A/N: My apologies for the wait, it was longer than I intended. Now, finally, is the chapter where we meet our mystery man, as one of my reviewers called him! Hope everyone enjoys and don't forget to review!
Chapter Four
A few hours after Will left Tortuga we find our illustrious pirate captain in his cabin studying a bunch of maps by the light of an oil lamp. Most of his crew was off in Tortuga getting drunk. Most, but not all, as was proved when there was a sudden knock on his cabin door.
"Come on in," Jack drawled, looking up from the map that he had been marking a course on. "I thought ye would be in the Treasure Hut by now," Jack remarked, referring to Gibbs' favorite pub, when Gibbs entered into the room.
"Aye, I was just about to head there. Just thought I'd let ye know that when young Mr. Turner was here he was asking about-"
Here Jack cut him off and said, "I'm aware. He asked me about him too. Interesting choice ye made, tellin' him he was one o' the crew."
Gibbs shifted his weight uneasily, "Aye, well I weren't expecting him to ask me about him."
"It's alright mate, I went along with it," Jack told him.
"Eh, well Will isn't the only one who wants his presence explained Cap'n. The crew is curious about him too, and they want to know what he's doing here," Gibbs informed him.
"That's to be expected. Everything will be explained soon though," Jack said simply, in a tone that made it clear the conversation was over. "He's about ready now, and we'll take our cue from him, savvy?"
"Aye Cap'n. I thought ye'd say something to that effect," Gibbs remarked.
Once Gibbs had excused himself and left to head to his pub Jack sighed slightly and resumed marking out a course on one of his many maps. "They want to know about me don't they?" a voice from the doorway asked.
Jack glanced up to see his old friend Bootstrap Bill standing there and said, "Aye, they do at that, and it's nearing time we should tell them." Bill nodded a little uneasily. "Will should know too," Jack added.
"Aye," Bootstrap said worriedly, "I suppose you're right. They do gotta know sometime." Jack nodded silently as Bootstrap gazed unseeingly at the maps strewn all over his desk.
Another day passed, and much to Will's relief he could now see Port Royal in the distance. It had felt good to be back out at sea, even for such a short time and he had enjoyed it more than he cared to admit, but nonetheless it was good to be back home. After reaching the docks he quickly paid the Harbor Master and returned the little boat he had rented, then he headed off to see Elizabeth and tell her off his trip.
When he was finally at the Governor's mansion and had his arms around Elizabeth once again he sighed in contentment. "Did you find Jack?" she asked eagerly after their initial greetings were over.
"Oh, I found him alright," Will said, "I even spent a night aboard the Black Pearl."
Elizabeth shuddered, remembering her time on the Pearl while it was under Barbossa's rule. "Did you enjoy your stay?" she asked.
"It wasn't bad," Will said. "Jack definitely loves that ship," here he smiled; knowing that for Jack at least, the Pearl was way more than just a ship. "Now the worst that can be said for staying on the Black Pearl is you may never manage to get to sleep if you are anywhere in the same vicinity as Gibbs. That man snores loud enough to wake the dead."
"I believe Commodore Norrington said something to that effect as well after his stay there," Elizabeth remarked lightly.
"There's only one thing that makes me wonder," Will said, his voice trailing off into the distance.
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked gently.
"There was a strange man there. I first saw him when I was entering the galley for breakfast. He left just as I came in. Of course, that could have been a coincidence, but I don't know," Will said thoughtfully. "Also, as I was rowing away from the Pearl, I happened to glance back and I think I saw him standing on deck with Jack and watching me row away."
"Did you ask Jack about him?" Elizabeth asked, her brow furrowed as she thought.
"Yes, I did, but I asked Gibbs first, as he was the one I was with when I saw him," Will told her. "Gibbs got this worried look on his face when I asked and muttered something about him being a new crew member. Then he quickly pointed out where Jack was sitting and said he thought the Captain would want me to have breakfast with him and he hurried away from me."
"That's odd," Elizabeth commented.
"I thought so too," Will murmured.
"What did Jack tell you when you asked him?" Elizabeth asked, prompting Will to go on, as he showed every sign of stopping there and getting lost in his thoughts.
"When I asked Jack he just said the man was an old friend. When I mentioned Gibbs had said he was a new crew member for a split second Jack seemed surprised and then he just said in a manner of speaking he was," Will said. "I can't quite place it, but there was something off about the way he said that," Will said after a moment. "Kind of like there was something more to that statement, but I don't know."
"Did he say anything else?" Elizabeth asked thoughtfully.
"Not really, he just asked me why I was asking so many questions, so I told him that Gibbs had acted strange when I questioned him and Jack just shrugged and said that Gibbs was a strange man. Then he changed the subject," Will said.
"Well Gibbs is a strange man," Elizabeth remarked lightly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yes, but there is more to it than that," Will insisted. "There is something about that man that they were deliberately keeping from me. I just wish I knew what it was," Will said with a sigh. "I only got a brief glimpse of his back as he left but there was something oddly familiar about him and I can't place it."
Elizabeth hugged him sympathetically but Will, now thoroughly lost in his thoughts, didn't seem to notice. His eyes were far away and his mind distant. Then, a moment or so later he seemed to snap out of it, and glancing down at Elizabeth saw her hugging him and smiled warmly as he returned her hug. "Ah, maybe it was just my imagination," he murmured finally.
"Maybe," Elizabeth said softly.
A/N: Yep, it's Bootstrap Bill Turner. Poor Will, he knows there is something about that man. Next chapter you'll find out why Bill chose now to come back after all these years! Read and review please! Hope you enjoyed! Until my next update!
