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Deliverance	By : Bluemidget57 Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > Het - Male/Female > Jack/Elizabeth Views: 7843 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Deliverance
- 2-Elizabeth
- 3-will
- 4-Sand
- 5-Pearl
- 6-Journey
- 7-Cave
- 8-Ritual
- 9-Calypso
- 10-Return
- 11-Awake
- 12-Asleep
- 13-Reunion
- 14-Avoidance
- 15-Cabin
- 16-Jones
- 17-Tattoo
- 18-Irrevocable
- 8
- 9
- 10
Calypso

The Guardian and the woman who had until recently been wearing Sparrow senior�s body were beginning to look as if they were intending a long and acrimonious argument over Jack�s fate, but the pains in his chest from the scorching tattoo were beginning to overwhelm his concentration, and he collapsed back into the river hoping that the cool water would ease the burn of his skin.
The woman adopted a very belligerent stance, hands on hips, glaring at the Guardian. �I am not giving him back to Jones,� she declared; a pronouncement which gave Jack some small comfort as he had largely interpreted his �father�s� comments in the desert to imply that those who had embarked upon this rescue were people who actually liked him - certainly whatever Davy Jones might require him back for was certainly likely to be in his own best interests, and decidedly not Jack�s. By now, he had no doubt discovered that he�d condemned Jack prematurely, and inconveniently eliminated his best chance at retrieving his heart.
The woman was gathering steam; �We both heard him absolve Jack of his debt, and don�t you deny it! Davy is quite old enough - and should certainly know Jack well enough to have checked the contents of that infernal chest before sending his little pet after Jack. I refuse to allow him another chance at indenturing this man for his crew. Jones has used me and our misbegotten affair once too often as an excuse for his bad behaviour. I am excessively tempted to pop his bothersome heart right back into his body, and set all those tortured souls he has pressed into service upon the Dutchman, free to sort him out!�
�I didn�t say I was planning to give Sparrow back to Jones,� the Guardian sighed irritably. �Only that he asked. You know I must consider all requests, just as you know that Jones� words have impacted his chances of a successful resolution. When he gets here, I will -�
Jack never found out what the Guardian intended to do with Davy Jones, because at that moment he was interrupted by a blinding flash of blue lightning which cracked across the cavern in a thin gash of energy, illuminating every distant corner of the cave.
The woman looked delighted, but the Guardian turned to her in a fury. �You didn�t tell me they were this close!� He roared at her furiously.
�I didn�t know it myself,� she replied, smirking. �Her determination must be impressive to draw us to her so fast! I don�t see Jones making any imminent arrivals, do you?�
Another incipient argument was cut off as the streak of blue lightning suddenly widened, opening to let someone fall out of it and land in a heap on the shingle riverbank just behind the woman, but too far away for Jack to see clearly who it was.
Fighting the burn from his tattoo with his last resources of strength, Jack pushed himself up onto his elbows, hoping to find Tia Dalma in the cave with himself and the two eccentric mythical beings. Tia at least, he was familiar with and he thought that she might possibly have his best interests in mind. Hopefully. Maybe. Perhaps.
He had gathered the implication from the ramblings of the person - who may or may not have actually been his father, and at this point Jack didn�t even care if both manifestations of Sparrow Sr turned out to be this witch gender-bending - that Tia Dalma had been pivotal in raising a rescue mission for his own sorry self, possibly with the assistance of some of the more loyal amongst his crew members. The priestess certainly had power and knowledge enough at her disposal, to make success a real possibility.
So when the crumpled figure sprawled out behind the arguing pair began to struggle into an upright position, and instead of tangled black dreadlocks, stained teeth and nut-brown skin, he saw tawny hair and men�s breeches, Jack was convinced his mind was playing tricks on him.
�Elizabeth - Lizzie -� he choked, hating how weak his voice sounded, but she heard and immediately swung around to locate him. Their eyes had only just connected when the pain in his chest swelled beyond his endurance, and despite the thousands of questions spinning around in his head, his body took over and he collapsed unconscious back into the stream.
Elizabeth was not faring much better. Bruised from the fall and shocked that she seemed to have been snatched right off the Pearl, she shook her head, trying to reorient herself to her new location. Apart from the knocks and scrapes her hands and knees had received from a rough landing on the rocky ground, the other pains which had debilitated her on the ship seemed to have vanished, and she scrambled unsteadily to her feet, watching the two strangers warily out of the corner of one eye, whilst she kept the other fixed on Jack, who was laying in what seemed to be an underground river.
