Disclaimer - I don't own POTC, any characters, plots, events, settings,
etc. It belongs to Disney. Except Jen and L.J, and Charlie.
Will sat up shortly before dawn. Jack was gone, he knew. He couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had about the whole affair. He sighed and leaned against the headboard, crossing his arms over his chest in concentration. Presently, Elizabeth woke up and fumbled in the dark, reaching for his arm.
"Will? Are you awake?" She mumbled sleepily. Will took her hand and squeezed it.
"I'm up, Elizabeth." Elizabeth darted up.
"Jack's gone." She said in a rush, looking around as if she expected to see banners proclaiming this event. Will smiled dryly.
"How did you know?" Elizabeth leaned against the headboard as well.
"The house feels emptier, somehow." She whispered in the dark. Will nodded.
"Yes. And soon Jen will wake up. And we'll have to deal with it." Will grumbled. Elizabeth kissed Will's cheek.
"Well, if we're going to need all that extra energy, we should get some more sleep." She proposed, snuggling down in the covers. Will glanced down where his legs were hidden beneath the navy covers. That sounded like a wonderful idea.
Two hours later, Will stood firmly against the closet door. The doorknob was rattling violently, and he was using all his strength and weight and muscles to keep the door shut. The occupant of the closet was pushing brutally against it. Every so often the force was gone, only to return seconds later with a forceful slam. Will shoved his shoulder harder against the door and braced his feet to keep it shut. There was an almost inhuman snarling coming from inside the closet. Will was now desperately wishing he had gotten another hour or so, as Elizabeth had so proposed. But unfortunately, that hadn't worked out.
REWINDING TWO HOURS
Just as Will scuttled down and was pulling the covers around his shoulders, he heard murmuring from down the hall. Elizabeth raised her head.
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked, in a worried, sleepy tone. Will squinted into the darkness.
"Probably one of the boys." He said quietly, silently praying that was it. The murmuring grew, increasing into to normal speech level. Very, very quickly, the volume increased. It was like...hearing a cello play, and then without warning the piccolo cuts in, playing in the upper octave. A full fledged scream split through the Turner household. Will and Elizabeth bolted up, Will still praying it was Charlie or Mason. A little boy shrieking and crying about a horrible nightmare would be much better than Jen would be when she discovered Jack missing. Will ran ahead of Elizabeth, and his heart sank as he approached the boy's door and realized it was silent in there. He ran past to Jen's room. He pushed open the door and sure enough, there was Jen, standing in the middle of the room, clinging to something for dear life and screaming as if she was being attacked by a thousand swords. Will's hair stood on end as the unearthly scream grew louder.
"Jen!" He shouted, trying to be heard above the noise. There was an added roar as the door of the boy's room burst open and Charlie and L.J burst out, Charlie looking jumpy and L.J looking half scared, half ferocious.
"Mum!" Charlie shouted. Elizabeth swooped down and hugged both boys, ushering them back into their room.
"What's going on?" L.J shouted over the noise, his hands clamped over his ears. Elizabeth's heart sank as she thought of telling L.J.
"Your mother's just had a bad dream, is all." She quickly said. Suddenly, the screaming stopped and Elizabeth thanked the heavens. Her ears were still ringing. In the other room, Will was sitting Jen down in a chair.
"Jen, listen to me." He ordered. Jen was staring straight ahead, her fingers locked over whatever she was holding.
"Where is Jack?" She said. Her voice didn't match her appearance. She looked docile and frightened, but her voice came out hard and angry and defiant. Will was kneeling in front of her. He noticed her fingers creating a cage for the object, locked so tightly her fingers were white. He gently pried them apart and was shocked to see what she was holding. Jack's compass. He had engraved Jen's name on the back. As he stared openmouthed, Jen spoke again.
"Will, where is Jack?" She asked again in the same voice. Will gulped and handed her the compass back.
"Jen, Jack is gone. He set sail during the night. He asked us to watch you and L.J (Lol I've decided that L.J is easier to type, so that's what I'm using most now!) while he's gone. He, he didn't want you to come, because he thought it was too dangerous." Will said nervously, wondering if he should be telling this while she was being restrained by ten guards and he wasn't in the range of heavy flying objects.
"Jack left us here?" Jen asked, blinking suddenly and looking down at Will, her eyes clear now.
"Yes, only until he returns." Jen's face was suddenly contorted in fury. She stood up, nearly knocking Will over, and cocked the compass in her hand.
"That bloody bastard left us here while he goes gallivanting after treasure!" She screamed, throwing the compass hard against the wall. It hit and fell to the floor with a crack.. Suddenly, she ran after it, dropping to her knees and cradling it in her hands.
