilst he was finding his way back to England, along with some documents from the Captain o´ the exploring vessel that recovered it. The ship sank, but the Captain managed to put everythin´ in a watertight scrollcase." 

Ketch said, "An´ I suppose that you want Bootstrap in exchange." 

Jack said, "Not quite that simple, Ketch. I want ye to renege on yer agreement with Bootstrap immediately after the negotiations are done. But I also want ye to promise that ye, or anyone else, will not maim, kill, or cause any damage, mental or physical, to young Turner here, from oncecet we close our parley. Furthermore, ye must treat him as an honored guest. He must be fed and watered properly, be allowed to bathe, keep himself clean, and sleep on a proper bed, and not be subjected to any hardship." 

"And why´s that, Jack?"  Ketch said suspiciously. 

"Because in order for this flask to produce the immortality potion, ye need one vital ingredient: the blood of a perfect man. And they don´t get much more perfect than young Turner here," Jack said, patting Will on the back. 

"Ye lyin´ bastard..." Ketch started. 

"No, here are the documents..." Jack said, passing them over. As Ketch was reading them, Elizabeth glared at Jack, who flashed her a defeated look. 

Bootstrap said, "Jack, ye poxy bastard! Ye can´t do this!" 

"I can and will. I don´t want to lose ye, William, and trust me, this is the only way." 

Bootstrap looked desperately at Will, his dark eyes pleading. "Will? Why are ye goin´ along with this madness?" 

"Because it´s the only way to save you, father," Will said quietly, praying that Jack knew what he was doing. 

"Yer correct, Jack, but how in the hell am I going to draw blood from young Turner if´n I can´t hurt him?"  Ketch said indignantly. 

"If you need blood, Will must surrender it himself." 

Ketch looked up and said, "Yer correct, Jack. But before I release Bootstrap, I have m´own conditions." 

"Oh?" 

"Neither ye, yer crew, anyone associated with them or yerself, nor a proxy, will interfere with me from now on, either by direct or indirect action. All parties that I named will not tamper with or fire upon whatever ship I have commandeered in any way, shape, or form, nor will ye interrupt any of m´ attempts to gain immortality, or attack meself or m´ crew. Ye will accompany me to the Isla de Muerta, and if ye have tricked me, yer life is forfeit. And, furthermore, Will must acquiesce if I want him to draw blood once ye cede him over to me. Do ye swear?" 

Jack added, "Not so fast. He will only acquiesce if ye legitimately need his blood for the immortality potion. And he may only draw enough to produce enough for ye and yer present crew. Once said parties attain immortality, he is not allowed to draw any more blood. And neither ye, yer crew, anyone associated with said parties, yer proxies, or yer monkey will fire on or attack the Pearl or its crew in any way, shape or form from here on." 

Ketch was livid and his face colored with barely restrained anger. Jack said, "Immortality don´t come cheap, Captain. Savvy?" 

"All right...do ye swear, Jack Sparrow?"  Ketch said with a sneer. 

"That´s *Captain* Jack Sparrow," Jack said, exasperated. 

"Fine. Do ye swear, Captain Jack Sparrow?"  Ketch said, pronouncing the title with contempt. 

"No!"  Bootstrap said. "Jack, I´m not worth it." 

"Yes," Jack replied softly. 

"We have an accord, then," Ketch said. He cut Bootstrap´s bonds. "Take the ungrateful bastard with you." 

Ketch grinned. "Now, come with me, young Turner." 

Will nodded and walked to Ketch´s side. Elizabeth exclaimed, "No! You can´t!" 

"Go back to the Black Pearl, Elizabeth. My fate is here," Will said quietly. 

As she fumed, Jack said, "We need to go, luvvy." 

She was about to protest but Will said again, "Please, Elizabeth..."

She glared and stalked off above deck. The three of them returned to the Pearl and Elizabeth said tensely, "Captain, a word with you and Mr. Turner here?" 

Jack said, "All right." 

Once they were in his cabin, Elizabeth exploded. "What in the bloody seven hells were you thinking??? How could you leave Will to those butchers? How could you even *think* of doing that to your lover?" 

Jack said softly, "William came before him, Elizabeth. And we´d been together for eight years before the mutiny. ´Sides, Will agreed to this." 

Bootstrap exclaimed, "And curse ye foul hide, Jack! I would *never* trade the life o´my son for my own. How could ye do this? He trusted ye, and ye do this to him?" 

"It´s for the best," Jack said. 

