Author's Note: So I recently watched all five of the POTC movies for the first time (I know I'm late to the party, but better late than never, right?), and needless to say, I now have a new obsession. This story, The Turner Brothers, is based off a theory that I had while watching the first movie. Sadly, it turned out to be wrong, so I've consoled myself by writing this instead. That's the beauty of fanfiction, isn't it? Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you have fun reading it as well! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
Will Turner had always led a remarkably ordinary life. He kept his head down, worked at his trade, and didn't ask too many questions—in short, he did everything possible to avoid trouble. His was a simple existence, and he preferred it that way. But then meeting Jack Sparrow and a series of other unfortunate events had occurred, and now here he was—running for his life on some god-forsaken island from a mob of angry pirates. Angry, immortal pirates, he added to himself with a shudder.
And that wasn't even the worst of it. He had recently found out that he, Will—who had always scorned pirates like every law-abiding citizen in the colonies—might be the son of one. He had always wondered about his mother's reticence when it came to his father, but never, not even in his wildest dreams, had he thought that the man might be a pirate.
But regardless of whether or not it was true, he didn't intend to go quietly and be the leverage—or perhaps a more appropriate word was sacrifice—that Jack wanted. It had been surprisingly easy to dispatch Jack with a well-placed oar to the head and rescue Elizabeth, but now that he had made it this far, he realized that he hadn't even thought about what to do next.
He moved as quickly as he could, but with his unfamiliarity of the cove's terrain and the burden of Elizabeth—who was still unconscious—the pirates were gaining on them fast.
He couldn't avoid fighting them any longer. He turned to parry a blow and was soon locked in a clash of swords with several pirates. He didn't even bother trying to stab them—he knew it would be pointless. That left him with no choice but to fend them off as best he could. He fought with everything he had, but even with his considerable skills, they were quickly overwhelming him.
"Need some help there, William?"
He spun around to see Jack—grinning casually while blocking a sword that had come mere inches from Will's throat.
Will ducked away from the sword and resumed fighting. "I don't need any help from you," he said shortly.
Jack made a show of shaking his head and sighing heavily. "You know, I expected more from you, William. First you knock me in the head with an oar"—he grimaced as he rubbed the sore spot on his head—"and then you don't even thank your savior."
Will gave a harsh laugh. "My savior? I think you mean my would-be-murderer."
Jack merely shrugged. "Semantics."
Will was too out of breath to shoot back a retort, but that didn't stop him from rolling his eyes. He had never met anyone quite like Jack Sparrow. But as much as the man infuriated him, no one could deny that he was skilled with a sword.
Together, the two of them slowly fought their way back towards the boats. He was just thinking that they were going to make it, when he felt a sharp pain in his side that took his breath away and nearly brought him to his knees. He glanced down and saw his white shirt turning red, almost beautiful in its contrast—like a blossoming rose in mid-winter. In one sickening moment, he realized it.
He had been stabbed.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Jack felt his vision go red as he watched the pirate plunge his dagger into Will's side. He had wanted to avoid this if possible, but it looked like he didn't have a choice.
"Well then," he said with measured calm, "I enjoy a friendly spar as much as the next man, but what do you say we get down to business?"
He thrust his sword into the heart of the pirate who had stabbed Will. The man's face started to crack into a smile—he was clearly getting ready to mock his futile efforts—but it quickly faded. He gave an unearthly shriek as Jack yanked out his sword, then crumpled to the ground, dead.
The other pirates stared in shock at their fallen comrade. Then, like a flock of birds, they turned and fled, many of them screaming as they went.
Jack sheathed his sword and walked over to Will. "Here, give 'er to me." He moved to take Elizabeth, but at Will's expression, he stopped and raised his hands. "Relax, mate. I'm not going to steal her away from you."
Will finally relinquished his hold, allowing him to hoist Elizabeth onto his shoulder. "Come on, then," he said. "They'll be back."
Will tore his gaze away from the dead pirate and stumbled after Jack, clutching his side with a blood-stained hand that made Jack feel sick and angry all at once. "How is he dead?" Will asked. "You said you needed my blood to break the curse."
"That's a long story that is better suited for another time and place, William. We need to keep moving."
They traveled as quickly as they could, Will continuing valiantly even though it was clear that he could barely keep himself upright. But finally, he reached his limit. He dropped to his knees, panting heavily. "I can't go any further," he said. "Just take Elizabeth and go. Get out of here."
"No."
