Title: I wish I may; I wish I might

Author: Marlena & Trav

Email: All feedback email may be sent to Bloodflame013@aol.com

Disclaimer: I ( Actually WE ) don't own anything, or anyone. This is based strictly on role-play. It has nothing to do with the real Pirates of the Caribbean. It would be a 'before look' if anything; based on the content. The characters, setting, etc is from the movie, and this is my way of stating I'm NOT claming ownership. So don't screw me, err sue me, okay? The portrayal of Elizabeth Swann is credit to Marlena; while on the flipside, Will Turner is credit to Trav. Comments are always welcome.

Prologue: Elizabeth Swann is the governor's daughter. Will ( William ) Turner, is a simple blacksmith. As far as everything was stated, these two were from two different worlds, and were never to come together in any way shape or form. But can classes stand in the way of true love?

Chapter Three: Afternoon Stroll; Chance Meeting

It had only been a day since Elizabeth and Will met up at Mistress Mary's; but to Elizabeth it felt like an eternity. She walked along the dock road, turning off walking toward a secluded stretch of beach she found peace in; rubbing her left ring finger. The ring that Will had found for her was still on her hand, which had raised suspicion at the Governor's estate. Captain Norrington noticed it right off hand as if he had been forewarned about it, and automatically inquired about it. 'Oh it's nothing Captain Norrington' Elizabeth said with a smile; despite inside feeling it was more than something. It was a symbol of what her and Will had no matter how small it was. Friendship at best she figured, if only it were more. She walked slowly, dodling along the path that lead to the beach; one true spot of happiness for Elizabeth. Staring out at the crystalline waters, it gave her a sense of security, a sense that all was right in the world. "Why must I linger on something that can never be?" Elizabeth asked herself quietly, a sad tone to her voice as she looked at the ring on her finger. It had to mean something. But then again; he had found it and handed it to her. She wished it was just for her... if only she knew the truth. The cool air from the sea brushed up against Elizabeth's small frame as she walked, having told her father she was merely going out for a stroll. It hadn't been long, yet she wished she could run away for longer than just 'a stroll'. She had an hour at the most...before he had someone out checking for her. Bloody protectiveness of the man. Elizabeth couldn't help but dislike it, and find offense that he didn't believe she could manage on her own. She was still a child to him, and that offended her like nothing else. Scoffing her feet against the warm sand that the road below her steps was turning into, she sighed.

"Damn the weather," Will muttered under his breath as he headed up the dock, away from the empty harbor where 'Rose Hips' should have been docked. The ship, carrying his supplies had been delayed a few days, if not a week due to an emergency docking for repairs. How was he supposed to do gold filigree without gold bricks? He took a long, deep breath, looking out across the harbor at the turquoise blue water. On the plus side, his plans for the day would have to be scraped. Jumping off the dock, onto the sandy beach, he quickly untied his shoes and shed his stockings, taking them in hand. It felt like being a kid again, wading on the beach, no work to hurry back to. He walked on the edge of the water, the small waves lapping over his feet. This is a much better way to waste a few minutes he decided, humming a tune he'd heard on his way to the docks. He tapped the soles of his shoes softly against his leg in rhythm to his humming. Will looked out across the wide ocean before him, then turned his gaze to the seaside before him. There wasn't too much open beach left, but it was just enough for an absentminded stroll. It really had been too long since he'd found time to walk on the beach with Elizabeth.. Elizabeth? It couldn't be.. but there she was, walking alone, toward him. Somehow, his bird had flown from that gilded cage and there she stood, the soft sea breeze blowing gently as her hair. A soft laugh caught in his throat when he noticed the thin line of sand which now rimmed her dress. She really did belong in knickers, he smirked at the thought of Elizabeth decked in a waistcoat and ruffled shirt, knickers and stockings hugging her frame tightly.. "Now I see why they wear dresses.." he whispered softly to himself, smiling.

