Chapter Twenty-Two: Suspicions, Fear, and Visions of Beauty
Will stood at the railing, staring absently into the waves of the ocean. He couldn't believe that Alaina had known that all along-since the very beginning-and had never said a single word about it.
"That damn, godforsaken wench," he said to himself between his clenched teeth. He couldn't believe he was talking this way about his own daughter.
But it was his own daughter who let the pain that he felt over Elizabeth's murder continue to grow as time went by. The girl that used to sit on his lap after dinner for a story, the girl who had always waited up for him to come home.
"You all right, Will?" Gibbs asked, coming up beside him.
Will shrugged and sighed. "She didn't trust me," he said grimly. "I've never given her any reason not to, but she didn't." Gibbs nodded and followed Will's gaze. "She let me go on a wild goose chase, knowing I wouldn't ever find him."
"I don't mean to take sides-which I'm not-but did you ever think that she didn't tell you at first because she was a little traumatized at seeing her own mother die? And at seeing the murderer?" Gibbs asked curiously.
Will turned and glared at the man. "She still should've told me," he said matter-of-factly.
Gibbs shrugged. "But she didn't, and now you have to decide what to do about that."
Will shook his head and stalked off to his cabin in hopes of find peace and solitude. And to think about what Gibbs had just said.
***
"Do you feel better?" Ana Maria asked hopefully as Alaina sat on one of the cots in the small cabin, wrapped up in a warm blanket. Alaina didn't respond. She simply sat there, staring aimlessly at the wall.
Ana Maria sighed, sitting down behind her and beginning to take out Alaina's long, matted braid. Very few people had ever seen Ana Maria, first mate of the Black Pearl, as kind and as sympathetic as she was with Alaina. Ana Maria felt a lot of compassion toward her mainly because she and Elizabeth had been good companions, and she felt like she owed it to Elizabeth to help her daughter. Another main factor was because Ana Maria understood how it felt to be betrayed by someone for whom you cared.
Jack had betrayed her once, and although they were still good friends, nothing would ever be the same between them again. She knew Jack understood that as much as she did.
"Does it ever go away?" Alaina asked suddenly.
"Does what ever go away?" Ana Maria asked curiously as she picked up the comb she had put next to her and began to detangle the girl's wet hair.
"The suspicion you have on everyone, even the ones you care about."
Ana Maria stopped for a second. "What kind of suspicion?"
"The kind where you think everyone's plotting against you, like they're going to betray you, tell your innermost secrets.fears.everything to the world?"
Ana Maria sighed and shook her head sadly. "No. You're never able to trust another human being with anything again, always afraid someone will do it again."
Alaina was silent again, and Ana Maria resumed combing.
***
"Will," A soft voice called out to Will as he lay on his small bed with his eyes closed. "Will," The voice said again and Will felt familiar fingertips trace his face.
"Elizabeth?" He asked softly afraid to open his eyes to find he was just imagining it.
"Open your eyes," She said and he heard a laugh in her voice.
He did as he was told and opened them to see Elizabeth leaning over him, a small smile on her face. Will blinked a few times, and looked around to find that he was still in his room on the Pearl, but Elizabeth was still there.
Will's heart beat rapidly and he reached out to touch her face.
"I'm here," She assured lovingly planting a kiss on his palm.
"How?" Will asked bewildered yet he took in her beauty, her lively brown eyes, her lustrous curly hair.
"I never left you Will," she reminded gently brushing back the hair on his forehead.
"I miss you," He whispered tearfully, tracing her face, taking in its familiarity, the smooth skin underneath his rough hand.
"I know, and I miss you as well, but that's not why I'm here."
Will raised an eyebrow at her not understanding. "But I'm dreaming," He said confused.
"No," Elizabeth disagreed kissing his lips. "I'm real, as real as I was when we first met."
Will put his finger to her lips to silence her. He hadn't felt her lips on his for a long time and wanted to feel her again.
"Will," She moaned as he cupped her chin and brought their lips together again. Though this time it wasn't so brief. Will savored the moment, until Elizabeth slowly pulled back.
"I came to talk about the children," She told him as he entwined their fingers together, allowing him to feel comforted. Immediately Will thought of the child they had lost when she'd died and looked sorrowfully at her stomach.
"No, not her," Will's heart jumped when he heard her. "Yes, it was a girl," Elizabeth continued with an amused smile.
"But I mean Alaina James and Jack." Will looked down at their hands, not wanting to look away from the splendor that she still possessed, but not being able to look at her face when the painful memories of that night came flooding back to him.
