Disclaimer: Yadda yadda...don't own shiznit except for Rebecca.
Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this out all! I hope you enjoy it. And side note- Morpheus is the Greek god of dreams.
---
Lying in the cramped quarters of her eight by six cabin, Elizabeth, of course, wasn't able to sleep a wink. What with all of the goings on above her and the sunlight streaming through the hole-like window on the outside wall, not to mention the springy mattress she had to lay on, it was no wonder she couldn't let Morpheus take her. She remembered now that the pirate life was a great deal different than her curtained, privately staffed bedroom, which had within it a four-poster bed with a down mattress and comfortable feather pillows.
It was night now, and the crew on deck had started to settle. Most of them slept there, she figured, for she knew, unless they slept in with the cells, that, big enough ship as she was, there weren't enough cabins to suffice. The sun had also gone down, and now there were only thin rays of moonlight shining onto her. Thankfully, they weren't as bright as to continue to cause her to shield her eyes, and despite her sore back, she began to drift off to sleep. And if it weren't for the creaking of the motions of the door, she would have stayed that way until morning.
Will tiptoed slowly toward Elizabeth's still form and was startled when she spoke.
"Who's there?"
"It's only me, Will," he answered her in a whisper.
"What are you doing in here, Will?" Her voice held a dosage of sleep within it, but she was still able to stress his name.
Will was unsure of what to say, and he stopped walking. He hadn't even thought that he wouldn't be welcomed into Elizabeth's bed, even though they'd yet to share one. "I, uh," he stammered. "Well, since Rebecca's onboard, Jack said that -" Elizabeth cut him off.
"And you didn't want to sleep on the deck." She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Well, it's started to rain," he answered, sheepishly confused and innocent.
"Very well then, there isn't much room to spare, but I understand." She pulled the thin sheet aside and moved over as much as she possibly could.
"I don't mind the floor," he said quietly lying. "Since it's out of the rain, it will suit me."
"Don't be foolish, Will." She patted the spot next to her on the bed with her left palm. "Besides, I'd like it very much if you held me tonight." Will smiled a small smile and did as she asked.
He crawled gently onto the bed beside her, offering his arm for her to fall into. She laid her head delicately on his shoulder, and his arm curled around her in response. Holding his waist, she pulled close to him. Even in this position, they barely fit on the cot. Will reached over with his free arm and stroked her hair with his hand.
"Mmm," she murmured, "Will?"
"Yes?" he whispered, stopping his hand for a moment.
"I love you." About to respond, he smiled and realized that she had already fallen asleep.
Completely smitten, Will, along with every one else on the Pearl, had no idea or suspicion of being followed. But if one had looked off of the stern they would have seen just short of the horizon, a rather small but speedy sailboat trailing them.
In the morning, Jack awoke to Mr. Cotton's parrot squawking from the foot of his bed.
"Damn bird!" Jack shouted as he threw his lumpy pillow at it. "How did you…" He noticed the open window. "I'll make a note to shut that from now on." He waved his hand at the parrot, trying to shoo it back out the window. "Go on, bird. Mr. Cotton'll be needin' you." But the bird didn't budge.
"Fine!" Jack huffed. "Have it your way!" He proceeded to place his feet on the cold, wood floor and stood up. He stretched, yawning, and pulled on his pants. Next, went on his shirt, following it with his vest and boots. Before leaving, he pulled on his hat and accounted for his effects.
"Ah, Jack," said Gibbs when he saw Jack open the doors and step on deck, watching him breath in fresh air. "G'mornin'."
"Yes, and the same to you," he returned, letting the air flow out through his mouth. Jack strode over to Rebecca, who was making use of herself, helping to hoist the sails. "How was the sleep, lass?" he asked her.
"Fine enough," she grunted, pulling on the rope. Jack crossed the deck and sat down on the ship's railing. Rebecca shot a quick glance at him with her bright green eyes. They mesmerized Jack, if only because he wished his own eyes to be that color. It would go lovely with his black kohl, although, he would never admit to such a thought.
