Will managed to control his curiosity for four hours after the wedding. Four hours was a long time – they had talked over thousands of subjects, eaten together, spoken to guests, and tried for the thousandth time to ease the governor's disapproval of the match.

But at last he could contain himself no longer. It's not my fault, he told himself. Her mood light and almost nostalgic, Elizabeth had just said, "I almost wish we could have invited Jack, don't you?" And that was too much for Will to bear.

"Elizabeth," he began seriously, after a half-hearted attempt to return her smile, "There's something I have been wanting to ask you."

"To ask me? Will, you look so nervous," she laughed, cheeks growing a bit pink. "Whatever you want to ask me…we are man and wife now, so it's all right."

"Whatever I…" he echoed. "Oh! Oh, no, not that, not right now. I was just wondering," he began again, then took a deep breath. "You know I would not believe ill of you in a thousand years. It's never you I would mistrust. But Elizabeth, when you were trapped on that island… I just want to know that Jack didn't…I mean, if he so much as looked at you in a way you didn't like, I will hunt him down." The idea made him so angry that his voice was shaking.

"No, no, you don't need to hunt him down," Elizabeth assured him, trying vainly to suppress a giggle as she remembered that night. If Will had only seen…! "I assure you I quite liked the way Jack looked at me."

She gasped, obviously not having meant to say that aloud.

Will stared at her. "I…I don't know what to say," he whispered after a terribly long silence.

That crushed look was so endearing on him that Elizabeth couldn't even resent his unspoken accusation. "Will Turner, I do believe you are jealous," she teased.

"Should I not be?" he demanded, not finding the situation the least bit humorous. "I mean, when I first found out I didn't ask because it wasn't my place, but now…I'll kill him."

"Calm down," she soothed, trying for his sake to look serious. Just the thought of that romp around the campfire was amusing her, but she knew Will wouldn't take kindly to laughter right now. "I wasn't quite intoxicated enough to have forgotten it, unfortunately. I can tell you I behaved like a perfect fool and taught Jack a pirate song. That's all." She met his eyes and added firmly, "But I also do remember that Jack Sparrow is a gentleman, despite all appearances to the contrary, and that he did nothing more improper than talk like a drunken pirate."

She had intended her words to be reassuring, but Will's face fell. If that was the truth he couldn't be angry at either of them, and yet, the way she spoke up so pluckily in Jack's defense made him want to cry. "You really like him, don't you."

"You are jealous," she answered haughtily, annoyed that her explanation had not been enough. "And I don't appreciate it."

He couldn't lie. "Maybe a little. But Elizabeth," he added quickly, "You just said you like him. And you did always try to stop people from hanging him." Realizing what a pathetic line of reasoning that was, he tried again. "I mean, he draws people in. Even when I was trying to kill him I felt the pull. He's saved your life time and again, he's held you…. He cut your corset right off-"

"Oh, Will, don't be silly!" she exclaimed, flushing despite herself. "That was nothing but a way to get me breathing. It had nothing to do with…with sex." Elizabeth was a gentlewoman, not accustomed to such bold speech, and the word sat strangely in her mouth. She looked down.

"Everything he does has to do with sex!" The sudden outburst surprised them both, but Will pushed on. "Jack is sexuality. I think that is why I'm jealous. Not to mention that for a pirate he's quite handsome."

Elizabeth put a hand on his arm. "You're right," she said, with an unmistakably seductive smile. "Jack is handsome. He's the second-handsomest pirate I've ever seen."

Will cocked his head at her but didn't dare speak, just in case he was misunderstanding. "And he told me once," she continued, "that a ship is more than a collection of wood – it's freedom. It gives you freedom. So maybe Jack is sexuality. The sight of him, his voice, the way he touches me…he makes me want to…to do things that aren't very ladylike." She stood on tiptoe and put her lips close to Will's ear. "Only…not with him." She couldn't resist adding, with an impish little grin, "Savvy?"

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The End. (unless I think up more conversations people might have behind Jack's back.) This is fun. R/R, tell me what you think.