I forgot to say at the end of the last chapter that the more observant among you will notice that the main gate is like the one in Troy and the city itself could be likened to Minas Tirith.

And I just wanted to thank my absolutely wonderful beta readers! Clo the magnificent and my pally and sometimes co-writer Alex! You're both amazing and thank you!

The Heart Never Lies

Chapter 9: Visions Of The Past

The firelight threw the woman's features into sharp relief. Will frowned and took a step closer to get a better look. She looked so familiar. She too was observing him with the same scrutiny, confusion etched on her face.

She was a pretty woman, older. In her sixties at least. She was not a native, that much was obvious, but she had obviously spent a lot of time in the hot climate as her skin was a dark brown and looked leathery. Her eyes were brown and quizzical. She looked him up and down, her thin mouth, was set in a line, underneath her straight nose. Her hair was brown, but her age showed in the lines of grey that streaked her hair. It was when she made eye contact with him that her expression changed.

Her eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped slightly. She stepped forward until she was eyeballing him. She was a couple of centimeters taller than him and he again felt a familiar feeling as she watched him.

"Will." his name, a whisper on her lips brought him back to reality. He frowned.

"How do you know my name?" he demanded harshly. The woman shook her head.

"You don't recognise me do you?" Will frowned harder. She was there, on the edge of his memory. He concentrated hard, taking in every inch of her face and comparing it to people he knew. He heard Jack sigh behind him, but he ignored him.

They must have stood there for at least five minutes, staring at each other. Will swallowed, the eyes were so familiar. Then in a sudden flash of realisation he remembered who she was.

"Carol?" he whispered. She nodded.

"It's me." She said softly. Will shook his head and backed away. This couldn't be true, his mother's mother, his grandmother, was standing in front of him. He turned to Jack.

"You knew?" Jack nodded slowly. Will growled.

"And you neglected to tell me that you were bringing me to her, the one person in the world who probably hates me more than Elizabeth." He heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him but he carried on. "God I trusted you Jack! I fucking trusted you!" he was shouting now. His fists balled at his sides in anger.

Carol laid a hand on his shoulder and he spun round.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed. Her hand dropped to her side immediately.

"Will." she said his name again and he could hear a desperate undertone. He shook his head before spinning round to glare at Jack again.

"Why did you bring me here?!" he demanded. Jack took a step forward.

"It was to help you mate." He said. Will snorted.

"How could she ever help me?!" Carol flinched at the venom in his voice. Jack meanwhile looked perplexed, he had never seen Will this angry.

"Could you wait outside please William?" he asked. Will opened his mouth, but then closed it and with a grunt stormed from the room.

As soon as the door had slammed shut behind him Jack turned to Carol.

"You must have really pissed him off." He said, his tone light. Carol turned away. For a moment neither of them spoke.

"Why have you brought him here Jack?" she asked. Jack sighed and stepped up beside her.

"I'm going to tell you a story." He said. Carol looked at him in confusion. Jack carried on. "Maybe it will explain why I've brought William here to see you."

Will stared at the closed door angrily. His blood boiled and his hands were clenching and unclenching. Ana, Keith and Gibbs watched him with a mixture of wariness and sympathy. Pintel and Ragetti were outside with the horses. Finally Ana took a deep breath and stepping up laid a hand on Will's shoulder. He whirled round and she found herself on the end of his glare. It was so fierce that she took a step backward. The anger dimmed in his eyes and he took her hand.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." he murmured. Ana nodded and stepped up closer to him.

"It's all going to be fine." She said softly. Will slumped his shoulders in defeat before flopping down on a nearby box. Ana sank down next to him and they stared at the door.

Ana watched Will's face. He had told her of his grandmother on one of the many nights that she had spent in his cabin. It had been shortly after he had been injured and she had gone to see him. It had been on of the rare nights when they didn't have sex; they had just lain together and talked.

"She hates me." Will's voice pierces the darkness and she turns slightly against him to look into his eyes.

"Elizabeth?" she asks. He shakes his head.

