Fast updates!! Yay!! So. Once again, check out the poll on my profile, if ya haven't already. This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend, Tasha, who is helping me get through that horrible case of writers block. Thanks girl!!
DID YOU KNOW... It is rumored that Johnny Depp lost his virginity at 13?? Tsk tsk, Johnny!!
Disclaimer: Don't sue me... I don't own anything.
Chapter Nine
"Please?"
"No."
"Please."
"No."
Elizabeth ran in front of Jack and blocked the door. Jack reached out a hand and attempted to gently move her aside, but she stood fast."Why not?"
"Liz, I'm not stupid. Ye come with me, William gets all jealous and angry, and tries to do something stupid."
"You said that you weren't intimidated by him!" Elizabeth argued.
"I'm not!"
"Then why can't I come?"
"Because."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Jack!!" Elizabeth cried out, exasperated.
"He might…try and hurt ye." Jack said, closing his eyes for a moment. Elizabeth didn't say anything, so he continued. "Lizzie, he'll be looking for any weakness I may possess. That'd be ye, love. And as soon as he figures that out, he'll do anything he can to hurt me. The only way he can do that is to hurt ye. I may be Captain Jack Sparrow, love, and I'll do anything to protect ye, but let's face facts. I'm only human."
"Oh, Jack." Elizabeth said softly, walking towards him. "He won't hurt me."
"What makes ye so sure?" Jack asked, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer
"I'm his wife. He loves me." Jack had been leaning down to kiss her, but stopped as she said that. He pulled back and looked at her.
"We're goin' to have to chance that when I get back." he said quietly. "I have to go. He's expectin' me." He walked toward the door, and opened it, pausing to look back at her. Feeling an unexpected, and slightly unwanted, surge of emotion, he walked back to her and hugged her close to him.
"I'll be fine, darlin'." he whispered in her ear. He pulled back to look at her, then, running his hands through her hair, gently pressed his lips to hers.
"Please let me come, Jack." Elizabeth begged. "I want to see him." Jack sighed and looked down at her. Then he shook his head.
"Nay, love. Stay here. I promise ye can see him soon." Elizabeth sighed, then nodded, kissing him quickly.
"Please be careful, Jack."
"Always, m'dear." Jack smirked.
"I love you." Elizabeth said as he reached the door. He looked back at her.
"And I, you, love." he said fondly. "And I, you."
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Jack retraced his steps once more, returning to the beach where a longboat was waiting for him. Climbing into it, he grabbed the oars and began rowing. As the oars cut through the water, he once again began talking to himself.
"Wonder what it is William wants. He couldn't possibly have found out about…me and Liz already…could he? 'Course he couldn't." he assured himself. "Unless…his father told 'im…" Jack gulped and felt a shiver run down his spine. "What's the matter with you?" he chided himself. "You're Captain Jack Sparrow. Ya don't get scared."
"I beg to differ." Jack jumped and looked around, frowning when he saw an exact replica of himself sitting right next to him.
"Whaddaya want?" Jack groaned. "Thought I got rid of ye guys." The other Jack grinned.
"We tend to pop in at random times," he said, "just to bug you."
"Well, ye've certainly succeeded." the real Jack snapped. "Now go away."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes.
"No."
"Yes."
"Listen," said the Jack double. "I just wanted to say that ye do get scared."
"Well, yeah, but…not of the whelp."
"E's not jus' a whelp anymore." said the other Jack wisely. "He's an undead whelp now. An undead whelp what controls the sea and can make certain you have a miserable death."
"Did ye come here jus' to criticize me?" Jack asked angrily.
"No."
"Then what the bloody hell d'ya want?"
"Well…"
"Out wiv it." Jack snapped.
"They miss you down at the Locker." the Jack look alike admitted. "They find you quite charming."
"Well," the real Jack said as his longboat stopped alongside the Flying Dutchman and he grabbed at the rope ladder hanging off it's side. "Tell ya one thing: I ain't goin' back to the Locker, and that's for certain."
JEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJE
Jack heaved himself up off the rope ladder and onto the Dutchman, then stood up, looking around. The Dutchman really hadn't changed much since the last time Jack had been aboard. She was still barnacle encrusted and appeared to be rotting, the only thing that had really changed was the crew. They were now completely human, and were no longer "fish people." One of these former fish people now walked up to him, saying "Jack Sparrow."
"Captain Jack Sparrow, actually." Jack interrupted.
"Captain Turner is expectin' ye." the crewmate went on, gesturing for Jack to follow him. "Come this way."
Jack followed him, dread washing over him, becoming stronger with every step he took. Just as he was about to consider faking a sudden case of sea sickness, the crewman opened a door and pushed Jack, rather roughly, into it.
"Oi!" Jack said loudly, straightening up and brushing himself off. "Look, mate, ya can't jus' go around pushin'…people…" Jack trailed off as he noticed Will Turner standing before him with his father, Bootstrap Bill.
"Jack." Will said, smiling.
"Ah. If it isn't young William." Jack said, forcing a grin to appear. "Ya look good…ya know…for bein' dead… ya know, yer crewmen should really be taught some manners, think they spent too much time with ol' fish face, Jones."
"I'll look into that." Will laughed. "You look somewhat depressed, Jack. Something happen?"
"Barbossa took the Pearl." Jack said, grimacing. "I was actually just about to commandeer it, to sail away, so if we could just make this a quick visit…"
"Elizabeth's gone, Jack." Will said, getting to the point. "She's not on the island where I left her. You haven't seen her, have you?"
