Chapter 10: The Kiss (AKA Extricating the Distressing Damsel - Second try)

James Norrington opened the door to the cabin of the Flying Dutchman and led Elizabeth inside. To his surprise, she went willingly. Now that he had her with him, James wasn't entirely sure what to do with her. He had only thought as far ahead as the look of jealousy and anger in Turner's eyes. James wasn't sure what to make of Turner's actual reaction. His hand had shot towards his sword, ready to defend her. But there had been no passion in his actions. Elizabeth's behavior had puzzled him even more. She had practically thrown herself at James. Obviously the two had had some sort of quarrel. No matter, James had exactly what he wanted now. He had his high station, he had Elizabeth, and he had his life back on track. Everything was perfect. So then, why was there a nagging feeling in the pit of James' stomach that something was missing?

Elizabeth had taken a seat on the Captain's bed. She waited for James to sit next to her. She had been so lonely and confused since her experience in the Locker. Part of her wondered if she wasn't still there, if this all wasn't another hallucination to add to her torment. Will being so apathetic towards her, she held a small hope that the real Will was going to come and rescue her from her hell. But she knew... this was different to all those other hallucinations. This was real. She looked up at James and silently pleaded for him to sit beside her. He looked lost in his own thoughts, his brow wrinkled. Eventually, he did sit next to her, though he still seemed bothered by something. He looked into her eyes.

"Elizabeth..."

"James." she replied in a whisper.

James wasn't sure what to say. "I'm overjoyed that you're safe and well."

Elizabeth looked down. She wasn't so sure that was true.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

Tears welled in her eyes until she could hold them back no longer. She lent on his shoulder, her body shaking as she sobbed. James awkwardly put his hand on her back to comfort her. The odd thing was, James didn't seem to care why Elizabeth was so upset. All he could think about was Turner. Did he love her? Had he found someone else. James shook his head and tried to focus on the woman before him, but his mind kept drifting.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." James said, eyes darting towards the chest, which had been locked safely in his cabin.

Beckett brooded into the room. "Mr Norrington, my prisoner has escaped. I require you to order Jones to send this pet after the Black Pearl again."

"No." James said immediately, unsure why he was so against an attack on the ship.

"But you already have your woman." Cutler argued. Let me go after mine...

Elizabeth looked up at that remark. "Your woman...?"

James grew slightly uncomfortable with the way Elizabeth was staring at him. She inched closer to him, the desperation evident in her eyes. Their lips met.

Cutler watched on in revulsion, unable to turn away. There was something slightly off about what he was witnessing.

When Elizabeth tried to let her tongue glide over James' lips, he shuddered and pulled away. His eyes darted around confused and embarrassed. He fumbled out an apology and hastily left the room, but not before taking the chest with him.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms slowly around herself in a daze. Her lower lip trembled. Was she really destined to be alone for the rest of her life? She spotted Lord Beckett still standing in the cabin, somewhat baffled himself by the events he'd just observed. Presently, he became aware that she was looking at him. An expression somewhere between fear and disgust fell over his face.

He turned to Mercer, who was waiting for him outside. "Mr Mercer, send this woman to the brig." he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

- - - - -

Cutler made his way towards Norrington, who was massaging his temples.

"I take it, then, that Miss Swann was not what you were after?"

James merely sighed, lost in his thoughts.

"Perhaps we should go after Sparrow again."

James looked at Beckett. "The sleazy pirate ruined my life as well. Trust me, it does no good to hold a grudge."

Cutler stared down at his hands, fidgeting. How could he explain to Norrington that "the sleazy pirate" had done far more to Cutler than simply ruin his life? Jack Sparrow had intricately woven Cutler's very soul into his own.

- - - - -

Elizabeth sobbed woefully as she sat in the brig of the Flying Dutchman. She leant her head against the wall. She frowned. What was that? She shook her head. Her mind was obviously playing tricks on her. No, there it was again! Movement. In the walls. She wiped the tears from her face and stood up. She moved closer to get a better look. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but she thought she saw a face. She reached a hand out to touch it. Suddenly, the face sprang to life.

"William?" it asked

"What?" Elizabeth whispered.

The face, and the body attached o it, emerged from the wall. Suddenly, Elizabeth realized who it was. The only person on the Flying Dutchman who would be asking for Will.

"Bootstrap?"

"You know my name?" Bootstrap said in awe.

Elizabeth was glad to have some company. "Yes, I know your son" she replied.

"God's boons!" Bootstrap boomed, startling Elizabeth. "He made it! He's alive, and now he sends you to tell me that he's coming to get me."

"Yes, Will is alive." she replied.

"He's coming for me" Bootstrap repeated, backing into the wall again. "Part of the ship, part of the crew..." He closed his eyes.

"Bootstrap?"

"You know my name." Bootstrap said, as though he had never seen Elizabeth before.

"Yes..." Elizabeth repeated, confused. "I know your son."

"William?! He's coming for me! Wait and see. He's coming for me..." Bootstrap closed his eyes once again.

Elizabeth had never felt more alone in her life.

