A/N: Slightly-fluffy chapter! What fun... ^_^ Also, for all the people who asked... Will's blue gel-pen will be in the next chapter.
Will had never been on an airplane before. Of course, he wouldn't really have anywhere to go, now would he? The only places he ever felt the need to visit were work, and the grocer's -- but he was very excited as he boarded the plane to Jamaica. The glee only increased throughout the trip, and by the time he stepped onto foreign ground he was as giddy as a schoolgirl.
He was very fortunate Norrington wasn't there to slap him back into reality.
As our cunning friend entered the hotel, however, he tried to contain himself. Squaring his shoulders and frowning what he considered to be a policey frown, Will strolled through the gilded doors and right over to the front desk. A man, smiling excessively, looked up from a computer screen; his look screamed "How can I help you?".
"Good morning," said the man. "How can I help you?"
"What room are Clyde and Daphne Whitaker in?" Will asked, trying desperately to be intimidating. This was rather hard, as Will had never tried intimidation before... the fact that the man behind the desk was at least six-foot-six didn't help, either.
The man raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. In his opinion, this scrawny little man obviously had heathen parents and was not schooled in ettiquette. Where was the Thank you? Where was the Could you please tell me...? He sighed. The world was going to the dogs, that was for sure. He didn't voice any of this, though. He just opened the records file and searched for the people that had been asked for.
"Whitaker..." he said. "Er... Sorry, sir, it looks like they checked out yesterday afternoon."
Will was in shock. They couldn't have left. No criminal would have resources enough to take two trips -- plus hotel stays -- right in a row... unless he was a bank-robber as well as a kidnapper. The thought gave him shivers.
"Are you positive they're gone?" he asked nervously. "Absolutely positive?"
"Yeah," said the man, shrugging. The kid seemed to be in a panic, so he decided on giving him a brief description, just in case. "The guy was about five-ten... long, black hair... looked in his late twenties. And the girl... blonde hair, maybe five-two or three. Glasses. That them?" Glasses? thought Will. Elizabeth doesn't have glasses... But maybe that was a disguise... "Yes, that's them," he said, sighing in defeat. They must have figured he was coming... But how? Perhaps that drunken associate of Sparrow's awoke and decided to warn his boss.
He didn't know what to do. There was no concievable way to find them... unless he went to the airport. And asked people if they had seen anyone even remotely like Sparrow and Elizabeth...
Hah! he thought, running out of the hotel without so much as a goodbye to the man behind the desk. I'm winning!
Elizabeth was amazed to wake up that next morning. She had been positive that Jack would murder her in her sleep... but she was very alive, and completely unharmed. However, upon the regaining of her consciousness, she noticed that there were several strange noises in the room. What she failed to notiec, is that this was a room with two beds, and both she and Jack were in the same room as the television.... which is what the noises were coming from.
She rolled over, and saw a very interesting sight: Jack was sitting on the edge of his bed, surrounded by boxes upon boxes of donuts. Jelly filled, chocolate... even some called Krispy Kreams. He was watching, much to Elizabeth's surprise, a show that called itself People's Court. On the nightstand was a half-empty gallon of chocolate milk.
Jack turned, reaching for the milk, and smirked at her. "Care for a donut?" he asked. "They're really quite tasty... especially the Krispy Kreams. You're welcome to the chocolate milk as well... although, in retrospect I realized that I forgot to buy cups, this hotel is kind enough to provide them."
A pause. Elizabeth stared.
"What?" Jack asked. "You can't tell me you've never spent a Saturday morning eating sweets and watching the telly..." Elizabeth shook her head. "That's just horrible," he said, absently reaching for a donut. "Then again, you grew up in one of those controlled environments, didn't you? What a shame... I guess you'll just have to make up for it now, aye?"
He chuckled, and rattled a box of chocolate donuts at her.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly comfortable..."
"If I wanted you to be comfortable with it, I woulda bought crumpets, herbal tea, and we'd be watching C-Span." He gave her a very impertinent look, and patted the space of mattress right next to him.
This goes against your upbringing, said a voice in her head. You're forsaking dad...
Oh, for the love... said another voice. It's donuts with Jack -- not papers to become an American citizen! It wouldn't do any harm to dad.
And so, very cautiously, Elizabeth made up her mind. Jack smiled as she sat, handing her several boxes of several different things all at the same time. He gesticulated wildly as he filled her in on what had been going on. He explained who the judge was, and what the defendant and the prosecutor were saying. Later, he explained why everyone who came to court brought their children, and why everyone had such an irrelevant case.
"They just want their fifteen minutes of fame, Lizzie," he said, staring at the TV screen with a knowing expression. "They don't really care who wins or loses. It's just to get on the telly."
"That's rather stupid," she said, turning to him.
"People are stupid, darling."
She thought about this for a moment, and then sighed. "If it were me," she said, "I'd try and do something worthwhile... something that would help people."
He snickered, and changed the channel. Elizabeth's own picture was on the screen, next to the newscaster. The headline SEARCH FOR ELIZABETH SWANN STILL GOING was in a marquee below her.
"You didn't have to do anything good," Jack said, matter-of-factly. "Just something...stupid. Not that I'm calling you stupid, of course," he added quickly, seeing the look she shot him. "Personally, I'm grateful you let your suspicion get the best of you. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this grand adventure, now would we?"
"No," she said, considering his words. "...I wouldn't have gotten a break from society."
"And I wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet the infinitely charming Elizabeth Swann,"
Once again, Elizabeth felt liberated. Jack seemed to have that effect on her, although the prospect of that frightened her terribly. Nonetheless, she raised her plastic cup of chocolate milk and grinned.
"I propose a toast," she said. "to... unlimited possibilities."
"To freedom," Jack added, smirking.
They bumped the rims of their cups, and downed their milk in one breath, both wiping milk-induced facial hair whilst shaking from surpressed giggles.
"Excellent," said Jack. "Now, break out the TV Guide. I want to see if there's any station in this continent that's playing Planet of the Apes anytime soon..."
A/N2: Unfortunately, time on my PC is limited at the moment, so I will get an A/N up soon with personal thanks to everyone. Until then, I appreciate every review!