The next morning, when the sun was bright overhead, the sounds of the Royal drums near the gallows were to be the last time I would hear them. I stood with my hands tied with thick rope, and guards surrounded me so I couldn't escape. Jack stood above everyone on the scaffold of the gallows, with a noose at his gaze.

We were placed in Fort Charles, a stronghold in Port Royal. It was located on a bluff that looked over the harbor of the Caribbean Sea, over the docks. It also happened to be where the gallows were located. At least we had a great view of our beloved sea for our last moments.

I could feel the haunting energy that surrounded these gallows. Where a necklace of rope strangled and broke the necks of many pirates before us, and more after us. I would be less worried if I got to be side by side with Jack, rather than watch him slip away from life and a new rope be knotted for my execution.

A man in a black cloak said off of a scroll, "Jack Sparrow, you have been charged, tried and convicted for your willful commission of crime against the Crown, said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature, the most egregious of these to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling, impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England, sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness. And for these crimes, you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy in your soul."

I looked up at Jack and noticed that he was already looking down at me. His proud smile after hearing his crimes was quickly wiped away, and we exchanged helpless looks.

The executioner wrapped the noose around Jack's neck, and I clenched my jaw at the thought of how I would soon have to watch Jack swing, and I would promptly be next. I wanted to go out on my own terms, not because of some English pirate that I may or may not fancy.

I looked out to the water and I could hear freedom calling out for me. I could feel it in my bones that this was a premature, unnecessary end to my life. I have practically no chance of survival, but I want the world to remember me and avenge me for this wrongful death.

The cut on my back I obtained from the battle in the cave itched and stung like something terrible. I blew a raspberry and blinked the involuntary tears back into my eyes to distract myself from my impending doom. My fingers were fiddling with the bloodied rag that was still tied around my hand after cutting my palm in an attempt to ease my anxiety.

When the Crown executes pirates, the noose they use is quite short. Therefore, when the scaffold drops, Jack's neck probably won't break. Instead, he will have the most unimaginable pain and get strangled to death by the rope. I've seen it before. His purple face will beg for air, gasping like a fish out of water while his limbs will jerk around. Sometimes, it can take upwards to an hour. The twitching at the end of a hemp rope has been known as the Hempen Jig.

A ruckus was starting in the crowd, and screams of women danced in the air. I looked up in astonishment to see Will shoving past people with his sword in his hand. "Move!"

The executioner pulled the lever, and I saw Jack's head drop down.

"Jack!" I shouted, a lump quickly developed in my tight throat.

Will managed to get enough people out of the way to chuck his sword to the trap door. The sword got stuck in the wood, just in time to allow Jack to stand on his tip toes against the blade for air. I jumped and struggled as I tried to get out of the grasps of the guards, but I couldn't move.

Will ran up to me and cut the ropes away that bound my wrists together before I could blink. I hate to admit that he was more skilled at sword fighting than I was. He must practice a lot more. He ran up the steps and I managed to sneak out of the guards grasps by punching their stomachs, which aided to the chaos. Will began dueling with the executioner around Jack who was nearly swinging, and I ran to the sword that was keeping him alive.

"Désolé, Jack," I said, hoping that he could hear me. I jerked the sword out of the wood and sliced the rope that bound his hands together before I aimed it for the rope that stretched over his head. I threw it like a spear, praying that my aim would be spot on. If I missed, Jack would suffocate. The sword pierced through the rope, cut it away and got stuck in the framework of the gallows. Jack fell, gasping for air and I helped him get the tight noose off his neck and the rope off his wrists.

"Good aim, love," he complimented, rubbing his bruising neck. We were about to walk out from under the scaffold but Jack grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back into his chest just as the executioner was tackled off the platform by Will. I felt his warm chest heave against the back of my shoulders, and his fingers gripped the sides of my arms. I looked over my shoulder at Jack's face, ambivalent about my feelings toward him. His alluring and protective nature drew me toward him involuntarily.

We escaped the gallows and we teamed up with Will to fight off the guards who were trying to capture us. We used the rope from Jack's noose to clothes-line the guards, and wrapped them up against columns of nearby buildings.

We soon found ourselves surrounded very quickly by the guards. Only Will had a sword, as me and Jack were both weaponless. Back to back to back, Commodore entered the circle and said to Will, "I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt, but not from you."

The governor approached Will and said, "on our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency, and this is how you thank me, by throwing in your lot with them? They are pirates."

"And a good man. And a good woman. If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of two, so be it. My conscience will be clear," Will said bravely.

"You forget your place, Turner," Commodore glowered gruffly.