"It's only temporary. And you know Jack, I'm sure he'll be fine." Will said, trying to be reassuring. He didn't believe his words though. Jack was never short on confidence, and what could be dangerous enough that he didn't trust his own ability to take care of his family? Jen stood up, looking much more calm and resolute.
"I'm going after him. He took the Pearl, but I can find another passage." Jen said determinedly. Will shook his head.
"No, it's too risky. And you need to look after L.J. What is something happens to you?" Will asked. Jen grabbed some clothes out of the bag she had brought from the Pearl and hid behind a screen, changing out of her nightshirt into her pants and shirt.
"Nothing will happen to me Will. I'm going to get Jack and come back, and punish his sorry backside." Jen said fiercely. She stepped out from behind the screen, her hands on her hips. She looked much more intimidating.
"I can't let you, Jen. I promised Jack you'd stay here." Jen strode forward and put her face inches from Will's. Her eyes were lit with fire, reminding him incredibly of a tiger he'd once seen while in England.
"I'm going, Will Turner, and not you or the British navy can stop me." She growled.
And so it was that two hours later Will stood with his shoulders burning and his back aching, against the closet door. After succeeding in pushing Jen into the closet, he ordered Elizabeth to send the two boys away.
"Tell them to go to the smithy and start getting ready for the day." Will told her. Elizabeth sent the boys on their way and then paced nervously in front of the door and Will, occasionally lending her strength. For awhile, Jen had yelled curses at Will and threatened both him and Jack. Finally, she gave way to ramming the door, jiggling the knob incessantly, and sometimes screaming like some animal mid hunt. It was another two hours before Will finally let her out, and she headed upstairs flanked by Elizabeth, who was her guard for the day while Will was out. Jen had agreed not to leave, agreed to stay and watch L.J.
"He needs you." Will said softly before leaving to begin work at the smithy. Jen nodded and sighed, then continued her ascent up the stairs. She wasn't really in any condition to escape anyway. Her shoulders were heavily bruised from ramming the door, her throat was sore from screaming, and her ankle hurt from when she woke to find Jack gone and tried to get out of bed, instead getting tangled in the sheets and crashing down to the floor. But she knew as she laid down on her bed and sleep tried to claim her, that she was going to go after Captain Jack Sparrow. Nothing was going to stand in her way of recapturing that wandering bird.
Will sat up shortly before dawn. Jack was gone, he knew. He couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had about the whole affair. He sighed and leaned against the headboard, crossing his arms over his chest in concentration. Presently, Elizabeth woke up and fumbled in the dark, reaching for his arm.
"Will? Are you awake?" She mumbled sleepily. Will took her hand and squeezed it.
"I'm up, Elizabeth." Elizabeth darted up.
"Jack's gone." She said in a rush, looking around as if she expected to see banners proclaiming this event. Will smiled dryly.
"How did you know?" Elizabeth leaned against the headboard as well.
"The house feels emptier, somehow." She whispered in the dark. Will nodded.
"Yes. And soon Jen will wake up. And we'll have to deal with it." Will grumbled. Elizabeth kissed Will's cheek.
"Well, if we're going to need all that extra energy, we should get some more sleep." She proposed, snuggling down in the covers. Will glanced down where his legs were hidden beneath the navy covers. That sounded like a wonderful idea.
Two hours later, Will stood firmly against the closet door. The doorknob was rattling violently, and he was using all his strength and weight and muscles to keep the door shut. The occupant of the closet was pushing brutally against it. Every so often the force was gone, only to return seconds later with a forceful slam. Will shoved his shoulder harder against the door and braced his feet to keep it shut. There was an almost inhuman snarling coming from inside the closet. Will was now desperately wishing he had gotten another hour or so, as Elizabeth had so proposed. But unfortunately, that hadn't worked out.
REWINDING TWO HOURS
Just as Will scuttled down and was pulling the covers around his shoulders, he heard murmuring from down the hall. Elizabeth raised her head.
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked, in a worried, sleepy tone. Will squinted into the darkness.
"Probably one of the boys." He said quietly, silently praying that was it. The murmuring grew, increasing into to normal speech level. Very, very quickly, the volume increased. It was like...hearing a cello play, and then without warning the piccolo cuts in, playing in the upper octave. A full fledged scream split through the Turner household. Will and Elizabeth bolted up, Will still praying it was Charlie or Mason. A little boy shrieking and crying about a horrible nightmare would be much better than Jen would be when she discovered Jack missing. Will ran ahead of Elizabeth, and his heart sank as he approached the boy's door and realized it was silent in there. He ran past to Jen's room. He pushed open the door and sure enough, there was Jen, standing in the middle of the room, clinging to something for dear life and screaming as if she was being attacked by a thousand swords. Will's hair stood on end as the unearthly scream grew louder.