"No, my grandmother, Carol, she hates me." He said. Ana frowns slightly.

"Why?" Will doesn't answer for a moment, but when he does his tone is bitter.

"Because I was the son of a pirate. Because I was the son who shouldn't have been born. My very existence insults her." His voice is harsh and Ana curls closer to him, her hand rubs his shoulder soothingly, trying to console him.

That night he had told her everything. About his mum and dad, about their sham of a wedding and his father running off when he was three. She had suspected he had never told anyone a lot of it. Not even Elizabeth, she could see why. He was ashamed of his life and didn't want her to know.

Ana placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's been a long time Will." she said. "Maybe she's changed." Will looked at her.

"You think?" his tone said that he didn't agree with her.

"Yeah, you have. Most people change." Ana stopped and frowned. "Except Jack. Who never changes." This raised a smile from Will.

"He knew. He knew and he didn't tell me." He said looking down at his feet again. Ana shrugged.

"You know for all his blundering, Jack is a good man. Maybe he thought it best not to tell you so that you could give it a chance."

Will shrugged. "Maybe."

Carol let out a long breath.

"That's some story." She said, Jack nodded.

"Yeah." He agreed. Carol looked towards the door.

"He really did all that?" she asked. Jack nodded.

"All of it luv." He said. Carol sighed.

"I misjudged him." she said, her voice heavy. Jack moved closer to her.

"Everyone does." He said. "He loves Elizabeth so much that he would die for her. And just when it was all starting to go right, it was ripped away from him." he took a deep breath. "Just like his mother." Carol's head shot up at the mention of her youngest daughter.

"You know about that then?" Jack shrugged.

"He might have mentioned it yeah. He told Ana. He opens up to her and you want to know why? Because she listens and doesn't try and tell him he's wrong." Carol sighed and looked away again.

"I never hated him." She said quietly. "It was just all so quick. Annie had only just met this Turner and they were married. Then barely six months later she was with child. She was my youngest daughter and she was the first to get married." Carol hung her head.

"I pushed him away when she was ill. Part of me didn't believe him, I thought that he was lying and would rob us blind. Only my husband believed him." She shook her head. "He's forgotten him now. Because he was a reminder of Annie and it was too painful for him to remember her." Jack cocked his head to one side.

"Maybe you should tell him this."

XXXXXX

"Come on sleepy head! Time to get up!" Elizabeth groaned as light flooded into the room. Judie stepped back from the curtains. A big grin on her face. "Come on wake up!" she said urgently, pulling at Elizabeth. When Elizabeth sat up she grinned. "Good!"

Elizabeth yawned and dragged a brush through her hair. She had never been a morning person and unfortunately for her Judie was. Every morning she would barrel into Elizabeth's room at some ungodly hour of the morning and wake her up, Elizabeth could only feel sorry for Shaun who would have to deal with it all the time.

But Elizabeth had other problems, not just being woken up early. James had returned a few days after his swift departure. He had stayed only long enough to collect his things before he was back in London. Elizabeth had wanted to speak to him. She had convinced Judie to take a trip up to London, and they were going that weekend. It fitted perfectly for when Jonas needed to be back in London.

Elizabeth had vastly enjoyed the company of the older man. He had provided hours of interesting conversation. But whenever she looked at him she could still get the feeling that she knew him. Those eyes were familiar. He had told her many stories of his children. He had two sons and a daughter who had died, Elizabeth learned. When she asked him about how she had died, he would pass on to another subject. The only times the mischievous light in his eyes dimmed was when his dead daughter was mentioned.

The day was bright and clear. Britain was well into its spring and luckily the weather was improving, the rain was becoming less and less frequent. Elizabeth was happy about that, as she wasn't used to the bad weather. Judie had often poked fun at her when she had complained about all the rain.

"You can go outside today Elizabeth." She said, her voice slightly patronizing. Elizabeth shot her a look.

"You're so funny." She said sarcastically.

Judie smiled. "I know!" she said. Elizabeth shook her head.

As she stood up from the table the door to the dinning room opened and Jonas and Shaun came in.