Elizabeth hit Jack under the chin with the heel of her hand before she stalked off. "I may deserved that," Jack said as he reeled from her blow. 

Bootstrap glared at him. "And ye deserve this," he said, tossing a knife and snipping off one of Jack´s braids. "I´ll be topside with Miss Swann." 

***

Will looked around the room he had been locked into. He assumed that it was the First Mate´s quarters, as it was well furnished. Ketch came in a minute later, leering at him. 

Will backed away, but his back bumped into a wall. They had taken his sword, not that it would have helped him against the cursed crew, but they wanted to emphasize the hopeless situation he was in. 

Ketch cupped his face and said, "It´s true what they say, yer the spitting image of yer father." 

Swallowing convulsively, Will said, "Um...you could..." He gulped. "Would you like to kiss me?"  He hoped his voice carried enough conviction because the prospect nauseated him. 

Ketch purred, "Why? Do ye want t´share my bed?" 

"Um...yes," Will said, blushing furiously. "Y-you could even...um, swive me."  The last two words came out almost as a squeak. 

Ketch stroked Will´s cheek with his thumb, looking deep into his eyes. 

"So beautiful..." Ketch breathed. His eyes suddenly hardened, "But yer too innocent, boy. Yer father is the most carnal being I know, and ye just don´t have his appeal. I´m sure yer arse is sinfully tight, but I like to have a bedwarmer what knows which end is up."  He pushed Will away. "And that was the sorriest attempt at seduction that I´ve ever seen." 

After he left, Will smacked the wall in frustration. He had hoped that his offer would allow him an opportunity to escape. He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that his fate now rested solely in Jack´s hands. 

***

Jack heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he said, taking a pull on his rum. 

Elizabeth and Bootstrap came in hesitantly. 

"I´m sorry about earlier," she said. 

"´Salright, luv," Jack said. "Like I said, I may have deserved that."  He pulled Bootstrap´s knife out of the wall and tossed it to him. 

"However, I did *not* deserve that, William. It´ll be years before I grow that hair back." 

"Sorry, Jack," Bootstrap muttered. "M´ anger got the better o´ me again." 

"Buy me another excellent bottle of rum and yer forgiven," Jack said. "Now, what brings ye in here?" 

Elizabeth said, "What exactly did you give Ketch?" 

Jack replied, "That flask was a gift from the Aztec gods to their most holy priests. Once the appropriate blood flows into it, an immortality potion will be produced." 

Bootstrap said, "So why´n anyone get it earlier?" 

"The gods are a jealous bunch. A rival god sent his warriors to raze the village, ´fore anyone could make one. It was burned to the ground an´ the secret was lost, until ´bout a decade ago. An explorer ran across the ruins of the village, and ´e found this flask and the scrolls from the priests in a hidden chamber." 

"What happened afterward?"  Elizabeth asked. 

"The vessel was raided and sunk by pirates. The Captain managed to throw the flask overboard along with a few pages of his log and both the translated and original scrolls before they were overrun." 

"And the log contained their last bearing," Elizabeth said. 

Jack nodded. "Enough o´ the crew survived to tell the pirates what they had lost, but they were over the deep sea, and it was beyond anyone´s reach. Anyone alive, that is. There were some tales, but they didn´ get very far. Be just like Ketch to find out ´bout it, though." 

Bootstrap said, "So why doesn´t Ketch drink it now?" 

"He needs to be free o´ the curse William, it won´t work otherwise." 

Elizabeth burst out with, "Then we still have hope! Will told me on the journey here about the dagger, and Ketch doesn´t know about it. If we can steal it away first, that doesn´t violate the terms of his parley!" 

Bootstrap replied, "I´m sorry, Miss Swann, but I had to tell Ketch ev´ry detail while I was his captive. He knows." 

Crestfallen, Elizabeth said to Jack, "I assume that this is all part of your plan to get Will back?" 

Jack took a deep draught of his rum. "Sorry, luv, but no. I have no plans, whatsoever." 

"What?"  Bootstrap and Elizabeth said in unison. 

"M´hands are tied. The parley is iron clad." 

"That´s bollocks!"  Elizabeth yelled, "You must have thought of something." 

Jack drained his rum. "I´m sorry, Elizabeth." 

"Oh, bloody hell!"  she said, storming out of his cabin and not stopping until she felt the cool breeze of the wind on her face. 

She gnashed her teeth. She had hoped that Jack would have left a loophole in the parley, but Ketch was too clever. Damn Jack and his lies...