"Jen!" He shouted, trying to be heard above the noise. There was an added roar as the door of the boy's room burst open and Charlie and L.J burst out, Charlie looking jumpy and L.J looking half scared, half ferocious.
"Mum!" Charlie shouted. Elizabeth swooped down and hugged both boys, ushering them back into their room.
"What's going on?" L.J shouted over the noise, his hands clamped over his ears. Elizabeth's heart sank as she thought of telling L.J.
"Your mother's just had a bad dream, is all." She quickly said. Suddenly, the screaming stopped and Elizabeth thanked the heavens. Her ears were still ringing. In the other room, Will was sitting Jen down in a chair.
"Jen, listen to me." He ordered. Jen was staring straight ahead, her fingers locked over whatever she was holding.
"Where is Jack?" She said. Her voice didn't match her appearance. She looked docile and frightened, but her voice came out hard and angry and defiant. Will was kneeling in front of her. He noticed her fingers creating a cage for the object, locked so tightly her fingers were white. He gently pried them apart and was shocked to see what she was holding. Jack's compass. He had engraved Jen's name on the back. As he stared openmouthed, Jen spoke again.
"Will, where is Jack?" She asked again in the same voice. Will gulped and handed her the compass back.
"Jen, Jack is gone. He set sail during the night. He asked us to watch you and L.J (Lol I've decided that L.J is easier to type, so that's what I'm using most now!) while he's gone. He, he didn't want you to come, because he thought it was too dangerous." Will said nervously, wondering if he should be telling this while she was being restrained by ten guards and he wasn't in the range of heavy flying objects.
"Jack left us here?" Jen asked, blinking suddenly and looking down at Will, her eyes clear now.
"Yes, only until he returns." Jen's face was suddenly contorted in fury. She stood up, nearly knocking Will over, and cocked the compass in her hand.
"That bloody bastard left us here while he goes gallivanting after treasure!" She screamed, throwing the compass hard against the wall. It hit and fell to the floor with a crack.. Suddenly, she ran after it, dropping to her knees and cradling it in her hands.
"It's only temporary. And you know Jack, I'm sure he'll be fine." Will said, trying to be reassuring. He didn't believe his words though. Jack was never short on confidence, and what could be dangerous enough that he didn't trust his own ability to take care of his family? Jen stood up, looking much more calm and resolute.
"I'm going after him. He took the Pearl, but I can find another passage." Jen said determinedly. Will shook his head.
"No, it's too risky. And you need to look after L.J. What is something happens to you?" Will asked. Jen grabbed some clothes out of the bag she had brought from the Pearl and hid behind a screen, changing out of her nightshirt into her pants and shirt.
"Nothing will happen to me Will. I'm going to get Jack and come back, and punish his sorry backside." Jen said fiercely. She stepped out from behind the screen, her hands on her hips. She looked much more intimidating.
"I can't let you, Jen. I promised Jack you'd stay here." Jen strode forward and put her face inches from Will's. Her eyes were lit with fire, reminding him incredibly of a tiger he'd once seen while in England.
"I'm going, Will Turner, and not you or the British navy can stop me." She growled.
And so it was that two hours later Will stood with his shoulders burning and his back aching, against the closet door. After succeeding in pushing Jen into the closet, he ordered Elizabeth to send the two boys away.
"Tell them to go to the smithy and start getting ready for the day." Will told her. Elizabeth sent the boys on their way and then paced nervously in front of the door and Will, occasionally lending her strength. For awhile, Jen had yelled curses at Will and threatened both him and Jack. Finally, she gave way to ramming the door, jiggling the knob incessantly, and sometimes screaming like some animal mid hunt. It was another two hours before Will finally let her out, and she headed upstairs flanked by Elizabeth, who was her guard for the day while Will was out. Jen had agreed not to leave, agreed to stay and watch L.J.
"He needs you." Will said softly before leaving to begin work at the smithy. Jen nodded and sighed, then continued her ascent up the stairs. She wasn't really in any condition to escape anyway. Her shoulders were heavily bruised from ramming the door, her throat was sore from screaming, and her ankle hurt from when she woke to find Jack gone and tried to get out of bed, instead getting tangled in the sheets and crashing down to the floor. But she knew as she laid down on her bed and sleep tried to claim her, that she was going to go after Captain Jack Sparrow. Nothing was going to stand in her way of recapturing that wandering bird.