/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /
Chapter One
I stared at Barbossa with shock and surprise. He had died the last time I saw him. Now he was alive again. I turned to look at Will, but he refused to look at me in return. I was crestfallen. What had I done to make him angry with me?
Turning back to Barbossa, Will stepped foreword, if only but a little. I wondered what my love was going to do.
"You had died last time I saw the sights of your ugly face," Will spat.
Barbossa grinned. "Pirate."
Will rolled his eyes. "How did you do it?"
"That is nothing your concern, William. What matters now is how to find your dear Captain Jack Sparrow, much as I detest him," Barbossa exclaimed.
"And how will we do that?" Will asked.
"Give me my ship back and we'll be on our way," Barbossa said. "Where is the Black Pearl?"
I stepped foreword, beside Will. "It sank to the bottom of the ocean. By the monstrous creature that Davy Jones calls as his own."
Barbossa smiled at me. "I remember you, Miss Turner. Or should I say Mrs. Turner now?"
"We haven't married. A set of…unfortunate circumstances has arisen, making it impossible to marry now," Will said.
I stared at Will. Made impossible for us to marry now? It might be difficult to get married until Davy Jones is dead, but not impossible. Barbossa grinned at the two of us before biting into his apple again.
"You find me a ship, Mister Turner, and I'll lead you to Davy Jones and your dear friend Jack Sparrow. Do we have an accord?" Barbossa asked.
Will nodded and held out his hand. "We have an accord."
The two shook hands and Barbossa disappearing into the loft above. Will turned and headed outside as the rest of the crew settled down, the air buzzing in amazement of the return of Barbossa.
Looking around me, making sure they weren't watching where I was going, I left the hut and found Will sitting on the embankment, looking out over the water. Padding softly down to sit beside him.
"That was something," I said softly.
Will merely grunted in acknowledgement. I sighed. I would have to be more obvious, as it seems. Resting my hand on his, I used my other hand to trace the outline of his face. I loved him so much; I didn't want to lose him.
"What have I done to gain your disproval, Will?" I asked. "I can think of none."
Will shifted his body towards me, touching my hand on his face lightly. There seemed to be sadness as well as hurt reflected in those beautiful blue eyes of his.
"You love him more than me, don't you?" Will asked.
I looked at Will questioningly. "What do you mean?"
"Jack, that's who I mean. I saw you with him on the Black Pearl just before we left the ship," Will exclaimed.
I suddenly remembered what he was referencing to. How could I have been so stupid? Somehow I knew Will would see me in my plans to get rid of Jack.
"I'm sorry, Will," I whispered. "But I had to do it. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to get him to stay on the Black Pearl. If he had come with us, the monster would have attacked us instead of the Black Pearl."
"But why kiss him for it?" Will asked.
I shook my head. "He was in love with me, Will. That was his weakness. If I kissed him, I could slowly push him to the shackles and—"
"The shackles?" Will stared. "You locked him up on his own ship without a chance?"
I felt the tears rise into my eyes, spilling over onto my cheeks. "It was the only way, Will. I wouldn't have done it if there were any other choice. Please forgive me."
Will stood up. "There is nothing to forgive. I shouldn't have fallen in love with you in the first place. I was the many fools that have and had their hearts broken for it."
"Will, please," I said, standing up, also. "It was all for you, I promise. Everything I've done was for you. Doesn't that count for anything?"
One finger traced my face lovingly. I could see the longing in his eyes. I dearly wanted to wrap my arms around him, fold myself into the comfort of his body as I rested my head on his chest. But I resisted the temptation painfully. He had to make the first move.
"How can we get back to the way we used to be, Elizabeth?" he asked softly. "How can I trust in the love I once knew?"
I put my face close to his, my forehead resting against his. "Let me show you." And without further resisting, I kissed him.
It was the sweetest kiss. Too long we had given into the toils and troubles, wearing us thin and losing our trust in each other. The kiss was passionate and I wanted it to last forever. Too soon, however, Will pulled away with a sigh.
"I love you, Elizabeth," Will whispered.
"I love you, too, Will," I answered back.
I felt him wrap his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. Tentatively I rested my head on his shoulder. It was such a comforting thing, feeling safe in Will's arms. But somehow, deep down, I knew that Will still had his doubts.
"I believe only time can heal us, now," he said gruffly.
I smiled up at him. "Of course. But please, Will, next time, don't leave your best friends in temptation or leave a long time between times that we're together?"
Will sighed. "Circumstances don't always allow that."
I looked deep into his eyes. "I won't allow you out of my sight, if that's what it takes, Will."
Will said nothing. Kissing the top of my forehead, he pulled away from me, cupping my face into his hands.
"I must go speak with Barbossa now. I can't allow him to be in complete control of us and our crew," Will exclaimed.
I smiled and stepped away. "Do what you must, William. I'll be waiting."
Will nodded and I watched him disappear back into the hut. Forcing myself to turn away, I looked back over the river. It seemed so peaceful and quiet here. No wonder people stayed here, despite the dangers that came with the island.
"What happened between you and young Mr. Turner?" Mr. Gibbs asked. He seemed to have been watching me the whole time I was out here.
I smiled and shook my head. "We've had a little misunderstanding, that is all. It will be a while before we trust each other again."
"Well, we all thought you had a change of heart and set your sights on the captain. Quite a shock for us all, to be truthful," Gibbs stated.
"Why make assumptions when you can ask directly?" I asked him, disappointment in my voice.
Gibbs shrugged. "We didn't want to be rude. And it seems a habit with you, to change direction."
I looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we all—other than Will of course—thought you were in love with Will in the beginning. Then that one time, you switched and said you were accepting the commodore's proposal. And now you're back with Will again," Gibbs answered.
"I only accepted the commodore's proposal to save Will's life," I protested.
Gibbs smiled and cocked his head. "To be sure."
"Men!" I huffed. And with that, I marched back into the hut. I couldn't take anymore of a man's stubbornness. It was time to go to bed and mull over everything that's happened.
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Author's Note: I was inspired to write a new Pirates of the Caribbean story after watching it for the first time last night, which was pretty awesome—as good as the first one. But anyways, I hope everybody's enjoyed the chapter and I'll update it as soon as possible. Don't forget to review—it makes the writer happy and write faster!