Will looked as if he hadn't heard him correctly. "What do you mean 'no'? What happened to the pirate's code? If someone falls behind, they get left behind, remember?"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jack couldn't keep the amusement from his voice. "I'm flattered that you committed my words to memory, William, but those are really more like guidelines."
They could hear the sounds of pounding footsteps and shouts in the distance. Will looked up at him, his expression filled with panic.
"If you don't go now, Elizabeth will die! You have to save her Jack, please…!"
His voice trailed off as he broke into a fit of violent coughing.
"Easy!" Jack knelt by his side. "Don't worry, I've got a plan. We're all going to make it
out of here alive."
Even though he was barely conscious, Will eyed him with what could only be described
as skepticism. Jack sighed inwardly. He knew that everyone thought that he lived flying by the seat of his pants, but that had always been a calculated façade on his part. In reality, he always had a plan—and they nearly always worked.
"It's a good plan, I promise." He dragged Will into a small alcove that was hidden from view and placed Elizabeth in his arms. "Stay here," he said in a low voice.
Back in the main tunnel of the cove, he pulled out his contingency plan from his sash—a canteen filled with gunpowder. He listened for a moment. The pirates were getting close. He poured the gunpowder all over the floor, then struck a match and lit the end of a short piece of rope, positioning it so that the unlit end touched the powder. Once that was done, he joined Will and Elizabeth and waited.
The explosion came a few seconds later, shaking the walls of the cove and filling the small space with a cloud of dust. When he emerged, the path from where they had come was completely blocked by a solid wall of rocks. He could vaguely hear the pirates shouting from behind it, but he knew that they wouldn't be making it out anytime soon.
He hefted Elizabeth and Will into a rowboat—it wasn't the one they had come in on, but he had his pick of the lot, so why not take the nicest one? Then, after wrapping Will's wound tightly with his sash to slow the bleeding, he started the trip back to the Pearl.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The first thing Elizabeth was aware of was something very warm beside her. She snuggled closer to the warm presence, allowing herself to be lulled by the soothing sound of water lapping against the side of a boat…
A boat?! She jolted upright and looked around. There was Jack, rowing with expert ease—the Black Pearl silhouetted behind him. And there, laying in the bottom of the boat, was Will. She started to blush as she realized that he had been the warmth she had felt. Then her hands flew to her mouth in horror when the moonlight fell on him, illuminating his pale face and blood-stained shirt.
"Will!" She knelt over him, brushing the damp hair away from his forehead.
She turned to Jack. "What happened?"
"We had a run-in with the pirates," he said grimly. "One of 'em got him."
"Will he…" Elizabeth forced herself to swallow the wave of nausea rising in her throat. She couldn't lose him. Not like this. "Will he be alright?"
"Yes," Jack said simply.
She was about to ask him how he could be so sure but stopped herself when she saw the look on his face. She couldn't explain it, but there was something in Jack's eyes that made her believe him. Surely, Will would be alright.
Feeling slightly better, she remembered the pirates. She glanced behind them. "Won't they come after us?" she asked worriedly.
"I've taken care of them," he said vaguely.
Before she could ask any more questions, they came alongside the Black Pearl.
"Do you think that you can climb?" Jack asked her, gesturing towards a net of ropes trailing down from the side of the ship to the water's surface.
"Yes, but"—she glanced down—"what about Will?"
"I'll bring him. You go up first."
Elizabeth climbed reluctantly, then watched anxiously as Jack made his way up with Will over his shoulder. Once they were all safely on board, Jack led the way to the captain's quarters.
He laid Will down gently on the bed, then turned to her. "Could you bring something that can be used as bandages—anything will work as long as it's clean—and some fresh, warm water?"
She looked at Will—who was breathing shallowly on the bed—and nodded. Thankfully, she had become familiar with the ship during her time as a prisoner and was able to find the requested items without much trouble.
She came back a few minutes later, armed with a bucket of heated water and some clean shirts she had grabbed from the wash line. Jack was in the process of removing Will's shirt, and she had to grip the doorway to steady herself.
The first thing she noticed was blood. It was everywhere—on Will's shirt, on the bedsheets, even on Jack. Then there was the wound itself—dark red and angry-looking. It brought tears to her eyes thinking about how painful it must be.
Jack looked towards her and beckoned for her to come closer. He had a needle and thread in his hand. Following her gaze, he said, "The wound is deep, and he's already lost too much blood. I'm going to need to stitch him up."
