Oneiriad: Here's more for ya!

The next morning, Will had the nagging feeling that he should be embarrassed. The problem was he wasn't entirely sure why. He'd woken alone and in considerable pain. It had taken his mind several moments to remember where he was and why. When he saw Elizabeth's face in his head, heard her words as she turned and ran out of the church, he wished he hadn't awakened at all. Sniffling, he rolled over, moaning softly as his ribs felt like they were grinding together, and curled up on his side. His back was to the door and he could see out the tiny window. Will had only once felt this alone and lost before. But then there had been a beautiful young lady who smiled at him and promised to take care of him. In the end she'd broken that promise, and Will felt like he'd come full circle, might as well be floating in the ocean alone. Maybe things would have been better if he'd never been found...

Jack made his way back up the narrow stairs to Will's room. When he'd woken that morning, an hour ago, he been mildly surprised to find himself still protectively holding Will in his arms. Seeing the sleeping boy curled up on his chest, Jack had made some decisions.

Will had been totally off-limits before. Clearly the boy had a definite single-mindedness when it came to his bonny lass. She was, however, no longer the same kind of obstacle. Still, Jack had doubts that Will would let her go quickly. Maybe he wouldn't let her, or the idea of her, go at all. The thought of watching the young man pine away over her indefinitely sickened Jack, more because it saddened him to consider Will so set on something that was now clearly a one sided love than because it would mean that he'd never have a chance with the boy himself.

Jack had always equated love more with admiration than lust, and he'd known the moment Will challenged him with a sword that he admired the brave youth. Given their quest to rescue Elizabeth, Jack had figured that his feelings should stop there, at admiration. It was different now though. Very different.

Barely resisting the urge to kiss the top of the soft, messy curls just under his chin, Jack carefully squiggled out from underneath Will. As he laid the still sleeping man back on the pillows, Jack sighed to himself. Seeing Will laying there, so innocent and soft in the weak morning light, Jack admitted to himself he was feeling something very different than admiration. The feelings were something much deeper and it wasn't just a sense of responsibility.

After lingering a moment to assure himself Will hadn't woken during the move, Jack silently slipped out of the room. His thought were much too clear for his liking. Walking down the hallway, he considered getting some breakfast while he waited for Will to wake, but decided that some rum would quell not only his hunger, but also the nagging voice in his head that was insistent on telling him that he was falling for the broken man on the other side of the door.

Will was yanked up from his dark thoughts when the door popped open and Jack swaggered into the room. He couldn't stop the rush of relief he felt as he saw the familiar man. Remembering the previous hazy night, Will realized that every time Jack appeared he was able to almost block out the painful memory of his love turning and running from him, from what was supposed to be their life together. The dark swirl of blue and black and beads almost made him forget the elegant flow of ivory satin and lace, as it carried his love away from him.

Jack watched as Will's expression changed from recognition and relief to loss and sadness in only a moment.

"Will?" Jack asked as he approached the bed, trying to pull the boy from his thoughts.

After a moment, and with a small shake of his head, Will looked to Jack, a forced grin on his face. "Good morning, Jack."

"Are ye doin' any better?"

"I'm still feeling rather poorly to tell you the truth." It was an understatement on all accounts.

Jack reached into the drawer and pulled out the small bottle of medicine. "Maybe you should try a lil' more of this, should dull things. Unless of course you'd prefer somethin' else," Jack said holding up the bottle of rum Will hadn't even noticed he'd been holding.

"What time is it?" asked Will.

"Morning," Jack said with a shrug. He took a pull from the bottle in his hand.

"Do you always drink so early?"

"Not always, no. But ye see on land there's not so much fer me to do. Need to entertain meself some'ow. Little early for the ladies an' much too late for stories ye see," Jack said in a roundabout explanation. "Now drink up a bit of tha' vile stuff, we 'ave to be goin' soon."

"Going?"

Nodding Jack said, "Back to the Pearl. 's time to be 'eading out soon."

"Oh, well, don't let me hold you up, Jack. Thank you for looking out for me last night, for getting a doctor I mean. Perhaps I'll see you again sometime when you're back this way again," Will said, sounding unsure and saddened. He knew Jack would have to leave at some point. He'd just hoped maybe the Captain would be on the island for a couple more days.

"You weren't seriously plannin' on stayin' in Tortuga, were you mate?" Jack asked with a toothy grin.

"I was - um, was going to - that is..." Will sighed. "I don't know Jack. I don't know what to do. I mean it's not as though I planned on being in this situation."

Hearing Will's uncertainty and discomfort, Jack said quickly, "I need someone to do a few minor repairs on the Pearl, need a man who's good with his hands and tools." Jack mentally kicked himself for his double speak but let it go when Will didn't seem to catch any secondary meaning in the words. 'Need to be more careful how I speak. Can't be letting ideas and thoughts just worm their way in like that. Down boy!' he thought before continuing aloud. "Tortuga is no place for you Will. So, what do ye say? Help a mate out?" Jack asked with a tilt of his head.

'Jack's giving you an out you fool!' Will yelled in his mind. 'You don't really want to stay here and mope forever do you? Well ... maybe I do. It suits. I'm miserable, so I might as well be somewhere that fits that for me. Couldn't very well go back to Port Royal, see them all shaking their heads at me, their looks of pity. No, Tortuga is a far better fit. But Jack, I could go with him, could venture away. Maybe being on the sea would help me forget Eliz- ... forget HER. But I don't want to forget her ... do I?'

Jack sighed as he watched Will get lost in his thoughts again. Clearly the young man couldn't make the decision to leave Tortuga in his present state of mind. Jack decided he needed to make the decision for the distraught young man, though really, he already had. He had wanted to at least give Will the chance to say it.

Jack placed the medicine bottle in Will's hands, saw him look up with confused eyes almost as though the young man had forgotten he was even there.

"We're 'eading out in a few minutes. 's a long walk, especially in your condition so I'd be drinking a bit of tha' to dull the pain if I were you."

Will felt too tired to argue. His mind was exhausted and he decided that at least for the moment it would be easier to do as Jack directed him.

Watching Will pull the cork on the bottle Jack warned, "Jus' don' try an' drink it all at once like you did las' night."

Taking a swallow, Will looked up at Jack. He couldn't remember the previous night very clearly. He did, however, feel a twinge of embarrassment, though he wasn't sure about what exactly.

"Jack? Did I ... say anything foolish last night? Or, um, do anything?"

"Nah," Jack half lied. "Just up and passed out on me af'er tryin' to drain that bottle."

"Oh, well, I guess I own you an explanation as to why I'm here in Tortuga and how I got myself in this condition," Will said, gesturing to the bandages that adorned his arm and chest.

"No 'splaination's necess'ry, Will. I know things wen' badly with Elizabeth." Jack cringed inside when the mere mention of the girl's name caused Will to frown. "You don' need to be tellin' ol' Jack anythin' right now. Not 'till ye want to, savvy?"

"Thanks, Jack," Will said with a small smile that died before it reached his eyes. He could feel the medicine already dulling the sharp pinch he felt in his chest with every breath. He could also feel it clouding his mind, and he welcomed the feeling because at the moment he felt everything too clearly, too painfully. He knew the pain in his chest wasn't caused only by his broken ribs. He took another swallow of the medicine. The numbing sensation was a relief.