Ch. 14

6 months later…

"You sure you're fine with this, love?" Will whispered, squeezing his wife's hand.

Elizabeth laughed quietly and dabbed at her eyes. "I'm fine, Will," she assured him. "Juan is a good man, and I can tell he loves Marie very much. Some things are just meant to be." Smiling, Will looked around the small room. The gathering barely resembled a wedding, considering that half its attendees were wanted criminals. Jack had at least cleaned up his appearance a bit by changing clothes and pulling his hair back to conceal the braids and ornaments, but Blackbird had been far more difficult. In the end, they had gotten her to brush her hair and wear clean shirt, and Will suspected that they would get nothing more. When informed of the engagement, Governor Swann had insisted that the young couple be married in a "respectable" location and volunteered his own parlor. The attendance was limited to family in order to retain secrecy, though they had had some difficulty finding a clergyman that could be bribed.

"…And do you, Marie Turner," the elderly man was saying, "take Juan Palacios to be your lawfully wedded husband, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Then, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the-" Before he could finish speaking, Marie and Juan were in each other's arms, kissing passionately. "-bride." As he looked at the smiling young couple, Will's concerns disappeared. He had made the right decision.

Jack grinned widely. "Well, Gov'ner," he said amiably, putting an arm around Governor Swann's shoulder. "It took me an extra generation, but I got meself related to ye."

The governor pulled away in disgust. "We are not related, Sparrow," he muttered.

"Of course we are!" Jack insisted. "Now, if my son married your granddaughter, that would make me…what? A son-in-law once removed or something?"

Governor Swann sighed disapprovingly and went over to congratulate the couple. "I'm happy for you, my dear," he said, hugging Marie briefly. "Your husband is a fine man, who hopefully does not take after his father in any way."

"I heard that!" Jack interrupted.

Marie laughed and turned back to her grandfather. "Thank you, Grandfather, for the use of your parlor."

"A trifle, my dear," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "It does my heart good to know that all sense of propriety hasn't left this family. At least someone understands the importance of settling down and living a respectable life."

Juan cleared his throat and laughed uneasily. "Yes, well…thank you, sir," he said awkwardly.

Governor Swann started to say something else, but was interrupted by a servant opening the parlor doors. "Milord, Commodore James Norrington requests your audience concerning a matter he would not expound upon. Shall I admit him?"

"Ah…tell him that I am with guests of great import and shall speak with him first thing tomorrow."

The servant bowed and left the room, only to return moments later. "Sir, he insists that it is a matter of utmost urgency, and that he must speak with you immediately." Before he had finished, the commodore himself strode in the doors. Will stiffened, but remained where he was.

"My apologies for entering without admittance, Governor, but I felt it my duty to inform you of a piece of intelligence we just received. Apparently four wanted criminals have gathered here in Port Royal for some sort of family gathering. We have received information concerning their whereabouts, and my men are preparing for pursuit as we speak." His dark eyes fell on Will. "Were I to encounter them, I might advise that they leave as soon as possible and hope that we don't catch up. I would also inform them that should we find them, we will arrest them without hesitation, which would be regrettable. I hope for their sakes that they are wise enough to escape in the five minutes before my men get here."

Governor Swann nodded. "I appreciate your dedication, Commodore Norrington. Thank you for informing me. I trust you can find your own way out?"

"Yes, sir," Norrington said, bowing shortly and turning to leave. "Oh, and the best of luck to the newlywed couple."

As soon as the commodore was gone, Will stood up. "Governor, I'm afraid our visit will have to be cut short."

"I understand," Governor Swann said wearily. "Such is the life you lead when you choose to engage in piracy. Had I known when I gave you my daughter-"

"Father," Elizabeth interrupted sharply. "We must be going…William, Lil' Jack, we're leaving," she said, motioning for the boys to get up. "Father, thank you for your hospitality."

Will turned to his wife. "Elizabeth, you and the twins get back to the Pearl by the quickest route you know. We'll go a less direct way to throw the soldiers off and meet you-"

"I don't think so, Will," she replied with a weary smile. "I learned my lesson last time. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Blackbird sighed. "We won't have to worry about any of that if you two don't hurry up!" she said impatiently. "In case you didn't notice, we have a lot of ground to cover in five minutes. Not that I'd object to a bit of practice myself, but I doubt Elizabeth shares my sentiments. Now let's go!"

Will just shook his head. "We're coming, Blackbird…" Bowing quickly, he added, "Thank you, Governor Swann. I assure you I shall take care of your daughter. I've done it for twenty years now. Goodbye, sir."
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Marie sighed as she leaned against the Black Pearl's railing. "What was that for, love?" Juan asked, resting his chin lightly on her head.

"Oh, nothing," she said quietly. "I'm just not accustomed to being a passenger on a ship. I think I much prefer working."

"That makes two of us," he agreed, kissing her briefly. "Of course, I can think of ways to pass the time…" They started to kiss again, but were interrupted.

"Eww!" Lil' Jack shouted, making a face.

"Marie, that's gross!" William chimed in.

Marie started to say something, but Juan just grinned. "Oh, you mean you gentlemen don't like it when we do this?" he asked, planting a kiss squarely on Marie's lips. The twins both made gagging noises.

"Want to know something scary?" Marie added mischievously. "One day, you'll actually like doing it."

"And so the sage advice is passed on from sibling to sibling: 'One day you'll like kissing'," Will said dryly, placing a hand on each twin's shoulder. "You two run along and stop pestering your sister and Juan. Why don't you go see if Neely will give you some hardtack from the galley?" As the boys ran off excitedly, he turned to face Marie and Juan. "And how are the newlyweds today?"

"Very well, thank you, sir," Juan said with a grin. "I never really got a chance to thank you, Will. I cannot express how much this means to me."

Will laughed slightly. "Don't worry, I think I've got a pretty good idea," he said, glancing at Elizabeth across the deck. "Some things are just meant to be."

A/N: Sorry about the wait on this one! I encountered somewhat of a writer's block for almost a week where I just couldn't motivate myself to write. Anyway, things should be going faster now because I just got my own computer and won't be sharing with brothers any more. Only one more chapter left!