"Tell me about my father, Jack."
The question caught Jack Sparrow completely off guard-though he realized it probably shouldn't have. He was already feeling his rum, and despite young Turner's claims of propriety, the captain had spied the younger man drinking his share of liquor. From the redness around Will's eyes, it was clear that the boy was not holding it very well.
"I told you, lad," Jack said, his voice admittedly slurred. "He was a scallywag, but a good man. I know you can't seem to reckon the two, but there you have it."
Will stared at him for long moments in silence, as if he could force the eccentric pirate to speak by the force of his will alone. Finally, when it became clear that Jack had no interest in anything other than emptying his stein, Will made as if to rise. Clearly, Jack's assessment about the boy's ability to hold his liquor was correct, as Will all but fell out of his chair and landed on the littered tavern floor in an undignified heap. "I'm alright," the boy muttered. He reached for the table to steady himself, but rather than rising to his feet, Will succeeded only in nearly knocking the table down with him. The only thing that saved Jack's stein and the more precious liquid inside was the pirate's quick reflexes in catching the table before it fell. "Not used to our rum, are we lad?"
"I hate it," Will said as he pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. "I hate liquor and I hate the people who drink it."
Jack would have pointed out that for someone who supposedly hated alcohol, the younger man had certainly swallowed plenty that evening. However, it was clear from the glaze in Will's eyes that the boy was drunk and would probably just get confused. The selfish and logical part of Jack was ready to leave the boy to his own devices-to find his own way to the inn and into bed. But the sentimental part of him that Jack wished would go away insisted that he needed to make sure the boy made it safely. This was Tortuga, after all, and the denizens in the streets would surely see in young William the easiest mark they had ever laid eyes upon.
'And what would Bill say if you let his only son out and alone in this state? Besides, without him, there's no Pearl. Yes. I'll follow him for the Pearl.'
Jack sighed and spared a final mournful glance at the rum remaining in his stein. Well, no one is likely to miss it, are they? Least not as much as me.
Jack left the tavern with one arm around Will and the stein in his other hand. He took Will's too. 'No sense letting it go to waste, is there?' "Come on, lad."
Will fixed Jack with a petulant glare. "I don't need you to guide me like a child." The words would have sounded far more convincing if the boy hadn't bumped into a wall as he said them.
"Oh. Sorry." Jack released his hold on William and the younger man immediately stumbled. Jack couldn't resist a smug smile.
Will stared at the captain through blurry eyes. "Fine. I'll let you help me. But just this once."
"Are you sure? I mean, I know you have your dignity and all. Don't want to interfere where I'm not wanted."
The evil glare Will fixed on him told Jack that just because the boy was drunk didn't mean he wasn't still overly sensitive when it came to his pride. He decided to take pity on the boy and led him the rest of the way back without further teasing, though it cost Jack considerable effort to keep quiet.
Jack all but dumped Will into the straw mattress in the room they were renting. The night was still fairly young and it appeared that young William was sleeping.
'Lad's going to be mighty sick come morning. 'Specially considering we may be boarding my ship tomorrow. Ah, well. No reason for me not to enjoy the comforts of Tortuga, eh?'
"Jack..."
Will's voice was so soft, Jack almost didn't hear it. The boy was staring up at him through heavily lidded eyes. The pirate couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn that in addition to the haze of alcohol in Will's expression, he also saw a note of panic.
"Yes, lad?"
"Where are you going?"
"To church," Jack said smoothly. "I have so many sins to confess. Don't want to pass up this opportunity. I'm so rarely on land, you know."
From the confused looked on Will's face, it was clear that he didn't get the joke.
"Just rest, lad. Believe me, the more you rest now, the better it will be for you tomorrow. You've had way too much rum...if there is such a thing."
"I hate rum," Will insisted, sounding angry. "I hate it."
"Well, of course, you do. That would be why you so stalwartly refused it all evening."
"I am not a drunkard! I'm not...I'm nothing like him."
"I'm sure you're not," Jack said soothingly. "Nothing at all. Now, you just get some rest, lad, and I'm going to go see if I can't find dear Miss Scarlet. Don't want to leave without making up, you know."
William gave no indication of hearing a word Jack said. "I'm nothing like him. He has no talent. I had to learn it all myself."