This at least, was a good thing. Apparently, Tia Dalma�s magic had conveyed her to the right place - it now remained to be seen if she could get them both out of here. Jack�s moan of her name heartened her more; she had actually found him - and here at least, he wasn�t dead. Of course, as soon as he saw her, he passed out and fell back into the river, and he certainly didn�t look well - rather like he had been chewed up and spat out by a sea monster, in fact, and guilt boiled up inside Elizabeth again.
She tried to assess the chances of the two strangers letting her approach Jack and drag him out of the water, or whether their purpose here was to keep her away from him. They were both staring at her; the woman looked pleased, but the man - if one could call him that, for his hands and feet were webbed, and some curious bony protrusions resembling fins grew from his shoulders - he looked extremely annoyed.
Elizabeth thought it a safe bet to say that they were not in agreement about something. She hoped it wasn�t her. At this point all she wanted to do was take the infernal test Tia and Barbossa had mentioned, and get out of here with her Captain in tow. Keeping a wary eye on the couple, she began edging towards the river, and the woman smiled encouragingly, but the man scowled and stepped forward, placing his trident quite deliberately in front of her.
Elizabeth was not of a mind to push the matter, although her eyes kept straying over to Jack. He looked awfully pale, and she was worried that the river might rise over his head and drown him; he also seemed to be bleeding quite badly because the water which had flowed over his body was tinged with red as it carried on to the ocean.
The woman seemed to correctly interpret Elizabeth�s concerns. �Don�t worry - nothing more will happen to him while he is here,� she said kindly, and Elizabeth believed her although she could not bring herself to relax any further.
If anything, the woman�s words seemed to annoy her companion even further. He examined Elizabeth closely and scowled at both women. �Who is this?� He asked angrily. �That is not your sister, but these magics have her fingerprints all over them. You, girl - who sent you here to plead for this man�s life? What is your motive to stand as his advocate before me?�
Elizabeth took a deep breath. She didn�t know if this was the beginning of the tests Tia Dalma had spoken of, or simply an extension of the argument the couple had obviously been having when she arrived, but she wasn�t taking any chances with Jack�s recovery. Every question would be answered by the utmost truth on her behalf.
�No one sent me. I am here freely and without coercion because I perpetrated a great wrong against Jack Sparrow, and I wish to set it right. However, I was given guidance in how to approach you by the priestess, Tia Dalma, who believes my journey has merit and can succeed.� Tia had made no mention of the inquisitors requiring any degree of formality, but just looking at this man in front of her made Elizabeth glad for her genteel upbringing in the salons of Port Royal, which she could draw upon to present her case.
Apparently, she had read him correctly for he appeared somewhat mollified by her respectful tone, although he cast his companion a look which clearly said the issue between them would be raised again later.
�What wrong do you perceive that you did to Captain Sparrow?� The woman asked Elizabeth gently. The man snorted but indicated that she should answer.
�I..er..distraced his attention by ..ah.. implying that I would give him something I knew he wanted, and then while his attention was on�that, I chained him to his ship and abandoned him to Jones� creature.�
�Really?� The man replied. �And why do you now think that was the wrong decision?�
Elizabeth winced and her eyes returned again to Jack, laying in the river. So near, but still just out of reach. �Because I never gave him the chance to make that decision himself. I told him he was a good man, but then I didn�t trust him to do the right thing when it counted most. I took his autonomy away from him, and left him as a sacrifice to my own insecurities with no means of defending himself. I believe now that if I had not shackled him to the Black Pearl, then he would have fought the Kraken of his own free will and ultimately won. So in effect, his death was my fault and he should be given the opportunity to live the rest of his life as he was intended to.�
Silence greeted Elizabeth�s impassioned speech and the Guardian scratched his chin thoughtfully. The woman gave Elizabeth an almost imperceptible nod of approval.
�Your thoughts on the matter are interesting, but inaccurate,� the Guardian replied eventually, and Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, unwilling to accept that he disregard the first true recounting of what had actually happened on the Pearl which she had made since the event itself, but he wouldn�t let her speak. �No. Up to the point where you left the ship, this is as it occurred, but what you are unaware of is that Sparrow freed himself from your bonds before the beast arose again, so that in reality the chain of events did play out as you believe they should have. He did face the creature of his own free will and he was not presented as a sacrificial offering to the Kraken. The truth is that Jack Sparrow did die in single combat with the Kraken despite your premise. Therefore your argument loses its validity.�
Elizabeth stared in despair at the Guardian, then back at her Captain, still unconscious in the river. Conflicting emotions of pride and desolation warred within her at the man�s revelations. She was elated that her faith in Jack had not been misplaced, but distraught that her most persuasive argument for giving him his life back had been nullified by this new knowledge.
