Title: Fires of Purgatory: Hail Mary, Full of Grace (7/10) WIP
Author: QteCuttlfish
Author email: mizbara@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Type: Angst/Slash/Rape
Summary: Will has withdrawn from Elizabeth, and Jack drowns himself in rum. Will Elizabeth be able to heal them?
Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean, its characters, and plots belongs to Disney. I do not own any part of them, even though I wish I did…*starts dreaming of owning Jack and Will*
WARNING: Mentions of m/m RAPE! PLEASE do not read if you no like!
Pairing: Jack/Will, mentioned Will/Elizabeth, Jack/Elizabeth, will be Jack/Will/Elizabeth
Author's Notes:
Iawen: (livid) ABOUT TIME!
QteCuttlfish: (blinks) What do you mean?
Iawen: It only took you FOREVER to write this chapter!
QteCuttlfish: Oh. (glares) Only because someone told me I needed an extra scene in here! (looks pointedly at Iawen)
Iawen: (sarcastic) Oh, sure, blame the muse!
QteCuttlfish: (rolls eyes) Anyone want a muse? Only slightly used?
Iawen: (glares) You know you love me. You wouldn't really get rid of me.
QteCuttlfish: (sighs) We all make mistakes.
Iawen: Hey! I resent that!
QteCuttlfish: You resemble that? What? Yes, I know. (smirks)
Iawen: Just finish the fic already! Sheesh!
QteCuttlfish: (rolls eyes) As soon as my muse is finished throwing a hissy fit, we'll be able to get back to work. (Iawen gasps in outrage.) Anyway, sorry this took so long everyone. Thank you so much for all the reviews! As of now, between ff.net and aff.net, I have over 100 reviews! (hugs and cookies to everyone) Thank you so much!
Fires of Purgatory
Chapter Seven
Hail Mary, Full of Grace
Three months had passed since Jack had been dropped in the kitchen, yet little progress seemed to have been made. Elizabeth had almost ripped her hair out in frustration. If she didn't love them so much, she'd have killed them herself, putting them out of their misery and hers.
They avoided each other, only tolerating the other's presence when Elizabeth was with them. She'd had to pull tricks to lock them in rooms together, for all the good it did her. If it weren't for a few observations she'd made, Elizabeth would have despaired, and released Jack. But she clung to hope with the same tenacity that had pushed her to rescue Will from Barbossa's crew at all costs twice now.
Elizabeth knew love lay between the three of them, enough for each to love the other two. She could see it, and wondered how two very intelligent men like Will and Jack could miss it. Whenever they didn't think anyone could see them, they would look at the other with the oddest mixture of emotions. In both pairs of dark brown eyes lay shame, guilt, and love. Whenever she saw those emotions, it bolstered her, for as long as there was love, there was hope. If only the two fools weren't so bloody stubborn!
Elizabeth's frustration only increased as her pregnancy had become more and more pronounced, since it severely limited her physical capabilities. She couldn't wait for the baby to be born, for so many reasons. Her chief reason being that she couldn't wait to hold her baby in her arms. But she worried about the baby's arrival. She feared Jack would see the baby as a symbol that he could never be part of their lives.
Sometimes she wondered why Jack absolutely refused to forgive himself. Will had forgiven him. Elizabeth saw it in his attitude towards Jack. Later, she had asked him about it…He'd been quiet for a moment, before telling her there was nothing for him to forgive. Jack had rescued him from something worse. But before she could get him to open up more, they'd been interrupted by some such thing or other, and the subject had never returned.
Elizabeth didn't want to push them. The peace of the household was as fragile as glass. It would take very little to shatter it. She often caught Jack looking out towards the ocean. He missed the Black Pearl, longed for her. Many times, Elizabeth almost released him. But, by the grace of God, she kept silent. She knew Jack would only return to drinking himself to death, and she couldn't bear for that to happen. If Jack died, what was left of Will would be destroyed. And Elizabeth could not allow that. She refused to lose them, either one of them.
The clock chimed, and Elizabeth sighed. Dinnertime. One of the few times she could get Will and Jack to be in the same room together, without her having to lock them in. They couldn't avoid it, though they wanted to…yet they couldn't seem to manage staying away. The three were drawn to one another's presence, in spite of everything surrounding them. Elizabeth did not know it on a conscious level, but the men needed to be near her. She soothed their pain, and gave them an excuse to be near one another, without having to touch on any of their problems.
A knock sounded at her bedroom door, and Jack poked his head in.
"Need a hand?" he asked, walking over to her chair.
She smiled, taking the hand he offered her. Jack helped her get out of the chair.
"How much longer 'til we have the young one?" Jack asked.
"One month," Elizabeth answered. "I can't wait."
Jack chuckled for a moment, before abruptly stopping. Will held the doorknob, leaning against the doorway.
"Are you all right, Elizabeth?" Will looked down.
"Oh, fine, Will. Jack was just going to help me down to dinner," Elizabeth patted Jack's arm.
