There
was a carriage waiting outsie the house, as Will, Alex, and Thomas were all led
out at the point of a pistol, kept close to Michael's side as not to attract
unwanted attention. As soon as they got in, he slid in and shut the door,
knocking on the door behind him for the driver to go. The carriage jumped to a
start, a fresh bolt of pain from the bumping going up Will's side. He winced,
grabbing it unintentionally. Michael watched him, a look of intrest on his
face.
"Twice I've tried to kill you and twice you've come back." He said,
smirking. Will looked up at him, a dark expression on his face. "I thought
for sure that I'd gotten you for good a couple nights ago. Then I get word that
Estrella's harboring a man she found shot in the street." Will shot him a
dark look.
"So was James on your list too, or did you kill him just because he was
there?" He growled, trying not to flinch as the carriage hit another bump,
sending more pain up his side.
"No, he was part of it. Damn, William, I thought you would have figured
this out by now." Alex scooted closer to Will, curling up at his side.
Will put an arm around the boy's shoulders. It was his fault they were in this
mess as well as him.
"I have. Just a few holes I needed to fill in." Will responded
quietly. "How do you sleep at night?" He asked suddenly.
"Knowing you betrayed your best friend?"
"I sleep very well, on a bed of silk, with a wench by my side."
Michael laughed. "The price was right, no offense, Will."
"Oh, of course I'm not offended." Will muttered, sarcastically.
"You stupid bastard. I hope you know that men such as yourselves always
have things come back around and bite you in the ass."
"I wouldn't start preaching, WIll. You don't exactly lead a righteous life
either. Pillaging, plundering, looting, and stealing...drink up me hearties, yo
ho! Isn't that the way the song goes?" The pirate refused to look at him,
staring at the floor.
After a while of silence, he spoke up. "Where are we going?" He
asked, finally looking at the mercenary that had once been his friend. Michael
was in the process of checking his pistols.
"I said we were going to see an old friend." He said simply.
"You'll see when we get there."
Alex looked up at Will. "Is he going to hurt us?" He whispered, tears
starting to appear in his eyes. Will felt terrible, rubbing his shoulder.
"I don't know." Thomas hadn't said a word, sitting close to the door,
his head down.
"You know, you don't need the kid..."
"I'm not going to hurt them. Just take them to their sister is all. They're
of no concern to me." Will frowned.
"We're going to the Swann mansion." Everything fell into place now,
all the missing details suddenly coming to him. "Tell me, is Gillette as
insane as he's coming off right now." He said bitterly. It all made sense.
James looked up as his second in command slammed into his office, seething.
"Sir, why haven't we gone after Sparrow yet?" He asked. "I
believe our mission statement is to keep the seas safe from pirates."
James looked up from the piles of papers resting on his desk. "Mr.
Gillette, we will go when I say. As for Sparrow, we can afford to let him
go." In all honestly, Jack had done more good in Port Royal then he most
likely ever would have admitted, helping to erase the threat of the cursed
Black Pearl, eliminating Barbossa, and saving Elizabeth's life. He could afford
to let him go this time. But Gillette wasn't buying it.
"He's a pirate, sir." He placed heavy emphasis on 'sir.' He went to
the front of the desk. "In all honesty sir, I believe you're starting to
slip."
James got to his feet, leaning on the desk. "Lieutenant Gillette, is there
reason for you to be questioning my methods?" He asked, trying to keep his
voice calm.
"There is. First, you're letting Sparrow get away. Second, you're letting
a pirate walk around in Port Royal and doing
nothing about it." James's eyes narrowed.
"You can't possibly be talking about..."
"William Turner, sir. He's the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner. He's engaged
in piracy, and most likely still is under Jack Sparrow's command." He said
forcefully. James stood upright, rolling his eyes.
"These accusations are completely unfounded. Mr. Turner is not a pirate,
and I'm sure you could easily find this out if you asked Elizabeth. He hasn't left
her side since he found out that she's with child." He noticed an odd
flicker in Gillette's eyes, but dismissed it as it disappeared as quick as it
had come. "Now, if you don't mind, I have much work to do." He
leveled a dark look at him.
Gillette stared back at him. "Yes, sir." He said finally, turning and
walking out of the office. James watched him leave, before sitting back down.
He would have to keep an eye on him. That kind of an attitude could cause
dissension.
"He hired you, because he knew how close you were to me." Will said,
anger and hurt welling up in him. Michael regarded him closely.
"Why else?"
"Apparently I have a flawed judgement when it comes to character if I ever
trusted you." Alex whimpered as the voices of both men kept getting
louder.
"So what was it? Gillette wanted Elizabeth and he wanted
power right? And then Jack and I were the added bonuses. He saw the opportunity
to put me out of the picture by pinning piracy on me, seeing that I hung in the
gallows. Puts me out of the picture. Jack, he didn't like it that he escaped,
and Norrington let him. So he had him tracked down and shot. Governor Swann, he
was targeted only because Elizabeth and her husband would get his inheritance
when he did die. And James, he wanted his job. If he died, he would be the next
in command, and become commodore. That leaves Elizabeth all alone and
open for him to come in and win her heart." He growled, trying to calm
himself down.
"I'm impressed, Will, really I am." Michael raised an eyebrow.
"You've managed to cover it all pretty well."
"Gillette hired Ghost to track down Jack, gave him the uniforms to cover
up who it really was. He hired you so that he could keep track of my movements.
How much deeper does this go?"
"You've pretty much covered it all, don't worry." The carriage came
to a halt. Michael pointed the pistol at Will. "The kids first, then you.
Move nice and slow."
"Yes, because I was planning on sprinting away with a hole in the side of
my stomach." Michale backhanded him with the butt of the pistol.
"Cut the sarcasm." He said darkly. "Now move." Alex
scrambled out of the seat, pushing the door open, Thomas behind him. Will got
out slowly, feeling Michael press the pistol barrel in his back between his
shoulder blades. "Walk in."
Will walked to the door, already opened by the two boys. It seemed like so long
ago that he'd stood there in the foyer, waiting for Governor Swann to come down
the stairs to receive the sword he'd requested. Estrella came out of the
kitchen, bearing a tray. When she saw the two men, her brothers huddled against
the stairway, she dropped the tray, the crash echoing through the foyer.
"Estrella, go get the...." The door to the right of them opened, and
Gillette looked out.
"What is the meaning of all this..." His eyes fell on Will, staring
at him, his eyes blazing with anger and pain. "I told you NOT to bring him
here." He hissed. "I don't want..."
"Who is it?" Elizabeth looked out the
door as well, stepping into the foyer. "You didn't tell me we were having
guests." Then she took in the two men. Two men who were suppoused to be
very much dead. She wavered slightly, her hand going to her mouth.
"Michael..." Her eyes locked on Will, and tears sprang to her eyes.
"It was true...Emma was telling the truth..." She started towards
him, and he wanted nothing more to take her into his arms. But Gillette thrust
a hand out, catching her by the arm.
"That's not a good idea, Elizabeth. The pirate will
hang before the sun rises tomorrow." He said coldly.
