Will awoke the next morning, and from the way sunlight shafted through the window, he could tell they were in the front docks, instead of the shady, hidden ones where they were before. That's odd, he thought. I don't remember falling asleep. He felt something warm and strong embracing his waist. He flipped over. He came face to face with Jack, who was still sleeping. Will blushed. And I definitely don't remember falling asleep with Jack! Still, he reached out and gently touched the pirate's warm face. A fleeting smile formed there. Jack looked so innocent and peaceful when he slept.

The pirate murmured something incoherent, but it soon turned into..."G'morning, Will, how d'ye sleep?" Jack's voice was thick and slurred with tiredness. Will felt his face heat up again. "Fine. Are we in the port?" "Aye. The crew knows now, too, so don't fret." Will sighed. "How did they take to it?" Jack winced. "Not…not very well," he said. Will furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, 'not very well'?" Jack rolled his eyes. "As in, they left only the two of us." Will's eyebrows were still creased, but Jack grinned. "Speaking of the two of us," he said softly. He gave Will a kiss on his knitted brow and felt the tension melt away under his lips.

Will looked down, his forehead pressed onto Jack's chest, hiding his maniacal blush from him. Jack's hand ran down his arm, until his hand caught Will's own. Will looked up at Jack, who chuckled. "Good morning, mate," he said, climbing over Will to get off the bed. "Whoa!" Jack slipped, and fell on his side, quickly getting back up again and brushing himself off. Will laughed. "Good morning to you too, Jack," he chuckled as he got up himself. "I take it we're in a proper dock?" he asked, walking out of the cabin. Jack scrambled to his side. "Of course. That would be why me crew has left," he grumbled in annoyance, although Will could see the flash of sadness in his eyes.

Will walked on deck, wincing at the harsh, cheery sunlight. He looked around at the bustling ports and docks with mild affection. "Well, then." Jack said. He rubbed his chin, playing with his beard. He turned to Will. "I think we can afford a piano lesson. After all, the Pearl is here, I'm free, and the governor's house isn't far," he said, glancing over at Will, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. "That sounds nice," Will said shyly.

The two of them walked off of the Pearl, and they made their way through the docks. "I can't believe Norrington believes us," Will said, shaking his head. "I'm just worried about when the governor gets back," Jack muttered. "Elizabeth might be able to persuade him, but if Norrington sends for him…" he motioned with his index finger in between himself and Will."We, darling, are dead." Will nodded. "I have faith in Elizabeth, however. She's smart. She'll figure it out." Jack raised an eyebrow. "This woman killed me once," Jack said slowly, as if he was speaking to a toddler. "I don't plan on letting her do that again, savvy?" Will shrugged. "Yeah."

They got back to the governor's house. Will tried the front door, and then he bit his lip. "Um, Jack?" he said, turning around, keeping a sweet smile on his face. "Yes, Will?" he was becoming suspicious. "The…the door is locked," Will said sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head. Jack gave Will a deadpan look. "You're kidding." "No, I'm not--I think I left the keys inside." Jack rubbed his forehead. Will couldn't help himself; he giggled. "Well, this is odd," he said, once he had regained his composure. Jack raised an eyebrow. "You do know what this means. We'll have to climb in." Will giggled again, then abruptly stopped. "Yeah. Fun, doesn't it sound like?" He asked, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "Tons of it," Jack responded dryly.

They circled the enormous mansion looking for a window--"My God, will this house ever end?!" Jack had asked, exasperated, numerous times--until they came to the lowest open one, about seven feet off of the ground. Jack laced his fingers together. "Here you go. Put your foot here and I'll hoist you up." Will nodded, stepped into Jack's hand, and with a grunt, got hauled upwards. But, he was off-balance, and he stumbled and fell back--right on top of Jack. "Ah." He sat up on his knees, giving Jack a hand to help him upright. The pirate took it and sat back up. "Aren't you suggestive, Will," he purred. Said blacksmith's face flushed.

They tried a few more times, and failed (with similar results, to Jack's delight and Will's embarassment) until they got it right. Will dashed inside of the window, and returned with a sheet. He threw one end out the window, which Jack climbed up with ease. He clambered into the room, looking at the piano fondly. "Ah. Well then, Will." He sat down, and Will joined him automatically. Jack smiled in appreciation, then he turned to Will. "I'm going to teach you a new song, okay?" Will nodded in excitement. He loved the songs Jack came up with. Jack smiled again. "Good." Will placed his hands on the keys, and Jack put his hands over them, his wonderfully rough fingers pressing down on Will's.

"What do you call this song, Jack?" Will whispered as they played together. Jack looked thoughtful, but continued playing. "...I don't know. It just is for me." Jack began to hum, and then sung. "So close to reaching that famous happy end…almost believing this was not pretend…and now you're beside me…and look how far we've come…" Will leaned his head on Jack's shoulder, listening intently to the words and melody. "How could I face the endless days, if I were to lose you now? We are so close to reaching that famous happy end…almost believing this was not pretend…let's go on dreaming, for we know we are…so close…so close, and yet so far…" Will sighed heavily, letting the same feeling as before wash over him. The music played on for a while longer, then tinkled off.

Then it hit Will, as plain as day. He was falling in love with Jack. He was falling in love with Jack. He had been, for a while now. Will pulled away from the piano suddenly, causing Jack to look at him, concerned. "What's wrong, Will?" he asked gently, putting his hand on the young blacksmith's arm. Will turned to face Jack, dazed. "I love you."

--

Ah. I think I dragged the 'confession' out long enough; seven chapters. A long enough length, eh?

I know you think they were being awfully affectionate in the beginning, and you're thinking, 'well, why didn't they tell each other THEN?' It's because I wanted it to be like that. I wanted them to feel like they were in love without actually realizing it. So now Will does realize that fact, now, and he's like, 'well, DUH! You didn't kiss him for nothing!'

Anyway...about the locked-out thing...yeah. Did they even have keys back then? o.0 I don't know...