"It's right here, between you and Jack and Annette," Will said.

Elizabeth came through the guards and stepped forward to stand beside Will. "As is mine."

"They can take our places," I suggested, which made Jack smile.

Jack nodded, "I second that."

Her father looked defeated, "Elizabeth. Lower your weapons. For goodness' sake, put them down!"

The guards followed his command, lowering their guns which made my heart stop beating so fast. I will never get used to weapons being pointed at me.

Commodore looked heartbroken at Elizabeth, "so this is where your heart truly lies, then?"

Elizabeth nodded, "it is."

Jack and I eyed one another awkwardly. The secondhand embarrassment I was experiencing was impossible to ignore, but getting lost in Jack's eyes was easy. He gave me a little smile, but then his eyes shifted and he was looking just past me. I saw his face brighten and his dark brown eyes met mine again, and he softly grunted, "hunh-hunh."

Just as I was about to scold him on how I have never made that noise, I noticed him nod up toward the nearby structure. My eyebrows furrowed together as I turned my head to look at what he was nodding towards, and I saw a parrot. Not just any parrot, but Cotton's parrot.

The Black Pearl was here.

Jack interrupted by approaching the front of the circle, "well, I'm actually feeling rather good about this. I think we've all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically." Jack started getting really close to the governor and the Commodore, so close he could stick his tongue out and touch their noses if he wanted to. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that."

Jack began walking out of our circle, stopping in front of me and said, "Annie— or will I be calling you Captain?"

I beamed with pleasure, not letting him forget about his promise. My radiant response signaled my official exit from the Victorieux and my transfer to the Black Pearl, "indeed you will, Captain."

Jack showed off his golden smile as he hooked my elbow with his and we walked toward stone stairs.

"Elizabeth, it would never have worked out between us, darling," Jack said. Then he looked to Will and said, "Will... Nice hat."

We ran to the top of the stone ledge, below was the sea with rocks protruding out of the white waves. Jack turned around. He flung his arm over my shoulders and I laughed. He began to stumble backwards, using his awkward flailing hand gestures to make one last announcement, "friends! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that..."

I felt myself get pulled back as Jack tripped over the ledge. I screamed as we fell down, seeing the rocks that protruded out of the water get closer and closer. I felt the wind in my hair as my hat flew off and we fell to the water, somehow evading the rocks. Jack and I rose back to the top, coughing, and looked up at the little heads that peered down at us from above.

Jack swam to my hat and said, "here you go, darling," before putting the sloppy mess on top of my head. I squinted to avoid the salt water from getting in my eyes.

I giggled as Jack and I bobbed close in the water. My hair swirled around my shoulders at the waters surface, looking much darker now that it was wet. I felt weightless. As we floated close to one another, and it became clear to me that this was what I always wanted: a new adventure; a ship; and a place of belonging. I could get all of that with Jack.

"And now?" I asked him, brushing my forehead so the water didn't fall into my eyes. The sun shined brightly overhead, glowing Jack's suntanned skin. He flashed a smile at me, and I instantly smiled back. I found him floating closer to me, and his hand brushed up to my cheek. It was rough and calloused from years of tugging on ropes. A swarm of red heat swirled in my stomach and came up to my chest. His face was inches from mine, and I was beginning to grow fond of the stale odor of dark rum on his breath. It made it hard to think. My heart definitely skipped a beat at his longing gaze. If I wasn't in the water, my knees would be weak. My hands found the soaking collar of his shirt, and I began to pull him closer, his eyes closing. Our passion was red, but as soft as velvet. My lips were yearning to know what his tasted like.

We were interrupted when we heard a voice ring out, "sail ho!"

Jack and I both froze and snapped our heads in the direction of the voice as we saw a ship heading toward us. He had black sails, and a hull of black wood that made him unique to other ships. It was like freedom was calling once again, and she was loud.

"Is that..." I asked as my hands slipped from his soggy shirt.

"Aye, the Pearl," Jack smiled. 

We began our swim to the ship. I was disappointed that we did not exploit our moment of weakness, but I was exhilarated by it. We could cut our tension with a sword, and I know he can feel it too.

We reached the Pearl, and our crew was cheering for us, happy for our safe return. They casted down a thick rope which Jack clung to. I grasped the rope tightly with Jack's arms around me and I could feel his chest pressing into my back.

"Heave!" I heard them yell and suddenly Jack and I were yanked out of the water, flying high above the deck, and finally landing in front of the quarterdeck.

I rolled onto my bottom and I took my hat off to dump the water that had collected on it. I did not have a great view from where I was sitting, but the Pearl was far more magnificent than the Interceptor. Terrifyingly beautiful. Almost gothic. Gibbs came to greet us.