She stared at him blankly for a moment before his words sunk in. "You…what? Do you even know how to do that?"
He gave her a small grin. "Of course, love. I've picked up lots of odd skills in my lifetime. You could say that I'm a jack-of-all-trades." He winked playfully.
Under different circumstances, she would have laughed and rolled her eyes, but right now her nerves were too frayed to manage anything but a strained smile.
"Alright, then," she said shakily. "How can I help?"
He looked at her closely. "I could use someone to hold 'im down…but if you think it's going to be too much for you, it would be best if you just left the room and left 'im to me."
She immediately rejected the idea. There was no way she was leaving Will's side. Not right now, when he needed her most.
"I can hold him down," she said firmly.
He chuckled softly. "Have it your way, love." Then, shaking his head, "Both of you act like I want nothin' more than to steal the other away."
He cleaned the excess blood from the wound, then showed Elizabeth how to hold Will securely.
"He might regain consciousness for a bit," he said, "so I need you to do your best to keep him still. Talk to him, love, just hearing your voice will help soothe him. Now, are you ready?"
She nodded, her jaw firmly set. The sight of the needle puncturing Will's skin brought on a fresh wave of nausea, but she forced it down stubbornly. She watched with a mixture of fascination and horror as Jack drew Will's flesh together with surprisingly neat, orderly stitches. Will woke up briefly, but mercifully, he passed out again from the pain almost immediately. Finally, the wound was completely closed, and Will's abdomen had been wrapped in a clean bandage.
Jack sat back with a deep sigh. "I'm done."
Elizabeth collapsed to the ground, her shaking legs unable to support her any longer.
"I've managed to stop most of the bleeding," Jack said, helping her to a chair, "but we still have to worry about it getting infected. We should keep an eye on him through the night in case he starts running a fever."
She nodded, too tired to do anything else. But as Jack was leaving to change his clothes, she called out to him.
"Jack?"
"What is it, love?"
"Thank you," she said softly.
He smiled and doffed his hat. "No need to thank me, love. And don't worry about Will. He'll pull through."
She nodded and offered him a small smile. She had never thought that she could trust a pirate, yet for the second time that day, she couldn't help being assured by Jack's words.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
She must have fallen asleep, because she later found herself waking up under a warm blanket that someone—it must have been Jack—had put over her. She looked around the room. Will was still lying on the bed, sleeping rather fitfully. Jack was at his side, placing a wet cloth for his forehead.
Elizabeth watched him, astounded. She had formed a picture of Jack Sparrow over these past few weeks; a picture of a cunning but cowardly pirate with a devil-may-care attitude and unrivaled selfishness. But as she looked at him now—tending to Will with something that could only be described as tenderness—that image was shattered into a million pieces.
She shifted slightly in her chair, and Jack turned towards her. "He's running a bit of fever," he said in a low voice, "but it's nothing to worry about. The wound hasn't gotten infected yet, and I've been workin' to keep his fever from risin' anymore."
"Why?" she whispered.
Jack cocked his head slightly. "Why, what, love?"
"Why do you go so far for him? You're a pirate—aren't you supposed to only care about yourself? Why are you so concerned about someone you just met?"
She didn't know what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't to see the intense look of pain that crossed his face. He covered it up almost immediately, but not quite quick enough.
"That's a long story, love," he said, refusing to meet her eyes.
Now thoroughly curious, she resettled herself in her chair, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "I have all the time in the world."
He looked at her for a long moment, then sighed heavily. "Alright then. The story begins years ago. There was once a pirate who had a beautiful wife and two young boys. The pirate was the captain of the Black Pearl, the fastest ship to sail the seven seas. He was a very good captain, and with the prowess of his ship, he could have had any treasure in the world for himself if he had desired it. But he was different from most pirates. He was a noble pirate who chose to steal from the rich and give back to the poor and needy—much like the Robin Hood of children's stories. He made sure that he and his crew were never in want, but they never had more than they needed either.
"But one day, his first mate began to grow greedy. He felt that they shouldn't have to give away their plunder but should be allowed to keep all of it for themselves. He confronted the captain, and it soon escalated into a mutiny. Greed wormed its way into the hearts of the crew, turning them against their captain.
"When it became clear that the ship was lost from him, the captain sent his wife and youngest son away to keep them safe. The captain himself stayed on the ship, along with his oldest son who refused to leave his father. The captain fought valiantly, but he was ultimately killed, and his son was left to die on a desert island.
