Disclaimer: If I owned Pirates of the Caribbean, I would be rich, this story would be a movie, Keira Knightley and I would be texting each other right now, and Orlando Bloom would be mine. MINE I TELL YOU!!

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! Truth is I got a little lazy, but after writing this chapter last night and today, I'm hoping it's going to be worth the wait. Big shout out to SaveroftheSun (aka Darcy) for asking me when I was going to update. Her reward for nagging me is *drum roll* *le gasp* TWO INSIDE JOKES!!!!! YAY YOU, DARCY!!!!!


Chapter 8 – Will's POV

She broke up with me. I thought it wouldn't hurt. I mean, after all, Victoria betrayed me and married another man, something Elizabeth would never do. But it did. It hurt to know Elizabeth didn't trust me. It hurt to hear her correct me by saying her name was Miss Swann and to hear her call me Mr. Turner. It hurt knowing she broke up with me and I lost the only woman I could actually trust to be in a relationship with.

I screwed up. Big time.

I was going to tell her the truth eventually. I really was. I mean, she was my girlfriend. I knew I couldn't hide the fact I was the one who gave her the necklace very long. The plan, however, wasn't to tell her before her father's visit; it certainly wasn't to tell her while she was eavesdropping on my argument with Jack. Elizabeth found out anyway and couldn't trust me anymore.

Jack thought the whole thing was ridiculous. He told me over and over again to man up and go talk to Lizzy, but I knew her long enough to know that she was going to blow up at me if I even tried to explain things to her.

I buried myself in work. I was the first one at the shop and the last one to leave. Blacksmithing (or welding or whatever you want to call it) allowed me to think only about the metal and never anything else. At work I could forget about Elizabeth and our break up. I could forget about the fight before the break up and her not wanting to trust me. Work, I figured, was an excellent source of therapy when you're trying to forget about someone. After all, it worked most of the time when I was still captain of the Flying Dutchman and trying to forget about Victoria Hamilton and her betrayal to me.

For two weeks I did nothing but work. I would only talk to my co-workers and my boss. Jack called a couple of times, but I let him speak to my voicemail and ignored him. I probably should've let him talk to me, though, because Jack had decided to pay me a visit at work one day when I was supposed to have the day off.

"Oh, now, this is pathetic, mate."

I sighed and faced him. "What's pathetic?" I asked, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about.

Jack gave me a look and gestured randomly around my work space. "I haven't seen you this pathetic since…well, a really long time." He arched an eyebrow, pointing at me with his index finger. "It's that damn girl again, isn't it?"

I dropped my gaze to the floor. "She's not a damn girl," I mumbled. "She's a beautiful, smart, stubborn girl."

"You're hopeless."

"So sue me."

"Someone's in a mood."

I groaned and sat down in a chair, burying my face in my hands. "I should've told her, Jack. I should've told her, but I didn't. She found out by eavesdropping in our argument and now she's lost all trust in me and broke up with me. I'll be in a mood if I want to."

Jack rolled his eyes. "So talk to her."

"It's not that easy."

"Sure it is. All you do is pick up the phone—"

"I get that part," I interrupted. "What I mean is that Elizabeth isn't the type of girl who's going to beg me to come back the instant she picks up the phone. She's going to want answers and the truth. We probably won't even get back in a relationship for a while after that. Maybe never." I ran a hand through my hair before looking back at Jack. "You know, I thought it hurt when Victoria betrayed me. This thing with Elizabeth is killing me."

Jack suddenly grinned as if he came to a conclusion. "So looks like someone found someone else to love."

I snorted and drank from the water bottle I had with me. "Well, whoever it was, it certainly wasn't me." Jack just stared at me, probably waiting for me to babble on until I made a confession. I wasn't about to do that. "Must be you, then," I continued. "Who's the girl?"

"I'm not seeing anyone nor do I intend to fall in love anytime soon," Jack retorted. "I'm talking about you, mate."

"I told you," I argued. "I'm not in love with anyone."

"I bet you are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Prove it."

"It's a girl," Jack said seriously. "I believe her name is Elizabeth Swann."

I laughed. I actually laughed. "No, Jack," I disagreed. "I know for a fact that I was her first boyfriend until our break up two weeks ago. There is no way in hell she's already dating again, much less in love with someone else."

"Stupid whelp," I heard Jack grumble under his breath. At least, I think he was trying to say it under his breath. Either way I was ready to strangle him at that point. "What I'm trying to say is that you, William Turner, are in love with her, Elizabeth Swann."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "How long did you mope around when Victoria betrayed you two to three hundred years ago, hmm?" he asked. I just stared at him. "Now according to me calendar, it's been two weeks since you and Lizzy ended your relationship. Two weeks. And look at you. You've done nothing but work and hang out with your co-workers and boss. If you don't love her, go ahead and tell me right now."

I stood there, wide-eyed. Damn. I mean, I didn't think that Jack had to be an idiot all the time, but he's never lectured me about my love life. Taking a shaky breath, I nodded and slowly sat down, burying my face in my hands.

I didn't know how long I sat there and thought it through, but when I looked up, Jack was still waiting for my answer. I was tempted to lie. I was tempted to bolt and run. But I couldn't. If I lied, Jack would bug me until I told him the truth. If I ran, Jack would just chase me while yelling something that didn't make sense loud enough for the world to hear.

