A/N: I discovered that when I write long multi-chaptered stories, they don't get finished. So I think this will just be one chapter. I also discovered that I haven't technically written slash before (unless you count the one that I, hey, guess what, didn't finish) so this will be interesting. Anyway…feel free to tell me if Elizabeth is too out of character.
"I know my place. It's right here. Between you and Jack."
There was a short dead silence in the cluster of tense soldiers as everyone waited for someone else to make a move. The weapons remained pointed at the two victims in the middle, and anxious ears only waited for Commodore Norrington's command. Will Turner shifted his determined gaze from underneath his large hat to glance at Elizabeth, hoping for any kind of aid. But she offered none. "I'm sorry, Will…I can't…I told you," she whispered, averting her gaze to stare sadly at the ground.
"He's a pirate!" Will heard.
He had been too lost in reverie to know who had spoken, so he addressed everyone. "And a good man. Governor, I beg of you, just let him leave. Without him, everyone on this island may be dead by now, firstly your daughter."
Will stopped to stare at Elizabeth again. He was hurt to notice she could not look back at him. But there was still a life to save here. He could not let himself dwell on what would not be. So he spoke up again, with a firmer voice this time. "If you let him go, the Black Pearl won't bother this island ever again. Right, Jack?"
In the awkward moment of silence that followed, Will rolled his eyes and prodded the man behind him with his elbow. "I said, 'Right, Jack?'"
Jack was rubbing his side where the elbow had lodged itself so rudely, in his opinion. He threw one of his most charming smiles at the Governor, and placed a grimy hand on Will's shoulder. "Oh, right, sorry mates. Of course. You let me be, I let you be, savvy?"
Norrington only mimicked Will's eye-rolling. "And why should I trust a pirate?" he asked menacingly.
Jack pointed a finger at him, still grinning and squeezing Will's shoulder, silently warning him not to talk. "Because lad, I'm in command of the most powerful ship in the world, I have amazing influence in the pirating community, and lastly, I'm fairly sure you don't want other dirty, disgusting pirates coming after you and pillaging this island when they find out my death is in your hands."
Will narrowed his eyes at Jack, squinting through the feather hanging off his hat. He was somewhat certain that Jack had made at least part of that proclamation up on the spot. Apparently the Commodore had the same idea. "Is that a threat, Sparrow?"
"Just a suggestion, mate," came the instant reply.
Elizabeth quickly whispered something to her father. Will watched her hopefully, but she still would not meet his eyes. Jack, however, confusedly watched Will. The Governor had a moment of indecision, but something in his daughter's whisper must have altered his judgment, for his next words were unexpected. "Commodore Norrington, perhaps this is a fair deal. After all, Sparrow did greatly aid us. And, however he appears, he did save my daughter from harm. My daughter, who made a sacrifice for you, and whom I hope you will not forget your promise to."
Norrington looked disheveled, as if unsure how to handle himself. "Oh, lower your weapons," he finally muttered.
The Governor smiled at his daughter, who was still staring only at the ground. He hugged her to him somewhat possessively, before turning to the Commodore and commending him. "Perhaps an act of piracy is the right course?"
Norrington only nodded. "Sparrow, I am not granting you your freedom because I like you. Far from it. I am granting it because of what you have done for Ms. Swann…and the rest of us. But you must leave by nightfall. I trust you can procure a ship?"
"Hey, pirate here, remember?" said Jack, cheerfully adjusting Will's hat, which had begun to slip down onto his face.
But Will was paying him no attention. He only vaguely heard as Jack spoke again, "Well I'm actually feeling rather good about this…" And the rest was lost to him. Will simply wondered what could have happened to change Elizabeth. He remembered their conversation perfectly well. She said she had promised…but hadn't she promised him as well? But it wasn't forgotten promises that bothered Will the most. His own feelings were changing, and he began to wonder if there ever was truly anything there. The thought scared him and he jerked himself back to reality. He noticed that the space behind him which Jack Sparrow used to take up was now empty, and the commotion had moved to the wall.
"You will all remember this as the day that you almost –" And he was gone. Will could have predicted as much, and allowed himself a small, smug smile.
"Mr. Turner," began Norrington, turning to face him, "I cannot allow you to stay here unpunished. The law still stands. Therefore, I believe I must offer you a choice. Stay here, and except the consequences of your rash actions, or leave with your friend Jack, as being a pirate in itself is enough of a punishment."