�No,� she whispered, two fat tears running down her cheeks. �If I hadn�t chained him he would have had more time - been better prepared. You can�t disregard that fact. I won�t let you. I can�t leave him here, I can�t. Please -� She took another couple of unsteady steps towards Jack�s body, pushing his trident out of the way carelessly. She refused to be kept away from Jack if this was to be the last time she would ever see him.
The Guardian let her pass, and they both watched as she stumbled into the stream and dropped to her knees beside Jack, pushing his wet hair off his face and lifting his head into her lap as she examined the great gash in his shoulder.
The Guardian looked at his companion with a scowl. �I will have to bring Jones here, you know,� he said tonelessly. �There are two petitioners for this man�s life, and I cannot favour one above the other. I have to follow the protocols.�
�Then do so,� she replied equally calmly. �I doubt anything you can find in Davy Jones� heart could be as convincing to you as that -� she nodded her head towards the couple in the water.
Jack was still unconscious, and Elizabeth was stroking her fingers over his face, her own head bent over his as if to commit his features to memory; the beads in her hair chimed against those in his, and she was whispering to him even though he was far beyond hearing her.
�I�m so sorry, Jack,� she was muttering. �I�m sorry for everything. I got it all so wrong , and now I�ve failed you again. Even Hector Barbossa has done a better job with his assigned task than me. I�ve let down everyone who loves you; they all trusted me to bring you back to them, and I�ve failed. But I failed you most of all because I never gave you the chance to do the right thing on your own, when it mattered most.�
She was interrupted in her avowals when suddenly the streak of blue lightning which had been merely rippling lazily above them, and providing illumination to the cavern, crackled and expanded again, forcefully ejecting another person from within its mystical essence to land on the rocky shale as Elizabeth had.
She had never encountered Davy Jones, but Elizabeth had listened to enough of Will�s tales about the Flying Dutchman, and his plans to rescue his father from her aquatic Captain, to immediately recognise exactly who had joined them in the cave. Like a lioness protecting her young, she threw herself forward and tried to shield Jack with her body.
�You keep away from him, you murderous deviant,� she yelled. �You had your chance and it�s over now. You�re not getting near him again.� She looked wildly over to the mysterious couple for assistance in keeping Davy Jones away from Jack, only to find that the woman had vanished and that the Guardian was now accompanied by another man, scruffily dressed in faded breeches, a once-white but now mostly gray shirt, and a patched greatcoat which had last been in fashion some thirty years previously. He had scraggly, matted hair liberally sprinkled with gray and a weather-beaten, lined face that looked oddly familiar to Elizabeth, although she did not waste time trying to place where she knew him from. Her only potential ally had disappeared and she was left facing a being who held Jack�s entire future in his webbed fingers, a scruffy, dissipated old man and a heartless, mutated pirate who definitely wanted Jack dead�er.
Davy Jones looked somewhat disoriented initially, and Elizabeth decided that he had not been attempting to gain access to this place as she herself had, and was instead brought here one someone else�s convenience. However, it did not take him long to assess the situation, and something resembling a predatory gleam spread across his tentacled visage.
Totally ignoring the other occupants of the cave, he began to prowl forwards towards his prey. As he had for Elizabeth, the Guardian barred Jones� way with his trident, but unlike Elizabeth, Davy Jones paid no mind to the spear, pushing it aside with his claw.
This was obviously a grave mistake, for Elizabeth could see the old man smirking gleefully behind Jones� back as if he had just been waiting for this to happen, and a dark scowl settled over the Guardian�s face. �Halt.� He declared forcefully, and Davy Jones did so. However, judging from the confused look of annoyance on his face he had not done so of his own volition. Apparently, the Guardian had infinite power over everything that occurred within this domain, and Elizabeth felt a glimmer of hope at the knowledge that he had not kept her from Jack.
�What is the meaning of this?� Jones thundered. Only his movement was affected by the Guardian�s command, then. He looked back over his shoulder at the curious duo, paying attention to them for the first time, and Elizabeth saw his eyes widening as he too seemingly recognised the old man.
�Well, well, I must say I�m surprised to find you here, Sparrow,� he chuckled nastily. �I had always thought there was no love lost between you and this double crossing charlatan.�
The old man rolled his eyes and tilted his head mockingly. Elizabeth gasped as the vague feeling of familiarity coalesced into recognition in the wake of Jones� sarcastic words. This was Jack�s father - his mannerisms and decidedly particular style should have told her so immediately! How he had appeared here in place of the woman, Elizabeth couldn�t begin to imagine, so she contented herself with staring in fascination at the man who had fathered the legendary Jack Sparrow.
