Disclaimer: Will, Jack, Elizabeth, and Barbossa don't belong to me. They are the property of Disney, Gore, Jerry, Ted, and Terry.
A/N: Your reviews were amazing. Seriously. And thanks to the folks who gave me constructive criticsm! I need it. I'll try to make Ana be a little 'tougher' as the story goes on, and I'll try not to go overboard with the Ana/Jack 'almost marriage'. I'll save the cuteness factor for Will and Elizabeth :D Angst warning ahead, mateys!
Ch. 7: Not Another One!
"I don't know if I can do this," Elizabeth mumbled.
Clutching the side of a 'borrowed' vessel, the Pirate King gazed at the harbor that was within swimming distance. Her stomach lurched as she laid eyes on Port Royal for the first time since that fateful day Lord Cutler Beckett ruined her wedding. The official reason as to why she was here was that she needed to settle her father's estate. However, Elizabeth had more sentimental reasons for returning to the place she'd once called home. She wanted to take some personal items home with her as well as bid a final farewell to the mansion that she'd shared with her father. And, if she thought she could stand it, she might even visit Will's old smithy.
"You can do it," Ana reassured her friend. "I'll be with you every step of the way." Elizabeth sighed nervously, wishing this terrible errand was already over.
Mrs. Turner was not about to return to her old home alone, so Ana and Jack had graciously offered to go with her. However, they wouldn't be able to travel until Sammi was old enough to be separated from her mother for a couple hours. Unfortunately, this also meant that Elizabeth was now eight months into her pregnancy. With a single glance, anyone who looked at her would be able to tell that she was with child. And since Elizabeth wasn't wearing a wedding ring, people would wrongly assume that her child had been concieved out of wedlock. She wasn't sure if she could bear the pointed stares and nasty whispers, as almost everyone in the town would recognize her as the former governor's daughter who had run off with the blacksmith. Elizabeth remembered that many of the town's young women had been jealous of her lofty position in society, and knew that they wouldn't hesitate to scorn her.
"Oh, Ana, I shouldn't feel ashamed," she vented. "I should feel proud to be a mother, and I am. I want this baby - Will's baby - more than anything. I just wish people wouldn't be so assuming and cruel."
"No one likes to be judged wrongly, Elizabeth," said Ana. "But you can't let a couple of silly tarts keep you from claiming your rightful possessions."
"You're right," Elizabeth agreed as they prepared to board the lifeboat.
"Make sure you're back here in time," Jack reminded them as he took Sammi from her mother. "I don't want to be stuck here listening to my daughter's hungry cries, and not be able to appease her."
"Jack, I'll be back in time," said Ana, rolling her eyes. "I am her mother; I know exactly how long it takes before she's hungry again." Jack scowled at her.
"Are you sure I can't go with you?"
"Yes!" Ana and Elizabeth insisted firmly.
"If you got caught, who would I have to order around?" Ana grinned mischevously at Jack's glare.
"That's nice luv. Oi, Lizzie!" Elizabeth looked up just in time to catch a small envelope that Jack threw her way.
"What's this, Jack?" The pirate grinned down at them as two crew members slowly lowered the boat into the sea.
"It's just in case you run into any legal issues, savvy?"
"Legal issues?" Elizabeth found herself quite confused. Since when has Jack Sparrow ever been concerned with obeying the law? "Ana, do you know what this is?"
"I haven't the foggiest," said Ana, as they hit the sea with a small splash. "Don't get your hopes up, though. Knowing Jack, it's probably some joke of his." Ana grabbed the oars and began to row them ashore. Elizabeth's sense of curiosity won out, and she eagerly tore the envelope open. She gasped in surprise. Whatever she'd been expecting, it certainly hadn't been this.
In her hands she held a perfectly legal marriage certificate. And it was signed by Captain Hector Barbossa and William Turner.
333
"I look absolutely ridiculous," Elizabeth said as Ana helped the pregnant woman out of the rowboat. (They'd landed a little ways away from the harbor so that Ana wouldn't have to pay the fee for tying up their boat.)
"You don't look ridiculous," said Ana, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as she pulled Elizabeth along the path to the city.