"But the boy didn't die. Using his wits and some good fortune, he made it off the island and started working as a swabbie on a merchant ship. Soon after, rumors began to spread of a cursed ship with black sails run by fearsome pirates who couldn't be killed, and the boy vowed to someday return to the Black Pearl, avenge his father and restore the ship's good name.
"He didn't know what had become of his mother and younger brother, but he had always taken comfort in knowing that they were safe somewhere. Until one day, several years later, he came across a newspaper article about a shipwreck with his mother's and brother's names on the casualty list. The boy mourned the loss of his only remaining family, never expecting to see any of them alive again.
"That is, until a few weeks ago, when he stumbled upon a certain blacksmith in Port Royal who bore the exact same face and name as his lost brother."
Elizabeth looked at him amazement. "Will."
Jack nodded.
"So you're…brothers?"
He grinned. "I know, it's hard to believe when I'm so much better looking."
"But your name…you said your last name was Sparrow."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Sparrow's a name I took so Barbossa and his goons wouldn't find me before I was ready for them. I was christened James Archibald Turner."
Elizabeth could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Why haven't you told him?"
His smile faded and he shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's not so easy, love. Will was raised to hate and scorn pirates and their ways. I'm not sure how well it would go across if I told him that he was from pirate blood and had a pirate for a brother."
She shook her head. "Will isn't like that. If you explain everything like you did for me, I know that he'll be happy. He thought he was alone all this time—just like you—and now he's going to find out he has a brother. How could he not be happy?"
"I suppose you're right, love," he said, though he looked doubtful. "I'll tell 'im as soon as he's stronger, alright? But can you promise me somethin'? I want to be the one to tell 'im, alright?"
She nodded reluctantly. She was impatient for the truth to come out, but Jack was right. Will should hear it from Jack, not her.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
When Elizabeth woke again, sunlight was streaming in through the shuttered window. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The first thing she noticed was that Jack wasn't in the room. Then her gaze drifted to Will, and she nearly jumped out of her chair when she saw him watching her with amusement.
"Good morning," he smiled.
"Will!" she rushed to his side. "Thank goodness you're awake—how do you feel?"
He grimaced slightly. "About as well as you'd expect, I suppose."
Tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "This is all my fault."
He put his hand over hers, making her heart skip a beat. "Don't apologize. I would do it all over again if it meant saving you."
His beautiful brown eyes were so honest, so sincere. If she wasn't careful, they would suck her in and make her leave all her senses behind.
"Well," she said with forced lightness, "I'd rather not go through that again, so I'll try not to need saving any time in the near future."
He smiled at her. "I'm glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor."
Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, she reached out and touched his forehead. She sighed with relief. "Your fever's mostly gone, thanks to Jack."
He looked at her questioningly, but at that moment, Jack Sparrow—or rather, Jack Turner—himself waltzed into the room. He was holding a glass of water in one hand and balancing a bowl of porridge in the other.
"You hungry?" he asked Will.
Will looked at the food thoughtfully before shaking his head. "I'll just have the water for now."
Jack nodded and after a moment's hesitation, handed the glass to Elizabeth. "You can do the honors, love."
She sent him a pointed look, which he responded to with an expression that clearly said "later." She sighed and helped Will sit up so he could drink.
Once he was finished, he turned to Jack. "I still don't understand what happened back on the island."
Elizabeth looked from Will to Jack in confusion. Jack was shifting his weight, looking very uncomfortable. "That makes two of us," he chuckled nervously.
But Will wasn't about to let him off the hook. "You said you'd explain later. I didn't give them any of my blood, so how were they no longer immortal? You did something, didn't you?"
"Well…I gave them Turner blood, of course," Jack said evasively.
"So you gave them my blood without me knowing?"
"No, Will—" she began, but Jack quickly dragged her aside.
"What are you doin', love?" he whispered. "What happened to letting me tell 'im?"
She put her hands on her hips in annoyance. "Well stop twiddling your thumbs then, and just do it."
"I'm waiting for the right moment—"
"This is a fine moment, Jack. Just tell him. It'll be alright, believe me."
He hesitated and glanced towards Will. A grin spread over his face. "I think I'd better wait, after all, love."
She followed his gaze to where Will was sleeping soundly on the bed. She rolled her eyes at Jack but couldn't help smiling in spite of herself. It was impossible to stay upset when she saw how adorable Will looked.