- - - - -

Will looked down at the ocean from the side of the ship. Jack had ordered them to travel at full speed, worried that Beckett or Norrington might send the Kraken after them again. Will observed that, were someone to fall overboard, the ship would pass and be miles away before the person had time to alert anyone. He took a few steps back and returned to his previous concerns. He didn't see Jack approach him.

"My tremendous intuitive sense of the male creature informs me that you are troubled." He said, offering Will a bottle of rum, which the lad didn't take.

"I was just thinking about what your father told us. If I stab Davey Jones' heart to free my father, mine has to take its place."

"Not a sacrifice I'd imagine any parent would expect their child to make for them." Jack said.

"I suppose. The only thing that was keeping me from doing it earlier was my love for Elizabeth. But now... I don't know. Jack, I've never been so confused before in my life."

Jack looked at Will intently, his eyes searching for the answer to the boy's dilemma "You're in love." He said finally.

Will shook his head. "I'm not. I know I'm not. Sure, I want Elizabeth to be happy if possible, but whether I ever see her again..." Will trailed off and shrugged.

"I never said you were in love with the distressing damsel." Jack considered something for a moment, and then slowly moved towards Will.

Will backed away, unsure what Jack was about to do. "Jack, what are you doing?" Will asked, feeling the railing of the ship up against him - he couldn't back away any further.

"Just... trust me." Jack whispered, closing the distance between them.

"I'm not in love with you either." Will blurted suddenly.

"I know that." Jack told him, still whispering, their faces barely an inch apart. "Don't move."

Poor Will made another attempt to get away, and nearly fell over the edge. Jack grabbed Will's shirt to catch him, and then pulled the whelp closer and kissed him.

The feel of Jack's moustache against Will's lips was strangely intriguing. Will put his hands on Jack's shoulders to push him away, but found that he didn't really want to. For a moment, Will was lost in the sensation. Then he pulled away, mildly embarrassed.

Jack drew away, his pensive eyes locked on Will's, waiting for his reaction.

Will didn't know what to do. His face reddened as he tried to avoid Jack's stare.

"Warm or cold?" Jack asked

"Huh?"

"Was that closer to what you wanted than your bonnie lass or further away?"

Will considered this. He didn't understand what Jack was trying to tell him. "You're a man."

"So I am." Jack said, trying not to be too condescending to the poor boy.

"But..."

"Don't think about that. Just answer the question."

"I..." Will began. Could he tell Jack the truth? "What... what if I did like it?"

Jack smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Then I think you've just cleared up some of your confusion."

Will's thoughts were scattered. He couldn't comprehend what Jack was suggesting. His thoughts turned to the only thing on his mind that was completely unrelated to what Jack had just done. "What about my father? How can I help him?"

Jack scoured his thoughts for a solution. Cutler was still in the back of his mind. In truth, Cutler had been at the forefront of his mind when he had kissed Will. Cutler and Norrington still had control over the Kraken. Jack had to get away. He would not surrender an inch of his freedom. Whoever stabbed the heart would be free to roam the seven seas as they wished for all eternity. In actuality, it was the solution to both of their problems.

"Why not let someone else dispatch Jones?"

"Who?" Will asked. Jack smiled. "You?" Jack raised his eyebrows in confirmation.

"You'd do that for me?"

"No." Jack scoffed. "I'd do it for me. The Immortal Captain Jack Sparrow. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"But... you'd be bound to the Flying Dutchman... forever."

"No mate, I'd be free forever. Free from Jones, free from the beastie, free from Cut..." Jack stopped.

"Free from what?" Will probed, curious.

Jack didn't particularly feel like discussing his painful past, let alone to the sweet, dough-eyed whelp. "Listen, if you manage to get your hands on the heart, I'll stab it for you, savvy?" And Jack left Will alone before another word could be spoken.

Will considered Jack's proposal, looking at his father's knife. He began to walk away, when he suddenly slipped and fell over the edge of the ship. He landed in the water with a splash, and swam as quickly as he could back up to the surface. By the time his face met the air, the ship was long gone.

- - - - -

Elizabeth shook at the bars, trying to either get out or get someone's attention. She succeeded in the latter, though not in the way she had hoped.

"No one leaves the ship." A voice called out from behind.

"Bootstrap, please. I know your son, remember? I'm a friend of his."

"A friend, yes..." Bootstrap spoke as though hypnotized. "Part of the crew, part of the ship. Part of the crew, part of the ship. Part of the crew..." He held a stick in his hand and advanced on Elizabeth. She tried to back away, but it was too late. The stick that he held was already through her body. "Part of the ship." Bootstrap continued. Then he returned to the wall that he had come from.

Elizabeth collapsed in a heap.

- - - - -

Davey Jones had a sudden sensation. A soul was on the brink of death. He tried in vain to discreetly get away without Norrington or Beckett noticing, but he couldn't. Eventually, he managed to get down to his brig. He saw her lying on the floor. He tried to make a grand entrance, leering evilly towards her. He opened the door and stood beside her lifeless body.

"Elizabeth Swann, do you fear..."

Something was wrong. He nudged her with his leg, but she didn't respond. He was too late. She had already passed on.

Damn!

Frustrated, Davey Jones turned and stalked away.