Ocean Soul

Part 4 of 18

By Clarity Scifiroots

Standard disclaimers apply. This AU plot rules parallel to the first movie but isn't quite the same. By a fan, for fans.

Rating: Ranges from Teen to Adult/Mature.

Pairing: Jack/Will

Summary: An AU tale that weaves a rather bleak past for one Will Turner. When the young blacksmith apprentice stows away on the Interceptor to get away from abuse, he didn't expect it to be taken over by pirates led by the notorious Jack Sparrow.

Warnings: Sexual harassment, abuse, and recovery from such

Edited January 16, 2008

Four

"Cap'n..."

Jack didn't turn his gaze away from the unusual compass he held. His free hand directed the ship's wheel. "Aye, Master Gibbs?" he prompted after a few moments of prolonged silence.

The older, slightly plump man cleared his throat. "The lad don't look too good. Ee's barely got a stomach ta fill, thar's a nasty brand on 'is shoulder, an' ee's full a' bruises."

Sparrow snorted softly, glancing sidelong as his first mate. He muttered under his breath, "We'd do well to chop 'im int' bits 'n use 'im for fish bai'." Gibbs' eyes widened slightly. The captain chuckled heartily to cover his remotely serious suggestion. "Fix 'im up bes' you can 'n in a hurry. 'E's no' gettin' free passage on me ship. Don' waste all the supplies on the whelp, neither. No 'eavy meals 'fore 'e improves, savvy? I don' wan' muck on me decks."

"Aye, Cap'n." As Gibbs turned to go, Jack reached a hand out to stop him.

Casually, eyes on the horizon, he murmured, "Pass the word 'round tha' no one's to be mentionin' Bootstrap. Savvy?"

"Aye, aye."

Left alone, Jack let his gaze follow his friend's back, a frown passing his lips. His hands itched to reach into his shirt and pull out the medallion of Aztec gold. No doubt about the boy's parentage, but his pirate heart refused to let any gentleness be spared. He was not the heartless, cold-blooded killer like his mutinous former first mate, but neither was he a charity-giver.

Besides, it seemed AnaMaria might develop a liking for the whelp, and the less Jack involved himself with her, the safer his prized face would be from her incessant bouts of violence. "Lass 'olds a grudge longer than anyone I know," he muttered to himself with some amusement.

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"'Ell, boy! When's th' last yeh ate?" AnaMaria asked with an indescribable look of disbelief on her face.

Will avoided her eyes, embarrassed at having instantly swallowed down a bowl of thin soup upon having it handed to him. "I don't quite remember," he mumbled, fingering the empty bowl longingly. The heat had gone straight to his belly and he could still feel the warmth. His stomach growled noisily, hungry now that it knew it could actually have food. The woman beside him laughed at his mortified expression.

"Don' worry, mate. We just 'ave t' start ya off slow or ye'll get sick." Dark hands curled around the bowl in his lap and drew it away. Will followed the movement, daring to meet the woman's eyes. She studied him impassively. "I'll be back. Yeh need new clothes. I'm sure some bugger's got somethin' ye can squirm int'." She turned to leave.

"Wait! Miss—"

"Don' be 'miss'-in' me, boy," she scolded.

"...I was just wondering what's going to happen?"

She offered him a dangerous smile. "Don' yeh fret yer pretty 'ead. Ol' Cap'n Jack ain' kickin' ye overboard withou' a scene from me."

Will let her leave in silence after that to considered her words. He looked around the sparse furnishings of the first mate's cabin and wondered at the lack of mess. Had a pirate stayed here before him? He gently prodded the bandages wrapped about his burned arm. AnaMaria and another pirate by the name of Gibbs had taken care of the wound, amazingly persistent even as he bucked and kicked as his shirt had been torn away and reopened the forming scab.

Now he was more than happy with the end results and hoped no further infection would plague him. He was flush from hairline to chest, hot with a mild fever and from exhaustion as a result overwork and malnutrition. Oddly enough, despite of their initial introduction the female pirate seemed determined to cure him of all ills. Whatever the reason, he felt grateful – even to the lousy captain who hadn't killed him the very instant their eyes met. At least he had a chance.

It's more than I've had in a long while, he realized. The thought should have been remorseful or bitter, but wasn't. A sense of hope tingled in his gut, a feeling he hadn't realized could still burn brightly beneath all the hurt and abuse he'd put up with over the years.

Footsteps in the hallway signaled AnaMaria's return. His astute hearing could already pick up the difference of weight and balance of her footsteps, unique among a crew of men. She brought fresh clothes; it would be good to exchange his dirty pants for something new and less constricting. A shirt free of blood wouldn't be such a bad thing either.

-----

"Sorry, lad. Best ye rise quick 'fore th' Cap'n decides ta get ye up 'is way."

Will slowly opened his eyes, peering blearily at the face of Gibbs.

"What?" he asked around a yawn.

The older man eyed him with what seemed to be a disapproving look. "Yer ta work t'day an' ee's not gonna let ye off easy. Get up, now. AnaMaria's got a bit a' breakfast waitin'."

Will did as told, tossing off the blanket and sitting up to stretch. Gibbs motioned for him to pick up the pace. The blacksmith buttoned the front of his open shirt and, barefoot, followed after the pirate to eat before beginning his first day as cabin boy. His arm ached at the mere thought. He hid a wince, reminding himself that pirates weren't known for warm hearts.

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TBC

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