"Have you seen your brother yet?" he questioned, wishing to speak to Will.
"No, should I have?" She moved her head to face him and studied his features.
"You and he seemed to be getting on last night," Jack commented, returning the gaze.
"That means nothing," she stated, breaking eye contact. "One conversation cannot make up for two decades of silence."
"That you're right, love," he said, standing.
"I make it a point to be so."
Still watching her work, Jack walked off to the stairs that led to the crew cabins. He finally turned away upon reaching them and pushed his way through to Will and Elizabeth's door. He covered his eyes with one of his hands and used the other to open the door. "I'm coming in! I'm coming in!" he announced, doing so. He peeked through a hole he formed between his fingers and saw his friends sitting on the cot, each holding a sword. He removed his hand with a roll of his eyes.
"Hello Jack," Elizabeth greeted. "Will was just instructing me on the basics of sword fighting."
Jack sighed. He eyed Will. "You're teaching her to fight?"
"I can't always be there to fight for her, Jack," Will admitted sullenly. "I think she needs to know."
"And I suppose you crafted that sword for her?" Will nodded in response. "Bloody hell!" Jack wasn't about to have his ship run over with sword fighting, ill tempered women. He could see having one, but three was all too high a number.
"Afraid of a little competition?" Elizabeth asked him, tipping her chin up. She winked at Will.
"No, I -" He growled. "I want to speak with Will."
"About what?" Will didn't move.
"Things," Jack said, wishing Elizabeth gone. He stared at her with wide eyes, hoping she'd catch on.
"What, Jack?" She stood up, placing her sword on the cot beside Will. "Should I be leaving?"
"No, of course not," Jack assured, while doing the complete opposite and pushing her out the door. She opened her mouth in protest, but the door slammed in her face. "Will," Jack proceeded to address him. He knew that he had never cared for other people's feelings in the past, but he felt fond of this boy for some apparent reason. Maybe he held a soft spot for him because of his father, or maybe, it was just because he actually liked him, even if he did do rather stupid things. "I should have asked you if you even wanted to see your father."
"What? Why?" Will was confused at Jack's motives for saying so.
"You had been angry that your father was a pirate," Jack continued. "You might not want to see him after finding out the truth."
"But I do," Will replied earnestly. "He's still my father."
"Yes, that he is," Jack agreed, "yours and…hers."
Meanwhile, Rebecca, this daughter of Bootstrap that Jack was presently talking about, was on deck when she was confronted by Elizabeth. Elizabeth stepped onto the deck, right away spotting Rebecca. She marched over purposefully and took a breath, about to say something, but Rebecca was the first to speak.
"Look," Rebecca said, stepping up, "Elizabeth, I don't want to fight. Can we start over? At least be polite to each other?"
Elizabeth's brow contracted. That, she hadn't been expecting. She narrowed her eyes at Rebecca and stammered, trying to think of what to say. She knew that she couldn't exactly say what she had been planning on, for now she would look like a complete fool, the argumentative one not willing to compromise. Huffing, she answered, "All right." She turned and headed toward the bow of the ship, almost stamping her feet along the way. She watched the sun as it sat just a little ways above the horizon. It was bright, but hidden mostly by clouds. A bit unusual in the Caribbean, the cool temperature of the day was welcomed.
"Elizabeth," Will called from behind her. Upon seeing her turn to face him, he grinned. "Catch!" he said as he tossed her sword to her, blade downward. She flinched at first but caught it with perfect accuracy.
"What if I hadn't caught that, Will?" she asked with a bit of a shocked expression.
"But you did," he returned with a smirk. He advanced toward her, stepping up onto the platform. "Are you ready to train?"
"Of course," she replied. She stood in the ready position that Will had taught her earlier in the cabin. Her sword rested in her right hand, ready to strike, and a fierce spark ignited in her eyes. "I will always be ready." Will laughed slightly and stepped forward on his left foot, drawing his own sword.