"Weren't you supposed to keep to the Code?" Jack asked, glaring up at the crew that surrounded us.

Gibbs answered, "we figured they were more actual... guidelines."

Gibbs offered me his hand, and helped me to my feet before he assisted Jack. Cotton handed Jack his hat back, which he took happily.

"Captain Sparrow," AnaMaria asked, one arm over the wheel. She walked over with Jack's dry coat and placed it over his shoulders, "the Black Pearl is yours."

"Ours," Jack corrected, looking at me. "She's co-Captain, but I'm still in charge. Remember that."

"How'd that come about?" Gibbs asked. I hoped that this new title would make Gibbs respect me more, and I could finally break the superstitions he has against women.

"A poor..." Jack eyed at me with a smirk, "drunken promise."

"Your welcome has touched me deeply," I said jokingly.

Gibbs took my soaking wet coat from me, along with my hat and gave it to Cotton to lay out to dry. Jack walked to the wheel, running his hand lovingly along the hand-carved taffrail. He took the wheel, grasping it triumphantly in his hands for the first time in ten years. His eminence joy was replaced when he suddenly shifted into Captain-mode, "on deck, you scabrous dogs! Hands to braces! Let go and haunt to run free!"

As the crew departed, it left me and Jack at the helm. He had one hand on the wheel and he said to himself, "now... bring me that horizon."

The sun was blaring down on us, but my excitement for the future overpowered the brutal heat of the Caribbean. We stood together in our brand new home, which I will fight for until I die. Jack looked back at me with a twitch of his nose and he asked jokingly, "you're still here?"

"You're not just a dirty old man..." I began to say.

"Thank you," he said.

"You will not get rid of me any time soon," I promised.

"Good. This is where your heart lies, eh?"

"Oui, it does," I said. What he says and does is so ludicrous, it's hard for me to wrap my head around it. Jack is such a charming, yet roguish man... traits that made me admire him. I had much more to learn from him.

"With me?" He raised an eyebrow.

I snickered and looked out at the water. "Don't flatter yourself, Sparrow."

He covered his laugh by clearing his throat. He said, "I don't blame you. Not everyone gets to see this everyday." He gestured to himself.

I rolled my eyes and playfully nudged him with my shoulder. Then I asked, "this is all right with you? Don't you want the reward of treasure from my father for my safe return?"

Jack seemed to have forgotten about that, but he turned to me and said, "not all treasure is silver and gold, darling. With you by me side, I have all that I need."

I rolled my eyes at his cheesy words and looked out to the ocean, but I could see his smile from the corner of my eye. I turned back to him and asked, "so, where are we going?"

He smiled at me, "everywhere, darling."

I looked out to the sea, eyeing the horizon that thrilled me. My urge to return to my home ship had subsided, and the thing I currently wanted most was to be second in command of one of the most fearsome ships in the Caribbean. I figured that I would communicate with my father about my decision later, and until then, I will be sailing with Jack along the horizon.

My brush with death opened my eyes to the brutality of being a pirate. We are a threat, and their only solution is to kill us after they capture us. I simply will not tolerate that. My freedom will come with the promise that I will do everything in my power to do what I can for pirates all around the world. And I know that Jack agrees.

I looked up at Jack as he was sailing us away from Port Royal, and I felt immense pleasure on the biggest decision I have ever made in my entire life. Our chemistry bounced together in harmony, and our life experiences and personalities made us close in the past few days. I hoped to get to know Jack Sparrow more, because I was very curious to see how his muddled yet perplexing mind worked. He was a rapscallion who I found myself admiring.

There was something in the tranquil wind that gave me a sense of satisfaction. It made me feel like these men—these courageous, mental, and audacious men—were becoming my new family. My Black Pearl family. With these drifters and fearless rebels, I've found a home. I love this life, I was born for it.

I started humming the song that Elizabeth taught us back on the island. Being on a ship reminded me of it, and it was easy to get stuck in my head. It was so comfortingly familiar, I must have learned it as a child.

Jack joined along, taking a look at his unique compass that doesn't point North. I almost offered him mine, until I remembered that it was confiscated before we were scheduled for an appointment with the gallows.

"And really bad eggs," he sang softly, adjusting the wheel. I looked up at him, and when he realized what he was doing, he smiled. I could see the Caribbean sun reflecting in his eyes, and I caught the horizon looking back at me. When his enchanting eyes met mine, I felt like I was going to catch on fire.

Knowing what came next, I joined him in singing, "drink up, me hearties, yo-ho," before he closed his compass, headed for uncharted waters.