"I know Alaina hurt you when she didn't tell you, but she was scared, she was only thirteen Will. She didn't mean to hurt you," Elizabeth told him turning his face to her with her other hand.
Will looked up at his wife guiltily. "I know what you said to her when you were drunk," Elizabeth told him in a lower tone.
"I also know that you didn't mean it, your angry Will. Angry that I was taken away from you so soon and at that moment you blamed it on Alaina."
Will's heart was trouble again when she reminded him she really wasn't here, that she had died and wasn't there for him any longer.
"But," She continued squeezing his hand, knowing what he was thinking. "There's no one to blame for my death, it was meant to be Will."
Will nodded slowly and let go of one of her hands to play with a strand of loose hair that hung in her face.
"And as for the boys," She continued after a moment, a grin forming on her face. "There's only one thing I can tell you that will really be of any help," Will stopped twirling her hair for a few seconds and looked in her eyes.
"Patience." Will almost immediately smiled and nodded. "They're boys, they don't need to grow up anytime soon." Will agreed and a wry smile grew on her face.
"I mean; you were only a few years older when we found you. You grew up too fast and look how you turned out."
Will pretended to look hurt and Elizabeth gave a small laugh. "I love you Elizabeth," Will said after a few silent moments scanning her face over and over again each time being filled with more contentment at seeing her.
"I love you too Will," She whispered kissing his lips one last time. "And I always will, I'm yours forever, remember."
Will nodded and smiled. "Now sleep, than go talk to Alaina." She told him.
"But-" He began desperately not wanting her to leave him again.
"Sleep," She said soothingly kissing his forehead.
"Elizabeth?" He asked right before he was about to close his eyes.
"Hmm?" She asked kissing his knuckles.
"When I'm alone in my office, are you there too?"
"Sometimes," She admitted with a sigh, those times were few but they did occur. "Elizabeth?" Will asked again closing his eyes. "Yes?"
"Will this ever happen again?"
Elizabeth shook her head and put a finger to his lips. "What did I tell you? Now no more questions; sleep."
Almost immediately Will fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
A/N: Hope you like my revised version. I just thought that it was too weird so I uhh. added some stuff and took out some parts. Later!!!
Will stood at the railing, staring absently into the waves of the ocean. He couldn't believe that Alaina had known that all along-since the very beginning-and had never said a single word about it.
"That damn, godforsaken wench," he said to himself between his clenched teeth. He couldn't believe he was talking this way about his own daughter.
But it was his own daughter who let the pain that he felt over Elizabeth's murder continue to grow as time went by. The girl that used to sit on his lap after dinner for a story, the girl who had always waited up for him to come home.
"You all right, Will?" Gibbs asked, coming up beside him.
Will shrugged and sighed. "She didn't trust me," he said grimly. "I've never given her any reason not to, but she didn't." Gibbs nodded and followed Will's gaze. "She let me go on a wild goose chase, knowing I wouldn't ever find him."
"I don't mean to take sides-which I'm not-but did you ever think that she didn't tell you at first because she was a little traumatized at seeing her own mother die? And at seeing the murderer?" Gibbs asked curiously.
Will turned and glared at the man. "She still should've told me," he said matter-of-factly.
Gibbs shrugged. "But she didn't, and now you have to decide what to do about that."
Will shook his head and stalked off to his cabin in hopes of find peace and solitude. And to think about what Gibbs had just said.
***
"Do you feel better?" Ana Maria asked hopefully as Alaina sat on one of the cots in the small cabin, wrapped up in a warm blanket. Alaina didn't respond. She simply sat there, staring aimlessly at the wall.
Ana Maria sighed, sitting down behind her and beginning to take out Alaina's long, matted braid. Very few people had ever seen Ana Maria, first mate of the Black Pearl, as kind and as sympathetic as she was with Alaina. Ana Maria felt a lot of compassion toward her mainly because she and Elizabeth had been good companions, and she felt like she owed it to Elizabeth to help her daughter. Another main factor was because Ana Maria understood how it felt to be betrayed by someone for whom you cared.
Jack had betrayed her once, and although they were still good friends, nothing would ever be the same between them again. She knew Jack understood that as much as she did.
"Does it ever go away?" Alaina asked suddenly.
"Does what ever go away?" Ana Maria asked curiously as she picked up the comb she had put next to her and began to detangle the girl's wet hair.