"Ah, yes, love," Jack spoke in a soft voice, "I wanted to tell you that I've set the ship on course towards Port Royal."
"You're going to Port Royal?" she asked in surprise.
"No, you are."
"Oh." He was right, of course, but…
She glanced at Will, a seed of fear forming in her heart. She wondered what he would do once he knew the truth.
"Well that's all I wanted to say," he said. "I've got some work to do on the ship. Let me know if he wakes up again."
She watched him go, then sat down heavily, her thoughts as turbulent as the sea below her.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"Jack."
He looked up from his work rigging the mainsail. "Yes, love?"
"Will's awake."
He tied a hasty knot to hold the sail in place, then followed Elizabeth.
"You'd better tell him this time," she said, looking at him with a frightening gleam in her eyes.
Jack groaned inwardly. He was beginning to rue the moment that he had told her the truth about his past. The woman was as stubborn and incessant as a gnat.
Still, he knew that she was right. He couldn't put it off any longer. The moment had come to tell Will everything. He had thought that nothing could frighten him anymore, but now, he realized that he had been mistaken. For right now, he—the infamous pirate Jack Sparrow—was terrified. Terrified of being rejected by the only family he had left in this world, and most of all, terrified of losing his little brother again.
He entered the captain's quarters, dread forming a pit in his stomach. He hung back as Elizabeth went to Will's side.
"Is there anything I can get you?" she asked gently. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"No…I mean yes," Will said, looked oddly flustered. "I mean I'm not hungry or thirsty, but…"
Jack's worry was temporarily forgotten as he hid a smile. He had a pretty good idea of what the problem was.
"Leave this to me, love." He brushed past Elizabeth and scooped Will up in his arms, much as he used to do when he was younger. Back then, he would lift him up and toss him high in the air. It didn't matter how many times he did it, it would never fail to make his little brother giggle and shriek with delight.
"What are you doing?" Will's voice interrupted his reminiscing thoughts. "Put me down!"
"Oh, relax," Jack said. "You have to use the loo, don't you?"
Will stopped struggling. His eyes darted towards Elizabeth, his cheeks flushing red. He finally nodded, his jaw set.
"Right then." Jack carried him over to the bathroom door and set him down.
"I think I can manage from here," Will said, slamming the door in his face.
Jack grinned and glanced at Elizabeth, who was also blushing furiously. Jack shook his head, chuckling to himself. Oh, to be young and innocent again.
Eventually, Will was resettled in bed—he had insisted on walking back—looking tired but determined.
"Jack, I want the truth. How did you break the curse?"
Jack looked at Elizabeth, who nodded encouragingly. He sighed. "I gave them Turner blood, like I said before. Only it wasn't yours, it was mine."
At Will's confused look, he told him everything that he had told Elizabeth. Once he finished, he looked at Will anxiously. It took every ounce of his self-control not to start chewing his lower lip—a nervous habit that he had picked up when he was young.
Finally, Will spoke. "So…we're brothers then."
Jack forced a grin. "Jack Turner, at your service.
"I see," Will said simply.
"You don't sound very surprised," Elizabeth said, speaking for the first time.
Will ran his hand through his hair. "I mean, I am surprised, of course. But I always suspected there was something my mother wasn't telling me. She would spend hours looking out towards the sea in our small flat. I think that, somehow, she always knew that you were out there somewhere. I think that's why she wanted to go back. I think that she hoped to find you."
Jack nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He had found his brother at last, but that didn't change the fact that their parents were gone—out of their reach forever.
"And also…" Will's voice trailed off. "I—for as long as I can remember, I've had dreams of a boy with laughing eyes who would lift me high in the air. I've always wondered who it was—he was clearly too young to be my father, yet he felt so familiar…" He looked at Jack. "That was you, wasn't it?"
Jack swallowed back the lump forming in his throat. "Yes."
Will looked at him, a strange light burning in his eyes. "I can't believe I've finally found you. Not that I knew who or even what I was looking for—but it still feels wonderful."
Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Aren't you upset that I'm a pirate?"
Will smiled. "From the sound of it, we both are, Jack."
Jack shook his head. "No, you're different. You're not like me, you're—"
"I'm what, Jack? If you mean to say that I'm a good person, and you're not, then you're wrong. Being a pirate doesn't automatically make you evil. I can see that now. Both you and our father are proof of that."
