Price
by AnimeDarkside
Everything has a price. Jack knows this and takes that chance. But who really ends up paying it in the end? AWE-spoilers. One-shot.

I had to write this...:'( People can argue all they like about how they dislike Will Turner, but even though I do like Jack better, I cannot help but express my HATRED for the ending of Pirates. I mean, it's a Disney movie for crying out loud! Jack got off so frickin' easy and look at how Will AND Elizabeth got screwed over!!! It's so unfair, yet so like reality. sigh The ending really made me mad and upset, obviously.

All in all, the third movie was kick ass, so I humbly suggest you go see it if you have not. That said, beware of spoilers in this. And the crazy-deep-thinking rabbling I seem to like writing.

Warnings: SPOILERS, angst, deep thinking, crazy writing, character death(technically).
Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates or any of the characters. I be just a humble fan.

What happened caught him off guard. Jack Sparrow was never caught off guard, yet this completely slipped by him. He had never expected it, not even in the least. Could anyone blame him? He stood on the edge of immortality, eternal freedom, endless glory. He literally held that all in his hand. Yet, in a single moment, everything vanished with a single thrust of a sword and that's when reality came crashing down onto his dreams.

"WILL!"

Her shriek tore through his ears and even the thundering waves paled in comparison to the sound. He could see triumph in Jones' eyes beneath his horrid face and Jack felt his own face drop in shock. His upper-hand vanished in an instance. The world around him, once seeming so large, shrunk down to what lay before him. In that moment, every desire he had to finish what he came to do disappeared. In that moment, he felt more helpless than he ever felt in his life.

In a flash, Jones was gone, taken by surprise himself at the rage of the angry father who plowed into him. Jack looked down and saw the two others, one motionless and the other crying his name in terror. That pained face that stared back with confusion made Jack's heart still. William Turner had been a tool in their first adventure. He had been nothing but a face that held some usefulness at the time. He continued to be just a face, just another set of hands and a back to pull weight and get Jack where he wanted to be. A pawn, a middleman, leverage. Suddenly, Jack realized that the boy was something he had failed to see.

He was a person.

And he was dying.

Because of him.

Jack's feet carried him over the boards, ignoring the screams of sailors and the crash of the fierce waves. He stared down the couple, as if unsure of what he was seeing. The sobs of the girl seemed distant, but still rang inside his chest. Kneeling down slowly, Jack stared at the fallen pirate who seemed delirious in his pain. Jack felt confusion sweep through him. He had seen death before. He had killed people before. He had led people to their deaths before. And in all of those times, he did not care in the least. He was a pirate. Death was just there and was to be accepted as part of the job description.

Yet, this death felt absolutely wrong.

"Is there anything you can do? Jack!" cried Elizabeth.

Jack stared at her and started to shake his head. He stopped. Looking down, he stared at his glory, his freedom and his prestige. It felt so heavy. Suddenly, disgusted, he wanted to throw it away. He wanted to be rid of it, that repulsive thing. But then it occurred to him. The thing that had driven them all to this, this moment of horror, was the way out.

"Jack!"

There was a slight feeling inside him. A feeling of ambition, of determination. There was a way out of this mess he had made. There was a way to fix what had been done. But inside of his heart, he knew that there in that way lurked something more terrible than what they faced now. A price that would cost not him, but the lad himself, something that seemed so important moments ago but seemed trivial now. Jack knew that if he asked for permission, the answer would be the same. It had to be done. But he knew that the price to be paid would not be his to offer even though he was the one who would decide to take that chance. He made decisions for himself, not others. But now, the world pressed on top of him and he had no where to retreat. He looked up once more into the eyes of the distressed girl. He looked down to the boy whose breathing seemed to be slowing.

Jack had never liked being wrong or incorrect. In that moment, he recognized he had been wrong. He had been wrong in thinking that he was immune to what he liked to call "frivolous" feelings. He had failed to realize that in the midst of their cavorting and escapades, destinies that were already closely linked often grew closer. He had failed to realize that these two children suddenly were more than just faces anymore. He didn't even see that coming. How completely un-Jack Sparrow-ish that was.

"Jack?"

Her needy whisper was unneeded. Jack looked down at the boy, his mind decided, and closed his eyes. Opening them, he gently reached down and lifted the boy's hand.

He could take the chance but the rest was up to them.

Wow, I feel emo.

Reviews would be quite nice. :)