"Morning Elizabeth." Shaun said. Elizabeth smiled.

"Morning Shaun, morning Jonas." She said. Jonas smiled as he took his place at the table.

"Good morning Elizabeth, how are you this morning?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Elizabeth said. His politeness was another thing that Elizabeth found infuriatingly familiar. It reminded her of someone she knew, but she couldn't figure out who. It was unbelievably annoying.

Judie knocked on Elizabeth's door.

"Hey, I know we hadn't agreed to go to London until the weekend. But I know that Shaun needs to go back today, and seeing as you wanted to go up I think we should just go up today." She licked her lips. "Is that ok?" Elizabeth nodded.

"Yeah. The sooner I talk to James the better." She sat down on the bed heavily. Judie settled down beside her. Elizabeth sighed heavily. "Why are all my relationships so dysfunctional?" she asked suddenly. Judie was silent, sensing that Elizabeth had not finished.

"I mean, look at what happened with Will, we didn't even get to the marriage before he was running off." Her face dropped. "I never got a chance to even try and win him back." Judie slid an arm round her back and pulled her closer.

"Some things Elizabeth, you know they happen for a reason." She said. Elizabeth looked up at her. "I know that sounds clichéd. But maybe there was a reason why Will left." Elizabeth shook her head.

"I know, but look at James, it seems that every guy who actually cares for me, I push away." Judie smiled.

"What about Michael?" Elizabeth looked up at Michael's name and smiled. Michael had left two days after he had arrived, he had promised to come back and see them soon. Elizabeth had been sad at his departure; in the short time they had spent together she had felt that they bonded.

Judie pulled her from her thoughts.

"You don't need to worry about packing clothes, unless you really want to, we shall be staying in London for a few days at least and I can have some clothes of mine given to you from our house up there." Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." she whispered. Judie just smiled.

"You're welcome, any time. That's what family is for." She said with a wink.

XXXXXX

Everyone looked up as the door opened, Jack came out and looked at Will.

"Umm, William, could you come in here for a moment?" he asked, his voice sincere. Will stood up and took a deep breath. He looked back at Ana who gave him a reassuring smile. Drawing himself up to his full height he marched past Jack and into the room. Jack shot Ana a look before disappearing back inside.

Will approached Carol determinedly. Standing in front of her he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Well, what have you got to say?" he demanded, not caring that his voice seemed harsh. Carol sighed.

"I know about Elizabeth." She said. Will swallowed hard before turning to look at Jack who shrugged. Looking back at Carol he nodded.

"And…?" Carol turned away slightly.

"I knew her father."

Will's eyes bulged. "You knew…her father?!" he stuttered. Carol nodded.

"I met her just before they were due to sail for England, when she was 12. that was shortly before I left to come here. But that's another story." Will's mind was racing, all the people in his life were linked. Carol carried on.

"I didn't bring you in here to talk about that. What I wanted to say was that…" she stopped and took a deep breath. "…I never hated you. I was scared. Annie was so young and none of us could believe that she would have a child. When you came to us saying that she was ill, I didn't believe you. I stopped Jonas from going to see her, afraid that he would find her safe and well and that you had tricked us…" tears were forming in Will's eyes as she talked. "…I was devastated when they came to me and told me that she was dead. I felt so bad; in a way I killed my daughter. And then I found out that you had disappeared, fled and that her death was being blamed on you." the tears were falling freely down Will's face now. Carol smiled sadly.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me Will, but I do want to help."

A silence greeted her words. Will looked at her suspiciously.

"How could you help me?" he asked. Carol shrugged.

"Lots of ways. I am quite influential. But I don't mean it like that!" she said, as he opened his mouth to protest. "What I mean to say is… do you love Elizabeth?" the question caught Will off guard and for a moment he didn't say anything.

"With everything I have in me." He replied quietly. Carol smiled.

"Good. Now I've been talking to Jack and I believe that one of the reasons you were forced away from Elizabeth was not because of your past, but because of you're station in life." Carol leant forward and Will could see the excitement in her eyes. Ana's words came back to haunt him. 'Maybe she's changed' Will was loath to admit it but he could see a big change in the older woman.

