𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 went on. before long, members of davy jones' crew had swung over to the dutchman. east india trading company men flooded the deck of the pearl; pirates desperately trying to fend them off.

bella stabbed a redcoat and looked up to see will grabbing elizabeth.

"elizabeth! will you marry me?" he yelled above the clatter of war.

"i don't think now is the best time!" she heard elizabeth scream back.

"now may be the only time!" will answered.

another employee of the east india trading company came up behind bella. they engaged in a ferocious swordfight before she finally stabbed him in the gut.

she turned just in time to see will and elizabeth solidify their marriage.

bella watched, heartwarmed, as the two lovingly kissed. behind her, barbossa stabbed a fishface.

"not gettin' any ideas, i hope!" he yelled.

bella spun around, smiling. it was as if he had read her mind. quickly, she grabbed a rope. giving barbossa a salute, she swung across the maelstrom and landed aboard the dutchman.

she scanned the deck for jack, but couldn't spot him. some crew members of the dutchman noticed her and began approaching her, weapons bared. then, she heard the clanging of swords above her.

"jack!" bella screamed up at the pirate of her dreams.

"bella!" jack yelled back, a bit preoccupied with jones.

"i love you!" she shouted, beginning to battle some barnacle pirates.

"i love you too!" came his response.

"still want to marry me?" bella yelled, grinning despite the nasty sea creatures attacking her.

"obviously!" he shouted down to her. "why?"

"because i want to marry you!" bella answered.

"great!" jack exclaimed, probably a bit confused as to why she was doing this now.

bella parried with a fish man, and finally stabbed him. the top of the pearl crashed into that of the flying dutchman, and the ships gave a lurch.

she looked up to see jack hanging onto the chest, which was held by jones. gasping, she saw jack thrown across the sky, but he caught himself on a swinging rope and knocked the other occupant off. in a few moments, he dropped down to the deck.

immediately, the two rushed into each other's arms and kissed in the middle of the downpour and raging battle. their love was always a bit wild.

but then again, isn't everything?

when they pulled apart, jack patted her cheek.

"be right back," he said. jones was coming toward them.

he and jones raced around the kraken-summoning wheel, and jack attempted to run away, but jones hit him and he fell.

"jack!" bella screamed. unable to get all the way to other side of the deck, she hurried over to jones and viciously swung at him. he barely blocked the ambush.

"stop attacking my fiancé, you slimy squid head!" she yelled.

"ah, the soon-to-be-widow!" jones spat.

"not likely!" bella shouted, attacking fiercely with her blade.

soon, elizabeth swung onto the dutchman. "elizabeth!" bella exclaimed.

"you'll see no mercy from me!" jones screamed at her.

"that's why we brought these!" elizabeth replied, and began fighting jones with her sword as well. just when jones finally went after her, will stabbed him right in the back.

"missed! did you forget? i'm a heartless wretch," jones said. he kicked will down, then looked back and forth between him and elizabeth. "ahhh, love. a dreadful bond. and yet, so easily severed. tell me, william turner, do you fear death?"

"do you?" jack's voice echoed across the chaos. he was holding the heart in one hand and his broken sword in another. bella looked at him with shock. "heady tonic, holding life and death in the palm of one's hand."

"you're a cruel man, jack sparrow," jones said angrily.

"cruel is a matter of perspective," came jack's witty but somber reply.

"is it, now?" in one movement, jones spun around and stabbed will.

bella gasped in astoundment.

elizabeth rushed to will, overcome by emotion. "will! will! look at me!" she cried. "stay with me! you're all right!"

bella stared at the couple. her gaze slowly shifted to jack, who was looking down at the heart hesitantly.

"william!" shouted bootstrap bill from the other side of the ship. he came running over to jones and fought him furiously. "my son!"

"will! will! look at me! look at me!" elizabeth sobbed, grasping his face desperately.

bella looked at jack again, then to will, writhing in pain.

"stab the heart and yours must take its place . . ." she realized in a voice barely above a whisper.

but without her having to say any more, jack was already on the other side of the deck with her. he slipped will's hand into his sword. jack turned to meet bella's eyes for reassurance, and she nodded silently.

will's hand stabbed the heart.

jones twitched. then, deteriorating, he fell over the edge of the railing. "calypso..."

jack immediately took bella's hand beside him, and held it tightly.

bella realized, mind flooded by both the tragedy and the downpour, that jack had finally made his choice. immortality or remaining with her... and he hadn't let her down.

"no! no! don't leave me!" elizabeth cried loudly. "i won't leave you!"

the crew of the flying dutchman suddenly approached them.

"part of the crew, part of the ship, part of the crew, part of the ship . . ."

will took his last breaths.

jack sensed what would happen next. he pulled bella up, then grabbed elizabeth and yanked her away from will. quickly, he fashioned a parachute from the sail he had previously broken.

"hold on!" jack warned them.

"the dutchman must have a captain . . ." bella heard bootstrap say as the crew closed in around will.

then, taking off, the three floated above the sinking ship and swirling storm. elizabeth cried into jack's coat, and bella held him tightly as they steered back to the pearl.

a/n

hi, not much to say about this chapter, but i promise the next one is cute af :)

thanks for enjoying this story, we recently hit 30K views and i'm so honored to be a part of your days.

love, sarah