In the distance she heard the echoed voices of Barbossa and his crew. They were arguing. Her head was spinning. The cold floor of the cave felt good. She struggled to gain the strength to open her eyes. She could feel the sting of Barbossa's strike on her cheek, but she made no move to touch it.
She felt a callused, rough hand cover her mouth. She opened her eyes and was about to scream. Her eyes met with Will's. He was wading in the shallow creek, gesturing her silence. He pointed his finger to his right and motioned for her to follow him. 'Finally,' she thought, 'I'm getting out of this hell hole.' But one thing was holding her back. The medallion.
She suddenly felt naked without it. She turned around and saw it lying in a pile of gravel and gold mush. She snatched it for insurance and crept in the creek with Will. He led through the water to a clearing where the boats were docked.
"How did you find me?" she asked.
"You have Jack Sparrow to thank for that. He knew exactly where the Pearl would be."
"Jack Sparrow? So that was him I saw!"
Will nodded and assisted her into a long boat.
"Wait! They could follow us! We have to make sure they can't get to us that quickly."
"What do you suggest we do?"
She thought quickly. The oars!
"Let's take all the oars and toss them overboard when we get out of the cave."
Will smiled.
"Innovative. Alright, let's hurry. They could very well be right behind us."
Maria glanced behind her to make sure they weren't.
Once they gathered all the oars and settled themselves in a longboat, Will began rowing fast, wanting to get as far away from the Isla del Muerta as possible. Maria watched his arms move back and forth, moving the oars. His look had drastically changed since she had seen him last. His clean white shirt was now dirtied up and opened to his waist. His sleeves were loose and he wore no overcoat like usual. His hair was wet and greasy. Instead of being tightly pulled back in a nice neat queue, it was tied with a dirty rag and loose. A day's stubble had began to grow on his chin. She quite liked him looking like this. Like the boy she met ten years ago. She softly giggled.
"What's so funny?"
She shook her head and laughed.
"Nothing. Just. Thank you, Will."
He smiled.
"You're welcome. I always keep my promises."
She looked at him knowing exactly what he meant. He'd promised to protect her forever. And he was doing just that. He winked at her and continued rowing in silence.
Once they reached the Interceptor, the crew from Tortuga helped them aboard and asked for their captain. Will explained he fell behind. The others just glared at Maria as if she were a pariah, the unknown that they feared. Will ushered her below to clean herself up. Once below Will busied himself finding warm blankets and bandages for her. Maria liked watching him worry over her like this. She had been so wrong earlier, thinking that he would be with Elizabeth.
"So tell me," he began putting a blanket around her shoulders, "what happened?"
Maria sighed and repeated the events of her capture from Port Royal.
"Then he told me about the curse. Will, they are will always be there! They cannot die until the curse is broken!"
"You said you used my name for yours? Why?"
"I don't know. I was afraid that if they knew my name was Cortez they would kill me. I always assumed that I was the only one that could break the curse. I am the last keeper of the treasure, and all…" her voice trailed off not wanting to reveal their keen interest in the name Turner.
"What makes you think you're not?" he asked gently wrapping a cloth bandage around her cut hand.
The touch of his rough yet delicate hands made her tremble. She jumped with a shiver. He pulled away thinking he'd harmed her.
"Sorry. Blacksmith's hands. Always rough."
"No. No. I mean. Don't stop," she said forcing him to look her in the eye. "Ever," she whispered.
It seemed like a lifetime had passed between them as they stared into each others' eyes. Chocolate brown on golden brown, conveying unspoken feelings long kept hidden. The flicker of the single candle in the room glowed on his face. He looked magnificent. He leaned closer touching her face, tracing a line down from her ear to her chin. Maria's breathing faltered. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach.
She leaned in, enjoying the anticipation. Their foreheads touched. She could feel his breath on her cheeks. She assumed a soft kiss on the lips was next but she was wrong in such a glorious way. He leaned forward, stroking tendrils of hair out of her face. His lips seared the sensitive skin behind her ear. He made a heated trail across her face. She was going mad with sensual anticipation for a kiss. But he still did not reach her lips. He continued his trail down her neck. She through her head back. His lips glided by the chain that held the medallion around her neck.
"What's this?" he asked against her skin.
She was so lost in his embrace that it took her a moment to settle back into reality.
"What?"
"This." His fingers grazed the chain until it lead to the crevice of her bosom. He took out the medallion and looked at it with a touch of familiarity in his eyes.
"The medallion."
She looked at him with guilty eyes, ashamed.
"I thought I'd lost in when they rescued us. Why do you have it?"
"Elizabeth took it from you when they brought you aboard. She feared that you would have been hanged."
"For being a pirate," he said harshly.
"That morning after I had the dream about us, I asked her if I could have it back. I felt a strong, powerful urge to have it in my possession. Now I know why."
"The gold."
She nodded.
"So it's true then. My father was a pirate."
Maria was not expecting him to say that. She furrowed her brow in confusion and opened her mouth to say something but nothing came forth.
"He must have been a member of Jack's crew."
"Jack's crew?"
"Ten years ago. Jack was the captain of the Pearl. Mr. Gibbs, one of the men on deck. He told me the whole story. They'd found the treasure and spent every last piece. This was before they found out about the curse. Then Barbossa led a mutiny against him when he wanted to get the treasure back. Jack was marooned on an island and my father was killed for sending a piece of the treasure off to me."
Maria was shocked. She was at a loss for words.
"Will, I…"
"You're right. You're not the only one they need to lift the curse."
She looked at him puzzled.
"They need me. They need my blood. The blood of a pirate."
Maria's heart broke for him. She knew how it felt to feel betrayed by your own family because of their mistakes. And they weren't even alive to help you through it. She longed to reach out to him and wrap him in her arms, hold him close. But as his fingers fiddled with the medallion, he stopped suddenly and slammed his hand into the table. Maria knew he needed to be alone with his thoughts right now.
She stood up to leave, muttering apologies. She pressed her lips to the top of his head, tasting the salty-sweetness of his messy hair and made her way to the deck. She took one last look before ascending the stairs. Will's eyes were squinted. His jaw was tightened. He was deep in thought. She silently prayed that the burdens they were left with would be lifted soon. They would bear them together. They were never alone in this world as long as they had each other.
