Title: Stormy Waters
Author: No Tears
Pairing: Will/Others, Will/Barbossa, Will/Jack, Will/Elizabeth (only in thoughts), Elizabeth/Norrington, Jack/Anamaria (implied)
Warnings: See first chapter! Also, I shall point out once again that this is an AU, and things go on to a different course than they did in the movie.
Author's Notes: Well, I'm guessing that pairings can be placed for those people in the story NOT engaging in sexual activities (or at least, not ones that will be written), so I've put a few more pairings that I plan on having up...but only the first three will actually have the sex between them written.
There's not much going on in this chapter (or maybe there is) but it's setting everything up for the next chapter...much Will and Jack angst! I thought it was just going to be Will suffering my wrath...but turns out that not even Jack will be able to escape it...oh boy...
Also, I would have updated this earlier today, but my computer was being weird and not letting me online for more than a few seconds at a time. ::shakes head::
Rating: R. May go up to NC-17. Not sure, yet.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Obviously.
Summary: (Might be considered a spoiler for the movie, too.) What if Barbossa knew that it would only take a small amount of blood to break the curse? What if he did not lose Will as a captive? What if he decided to take Will as his own lover after breaking the curse? (Yes, my summary sucks, I know.)
Replies to reviews are at the end of the chapter.
Part 3: Stormy Waters Ahead
Anamaria sat with her back against the edge of her prison, her eyes downcast as she listened to the sound of the ship creaking and the heavy breathing of her fellow pirates. A few times she would raise her head to make eye contact, but they rarely spoke. Despite what many have might thought, the fact that Jack was stranded on an island and facing certain death weighed heavily on their minds. The rogue pirate had shown them again the thrill of the sea, had shown them what it was like to live again. Anamaria was not sure what she was going to do when she got back to Tortuga. She knew her soul would feel much unrest after this little adventure, which had mended her pirating spirit. A spirit that had been broken years ago.
The sound of clunking boots echoed down into their temporary holding space, and a few of the pirates around her let their heads lolled back as they pretended to be asleep. Anamaria gave them a look as they did this, wondering what in the world they hoped to achieve from doing something stupid like that. But she said nothing to voice her opinion as she turned herself around to see two pirates who dragging the boy, Will Turner, back down below deck.
Anamaria watched, her eyes unreadable as Bootstrap's son was harshly shoved back into his cell. The force of the push was enough to send the young blacksmith stumbling to his hands and knees onto the hard wooden floor as the door slammed shut behind him and locked. One of the cursed pirates gave a wheezing laugh at the boy before following his companion up the stairs. The woman pirate watched them as they left, then immediately turned her eyes back to Will.
The boy had not moved from his position on the ground. His dark hair was cascaded around his bowed head, concealing his face from her view. He was deathly still, the only indication that he was yet alive was the slight rise in fall of his back as he drew breath. Curiously and with a bit of concern, Anamaria moved herself closer to the bars, placing her dark hands on them as she watched him.
Behind her, she could hear the snoring of the "sleeping" pirates. Others were pretending to not be looking at the boy, but could not help the glances they would send his way. The only other one who was not bothering to hide the fact that he was watching Will was Gibbs, and even then, the man was silent. This puzzled Anamaria. Out of any of them, Gibbs would be the one to talk, and when she met his eyes, she knew he had just as many questions as she. But the old man said nothing, apparently at a loss as to what to do.
The sound of cloth sliding across wood made her eyes jump back to Will. The young blacksmith had moved himself over to the far side of the shadows of his cell and was now sitting against the wall, hands on his knees and face upturned as he stared at the ceiling. Any action Anamaria may have taken was paused as she caught sight of the expression of hopelessness on Will's face. It was entirely strange, because even after Jack and that lass he fancied were made to walk the plank, the boy had still shown some of that fiery spirit. Now, it seemed as if it had all somehow been drained out of him, and she wondered what had happened during his meeting with Captain Barbossa to make him change as such.
Anamaria pressed her lips together tightly as she watched Will, hoping that he would look up or at least acknowledge her presence. The boy did not appear keen on that at all, and looked as if he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. But Anamaria's mother had always told her that sometimes a person in low spirits needed to be talked to, even if they didn't wish it. As long as you said the right things, you were capable of making that person's mood brighten. And the boy had traded in his life for their own. Even being a pirate, Anamaria felt she owed him something.
"Will?" She almost winced at the sound of her voice. It was loud in the eerie silence of the cabin.