"I trust you to keep your word then," he quipped with a toothy grin that showed a full set of teeth that were remarkably white for a pirate. With that said as a warning, he advanced toward Elizabeth, swinging his sword through the air. He knew the move wouldn't hit her, but he hoped to catch her off guard. On the contrary, rather, she pulled her arm up, blocking the move with her own sword. Will nodded, slightly amazed. "That was good."
"I know," she told him with a confident air. Pulling her sword over her head, she spun away from Will and brought it down close to his shoulder. He quickly acted to meet the attack with his sword.
"I wasn't aware that we'd start in this manner," he said, eyeing Elizabeth with a still surprised, yet pleased look. "I thought I'd start by teaching you some foot work." He cocked his head at the swords that still touched over his shoulder, wishing for her to draw back, but she refused, moving her face close to his.
"Why don't we see where this takes us? I'm pretty sure that I can hold my own." With a palm on his chest, she pushed him away and pointed the end of her sword at him.
"Are you now?" he asked, psyching himself for the challenge. If she thought she could beat him her first time handling a sword, she had another thing coming. He hit her sword away, clashing inwardly into it with his own.
They continued for some time, dueling at the bow of the ship, but Will was saving himself. Elizabeth sensed this. She hit his sword away, holding it off to the side, and she grabbed him by the shirt. "You're holding back," she announced.
"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow, staring into her determined eyes.
"Don't," she stated simply with her head tipped a few degrees to the left.
"I wouldn't want to hurt you," he said, honestly meaning it.
"You're flattering yourself." She clenched the material of his shirt tighter in her fist. "As I've said before, I can protect myself."
With his free hand, Will reached up and held her wrist, prying her hand away from his shirt. "Very well, then." He stepped backwards, checking over his shoulder, seeing that the rail was just a foot behind him. Swinging his sword over from the right hand side, he caused Elizabeth to jump out of the way and to the left. He flipped his wrist, swinging it again in the same direction. His feet carried him back and away from the edge of the ship. Now, he had switched places with Elizabeth, and she was the one standing just short of the railing.
She swung her sword at him, following it up with a jab at his chest. He circled his arm, hitting her sword away and stepping closer to her. He flipped his sword a few times, swirling it through the air in a fancy maneuver. Elizabeth had no choice but to step backward, and as she did so, her foot caught the railing. She pitched backwards, screaming once in surprise. Having knowingly set her up for this Will dropped his sword and jumped forward, catching her in his arms just before she could fall overboard. Smiling cockily, he placed her back on the dock gently. She shoved him, catching him by surprise, and he spilled over, landing with his back on the hard wood. Still holding her sword, she pointed it directly at his neck with a rapid motion. A smile formed on her lips and she announced, "I think we have a winner."
Applause, started by Jack, erupted from the crew who had been watching ever since the duel started. Jack stepped up onto the bow and nodded at Elizabeth. "Good show, love, very good show."
"Why, thank you, Jack." Elizabeth glowed at him, extremely happy with herself. She tossed her sword to the side, releasing Will from his position, and she helped him up.
"How are you able to do all of that?" He gaped at her, knowing she had cheated but not really caring. "I thought you knew nothing of sword fighting."
"Will, I was a little girl intrigued by pirates," she said. "I would practice with sticks outside. I even had a broom that I took from one of the servants when they broke it. I used that one when I played in my room. Jumping on the bed was all the more fun when you had a sword fight going on."
"So, that was your plan? To trick me?" he asked. She nodded in response.
Jack laughed, "Well, with practice you may very well be better than your beloved Will."
Will raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Then you're saying she'll be better than you?"
Jack glared at him. "You aren't better than me! We can fight here and now if you'd like, I'll show you!"
"Don't fool yourself, because you definitely aren't fooling me," he told the pirate captain. "You'll just cheat."
Jack looked hurt. "So?"
The three friends stood on the bow, continuing to joke with each other, completely unaware of the pair of watchful eyes on them. Rebecca stood a good distance away, training her gaze on them. Her mouth held a frown, and her eyes held only sadness. She felt a spark of jealousy churning in the pit of her stomach. For all her life, she couldn't remember ever having a true friend.
Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this out all! I hope you enjoy it. And side note- Morpheus is the Greek god of dreams.
---
Lying in the cramped quarters of her eight by six cabin, Elizabeth, of course, wasn't able to sleep a wink. What with all of the goings on above her and the sunlight streaming through the hole-like window on the outside wall, not to mention the springy mattress she had to lay on, it was no wonder she couldn't let Morpheus take her. She remembered now that the pirate life was a great deal different than her curtained, privately staffed bedroom, which had within it a four-poster bed with a down mattress and comfortable feather pillows.
It was night now, and the crew on deck had started to settle. Most of them slept there, she figured, for she knew, unless they slept in with the cells, that, big enough ship as she was, there weren't enough cabins to suffice. The sun had also gone down, and now there were only thin rays of moonlight shining onto her. Thankfully, they weren't as bright as to continue to cause her to shield her eyes, and despite her sore back, she began to drift off to sleep. And if it weren't for the creaking of the motions of the door, she would have stayed that way until morning.
Will tiptoed slowly toward Elizabeth's still form and was startled when she spoke.
"Who's there?"
"It's only me, Will," he answered her in a whisper.
"What are you doing in here, Will?" Her voice held a dosage of sleep within it, but she was still able to stress his name.
Will was unsure of what to say, and he stopped walking. He hadn't even thought that he wouldn't be welcomed into Elizabeth's bed, even though they'd yet to share one. "I, uh," he stammered. "Well, since Rebecca's onboard, Jack said that -" Elizabeth cut him off.
"And you didn't want to sleep on the deck." She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Well, it's started to rain," he answered, sheepishly confused and innocent.
"Very well then, there isn't much room to spare, but I understand." She pulled the thin sheet aside and moved over as much as she possibly could.
"I don't mind the floor," he said quietly lying. "Since it's out of the rain, it will suit me."
"Don't be foolish, Will." She patted the spot next to her on the bed with her left palm. "Besides, I'd like it very much if you held me tonight." Will smiled a small smile and did as she asked.
He crawled gently onto the bed beside her, offering his arm for her to fall into. She laid her head delicately on his shoulder, and his arm curled around her in response. Holding his waist, she pulled close to him. Even in this position, they barely fit on the cot. Will reached over with his free arm and stroked her hair with his hand.
"Mmm," she murmured, "Will?"
"Yes?" he whispered, stopping his hand for a moment.
"I love you." About to respond, he smiled and realized that she had already fallen asleep.
Completely smitten, Will, along with every one else on the Pearl, had no idea or suspicion of being followed. But if one had looked off of the stern they would have seen just short of the horizon, a rather small but speedy sailboat trailing them.
In the morning, Jack awoke to Mr. Cotton's parrot squawking from the foot of his bed.
"Damn bird!" Jack shouted as he threw his lumpy pillow at it. "How did you…" He noticed the open window. "I'll make a note to shut that from now on." He waved his hand at the parrot, trying to shoo it back out the window. "Go on, bird. Mr. Cotton'll be needin' you." But the bird didn't budge.
"Fine!" Jack huffed. "Have it your way!" He proceeded to place his feet on the cold, wood floor and stood up. He stretched, yawning, and pulled on his pants. Next, went on his shirt, following it with his vest and boots. Before leaving, he pulled on his hat and accounted for his effects.
"Ah, Jack," said Gibbs when he saw Jack open the doors and step on deck, watching him breath in fresh air. "G'mornin'."
"Yes, and the same to you," he returned, letting the air flow out through his mouth. Jack strode over to Rebecca, who was making use of herself, helping to hoist the sails. "How was the sleep, lass?" he asked her.
"Fine enough," she grunted, pulling on the rope. Jack crossed the deck and sat down on the ship's railing. Rebecca shot a quick glance at him with her bright green eyes. They mesmerized Jack, if only because he wished his own eyes to be that color. It would go lovely with his black kohl, although, he would never admit to such a thought.
"Have you seen your brother yet?" he questioned, wishing to speak to Will.