"Yes, yes, of course," Jack said impatiently. "Don't want to keep Scarlet waiting."
"He's so foul and wretched and..." Will paused for long moments before raising his eyes to Jack's. "...violent."
'The blacksmith,' Jack thought darkly. Will's eyes were the eyes of a frightened and wounded child. 'So, I was right about the bastard. It's a shame he's not here now, or he'd be at the gates of Hell before dawn for touching Boostrap's son.'
"There are men like him everywhere on this cursed island," Will continued, eyes darting around the room as though he expected to find some hulking brute in the shadows, ready to attack at any moment.
"But none of them are here," Jack said. "And I shall lock the door behind me."
William stared at Jack silently for long moments. The younger man looked torn. It wasn't until Jack turned as if to leave that Will finally found his voice. "Please, Jack. Please. Don't leave me alone."
Jack was about to tell Will that he was being foolish-that no one was going to decide to enter this room as it was in a hole of an inn by even Tortuga standards. The many thieves who lived and visited Tortuga were not likely to think there was anything worth stealing in this place, which was part of the reason Jack chose it. Besides, the moon was high in the sky and sunrise was only a few hours away. By now, even the most notorious robber would be either asleep or drowning in rum.
Will's eyes begged him to stay. Jack knew it had cost the younger man a great deal in pride to ask. The boy was clearly terrified, and he looked so much like his long lost father...
'Better stay, then. Best not to spook the boy. Don't want him running off in a fit of terror. How would I get the Pearl then? It's getting late anyway. Oh, yes, far too late. I'd be better off getting some rest.'
Sighing heavily, Jack sat next to the boy. Much of the tension left Will's shoulders and the panic left his eyes, replaced once more by the haze of drunkenness. Looking at Will was like looking at a mirror back through time. A minor change in clothes and it could have been Bill sitting beside the captain. Memories of that one lonely, lovely night with Bootstrap flooded Jack's mind. Will's proximity was overwhelming and Jack found his mind awash with unclean thoughts and unresolved feelings. God, but the boy was beautiful, just like Bill. Would Will's lips feel like Bill's, if Jack allowed himself to taste them? Would Will's skin be just as soft? Would his chest look just as godly beneath that tunic?
Without realizing it, Jack found himself reaching for the laces on Will's vest. The boy was nearly asleep now, his eyes barely open.
"Tell me about my father, Jack."
Though the words had been spoken softly, they hit Jack with the force of a barrel of cold water. He snatched his hand back and regarded the barely conscious boy beside him. "Your father loved you, Will. He loved you more than anything."
A small smile pulled at the corners of Will's mouth. "He did?"
"Yes," Jack said quietly, as much to remind himself as to assure the boy. "He did."
The tiny smile on Will's face widened so slightly, it was almost imperceptible. He sighed, sounding content, and moments later, Jack heard the boy's breath take on the steady, even quality sleep.
'So lovely. So beautiful. Like the fairest angel in Heaven... Just like his father. Just like my Bill.'
Jack rose quickly from the bed, grateful that Will had imbibed too much to be disturbed by the sudden movement. This wouldn't do. Not at all. It was disturbing enough to have these stirrings for the elder William Turner, but to have them for the younger, William's beloved son for whom he had sacrificed everything... That was not acceptable.
'I need more rum.'
Jack hurried out of the inn and into the streets of Tortuga. He needed to either clear his mind, or fog it beyond the capacity for intelligent thought. Otherwise, he was going to drive himself even more insane. The sight of the busty redhead walking his way had never been more welcome. "Scarlet!" he called enthusiastically, planting a kiss on her painted lips before she could protest. "Let's find ourselves a bed shall we?"
:Author's Notes:
I am so sorry it took me so long to update. Work has been insane. That's my only excuse.
Now, to respond to feedback:
Culloden: *blushes* Thank you very much. It's good to know that English minor wasn't entirely worthless. ^_^
Leann: Thank you, ma'am. I'll try and do better with updating in the future. ^_^
Emeraldwolf: *blushes mightily* You are going to make my head too big to fit in my cubicle pretty soon. ^_^ Thanks for the continued support. And maybe in the sequel they will address the fact that being tossed into the sea would not have killed poor Bootstrap.
Alanye: Oh! So that's what the "review history button is". Learn something every day. And thanks for your continued support and I still promise to read yours when I finally finish this monster.