"Go on." He said. Carol smiled again.

"Well, I am a wealthy lady, and you being my blood relative are entitled to a share in this…"she paused for effect. "…including a title." Will's eyes widened,

"You mean…!" he gasped. Carol nodded.

"As my grandson you are entitled to what I own, and that puts you in a very good position young man." Will could scarcely believe what was happening.

"What do you get out of this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Carol bit her lip.

"I want to help, but my only wish is that you take me with you. I would like to see more of the world again." She looked at Will hopefully. Will looked at Jack who nodded.

"I don't see why that should be a problem." As the older woman smiled he held up a finger. "This doesn't mean I have forgiven you." He warned, she nodded.

Jack clapped his hands together.

"Right! We should get going, I don' trust those lads aboard me ship for more than a day." As he made to go out the door Will stopped him.

"Wait." His face was troubled. "It's all very well us talking about me getting higher social standing, but we're overlooking one major thing." Jack stopped by the door, a confused look on his face. Will sighed.

"I broke her heart Jack. Even if I can get this lordship, she'd never take me back, I hurt her too badly. You weren't there, you didn't see the look in her eyes when I told her I didn't love her anymore." Jack frowned.

"We can think about that later mate. Better to have tried than not tried at all right?" Will thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose you're right." He said finally. Jack grinned.

"I'm always right mate." He said.

Ana, Keith and Gibbs all rose to their feet as Jack, Will and Carol came out of the room. Jack stepped forward.

"This is Carol everyone, and she's gonna be coming with us." He said. Gibbs nodded and stepped forward to shake Carol's hand.

"Hi Carol, I'm Mr Gibbs and I'm the first mate aboard The Black Pearl." Carol shook his hand and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you." she said. Ana was next.

"Hi, I'm Ana, the only female company you'll have on the ship." She said with a broad smile. Carol laughed lightly.

"Well, it's nice to know that I will have some company." She said. Ana smiled and stepped back to allow Keith to step forward. When Carol saw Keith her face broke into a grin.

"Keith Sparrow! Where have you been hiding you old dog!" she said grasping his hands. Jack's jaw dropped slightly when she placed a kiss on his cheek causing Keith to blush furiously.

"What are you…what in the world…are you two?!" Jack spluttered. Carol pulled away from Keith and smiled.

"Calm down Jack, there's nothing to get freaked out over." She said. Will shook his head at Jack.

"You're such an arse!" he said. Jack scowled at him.

Will poked his head through the flap and looked around, the sky had darkened in the time that they had been with Carol. He retreated back into hallway and looked at Jack.

"Do you want to try and get back to the ship, its getting dark." Jack came over and looked outside. He pulled his head back in and sighed.

"I hadn't realised it had been so late."

Carol raised her eyebrows." You know you could just stay with me," she said. Jack smiled.

"Ahhh thanks Carol." He said. He was about to go into the room when he stopped.

"I just realised Pintel and Ragetti are still outside with the horses!"

Pintel scowled at the gathering darkness.

"You know wha'?" he muttered. Ragetti looked up from where he was standing.

"Wha?" Pintel stomped over to where he was standing.

"I think that they've forgotten' us!" he growled. Ragetti stroked the horse's nose and shook his head, dislodging his eye in the process.

"No, no, they ain't forgotten us." He said, stuffing the eye back into its socket. "They'll come back for us, they just had very important business to attend to is all!" Pintel rolled his eyes.

"You're so bloody gullible, how you ever made a pirate is a mystery to me!" he said. Ragetti scowled at him.

"You're really mean, you know that!" he said. Pintel shook his head.

"Stop being such a sissy!" he said. The sound of running feet reached his ears and he twirled round.

"What's that?" he asked fearfully. Ragetti shrugged. Suddenly a figure appeared out of the gloom causing Pintel to squeal. The figure materialised into Gibbs who stopped by the two of them panting.

