Chapter Twenty-Five
"I think we should go," Elizabeth announced anxiously as she glanced at the sun setting over the horizon. "We've given them more than enough time, yet he still hasn't shown up yet. We need to leave. Now."
Jack felt his eye tick in annoyance and his hands twitch with the urge to smack Elizabeth Swann for that comment. He held himself back, however, because he understood that Elizabeth was right. He had given Will more than enough time and they did have to set sail soon. The crew was restless and they needed to have their captain back. Yet the fact remained that he needed to know that Will was coming with them. He couldn't leave without Will and Nathan, he wouldn't allow himself to abandon them again.
"Need I remind ye Miss Swann," Jack began, his voice tight with frustration (frustration that was only partially directed at Elizabeth) "that I'm the captain an' that this is my ship an' that I say when we set sail?"
Elizabeth didn't so much as flinch at the pirate's harsh tone. She merely frowned and placed her hands on her hips in a way that made Jack suddenly miss Anamaria. "You know I'm right Jack."
He did and he also knew that Elizabeth was not trying to undermine his authority or ruin his relationship with Will. No, she was just anxious. She needed to leave as soon as possible, because as a run away bride, she could not stay in one place for very long. The threat of her father or possessive fiancee finding her was constantly hanging over her head. Of course, Jack sympathized with her. As a wanted man himself he knew what it was like to be constantly on the run. The difference was that while Jack took pride in being wanted, Elizabeth was terrified and was desperate not to be found.
"She is right, Jack," Gibbs sighed as he too gazed at the setting sun. "We are runnin' out of time. Ye promised the crew that we'd set sail by sun down an' dat's only a few minutes away. Like it or not, if Will ain' here by sunset, we'll have ta go."
The pirate captain felt his heart skip a beat at his first mate's words. The sun was already half way down! "Ye don' understand," Jack practically growled. "Neither of ye understand what I'm feelin'! They need me! Will, Nathan, an' ... they need me ta be there for 'em an' ye're both standin' there askin' me ta abandon me family?"
"Not abandon," Gibbs corrected gently. It was clear from the tone of his voice that Jack was losing his patience, and the older pirate certainly didn't want to be the one Jack blew up at when his patience ran out. "Jus'... let go."
"Let go?" Jack snapped, spinning around on his heels so that he was now staring Gibbs in the eye. "Let go? Let go of what? Of Will? Of Nathan? Of a child that hasn't even been bloody born yet?"
"What I think Mr. Gibbs is trying to say," Elizabeth cut in, stepping between the captain and his first mate, "is that Will has a very big decision to make. He has a life here; a home, a job, and people who consider him an honest law abiding citizen. Will had to abandon his old life and start this one so that he and Nathan could survive and just yesterday you asked him to start all over again. Jack, come what may, whatever Will's decision is you'll have to accept it and carry on with your life, because it's what he's going to do."
Dammit all to hell! The girl was right. This was Will's decision and if he chose not to show up today then Jack would have to just live with that. He had put his life on hold long enough, it was time to get back to business. But I can't jus' abandon 'em! Li'l Nathan needs me. Abandoning families was the pirate's way of life. His father had done it to him and he had done it himself to all those countless little bastards he'd produced over the years, but Nathan and the baby were special. They were different. They were...
"Will?"
Jack's ears perked up when he heard Elizabeth say the young man's name. He turned and was stunned to see Will Turner carrying two rather large sacks, one slung over his shoulder and the other tucked under his arm. Little Nathan was not far behind, a much smaller sack on his back as he carried his toy ship in his hands and his sword in his belt.
"Papa Jack!" Nathan squealed as he ran over to his other father. The five year old's eyes were practically glowing with joy and he was sporting the biggest smile Jack had ever seen. "Do we really get to live on your ship with you Papa Jack? Do I really get to be a pirate?"
There was a sudden stinging sensation in his eyes and Jack suddenly realized that he was on the verge of tears. His son was coming home with him. "Of course ye do lad!" Jack laughed as he scooped the boy into his arms and held him tightly. "Ye get ta live with yer Papa Jack fer ever an' ever!"
"Will, let me get those bags for you," Elizabeth offered gently only to be silently shrugged off by the blacksmith in question. It was then that Jack finally got a good look at Will. His head was lowered, his shoulders slumped, and his eyes were red with dark circles. Jack knew right then that Will wasn't ignoring Elizabeth, he was just too upset to speak. This obviously hadn't been an easy choice for the poor young man to make.
"Come on lad," Gibbs said quietly as he walked Will over to the row boat. "I'll help ye inta the boat." Jack watched as Will nodded mutely and followed the older pirate.
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When Jack saw Will again, he was kneeling on the floor of his cabin going through all of his belongings. As soon as they had set foot on board Will had taken Nathan straight to Jack's quarters and hadn't come out since. Jack had of course been busy re-establishing his position as captain, but had made sure that food had been brought down for both Will and Nathan. Glancing over at the table, Jack could see that only one of them had eaten their dinner.
"Am I permitted entry?" Jack asked quietly from the door way, careful not to wake Nathan who was currently fast asleep on the bed.
Will looked up at him, chocolate brown eyes unreadable in the dim candle light. He shrugged. "It's your cabin."
"True," Jack agreed as he closed the door and entered his bed chamber, "but since I gave ye the spare key it is in fact now yer cabin as well."
Will merely shrugged his shoulders, sighed, and continued folding his clothes and placing them into an empty trunk near Jack's bunk.
If the whelp's givin' me the silent treatment again, I'll bloody strangle him. "What's wrong Will?" Jack asked as he sat down beside the pregnant young man. "Talk ta me."
The smith frowned as he paused mid-fold. "I didn't want to go," he said quietly. "I'd lived in that port for five long years. I was appreciated..."
"I appreciate ye."
"...respected..."
"I respect ye."
"...wanted."
"Ye have no bloody idea how bad I want ye," Jack all but purred as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind Will's ear.
The smith frowned as he caught the pirate's hand and held it in his. "That's not what I meant and you know it Jack," Will sighed. "When I was in Port Royal I was nothing, I was less than that, until I became engaged to Elizabeth. Then, I became 'the Governor's future son-in-law.' But it was different back there. All I had to do was be me and I was accepted. For the first time in my life I felt like I was at home... like I belonged."
"Oh treasure," Jack sighed as he wrapped his arms around the smith's shoulders. "I never wanted ye ta come with me if it meant that ye'd be unhappy. I only wanted ye here if ye wanted to be here." That was lie, plain and simple. Jack wanted Will and Nathan at whatever the cost. He hadn't told anyone this, but if Will hadn't come along with them this time, Jack would have come back a month or two later and kidnapped them.
"But that's just the thing Jack, I do want to be here, I really do."
"Come again?"
"You were right," Will explained as he pulled out of Jack's grip. "You've given up so much for me, Jack, and all I ever did was push you away. Yet the more I pushed the more you refused to give up. You have proven yourself to be a good father and a good husb... human being." A slight blush began to color the blacksmith's cheek's at his slip up. He had almost called Jack his "husband", and the pirate had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling or teasing the young man. This was a serious moment, and mocking the smith for his slip up wouldn't be a good idea. "The very least I could do," Will continued, "was give you the family you'd been asking for."
"That's all wonderful news," Jack smiled, "but, Will Turner, do ye really want ta be here?"
Will was silent as he calmly reached out and grasped Jack's hand and held it in his own. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
The pirate smiled as he used his free hand to tilt Will's chin so that they were looking each other in the eye. "I love ye."
"I... I know," he whispered as his eyes lowered in shame, but before Will could turn his head completely, Jack placed a kiss on his soft lips.