�You will address me.� The Guardian said coldly, stepping around to face Jones. �I have brought you here because you are one of the petitioners for this man�s life. You must justify your request to me, and I am fascinated as to why the individual who sent Jack Sparrow to his death in the first place, would be moved to make such an appeal.�
�Ah,� Davy Jones said thoughtfully, and his beard tentacles rippled agitatedly, as if he suddenly realised that things might not be quite as they seemed. Elizabeth relaxed slightly, subconsciously rubbing Jack�s uninjured shoulder in reassurance, but he remained thankfully oblivious.
�Justify yourself.� The Guardian said now to Jones. �And don�t waste my time with whining and complaining. Present a credible case for the return of this life. I will know if you are lying.�
Jones scowled. For all that he called himself one with the ocean, and claimed Sovereignty over the seas, he knew there were others, beings far more powerful than he, who controlled more than just the one element. It was a tragedy that Jack Sparrow�s destiny seemed to have fallen under the aegis of one these creatures.
�Sparrow stole something of mine, something precious and very dear to me.� He stated, sticking ambiguously to the facts. �He took it for the express purpose of using it to renege on a binding contract that he had entered into with myself, which was due for full and immediate payment, by means of ransoming said object in return for his own worthless hide. I sent my crew to recover my possession, and they failed me. Therefore, Jack Sparrow�s debt to me remains unpaid and he has compounded his default with thievery and cowardice.�
�And what would you do with Jack Sparrow were I to return him to you?� The Guardian asked conversationally.
�He made a pledge to me - years of service in return for his ship. I want to collect my payment...�
Jack�s father snorted. �What rot,� he interrupted scathingly. �Jack welched on his end of the bargain, so you sent the Kraken to eat him. I would say you�re both in violation of the terms of the contract, therefore making it null and void for both parties. Savvy?�
�Restrain yourself from interrupting,� the Guardian said coldly to Jack�s father. �This is not your decision, nor are you allowed to influence it. Captain Jones, perhaps you would care to pass comment on this?� As he spoke he gestured to his trident - a large golden orb separated the shaft from the three-pronged fork above it, and it was beginning to glow, movement appearing to flicker beneath its surface.
Elizabeth, Jones and Jack�s father watched as a miniature image of Davy Jones himself, standing upon the deck of the Flying Dutchman and looking particularly pleased about something, manifested itself in the globe.
Clear as crystal despite the diminutive size of the image, they all saw and heard Jones declare with satisfaction, �Jack Sparrow. Our debt is settled.�
Elizabeth heaved a sigh of relief, releasing a little of the death-grip she had on Jack�s shirt. Obviously Davy Jones was not going to get everything his own way. The Guardian was testing them both, and trying to be fair about it. She would just have to be the more convincing!
Jones huffed and the rippling of his beard tentacles became more pronounced. �New information came to light,� he stated carefully, �which would indicate that I may have been a trifle hasty in making that statement -�
Jack�s father opened his mouth again, but without even turning to look at the older man, the Guardian said, �Enough!� and Sparrow subsided with a petulant scowl just like Jack�s.
�I am sad to say that I am quite disappointed in you, Captain Jones,� the Guardian continued. �You made a bargain with this man, knowing full well his devious character and propensity for trickery - for indeed only an individual such as Jack Sparrow would ever have made this deal with you in the first place - being quite certain his charm and resourcefulness would ultimately manage to inveigle him his way out of the agreement. Yet, even whilst knowing all this, you apparently omitted to confirm that you had gotten the better of him, and released your pet to devour him prematurely.�
Elizabeth thought that Davy Jones might have blushed had his face still retained any of its human features; however, all that he could manage fixed as he was in place, was a grumble which might have been either agreement or dissent.
�If I choose to return Jack Sparrow to the realm of the living, your own words have freed him of any debt to you, Davy Jones, and I doubt he would be foolish enough to enter into another,� the Guardian continued. �He will never serve on your crew, and I would suggest you begin to accustom yourself to this fact.�
Elizabeth�s heart skipped several beats. It was not a decision by any means - Jack could as easily avoid the hundred years of service by never being released from this place, as by being restored to her, but it couldn�t fail to generate hope in her that her own petition was closer to acceptance.
