Disclaimer- I don't own POTC….really, I don't. It's sad, but true.
A/N: Okay now it's time for the cheering and clapping----I've updated almost within a week!!! Be proud of me. On with the story….
Chapter 3, Skeptical Musings
Will Turner watched the girls practice blocking and defending with a smile. They had to be his best students yet. Even his son, who was the most athletically coordinated person he knew, had not learned this quickly. They just had a knack for the fighting arts! Mia was a little shy when it came to attacking, and Sri was too impatient when it came to lessons, but that was curable.
"Break time!" Elizabeth called as she walked outside with a tray of lemonade. "Maidenly glistening" was not the phrase for what was happening to the twins. This was sweat.
The duo took the glasses gratefully and fell into a heap on the bench. They had been outside in the Turner's enclosed backyard practicing for over an hour, and it was hot outside! Sri massaged her back with her free hand.
"I feel so free wearing breaches, Elizabeth. Although it does feel strange to be without skirts," Mia said.
"We can't exactly have a swordfight in a dress," retorted Sri with a laugh.
Elizabeth grinned. "I remember the first time I wore breaches. My father had me locked in a cabin so I would be safe when we attacked the pirates, so I pulled on breaches and escaped from the ship to save Will!" She said, looking at Will fondly.
"It sounds so romantic, Elizabeth," Sri said with a sigh. "You're so lucky that you got to go on a pirate ship and have adventures. Nothing interesting ever happens here in Port Royal! I hate it… well, at least now I'll be able to avenge Da if I ever meet Jack Sparrow," Sri spat out the name like it was poison.
Elizabeth and Will exchanged a sad look. "We'll just hope you never have the dishonor of meeting him," replied Will.
"Oh, I'm going to meet him, alright. When I get old enough, I'm going to become a pirate hunter. He's going to wish he'd never been born, once I get a hold of him." A little immature, Sri thought, but it had been her dream since she was a child. She remembered seeing Mia's face when she came running home that fateful day….
Mia shuddered. Just the thought of the pirate that killed her father made her feel sick. Unlike her sister, Mia was terrified at the thought of coming face to face with Sparrow, though she understood Sri's passionate hate. It was one of the reasons they had really wanted to learn how to use a sword.
"Sri?" Mia asked tentatively as they walked home from the Turner's home.
"What is it, Mia?" Sri didn't like the serious look on her sister's face.
"Have you ever wondered what life would be like if… if Da was still here? If Sparrow hadn't murdered him? Do y'think Mother would still…."
"I think about it all the time, Mia. You know she never disappeared like this when Da was around!"
"Aren't we enough to keep her here? I mean, doesn't she love us, too? If there is another man she loves, why doesn't she bring him here for us to meet him? I can't think of any other reason she would go."
"Life would have been so different if Da was alive. We would be wealthier, we would be a higher class… But I don't think it's a man that's keeping her away. A man wouldn't cause her to get sick every time she returned. I think it's something deeper. Something we can't understand." Sri looked down sadly. "Do you think she's coming back?"
"She has to come back. She will come back. We need her. I have to believe she's coming home…."
"Will…." Elizabeth murmured as they were preparing for bed. "Do you… think Jack realizes how many lives he has ruined? How many children have been left fatherless because of him?"
Will sighed. They had been over the Jack issue countless times, trying to find a way to justify his actions. So far, they had not succeeded. "Jack is daft," he said flatly. "He doesn't think of such things. He's in the business for the chance to defy the government right under their noses, for the adventure and chance to be rebellious. And his ship. Jack's a good man, but he's also a pirate. We can't forget that, Elizabeth. We want to believe that he wouldn't hurt a fly, but his job is to steal from good people. We must remember that."
"I don't think I'll be able to forgive him for what he did to Thom, or his family. Mia and Sri have no one to support them now. Alice is too busy with Sam and the baby. We need a more… permanent solution."
"Those spare bedrooms are getting awfully dusty. We should have Gerald get someone to clean them."
"New bedspreads and sheets wouldn't hurt," Elizabeth mused. "It's a shame to waste such a lovely view of the ocean…" Will nodded in agreement.
The vote was unanimous.
A/N: So what it was really short? I'm writing chapter 5 right now so I may be able to update more quickly:) REVIEW!!