Will looked around him with reminiscing eyes. It was hardly a difficult choice, but he would miss his homeland. He couldn't remember ever living anywhere else, although he had heard the story of his rescue from Elizabeth. Elizabeth. She had not come closer to him since he had walked towards the same wall Jack fell off of. Probably not daring to offer any false pretences. Will admired her for that. She was always honest. But now that honesty was no longer his to know. "There is nothing here for me now. And my place still remains between you and Jack. I will go with him."
And without another word, Will threw himself backwards just a little more gracefully than Jack, feeling his stomach turn as he plunged many feet into the warm waters below. When he finally hit it stung all over, but at least it wasn't cold water. Wiping the salt from his eyes, Will could still see the Black Pearl, making her way towards the horizon. Jack appeared to be in no rush. Will almost felt that Jack was waiting for him, oddly enough.
He was an excellent swimmer, and as he propelled himself towards the distant ship he had no fear of being left behind. He only feared what he would find once he got there. He was still unskilled at being a pirate, and with Captain Jack Sparrow in command, anything was possible. But he pushed his fears to the back of his mind and dove deep down under the surface. This way, he could swim much faster towards the giant ship in the distance.
After a large amount of tough swimming, and just as Will's muscles were beginning to tell him they couldn't take it anymore, he emerged near the Black Pearl. Near enough, he hoped, that if he just stayed still someone onboard would see him. So he waited.
Finally, he saw a face he recognized appear far above him. Anamaria. Will waved and shouted frantically at her, and she squinted down at him. In only a short moment she was joined by others, all shouting, "Man overboard, man overboard!"
A rope was tossed down to Will, and he struggled to hold on with the slippery water. But he gripped it with all his might, closing his eyes against the harsh sun as he was hoisted upwards. Several sets of hands pulled him roughly onto the floor, where he lay helplessly spewing up water for a few embarrassing moments. Only after he had been allowed to choke and humiliate himself from his lack of strength in front of these pirates did Jack appear. The captain grabbed Will roughly by the shoulders and pulled him directly into his face. Will was met with an onrush of pirate breath as Jack shouted, "Welcome aboard, mate! What took ya so long?"
Will was growing uncomfortable with the proximity of Jack's face to his own, but he doubted Jack had ever been one to care about comfort spaces. So he answered. "Just got a little delayed. I was hoping…never mind. I'm here now, that's all that matters."
Jack's grin faded as he actually examined Will's face quite seriously. "I am sorry, Will. But let's get you to work on this ship, get your mind off things. What say you?" He was smiling again.
Will nodded and let Jack help him up. The rest of the crew stopped staring blankly at him as Jack threatened to do horrible things to their limbs if they didn't get a move on. And Will was thrust into a group of pirates working on the sails, who began to lecture him on how to run a ship.
~
It had been a long day. But Will was used to long days, after making swords and practicing with them for three hours. 'So when I meet a pirate, I can kill him,' he said, laughing quietly at himself. What a contradiction he had become. He was now a part of the very people he had hated for most of his life. Granted, earlier in life he had never dreamed he would be standing over a chest of Aztec gold being told by a man so evil Hell itself spit him out that his blood was needed so the evil man would no longer turn into a skeleton by moonlight, but still, he had to laugh.
Will was growing restless though. He found that he couldn't sleep. Glancing out the porthole at the moon and its reflection on the water, he left the temporary quarters Jack had provided for him, and headed to an upper deck to sit.
He emerged silently, taking care not to alert the crewman on lookout duty. Will knew if he sat directly below him he wouldn't be seen. So he did just that. And unfortunately, his mind began to wonder directly where he hoped it wouldn't. Elizabeth Swann.
Will knew she had loved him, and perhaps still did. But she had promised her father that she would marry the commodore. Her father, who was so controlling that he forced her into a life of boredom when she was meant for adventure. She said the governor had never forced her into it, that she did it because she could tell it would make him happy, but Will didn't know what to believe anymore. And worse than that, he thought, was that he didn't know what to believe about himself. He supposed that he had loved her, some time ago. And he could admit to himself that he did not feel that way anymore. Why then was he so scared to see her go? Could it be because his heart was tugging him in another, more frightening direction, but he wasn't sure what direction this was? He felt like that stupid compass of Jack's that didn't point north. He had thought it was stuck in one useless direction forever, but when he was told what it was he understood it even less.