"I look huge!" Elizabeth moaned.
"You don't look huge," Ana insisted. "You look positively tiny compared to how big I got."
"I really could use Will around at a time like this," Elizabeth muttered.
"Too bad; you're stuck with me." Ana sighed. She's known Elizabeth would act like this, but that didn't make it any easier for her to support Elizabeth in the way that she deserved. "How much farther is your old house anyway?"
"It's that far," Elizabeth informed her, pointing out the mansion at the top of the hill.
"That was your house?!" Ana squeaked. The damn thing looked large enough to house the entire crew of the Pearl comfortably.
"Well, yes," said Elizabeth. "I was the governor's daughter, remember?"
"Vividly," said Ana. They walked a bit further until they came to one of Port Royal's side streets. Elizabeth and Ana followed it until it ran into one of the main streets. The female pirates couldn't help but staring dejectedly at the large navy blue flag sporting the East India Trading Company logo.
"That wasn't here when I was growing up," Elizabeth lamented sadly. "Nor was that enormous clock."
"You probably have Beckett to thank for that," said Ana, eyeing the flag with disgust.
"But he's dead now," Elizabeth stated. "We blew his ship to pieces."
"They've probably appointed someone else," guessed Ana.
"Well, he can't be possibly be worse than Beckett," said Elizabeth with forced enthusiasm.
"One can only hope." Ana shuddered, remembering what Jack had told her about the power-hungry tyrant. She shared a dark look with her friend as they started down the street in the direction of the mansion.
Elizabeth tried to hurry along, but it was only a matter of time before she was recognized. Most unluckily, it was by a group of high-society young women that had pretended to be her friends.
"Well if it isn't Miss Swann." Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks, turning around to find herself face to face with one of them.
"Mrs. Woodson," said Elizabeth, politely nodding at the woman as she braced herself for what was to come.
"Elizabeth, darling, it's been too long," simpered the blonde, deliberately staring at Elizabeth's protruding stomach. "It's been rumored that you took up with some pirates. And clearly, I see the rumors weren't wrong." Inwardly seething, Elizabeth corrected the woman.
"It's Mrs. Turner now." Several of the other women gasped at this, staring at Elizabeth in distain. Ana didn't have to look at her friend to see that she was about to explode with anger.
"Mrs. Turner, then," said the blonde, making it obvious that she was absolutely disgusted by Elizabeth's choice to marry Will. "Where is your husband?" asked Mrs. Woodson. Elizabeth flushed, tightly squeezing Ana's hand.
"He is currently at sea."
"Ah. That's very convenient, isn't it?" Mrs. Woodson was clearly egging her on, but Elizabeth wasn't about to take the bait.
"I'm surprised you married him after what happened with your father," she continued. "Or perhaps, you didn't know."
"Didn't know what?" Elizabeth challenged. "That my father is dead? Believe me, I know; I have mourned for him."
"And who do you believe killed him?" Elizabeth's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Cutler Beckett, of course." Cruel laughter came from the group of women.
"By God, she doesn't know!" Mrs. Woodson crowed, grinning evilly at them. "He never told her!"
"Know what?" spat Elizabeth. But Ana intervened, knowing that they only had so much time before she had to return to Sammi.
"It doesn't matter," Ana hissed. "Elizabeth, they're not worth it." She practically had to drag her trembling friend away from them.
"Are you alright?" Ana asked, after hiding them behind a street vendor's stand. Elizabeth nodded through her tears.
"I'll live. But when they looked at me like that, after they learned that I married Will..." she shuddered. "They don't even know him! They don't know our situation." Ana carefully hugged her friend around her bulging belly.
"I'm sorry - they shouldn't have treated you like that. I thought members of English high society were supposed to be polite!" That caused Elizabeth to laugh.
"Hardly." Peeking out from her hiding spot, Elizabeth looked around for the snotty group of girls and saw that they had left. Sighing with relief, Elizabeth led Ana through the streets until they reached the hill's summit. Just as the mansion came into view, Ana pulled Elizabeth out of sight behind a large tree.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ana asked her friend, staring up at another ominous EITC flag as it flapped in the breeze. "You don't know what you'll find in there."