"The suspicion you have on everyone, even the ones you care about."
Ana Maria stopped for a second. "What kind of suspicion?"
"The kind where you think everyone's plotting against you, like they're going to betray you, tell your innermost secrets.fears.everything to the world?"
Ana Maria sighed and shook her head sadly. "No. You're never able to trust another human being with anything again, always afraid someone will do it again."
Alaina was silent again, and Ana Maria resumed combing.
***
"Will," A soft voice called out to Will as he lay on his small bed with his eyes closed. "Will," The voice said again and Will felt familiar fingertips trace his face.
"Elizabeth?" He asked softly afraid to open his eyes to find he was just imagining it.
"Open your eyes," She said and he heard a laugh in her voice.
He did as he was told and opened them to see Elizabeth leaning over him, a small smile on her face. Will blinked a few times, and looked around to find that he was still in his room on the Pearl, but Elizabeth was still there.
Will's heart beat rapidly and he reached out to touch her face.
"I'm here," She assured lovingly planting a kiss on his palm.
"How?" Will asked bewildered yet he took in her beauty, her lively brown eyes, her lustrous curly hair.
"I never left you Will," she reminded gently brushing back the hair on his forehead.
"I miss you," He whispered tearfully, tracing her face, taking in its familiarity, the smooth skin underneath his rough hand.
"I know, and I miss you as well, but that's not why I'm here."
Will raised an eyebrow at her not understanding. "But I'm dreaming," He said confused.
"No," Elizabeth disagreed kissing his lips. "I'm real, as real as I was when we first met."
Will put his finger to her lips to silence her. He hadn't felt her lips on his for a long time and wanted to feel her again.
"Will," She moaned as he cupped her chin and brought their lips together again. Though this time it wasn't so brief. Will savored the moment, until Elizabeth slowly pulled back.
"I came to talk about the children," She told him as he entwined their fingers together, allowing him to feel comforted. Immediately Will thought of the child they had lost when she'd died and looked sorrowfully at her stomach.
"No, not her," Will's heart jumped when he heard her. "Yes, it was a girl," Elizabeth continued with an amused smile.
"But I mean Alaina James and Jack." Will looked down at their hands, not wanting to look away from the splendor that she still possessed, but not being able to look at her face when the painful memories of that night came flooding back to him.
"I know Alaina hurt you when she didn't tell you, but she was scared, she was only thirteen Will. She didn't mean to hurt you," Elizabeth told him turning his face to her with her other hand.
Will looked up at his wife guiltily. "I know what you said to her when you were drunk," Elizabeth told him in a lower tone.
"I also know that you didn't mean it, your angry Will. Angry that I was taken away from you so soon and at that moment you blamed it on Alaina."
Will's heart was trouble again when she reminded him she really wasn't here, that she had died and wasn't there for him any longer.
"But," She continued squeezing his hand, knowing what he was thinking. "There's no one to blame for my death, it was meant to be Will."
Will nodded slowly and let go of one of her hands to play with a strand of loose hair that hung in her face.
"And as for the boys," She continued after a moment, a grin forming on her face. "There's only one thing I can tell you that will really be of any help," Will stopped twirling her hair for a few seconds and looked in her eyes.
"Patience." Will almost immediately smiled and nodded. "They're boys, they don't need to grow up anytime soon." Will agreed and a wry smile grew on her face.
"I mean; you were only a few years older when we found you. You grew up too fast and look how you turned out."
Will pretended to look hurt and Elizabeth gave a small laugh. "I love you Elizabeth," Will said after a few silent moments scanning her face over and over again each time being filled with more contentment at seeing her.
"I love you too Will," She whispered kissing his lips one last time. "And I always will, I'm yours forever, remember."
Will nodded and smiled. "Now sleep, than go talk to Alaina." She told him.
"But-" He began desperately not wanting her to leave him again.
"Sleep," She said soothingly kissing his forehead.
"Elizabeth?" He asked right before he was about to close his eyes.
"Hmm?" She asked kissing his knuckles.
"When I'm alone in my office, are you there too?"
"Sometimes," She admitted with a sigh, those times were few but they did occur. "Elizabeth?" Will asked again closing his eyes. "Yes?"
"Will this ever happen again?"
Elizabeth shook her head and put a finger to his lips. "What did I tell you? Now no more questions; sleep."
Almost immediately Will fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
A/N: Hope you like my revised version. I just thought that it was too weird so I uhh. added some stuff and took out some parts. Later!!!