"Ah," Will nodded. "I'll go ahead." He started to back out into the hallway.
"Wait!" Elizabeth cried out. He immediately returned. She thought quickly. "I have two arms, and now weigh much more than I did. It would be better if I were balanced on the stairs."
Jack and Will caught each other's eyes. Will walked back into the room and took her other arm, his eyes never leaving Jack. Elizabeth secretly smiled as they headed towards the dining room. It was times like these that gave her hope. The three instinctively managed to work together without speaking. The men helped her hobble down the stairs. Their touch was so gentle, yet firm. She hoped Will could see it, to lose the fear in his eyes. Will had accidentally told her about that one day, how Jack would never forgive himself until the day Will no longer looked at him with fear in his eyes. From that moment on, she had tried to put Jack in situations where Will would have to see him in a different light, to force that fear away. It was working. She could see it, working slowly, but working nonetheless. However, Jack was being stubbornly blind. He refused to see the fear gradually leaving Will's eyes. But Elizabeth had not yet lost hope that he would. One day, he'd no longer see fear in Will's eyes. She had to keep believing that.
When they reached the dining room, Will let go of Elizabeth's arms to pull back the chair. The men helped her sit down, before taking their places at the table.
At first dinner was a silent affair, as usual. But the silence grated on Elizabeth's nerves, until she thought she would go mad.
"How has work been, Will?" she blurted out, startling all three of them.
Jack even grabbed his heart, shooting her a look that said "don't ever do that again."
Will blinked before switching his brain to the topic she had just brought up. "Um, it's been going well."
Elizabeth refused to let the conversation die after that. "I would hope so, considering the long hours you've been working."
"Commodore Norrington keeps ordering swords for the men who get commissions," Will said.
"Is his purpose in life still getting rid of all pirates?" Jack chimed in.
Will actually looked at him. "I believe so. Which may be why Elizabeth won't let you leave, so Norrington won't get you."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. Was Will…teasing Jack? She looked at Jack, who seemed as surprised as she was. But then his eyes changed.
"Are you still practicing three hours a day with those swords of yorn?" Jack said.
Will looked nervous, but not in the way he'd been nervous before. To Elizabeth's eyes, he looked embarrassed.
"Yes I do," Will said.
"Still tryin' to rid the world of pirates, one at a time?" Jack asked.
"Not all pirates," Will locked eyes with Jack. "I don't kill good men, even if they are pirates."
Jack looked away, and Elizabeth smiled.
"What is this all about?" she said.
Both men turned to her, realizing she could not know what they were talking about, since she hadn't been there.
"The first time we met, I told Jack I practiced with my swords three hours a day, so that when I met a pirate, I could kill him," Will explained.
"I had no idea you were so dedicated either," Jack added.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth said, puzzled.
"I thought he had too much time on his hands," Jack said. "So I made a suggestion."
"Oh? And what suggestion was this?" she looked from one man to the other.
"I told him he needed to find himself a girl." Will choked after Jack said that.
Elizabeth laughed.
"How was I to know he already had you in his life?" Jack winked.
"I believe you called her a strumpet," Will mock-glared at him.
Elizabeth gasped, seemingly angry, but laughing still.
"I did no such thing!" Jack defended.
"If I remember correctly, your exact words were, 'Or maybe you've already found yourself a girl, and are incapable of wooing said strumpet,'" Will said.
"I did not say that!" Jack argued.
"Yes you did!" Will insisted.
"I didn't!"
A moment of silence passed between them, before all three started laughing. Elizabeth felt warmth spread through her body, especially when Jack and Will smiled at one another. They were making progress. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
The rest of the meal passed quickly, much along the same vein. Tension still stood between the two men, but it was slowly melting away in the onslaught of Elizabeth's determination.
Elizabeth began yawning, and the two men absolutely insisted on taking her to her room. They called her maid to help her, and left her with the maid.
"Things seemed better at dinner, missus," the maid said.
"Yes they did, didn't they?" Elizabeth smiled.
The maid helped her to bed, and she fell asleep.
A craving for tea awakened her hours later. Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the windowsill. Will slept soundly next to her, his nightmares not quite starting yet. Elizabeth sat up. The craving would not go away, no matter what she tried. She finally got up, and put on her robe. Her steps lumbering, she finally made it down the stairs, and into the kitchen. She began stoking the fire to make herself some tea, when an odd noise outside caught her attention.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed, and she slowly opened the back door. She scanned the outdoors, when hands grabbed her. Her eyes widened when she saw who held her, and she tried to scream, but a cloth covered her mouth. Elizabeth's vision wavered, and she collapsed. Before she passed out, she heard snickers, and caught the word, "revenge". Then the world went black.
TBC
Extra Author's Note:
Iawen: (frustrated) What?! THAT'S where you're ending it?! NOOOOO!!!!
QteCuttlfish: (has slunk away into hiding)
Iawen: (looks around, realizes she's not there) Yeah, you'd better hide, or I'll kill you!! (howls) FINISH THIS!!!!!!!!