Will sheathed his sword as he looked out from the deck of the Dutchman towards the burning ships. It had been a relatively quick battle, but there had been quite a few deaths. Although, Will mused, he'd seen far worse. Some of the men had agreed to serve aboard the Dutchman, by choice of course. Will wasn't in the habit of forcing people to join his crew. Those who served did so willingly, and those who moved on were allowed to do so. His father's voice startled him from his thoughts.
"Captain, there's another ship coming about." He paused a moment and wondered whether to continue. "It looks awfully like…" Bootstrap gestured towards the ship and stopped talking. He looked at his son apprehensively, almost afraid to see his reaction. Will looked up at the approaching ship and grimaced.
"The Pearl." Will finished for him. He slammed his fist onto the edge of deck. "Damn it, Elizabeth."
"She's here isn't she? Where is she?" Will demanded, sword in hand as he swung the door to the Pearl's cabin open with such force it slammed against the adjacent wall. Will saw Jack sitting in a chair, feet crossed on top of the table in front of him. Naturally, he was nursing a bottle of rum in his right hand. Gibbs sat just to his right, looking decidedly nervous about the conversation that he was sure was about to unfold. No good could possibly come of this, not with the Captain of the Flying Dutchman looking this furious, Gibbs thought as he looked towards Jack. A nonchalant grin slowly crept across Jack's face at seeing Will. Gibbs swallowed hard.
"Ah William, just in time mate, I thought you'd never show up—" Jack said amicably, taking his feet off the table to stand up from the chair. His leisurely manner only served to annoy Will further.
"Where is Elizabeth?" Will growled, interrupting him. She shouldn't be here, was the thought haunting Will at this moment. Seeing the door to the captain's cabin behind where Jack was standing, Will brushed swiftly past the slightly swaying pirate towards the room, intent on finding his wife.
"Might I suggest you calm down a bit before you barge in there—" Jack sputtered as he made to follow the new Captain of the Flying Dutchman, who appeared to be in a fowl mood. Will whirled around to face him, causing Jack to take a few clumsy step backwards. Jack flashed him a cheeky grin behind raised hands, and Will narrowed his eyes and took another step forward. This time, Jack held his ground.
"Calm?" Will spat angrily at him. "She isn't supposed to be here. I thought I had made myself clear." Why did Jack bring her here?
"Frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard. Especially one that's with child." Gibbs muttered under his breath mostly to himself, clutching the unidentifiable charms around his neck. His eyes darted between Jack and Will as they continued their decidedly unfriendly verbal exchange. Jack merely rolled his eyes, not in the least intimidated by Will's anger. They had come too far for that.
"In case you forgot mate, Elizabeth is the Pirate King, she's the one giving orders, not you." He emphasized the last point by digging a dirty pointed index finger into Will's chest, just above his scar that lay visible under a partially buttoned up shirt.
Will laughed darkly, brushing Jacks hand off his chest. "So now you choose to be a law-abiding pirate? Now you start following orders?"
"Thought I'd turn over a new leaf as it were," Jack replied conversationally. Then a thoughtful expression crossed his face, as a finger went to his chin in contemplation. "Although, I admit that it's not turning out the way I'd hoped." he said accusingly at Will.
"Did you discover that before or after sailing into the middle of a battle with my very pregnant wife I wonder?" Will deadpanned.
"Her idea. And a good one that you'd appreciate better if you'd quit being such a bloody fool." Jack snapped. "'Sides, how else were we supposed to find you?"
"You weren't supposed to find me, that was exactly the point. The sea is no place to deliver a baby, and if you had any sense at all—" Will said frustratedly but didn't have a chance to finish his thought as Jack cut him off.
"You know bloody well as I do that there's no stopping that lass once she sets her mind to something." Jack snorted, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall, completely unbothered by Will's frustration. "You fools deserve each other."
Will had the strangest feeling that Jack was keeping something from him. After all, Jack could talk his way out of anything. Why had he not persuaded Elizabeth to stay on land for the birth? Before Will could think of a response, the lass in question cracked open the door behind them, carefully stepping through. Gibbs hastily got up from his chair and practically ran from the room, muttering something about patching a sail. Elizabeth watched his quick escape and wondered amusedly if it was the sight of her ungainly body or the inevitable conversation that was to follow that sent him running up the stairs towards the deck. She turned her attention towards Will and looked at her husband, willing herself to keep her expression neutral despite the burst of joy she felt in seeing him. To anyone else, he might look angry, furious even. But all Elizabeth saw when she looked into his eyes was unadulterated worry. It was evident in the way he held his sword, grip tightening and loosening rhythmically-an unconscious habit that arose when he felt helpless, trapped. She bit back a smile, some things never change.