"Not much to understand really, is there mate?" said a familiar voice from somewhere in the darkness. Will turned to see Jack Sparrow emerge from the shadows behind him. He got the eerie feeling that Jack had been watching him this entire time, reading his thoughts.
Jack sat beside Will, putting an arm around him. "I know what you're thinking lad, really, I do. But it's not so bad. You've just moved on."
Will glared at him. "Obviously you don't know. What happened with us, Jack?"
"Us? You and I?" Jack asked, making Will yet again uncomfortable by pulling him closer.
Will scowled. "You know what I mean. Elizabeth and I."
Jack smiled. His all-knowing grins were beginning to annoy Will. "I think that applies pretty closely to 'You and I', mate."
Will shook his head. "I don't know what you mean. And I thought…well, I thought I loved her. I guess I'm not to sure about anything anymore."
"Hey, you loved her enough to save her from Barbossa, right?" Jack added, still too close for Will's liking.
"But it was you who shot him. That one last shot of yours," Will decided to meet Jack's eye instead of trying to shrug him off.
"Well, that was one hell of an adventure we were on, doncha think?"
Will just looked at him. He had to know. The question had been plaguing him for quite some time. "And what was it we were doing exactly, Jack? Was I really just your leverage?"
Jack sighed, for once looking slightly defeated. "Alright mate. I'll admit, I did use you to get what I wanted. But I did have a lot of fun with you on the way. And in the end you got what you wanted…except now you're telling me that's not true."
Will still held his gaze with Jack's eyes. "I don't know what I want, to tell the truth."
Before Will could do anything to prepare himself or to escape, Jack had pulled him much closer still. A hand was on the back of Will's neck, guiding him, while another reached down to grip him around the waist. "Is it this, mate?"
Jack closed the distance between their mouths. Before Will could even begin to think clearly, he realized that he liked it. Then he realized that he was disgusted with himself. This was wrong, wasn't it? Then he realized, with only slight shock, that Jack's tongue was now inside his mouth. He finally broke free, pushing himself away from the other man.
"Jack," he sputtered, "That's…you're…what are you doing?"
The last was said with wide eyes as Jack moved closer to him again, wrapping his arms around him and lowering his face towards Will's neck. "Will," he said, in between kisses, "You can be as dense as old Boostrap, you know that? I've seen the way you look at me. Don't worry, I've been looking at you the same way."
Will struggled to find breath to get his next words out as Jack's mouth was now on his ear. "What happened to Jack Sparrow, Infamous Womanizer?"
Jack laughed into Will's ear, which Will found he enjoyed, despite his better judgment. "That was only half the story. But the other half isn't so different, is it?"
Will cursed himself as he rested his head on Jack's shoulder, unable to stop his impulses. "But this is wrong, Jack. It has to be, it – "
Jack stopped his actions for a moment to whisper softly, "What did I tell you about not doing anything stupid?"
Will only stared blankly back at him. Jack rolled his eyes. "I mean quit talking and enjoy the moment, mate. What are you so worried about? Love is love. Have you ever considered, just maybe, this is why you and Elizabeth grew apart?"
"Because of you?" Will said almost angrily, getting his secret wish that Jack would continue with his actions when he found that the buttons on his shirt were being undone.
"Perhaps," admitted Jack, from somewhere on Will's shoulder. "But also because your heart is somewhere else."
Will laughed, finally giving in. He realized that perhaps he had never wanted to resist in the first place. "How do you know so much about me?"
Jack joined in his laughter. "Well, you're easy to read, mate. Everyone saw you staring at me. Am I really that fascinating?"
"That I don't know. I would like to find out though," hinted Will.
Jack had risen again, and smiled at Will's last statement. He pulled the boy's head down just slightly, cursed himself for being shorter, and brought their lips together. He greatly enjoyed the dance played out by their tongues until he broke away, leaving Will panting. "Was that enough to know?" he asked.
"Hmm…I don't think so," murmured Will, eyes gleaming. "I think I shall need more proof."
Jack glanced around him quickly, as if suddenly letting Will in on a secret. "I think for you, I can make an exception. Yes, yes I can. You, Will, may enter the captain's quarters."
