Title: Dragonfly

Author: Muse a.k.a. Viorith

Rating: R for sexual content and violence.

Pairing: Will/OFC, Jack/Anna-Maria

Feedback: Hell to the yeah!

Archive: Ask first please_

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with PoTC, I'm just playing with them. I do own Sabine. So please ask if you want to play with her.

Summary: Sabine has loved Will since she was 16, but since his eyes were for Elizabeth only, she settled for his friendship. A year after the curse is lifted, Sabine now needs him to teach her the way of the blade so she can avenge her father's death on a man that once called himself his friend.

Chapter 16

A stretch pulled at the waking muscles in Will's body, as a yawn tugged his mouth. He rolled over, in search of a comfortable position so his body could return to slumber, but never found one. As his body woke, so did his mind, and with it the realization that he was still alone.

He had finagled the key to Sabine's room from the innkeeper, with the intention of being there when she walked through the door. The only problem was the morning was upon him, and she still hadn't arrived. Like sails catching the wind, his mind raced pass any plausible excuse to the one that stood out among all others: Sabine had been injured. It was the only viable reason she hadn't come back last night.

He pushed himself up quickly, groaning only slightly when the remaining alcohol soaking him brain protested to the rapid movement. He remembered the storm last night hadn't subsided until late. Had she tried to come home before it ended and met with harm? Or had something happened to her as she tried to make her way home in the dead of night that followed?

He climbed out of the bed and would have rushed the door had it not opened first. Emerging from the hallway beyond was Sabine, but dressed completely different than when she had left. The morning gown she wore was made mostly of lace, with a shawl that covered her shoulders. Her dark curls spilled down her back and around her face, to the point of obscuring her vision. She had no idea she wasn't alone in the room until she turned and gave a quick yelp of surprise.

No words passed from either of them for several seconds as they simply took in the other. Sabine looked fresh and renewed. Her skin radiated a healthy glow, her eyes looked bright and alert; she reminded Will more of the vibrant young woman who used to keep him in his place back in Port Royal before tragedy struck. He on the other hand looked worn.

He had the look of someone who had seen way too much, way too soon. His eyes didn't hold the vitality of youth, but the regret and disappointment that comes with age and knowledge of the world.

"What are you doing here?" Sabine finally questioned. She moved from the door, removing the shawl and gloves as she crossed to the satchel that held a change of clothing. On the way she noticed the bed and the way the blankets were disturbed, but only slightly. "You slept here?" she pushed, careful to keep the accusation from her voice.

"I was waiting for you," he confessed turning to face her, but unable to maintain her gaze for long.

"Why?"

"I wanted to talk. I thought maybe we could talk."

It was more the softness of his voice that had Sabine halt her movements and give her friend the full weight of her eyes. The last time she had heard his voice take on the gentile tone had been right before he told her Elizabeth was wedding Norrington.

"What do you want to talk about?" her voice dropped, a soft tone to match his. She took a step towards him, but only one.

Will parted his lips, there was so much he wanted to say to her. So much he wanted to make clear between the two of them. He wanted things to be as they were, but he also wanted them to be different. He remembered the kiss that passed between them on their way to Tortuga, even though it now seemed years in the past.

Staring at her now, he wondered what it had been like between them that night, but mostly he wondered what happened between her and Oliver. Had it been the rain that kept her from returning, or had it been something else. He recognized the jealousy. It was an emotion he was all to accustom to feeling. Always directed at Norrington, and always because of Elizabeth.

He wanted to grab her by the shoulders, shake her, and demand she tell him everything that happened between them last night. Instead he questioned, "Are you continuing with m--- us?"

"Yes," she replied.