"Perhaps I'll find someone who can direct me to my attorney," Elizabeth said. Ana sighed inwardly. It seemed that once Elizabeth got an idea, she couldn't be stopped. Mrs. Turner walked up the sidewalk, stood on what used to be her doorstep and rapped on the door using the brass knockers.
"East India Company Headquarters," drolled an unfamiliar butler as he opened the door. "Do you have an appointment?" His eyes bore into hers; they both knew that she did not have one.
"I am here to see the new head of the company," Elizabeth said with a smile. Reluctantly, the butler let her in. Perhaps he was going soft, or had felt sorry for her. It didn't matter why it had happened. The fact was that both she and Ana had gotten inside her old house.
"Ladies, the man you seek is currently engaged in a meeting," the butler said. "But if you will wait here -"
"There's no need for that," said Elizabeth as she rushed past the stunned man, pulling Ana along with her into the parlor. She threw open the double doors to reveal a vaguely familiar man dressed in finery down to the gold trim on his tricorn hat. The man sat at the head of the table, surrounded by his 'lesser beings'. Elizabeth recognized one of them as her father's old lawyer.
"Miss Swann?" The middle-aged attorney stared at her, and Elizabeth was under the impression that he was trying his hardest not to be rude by staring at her .
"Mr. Andrews, it's so good to see you!" Elizabeth was being entirely truthful there - she always had liked the man. She moved to shake the lawyer's hand but a nasal sounding voice caused her to pull her hand back.
"Mr. Andrews, please introduce us." It was the finely-dressed man. Andrews had no choice but to oblige him.
"Miss Elizabeth Swann, may I present Lord Alexander Beckett, the newly elected head of the East India Trading Company." Oh God, not another one, Elizabeth thought. The man rose, and Elizabeth was surprised to see that he was a man of considerable height. He had a handsome visage. As the man wore a wig and smart uniform, he reminded her of a bit of Norrington. However, from his calculating stare, Elizabeth could tell that he lacked Norrington's decency and honor. Cold green eyes met hers, and for the first time that day, Elizabeth was alarmed.
"So this is Elizabeth Swann, the very same woman who was involved with pirates, the sinking of the Endeavour, and the death of my elder brother."
"Lord Beckett, she's been cleared from all charges of piracy," Andrews sputtered. "Surely you don't really think she had anything to do with the your brother's death?"
"Oh but I do," the new Beckett said coolly. Elizabeth felt Ana stiffen beside her. "Well Miss Swann? What do you have to say for yourself?'
"It's Mrs. Turner!" she exclaimed, unconciously rubbing her tummy. The room suddenly got very quiet. "I came only to settle my father's estate." Beckett sneered at her, saying,
"Did you marry him before or after you found you were with child?" The words hit her like a terrible blow to the stomach. She allowed her anger to build up inside her at this man, who dared to insult Will and their love. Advancing towards him, she retorted,
"How dare you! If I had my sword right now, I would -"
"Elizabeth! No!" Ana hissed, pulling her back.
"Who are you?" Beckett asked, just now acknowledging her presence.
"No one of consequence," said Ana, staring at Beckett with great dislike. Not deciding she was worth his time, he turned his attention back to Elizabeth.
"You may have fallen from society, but I still cannot fathom that you could sink so low as to marry your father's murderer."
"What?" Elizabeth cried, her voice trembling slightly. "Will didn't kill my father! Your brother did!" Beckett's eyes gleamed evilly.
"Not according to our records." Elizabeth glared at him as she clenched her hands into fists.
"So now everyone in Port Royal believes that Will killed their governor." Suddenly the treatment that she'd received by Mrs. Woodson and company made sense. They had believed the company's lie which had unfairly pinned Governor Swann's murder on Will Turner.
"That's right," Beckett said with glee. "Mr. Turner didn't like that Governor Swann had gone back on his word to let him marry you. So he apparently snuck back to Port Royal by the aid of his pirate friends and killed your father in a fit of rage."
"That is the biggest lie I have heard in my life!" Elizabeth screeched angrily. "Mr. Andrews, you knew Will. You knew what a good person he was. You know he would never kill my father, don't you?" The indecision was clearly written on the attorney's face.