And with that, plus an extra smirk, Jack dragged Will back into the interior of the ship, both now sure about where their hearts were.
"I know my place. It's right here. Between you and Jack."
There was a short dead silence in the cluster of tense soldiers as everyone waited for someone else to make a move. The weapons remained pointed at the two victims in the middle, and anxious ears only waited for Commodore Norrington's command. Will Turner shifted his determined gaze from underneath his large hat to glance at Elizabeth, hoping for any kind of aid. But she offered none. "I'm sorry, Will…I can't…I told you," she whispered, averting her gaze to stare sadly at the ground.
"He's a pirate!" Will heard.
He had been too lost in reverie to know who had spoken, so he addressed everyone. "And a good man. Governor, I beg of you, just let him leave. Without him, everyone on this island may be dead by now, firstly your daughter."
Will stopped to stare at Elizabeth again. He was hurt to notice she could not look back at him. But there was still a life to save here. He could not let himself dwell on what would not be. So he spoke up again, with a firmer voice this time. "If you let him go, the Black Pearl won't bother this island ever again. Right, Jack?"
In the awkward moment of silence that followed, Will rolled his eyes and prodded the man behind him with his elbow. "I said, 'Right, Jack?'"
Jack was rubbing his side where the elbow had lodged itself so rudely, in his opinion. He threw one of his most charming smiles at the Governor, and placed a grimy hand on Will's shoulder. "Oh, right, sorry mates. Of course. You let me be, I let you be, savvy?"
Norrington only mimicked Will's eye-rolling. "And why should I trust a pirate?" he asked menacingly.
Jack pointed a finger at him, still grinning and squeezing Will's shoulder, silently warning him not to talk. "Because lad, I'm in command of the most powerful ship in the world, I have amazing influence in the pirating community, and lastly, I'm fairly sure you don't want other dirty, disgusting pirates coming after you and pillaging this island when they find out my death is in your hands."
Will narrowed his eyes at Jack, squinting through the feather hanging off his hat. He was somewhat certain that Jack had made at least part of that proclamation up on the spot. Apparently the Commodore had the same idea. "Is that a threat, Sparrow?"
"Just a suggestion, mate," came the instant reply.
Elizabeth quickly whispered something to her father. Will watched her hopefully, but she still would not meet his eyes. Jack, however, confusedly watched Will. The Governor had a moment of indecision, but something in his daughter's whisper must have altered his judgment, for his next words were unexpected. "Commodore Norrington, perhaps this is a fair deal. After all, Sparrow did greatly aid us. And, however he appears, he did save my daughter from harm. My daughter, who made a sacrifice for you, and whom I hope you will not forget your promise to."
Norrington looked disheveled, as if unsure how to handle himself. "Oh, lower your weapons," he finally muttered.
The Governor smiled at his daughter, who was still staring only at the ground. He hugged her to him somewhat possessively, before turning to the Commodore and commending him. "Perhaps an act of piracy is the right course?"
Norrington only nodded. "Sparrow, I am not granting you your freedom because I like you. Far from it. I am granting it because of what you have done for Ms. Swann…and the rest of us. But you must leave by nightfall. I trust you can procure a ship?"
"Hey, pirate here, remember?" said Jack, cheerfully adjusting Will's hat, which had begun to slip down onto his face.
But Will was paying him no attention. He only vaguely heard as Jack spoke again, "Well I'm actually feeling rather good about this…" And the rest was lost to him. Will simply wondered what could have happened to change Elizabeth. He remembered their conversation perfectly well. She said she had promised…but hadn't she promised him as well? But it wasn't forgotten promises that bothered Will the most. His own feelings were changing, and he began to wonder if there ever was truly anything there. The thought scared him and he jerked himself back to reality. He noticed that the space behind him which Jack Sparrow used to take up was now empty, and the commotion had moved to the wall.
"You will all remember this as the day that you almost –" And he was gone. Will could have predicted as much, and allowed himself a small, smug smile.
"Mr. Turner," began Norrington, turning to face him, "I cannot allow you to stay here unpunished. The law still stands. Therefore, I believe I must offer you a choice. Stay here, and except the consequences of your rash actions, or leave with your friend Jack, as being a pirate in itself is enough of a punishment."