She slipped her hand comfortingly beneath the soaked fabric of his shirt and jacket, needing the reassurance that his heart was still beating. She had barely a moment to register with relief the steady thump in his chest, when the blinding, intense pain that she had been experiencing during the ritual on board the Black Pearl , and which she had momentarily forgotten, overwhelmed her again.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream, as she instinctively tried to withdraw from the pain, but she was unable to move, her hand seared to Jack�s chest. His body jerked in an involuntary spasm and she realised vaguely that the pain she was feeling, be it her own resulting from the ritual or Jack�s lingering from his death, was now being shared equally between them until it was indistinguishable as to where it had originated.
It grew and expanded, but this time her body could not shut down, forcing her to experience every increasing degree of pain, until she thought her eyeballs might pop and her brains start to leak out of her ears. Jack fared little better for being unconscious; his weakened body seizing as though taking a fit.
And as suddenly as it started, it was over; the ripple of blue lightning which had deposited both Elizabeth and Jones in this place flickered once, twice, and began moving towards the couple in the river. As if it was a sentient being, the lightning aimed directly for the place where Elizabeth had her hand pressed to Jack�s chest and vanished inch by inch through their connection.
The cave was plunged into momentary darkness with the disappearance of the last tendrils of the lightning, until the Guardian struck the shaft of his trident on the ground, and the golden tines began to glow. He looked quite disturbed; Jack�s father however, couldn�t contain his excitement at what had happened.
He leapt towards the river with surprising agility in one seemingly so old and infirm, and to Elizabeth�s astonishment, as he moved his body began to ripple and change. His face and appearance melted away as if he was shedding a shirt, and by the time he had reached the river bank, he was once again wearing the form of the woman who had been Elizabeth�s champion.
�Do you see that, Triton?� She called gleefully. �He has to go back now! There�s no way we can keep him here!�
�Yes, I saw it!� The Guardian snapped. �Does she know what she�s done, that sister of yours? I should have all her powers removed for this! That meddlesome, interfering witch. There will be an accounting for this, you mark my words!�
It was at this point that Davy Jones let out a peculiar gurgle, and everyone except Jack turned to look at the frozen Captain. He was staring at she who had recently been wearing Sparrow�s body as if he couldn�t believe his eyes.
Jack had stopped convulsing at the penetration of the blue light, and Elizabeth ventured a glance away from his face as the shaking stilled, to see Jones gazing with bemused longing at the woman who was totally ignoring him, too filled with excitement over whatever had occurred with the lightning.
�Calypso - is that you?� His voice finally broke into her exalted litany, and Elizabeth gasped in recognition. Gibbs did love to tell a story, and Tia Dalma�s tale of Captain Jones� lost love, revealed during their earlier visit, was one of his favorites to recount as they sailed in search of Jack. He was of the mind that it gave approbation to his opinion of women on board ship. Elizabeth felt as if her head had been overloaded with incredible amounts of information, which she knew she would never be able to concentrate on until she had Jack safely on board the Pearl, and receiving some medical attention.
The woman - Calypso - turned her attention to Jones finally and smiled mournfully. She moved towards him and took hold of his one hand. �It is, David,� She said sadly. �What have you done to yourself?�
The Guardian moved suddenly forward to take her place on the river bank, blocking Jones and Calypso from Elizabeth�s sight. She stared up at him cautiously, for he certainly didn�t seem to be as overjoyed about the behaviour of the blue light as Calypso had been.
�Elizabeth Swann,� he said formally. �Your guide prepared you well, but I wonder if she told you all the facts about the consequences of the ritual you have performed today. Somehow, I suspect that she didn�t. You will need to visit her again - ask for explanations.� After making this ambiguous declaration, the Guardian took a step back and tilted his trident down so that it pointed at Elizabeth and Jack. �Elizabeth Swann, I grant your petition and release Jack Sparrow to return to the realm of the living.�
Elizabeth had barely comprehended his words let alone found the chance to convey her relief and gratitude, when everything went black and she felt as if she were sucked up from the river into a tornado, spinning and whirling wildly around in a fathomless void for incalculable minutes, until suddenly everything went still and once again she was dropped jarringly down onto a hard surface as if hurled there from the skies.
She was unable to do much more than whimper with pain as she recognised the deck of the Black Pearl; movement was certainly beyond her.

*********
Well, at last we have them on the same vessel. Does that mean everything is going to get resolved now? Somehow I doubt it�ll be that easy�

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A huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, those nameless amongst you, and those of you who have taken the time to comment more than once; Jo, Kat, Soph, Shel, Jenni, heat jd, howlongmustiwait, femmevixen13 and anyone I have forgotten - it wasn�t intentional, and I appreciate you all.
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