"You two…can…come inside…now." He panted. "Bring…the…horses." Pintel and Ragetti looked at each other before leading the horses back down the winding street.

"Now who's the sissy?"

"Shut up!"

XXXXXX

Carol watched as Will settled down for the night. He was so much like his mother it was unreal. He moved the way she did, small shy movements that showed his uncertainty. He unbuttoned his shirt and folded it up. Placing it beside the cushion he had chosen to sleep on he settled down on his back. Just before he closed his eyes he locked eyes with her. And in those eyes she saw the pain that had been reflected on that day when he had begged her for help. It was the same look that Annie had got when she had begged her mother to support her in her marriage. Carol felt a little twinge on her heart as she thought about her dead daughter for the first time in nearly two years.

XXXXXX

One by one the citizens of the La Cuidad de Fuego fell asleep. Lights were dimmed until the only ones left on were the torches that hung on the brackets in the back alleys. It was in one of these alleys that two figures met. One was a street urchin. His clothes ragged and torn, stained with the filth of the streets. His face was drawn and gaunt. His dark eyes peered out of his face with a sharp intensity.

The other man was a naval man. His red jacket visible even in the dim light. He had his rifle in his hands and was clutching it tightly. it didn't do to trust the street folk, who would help you one second and then slit your throat in the next, the navy man didn't intend on giving the opportunity to this street urchin.

The navy man's name was Paul Martin, and he was a captain with the royal navy. He had been situated on Isla de Oro when the British had claimed it a few years before. Since then he had been working hard to clear the city of its vermin. Sometimes he benefited from the help of the dirty people who lurked on the streets. They could give valuable information about the people who passed through the cities gates, pirates or Spanish spies, back to reclaim the island. This was one such time.

Paul looked at the other man in disgust.

"Well, you told me you had information?" he said. The small man nodded, his head bobbing up and down furiously.

"Yes!" he wheezed tilting his head to smile at the captain, showing nasty brown teeth that looked ready to fall out. Paul grimaced.

"Well what is it?!" he demanded. The man looked up at him.

"Pirates." He said. "Pirates in the city, saw em' this mornin' I did." He nodded again. Paul nodded.

"Ok, you know where they went?" the man shook his head.

"No, all I know is they came in from the south of the island this afternoon. Seven of em!" he paused. "And I knew one of em'. Jack Sparrow." Paul's ears pricked up at the sound of Sparrow's name. It was common knowledge that Jack Sparrow was wanted across the Caribbean, and the man to catch him would be heavily rewarded. A slow grin spread across his face, the half-light of the torches gave him an eerie look as the man shrunk away from him.

Paul grin continued to broaden.

"Right, they'll have to leave soon, this place is not safe for pirates. And when they do, we'll be ready." He turned to the man. "You're help is much appreciated." The man grinned and held out a hand for some money of some sort. He was decidedly surprised when the gun went off. The bullet slammed into his stomach throwing him back onto the ground. He writhed, gasping his hands moving to the hole in his stomach, trying in vain to staunch the flow of blood. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder Paul dropped to one knee beside the man and shook his head.

"So sorry about that, but we can't have you deciding that the pirates might pay you more for your information." With a slow grin he took his knife out of his pocket. Placing the tip against the soft flesh of the man's throat he slowly and deliberately drew it across, listening in satisfaction to the slicing it made. Dark warm blood gushed from the wound and the street urchin gurgled as his air was cut off. His eyes widened before glazing over. Paul did not stop until he had gone from ear to ear. Taking the knife away he looked at his handy work with satisfaction. Wiping the knife on the trousers of the dead man he tucked it back into his belt and walked away. The darkness swallowed him up quickly, leaving nothing but the motionless body behind him in the dark alleyway.

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OK, so there's chapter nine and now we can see the significance of Will's family. Hope you like this, and I know people are impatient for Will and Elizabeth to meet again, but fear not it will happen. And a question, should Elizabeth find out that Jonas is Will's grandfather. I would like to have some suggestions so please leave them in your reviews. I hope to get the next chapter written quickly. Enjoy!

Pirate-x-Girls