"Mrs. Turner, why don't we go into my office to discuss the estate?" He pleaded. "Now?" Elizabeth looked like she wanted to say something else to Beckett, but when Ana yanked on her arm she changed her mind. Both women followed Mr. Andrews out of the parlor and into his nearby office. Elizabeth remembered the room as the servants quarters, but there was nothing to suggest that this had been anything other than an office.
"Please, sit down," he offered. Elizabeth and Ana sat in two chairs opposite the attorney's mahogany desk.
"I don't think we've been introduced properly. I'm John Andrews," said the man, holding his hand out to Ana.
"AnaMaria Sparrow." Ana grinned as she shook the lawyer's hand, for the mention of the name Sparrow had caused him to break out into sweat.
"Lord help me," he muttered, wiping his brow with his handkerchief. "He's not here, is he?"
"No," laughed Ana. Then, turning his attention to Elizabeth, Andrews grew serious.
"Mrs. Turner, I'm very sorry about the false charges against your husband. When I heard about the circumstances concerning your father's death, I didn't want to believe it. But I also didn't want to believe that the company had had him murdered." He sighed. "But now I realize the truth."
"I'm glad you realized that," Elizabeth said stiffly.
"However," Andrews continued, "you can't go around insulting Beckett like that! The only reason he didn't arrest you on the spot was because of your condition."
"But he broke the law - he knows Will is innocent," she cried. "And I'm sure that isn't the only crime he has committed or will commit."
"How is it that people can allow the company to control their lives like this?" Elizabeth asked him. "Why don't they make a stand against them?" Andrews didn't quite meet her piercing gaze.
"Believe me, lots of good folks have tried. But the company has hanged most of them for treason, sanctioned by the king of course."
"Elizabeth, the estate," Ana gently reminded her.
"Yes, the estate," sighed Elizabeth, remembering why she came. "What must I do?"
Andrews talked Elizabeth through the complicated process, which involved signing lots of official documents. It turns out that he did need to see her marriage certificate so he could approve her new signature. He also ask Elizabeth to write down her current address, so he could contact her if he'd forgotten something. When Elizabeth was finished, her hand felt as if it was about to fall off. But it was worth the aggrivation, as Elizabeth had acquired her father's entire fortune. Andrews promised to have it transfered to her bank in St. Maarten. Elizabeth was glad to have the extra money for her child's sake, but it was not what she had come for.
"Mr. Andrews, do you know where I can find my personal belongings? He sighed regretfully.
"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth, but when the EITC seized the house, everything was sold or auctioned off."
"Everything?" she whispered. All of my dresses, my old dolls, and my beloved books are gone, she realized in shock.
"Well, almost everything," he said, rummaging around in his top desk drawer. "Aha!" Andrews produced a small black velvet box and handed it to Elizabeth. "I saved these on a whim, in case you ever came back." She carefully opened the box.
"My parents' wedding bands!" Elizabeth showed the contents of the box to Ana. Sure enough, Ana saw the two gold wedding bands secured safely inside the box.
"I think your father would have wanted you to have these," Andrews said softly. "I take it that since you and Mr. Turner were married by a captain at sea, that you didn't have time for rings."
"You are right," said Elizabeth, rewarding him with a small smile. "That's the first correct assumption I've heard about myself all day."
"I remember how much Mr. Turner adored you," Andrews said softly. "Pirate or not, I know he will be a fine husband. You have my congratulations."
"Thank you," she whispered, stubbornly holding back her tears. She slipped on her mother's wedding band onto her left ring finger. It was a perfect fit.
"Elizabeth, we should go," Ana said gently. "We have a long walk ahead of us." Mr. Andrew's eyes widened at this.
"You shouldn't have to walk far in your condition - I'll have my carriage brought around." Elizabeth started to protest, but Andrews would have none of it. He suggested that she take a look around the house and find some closure while she was waiting for the carriage to be readied. After thanking the kind gentleman, Elizabeth raced up the stairs heading straight for her old room. Ana followed her at a more leisurely pace.