Frustrated, she looked out onto the horizon, her thoughts churning. She ran through several scenarios in her head, but none of them were feasible. Irritated with herself, she let her mind drift, hoping for inspiration, when a glimmer of an idea suddenly leapt into her head. 

She saw Bootstrap approaching and she said, "I would like a word with you, Mr. Turner..."

***

Late in the night, Bootstrap quietly came above deck to meet Elizabeth. 

"Jack´s asleep," he said in hushed tones. "I made sure he´d drink enough rum so´s nothin´ short o´ bein´ drowned will wake him." 

"Good, help me gather the rest of the crew and we´ll meet here." 

After they assembled, Elizabeth said, "I´m sure that none of you are satisfied with the parley. I would like to propose a solution, and I´ll make it worth your while..." she detailed her plan carefully. 

Anamaria said, "You´re crazy! It´ll never work!" 

"Only if we fail to keep this secret," Elizabeth replied. 

Anamaria looked suspiciously at Bootstrap. "And what about him? Can he be trusted to carry out his part?" 

Bootstrap said, "I´m willin´ t´do anythin´ t´get my son back." 

Gibbs replied, "An´ I know that yer word is solid as iron, Bootstrap." 

"So we´re agreed," Elizabeth said quietly. 

"Aye!"  the crew said in unison. 

***

Elizabeth felt a knot of tension in her stomach as they dropped anchor at the Isla de Muerta. Timing was essential for her plan to work...

She breathed steadily, trying not to betray her thoughts as she rowed with Jack and the Pearl´s crew into the cave. 

"Now that ye are all here, we can begin," Ketch said as they disembarked from the longboats. 

Ketch´s men stood on the various piles of treasure, and Will and Ketch stood near the treasure chest. The rotting corpse of Barbossa was still there, a grisly reminder of their last visit. 

Ketch handed Will a small dagger and said, "If ye will add about a dram, whelp." 

Jack said, "Shouldn´t ye wait until yer mortal?" 

Ketch smiled evilly. "I´m not stupid, Jack. I want t´ have the potion ready in case ye have one last trick up yer sleeve." 

Will caught Jack´s eye, hoping for some sort of signal to take action. He was not comforted when Jack lowered his gaze. 

"Hurry up," Ketch growled. 

Will reluctantly sliced his palm open and let the blood trickle out. Once he estimated that enough had been added, he pressed a cloth to his hand, staunching the flow. 

Ketch grinned as he saw the flask glowing. He said, "Bring Nipperkin!" 

A struggling pirate was hauled forward. "Jus´ wanted ye t´ know we appreciate yer sacrifice," Ketch said. 

"Cap´n, why me? Why not someone else?"  he whined. 

"One, ye lost the draw. Two, ye have no spine and ye go with however the crowd is goin´. Three, ye´ve always teased poor little Jack here," Ketch said, petting the monkey. 

"No! ´Twere in good fun..." Nipperkin said. 

"Quiet!"  Ketch snarled. He took the coin from the monkey and threw it into the chest. The Aztec ceremonial dagger was still resting inside, and Ketch pulled it out. He swiftly cut Nipperkin´s throat, making sure that the dying man bled into the chest. 

Elizabeth could feel the pulse of magic in the air...it felt heavy, like the prelude of a thunderstorm. 

She screamed, "Now!"  and drew her pistol. The rest of the Pearl´s crew followed suit, drawing their arms and surrounding a surprised Jack. 

"Jack Sparrow," Elizabeth said, "I am taking control of the Black Pearl." 

Everyone else was frozen in shock. 

"This is mutiny, ye realize," Jack said. 

"I am quite aware of it. Now, hand over your command or your life is forfeit." 

Jack said, "All right, she´s yours." 

As soon as the words left Jack´s lips, Bootstrap swiftly reached into his shoulder harness and tossed a knife. The hilt struck the flask, knocking it out of Ketch´s grasp. 

Bootstrap yelled, "I´ve got ye covered, Ketch. Don´t even move a muscle." 

Ketch said, "And ye´re violating the terms of our parley!" 

"No, he isn´t," Jack said quietly. "I sealed our parley as *Captain* Jack Sparrow. Elizabeth Swann is the Captain of the Pearl now." 

Elizabeth drew her knife and said, "And now that I´ve stripped Jack of his title, the parley is null and void." 

Her eyes flashed. "Captain Ketch, on the behalf of the Governor of Port Royal, I demand that you surrender. We will then rendezvous with the Gallant so that Commodore Norrington can place you under arrest." 

Ketch said desperately, "Ye owe me your life, Bootstrap." 