She watched the boy carefully, gazing over his body, his eyes, searching for any indication that he had heard her. The blacksmith made no move, his eyes not even flickering from their spot on the ceiling to which they were locked on. Hands remained limp on his knees, with no twitch of a finger or any other sign of shifting.
Anamaria sighed at his lack of reaction, her voice tinged lightly with exasperation when she spoke once more. "Come on, Will. I've done nothin' to deserve you shuttin' me out like this."
She watched as the boy let out a sigh of his own, his head coming down as he closed his eyes. His hands balled into fists. "What do you want?" He opened his eyes and looked at her, and she could not help but feel a twinge in her heart at how weary with grief his voice sounded.
She knew her expression was sympathetic when she continued. "Tell me what's wrong."
Anamaria watched as his eyes moved to scan over the pirates around her. As she listened herself, she could hear that the ones snoring had gone noticeably quieter since she began talking. She knew that the boy had noticed as well, and could tell that they were not really sleeping.
Will's eyes met hers again, and then he looked away. "Nothing's wrong." he said bluntly.
The pirate could not help the smile that came onto her face at this. "Stubborn boy," she said, "you're not a very good liar, you know that? Must run in your family." She saw his hands ball tighter and his jaw clench at this last sentence, and silently cursed herself when she realized that was not a very good thing to say. "Now tell me what's wrong," she continued, "you're not acting yourself.
The young blacksmith sighed, his head hitting the wall with a dull thud as he rested it back against the wood and gazed up at the ceiling once more. "Barbossa decided to strike a deal with me." he said softly.
Once again the volume of the snoring from the pirates pretending to be asleep lessened as they tried to listen in on the conversation. Anamaria ignored them as she gazed at the lone prisoner within the other cell. "What kind of a deal?"
The young man was silent for a few moments before replying. "He told me that if I agreed to his terms that he'll let me live," His eyes turned back to her. "And he'll go back to the island and rescue Elizabeth."
One of the "sleeping" pirates suddenly let out a rather loud snort, while the others who hadn't bothered to pretend they were asleep all gathered as close to the edge of their prison as they could. Anamaria turned and glared at the one who had snorted, but when she turned back to Will he didn't appear to care about that or the fact that most of them were now staring at him with wide eyes.
"By the devil, boy!" exclaimed Gibbs. "How did you manage to get that blood-sucker to do that?"
To all of their astonishment – and Anamaria's further concern – a smile came upon the young blacksmith's face. "You're looking at the new cabin boy of the Black Pearl." he said, and Anamaria feared that the boy was losing it.
The pirates who had been pretending to sleep bothered with this silly ruse no longer as they shot up and let out stunned gasps with the rest of the prisoners. Gibbs was the first to recover, and Anamaria gazed at him as he spoke.
"Ye're daft, boy!" he shouted. "Ain't no worse fate you could sell yerself to than to agree to slave away on this here ship for yer whole life."
"I'd do anything for Elizabeth." the boy said. They all knew it was true.
"You're damning yourself." Anamaria said. "And you're doing it for a woman who doesn't even love you."
Will visibly flinched at this, and the woman pirate once again berated herself. She had been trying to comfort the boy, not make him more miserable! But too much pirate's blood flowed through her veins, making her see no reason for the boy's selflessness.
"Ye really are yer father's son, Will." Gibbs said, a broad smile on his face. "Only Bootstrap would do something crazy as that."
The parrot on the pirate Cotton's shoulder squawked out, "Stormy waters ahead!"
Anamaria watched Gibbs glanced at Cotton and his parrot appreciatively before looking back at Will. "Cotton says ye're father would be mighty proud of ye. Aye, he would, ain't there no doubt abou' that."
Will was completely silent, and Anamaria knew that for now, this conversation had ended. It would be no good to further press the lad. But for some reason, there seemed to be more wrong with him, something that he had not told them yet. She was curious, but she respected his privacy, as did the rest of the crew. Eventually, they were all silent again, as if the previous talk had never taken place. She could not help but glance back at the blacksmith, and she felt sympathy eat at her heart as she imagined she saw a tear run down a lightly tanned cheek.
