When he heard the familiar voice coldly threatening just outside the door, Will hesitated, fighting off the rising panic as he tried to stifle the sudden urge to kneel. He could taste the bile at the back of his throat. His vision wavered, the black rushing in, clouding everything. He clenched his teeth and forced himself straight and took a stiff step towards the door. Slowly step by step Will made his way to the door that separated him from the nightmare. It was there, with his hand on the knob, he nearly lost his nerve completely, but then he heard her voice.
It was easy to tell from Elizabeth's angry retort how frustrated she was, but even so the iron determination was clear. Hawke must have had her cornered, but Will knew that she wouldn't let that stop her. He couldn't let Hawke hurt her, not because of him. With an unsteady breath, Will cracked the door open. For the first time since the cursed pirates had attacked Port Royale, good fortune was on his side, the door didn't creak.
The former captain of the Smiling Skull had his back to Will, a wicked dagger in one hand, a cocked pistol in the other. Elizabeth, although facing toward Will, hadn't yet noticed his presence behind Hawke. Her face was pale and she had both her hands pressed tightly against her left side as she furiously flung venomous insults at the pirate. Red seeped out from between her fingers and fatigue weighed heavily against her shoulders. She would fight to the death. Will wouldn't – couldn't let that happen. With a strength he didn't know he possessed, Will wrenched the pistol from Hawke's grasp and knocked him aside.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Hawke demanded picking himself up from the floor. "Do I need to remind you of your place?" Memories of the months of torture screamed at Will to drop the pistol and kneel submissively before the Smiling Skull's captain, but he swallowed harshly and resisted the urge. Sensing the weakness, Hawke swung at him with the dagger and from there on the rest was a blur.
Will didn't feel the bite of the blade as he pushed Hawke away from him; or hear the startled gasp from Elizabeth or the outside door crashing open as he aimed the pistol keeping the other man at bay. He only saw the leering face before him, daring him to pull the trigger. Will couldn't say how long they stood there, eyes locked in silent combat when a single shot thundered, knocking his former abuser back down. The captain of the Smiling Skull would never pillage the seas again. It was only then Will saw how much his hands were shaking and heard the gentle cooing of Anna Maria soothingly in his ear. Softly she lowered his arm and took the still smoking pistol from him.
Suddenly, Will looked around urgently, for a glimpse of Elizabeth. She was seated at the table with Gibbs looking at her wounded side. She turned a reassuring smile his direction as Jack continued his apologies from where he stood by her for not getting there in time. Elizabeth waved the pirate off, assuring him that he was not to blame.
Arms caught him and set him in a chair, as Will's knees gave under him. It was over. Elizabeth's voice called out to him worriedly, but Anna Maria eased her fears from just beside him. Will sat quietly, staring blankly ahead as the bleeding gash across his shoulder was cleaned and bandaged, and waited for the tremors of his body to settle down. Unconsciously he reached up to clutch the charm as the world rushed around him.
At first Elizabeth worried that Will would return to the catatonic state they found him in, but as things settled back down, he gripped the charm, steadied his breathing, and focused wary eyes on the motion around him. The longer he watched, the more of the tension faded from his muscles until he loosed his grip and, after another quick glance towards Elizabeth, pulled Anna Maria outside to his garden. Through the window, she could see the pair picking fresh vegetables and herbs.
"He'll be alright," Jack assured her.
With a smile, Elizabeth nodded, "Yes. I do believe he will be."
"Oh," Jack exclaimed. "I 'ave more news! Bootstrap's not as dead as we thought! 'e's on the Flying Dutchman!" Captain Sparrow launched into an exciting tale of his heroic efforts to obtain this information, while Gibbs rolled his eyes at the captain and tied off the bandage around her waist.
Elizabeth shifted herself in the chair wondering just how they were going to deal with this new development. Listening to Jack's story and Gibb's snorted interjections, she was surprised to find she wasn't worried. They would make it through, after all – even if none of the men knew it, Calypso was on her way, and she had a soft spot for Will.
