Disclaimer: I don't own POTC.
SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT
Chapter 21: Closer Than Companions
Jack and Camille had discussed Will's situation and come to an agreement; Jack would do his best to put Will back together while Camille took care of the baby. It was about a week later, and things seemed to be going fine. Cadence had been no trouble at all, and Camille rather enjoyed watching and playing with her. She was able to balance out most of her duties, leaving little burden on Ana Maria.
"Ana, have you seen Jack around lately? I've barely seen the man," Camille said in the kitchen one day. Cadence was playing with a little rag doll they had made for her out of their old dresses.
"No, I really can't say I have," Ana Maria said as she kept her eye on the baby.
"Hmm, he must be working hard then to help Will out. And little Cadence here has been a very good girl as of late," she said, smiling towards the baby. Little Cadence laughed and chewed on the end of her doll.
"I have to say Camille, I certainly am impressed with Jack for doin' that. It just…well, it don't seem like somethin' the man would do," Ana Maria admitted.
"Perhaps something has just changed in the captain," Camille said as she sliced carrots.
That evening, the two women had just finished putting Cadence to bed. They were anchored at a nearby port to pick up some more provisions, mainly simple foods and diapers for Cadence.
Camille had just finished singing the baby to sleep in Gaelic when she thought she was hearing sort of an echo. Closing the door behind her, she made her way on deck. The noises were getting louder. She spotted Ana Maria leaning over the banister. "Ana Maria, what on Earth is that horrible noise?" Camille asked.
Ana nodded towards the docks. "It's Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum," she said. Camille made her way up to the banister and let her jaw drop as she saw Jack and Will staggering along, singing. Will's arm was around Jack's neck, and neither one of them had very good balance as they nearly toppled over each other before ascending the gangplank.
"-and really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho…" they said in extremely slurred voices.
Ana Maria sighed. "I knew it. I'll take care of Jack."
Camille was balling her fists in fury at seeing this. Jack had made a promise to her! She waited until the two of them got up the gangplank and then erupted into a chorus of laughter. She nodded to her friend. "Don't hold back."
"Oh, you know I won't," Ana Maria said in a dangerous tone. "When I'm done with that man, he'll be screaming for Barbossa."
They stood over the men with their arms crossed. Jack just looked up and smiled. "Evenin', loves. D'you have any rum on you?" he tried to add more to it, but just began laughing until Ana Maria yanked him up by the ears.
Camille focused on the other one. "William James Turner, what on Earth do you think you're doing?" she asked, her mouth set in a straight line.
Will looked at her confused. "How'd you know my middle name?" he slurred.
"I guessed it!" she said, before slapping him harder than she had ever slapped Jack. He staggered back, looking even more bewildered than before.
"Ouch! What was that for?" he said before sinking to his knees. She could see he was beyond any intelligible communication.
"You had better remember that in the morning if you don't remember what I'm about to say to you," she said as she pulled him up like a small child by his collar. "What the HELL do you think you're doing? All week long I have been taking care of YOUR child, only to find out that you go and get bloody drunk with Jack the entire time?" She slapped him again. "You need to be there for Cadence, you need to take care of her! Spending every cent you get on booze is NOT how to raise a child, and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit idly by and watch you throw your life and hers away! This is NOT GOING TO BRING ELIZABETH BACK, WILL!" she said, shaking him. At the mention of Elizabeth's name, she knew she had finally gotten through to him. His eyes glazed over, and he began crying. He began bawling was more like it.
Camille stood up straight with her hands on her hips. This was really pathetic. He was a complete mess. And now he was stinking drunk. She took a few deep breaths before letting herself speak again.
"Now, Will," she said, trying to calm him down. "Will, you have got to pull yourself together. I know it's hard, but you HAVE to do this for Cadence. She needs you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" she asked. He nodded slowly.
She sighed, pulling him up by the arm. "Go to bed, Will. And I don't want you touching that baby until you sober up, tremors and all. You are not to touch one drop of alcohol during the remainder of this voyage, is that clear?" she said sternly.
Will lowered his eyes. "Yes," he said softly.
"All right then, goodnight Will." She watched as he disappeared below deck. She sighed, leaning on a barrel and rubbing her temples. She heard a sudden crash and watched as a chair broke through Jack's window and landed upside down on the deck. She gasped, wondering if letting Ana Maria handle Jack had been a good idea. But he made her blood boil as well. Something told her that things would have been just the same had she had to deal with that man. She turned around and went down below, listening to the yelling until she was able to fall asleep.