Elizabeth moved toward the water, lifting the bottom of her dress a bit to run her toes through the cool water. She wished everyday could be as desirable; just having no cares in the world. The thought of such was brought about as she saw children splashing about in the bay just a short way off from where she stood. She smiled at their happiness, and it almost gave her a sense of joy filling her heart as she let her mind wander. She wanted children when she got a little older; if only she had someone to love in the meantime. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, as she turned, sitting down in the white sand, not caring about her dress. She looked out at the horizon from her seat; smiling at the view that was truly one in a mil- she heard a small laugh from a ways, and as she looked over, she spotted Will. Her smile seemed to draw brighter as she caught his view. "Hello Will." She said quietly, suddenly feeling a little childish for having the ring still on. With gritted teeth beneath her smile, she began digging into the sand, as if to hide her hand from his view. "What a surprise this is. I didn't expect to see anyone out here at this time." She said, quickly extracting her hand from the dirty sand. Even she couldn't bare that for a long time. She didn't care if he saw it...it would prove she cared about him; as a friend...wouldn't it? She patted a spot near where she sat with a smile. "If you're not busy, you can come have a seat." She said, her smile still radiating from her face as she looked up toward him.

It was humorous to Will, Elizabeth plopping down on the beach in that dress of hers, she was most defiantly a knicker type of girl.. Not that again, he warned himself as he approached. "Hello Elizabeth." Despite of her wishes, he felt uncomfortable addressing her informally, so near to her home and the scornful public. This wasn't Mary's closed off shop with an audience of one. Reluctantly, although he might have thought better of it if he had let himself think at all, he took a seat next to her, laying his stocking stuffed shoes on the sand. He crosses his legs, knees almost at his chest, elbows resting on his knees. He looked like a very timid, unsure little boy sitting there next to Elizabeth. He turned to face her, smiling softly. "The ship I came to meet has been quite delayed, I'm not too busy. I try to make a point of never being to busy to do something spontaneous." He trailed a finger along the sand, drawing childish, abstract figures on the bare ground between himself and Elizabeth. He noticed her hand resting on her lap and the ring on her finger where she'd placed in when they'd gotten 'engaged'. He smiled thoughtfully but said nothing. They'd been drawn from their revelry by Elizabeth's handmaid, saying that the Captain had come calling for her. At least it hadn't been the Captain who'd surprised them, the word of a gossipy maid was more easily silenced than that of Captain Norrington. He looked back up to her face, slightly damp with the salty moisture which hung in the air. "What about you? Is there some body guard I did not see?"

Elizabeth shook her head a bit as she smiled. "No, I'm alone. Just like I asked to be." She said, looking at the drawings he made in the sand. She ran her finger along the sand next to one of his doodles with a smirk, and wrote her name just above it, dotting her 'I' with a heart. "This is a good day...to just sit about and not have to worry about anything." She stated surely, as she looked toward him again from her sandwork. "I'm glad you're here though. I'd rather spend some free time with good company than alone." So it was the truth. She'd rather be with Will than spending time with Norrington, or his men, or even with her father when he was under his overprotective spells. "I hate to say such, but I'm happy the ship didn't come in right away." She said with a coy smile, as she ran her fingers through the sand making small stars in the gritty white earth. As the handmaid came about though, Elizabeth sighed. "Tell him I will be a little while; I just need some time for myself." She said surely, though she wasn't necessarily alone now, was she? "And please, not a word of this Jaquiline." The maid nodded with a smile, as she headed off back toward the Swann estate. "That's all we'd need...is for Norrington to come down here on a high spree of attitude..." Elizabeth grumbled quietly, her smile turning to a more so look of annoyance. It dropped though, when she looked back at Will. "I'm sorry, I should learn to watch my mouth about a superior...forgive my tone." She said softly, almost shyly.

