Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean nor Doctor Who.
This was an idea I've been working on for a few days now. Originally it was going to be the Doctor and Will but then I thought about using the stars disappearing and Rose trying to find her way back. Obviously this takes place post-At World's End in Pirates and pre series 4 of Doctor Who. I hope you enjoy it, I worked on it very hard and tried to make everything as clear as I could.
Will Turner had discovered shortly after becoming Captain of a ship that if you gave the crew something they so desperately wanted then they were like clay in your hands.
"Come on men! More souls to rescue in the eastern quadrant and then we have to be at the other side by early tomorrow. Quick as you can please and the night is yours for whatever you so please."
Everyone worked with double the effort giving him cause to grin before it slowly disappeared from his face. The days and the nights still passed but was everything the same as it was on the other side? He didn't really know exactly how much time passed in the true land of the living since the beginning of his ten year long tenure. It could have been weeks already. Years. It could have even been simply a few hours. He just didn't know; time had no purpose here.
While walking past a gentleman patching a hole in one of the sails, Will let his mind wander as he looked out to the rolling seas. He had to admit that there was one thing that Captain Jack had said about the beauty of a ship at sea: the quiet and calm of a clear day. The view was beautiful with its never-ending ocean stretching as far as the eye could see but with not a speck of land to be found. Will then turned his eyes from the seas and up to the cloudless sky. It was beginning to darken meaning dusk was fast approaching and soon several stars will light up the sky.
"Sir?" a crewman asked tentatively.
He was maybe twenty years older, older than Will himself and was apparently chosen as the spokesman for everyone - bless him!
"Yes?" Will asked, turning to face the man.
"We was jus' wonderin' Sir if that was all for the night?"
Will looked to his guide, his father Bill Turner and the man ever so slightly nodded.
"Enjoy your night off men. First though see to any passengers who need assistance and reassure them we'll be where we need to go by early afternoon tomorrow."
As the crew went off, Bill took one look at his son and came to stand by his side. The two of them, as one, both looked up.
"See anything you want?" Bill asked seriously.
Will couldn't help but chuckle back. "You really think you could grab me a star if I asked?"
When the night sky was fully visible Will tried to find his favorite star grouping - one red star on the top and two smaller, white ones, on angles below it. He and his father affectionately called it Captain Jack's Hat.
However, once it was completely dark and the constellation still did not appear, Will couldn't help but wonder what was taking the three stars so long.
"Maybe we're just facing a different sky. It'll be back," Bill answered to Will's questioning glance.
"I suppose you're right Father..."
And Will was silent about it for the next few days.
After a few weeks had passed and the constellation still did not appear, Will also began to take note that other pinpricks of light had disappeared in addition to his three stars. He had taken to remaining on deck until long after the others went back to their quarters silently asking for any answer to this strange conundrum.
On one of those nights, on the far side of the forecastle deck a column of bright light appeared and blinded the poor captain. When the light finally faded away there stood a girl, no a young lady who stared straight ahead at him before quickly hiding something small behind her back.
She wore the strangest outfit. The brightest pink he had ever seen with almost no sleeve and dark trousers that were so fitting to her body. Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight knot and, looking down at her shoes; he had never seen the like before, with a heel so high.
"Were you sent by the goddess Calypso?" Will asked, knowing it sounded ludicrous but thinking it was worth a shot.
She walked to him and looked past his shoulder, over the rail down to the seas they were sailing upon.
"Calypso? No, can't say I was. Can't even say I've heard of them. Sorry." She sounded as though she was distracted and who could blame her.
He would have offered her his coat as she crossed her arms against her chest trying to fight off the cold of the night air. But knowing Calypso this might actually be a test to ensure his promise to remain faithful to his beloved wife; he remained in place. "No, that's fine. My name is William Turner. And you are?" Will remembered himself after a moment and bowed politely to the strange lady in greeting.
She laughed nervously and Will felt himself flush thinking he had done something wrong. "No, no that was very, um, good…sir. -What year is this again?" she asked pointing her finger around his ship as though she'd never even been onboard one before.
"Year of our Lord Seventeen-Ten…last time I checked."
"Seventeen-ten? Really?" She sounded surprised.
"Is that not the year-?"
"It might be. No, i's not that it's just that-"
Will went to grab her hand and the moment their skin connected he reeled back in shock. "You're not dead," he blurted out and felt terrible about it a second later.
"No, "she said in astonishment, "Is that some kind of requirement here?"
"When you've been charged to ferry the deceased souls of the earth to their final resting place in the great beyond then yes, you don't find many living beings onboard your vessel."
The girl's face sobered immediately and Will felt his stomach twist in a knot.
"I'm so sorry. That was much uncalled for and-"
She held up her right hand and he stopped. "No, its fine," she said putting her hand down. "Blimey, all those years traveling with him and I manage to find something unusual all on my own." Walking past him and to the rail, she looked up at the sky and frowned. "It's happening here too," she said quietly.
"What," Will asked, looking up with her, "You mean the sky I suppose. I noticed it a week ago when a constellation vanished." Will looked at her and she at him. "Do you know what's causing this?"
"Can't say I do," she said turning to look up once more. Placing her hands against the rail, the lady leaned back as far as she could before moving against it again. "I'm trying to find a friend of mine. He might be able to help - should be able to help. Third wrong dimension unfortunately but I've got to keep trying. He wouldn't give up and neither will I."
"This man you speak of," Will asked, getting the lady's attention, "what can he do if the stars are going away?"
For the first time the girl grinned wider, brightening her whole face.
"He's a very special man from the stars themselves and one way or another we'll get this fixed." She then pulled some circular object out of her trousers pocket and stared at it.
From the stars themselves? Could she possibly be speaking of the gods – were they responsible for this?
"Wait," Will said hurriedly, "just one more question Miss."
"What?"
"Are you a messenger of the gods? Who are you?"
"Oh I'm, I'm no one. I was never here," she said, tapping her finger against her nose. "Thanks and keep looking to the sky. They'll be back. I give you my word."
She pushed hard on the center of the circle and the beam of light appeared. Once it faded, she was gone.
Looking about the deck in shock, Will then looked to the stars and stood at the rail until dawn thinking about all of the women of his life and how this one seemed to quite possibly be able to give the mighty Calypso a run for his money.
Another few weeks passed and every night Will would spend an hour stargazing before giving up and returning to his cabin. He refused to give up hope – but then he would feel foolish for thinking that what the girl said would come true. What sort of man could bring back disappearing light? He came to the conclusion that the girl was nothing more than an illusion of an overworked mind. He'd had those sorts of experiences back in his long days of working in the blacksmithing shop.
"Pence for your thoughts?" his father asked, coming to stand by his side.
"No, I was just-"Will trailed off on his speech because, upon looking up, there was Captain Jack's Hat; all three stars shining in all their glory and the rest of the sky was filling out as well. The stars were returning! It was a miracle!
"Well I'll be," Bill said, placing his hand against his forehead while looking up.
Will could only laugh himself. The girl had found the man and the man returned the stars. It was incomprehensible. It was unbelievable. It was…great.
For the remainder of the night, Bill and Will remained on deck and chose other stars at random and named them and whatever constellations they could find. Who knew if and when they would disappear once more before their time?
Thank you for reading. I hope you all have a nice day. :)