The question caught Jack Sparrow completely off guard-though he realized it probably shouldn't have. He was already feeling his rum, and despite young Turner's claims of propriety, the captain had spied the younger man drinking his share of liquor. From the redness around Will's eyes, it was clear that the boy was not holding it very well.
"I told you, lad," Jack said, his voice admittedly slurred. "He was a scallywag, but a good man. I know you can't seem to reckon the two, but there you have it."
Will stared at him for long moments in silence, as if he could force the eccentric pirate to speak by the force of his will alone. Finally, when it became clear that Jack had no interest in anything other than emptying his stein, Will made as if to rise. Clearly, Jack's assessment about the boy's ability to hold his liquor was correct, as Will all but fell out of his chair and landed on the littered tavern floor in an undignified heap. "I'm alright," the boy muttered. He reached for the table to steady himself, but rather than rising to his feet, Will succeeded only in nearly knocking the table down with him. The only thing that saved Jack's stein and the more precious liquid inside was the pirate's quick reflexes in catching the table before it fell. "Not used to our rum, are we lad?"
"I hate it," Will said as he pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. "I hate liquor and I hate the people who drink it."
Jack would have pointed out that for someone who supposedly hated alcohol, the younger man had certainly swallowed plenty that evening. However, it was clear from the glaze in Will's eyes that the boy was drunk and would probably just get confused. The selfish and logical part of Jack was ready to leave the boy to his own devices-to find his own way to the inn and into bed. But the sentimental part of him that Jack wished would go away insisted that he needed to make sure the boy made it safely. This was Tortuga, after all, and the denizens in the streets would surely see in young William the easiest mark they had ever laid eyes upon.
'And what would Bill say if you let his only son out and alone in this state? Besides, without him, there's no Pearl. Yes. I'll follow him for the Pearl.'
Jack sighed and spared a final mournful glance at the rum remaining in his stein. Well, no one is likely to miss it, are they? Least not as much as me.
Jack left the tavern with one arm around Will and the stein in his other hand. He took Will's too. 'No sense letting it go to waste, is there?' "Come on, lad."
Will fixed Jack with a petulant glare. "I don't need you to guide me like a child." The words would have sounded far more convincing if the boy hadn't bumped into a wall as he said them.
"Oh. Sorry." Jack released his hold on William and the younger man immediately stumbled. Jack couldn't resist a smug smile.
Will stared at the captain through blurry eyes. "Fine. I'll let you help me. But just this once."
"Are you sure? I mean, I know you have your dignity and all. Don't want to interfere where I'm not wanted."
The evil glare Will fixed on him told Jack that just because the boy was drunk didn't mean he wasn't still overly sensitive when it came to his pride. He decided to take pity on the boy and led him the rest of the way back without further teasing, though it cost Jack considerable effort to keep quiet.
Jack all but dumped Will into the straw mattress in the room they were renting. The night was still fairly young and it appeared that young William was sleeping.
'Lad's going to be mighty sick come morning. 'Specially considering we may be boarding my ship tomorrow. Ah, well. No reason for me not to enjoy the comforts of Tortuga, eh?'
"Jack..."
Will's voice was so soft, Jack almost didn't hear it. The boy was staring up at him through heavily lidded eyes. The pirate couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn that in addition to the haze of alcohol in Will's expression, he also saw a note of panic.
"Yes, lad?"
"Where are you going?"
"To church," Jack said smoothly. "I have so many sins to confess. Don't want to pass up this opportunity. I'm so rarely on land, you know."
From the confused looked on Will's face, it was clear that he didn't get the joke.
"Just rest, lad. Believe me, the more you rest now, the better it will be for you tomorrow. You've had way too much rum...if there is such a thing."
"I hate rum," Will insisted, sounding angry. "I hate it."
"Well, of course, you do. That would be why you so stalwartly refused it all evening."
"I am not a drunkard! I'm not...I'm nothing like him."
"I'm sure you're not," Jack said soothingly. "Nothing at all. Now, you just get some rest, lad, and I'm going to go see if I can't find dear Miss Scarlet. Don't want to leave without making up, you know."
William gave no indication of hearing a word Jack said. "I'm nothing like him. He has no talent. I had to learn it all myself."
"Yes, yes, of course," Jack said impatiently. "Don't want to keep Scarlet waiting."
