Chapter 3: The pistol
As always, I don't own pirates. I never had, and sadly, never will.
I'm an evil authoress, huh? You'll hate me at the end of this, I promise.
...
Jack strode into a tavern. He didn't care anymore. His shoulder still burned where Elizabeth had touched him. His body ached to hold her. And he knew one way to chase those horrid feelings away.
A cup of strong rum.
He sat at the bar, his hat pulled down low so no one would recognize him. He sat with his shoulders hunched over the bar, while he moved only enough to signal a bartender over.
"Wha' can I get fer ye?" The barmaid asked, resting an arm on the bar before him, giving him a view of her cleavage.
"Just a rum," Jack whispered, hoping to have concealed his voice enough.
"Aye, but a moment then," She said, then went down to the end of the bar were the barrels of rum were. When she returned, she set the mug before him and winked, "Just holler if ye need anythin'. Anythin' t'all," she said, running her tongue over her lips.
He nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't interested. At the moment there was only one person he was interested in, and she was off limits.
And this would be the first time he wouldn't listen to the compass. He followed the compass where ever it pointed, but not this time. No, he wouldn't this time. Elizabeth wasn't for him. She was the woman for Will, not for Jack.
The bar was dark, with candles lit at the tables and the two chandlers above the bar were lit, with a few candles out. Smoke hung in the air, and you could hardly hear any one person talk above the murmur that filled the room. But, amidst all the noise of men calling women and the women responding, Jack heard Will talking.
He was looking for Jack. For a reason that Jack didn't understand.
Rather than finding out, he quickly finished his rum, and headed out the door.
Elizabeth paced around the deck. It had been hours now since Jack had shown up and left.
And sadly, it was only after he left that she realized that they were looking for him.
She stopped pacing suddenly, standing at the bow, with her hands behind her back and she rocked on her heels. "Why did you leave, Jack?" she whispered to herself, hopping no one heard her.
But she wasn't one to hope anymore
"Still thinkin' about that bastard, Elizabeth?" Will said, his words slurring just a bit.
Elizabeth slowly turned around to see an unbalanced Will standing before her. He clothes were wrinkled now, and there was a bit of dirt smudged on his face. His hair was mussed up, and there was the heavy sent of rum emanating off of him.
"Will, since when do you drink?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her hands over her chest. She hoped the sudden question would take them off the subject of Jack.
But it didn't work.
"Wha' do ye see in him? Remember how, he was gonna trade my LIFE for a SHIP? Do ye remember, Elizabeth? Do you remember how ye hated him so?" Will said, taking a sloppy step forward
She took a deep breath. She remembered. He was going to use Will was leverage to get the ship, and still have him alive. And she only hated him so for a while, and only because of the way he had treated her.
"We should get you to bed, Will. You're going to have one aching head tomorrow morning," She said with a small smile. "We'll discuss this further when you're sober." Elizabeth said, moving towards him while reaching for his arm.
"No, dammit, we'll talk about it now!" He shouted, whipping back.
She pressed her lips together, and clasped her hands in front of her.
"Why, Elizabeth? Why him? Why mess everything we had up? Why now!" Will shouted, his eyes misting over. He knew it wasn't very male to cry, but what else was he to do. His love, doesn't love him.
"To be honest, Will. I don't know why. It just happened."
"It just happened? Nothing ever just bloody happens, Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth was biting her lip so hard, it was a wonder it didn't bleed. She didn't want Will to be like this. It was worse since he was drunk, too. She had hoped that he would have understood that it was just a simple matter of falling out of love with some one, and falling in love some one else.
But, it was obvious to her, that Will was a jealous man.
"I'm sorry, Will," She said, the vulnerable sound of her voice frightened her. It meant she was on the verge of tears.
"You're bloody sorry! Is that all ye can say! You're bloody, sorry. Ye bet you're cheating ass you're sorry," Will said, a menacing glare in his eye.
A pistol came out from behind his back, it was loaded and pointed a Elizabeth.
"I can't live knowing that you would be in Jack's bed. But, I'm too big of coward to kill myself. If I can't have you, then Jack can't either," he said, cocking the gun.
"Oh, god," Elizabeth whispered, her eyes fixated on the pistol.
The breeze kicked up Jack's coat as he walked along the docks. He didn't know why Will was looking for him. He was actually surprised to see that Will still wanted to talk to him after what happened.
Jack walked without direction for some time. It was well into the night, possibly early morning. He hadn't been out this late walking since he first came to Tortuga.
And the same thoughts that had plagued him a week ago, still held true now.
And because he had seen Elizabeth again, it only brought those thoughts to the front of his mind again. He didn't know why he felt like this for Elizabeth. He didn't know why that because she had kissed him then left him to die, killed him inside. He didn't know why he enjoyed having her, and just her, aboard his ship.
He had his gaze fixed on the wooden blanks that made up the docks as he walked, and before he knew it, he was standing before the ship that Elizabeth had been on.
The one that the compass pointed to. Only, it was pointing at Elizabeth. Not the ship.
He growled low in his throat at that thought, then he strode onto the ship, hoping Elizabeth was keeping watch so they could sort this out.
Walking on to the deck didn't go as he thought it would.
Jack walked in on quite a scene. Elizabeth was standing a few yards away from Will, with tears in her eyes. And Will had a pistol loaded, and pointing at Elizabeth. He was glaring at her, like the look he was giving her kill her instead of his firearm.
Elizabeth slowly backed away from Will. He'd gone insane with jealousy over something he didn't understand. Over something that neither of them could've helped.
And now she was going to die. Going to die for loving another man.
"Will, please. You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing," Elizabeth said, barely above a whisper.
"Dammit right I'm drunk. I'm also very, very mad," he slurred, taking an unbalanced step forward.
Elizabeth gasped. Will cocked the gun.
The end is here, Elizabeth thought as she turned her head away from Will.
That's when she saw her hero. Dressed in his long cape, he went for Will.
Elizabeth smiled as she watched as Jack silently walked towards Will.
But he wasn't quiet enough. Will glanced over and saw Jack. Instantly Elizabeth was forgotten and the barrel of the pistol was aimed at Jack.
"Ye greedy bastard," Will said, his red eyes glaring at Jack.
Jack froze as the gun was directed at him. He didn't want to get shot, but he didn't want to see Elizabeth get shot either.
"I've no idea wha' ye are talkin' 'bou'," Jack said, placing his hands behind his back. He began to slowly pace in front of Will.
"Bullshit. Ye couldn't stand ta see me happy, could ye? Ye just had ta go for something ye couldn't have, huh?" Will asked.
Jack paused for a moment, then continued with his pacing. "I still don't understand wha' ye are accusin' me of, mate."
Will gestured the pistol at Elizabeth, "Her! Ye had to have HER! Ye didn't like that she would risk her life for me, and I for her. Ye wanted that!"
Jack stopped and stood in front of Will, the pistol pressed to Jack's chest. "Why, Dear William, would I want a woman for, when I have the ocean. Whatever Elizabeth told you, never happened. I don't have feelings for her, and she doesn't have feelings for me. So lay off, and go get rest, you look like shit," Jack said, then turned on his heel and marched off of the ship.
"Bullshit," Will said, then fired the pistol.
Hate me yet?