He nodded, turned, and left still leaving so much between them unsaid.

~~~

The wind had been calm most of the afternoon, withholding the cooling breeze and allowing a hot sticky heat to settle over the ship and her crew. Most of the men above and below deck had removed their shirts, although a handful kept them on to combat the harshness of the sun's rays.

Below deck, in the semi-privacy of the training room, Sabine had removed her shirt as well, leaving only the white cotton bandages wrapped around her torso to cover her breasts. Her shoes were removed, and her pants rolled up past her knees. Her hair was collected and twisted at the nape of her neck, secured in place by two small wooden sticks. Sweat covered her body in a fine sheen and pooled at the hollow of her throat.

Her opponent, Captain Sparrow, had removed his shirt and had also rolled his pants up past his knees, but his long locks remained loose and unruly as always. The scarf covering his hair was soaked through, and sweat dripped from his brow and chin. Still, in the heat, he maintained the smirk on his lips that gave him the look have knowing the answers to the greatest riddles of the world.

If the sweat dripped into his eyes and stung, he gave nothing away as he circled Sabine with the precise movements of a Tiger stalking his prey. He tested her defenses by lunging forward and striking his sword against hers, only to swing it around in a downward arc. She reacted as he knew she would, and defended the blow that had the ability to remove her head from her neck. The movement hadn't been as fluid as Jack would have liked, but her finesse would improve with her experience.

It was Sabine's turn to test the water, and her quick reflexes caught the pirate off guard for a fraction of a second. Had she been skilled enough, that lapse would have been all she needed, but it was Jack that was able to capitalize on his own mistake. He parried to the left, pushing her blade up with his as he hooked his heal around her ankle.

Sabine sprawled to the ground, her sword flying from her hand and landing a foot out of her reach. She scrambled forward, her fingers reaching for her blade, when the flat of Jack's tapped against the back of her hand.

"If we were in a real fight, you would be dead by now," he teased before allowing her to retrieve her weapon and regain her footing.

"That wasn't a fair maneuver," she chastised. She examined her elbow for bruises slapping her palm down on a mosquito drinking from her forearm.

"There's no such thing as a fair fight, Dragonfly. The quicker you learn that, the longer you'll live. If hitting a man over the head with a bottle of rum keeps him from skewing you, you'd do good to go for the rum."

"Will says there are rules that must be followed in a fight."

"William is an idealist. Idealist don't make good pirates. They tend to die quickly."

Four bells clang above signaling the beginning of the last dog watch and the end of the day's sword practice. Sabine wiped at the sweat on her brow and flexed her fingers. They felt a bit stiff and achy, but she dismissed it as a side effect of her tumble to the deck. Jack sheathed his sword and grabbed his shirt, using it as a towel to wipe the sweat from his torso and under his arms.

With his back to her, Sabine saw for the first time the scars that marked his flesh from what she assumed were past whippings. Some were faded, and appeared to be little more than small outlines. Others were longer and carved into his skin.

"Jack, can I ask you something?"

"He does care for you," the Captain began still toweling himself off. "He stares at you when you're not looking, and you can see it in his eyes. Not sure if you loves you, although I doubt he's even sure of that, but--"

"Jack," Sabine cut him off, "That wasn't what I was going to ask."

"It wasn't?" he questioned and received a shake of her head. "Oh," for a moment he considered telling her to forget everything he said, "Well then, what was it you were going to ask me?"

Sabine hesitated, not sure if she should laugh at the confession of Will's feelings he just made, or if she should ask him to continue. She wondered how much of what the pirate said was true, and how much of it had Jack's personal spin on it. She knew the adventure he and Will had been on, but time had passed since then, and neither had tried to contact the other. Did Jack know Will well enough, or was he confessing something Will had told him in confidence?

As tempting as it was to push the topic, she chose not to. There was something between her and Will, but she wasn't sure what it was, what it would develop to, or if it was meant to develop at all. Maybe in the scheme of things, her and Will were meant to be nothing more than friends.

"What made you become a pirate?"

Jack frowned as if he didn't understand the question. "Come again, luv?"

"Why did you decided to be a pirate? It's not exactly a respectable vocation."

"Need I remind you, you came to me to help you get into this non-respectable."

"I meant no disrespect, it's just… children don't say: 'I want to be a pirate when I grow up'."

"That depends on the child, luv," Jack informed giving her that cheeky smile. "Not everyone is as luck as you. Not all fathers are as loving as yours."

"A hard life is not an excuse for criminal activity."

"No, but criminal activity is better than death by starvation, or counting on the mercy of unmerciful people. For a slave, piracy is freedom from a master that only cares about them as long as they are productive and obedient."

"And for you?" she pushed.

"For me it was the escape of a London orphanage, that was little more than a child work house. It's where me mother left me when I was six, and where I would have died by the aged of twelve had I not skipped out. Work to slow and its that lash. Talk, and it's the lash. The lashed me for just about anything, sometimes they didn't even need a reason."

"I'm sorry," Sabine stated looking down ashamed. "I didn't mean to pry."

"Of course you did, luv. You saw the marks and you got full of curiosity. Fortunately for you, I like talking about meself."

That brought the smile back to her lips and eyes. "Then how about telling me how you came upon The Pearl."

Sparrow gestured to the sakes surrounding them and made himself comfortable upon one as well. He was contemplating the best way to launch into the tale but never got the opportunity to begin.

"Captain Jack!" Gibs called several times before he entered the room, then came to a skidding halt. "We're coming up on a nasty looking storm, Captain."

"Sorry Dragonfly, looks like this will have to keep for a later time."

The three of them headed up, Sabine remembering to grab her shirt only as she passed it on the way out. Having Jack see her without it was what she imaged it would be like to have a brother see her that way. Having a crew of men who were still, for practical purposes, strangers was something all together different.

When the three emerged from below deck a difference awaited them. The sky that had been blue and blazing with the afternoon sun when they began practice was now gray. Thick clouds blocked out the yellow rays, and thicker clouds closing in on the horizon all but turned the remaining day to night.

The wind had picked up drastically and the waters that were once calm slammed against the side of The Pearl and rocked her against on the waves.

"Jack!" Will called from the helm. He fought against the wheel to turn into the winds that were now filled the sails.

"We need to drop canvas, sir," Gibs offered, "Take down the sails and run out the sweeps."

"No," the Captain ordered, "We take down the sails and we're at the mercy of the storm."

Jack moved to the rear of the ship and relieved Will from the helm. "Secure the ship!" he ordered. "Make sure the sails are tied fully extended, down, and secured."

Will nodded and went to pass the order along to the rest of the crew. "Sabine!" he grabbed her arm and steadied her on deck as a large wave crashed against the ship and spilled partially over the side. "Stay close to me."

The young woman said nothing, but as they worked to secure the sails ties she made sure she didn't stray to far from the Blacksmith's side.

Jack turned the ship around a hundred eighty degrees, in hopes that with the new howling wind he would be able to keep the ship just ahead of the storm, but it moved too fast, and quickly over took them. Hard rain fell from the clouds, pelting the deck and everyone on it. With the added rise of the waves over the side, it wasn't long before the wood became slippery, and every other step was followed by falling to the ground.

Before long, the crew was reduced to holding onto anything stable to keep from sliding over the edge, or getting pulled over by the massive waves. Jack alone remained standing at the helm, and the rest of the crew prayed the experience Captain would see them safely through the storm.