**********
Elizabeth Swann could not help but sigh in relief as she pulled up the white trousers she'd been lent. It felt so good to be back into dry and clean clothes after spending the past day in a damp bodice. She'd also ran a brush through her hair a few times, tying part of it back into a braid so that it would be out of her face when the wind blew into it. She glanced into the mirror as she passed, making sure she at least looked presentable to the men outside. Deciding that this would have to do for now, she moved towards the door
She stepped out of the Governor's cabin, glancing around and finding that no one was really paying attention to her. She began making her way across the Dauntless towards the helm, being sure to avoid the eyes of her father and the Commodore. Being surrounded by grown men and dressed in men's clothing made the task easier than it would have been had she instead been a taller woman or clothed in a flashy dress. That, and the fact that her father and the Commodore seemed to be deep in conversation. One look at the smile on both their faces and she knew that they must be discussing plans for the wedding of herself and Commodore Norrington.
Please. For me. As a wedding gift.
She had spoken the words out of desperation, unwilling to just turn around without even trying to rescue Will. He had risked everything to come out and save her, and was going to pay the ultimate price. Her heart was torn now, for she knew that she yet had feelings for Will. But that could no longer be, as she had now given herself up to be the wife of Norrington. For the past hour she had been looking over her choice, and she realized that it was probably the best thing to do.
Her love for Will had only been blossoming recently, as while the boy was a blacksmith she had no real interest in him. Now that she had learned he was a pirate, her love had come on strong, but it had faltered when she realized that the fact he was a pirate was the only reason she had ultimately fallen for him. Will didn't deserve that in a wife, even though she knew he would protest did he know of her feelings. Norrington was a fine man, after all, and surely her father would see it more fit for her to marry someone of such high ranking.
Will's status in Port Royale was low, and he was often given less credit than deserved. He had been somewhat of an outcast when younger, being an orphan and of no great blood among nobles. Elizabeth's father had often looked down on her association with the boy, telling her that a lady such as herself should not spend so much time in the company of commoners. She had watched Will grow as she did, and they grew apart – or at least, she grew apart from him. Their visits with each other became less frequent, with her attending to the duties of being the Governor's daughter while Will locked himself away in the blacksmith shop, making swords and rarely coming out into the light of day. In fact, when she had seen him the day he had delivered the sword to be given to Norrington upon his promotion, it had been the first time they'd been together in more than a month.
Yes, marrying Norrington would truly be the better course, and it would leave Will unbound by the restrictions of being wed to her. She hoped that when they rescued Will, he would think about leaving Port Royale. The people there did not acknowledge his worth, and he could do so much better elsewhere. Granted, after this escapade he'd gone on he would certainly be viewed as more than just a blacksmith, but she also feared that he would face further scorn back in Port Royal along with the knowledge that his father was a pirate becoming known.
Elizabeth's eyes rose up, and she spotted Jack Sparrow standing by the man currently at the helm. The pirate had his strange compass out, occasionally glancing at it for a moment and sometimes saying a few words to the navigator that she could not hear from her spot below. Behind Sparrow stood two soldiers who were standing watch over the devious pirate. She could see their hands tense on their guns each time the man moved, and one just barely held himself back from getting the weapon into position when Jack had done a particularly wild gesture with his hands.
Glancing behind her to make sure that no one was paying attention to her and that her father was still engaged in conversation with the Commodore, Elizabeth climbed her way up the steps to the area where the helm stood. Clearing her throat to gather the attention of the men there, she held her head high as she walked over to it.
"May I have a moment?" Elizabeth asked, gazing pointedly at the two soldiers.
"Sorry, Miss." one said. "Under orders from the Commodore we are. Mr. Sparrow's not allowed out of our sight."
"It's for your own safety." the other added.
"Then may I at least speak with him?" she said, her voice clearly showing her irritation at these limitations placed upon her.
The two soldiers looked at each other, silent as they appeared to be trying to find something to say that would be a logical enough reason why Elizabeth couldn't speak with the pirate. One opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it soon after. They glanced at each other again, and Elizabeth crossed her arms as her impatience rose. Finally one turned to her and spoke.
"Well–I–uh....I suppose it would be all right." he said with a shrug.
Elizabeth gave them an irritated look. "Thank you." she said, stepping up beside Jack.
"You're fiance's a real catch, he is." Jack said sarcastically, lowering his voice so that the two soldiers flanking him would not catch all of what he was saying.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "I'd appreciate it if you would not judge my choice in husband, Mr. Sparrow." The lack of his first name in her words made it clear that she wanted that subject dropped right away.
Jack gave her a toothy grin, flashing his mouth full of gold. "Of course, my Lady." he said with a small bow. "So to what reason do I thank for this honor to be once more in your presence?"
"I was wondering how much longer it is going to take us to reach Isla de Muertes."