Will was momentarily stunned as Elizabeth stepped into the main cabin room. If there was anyone who could still look like bloody royalty while simultaneously being in labour, it was Elizabeth, Will thought after he recovered from the initial shock of seeing her for the first time in nine months. They'd exchanged letters to be sure, but seeing her in the flesh, being in the same room as her, was entirely different. He drank in the sight of her, altogether achingly similar to the last time he saw her and yet so different. He knew she was with child, but this was the first time he'd actually seen her during the pregnancy. Somehow, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Dark brown eyes contrasted with sun-kissed skin. Her gaze just as fierce, perhaps more-so, than nine months ago. The light from the lanterns hanging from the ceiling danced across her skin and made her eyes sparkle. The light blue dressing robe she wore flattered her, a knot tied just above her stomach kept it in place and elegantly emphasized her current condition.
"Don't blame Jack, Will. It was my idea. I ordered him to do it, as his King." Elizabeth said quietly, pulling Will from his thoughts as she watched his face carefully. Without replying, Will was at her side in a few short strides. Elizabeth wasn't sure what reaction she was expecting from her husband, but she was not expecting to be crushed against his chest and pulled into an embrace so tight it forced the air from her lungs. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his shoulder, breathing him in and revelling that he was in her arms once again.
He pulled back from the embrace momentarily to study her closer. Her blonde hair was loosely french braided, specifically to keep it out of her face, he imagined. Some renegade strands had managed to escape and were stuck to the sides of her face, a result of perspiration from her current situation. Considering the circumstances, she looked relatively well, though a little pale.
He moved to kiss her, "Are you well?" He murmured against her skin. Elizabeth nodded in response, accepting his kiss before pulling away to look at him, cupping his cheek with her palm. His hair had grown longer and was as unruly as ever, pulled back by a dark green bandana. His eyes seemed darker, though they carried the same look of concern and thoughtfulness that had been present since their youth. She avoided his gaze as she smoothed his hair back with one hand.
"I didn't want to do this alone, Will." She whispered to him with an almost imperceptible shake of her head. "I wanted-needed, you to be here for it, with me." With a deep breath she forced herself to look him straight in the eye. "If you're angry with me, I understand, but I am not sorry." She said firmly, tilting her chin up defiantly and steeling herself against his response. After all, they had long promised not to keep things from each other, ever since their quarrel when she had kissed Jack. Elizabeth couldn't help but feel she betrayed Will yet again by refusing to stay on land for the birth, as Will insisted for her safety. Yet, she couldn't imagine doing this without him, and Elizabeth was no stranger to risk.
Will was almost at a loss for words as he felt his chest tighten. Then something in her eyes struck him, and suddenly he understood why Jack had brought her, had agreed to her plan to give birth at sea. She was afraid. In all his life, Will had only seen her like this precious few times, once being the last moments before his own death. The fact that Elizabeth Swann Turner was scared unnerved him more than the actual impending birth itself. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"I couldn't be angry with you, Elizabeth. Frustrated, perhaps. Endlessly worried, always." He replied, taking her hand from his face and pressing a kiss to the scar on her palm. A scar he shared with her, literally and figuratively, from their first encounter with pirates. Elizabeth's eyes fluttered closed at his action, a small smile gracing her lips as she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "Truthfully," he continued, "I wanted to be here too. I'm a little relieved actually." He said with a slight smile.
"I knew you'd come around mate." Jack said cheerfully, interrupting their intimate moment, drawing both pairs of eyes to him.
"If anything happens to her I'll—" Will looked threateningly towards Jack, as he moved to lead Elizabeth back into the captain's room. Jack rolled his eyes and made a vague gesture with his hands, cutting off his colourful threats. "Yes, yes, into the depths and the bloody locker, I'm quite familiar with it. Nothin' I haven't seen before, mate." Jack drawled. Quite obviously unmoved by Will's threats, Jack moved closer to him and held the back of his hand against his mouth as if he were preparing to tell Will a great secret. The corners of his mouth twitched up as Jack whispered loudly into Will's ear, "Between me and you William, I'm more scared of her." He said with a slight nod towards Elizabeth.
Will rolled his eyes as he moved to open the door for his now giggling wife, who was obviously delighted by Jack's statement. She would take that as a compliment, Will thought as he inwardly smiled. Abruptly her giggles stopped as Elizabeth doubled over and gasped, one of her hands protectively covering her swollen abdomen while the other flew to grip Will's forearm for support. The colour drained from Will's face.
Jack had never seen Will go so pale in his life, which was saying something considering that he'd been stabbed through the heart, and then had his heart cut out from his chest. Yes, Jack thought with a grimace, even that, didn't compare to the complete panic-stricken look plastered to Will's face at this moment. How ironic that the Captain of the Flying Dutchman, who ferried souls of the undead, would be so completely helpless in the midst of child birth. Slightly amused, Jack started to wonder if the whelp would make it through this ordeal if he wasn't already dead. He took a hearty swig from the bottle; it was going to be a long night.