"Well?" Jack asked patiently, leaning on a wall.

"I love her, Jack."

-----

I slammed down my sixth bottle of beer on the table I was sitting at with Jack. Or was it my eighth? I lost count after my third.

Jack made me go back to the club where I met Elizabeth a second time after work, saying that rum was the best way to forget about what had happened at the shop earlier. (Not that I thought rum was the only way or anything, which is why I let Jack buy the rum while I resorted to beer.) Needless to say, I was drunk and suddenly very interested in a peanut left all alone.

Poor thing.

"So I say to her that…" Jack frowned and tapped his chin. "Well, damn. I forgot. What did I say?"

I blinked and made up an answer, something I knew was totally unrelated to what he was talking about. Did I care? Not really. "Something about Barbossa's mom thinking he's cool?"

"Oh, yeah!" Jack started laughing for some reason. "Did you know he gives free hugs?"

Well, that was awkward to hear. "Sure," I lied. "He, erm, gave me one before."

"Me too!" Jack kept laughing after that. I was sober enough to know that he was beyond drunk and I probably should just ditch him, but someone had to make sure he didn't go into the wrong apartment and walk in on an old lady in the shower—again. (Don't ask how he did. I really don't know either.)

"Well, shit," a man suddenly said near Jack and me. "That man looks pissed."

Curious, I glanced over to where the man was looking at. I could see what he was talking about. An older man had walked into the club, scanning the room like he knew why he was there and who he needed to see. He wore a business suit, which I didn't know why seeing as everyone else was wearing jeans or whatnot. And he looked pissed. The newcomer glared down at a picture he was holding in his hand before storming toward someone near my direction.

Oh, shit. He was coming to me.

My eyes grew wide as the man confronted me. "Are you William Turner?" he asked gruffly.

I had a feeling that if I lied now, I wasn't going to see tomorrow. "Um, yes?"

"Don't answer me with a question, boy."

I cleared my throat, realizing Jack had (finally) shut up and was staring at us. "Yes, sir, I am."

The man grabbed me by the back of my shirt (and I thought that only happened in movies) and practically dragged me toward the exit of the club. People stared at us, and I'm sure that if they hadn't been terrified of the look on the man's face they would've been laughing their butts off at the whole situation.

He didn't let go until we were outside and away from the crowd. He turned to face me, his furious gaze not leaving. "Do you think that I was going to let you go out and hurt her the way you did?" he demanded.

What the hell was he talking about? I voiced that.

"I think you know who I am."

"No, sir," I said politely despite the amount of alcohol I drank earlier. "I don't."

The man crossed his arms. "I'm Elizabeth's father," he said evenly. "Weatherby Swann."

Well, shit.


Author's Note: Sorry if Will is a little OOC and is in the "woe is me" mode. Hey, you can't blame the guy. He broke up with Lizzy! (Or Lizzy broke up with him. Either one.) Oh, and Weatherby seems a little bit "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR BREAKING UP WITH MY BABY GIRL!!!!" I'm sure you caught that. That will be explained a little in the next chapter, but knowing that the governor hated Will a little in the movies (okay, maybe more than a little), it kind of fit that he would get pissed off at Will for lying about his past to his little girl (aka Lizzy).

IMPORTANT! Okay, so a couple of you know I start school August 17 (this coming Monday). And as callieandjack knows, my school is academic. No, I don't mean I-get-two-hours-of-homework academic. Seriously, I got two hours of homework for just World History last year. WORLD HISTORY, PEOPLE!!! That's how academic is my school. I thought I'd show you my schedule for this year.

Mondays, Wednesdays: Religion 3, Spanish 2, PE Girls, Ceramics
Tuesdays, Thursdays: Algebra 2, US Histroy, Chemistry, English 3
Fridays: All classes (except for labs and choir)

On top of that, I have women's choir on Mondays and Tuesdays, Chemistry Lab on Thursdays, and community service hours after school until about 4:30 four days a week. I also live an hour away from my school, so I have to get up at 5:45 every morning, leave the house by 6:30 to be at school by 7:30, school starts at eight, I get picked up between five and 5:30, get home between six and 6:30 (sometimes seven if I get picked up late), eat dinner, shower, and homework until eleven or 11:30 at night, and finally get to bed. Fridays I get home early (around four or 4:30), but when I get home, I like to be lazy since I don't do weekend homework until Sundays.

"But wait, keiraliz!" says you. "There's this wonderful thing called a STUDY HALL!"

GUESS WHAT, Y'ALL?!?! I don't get a study hall this year. -.- So my offically writing days will be Saturdays after church and Sabbath lunch. If I finish a chapter the same day I start writing it, then I'll update. Sundays are taken up by homework and studying and chores, but I'll write if I have time to. Why am I giving you this freakishly long author's note? I don't want you guys to freak out if I don't update for two or three weeks at time. I am not abandoning this story. Heartbeat is too much fun to write, so I'm not going to abandon it and leave you hanging.

Sorry for this long note, by the way. I'm going to tape my mouth shut now. So, um...

Review?