Jack looked at his compass and gave a small sigh. "Well, Miss Elizabeth, it's a bit tough to say. The Dauntless is a good ship, true enough, but you've seen the speed that the Black Pearl possesses. Not even your Interceptor could outrun it."
"But you said that it was unlikely the Black Pearl would be making good time!" she cried, uncaring of the two soldiers who jumped in surprise at her sudden outburst.
"That I did." Jack said, wincing and rubbing the ear that she had just screamed into. "But if you figure, making good time for the Black Pearl is abnormally fast as it is. Even damaged, the Black Pearl is a formidable ship in speed. I merely said what I did so we'd have the chance to go after it."
"Are you saying that we're not going to catch them, then?" Her voice cracked in both fury and despair. "All of this is going to be for nothing?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Jack said. "It's just that I don't want to get your hopes up, darlin'. There's plenty a chance we'll reach them in time."
"What makes you say that?" she asked as she tried to regain some of her composure.
Jack raised a finger as he spoke. "Y'see, there's one more item that has to be considered before the crew of the Black Pearl breaks their curse. When they spill the blood, there can be no sunlight coming down upon Isla de Muertes, and if you'll look up–" And at this he pointed skyward. "--you'll see that the clouds are beginning to break. The Black Pearl will have to wait until sun down before they can act. Which leaves us with plenty of time to reach the island and rescue Mr. Turner."
"You're sure?" Elizabeth asked with a scowl.
"Darling," Jack began with one of his more charming smiles, "I know that ship like the back o' me hand. Trust me."
"Trust a pirate." she muttered, folding her arms.
"I know." Jack said as he glanced at his compass. "What's this world coming to, eh?"
**********
True to Jack's word, sunlight had burst through the clouds for the greater portion of the day, and it was nearly nightfall when the Dauntless finally came upon the Isla de Muertes. Elizabeth was becoming extremely anxious as she paced the Governor's cabin. She mentally willed the ship to hurry, praying that they would reach Will in time. They just had to. She did not know how she would live with herself afterwards with the knowledge that it was her foolish actions that led to Will's death.
The sound of shouting reached her ears from outside, and her first instinct was to head straight for the back window and gaze out of it. The sun was just sinking into the horizon, but more importantly, she found that the water below was quite still.
The ship had stopped.
Turning around, she hurried to the door of the cabin and rushed through it. Her eyes darted around the ship, then to Isla de Muertes. The site of the familiar land was enough to send chills down her spine as she remembered her recent visit to it. Renewed shouting caught her ears and she was forced to look away from the island in favor of finding the source of the noise. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Jack, before the thump of something hard hitting flesh reached her ears and the pirate disappeared below a mass of bodies.
Her eyes widened when she realized that Jack had been struck to the ground, and ran forward in fear and rage. "Stop!" she cried as she moved to the group and began to fight her way through. "Stop this at once! Move aside!"
"Nobody move!" came the commanding voice of Commodore Norrington.
The soldiers obeyed, creating a shield from which Elizabeth could not break through. In a very un-ladylike fashion, she pounded on the back of the nearest soldier. Her hand was suddenly grasped and she was forced to spin around and meet the eyes of the man she was to marry. Making her fury clear in her eyes, Elizabeth wrenched her wrist from his grasp.
"What is the meaning of this cruelty?" she demanded, motioning to the group of soldiers.
The Norrington appeared unfazed by her anger. "Mr. Sparrow has been lying to us, Miss Swann. He deserves punishment for wasting our time with incorrect coordinates as to where the Pearl is heading."
"He didn't give us incorrect coordinates!" she exclaimed. "I recognize this island. This is the island the pirates brought me to so they could break the curse!"
"Then tell me, Miss Swann, where are they, exactly?"
Elizabeth scowled. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, dear Elizabeth, that we've searched the entire perimeter of this island, and nowhere have we seen any sign of any ship. The Black Pearl is not here, nor is Mr. Turner." He gave a sigh tinged with disappointment. "We've come here for nothing."
TBC...
(Well, I'm sure some of you saw that coming. ::smirks::)
*Review Replies*
Pointy-Eared Archer – Gah...and to be condemned to reading only fics of self-inserts and original characters could be a gruesome fate indeed... Well, there's Jack's first appearance for the story, even if he's seemed to have gotten farther instead of closer to Will...Yes, he WILL have to be in the presence of Will for this story in order for the pairing to occur...it's not gonna just be naughty thoughts...heh. Yeah...I find it a hassle to post the story in more than one place (I'm currently posting it in 5 different places) but the reviews are the reason I do...I like to be encouraged to write. It's...encouraging... ::grins stupidly:: Anyway, thank you for reviewing!
