Chapter Nine

Will hadn't yet arrived there when Elizabeth walked down onto the beach where they had arranged to meet. She sat down on a piece of driftwood; natures hand carved chair...She fingered the sand stuck in cracks and crevices of the lumber. The complex wood had smooth, intricate designs. Pounded and tossed in winter storms by the rough waves. Now, during the summer months, it sat listlessly on the shore, bored with the calm weather and even more so calm town.

When she had been younger, Elizabeth would have thought the night to be eerily silent, but now, it was soothing. She leaned back as far as she could and gazed into the sky, the cloudy night made only a few stars visible, but they where in trade the brightest...Suddenly, the stars disappeared and where replaced by two dark brown eyes. Elizabeth smiled, bringing her head back down as Will pulled her to her feet.

For a moment...probably the most comfortable the two had had since Will had returned, they gazed into each other's eyes. Elizabeth could see all her dreams in those two dark pools of brown. She could see everything she had always wanted, but never had.

But all moments have to end, this particular one did when Elizabeth realized their "professional" relationship should not consist of their current position, which included her embraced in Will's arms. As she pulled away, Will spoke.

"I want to go somewhere." He said gripping more tightly to Elizabeth's waist and not letting her pull away, as if forgetting everything she had asked of him this afternoon.

"Will...where?" She asked, poking him in the side so he loosened his hold.

"Come with me." Will said, grabbing her hand.

"What? Will? This is not proper at all!" Elizabeth laughed, feeling like a 17 year old girl again, out late at night with her secret lover...or, at least in this case...friend.

"Just come with me." Will said. He pulled her up the slope, back into the streets, moving quickly.

They turned down alley then again down a second street, finally walking into one of the inns. Actually to be more precise, the rundown inn at the far corner of town in which Will was staying.

As Will lead her out of the quiet streets and into the bar, Elizabeth realized it was a whole new world inside a rundown tavern. All around there was noise, rum splashing, tables of men playing cards and women dancing. Will ordered two glasses of rum and then took Elizabeth, who seemed quite uncomfortable, to one of the back tables.

"Will, why did you bring me here?" Elizabeth asked, leaning in.

"Elizabeth," He said, pulling in closer, "No one cares what goes on or who comes in and out of here. Besides, everyone is too drunk to remember anything." Elizabeth laughed, but then scowled as she saw two older potbellied men eyeing her.

"Just stay out of their business and they'll stay out of yours," Will said. "Now drink up," He clanked his cup to hers, "And talk...I'm here to listen."

&

Will winced as he watched Elizabeth take another swig of rum. She had already drunk too much tonight. "WWWIIILLLYYY..." She said... "Is it okay? HAHA! If I call you Willy? HAHAHAHA!" She laughed, spilling her drink. "Whoopsie daysies! I guess we're gonna need another one o' those over here!" She yelled, but there was no one to hear her. 12 o' clock at night was the prime time in the tavern and the noise was almost as bad as Tortuga. Will had had an almost equal amount of rum to drink, but had learned to contain himself more affectively over the years. Elizabeth on the other hand...

"HEY YOU!" She screamed at a man sitting in a table next to hers, "My friend Willy here could take you down in less than a minute! HAHAHAHA!" The man looked at her questionably, then returned to his cards, "Come on Willy," She punched him playfully in the arm, "Show him you shtuff. HAHAHA!"

Elizabeth grabbed a glass of rum off of a neighboring table, took a swig, gave a large belch, then handed it back to the owner, giggling hysterically as she did so. "Did you know that I am rich? HAHAHA! And I'm married! And I have a little, itsy, bitsy boy! He's like, haha! WILLY JR! HAHAHA!" She slurred off, almost catching her mistake, then hiccupped loudly.

Will was about to tell Elizabeth that she needed to get home, he had no clue what he would do with her when they got there, but this was his mess, he had to clean it up. "Elizabeth," he grabbed her arm and began to stand her up. "We need to go...".

"I AM NOT GOING BACK!" She screamed, "I won't go back to him! I don't love him! It's all -hiccup- fake! Everything...I won't go back to real that isn't something...I mean something that -hiccup- isn't real!" Suddenly Elizabeth began to cry.

"Elizabeth, it'll be okay...I promise." Will said, stepping in towards her.

"Don't make a promise...-hiccup-...you can't keep." Elizabeth said between sobs before fainting into a heap on the floor.

Will swore as he picked up Elizabeth. He had to go clean her up. "Go back to your drinks." He told the nosy crowd who had stopped their activities when Elizabeth had fallen onto the floor. He carried her up the stairs, and with slight trouble opened the door to his rundown studio, which contained one bed centered in the room and a small window with tattered curtains.

Laying her down on the bed, he ripped off a bit of his sleeve and wet it in a bucket of cold water. She was definitely out cold. Poor Elizabeth. No...POOR WILL. What was he going to do with her? She couldn't go home like this. He couldn't just leave her on the doorstep. For his and her sake...

The cool cloth on her hot face seemed to wake her up. She stirred and then moaned. "Will?" She asked, her eyes still closed.

"Elizabeth...just lay still." He said, still mopping her head with the wet cloth.

"Will, I... am so soreeeee," she said, before vomiting on the floor, and his boots. Will stood up, cursing as he took his shoes off. Then, sitting back down on the bed, he wiped her face with fresh water.

"This was my fault Elizabeth, I shouldn't have brought you here." He said, "Just rest,"

"Will?" She said, "Willy?" She giggled again slightly. "Will, the morning after your baneshment...Willy, why didn't you say good-bye?"

"Elizabeth..." he said, holding her hand, "Your probably too drunk to understand...but I was weak...I thought it would be easier on the both of us..."

Elizabeth rolled over, giggling, but caught a glance of Will's stern, upset face, "Willy? Am I a burden?"

He brushed her face with his hand, feeling her soft, wet skin. "You could never be a burden to me, even if you tried."

Elizabeth gave him an adoring face, as if in aw of the man sitting in front of her. Suddenly she grabbed Will's shirt, pulling him down into a passionate kiss and all at once it was as if her marriage didn't exist, her fake love for the Commodore was gone and in it's place, the fantasy she had dreamt about for ten years...

Will was surprised at first, but then moved his hand down to the small of her back as her fingers wrestled with the buttons on his shirt. , "Will..." She gasped as his lips massaged her neck. "Will, I want you..."

Elizabeth's hand moved to his hair as he pulled off his shirt, before blowing out the candle and then once again, catching her in a fervent kiss.

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