"This is all wrong," Elizabeth sadly informed her friend as Ana walked inside the former bedroom. Gone was bed with the canopy, her desk, and all the rest of her beautiful furniture. Her mirror was missing, along with the satin drapes. After a quick peek, Elizabeth deemed her closet to be empty. The room seemed to have been stripped of its dignity. Instead of furniture crowding the room, piles of boxes filled with documents were stacked up to the ceiling. The EITC was obviously using the room for storage.
"I never should have come in here," Elizabeth whispered. "This was my room; it used to be very beautiful. I loved this room, and now all it's good for is storage."
"You shouldn't linger here," said Ana, and helped steer Elizabeth out of the room as she said her goodbyes. They'd almost reached the stairs when Elizabeth stopped suddenly.
"Wait - I want to see my father's room." Ana raised her eyebrows.
"Won't it just upset you more?" Elizabeth shrugged.
"I have to be sure that they didn't leave anything behind for me." Ana nodded, and accompanied her friend to her father's old room. The door was closed, so Elizabeth knocked on it.
"Come in," a male voice said from within. Elizabeth opened the door to reveal Lord Alexander Beckett working at her father's old desk.
"You!" she gasped.
"Me," Beckett said calmly, signing his name to a paper with a flourish. "As you see, Elizabeth-"
"It's Mrs. Turner," she interrupted menacingly.
"...I haven't changed hardly anything about this room since your father left. The only difference is that I now own everything in this room." He grinned at her, knowing it would incense her.
"You may have fooled many people with your mild-mannered facade, but I can see right through it. You are just as wicked and power-hungry as your brother. One day you'll meet your end just as he did!"
"I don't think so," he said quietly. "Cutler always was impatient, even as a child. This caused him to make rash decisions, like making deals with pirates, just so he could quickly take over the seas. This misjudgement was what caused his downfall. For Jones and Sparrow, the pirates with which he'd allianced himself, were the ones to turn on him in the end."
Elizabeth and Ana shared a nervous look.
"Yet one of my men swears that he saw Jones be killed in the battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman," Beckett mused. "My brother's diary told me how he kept the creature's heart, thus controlling him. He also said that the only way to kill Jones is if someone else stabbed the heart, thus making them captain. That would explain why the Dutchman turned on the Endeavour. Mrs. Turner, you were there. Did you see someone stab the heart of Davy Jones?"
"No," she said, managing to keep her voice steady. Her heart pounding in her chest. Does he already know of Will's fate? He can't know, she decided. "I assume whoever stabbed the heart took it with them that day when I saw the Dutchman vanish beneath the waves," she told him with the air of indifference.
"Ah," said Beckett. "What a pity," he sighed. Elizabeth couldn't tell if he bought her lie or not. She prayed he did. "But it's just as well. I'd rather use the plentiful resources that I already have to gain control of the sea. It may take me awhile longer for me to hunt down the pirates, but at least I won't have to worry about any supernatural mumbo-jumbo interfering with my plans." Elizabeth sighed with relief - he bought it. And all she wanted was to get out of there. She and Ana took a few steps back but before they could run out of the room, Beckett's words stopped them.
"King of the pirates - that's what they call you these days, isn't it?" Elizabeth started to deny it, but Beckett held up his hand for silence.
"I have ears all over the world, Mrs. Turner. Don't insult me by telling me that my information is incorrect. I should have you arrested and condemned to die."
"But you won't," Elizabeth said confidently.
"No I won't," he said, almost regretfully. "I cannot be responsible for the death of an innocent, so today you are allowed to go free. But I don't know why I bother. With you as its mother and Mr. Turner as its father, the child is bound to turn to piracy and wind up behind bars." He laughed softly as Elizabeth fumed in frustration. They both knew that she couldn't touch him.
"You've gone too far this time, Beckett. You cannot insult my unborn child and get away with it." she snarled. "One day you're going to regret this." And then she walked out on him, dragging Ana with her. Andrews' carriage was waiting for them outside, and they wasted no time getting in. As it pulled away, Elizabeth collapsed on her back on the cushioned seat.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that," Ana said quietly. Elizabeth winced.