Will laughed softly. It was nice to see that he wasn't the only person who wasn't an outstanding fan of the captain. Apparently, as uncomfortable as he was about Norrington wooing Elizabeth, she was as uncomfortable about being wooed. "It's fine Elizabeth, perfectly fine. Although I'd liked to have seen his face if he saw you sitting on the sand. I don't think he's ever seen real dirt before.. it's probably afraid of him..." Will smirked, chuckling. It would be nice to just have an uninterrupted, unobserved afternoon with Elizabeth. There's always hoping, he sighed.. Reluctantly though, he began the brush the sand from his legs and feet, replacing his stockings and shoes. It wouldn't do either of them good if he was wandering around the city barefoot like a street child. He stood, slowly, wanting their time of the beach to linger for a few more moments. Quickly brushing off his back side, he offered out his hand to Elizabeth. "Come Ms Swann, I'll see you back home safely." He used his sharpest, most proper tone, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Elizabeth smiled at his comments about Norrington; that had to be the case. "I bet he's more afraid of the dirt, Will." She said, giggling softly as she took his hand. Standing up, she brushed off the back of her dress, looking toward him. "I don't want to go home yet. I don't really care what Norrington wants..." She said, shrugging. "We should go to Mistress Mary's." She said with a soft laugh, "That would be the last place good ol' Captain Norrington would look for me...especially considering Jaquiline must have stated I was out here." So why did she want to run away now? She wanted to run away more specifically with Will. "Is it wrong of me to try to be avoidant toward him?" She asked, almost as if inquiring to his opinion. In fact, that's what she was doing. "I don't feel bad about it....hence the fact it must be wrong." She said, shrugging a bit. "I guess I don't see the importance of answering to him." She knew that he always watched over her, and now he wanted to be with her. That gave her the chills. She didn't want him. She wanted what she had in front of her but could never take it. She continued to smile though, despite her urge to just wrap her arms around Will and confess her love for him. She didn't let go of his hand just yet though.

He looked past Elizabeth, toward where the houses started, and the roads beyond that. It seemed that these little moments never lasted long enough before someone burst the proverbial bubble. "He's been this shadow since we met, I don't think he likes me.." He removes his hand from her's when she's upright, hooking his arm with her's instead, like a gentlemen. "But, we all do what we must, and he's your father's man.. and you're the woman of the house.." Suddenly a grin broke across his face. "Although, I can't honestly see you mussed and smudged, chasing children around the house... mussed and smudged maybe.." He grinned.. "And as for Mary.." He sighed.. dear Mary.. bless her heart.. didn't understand that she was taking the unpopular side of the situation.. well.. not unpopular in his eyes. "She feels the need to mother me, which I am sometimes grateful for, but she likewise feels the need to see me set and married.. I suppose women always have that instinct, even if they never become mothers themselves." He did want to run off to Mary's though.. it seemed that was his one slice of freedom these days. "Speaking of Mary.. she told me that if any little ladies came to fetch that ring, I'd best beat them back because it belonged on your hand alone.." What had seemed like such a common sense, plain as day thing in his mind; now sounded awkward and it's underlying meaning screamed out harshly at his ears. Somehow, Mary's meaning hadn't hit him. Now however, it had hit him full force, turning his cheeks scarlet and his mouth cotton dry.. "You know how Mary is.." He mumbled slightly.. to try and cover, explaining that it was her meaning and not his that had shown through. Although, they were the same. That ring had been made only to rest on one finger and it laid there very nicely as he spoke.

Elizabeth smiled softly as Will commented about Norrington disliking him. "That's because you threaten him as far as gentleman nature goes, Will. I happened to think you're much better than Captain Norrington ever could be." Elizabeth said, before biting the inside of her lip lightly. So she felt a little strange talking ill of Norrington; but nobody but Will was listening, and she knew he wouldn't nark on her. "Oh, so I don't have to give this back?" She asked, referring the ring with a smile. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to…I love it." She noticed his blushing face, and tried to refrain from giggling as he said how Mary was. "She's a lovely woman. She has always taken well care of me, that's for sure." She said; patting Will's shoulder gently. "You're lucky to have a woman like her looking out for you." She was thinking about another woman; young lady rather - who looked out for him. Herself. Even she couldn't be as Mary was, especially considering she wouldn't want to be a mother figure to Will. God, shudder that thought! Slowly; she back tracked in her mind. "I would love to have children one day I'll have you know…" She said with a smile, "I just hope I can find the right man to father them. And Norrington isn't my ideal of the right man. So don't get any thoughts in that head of yours, Mr. Turner." She said with a small laugh; but it was suppressed as she looked up. There was her handmaid motioning feverishly toward her. She sighed, nodding a bit. She mouthed 'hold him off' to Jaquiline, as she glanced to Will. "Forgive me…I will see you soon. Meet me at Mary's tomorrow…I need to get my order from her." She smiled quickly, before heading up toward the mansion in a quick paced walk, occasionally looking back toward Will in a lingering moment. Shaking her head, she chuckled softly, and was soon out of his view.

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[[Kind of short but the public demands; chapter four will be up sometime tomorrow night hopefully. Continue reading and reviewing, and thank you for all the kind words thus far. We'll continue this if you are enjoying it.]]