~*~
Chapter Fourteen
Moment of Silence
~*~
Serenity hastily climbed up the stairs and was trying to maneuver through the dark hallway to reach her room without a candle. She stumbled as her foot hit the edge of the thick rug that covered the old wooden floor but she caught herself before she fell. "Who trips on a rug?" she said to herself as she rearranged her skirts.
"Obviously, you just did."
Serenity sighed. "Connor, I've had enough of strange nighttime encounters for a day. What are you doing up?"
"I heard noises coming from downstairs," he whispered, eyeing the glow of candlelight that was leaking through the crack under the kitchen door. "MY room's just above the kitchen and I'm a light sleeper. I heard voices."
"Yes, Daniel and I were talking," said Serenity.
"I don't trust that man," said Connor gravely.
"That makes two," Serenity replied.
"There's something unsettling about him," Connor continued. "From what I know of Daniel, you can only expect the worst from a man like that."
"Well, that that means that you know more about Daniel that I do, because I know absolutely nothing of his past, or his future, for that matter. He won't tell me why he's here."
"Yes, I would expect top find a man like him passed out on a bed in some Tortugan brothel," said Connor.
"I told him that in nicer words," Serenity yawned. "I do not trust him at all. He's…dangerous."
"Did he try to hurt you?"
"No, he didn't actually hurt me, but I wouldn't put it past him," Serenity said. Connor relaxed a little and went back to examining the handrail on the staircase.
"Anyway," Serenity said after a moment of silence, "I'm finally ready to try to go to sleep now. All these abnormal conversations have worn me out." Connor smiled. "Goodnight, Connor," she added warmly. Connor took her hand and brushed his lips across the back of it.
"Goodnight, Serenity." Their hands lingered together for a moment and slowly drew apart, and once more Serenity could not stop smiling. And this time Daniel wasn't there to ruin it. This must be what Elizabeth Swann feels like all the time, she thought as her mind drifted over her day at work and across her conversations with Daniel and Connor to finally rest on a pair of warm brown eyes as she drifted off to sleep.
~*~
Will wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to warm his body, as the thin sheet that he had been provided with was not enough in the cold months of the year. He supposed his body could be already warm and he wouldn't even know it, as his mind seemed to have shut off. He could hear the ocean through the cracks in his window, and it was soothing, and although he did not sleep his blank mind sank into some kind of stupor, and his eyes closed and he did not move for a long while.
When he opened his eyes again it was sunny, and although he was still as tired as he had been before he went to sleep (if that was what you would call it), he felt slight refreshment over his fatigue. He pulled the sheet up over his pillow- his sorry excuse for a made bed- and pulled on his boots. The conch shell sat on the windowsill in the workshop as usual, and the sun shone on its curved dappled topside. He sighed as he began to work on that day's project, an order of pots and pans for the general store. Always more pots, more pans, more irons, thought Will. No one wants swords.
The donkey that they kept in the shop grunted and took a few steps backwards, causing a whole contraption of wheels and gears to move backwards. "Forwards, donkey," Will said, "forwards." The donkey took another step back and then stood still.
Any other day he would have gone down to the beach, if he hadn't thought Serenity would be there. We have to talk, he thought to himself, but he knew that he wouldn't have the guts to talk to her first. You can't talk to her, but you could kiss her. That's interesting.
Will found that the pots were done and he loaded them up on a cart with some other goods that he was to trade at the general store for money and provisions. More beer money, Will thought. Wonderful.
~*~
"Where are you going, Connor?" Serenity asked as her friend put on his hat and grabbed his jacket off its peg in the front hallway.
"I'm just going to run down to the general store to get some tobacco," he said, opening the door a crack. "It's much better here than it is back in Ireland."
"I bet," said Serenity, glancing down at the dish she was in the process of washing. "Connor, do you mind if I come with you? It'll do me so much good to get out of this house."
"I'd be glad to have company," said Connor, taking her shawl from the peg where it had hung next to his jacket.
~*~
"Thank you sir," said Will as he counted out the money that he had gotten from the things Barnaby had told him to trade. He had already bought some vegetables and other essential items that Barnaby and him needed back at the shop, but he knew that Barnaby would be happy just to have a couple extra dollars in his pocket. He piled the things that he had bought up in the cart that a few minutes ago had been filled with pots and metal goods and grabbed the donkey by the harness. The beast stood stubbornly for a moment but then gave in, and Will began leading it down the street back towards his the shop.
Will was looking at his feet when he saw a familiar hem come towards him. Serenity. He knew the pattern of the dress she was wearing like the back of his hand, she looked so lovely in it. He glanced up at her face to see if she had seen him. She had. Her hand was tucked into Connor's arm again, but they were standing slightly closer together than they had been the last time he had seen them.
"Will!" said Connor in a friendly tone. He was oblivious.
"Hello, Connor," he paused, "Serenity." A nervous smile passed across her face, but she managed to hide it from Connor. Say something, you idiot. Make it better.
"Have a good day, Will," said Serenity, sensing that both of them had nothing more to say, and not wanting to embarrass either of them in front of Connor.
"You also, Serenity, Connor," Will said, jerking the donkey forward and continuing down the street, his head tilted down at the ground, his eyes filling with hot and angry tears.
Connor glanced back at Will as he walked down the street in the opposite direction from them, his head bent low so that he wasn't looking at anything but passerby's feet. "Is he alright?" he asked concernedly.
"He's just distracted, is all. He's so focused on his work that sometimes he forgets that there's a different world out there," Serenity answered quietly. "He hides things from people. He hides things from himself, even. I don't think he knows what he wants, exactly."
Connor listened to this spiel in silence, and thought about what she had said for a few moments afterward. "Maybe he just doesn't want to tell you," he suggested as they came upon the general store. "Sometimes men can do that. They'll just pretend like something's not going on, that they can make it go away by ignoring it until they think up a solution to their problem. And it's not just men, either; I've seen women do it to. It's sad, in a way," he continued. "People can't even admit things to themselves anymore."
"Thank you, Connor," Serenity said, looking up at her companion. "Since you came here…things have been better. Really, they have."
Connor grinned. "I'm honored, really, I am. Thank you, Serenity. And you're welcome, if that's what you wanted to hear."
Serenity laughed but couldn't help but glance back to see if Will was still there, or if he had left. Don't be stupid, girl, she told herself. He's gone. Connor bought his tobacco- "Enough to last me until I have to leave"- and met Serenity outside, where she was waiting for him. She had been contemplating asking Connor to walk with her down to the beach. Part of her said yes, do it, but the other half protested no, that's Will's spot.
Well, Will belongs to Elizabeth now, doesn't he? "Connor," she said, "walk to the beach with me."