Ch. 11

"I'm not going to ask you again, mate," Jack said, pacing impatiently back and forth across the cabin. "Whose blood do we need?"

Barbossa stared up impassively from the chair he was tied to. "You're even stupider than I thought, Sparrow," he sneered. "First you destroy my ship, then you make me and my men captives. You expect me to actually tell you anything? How does this benefit me in any way?"

"Surely you don't enjoy being cursed," Jack pointed out, trying to stay calm. "Don't you want this all to be over?"

"I don't see the rush," Nathan replied casually. "You see, Jack, I'm a very patient man when I need be. If you're trying to pressure me, I can assure you now that it's a waste of time. You're just going to have to face the fact that it's going to be a very long time before I agree to anything."

"Fine!" Jack said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "But I hope you find your cell accommodating, Mr. Barbossa, because you will not be going anywhere until you cooperate."

Nathan grinned as two of the crew members grabbed his arms to lead him back to the brig. "Patience is a virtue, Captain Sparrow," he said, turning his head to face Jack. "And you're about to get a very long lesson in it."

Jack waited until the men had left to sink into the empty chair. Rubbing his forehead wearily, he sighed. This was turning out to be a lot more complicated than he'd thought.

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"I told you he wouldn't tell us anything," Blackbird said when Jack had informed her of the situation. "He's as stubborn as they come, Jack. I should know; I was married to him for three years. We took his ship and his freedom. All he has left over us is that piece of information, and he'd sooner suffer for fifty years than give us the satisfaction of defeating him completely."

"I'm beginning to see why you hated this guy so much," Jack muttered.

She simply nodded. "So…what are you planning to do? I noticed our course is still taking us to Isla de Muerta."

"I figure we need to get as close to lifting the curse as we possibly can, so that if and when Barbossa's resolve does weaken, all we need is the one individual's blood," he explained. "You and Will need to go ahead and take care of it now. If either of you lost your piece of gold somewhere…"

"I know, Jack," Blackbird assured him. "We could be stuck this way a very long time. However, at the rate things are going with Nathan, we'd probably already have had time to find it, lose it again, and find it again before he tells us anything."

Jack grinned wryly. "Glad to see you're retaining your healthy optimism through all this," he commented.

"It's what I'm here for," Blackbird replied, standing up and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, mate. We'll get through this…eventually."

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"They're so little…" Marie said adoringly, looking down at her baby brothers. "Daddy, was I ever that little?"

Will smiled. "When you were first born," he replied. "And now look at you. I bet you'll be a big help with your little brothers, won't you?"

Marie nodded earnestly. "Yes, Daddy," she said, sitting on his lap.

"Have you decided on names yet?" Jack asked, picking up one of the twins.

"You're holding William right now," Will said. "We're still not sure about his brother." He looked at Elizabeth, who nodded. "Actually…we would be honored if we could use your name, Jack."

Jack looked up in surprise. "Sure, I guess," he replied with a grin. "I mean, who can resist such a roguishly handsome name as that? William 'ere sure fits his namesake, though…I think I'm officially old."

"And how's that?"

"Seems like yesterday I held you like this," Jack explained. He shook his head at the memory. "Bill sure was proud of ye. He told your mother from the start that you'd be a pirate one day, just like your old man."

"My children are not going to be pirates, Will Turner," Elizabeth said, pretending to be serious, but failing miserably. "Do you understand?"

Will threw his hands up in surrender. "I didn't say a word. You'll have to take this one up with Marie, I'm afraid."

Marie grinned and climbed up beside her mother in the bed. "Don't worry, Mama," she said, leaning again her mother's chest. "I'll be a good pirate, just like Aunt Blackbird."

"Maybe you shouldn't tell your mother that," Will whispered, laughing at Elizabeth's expression. He scooped Marie up in his arms and turned to leave. "Come on, luv. Your mother and brothers need their sleep."

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Sighing, Will leaned against the wooden rail and stared out at the dark sea.

"You're out here late tonight," a voice said, yanking him out of his thoughts. "You usually go below deck before now…at least recently."

Will whipped around to see Elizabeth standing there. "Moon's not out right now," he said simply, shrugging and resuming his original position. "You're out late yourself. Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not sure why…Something about this whole business makes me uneasy." Looking up and seeing the moon starting to come out from behind the clouds, Will suddenly dodged into the shadows before it could fully emerge. "What was that about?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nothing," he muttered. "I just felt like standing over here."

"Is it the moonlight?" she asked persistently. "Will, surely you know I won't be bothered."

Will avoided her steady gaze. "…Are you so sure about that, love?"

"I'm positive. If you think that I married you for your looks, Mr. Turner, you are sadly mistaken," she teased.

"You really want to see what I look like?" Will asked hesitantly.

"I do. If I can stand a ship full of undead pirates, I think can stand my own husband."

He waited for a minute, then suddenly stepped out, extending a hand toward her. Without thinking, she recoiled from the skeletal arm. "Still think you're not scared?" he asked, grinning sadly.

"You just startled me, that's all," Elizabeth said. She studied her husband carefully. "Not your best look," she finally concluded, trying to make light of the situation. "I do hope it won't be permanent."

"That makes two of us..." Will muttered under his breath, looking away from her.

"Will, I'm sorry...I didn't mean..."

"I know," he said wearily. He flexed his fingers absently, causing the exposed joints to creak slightly. "…I don't know how much longer I can take this, Elizabeth."

"What do you mean?"

"This," he repeated, indicating his skeletal body. "I can't believe I was such an idiot. I thought this would be short-lived. Now, every passing day is torment. I never would have thought that I would long for mortality, but I do…I want to be me again, Elizabeth. You can't imagine how much I struggle to fend off the curse's hold over me mentally. It's like a persistent voice in my mind, growing stronger every day... and the worst thing is, there's nothing I can do about it."

He started to walk away, but Elizabeth grabbed his skeletal hand. "Will…" she began struggling for the right words. "…I love you regardless…Know that."

A/N: Pretty short chapter...keep reviewing... :)