"But—"
"Jack, I'm not going to let some stupid, false prejudice keep me from knowing the only family I have left. You're my brother—pirate or not, it doesn't matter to me. Or"—a glimmer of uncertainty entered Will's eyes—"is it me? Are you not happy having me as your brother? Is there something about me you don't like?"
"Blimey, Will!" Jack cried. "Of course not. I knew from the second I saw you that you had grown into a fine man. I couldn't be prouder to call you my brother."
Will smiled triumphantly. "Glad to hear it. Now that that's all on the table, I don't see any problems with acting like brothers, do you?"
Jack had been played and he knew it. Still, he couldn't help but smile. It appeared that his kid brother was more like him than he had thought.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"How on earth did you do it?" Will exclaimed in disbelief. "And don't you dare say sea turtles!"
"And what's wrong with sea turtles, eh?" Jack asked with mock indignation. "They're—alright, fine. No sea turtles."
Elizabeth smiled at this exchange. It seemed that Jack and Will were intent on making up for nearly twenty years of lost time in the span of a few days. The two had become nearly inseparable, and although she did feel a bit left out at times, she couldn't truly be angry. How could she be when Will looked happier than she had ever seen him?
She sighed. Of course, she was happy for Will, but she couldn't completely shake the sense of dread looming over her. It seemed that the closer they drew to Port Royal, the heavier her heart became. She did miss her home and her father, but…
"There's still a few things that I don't understand." Will's voice pulled her thoughts back into focus.
"Ask away, mate," Jack said with a grin.
"I understand that you used your blood to break the curse, but why was our blood needed in the first place? Our father didn't steal the gold, did he?"
"I can answer that, actually," Elizabeth said. Receiving a nod from Jack, she continued. "Barbossa said that according to the pirate's code, a mutineer is not officially recognized as captain until they've maintained control of a ship for three lunar cycles. Barbossa stole the gold only a month after your father's death, so your father was still the captain of the ship, even if it was in name only. When they took the gold onto the Black Pearl, the entire crew came to bear the responsibility of the curse, including your father, even though he had no part in it."
"I see," Will said after a moment. "I had no idea pirates had so many laws."
"Like I said, they're really more like guidelines, mate," Jack grinned cheekily.
Will returned the grin, and for a moment, Elizabeth was struck by the resemblance between the two brothers. She wondered why she hadn't seen it before.
"Oh, right," Will said. "There was one other thing."
"There's more?" Jack laughed. "Blimey, Will, I think you ask even more questions now than you did when you were just a wee boy."
Will smiled again, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. "I know that the pirates aren't immortal anymore," he began, "but won't they still come after us?"
Jack's grin faded. "They won't be bothering us anymore," he said grimly.
"How can you be so sure?" Elizabeth asked.
"Because they're dead, love."
"What? How?" Will asked, his brow furrowed. "I remember hearing an explosion, but I don't remember much else."
Jack nodded. "I set off an explosion that blocked their exit. When the tide comes in, that entire cove is submerged underwater. There's no way they could've made it out in time."
"But," Elizabeth argued, "they could still get to the chamber that had the coins, right? Isn't it possible that they stole the coins again to become immortal and escaped?"
Jack shook his head. "You're certainly sharp, love, but I already thought of that. After I put in my blood, I threw the entire chest into one of the cove's craters. Those holes run several miles deep—there's no way a human could ever retrieve it."
A heavy silence encompassed the room.
"So they're really dead," Will said at last.
"Aye, and it was my doing," Jack said softly. He turned to Will. "Are you reconsidering your notion that I'm a good person yet?"
Jack's tone was light, but there was no mistaking the fear in his eyes. Elizabeth was certain even a blind man could see how much Will's opinion meant to him.
"No," Will said with uncharacteristic hardness. "If you hadn't done it, I think I would have done it myself. Even though they were mortal again, they weren't really human, Jack. They couldn't be after all that they'd done. They killed our father, and I have no doubt that they would've killed us too given another chance. You did the right thing. I'm only sorry I couldn't have helped you more."
Jack nodded and put his hand on Will's shoulder. "Thank you," he said simply.
As Elizabeth watched them, a pang coursed through her chest. It was as if Will and Jack were in their own world—a world that she had no part in. Will had always been there, a constant, reassuring presence in her life, but now she could feel him drifting away and she was helpless to do anything about it. As long as they were on this ship, she had a tenuous hold on him, but once they arrived in Port Royal…
"Elizabeth."
She looked up to see Will looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?"
"Ah yes, I…I was just thinking about home."