Will looked around him with reminiscing eyes. It was hardly a difficult choice, but he would miss his homeland. He couldn't remember ever living anywhere else, although he had heard the story of his rescue from Elizabeth. Elizabeth. She had not come closer to him since he had walked towards the same wall Jack fell off of. Probably not daring to offer any false pretences. Will admired her for that. She was always honest. But now that honesty was no longer his to know. "There is nothing here for me now. And my place still remains between you and Jack. I will go with him."
And without another word, Will threw himself backwards just a little more gracefully than Jack, feeling his stomach turn as he plunged many feet into the warm waters below. When he finally hit it stung all over, but at least it wasn't cold water. Wiping the salt from his eyes, Will could still see the Black Pearl, making her way towards the horizon. Jack appeared to be in no rush. Will almost felt that Jack was waiting for him, oddly enough.
He was an excellent swimmer, and as he propelled himself towards the distant ship he had no fear of being left behind. He only feared what he would find once he got there. He was still unskilled at being a pirate, and with Captain Jack Sparrow in command, anything was possible. But he pushed his fears to the back of his mind and dove deep down under the surface. This way, he could swim much faster towards the giant ship in the distance.
After a large amount of tough swimming, and just as Will's muscles were beginning to tell him they couldn't take it anymore, he emerged near the Black Pearl. Near enough, he hoped, that if he just stayed still someone onboard would see him. So he waited.
Finally, he saw a face he recognized appear far above him. Anamaria. Will waved and shouted frantically at her, and she squinted down at him. In only a short moment she was joined by others, all shouting, "Man overboard, man overboard!"
A rope was tossed down to Will, and he struggled to hold on with the slippery water. But he gripped it with all his might, closing his eyes against the harsh sun as he was hoisted upwards. Several sets of hands pulled him roughly onto the floor, where he lay helplessly spewing up water for a few embarrassing moments. Only after he had been allowed to choke and humiliate himself from his lack of strength in front of these pirates did Jack appear. The captain grabbed Will roughly by the shoulders and pulled him directly into his face. Will was met with an onrush of pirate breath as Jack shouted, "Welcome aboard, mate! What took ya so long?"
Will was growing uncomfortable with the proximity of Jack's face to his own, but he doubted Jack had ever been one to care about comfort spaces. So he answered. "Just got a little delayed. I was hoping…never mind. I'm here now, that's all that matters."
Jack's grin faded as he actually examined Will's face quite seriously. "I am sorry, Will. But let's get you to work on this ship, get your mind off things. What say you?" He was smiling again.
Will nodded and let Jack help him up. The rest of the crew stopped staring blankly at him as Jack threatened to do horrible things to their limbs if they didn't get a move on. And Will was thrust into a group of pirates working on the sails, who began to lecture him on how to run a ship.
~
It had been a long day. But Will was used to long days, after making swords and practicing with them for three hours. 'So when I meet a pirate, I can kill him,' he said, laughing quietly at himself. What a contradiction he had become. He was now a part of the very people he had hated for most of his life. Granted, earlier in life he had never dreamed he would be standing over a chest of Aztec gold being told by a man so evil Hell itself spit him out that his blood was needed so the evil man would no longer turn into a skeleton by moonlight, but still, he had to laugh.
Will was growing restless though. He found that he couldn't sleep. Glancing out the porthole at the moon and its reflection on the water, he left the temporary quarters Jack had provided for him, and headed to an upper deck to sit.
He emerged silently, taking care not to alert the crewman on lookout duty. Will knew if he sat directly below him he wouldn't be seen. So he did just that. And unfortunately, his mind began to wonder directly where he hoped it wouldn't. Elizabeth Swann.
Will knew she had loved him, and perhaps still did. But she had promised her father that she would marry the commodore. Her father, who was so controlling that he forced her into a life of boredom when she was meant for adventure. She said the governor had never forced her into it, that she did it because she could tell it would make him happy, but Will didn't know what to believe anymore. And worse than that, he thought, was that he didn't know what to believe about himself. He supposed that he had loved her, some time ago. And he could admit to himself that he did not feel that way anymore. Why then was he so scared to see her go? Could it be because his heart was tugging him in another, more frightening direction, but he wasn't sure what direction this was? He felt like that stupid compass of Jack's that didn't point north. He had thought it was stuck in one useless direction forever, but when he was told what it was he understood it even less.
