The early morning light hit James in the face, making him roll over. Underneath him, leaves crackled, making him open his eyes. Will sat a few feet away, stirring the ashes of the fire with a stick. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Morning." Will muttered, not looking up.
"Did you sleep at all?" Will shook his head, still not uttering a word. "Aren't you a talkative one?" James grumbled, moving over to sit across the fire from Will.
"Not much to talk about." He said.
"Right." He ran his hands through his graying hair, brushing out the leaves and twigs.
"I was thinking." After an extended moment of silence, Will spoke up.
"Oh?" James shook out his jacket. "And what would that be about?"
"What you said before. About the suspicions this whole thing raises." He looked up.
"Gee, and it only took you the governor's death and my new found exile to make you realize that." James snapped. Sleeping out in the woods, trying to avoid the Navy that had once been under his command only the day before, had made him less than charitable in mood. To his surprise, Will smirked slightly.
"Aye, maybe." He replied wryly. "But, if you don't want to hear what I have to say…." He looked back down at the fire.
"Since when the hell did you have a sense of humor?" James said, leaning back against the tree behind him. "I'm sorry. This whole thing is frustrating and you not being Mr. Stoic for once has thrown me off a little. So just tell me what the hell you have to say."
The smirk faded. "Elizabeth."
"What? I thought you had something relevant to what's going on."
"I do. Elizabeth's the connection." James sat up straight, looking the pirate straight in the face.
"How?"
"Well, let's start with the most obvious. Me. Mysterious witness who never appears at my trial blames me for piracy, which leads to my death. That puts me, Elizabeth's first husband, out of the picture. Erase anything that would have aroused suspicion, trial papers, death order, everything." He stood up, pacing between two trees. "Then we have Michael, he dies suddenly of suicide after taking in Elizabeth and Emma for a few months. Chances are he was getting close to her as well. Then we have Jack, who was checking up on Elizabeth every once in a while for me. Mysteriously shot by a so called member of the British Navy. Governor Swann, Elizabeth's father, but I'm not sure why he would be targeted other than Elizabeth finally getting her inheritance. And then there's you. Multiple attacks on your life. Someone wants you dead, or would of if you hadn't been found at the crime scene of the governor, which, if your caught and found guilty, means death." He stopped, hands behind his back.
"You actually said more than one sentence." James said. Will shot him a dark look, crossing his arms. "Alright, alright…" He got to his feet. "It sounds completely plausible, but that doesn't bring us any closer to who's doing it and why."
"Well, maybe you could help." Will said.
"Excuse me for not being a sullen pirate captain who has too much time to think on his hands. If you haven't noticed, I'm a wanted fugitive now."
"And I'm supposed to be dead." Will snapped, standing face to face with Norrington. "The only reason they aren't after me is because I should have stayed dead seven of years ago. Get over it."
"I'm trying. It's a little hard."
"Welcome to my world." James broke away from the lock of wills first, looking out through the trees over the horizon.
"Alright. So we have the connection, but we still need more to go on. What do we do?" James muttered, pulling on his coat.
"We don't do anything. You'll stay here, keep a low profile, while I go back to Tortuga and talk to Giselle." Will caught the commodore's look. "She witnessed Jack being shot, saw the whole thing. I want to here her version of it. Might have been something I didn't see."
"How do I know you aren't just leaving?" James responded, crossing his arms. "Like you said, you are a changed man. You're a pirate now. Why should I trust your word?"
"Because I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for Emma, for Elizabeth." He said finally, sliding the pistol back in his belt and picking up his sword.
"How long?" James asked as they walked through the woods.
"Only a few days. Three at the most. Stick to the bad parts of town. Might be able to find a cheap tavern or inn to stay in. Stay there till I come back, got it?" James nodded.
"Yeah, I can do that." They reached the pathway down into the section Will had been talking about. They regarded each other for a moment.
"Stay safe, James." Will said, holding out his hand. James grasped it, shaking it.
"You too, Will." He said with a slight smile, turning and heading into town. Will went in the opposite direction, following the pathway to the smuggler's bay where the Pearl was anchored.