"No, should I have?" She moved her head to face him and studied his features.
"You and he seemed to be getting on last night," Jack commented, returning the gaze.
"That means nothing," she stated, breaking eye contact. "One conversation cannot make up for two decades of silence."
"That you're right, love," he said, standing.
"I make it a point to be so."
Still watching her work, Jack walked off to the stairs that led to the crew cabins. He finally turned away upon reaching them and pushed his way through to Will and Elizabeth's door. He covered his eyes with one of his hands and used the other to open the door. "I'm coming in! I'm coming in!" he announced, doing so. He peeked through a hole he formed between his fingers and saw his friends sitting on the cot, each holding a sword. He removed his hand with a roll of his eyes.
"Hello Jack," Elizabeth greeted. "Will was just instructing me on the basics of sword fighting."
Jack sighed. He eyed Will. "You're teaching her to fight?"
"I can't always be there to fight for her, Jack," Will admitted sullenly. "I think she needs to know."
"And I suppose you crafted that sword for her?" Will nodded in response. "Bloody hell!" Jack wasn't about to have his ship run over with sword fighting, ill tempered women. He could see having one, but three was all too high a number.
"Afraid of a little competition?" Elizabeth asked him, tipping her chin up. She winked at Will.
"No, I -" He growled. "I want to speak with Will."
"About what?" Will didn't move.
"Things," Jack said, wishing Elizabeth gone. He stared at her with wide eyes, hoping she'd catch on.
"What, Jack?" She stood up, placing her sword on the cot beside Will. "Should I be leaving?"
"No, of course not," Jack assured, while doing the complete opposite and pushing her out the door. She opened her mouth in protest, but the door slammed in her face. "Will," Jack proceeded to address him. He knew that he had never cared for other people's feelings in the past, but he felt fond of this boy for some apparent reason. Maybe he held a soft spot for him because of his father, or maybe, it was just because he actually liked him, even if he did do rather stupid things. "I should have asked you if you even wanted to see your father."
"What? Why?" Will was confused at Jack's motives for saying so.
"You had been angry that your father was a pirate," Jack continued. "You might not want to see him after finding out the truth."
"But I do," Will replied earnestly. "He's still my father."
"Yes, that he is," Jack agreed, "yours and…hers."
Meanwhile, Rebecca, this daughter of Bootstrap that Jack was presently talking about, was on deck when she was confronted by Elizabeth. Elizabeth stepped onto the deck, right away spotting Rebecca. She marched over purposefully and took a breath, about to say something, but Rebecca was the first to speak.
"Look," Rebecca said, stepping up, "Elizabeth, I don't want to fight. Can we start over? At least be polite to each other?"
Elizabeth's brow contracted. That, she hadn't been expecting. She narrowed her eyes at Rebecca and stammered, trying to think of what to say. She knew that she couldn't exactly say what she had been planning on, for now she would look like a complete fool, the argumentative one not willing to compromise. Huffing, she answered, "All right." She turned and headed toward the bow of the ship, almost stamping her feet along the way. She watched the sun as it sat just a little ways above the horizon. It was bright, but hidden mostly by clouds. A bit unusual in the Caribbean, the cool temperature of the day was welcomed.
"Elizabeth," Will called from behind her. Upon seeing her turn to face him, he grinned. "Catch!" he said as he tossed her sword to her, blade downward. She flinched at first but caught it with perfect accuracy.
"What if I hadn't caught that, Will?" she asked with a bit of a shocked expression.
"But you did," he returned with a smirk. He advanced toward her, stepping up onto the platform. "Are you ready to train?"
"Of course," she replied. She stood in the ready position that Will had taught her earlier in the cabin. Her sword rested in her right hand, ready to strike, and a fierce spark ignited in her eyes. "I will always be ready." Will laughed slightly and stepped forward on his left foot, drawing his own sword.
