After nearly two hours of chasing constellations and obscure stars, Jack could tell Will was ready to commit mutiny on his new captain, and he hadn't even set foot on deck of the ship. "All right, study break," he announced, clamoring to his feet to stretch a bit, yawning and lifting his arms over his head. "Well, what d' ye think of a pirate's life s' far?" he teased.



"Considering I'm not even properly a half-mile from my home yet, I'd have to say the boat I'm on is lousy, and the captain's sense of urgency for booty is questionable, at the very least," Will quipped, and at least there was humor in his voice now.



"Hmm." Jack squinted into the darkness, trying to make out any ships on the horizon, but it was bloody hard to do in the light of only a half-moon. Turning back to face his companion, he was seized by a sudden curiosity that had first been piqued that afternoon. "Ye never did tell me why 'Lizbeth is in France."



Was that a quirk in the lad's lips? "Parlez," he explained with a chuckle. "She wanted to learn the language from the natives. Well, that and see Paris and, I suspect, the rest of Europe."



"How culturally enlightened o' her." Jack resumed his seat and pressed the issue. "But I guess what I really mean' was, why'd she leave 'ere an' go all th' way there?"



Will said nothing at first; he stared straight ahead, out to sea, leaning forward slightly on his elbows where they rested upon his knees. Jack studied his profile, only a few feet away, and had to resist the urge to reach over and pat his back in a brotherly gesture.



"Once was the time we weren't so different," he finally answered. "We're the same age; when we were ten, we were both smart, curious children. We even had tutoring together, up at the Governor's mansion. We got a little older, but we remained friends, telling each other secrets and trying to best one another at our lessons.



"When Elizabeth turned fourteen, her aunt and uncle from England visited, and took her back with them for a more proper education. I didn't see her for three years." Here, Will sighed. "I only had a couple of other friends, and it was decided I'd gained as much formal education here on the island as could be offered, so I was apprenticed to Mr. Brown. They tested me, see, and that's what I showed the most promise for, was blacksmithing. I spent a lot of my time working, learning … and eventually taking over when the bottle became more important to Brown than his forge or his charge."



Again, Will slid Jack that odd look, and the captain fancied the lad was worried he would succumb to the same fate as his former master. Well, in spite of the fact he drank far less than was visible, Jack couldn't reassure him; life didn't work that predictably. Instead, he nodded, encouraging more story.



"I was seventeen when Elizabeth returned, a couple of years ago. She'd grown up, matured, been educated -- she no longer seemed 'Elizabeth' so much as 'Miss Swann.' For all that, she endeavored to treat me much the same she always had, and … well, I felt much differently about her than I had previously." He paused, scrubbing at something on his knee, head bowed briefly to study whatever imaginary stain he'd found. "I quite loved her, actually. As you know, already."



"How long did ye wait 'til ye told her?"



The smith sighed, raising his gaze back to the stars. "Too long, obviously. I should've told her in the cave that night, but … I figured my attentions would be unwelcome. It's as I've thought for a good while -- what would a cultured, refined lady want with a relatively uneducated laborer?"



"Craftsman," Jack automatically corrected, and Will looked at him then, a slight smile punctuating his silent gratitude at the acknowledgement. "She seem t' take to ye well 'nough, though, from what I could see."



"She justified it as a childhood infatuation only. Said if she'd never tasted the world outside Port Royal again before she finally settled down to marry and have children, she'd regret it the rest of her life."



"Sounds promising; nothin' in there t' make ye think she'd not want ye later on," Jack pushed, not wanting to. "Mebbe it's just wanderlust she needs t' get out o' her system."



"Perhaps." Will shrugged. "So what'm I supposed to do, then? Wait around and buy Brown's shop, and see how many years she wants to travel before she comes back and settles for me? And what if she never does, Jack?" Will turned his attention to the pirate captain once more. This time, he spoke with a much softer voice. "And what if she does?"



"An' finds you lacking? Is that it?"



"More likely to happen than not, I'd say. No woman of her station wants a husband whose experiences, whose education, is less than her own." Will sighed. "A married couple ought to be able to converse with one another, at the very least, and on the same level. It's the same principle as men who marry women below their own intelligence; I don't see how they do it."



"Aye, but some men don' put much stock in conversation, 'specially wit' what they consider a bit o' fluff, mate." Jack held up a hand and levered himself back to reach into his satchel, fishing a bit and finally producing a small bottle. "Rum?" he offered Will; when the boy shook his head, Jack uncorked it and took his own long pull at the neck, letting the liquid fire cascade down his long throat. Tilting it away, he took a moment to appreciate the quench, then continued. "To your average 'fine' gen'leman, a wife ain' nothin' more than a wench with a pedigree, fit for spreadin' 'er legs for one man instead o' several, an' raisin' whelps." He waved an airy hand in Will's direction. "Is th' lower classes such as yourself, which 'appen t' put more store in havin' a partnership o' equals."



"Such as myself?" Will repeated back, sounding half-amused. "What are you, Jack? An earl, or a baron? A deposed king, perhaps?"



"Righter 'n you know," he mumbled incomprehensibly into the neck of the bottle, before taking another swig. It came out sounding more like, "Rierrr n'o," aloud. "You're not a stupid lad. What's got ye so twisted up?"



"I need to see the world too, Jack. Only I can't afford-"



"-To pay the fare for fancy ships and carriages, and fine carriage houses and inns, yes, yes," Jack finished for him. "An' so, I come in."



A pause. "You make it sound like I'm the one who hunted you down. You came here, remember? You almost had Norrington slapping me in irons."



"No, lad, ye were doin' well 'nough with that by yourself, from th' looks o' things," Jack corrected, lifting an elegant forefinger for emphasis. "Ye put yourself 'tween us o' your own free will."



"If we hadn't been at the Red Snapper, none of them would've come looking for you," Will accused. "Especially when you refused to travel the back alleys and insisted walking through the middle of the streets like you owned Port Royal."



"I'll be damned I act like a common criminal, mate."



"No, there's certainly nothing common *about* you, Jack." The pirate rewarded the apt assessment with a glint of gold grin. "And I still say it was your fault."



"I see. And how many times did we 'ave a conversation 'bout doin' stupid shite, eh?"



"Stupid?" Will's eyes glinted in the moonlight, and he seemed about ready to haul up and pull his sword. "I saved your-"



"Hmm." Jack put a forefinger to the corner of his lips, tapping. "Well, let's call it a draw, eh, mate? Point is, we both got somethin' out o' it. Ye get to see the world, least as much as I can show ye in whate'er time ye've allowed yourself t' catch up wit' 'Lizbeth."



"And what do you get out of this, then?"



Jack grinned fully at his newest crew member. "'S not e'ery pirate can say he's his own arms manufacturer 'board ship. Savvy?"