"Why, no, William, I haven't seen Elizabeth since… since…" Jack trailed off as he saw the sadness in Will's eyes, the disappointment. "Right, strange as it seems, I can't lie to ye, Will. Elizabeth is fine. She's with me, on the Pearl." Jack watched as Will's face first showed relief, then confusion, then anger.
"Why is she with you?" Will asked, eyebrows raised slightly.
"We're goin' to find the Fountain of Youth and…" Tell him. Don't tell him. Do ye want to lie to yer friend? Do ye want to DIE? Or worse… do ye want to lose Lizzie?
"And?" Will prompted Jack, watching him expectantly.
"And…" Do it. Don't do it. "And, mate, I really hate to be the one to break this to ya…she wanted to be here, to soften the blow, as it were, but… Well, mate, the truth is, Elizabeth and I, we've…"
"Captain Turner." Jack froze, and looked toward the door slowly, recognizing the voice, which normally, he'd be thrilled to hear, but now….
"Elizabeth!" Will said happily.
"Missus Turner?" Bootstrap said, confused.
"Lizabeth…." Jack said, annoyed. Elizabeth smiled apologetically.
"Did I interrupt something?" she asked innocently.
"Yes, actually…" Jack said.
"Of course not!" Will said at the same time. He ran over to Elizabeth and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, and covering her mouth with his own. Jack felt his blood boil as he watched one of Will's hands tangle in her hair, the other traveling below her waist… Jack clenched his fists, and tried to keep his breathing even. He glanced at Bootstrap, who smiled sympathetically at him. Looking back at Elizabeth and Will, he had to try very hard to keep from laughing as Elizabeth grabbed Will's hand and removed them from her body and stepped back away from him.
"I'm sorry, Will." Elizabeth said sadly. She walked away from Will, to Jack, who had to restrain himself from wrapping his arms around her and making her forget all about bloody Will. Elizabeth placed a hand on Jack's arm, and Jack looked down at her, smirking.
"Will." Elizabeth said, placing her hand in Jack's. "Will, I have something to tell you, and it isn't easy. I… I'm very sorry, but… I love Jack." Jack gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, urging her to go on. "I still love you, Will, but it's a different type of love. A brotherly love. But Will, I'll still guard your heart with my life. And I'll be on that island for that one day. But Will…don't you want me to be happy? If I were to stay on that island, I wouldn't be happy at all. Will, I want this. I want to be with Jack." Will didn't say anything, just stared at Elizabeth and Jack.
"Will?" Elizabeth said quietly. "Please say something."
"If I could be so bold as to interject my professional opinion." Jack interrupted. "William, believe me, mate, we don't wanna hurt ye, but… Elizabeth needs freedom. Something that, regrettably, and lamentably, ye can't give her. Something that I can. That I will." The tenderness in Jack's eyes as he looked at Elizabeth forced will to finally speak.
"But…you're married to me." Will said triumphantly.
"Technically, ye're not. Where are the marriage papers that were signed? Where is the ring on her finger?" Jack asked Will.
"But…" Will started, but was stopped by Jack.
"And even if there were marriage papers that were signed, if there was a ring on her finger…. Ye died." Jack said, pointing at Will. "Therefore making Liz…abeth…a widow. QED, ye're not really married."
"Will, I'm really sorry." Elizabeth said, with tears in her eyes. "Truly, I am. But I don't want a life on land, waiting, only to see you once every ten years. I want a life at sea, to be free, to go wherever the wind takes me. I long to do what I want to do because I want it." Jack smiled as she quoted what she had said to him while sailing on the Pearl, three years ago. She remembered?
"You." Will said suddenly, looking at Jack. "You stole her."
"Now, William…" Jack began.
"You stole her!! She's my wife and you stole her!! I thought you were my friend!!" Will shouted.
"Jack." Elizabeth said softly, looking at him, eyes wide. "This is how my dream started. Let's go."
"Yes, go!" Will said, advancing towards them. Elizabeth gasped and gripped Jack's arm tightly. Jack stepped forward so that he was in front of Elizabeth, shielding her with his body, as Will continued towards them.
"Go. Leave here." Will said in a low, threatening voice. "Run away from me, Jack, like the coward that you are."
"Watch it, boy." Jack growled.
"Or," Will continued, pulling out his sword and pointing it directly at Jack's heart. "Stay here, and fight me like a man." Will raised his sword, intending to bring it down upon Jack, and then several things happened at once. Elizabeth screamed and pulled on Jack's arm. Jack kicked out with his boot and was satisfied to hear a grunt as his boot sank into Will's stomach. Bootstrap Bill, who had been quiet all this time, grabbed his son and shouted at Jack, "Go!"
Jack took the hint and ran out of the room, pulling Elizabeth after him. Just before he closed the door, Jack caught a glimpse of Will breaking free of his father's grasp.
"Shit." Jack said softly, grabbing Elizabeth's hand and sprinting away from the door. As he ran, he saw just how Elizabeth had gotten there. Lovely little pirate that she was, she'd gotten the crew to sail the Black Pearl to where the Dutchman was floating. He felt his heart swell with pride as he saw Gibbs on the Pearl, ordering the crew about, preparing to sail away quickly as soon as he and Elizabeth were safely aboard. All those lovely feelings left, however, when he heard Will storm out on deck.
"Get them, men!" he shouted." Don't let them get away!" Jack ran faster, but skidded to a halt when he felt Elizabeth's hand leave his own, and heard a shriek of pain. Jack whirled around and saw two of the crewmen had Elizabeth. Jack's eyes widened as he saw at least five heading for him.
"Bugger." he said to himself.
I think that's a good place to stop... Hehehehehehe...