"I trust you to keep your word then," he quipped with a toothy grin that showed a full set of teeth that were remarkably white for a pirate. With that said as a warning, he advanced toward Elizabeth, swinging his sword through the air. He knew the move wouldn't hit her, but he hoped to catch her off guard. On the contrary, rather, she pulled her arm up, blocking the move with her own sword. Will nodded, slightly amazed. "That was good."
"I know," she told him with a confident air. Pulling her sword over her head, she spun away from Will and brought it down close to his shoulder. He quickly acted to meet the attack with his sword.
"I wasn't aware that we'd start in this manner," he said, eyeing Elizabeth with a still surprised, yet pleased look. "I thought I'd start by teaching you some foot work." He cocked his head at the swords that still touched over his shoulder, wishing for her to draw back, but she refused, moving her face close to his.
"Why don't we see where this takes us? I'm pretty sure that I can hold my own." With a palm on his chest, she pushed him away and pointed the end of her sword at him.
"Are you now?" he asked, psyching himself for the challenge. If she thought she could beat him her first time handling a sword, she had another thing coming. He hit her sword away, clashing inwardly into it with his own.
They continued for some time, dueling at the bow of the ship, but Will was saving himself. Elizabeth sensed this. She hit his sword away, holding it off to the side, and she grabbed him by the shirt. "You're holding back," she announced.
"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow, staring into her determined eyes.
"Don't," she stated simply with her head tipped a few degrees to the left.
"I wouldn't want to hurt you," he said, honestly meaning it.
"You're flattering yourself." She clenched the material of his shirt tighter in her fist. "As I've said before, I can protect myself."
With his free hand, Will reached up and held her wrist, prying her hand away from his shirt. "Very well, then." He stepped backwards, checking over his shoulder, seeing that the rail was just a foot behind him. Swinging his sword over from the right hand side, he caused Elizabeth to jump out of the way and to the left. He flipped his wrist, swinging it again in the same direction. His feet carried him back and away from the edge of the ship. Now, he had switched places with Elizabeth, and she was the one standing just short of the railing.
She swung her sword at him, following it up with a jab at his chest. He circled his arm, hitting her sword away and stepping closer to her. He flipped his sword a few times, swirling it through the air in a fancy maneuver. Elizabeth had no choice but to step backward, and as she did so, her foot caught the railing. She pitched backwards, screaming once in surprise. Having knowingly set her up for this Will dropped his sword and jumped forward, catching her in his arms just before she could fall overboard. Smiling cockily, he placed her back on the dock gently. She shoved him, catching him by surprise, and he spilled over, landing with his back on the hard wood. Still holding her sword, she pointed it directly at his neck with a rapid motion. A smile formed on her lips and she announced, "I think we have a winner."
Applause, started by Jack, erupted from the crew who had been watching ever since the duel started. Jack stepped up onto the bow and nodded at Elizabeth. "Good show, love, very good show."
"Why, thank you, Jack." Elizabeth glowed at him, extremely happy with herself. She tossed her sword to the side, releasing Will from his position, and she helped him up.
"How are you able to do all of that?" He gaped at her, knowing she had cheated but not really caring. "I thought you knew nothing of sword fighting."
"Will, I was a little girl intrigued by pirates," she said. "I would practice with sticks outside. I even had a broom that I took from one of the servants when they broke it. I used that one when I played in my room. Jumping on the bed was all the more fun when you had a sword fight going on."
"So, that was your plan? To trick me?" he asked. She nodded in response.
Jack laughed, "Well, with practice you may very well be better than your beloved Will."
Will raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Then you're saying she'll be better than you?"
Jack glared at him. "You aren't better than me! We can fight here and now if you'd like, I'll show you!"
"Don't fool yourself, because you definitely aren't fooling me," he told the pirate captain. "You'll just cheat."
Jack looked hurt. "So?"
The three friends stood on the bow, continuing to joke with each other, completely unaware of the pair of watchful eyes on them. Rebecca stood a good distance away, training her gaze on them. Her mouth held a frown, and her eyes held only sadness. She felt a spark of jealousy churning in the pit of her stomach. For all her life, she couldn't remember ever having a true friend.