"I'm just glad it's over. I'm never coming back here again," she stated. Just then Ana remembered something.
"I'm so glad that you can lie under pressure," she said, recalling Alexander Beckett's question about the heart.
"So am I," breathed Elizabeth. "My knees were shaking, though. I can't believe he asked me if I knew who Jones' successor was! It's almost as if he knew about Will."
"But he couldn't know," Ana reassured her. "The only ones that saw it were you, Jack, and the crew of the Flying Dutchman."
"All the same," Elizabeth muttered, "when we get home, the first thing I'm going to do is check on the chest."
Lost in their own thoughts, both women were silent until the carriage neared the drop-off destination. Ana got out first, to help Elizabeth down. They thanked the driver, and set out along the path that eventually led to their rowboat. After Elizabeth was settled, Ana waded out into the water and gave them a good shove into the sea. Ana hadn't been rowing for very long until their ship came up beside them. In no time, they were sitting on deck, discussing the day's events with Jack.
"Did you know about Beckett's brother being his successor?" Elizabeth asked him as Ana fed their squirming daughter.
"I didn't know for sure," he admitted. "There had been rumors, but they were never confirmed until now." She could tell that this news was a terrible blow to Jack. He'd truly believed that the sea was a safer place for pirates after the Endeavor had been destroyed.
"He's a very cruel man, Jack," she said, her voice trembling as she showed him her newly acquired wedding band. "He knows how to make you feel like you amount to nothing." Jack cursed the man for belittling her, calling Alexander Beckett all sorts of naughty words that Elizabeth wouldn't allow spoken in front of her child. But for some reason, Jack's cursing made her feel better. Changing the subject, Elizabeth thanked Jack for giving her the authentic marriage certificate.
"How did you get Will to sign this?" she asked. "I saw him leave the Dutchman, swimming straight to me on the island." Jack shrugged modestly.
"I found that blasted monkey was actually good for something." Elizabeth chuckled.
"Why didn't you show me this before?" Jack grinned endearingly at her.
"I had to wait for the opportune moment."
333
With favorable winds, the trip back to St. Maarten only took them a couple days. During the journey, Jack and Ana had convinced Elizabeth to stay with them for the rest of her pregnancy. Even though Jack insisted it was just because he didn't want Will to kill him for not making sure his wife was being looked after, Elizabeth knew that he truly cared about her well-being. Ana said she was glad to have an extra pair of hands around to help her take care of Sammi, and that she would sleep better knowing that Elizabeth could call out to them if she felt the slightest pain. And truth be told, Elizabeth was felt safter knowing she was going to stay at the Sparrow home until her child was born.
They returned home at night, which made it easy for Jack to return the ship that he had 'borrowed'. Jack and Ana stopped at Elizabeth's house for her to check on the chest. Thankfully, Elizabeth found it undisturbed, in the same spot where she had left it. Elizabeth gathered up some personal items, and they continued down the road to the Sparrows' house. Exhausted from the trip, Elizabeth quickly fell asleep in the spare bedroom.
The next month passed quickly for Elizabeth. When Ana and Jack were around, there was never a dull moment. Elizabeth observed that they bickered over trivial things like a married couple, but when it came to the things that mattered most they were usually in agreement with the other. She was pleased to see Jack embrace his duties as a father. It was easy for her to see that he genuinely enjoyed spending time with his baby girl. But Elizabeth was not without worry about her upcoming delivery. She pestered Ana incessently with questions, and although her friend did her best to assuage her fears, Elizabeth still found herself dreading it.
Then one night, Elizabeth woke with extra-sharp stomach pains. Oh no, this is it! She thought with trepidation. Please God, let me survive this!
"Ana!" She frantically yelled from her bed. "It's time!"
End Ch. 7
A/N: I hope you liked the new villain! So, obviously Elizabeth's delivery takes place in the next chapter. And, I can also promise all of you Will fans out there (and trust me, there are alot!) that he will make an appearance in the next chapter. Yay! (Not at the delivery, though. Not only would that be impossible, but where would the angst factor be if Will was there to give Elizabeth support?) Yeah, I know I'm evil.