"Not much to understand really, is there mate?" said a familiar voice from somewhere in the darkness. Will turned to see Jack Sparrow emerge from the shadows behind him. He got the eerie feeling that Jack had been watching him this entire time, reading his thoughts.
Jack sat beside Will, putting an arm around him. "I know what you're thinking lad, really, I do. But it's not so bad. You've just moved on."
Will glared at him. "Obviously you don't know. What happened with us, Jack?"
"Us? You and I?" Jack asked, making Will yet again uncomfortable by pulling him closer.
Will scowled. "You know what I mean. Elizabeth and I."
Jack smiled. His all-knowing grins were beginning to annoy Will. "I think that applies pretty closely to 'You and I', mate."
Will shook his head. "I don't know what you mean. And I thought…well, I thought I loved her. I guess I'm not to sure about anything anymore."
"Hey, you loved her enough to save her from Barbossa, right?" Jack added, still too close for Will's liking.
"But it was you who shot him. That one last shot of yours," Will decided to meet Jack's eye instead of trying to shrug him off.
"Well, that was one hell of an adventure we were on, doncha think?"
Will just looked at him. He had to know. The question had been plaguing him for quite some time. "And what was it we were doing exactly, Jack? Was I really just your leverage?"
Jack sighed, for once looking slightly defeated. "Alright mate. I'll admit, I did use you to get what I wanted. But I did have a lot of fun with you on the way. And in the end you got what you wanted…except now you're telling me that's not true."
Will still held his gaze with Jack's eyes. "I don't know what I want, to tell the truth."
Before Will could do anything to prepare himself or to escape, Jack had pulled him much closer still. A hand was on the back of Will's neck, guiding him, while another reached down to grip him around the waist. "Is it this, mate?"
Jack closed the distance between their mouths. Before Will could even begin to think clearly, he realized that he liked it. Then he realized that he was disgusted with himself. This was wrong, wasn't it? Then he realized, with only slight shock, that Jack's tongue was now inside his mouth. He finally broke free, pushing himself away from the other man.
"Jack," he sputtered, "That's…you're…what are you doing?"
The last was said with wide eyes as Jack moved closer to him again, wrapping his arms around him and lowering his face towards Will's neck. "Will," he said, in between kisses, "You can be as dense as old Boostrap, you know that? I've seen the way you look at me. Don't worry, I've been looking at you the same way."
Will struggled to find breath to get his next words out as Jack's mouth was now on his ear. "What happened to Jack Sparrow, Infamous Womanizer?"
Jack laughed into Will's ear, which Will found he enjoyed, despite his better judgment. "That was only half the story. But the other half isn't so different, is it?"
Will cursed himself as he rested his head on Jack's shoulder, unable to stop his impulses. "But this is wrong, Jack. It has to be, it – "
Jack stopped his actions for a moment to whisper softly, "What did I tell you about not doing anything stupid?"
Will only stared blankly back at him. Jack rolled his eyes. "I mean quit talking and enjoy the moment, mate. What are you so worried about? Love is love. Have you ever considered, just maybe, this is why you and Elizabeth grew apart?"
"Because of you?" Will said almost angrily, getting his secret wish that Jack would continue with his actions when he found that the buttons on his shirt were being undone.
"Perhaps," admitted Jack, from somewhere on Will's shoulder. "But also because your heart is somewhere else."
Will laughed, finally giving in. He realized that perhaps he had never wanted to resist in the first place. "How do you know so much about me?"
Jack joined in his laughter. "Well, you're easy to read, mate. Everyone saw you staring at me. Am I really that fascinating?"
"That I don't know. I would like to find out though," hinted Will.
Jack had risen again, and smiled at Will's last statement. He pulled the boy's head down just slightly, cursed himself for being shorter, and brought their lips together. He greatly enjoyed the dance played out by their tongues until he broke away, leaving Will panting. "Was that enough to know?" he asked.
"Hmm…I don't think so," murmured Will, eyes gleaming. "I think I shall need more proof."
Jack glanced around him quickly, as if suddenly letting Will in on a secret. "I think for you, I can make an exception. Yes, yes I can. You, Will, may enter the captain's quarters."
And with that, plus an extra smirk, Jack dragged Will back into the interior of the ship, both now sure about where their hearts were.