There'll be no livin' with her after this

Chapter 10-The truth can hurt

Disclaimer: No, I don't own POTC…

Will paced impatiently around the room. He sat down in a chair. Then immediately got up. Then sat down again.

'By God, do I miss her…' he said to himself. "Damn you, Jack!" he accidentally shouted out loud.

"Damn me, mate?" Jack said, as he walked in.

Will turned to him, fuming. "God bloody damn it, Jack. Do you know how much I love her!"

Jack didn't respond.

"Do you know I've been without her for nearly two and a half months? Do you know how much pain that's caused me?"

"Do you know…" Will paused, sitting down again, and was silent for a few moments before he slammed his fist on the table. "How upset I was when I received her letters, saying she was waiting…"

"I know you love the lass, mate. Since I first met you…"

"Then if that's so", Will said, his voice filled with anger, "How could you do that to me?"

"Do what…?"

"You know what you did."

The message that Will was conveying suddenly hit Jack in the head.

"I—It didn't mean anything, mate. We both did not have our mentality..."

"Don't give me all your bloody excuses, you…you…" he screamed a horde of curse words at him.

Jack just stood there, not able to say anything.

Will gave a loud sigh, covering his face with his hands. "What disappoints me, Jack, is that you can never control yourself!" "Not even now."

Jack felt like a sharp arrow filled with poisonous guilt had stabbed him through the chest.

"It's not like I didn't figure it out, Jack." "No", he continued, when Jack gave him a questioning look. "Of course she didn't say anything. But the way you acted around her…" Tears came to his eyes. "And everything. You took advantage of the opportunity. And now you're doing it again…with that poor, innocent creature." He went off again. "They're not your strumpets!"

"Damn, Will, just hold on a tic!"

"Jack, just go! Go to Tortuga for all I bloody care! Go…"

Jack went out of the room quietly, leaving Will to sitting with his head in his hands. After a few minutes, he got up, and slammed the door and locked it.

Jack walked in silence to the Galley and by instinct, took bottle rum, and drank it in one swig. He reminisced about the time on the beach. He had been marooned for the second time. With Elizabeth.

"Mr. Sparrow!" Elizabeth exclaimed flamboyantly. "I don't think I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk."

"I know exactly what you mean, love." Jack remembered himself saying, and remembered 'sprucing himself up' for her.

"To freedom."

"To the Black Pearl…"

And that was it. Afterwards, both in a terribly drunken trance (Elizabeth possibly even more so drunk than Jack) Elizabeth came onto him.

Jack glaringly remembered the whole night; his libertine habits taking control, as they did when any girl did implying things like that. In his drunken state, he couldn't control himself. How could he refuse? But Elizabeth seducing him? He shook his head, not wanting to believe. However much he took pleasure in that passionate night, he was genuinely mortified. He knew how much that lad loved her. Of course he kept on joking and such, but never meant it. But now Will must know he did. Afterwards, Jack absently brushed off that night, as he had done with all his other frivolous affairs. He hadn't been thinking then, how it would later affect him.

"I must apologize to Will." But what good would that do, Jack second guessed himself. What's done, was done, and apologizing wouldn't mean much now. He wondered if the night had affected Elizabeth so. He reminisced again…

"Elizabeth. It would've never worked out between us, darling. I'm sorry."

Jack remembered the hurt look on Will's face when he said that.

"Oh, God, I'm so bloody stupid…Kept tellin' Will not to do anythin' stupid…I should really listen to my own advice."

Jack was about to take another drink of rum, but looked at the bottle, and put it back down. He needed to stop for a while. He heaved a great sigh, and then headed to the closest room. He opened the door and sat on the bed, facing the door.

"Jack…Is that you?" said a voice.

"Oh!" Jack instantly stood up. Jade was sitting in a chair, a book in her hands.

"I'm so sorry, love", he said with slight difficulty, and stopped himself. "No—I'm sorry."

Without another word, Jack left, walking quickly. Jade set the book down and walked to the door, watching Jack disappear into the Galley. She stood there, wondering why Jack was acting so strange. And where was Will? She had seen in him in at least three days. Maybe he and Jack had gotten into a row. But, why, she wondered.

She put her thoughts aside, and decided to turn in for the night. It was already a little past 10:00 pm. Before turning out the light, Jade heard Jack in the Galley. "Probably drinking rum', she thought.

She lay in bed for hours, unable to sleep. Mostly from worry as she still heard Jack, no matter how late it became. At about 1:00 am, Jade heard crashing, the crashing of bottles.

She jumped up from bed, unable to stand it.

"He's going to drink himself to death!" She ran out the door. It was cold in her gown, but she didn't care. She found Jack at the counter, his head buried in his arms. There were quite a few rum bottles shattered on the ground, along with some half-finished bottles on the counter.

"Captain Sparrow." She came to him, and took his arm. "Come on, Jack", she said gently.

"No, Miss, you can't get into this", he said, pushing away.

"Jack, I don't know what's going on…even though I might not care to know, but you can't drink away whatever your problems might be."

Jack looked at her, and suddenly smirked. "Sure I can, miss. Won't do no bloody harm."

He reached for the bottle.

"No, Jack!" Jade cried, grabbing his hand. "I won't allow you to do this to yourself." Tears started in her eyes. "If…If it weren't for you…I—I would've starved myself to horrible sickness…possibly death."

Jack gazed at her, surprised. He took the bottle.

"Jack!" Jade cried out.

Jack continued, until he reached the fire place, and threw the bottle in.

Jade shook with tears. Jack embraced her.