The Unraveling Thread

The Unraveling Thread

Author: immortaljedi aka jedipati

Disclaimer: The characters here belong to Disney, not me.

Characters: Ensemble Cast, no pairings

Rating: PG

Warnings: Somewhat dark

Summary: When Will Turner is not found by Elizabeth Swann, the consequences ripple out, and no one's destiny is unchanged. A drabble series.

Author's Notes: This is drabbles 6-10


6. Attack

"Hathers!" Elizabeth ran forward when she heard the shout. She'd been hiding as "Eli Hathers" for two months now. Luckily, they hadn't realized she was a girl, not a boy.

As she reached the captain's cabin, she heard horrified shouts from the crow's nest. "Pirates!"

Later, Elizabeth admitted to herself that it could have been worse. They were left alive, but they were stranded with no supplies.

She was equally relieved and horrified when the Flying Dutchman found them. Around her, crewmen crossed themselves or spat curses.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and waited. They wouldn't take her without a fight.


7. Fight

They came upon another ship attacked by pirates two years after they found Will.

It was supposedly a simple matter to round up the survivors.

The Dutchman's cabin boy was not supposed to end up in a fistfight with the other ship's cabin boy. It took three crewmen to separate them, and by that time Will had a black eye and the other boy had a split lip. They glared at each other angrily.

Will was less then pleased when the other boy- Eli Hathers- joined the crew. They spent most of the next twenty years snapping at each other.


8. Mediate

Bootstrap wondered just when he had become the crewman in charge of keeping the cabin boys from attempting to kill each other.

Bootstrap eyed them. They were ignoring him in favor of glaring at each other. "You do realize that you will be on this ship for ninety-eight years together, right?" he asked.

"What does that mean?" Eli asked, startled.

Bootstrap sighed. "It means that you will both be serving on this ship for the next ninety-eight years. That's a long time to hold a grudge."

Will frowned, considering. Eli scowled in thought. Good, maybe they'd both listen this time.


9. Disappointment

They ran into the Black Pearl nearly seven years after the mutiny- almost literally ran into the Pearl, since a combination of two curses, fog, and a dead drunk helmsman meant that the Dutchman had to dive very quickly to avoid a collision.

They came back up a safe distance away from the Pearl. Bootstrap had already disappeared below deck when the Captain met with Barbossa. Will was up in the rigging, and they ignored him.

Captain Jones knew exactly what Barbossa described, but the thought of mutineers dealing with such a curse amused him.

The Pearl's crew left disappointed.


10. Wrong

Jack Sparrow slogged through the mud filled streets toward the docks. He hated being stuck here, but it was land, and this was where he was safe. He had a suspicion that Jones wouldn't care that Jack had only been captain of the Pearl for two years.

So, as time ran out, he settled here, in this port town where at least he could watch the sea. He'd spent the last year building up enough of a fortune that he wouldn't need to work for a long time.

Jack knew, somehow, that something beyond the obvious had gone horribly wrong.