For the next few days, Jack literally tiptoed around the ship. Camille never saw him, but never went out of her way to look for him since she was still terribly angry with him. Will had been scared into keeping his promise about not touching alcohol, and it was obvious because he got delirium tremors so badly that he was confined to bed.
Camille took care of Cadence as usual, and was reading her a bedtime story a few nights later when Will unexpectedly appeared. The two of them looked up. "Daddy!" Cadence exclaimed.
He smiled warmly. "Hello, darling," he said. "Camille, I'll put her to sleep. I know you've probably been on your feet all day," he offered.
She put the book down and looked at the baby. "Goodnight, Cadence." She kissed the child on the forehead and let the two of them alone, ascending onto the deck.
The night was beautiful. The ship rocked back and forth gently, and there was just barely a breeze to go with the warm air. The moon was waning away, and only a small sliver of it was left to shine just a little light on deck. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the calm of the sea take over. On nights like this, she understood why there were people like Jack and Ana Maria and Gibbs in the world.
She took a seat on the steps leading up to Jack's cabin. The lights were out, so there was no doubt he was hiding from Ana Maria. She could hear some crewmembers playing cards somewhere on deck, but didn't care to look for them.
A few minutes later, Will appeared. He spotted Camille and smiled, stepping up beside her. "May I?" he asked politely.
"Oh, of course," she replied, gesturing for him to sit down next to her. "You look healthy for once. I must've been terrifying to scare you into quitting that fast."
Will chuckled. "I have never heard a woman yell like that before. And through my years I have learned that a woman's temper is never something to question."
"Well you're certainly not an idiot like our delightful captain," Camille said, rolling her eyes.
"He was only trying to help. It was the only thing he knew to do, he's not a talker."
"Then he should've come to me. We agreed to help you do this together."
"Camille, you know as well as I do that Jack doesn't function on the same level as the rest of us," Will said. "His intentions were good."
"But he's still a bloody moron," she insisted.
He laughed. "I'm not here to badmouth Jack. I want to thank you, for everything so far. You've been a big help to Cadence and me; I can't imagine things running this smoothly for her without you."
Camille grinned. "Will, don't make me blush. You know I would do it in an instant all over again. By the by, I've just received a letter back from Annie. I told her all about the situation, and she wrote-well, she practically ordered me to bring you immediately to the house. She said that as far as she was concerned you were already a part of the family, as strange as that might seem now."
"Camille, I don't know what to say. That is wonderful news. I really can't thank you enough."
She laughed. It felt good to see Will like this; he seemed much more together. And he looked incredibly well groomed and smelled nice, as well. It was a relief to see him this way.
"Uhm, by the way Camille, I hope you don't mind me asking you this: But are you and Jack…?" he asked, lowering his voice.
"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that," she said honestly.
"Really?"
She shook her head. "I don't know what we are to each other. I'd really like to call it a friendship, but sometimes it just feels like we're merely acquaintances."
"But you've been on this ship for years now, haven't you?"
She nodded. "Aye. And believe me, at one point I think I may have actually convinced myself that I was in love with a pirate. But that was before I became one."
Will looked at her with interest. "So what happened?"
"Well, I got to know him, as bad as that sounds. I got to see him go out drinking, and sleeping with numerous, numerous…NUMEROUS women. And it didn't take long for me to realize that what I had made up in my mind to be this exciting, thrilling, newfound sense of love was nothing more than a girlish fantasy."
"Oh Camille, I'm sorry. I could have told you that," Will said sympathetically.
"No, it's okay because you didn't. And I figured it out on my own, and I'll bet it was a lot faster than most women did."
He nodded. "Most likely."
"That's the part I like."
He looked at her. "Excuse me? I'm afraid I don't understand. You mean to say that you're not crushed or disappointed?"
She shook her head. "No, not at all!" she insisted. "I like being aboard this ship, I really do. And I like Jack. He may be a womanizer, but I'm still VERY attracted to him at times. Not to mention, Ana Maria's the best friend I've ever had. Will, I have never regretted setting foot aboard this ship, even though the reasons have changed dramatically. I hope you'll feel the same way someday about your life."
Will sighed. "So do I. I'm glad you've finally found peace, Camille. Right now, I just want to protect Cadence from anything that's out there."
"Oh, and you will. You can't help but raise a beautiful girl like that less than perfectly. That child has got everything, Will. And you've given it to her."
He looked at her oddly.
"You'll know what I mean someday." She stood up, brushing off her dress. "Well Mr. Turner, I think it's time for me to retire. It's been quite a long day."
He got up and took her hand, kissing it. "I'll say it has. Goodnight, Camille. I will see you in the morning."
She smiled. "Yes. Goodnight, Will."