"Aye," Bootstrap replied, "And that´s why yer not dead right now. However, I am bound by honor to protect yer life, not yer body. ´Twould be a pity if m´son maimed you." 

Ketch had achieved his power solely by plotting from the shadows. Faced with the prospect of potentially fighting Will, Elizabeth, and Jack, he paled. 

"All right," he said. "Men, lower yer arms." 

"Anamaria, if you and Mr. Turner would accompany me to the Gallant so that I may free Commodore Norrington?"  Elizabeth requested. 

"Aye, Captain," she said, smiling. 

Bootstrap roughly grabbed Ketch and manhandled him over to the boat. "Ye don´t need me," Ketch pleaded. 

"I´m sure some of your men are still on the boat," Elizabeth said casually. "And it would be unfortunate if they made a sudden move towards us and startled Mr. Turner so much that he accidentally stabbed you."  She gave Ketch a sweet smile. 

Ketch shuddered as Bootstrap nudged him into one of the longboats. 

***

Will, Jack, Bootstrap, and Elizabeth watched as Norrington and his men took the last of Ketch´s men into custody. 

"I thank you for your help," Norrington said, "And I will respect the full amnesty from the Governor that Miss Swann presented to me." 

"However," he said glaring, "if I hear of you pillaging again in my waters..."

"Don´t worry ´bout it, Commodore," Jack said casually. "Shall we shake onnit?" 

Norrington glared at Jack. "I will take my leave, now. Miss Swann, shall we?" 

Elizabeth said, "I think not. Tell my father that I will be traveling with the Black Pearl." 

Jack and Will gaped. Norrington said, "Very well. Goodbye, Miss Swann." 

"Goodbye," Elizabeth said. 

Will said, "Um...you´re coming with us?" 

Elizabeth smiled. "I quite enjoyed our adventure, and I don´t think I could settle for the boredom of ´civilized´ life. Besides, I´m the Captain now, so unless you want to mutiny, Will, you´ll just have to accept my presence." 

"Speaking of which, luv, I´m glad ye saw what I needed ye to do," Jack said. 

"It wasn´t easy," Elizabeth said. "And you were mad for gambling on that one phrase." 

"But it worked," Jack said. "´Sides, I had another angle covered." 

"Oh?"  Elizabeth said. 

"Will´s blood wasn´t quite right as a final ingredient." 

"What?"  Bootstrap said. 

Jack grinned. "Some things get lost when translating another language, savvy? ´Perfect´ in the Aztec´s language also implies ´pure.´"

Elizabeth and Bootstrap snickered loudly. Jack grinned again, watching the slow creep of red travel up Will´s face. 

"Jack, couldn´t you have just stepped down as Captain?"  Will said, desperately wanting to change the subject. 

Jack shook his head. "If I willingly give up m´command, the Pirate´s Code says that I can´t ever take my ship back." 

"And another thing occurred to me," Will persisted, "if Elizabeth hadn´t mutinied, Ketch would´ve asked for your life once he discovered your trick." 

Gold teeth flashed. "He fergot to specify where and when." 

"And what about the potion?" 

"Well," Jack said, "I figgered that after we load up the treasure, we need t´ drop it somewhere nice and deep. Carryin´ somethin´ like that just invites disaster. And frankly, I don´ think *anyone´s* ready for immortality." 

"Not to mention that it may be cursed, also," Elizabeth chimed in. 

"Exactly, why take chances?"  Jack said, "And, um, Elizabeth, may I have my ship back?" 

She said, "I don´t know Jack, I quite enjoy being a Captain..."

"Then ye´ll have to deal with Will bein´ yer First Mate." 

"The First Mate has to swab the decks still, does he not?"  she said innocently, watching Will pale. She smiled and said, "But yes, I think you´re right. I´ll cede the Pearl back to you once we´re on the open sea. That is, assuming there will be no repercussions for the mutiny?" 

"Of course not," Jack said. 

"Then I will attend to the crew for now," Elizabeth replied. There was a lightness in her step as she went off to direct them. 

Will sighed. "That was a close one." 

Bootstrap clapped Will on the shoulder. "Wouldn´t be so bad, some hard work might put some hair on that chest o´ yours."  As Will flushed, Bootstrap added, "´Sides, ye have a more pressing problem." 

"What?" 

"Now the three o´ us actually have to figger out our bed arrangements," Bootstrap said with a hearty laugh. Jack joined him, laughing until the tears made his kohl run. 

Will moaned, "I think I need some rum." 

THE END

part 4
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