He nodded sympathetically. "I know you must miss your father. But try not to worry, we're getting you home as fast as we can."
"That's right, love," Jack said. "We should be at the good ol' Royal Port by tomorrow afternoon."
She wrung her hands nervously in her lap. "What about you, Will? Are you coming home too?" She had to ask, even though she was pretty sure she already knew what his answer would be.
A shadow crossed his face and he shook his head. "I can't go back there, Elizabeth. I'll be imprisoned, and in the worst case, I could even face the gallows."
"But surely my father could help get you exonerated. I know he would if I asked him."
He simply shook his head again. "I'm sorry, but I've already decided to stay on the Black Pearl." He looked at Jack, who was grinning widely at him. "We've just been reunited. I can't possibly leave again so soon."
Elizabeth wasn't surprised, but she still couldn't help feeling hurt. Will was choosing Jack over her, and it stung like a slap to the face.
"I see," she said coolly.
"Elizabeth, please don't do this. It's already hard enough for me as it is. Don't think that I'm happy about leaving you, but it had to happen eventually. This"—he gestured between them—"would never have worked."
"And what, pray tell, is 'this'?"
"Elizabeth," Will groaned in frustration. "You know that I'm crazy about you. I always have been, and I probably always will be. But you're the governor's daughter, and I'm a—well, I'm a pirate. Not exactly an even match—no offense, Jack."
"None taken," Jack said merrily.
"Oh, Will," she said, softening despite herself, "you know that none of that matters to me."
He smiled weakly. "I know—that's part of why I'm so crazy about you—but it matters to the rest of the world. As much as we might wish otherwise, we can't change the way things are. You bear the name of Swann, and that comes with certain responsibilities and standards that have to be kept."
"Then I'll just throw my name away."
He looked at her blankly. "What…?"
Now that she had said it, she realized that her heart had already made this decision long ago.
"I'll no longer be a Swann," she continued boldly. "I'll throw away my name, my old way of life, everything. Please, just let me stay with you, Will."
"I can't let you throw away your home, Elizabeth," he said firmly.
"Don't you understand?" She looked into his eyes, hoping he would see that she meant it. "You are my home, Will. As long as I'm with you, I don't care about anything else."
"Elizabeth, please listen," Will said, desperation creeping into his voice. "You're not thinking this through. You'll regret it. Please, I don't want to have to bear the guilt of being the one who ruined your life."
She lifted her chin high in the air. "No, you listen, William Turner, and you listen well. I love you. And no, this is not some passing whim or girlish fancy. I've always known that you're the only one for me—ever since I was a girl. I could never regret spending my life with you. Never."
Will raked his hands through his hair, looking agitated. "You're saying all of this now, but you forget that you are currently engaged to Commodore Norrington."
"You think that I wanted that?" she cried. "I was miserable, Will! I went along with it to please my father and because I was too afraid to protest. But not anymore. You see, dangerous situations have a funny way of helping you see what's truly important to you. And through all of this, the one I haven't been able to stop thinking about is you, Will. You are what's most important to me."
Will turned to Jack in frustration. "Can't you say something to her?"
Jack's eyes were sparkling with amusement. "I am a man of many talents, but not even I can hope to persuade that woman when she's made up her mind."
Elizabeth beamed at him, while Will simply shook his head. After a moment, he sighed tiredly and looked at her. She could feel his resolve weakening. "You'll have to live the life of a pirate, you know."
"I'm aware," she smiled.
"It might be rough, like really rough. It won't be anything like what you're used to."
She laughed. "I think I'll manage."
"Elizabeth." He looked at her searchingly. "Are you really, truly certain?"
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
A slow smile spread over his face and he gathered her in his arms. "Oh, Elizabeth, my love. I feel like the luckiest man in the world right now."
She smiled and allowed herself to melt into his embrace. "And I'm the luckiest woman in the world," she murmured in his ear.
"I think I'll leave you lovebirds to it," Jack grinned, backing quietly towards the door.
"No, wait!" Will said. "I have something that I need to ask first." He turned to her, his deep brown eyes shining with emotion. "Elizabeth Swann, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
She felt herself blush, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "Of course," she answered softly.
He smiled at her, then looked at Jack. "Do you know any place where we can have a wedding?"
"Oh, Will, we don't have to do all that—" she started to protest.
"No," he said firmly. "I want to do this the right way."
"I know of a place not far from here," Jack said. He looked at both of them. "Should I reset our heading?"