Marianne – Yes, Will is hot, isn't he? ::smirks:: I could go on and on about how sexy he is...but I'll spare you and won't! Thank you for reviewing!
Elf-Formally-Known-as-Legolas – Yes... I don't think I could write a fic where Will actually is willing to be Barbossa's partner...and I love reading and writing non-con, so yeah. I'm afraid I won't be able to make the story very graphic here, or else fanfiction.net is liable to delete it. But if I do make it graphic (which might be likely now that I've figured a few things out) the graphic parts will be on adultfanfiction.net. And you're not sick...well, if you are, then I am too...and so are hundreds of other fans out there...but then, being sick would not necessarily be a bad thing, eh? ::winks::
Pike – Yes, there will be much angst in this story, for nearly all characters...and especially Will and Jack...and dear William, I'm afraid is going to be receiving the blunt of my wrath. ::laughs evilly:: Thank you for reviewing!
WildfireFriendship – Yes, don't worry, I am fully aware of the consequences of putting a NC-17 fic up on FF.net. Actually, I will be making sure that anything that goes over the line and into NC-17 will not be posted here, but at another website called adultfanfiction.net. I also update faster there too, since it's less of a hassle compared to updating the story here. Thank you for your comments, they're greatly appreciated!
Static-X-fan – Thanks! Yes, with PotC coming out, it's now the time to get the original fics out before all the good ideas are taken... Happy that you liked the fic!
Hotpants333 – Yes, angsty slash is great, and there will be plenty of it in this fic. ::smirks:: Thank you for reviewing!
Fishgirl – Yes, it's great that so many people are putting effort into their work of writing these characters... Thank you for the review!
Jedi Master Calriel – Yes, you've got right on it, as you can see from this chapter. And also yes, Barbossa's not going to just let Will go because of that little problem. I will tell you that I am not planning to post the NC-17 parts of this story on FF.net, but on another website called adulfanfiction.net. It might be better to read the story there, also, since I update there faster than I do here. I will have chapters focused on Jack/Will and will do some descriptions on how Jack feels about Will's situation...but that might not be for a few chapters yet...or maybe more. Thank you for reviewing! They always make my day and are great encouragement.
Alisha – I'm honored that you think it's well written! Thank you for reviewing!
Kwarero Faerie – Yes, there was plenty of slashy ideas roaming through my head after seeing that movie! And the way Jack spoke of Will's father and his actions towards Will made for many possibilities. Thank you for reviewing!
Rei Tamashii – Well, I'm glad that you found this story and thanks for your comments!
L-Sama – Thanks! It's always nice to know someone likes your story.
True-Slytherin-gurl – Thank you for your review!
Sakura and Yugi-chan – Ah well, there has to be at least one person in every fandom who passes up the warning and flames the story with out any justification (if there is such a thing for flaming) for doing so. Anyway, thank you for reviewing!
Eck – I'm glad that you like my portrayal of Captain Barbossa! I'm finding that it's very fun to write him...ha ha! Thank you for commenting. I always like finding that someone thinks my stories are well written.
Coldfiredragon – Yes, I agree, Will was just begging for me to write an angsty fic with him as the centerpiece for my wrath...it can be quite fun to make the characters suffer. Jack, on the other hand...Well, it may be a little harder for me to write angst for him, but I've already figured something out for him... ::rubs hands together fiendishly:: Thank you for the review!
Amanda – Yes, pretty boy angst is great! Ha ha! Thank you for your comments!
Shypt – Don't worry, you didn't sound bossy at all! I'm glad that you like this story and hope that you will continue to read! Thanks for the review!
Leap of fate – Well, as you can see, Jack is now in the story, even though he's not in the same area as Will, yet. I hope that this chapter met up to your expectations as well! Thank you for reviewing!
Legolas – Yes, great minds do think alike! Which is why I got this fic out sooner because I knew that someone was going to end up writing one like it if I waited and then it would seem like I was copying them (that happens to me a lot, I realize). Anyway, thank you for reviewing!
Kelly – Don't worry, you're making perfect sense! That's good that you think that I'm keeping the characters in character...it means I'm doing my job correctly! Ha ha! Thank you for reviewing!
Race Ulfson – No, Will doesn't know entirely what he's gotten himself into...but he's expecting the worst... And I'm happy about your comment about me capturing Barbossa...I'm loving writing that character. Thank you for your review!