Chapter 4: The Tension

Sorry for the very long break. It;s been and interesting school year for me. I'll just leave it at that. I plan to update like mad this week though, so stay tuned in! Enjoy!

Jack was released by the figures. He fell, unconscious, to the ground. Elizabeth crawled over to where he lay, sprawled on the sand, no though of leaving him now. The bright sun beat down upon them and the wind picked up as she stared at the retreating figures. They were walking towards the ocean. A sound of boots, and clanking armory distracted her for a moment, and she saw Commodore Norrington making his was along the shoreline with perhaps the entire fleet of Port Royal, all in uniform, carrying their weapons, and following him. Commodore stopped at the sight of her and the sight of the figures that were towards the shore. He commanded his troops to follow in suit with a hand signal. She pulled Jack's hood over his head to make him unrecognizable, then turned to the figures who were still walking towards the water.

Certainly they couldn't be... she thought. But they were. She would have not been able to believe what she was seeing had it not been for he recent events of two years ago.

The figures were walking into the water, and disappearing beneath the murky depths.

Will ran from the crowd of the royal fleet and over to her. He caught her in a tight embrace. "My God." He whispered. "Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Will, please," she said, pulling away from him. "Save your anger, Jack's hurt."

Will glanced down at the figure lying at their feet. "Jack?" He asked.

"What happened?" Commodore had run over to them, seeming to believe that it was safe to come over now that the two lovers had had their moment.

"Jack saved me. There was a duel." She was shaking and she didn't know why. Had it not been for Will's tight grip that was still on her, she would have stumbled to the ground.

" Jack Sparrow? Here?"

Will seemed to notice that she was shaking and he looked at her oddly. "Are you alright?" He quickly asked her, looking her up and down. He gripped her arm a little tighter.

"I'm fine." She whispered.

Commdore pulled Jack's cloak off of him and shook the sand off of it. The wind whipped the sand towards she and Will, and he pulled her into his chest to shield her eyes. A sharp, stinging sensation spread through her side, and she winced, clutching her side, and she sank to her knees. Will attempted to hold her up.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong? What is it?" He tried to look her in the eyes but she wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Elizabeth?" His voice rose to a panicked tone.

She felt Commodore's hand pull her hand away from her side.

"She's been cut." He whispered.

She had no memory of how it had gotten there, but there was a gash on her side.

"It's just a..." She swallowed her. "A scratch." She tried to cover it up but Commodore pulled her hand away. She sank all the way down to the sand and Will and Commodore laid her down on Jack's cloak. She felt Commodore leave her side and Will held one of her hand, rubbing hit between his, warming it.

"Elizabeth." He whispered. "Listen to me, you're going to be alright."

"Get back to the fort! Bring medicine and bandages to the blacksmith's shop!" Commodore ordered his men to leave the beach. Then in a few moments Commodore returned to her side.

"Help Jack first." She whispered hoarsely.

"He's fine Elizabeth. He's just unconscious, he'll be awake soon." Will told her.

"He saved my life." She whispered.

Will lightly kissed her hands. "If you don't make it through this, then you won't be able to thank him." He whispered back to her.

"Hood her." Commodore said.

Will put his hand under her head and placed his other hand on her waist.

Commodore ripped at the side of her dress, pulling apart the cloth, then he placed a cloth, soaked in saltwater, on her wound.

She gasped at the harsh sting of the water and she jumped, trying to move away.

Will held her down, holding her head. "It's alright Elizabeth."

Before she could prevent it, the sting made her eyes water and she was crying.

Commodore dabbed tehe wound with the cloth, cleaning it.

She gasped and groaned, moaned and sobbed from the stinging.

"It's alright." Will would whisoer. "You'll be alright."

"I don't have a bandage." Commodore told Will. She could only hear them since her eyes were closed in an attempt to make pain go away.

"Here." Will said. The hand holding her waist let go of her and she heard fabric ripping. Once, twice, three times, fabric ripped. Finally Will's hand returned to her. "Elizabeth." He whispered to her. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." She managed to whisper back, hoarsely.

"You're going to be fine." He reassured her.

Will lifted her a bit for the Commodore to wind the bandage around her side. Finally he tied it and Will lifted her into his arms, wrapped in Jack's cloak.

"I don't need to be carried." She whispered.

"You can't walk." Will answered.

"I can and I will."

"You can't and you won't." He quickly retorted.

She didn't have any energy to argue and drifted off to sleep in the arms of her fiancé.

Later she awoke to a loud banging sound.

"Watch his head." She heard Commodore whisper.

"He's got a gash on his arm." Will whispered back.

She looked up at the ceiling to catch a glimpse of her surroundings. Then she realized that she was in Will's room, his small quarters in the back of the blacksmith's shop.

The backside of Will appeared at the doorway and the front of Commodore. Between them they were carrying the limp form of Captain Jack Sparrow.

She tried to push herself up, but couldn't. A sharp pain went through her side whenever she tried. Finally she went against her stubborn ways and called for help.

"Will." She whispered and her voice came out as hoarsely as it had before.

There was a loud thump, followed by an outburst. "Turner!" Commodore yelled.

Then she saw Will come into her line of vision.

"Yes, Elizabeth." He had grabbed her hand.

"Give Jack the bed." She told him. "Please."

"But..." Will tried to protest.

"He's more injured than I am." She told him matter-of-factly. "Just help me stand."

He put his arm around her waist, and she put her arm around his shoulders. Slowly he lifted her up and helped her stand.

Commodore dragged Jack Sparrow onto the bed and laid him there.

Thank you Commodore." Will said.

Commodore twitched a smile and then went to answer the knock at the door.

Will turned to look at Elizabeth in the silence that they stood together but she looked at the ground and made no eye contact with him.

Oh! The tension is in the air. I hope you enjoyed and I know that it wasn't long, but I'm still working on processing the rest, so I hope you liked this bit, the next chapter should be up soon!

Please review!