Will turned to Elizabeth, and she knew that he was giving her one last chance to reconsider. She felt fully the weight of her decision. With this change of heading, the trajectory of her life would be altered forever.
Yet, as she gazed at Will, she felt no doubt. "Reset the heading, please, Captain Sparrow." She flashed a brilliant smile. "It looks like I've got a wedding to attend."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"Right this way, Father," a bald-headed clergyman said to Jack. "The necessary paperwork is in my office."
Jack nodded gallantly. "Thank you, brother."
Will elbowed Jack in the ribs as they followed the man down a long hallway. "Care to explain why everyone here seems to believe that you are a man of God?" he hissed under his breath.
Jack shrugged lazily. "Because I wanted them to believe that I was, of course. You'd be surprised what a good cover it is. As long as you wear a clergyman's robe, you can do no wrong, and all that—oi, stop looking at me like that. I found a place for you to get chained—I mean married, just like you wanted, right?"
Will rolled his eyes. It was utterly ridiculous, but with Jack, he was quickly learning not to be surprised by anything. He stole a glance at Elizabeth, and to his relief, saw that she was trying—and failing—to hide a smile.
"So how have you been Father?" the clergyman asked. "Is your work going well?"
"Oh, yes," Jack replied airily, "it's just splendid. You know me—I never stop doing those churchy things. Giving away money, helping people, that thing where you starve yourself on purpose…"
"Fasting?" the man asked, looking slightly puzzled.
"Yes, that's it! Fasting!"
Will had to bite back laughter, while Elizabeth was suddenly wracked with a very convenient coughing spell.
After they had signed the marriage certificate, Elizabeth was taken to an upper room so she could ready herself for the ceremony. They had spent the afternoon going around the small port town, shopping for new wardrobes and other necessities. Elizabeth had bought several dresses, including a cream gown with lace trim for the wedding.
They weren't as extravagant as what she was accustomed to, but she had assured him that she didn't care in the slightest. It made him feel even more undeserving of her, and as she modeled a few of the dresses for him, he had marveled once again at how exquisite she was. It honestly didn't matter to him what she wore—he was pretty sure she would look stunning even in sackcloth.
They had also purchased simple, gold wedding bands. He had planned to get some fake, cheap rings for now and replace them later, but Jack had insisted on buying them real gold ones. He had joked that they couldn't call themselves pirates without at least some article of gold on their person.
Their final errand had been to find a ship heading to Port Royal. Elizabeth had written a letter to her father so that he would know she was alright. As they watched the ship leave, he was reminded of how much she had given up for him, and it only strengthened his resolve to treasure her for the rest of his life.
And now, the moment had finally come. He stood at the front of the church sanctuary, waiting with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. Jack and the other witnesses were sitting in a pew to his right. The clergyman had offered to let Jack marry them, but both he and Elizabeth had emphatically declined.
His heart leapt into his throat as the doors at the back of the church opened. There was Elizabeth, looking like a vision, almost too beautiful for this world. She locked eyes with him, and in that moment, they were the only people in the room—in the whole world.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. He vaguely heard himself say, "I do," and he prayed that he had said it at the right time, because he wasn't able to focus on anything except how beautiful Elizabeth was and how very much he wanted to kiss her…
"You may now kiss the bride," the clergyman announced as Will nearly shouted with relief.
He took Elizabeth in his arms and kissed her, gently at first, then more passionately as the kiss deepened. His heart was nearly bursting with joy as they drew apart at last and Elizabeth gazed up at him, her eyes glistening and filled with emotions that mirrored his own.
They left the chapel quickly—he was still recovering, and it had been a long, arduous day. But not even the pain in his side could mar his happiness right now. He still couldn't believe how his fortunes had changed. In the span of a few days, he had gone from being alone in the world to having both a brother and an amazing wife. He had told Elizabeth earlier, but it was really true. He truly was the luckiest man in the world.
"Congratulations, you two," Jack said cheerily. Then to Elizabeth, "Welcome to the family, love."
"Thanks, Jack," she smiled. "I guess you're my brother now. Or"—a sly look entered her eyes—"would you rather me call you 'Father'?"
Jack broke into uproarious laughter. "You're gonna have your hands full with this one, mate."
Will couldn't help but agree. He had always avoided trouble, but between Elizabeth and Jack, he had a feeling that trouble would find them no matter what he did. But as he looked at them—the two people he loved most in the world—he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way.