"He's so foul and wretched and..." Will paused for long moments before raising his eyes to Jack's. "...violent."
'The blacksmith,' Jack thought darkly. Will's eyes were the eyes of a frightened and wounded child. 'So, I was right about the bastard. It's a shame he's not here now, or he'd be at the gates of Hell before dawn for touching Boostrap's son.'
"There are men like him everywhere on this cursed island," Will continued, eyes darting around the room as though he expected to find some hulking brute in the shadows, ready to attack at any moment.
"But none of them are here," Jack said. "And I shall lock the door behind me."
William stared at Jack silently for long moments. The younger man looked torn. It wasn't until Jack turned as if to leave that Will finally found his voice. "Please, Jack. Please. Don't leave me alone."
Jack was about to tell Will that he was being foolish-that no one was going to decide to enter this room as it was in a hole of an inn by even Tortuga standards. The many thieves who lived and visited Tortuga were not likely to think there was anything worth stealing in this place, which was part of the reason Jack chose it. Besides, the moon was high in the sky and sunrise was only a few hours away. By now, even the most notorious robber would be either asleep or drowning in rum.
Will's eyes begged him to stay. Jack knew it had cost the younger man a great deal in pride to ask. The boy was clearly terrified, and he looked so much like his long lost father...
'Better stay, then. Best not to spook the boy. Don't want him running off in a fit of terror. How would I get the Pearl then? It's getting late anyway. Oh, yes, far too late. I'd be better off getting some rest.'
Sighing heavily, Jack sat next to the boy. Much of the tension left Will's shoulders and the panic left his eyes, replaced once more by the haze of drunkenness. Looking at Will was like looking at a mirror back through time. A minor change in clothes and it could have been Bill sitting beside the captain. Memories of that one lonely, lovely night with Bootstrap flooded Jack's mind. Will's proximity was overwhelming and Jack found his mind awash with unclean thoughts and unresolved feelings. God, but the boy was beautiful, just like Bill. Would Will's lips feel like Bill's, if Jack allowed himself to taste them? Would Will's skin be just as soft? Would his chest look just as godly beneath that tunic?
Without realizing it, Jack found himself reaching for the laces on Will's vest. The boy was nearly asleep now, his eyes barely open.
"Tell me about my father, Jack."
Though the words had been spoken softly, they hit Jack with the force of a barrel of cold water. He snatched his hand back and regarded the barely conscious boy beside him. "Your father loved you, Will. He loved you more than anything."
A small smile pulled at the corners of Will's mouth. "He did?"
"Yes," Jack said quietly, as much to remind himself as to assure the boy. "He did."
The tiny smile on Will's face widened so slightly, it was almost imperceptible. He sighed, sounding content, and moments later, Jack heard the boy's breath take on the steady, even quality sleep.
'So lovely. So beautiful. Like the fairest angel in Heaven... Just like his father. Just like my Bill.'
Jack rose quickly from the bed, grateful that Will had imbibed too much to be disturbed by the sudden movement. This wouldn't do. Not at all. It was disturbing enough to have these stirrings for the elder William Turner, but to have them for the younger, William's beloved son for whom he had sacrificed everything... That was not acceptable.
'I need more rum.'
Jack hurried out of the inn and into the streets of Tortuga. He needed to either clear his mind, or fog it beyond the capacity for intelligent thought. Otherwise, he was going to drive himself even more insane. The sight of the busty redhead walking his way had never been more welcome. "Scarlet!" he called enthusiastically, planting a kiss on her painted lips before she could protest. "Let's find ourselves a bed shall we?"
:Author's Notes:
I am so sorry it took me so long to update. Work has been insane. That's my only excuse.
Now, to respond to feedback:
Culloden: *blushes* Thank you very much. It's good to know that English minor wasn't entirely worthless. ^_^
Leann: Thank you, ma'am. I'll try and do better with updating in the future. ^_^
Emeraldwolf: *blushes mightily* You are going to make my head too big to fit in my cubicle pretty soon. ^_^ Thanks for the continued support. And maybe in the sequel they will address the fact that being tossed into the sea would not have killed poor Bootstrap.
Alanye: Oh! So that's what the "review history button is". Learn something every day. And thanks for your continued support and I still promise to read yours when I finally finish this monster.