Kin

Part Three : In Which Jack Lies and Drinks and Says Piratey Things

by : epiphanies





Jack grumbled all the way down to the kitchen, and Will tried his hardest to ignore him.

When they reached the kitchen, they both stopped dead.

Half a dozen men leaned on the bar counter, drooling and moaning. Jack rolled his eyes and Will frowned.

"Alright," called Will, "Everybody up and out. The tavern's being cleaned."

A middle-aged blonde man with two missing fingers gurgled in the corner.

"Oi, piddlewidgeon?" Jack poked Will out of the way, straightened his hat and smiled, "Scurvy bilge rats, guess what? The tavern next door is giving away free buckets o' rum, and we're afraid that we," he motioned to Will and himself, "have already had our fill. So, seeing as there is at least two buxom wenches in there, I'd get there as soon as I could."

Will gaped at Jack as he sat on an empty barstool and picked up a mug. Will grabbed a cloth, and Jack's hand landed roughly on his.

"Drink first, mate."

Will shook his head, "It's not right, Jack."

"Oh, come on, Will!" exclaimed Jack, outraged, "I can't wake up without it! You can't be expecting me to help you when I'm," he positioned his chin on the dirty counter, "asleep, now can you?"

"I will not help you drink yourself into oblivion so that you will only stumble back up to the room and collapse without helping me a bit anyway," argued Will, wiping down the counter, and when arriving at Jack's head, pushed it out of the way. Jack fell off the stool promptly.

"See?" Jack whined, and Will sighed.

"Fine. Only the one."

After Jack downed the glass, he clapped his hands together, "Now, what?"

Will threw a towel at him, and Jack looked down at it skeptically.

"What exactly-"

"Wash the tables," Will instructed, "And don't pretend not to know how, you've waxed the wheel of the ship enough times in my presence for me to recognize a man who knows manual labour."

"Giggle time's over in Will's kitchen, I s'pose," grumbled Jack as he walked to the diner section, and Will was glad that he wasn't facing him. He hid a grin.

A form appeared at the doorway suddenly, and pointed at Jack.

"There ain't no tavern next door!" the man yelled murderously, approaching Jack unsteadily, "You just wanted me place in line for the affections of Miss Desdemona!"

Jack smirked, "Aye, mate. I pine for her in me' sleep, you know I do."

The man roared and flung his mat of grey hair out of his eyes, "You be not touchin' Miss Desdemona!"

Jack withdrew his sword quickly and held it to the man's throat. It glinted in the sunlight.

"And you not be touchin' me, savvy?"

Elizabeth appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking half annoyed, half alarmed.

"What in the world is going on here?" she demanded, and all three men looked down.

"Jack, what are you doing? Who is this man?" she stalked over to stand beside Jack's blade, between he and the swaying patron.

"This, Elizabeth, is no business of yours," Jack motioned with his head for her to move away, but she stood her ground stubbornly. The grey haired man no longer looked upset, but intrigued.

By Elizabeth's bosom.

Elizabeth noticed his fascination and she crossed her arms.

"What is your business here, sir?" she narrowed her eyes at him. His eyes gleamed,

"Depends on what you be makin' it, Miss."

In less than a second, Jack's sword was in her hands, and the blade was pointed considerably lower than his scabby throat.

"You have no business here." she said hardly.

The man backed up with his hands in the air out into the street, then turned and fled.

Elizabeth tossed the sword back to Jack, "Go upstairs, Jack. I'll help Will."

Jack made a nodding prayer gesture as he backed toward the staircase, "Much appreciated, darling."

As he disappeared upward, Elizabeth turned to Will and sighed, "He does find trouble."

"Or , if not, trouble finds him." agreed Will, still scrubbing at the sinks. Noticing that Elizabeth hadn't picked up a cloth, he stopped and leaned on the bar, looking at her.

He held it out, and she took it. He didn't let her hand go.

She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent.

"Oh, Will," she sighed, "I cannot wait to get back to Port Royal," she trailed and looked into his eyes. He kissed her, and touched her tousled hair.

He had a thought.

"You know what would be...well, what I think..."

She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"We should bring Desdemona back to Port Royal with us, when we go," he said, "and she could be there. You know... for the wedding."

Elizabeth's mouth curved into a smile, "Of course. That would be lovely. And I could have her wear a dress the colour of the sea and carry orchids."

Will looked positively delighted, "And perhaps we could find her a mate there, somebody to marry, a distinguished man, to bring back every good about the Turner name."

"Well," Elizabeth smiled, and Will saw a hint of a smirk there too, "I know of a certain Commodore that isn't currently attached."

Will laughed heartily.

"So, what went on here?" she asked casually as she swept up pieces of a broken plate.

Will shrugged, "That man had his eye on Desdemona. Started threatening Jack."

Elizabeth glanced up at him, "Was Jack defending himself, or Desdemona?"

"You can never be sure, with him," Will sent her a roguish grin, and she nodded.

"Probably Desdemona, by the way she was speaking to me about him earlier. She said he was like a father to her."

Will raised an eyebrow, "Jack?"

"Mmhm."

Will looked resolutely thoughtful as he dipped his hands in a bucket of water, but Elizabeth decided not to ask. She already felt badly enough for knowing more than he about his own father. He could find out from Desdemona himself.





A/N - Short chapter, I know. I have a few plans for the next ones. Hope you guys are liking these! The few reviews I've gotten have been plenty kind, so I decided to continue. Hope I'm keeping Jack in character (the rest don't matter as much to me. lol.)

~epiphanies