"Just talk to her about this."
"Why?" Elizabeth looked at her husband.
"Will, this really isn't our business!"
"She doesn't even know what she is getting herself into, Elizabeth! That Stephen, he isn't like Jack. You can't just kiss and then nothing else happens. Do you think Angela is aware of that?" Elizabeth sighed. Will was right, Elizabeth wasn't sure how everything was working in the future, but here, the only men you kiss are your father or your husband.
"Fine, I'll talk to her…But I still think you're making too big of a deal about this." Will looked down, if Elizabeth had seen Jack…
"Maybe." He kissed her. "Just warn her."
"I don't know why you're so worried Elizabeth." Angela turned around. She was standing with a pitchfork in her hands; Elizabeth had interrupted her cleaning in the stable.
"Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"
"What do mean?" Angela leaned the pitchfork against the wall.
"His expectations to begin with."
"Expectations? Elizabeth, he is the first man I have ever met and gotten close to that haven't had any expectations! Well, except for Jonathan…"
"No expectations? How about a marriage?"
"What?" Angela stared at Elizabeth, she couldn't believe what she just had heard.
"I am not going to marry him!" Elizabeth crossed her arms above her chest.
"Have you told Stephen that? He really fancies you Angela. And you don't just kiss someone…"
"Wait, what?"
"Will saw you…and Jack." Elizabeth bit her lip, she had promised Will not to tell Angela about that, for Jacks sake, but Angela had to know."
"So? That is none of their businesses, or yours!" Angrily Angela walked pass Elizabeth, grabbed Sparrows bridle and left the stable.
"Angela wait!" Elizabeth ran after her.
"Please…Jack was devastating,"
"Oh come on Elizabeth, do you even believe that? Jack wasn't devastating, if he felt anything then it was anger...and…and jealousy maybe! But only because he can't stand the thought of me being with someone else! He thinks he owns me or something!"
"How can you be so cold? Jack is a human being! But you are always talking about him as if he was some kind of god! But he isn't, he has feelings too! Why shouldn't he be able to love someone?"
"Oh shut up Elizabeth! We're talking about Jack here, Jack Sparrow! The only person he loves is himself!"
"You are being so unfair."
"I'm unfair? You come here and accuse me of…of, you are trying to tell me how to live my life!"
"What about your feelings for Jack? You haven't been too good with hiding them so far."
"My feelings? Sure, I hade feelings for Jack…But in case you haven't noticed, Jack is as good as retarded, good catch. Want to know something else? He kissed me that night when we arrived in Tortuga. He kissed me, told me that I was special. Half an hour later I find him with his tongue down a wench's throat! So don't come and talk to me about unfair…"
"But it still isn't proper to throw yourself at…"
"Throw myself? I can't believe you." Angela was now over by the field Sparrow was kept in. She jump over the wooden fence, Sparrow came to her immediately. She put on the bridle.
"Angela! Listen to me!" Angela opened the gate and led Sparrow out from the field.
"So, when are you going to tell him the truth?" Angela stopped.
"What truth?"
"About you, your past, where you come from. Will he believe in you, trust you? Or maybe you haven't planned to tell him about that little detail." Angela was quiet for a few seconds, Elizabeth looked triumphant at her.
"I don't think that is very important."
"Not important?"
"You know Elizabeth, maybe you should worry less about me and what I do, and worry more about your husband."
"What?" Elizabeth stared at Angela who now climbed up on Sparrows back.
"Well, if he's not with Jack he is in his shop, or at least that's where he says he is. But when a man doesn't want to spend any time at home with his wife, well… it's not good."
"How dare you?" Elizabeth's voice was trembling with anger and fear, Angela could see tears in her eyes. She knew that she had hit a soft spot, she should feel guilty, but didn't.
"Now wait a minute. Don't attack me just because you are feeling guilty! Maybe next time you should think about not sticking your tongue down Stephens's throat outside of Jacks window! Hey, where are you going?" Elizabeth walked in front of Sparrow.
"Elizabeth move." Angela was furious, how dare Elizabeth, her so called friend, do this?
"No!"
"Very well!" Angela kicked her heals into Sparrows sides, the horse leapt forward and Elizabeth had to jump aside to be run down by the big creature.
"Angela wait! You can't do this!" Elizabeth picked up a small stone and threw after Angela and the horse, but missed. She wiped away her tears.
"Will loves me…" But a small stain of doubt had appeared in her heart, and would continue growing during the day.
"Damn her…How dare she?" Angela sighed. She knew that she could only blame herself.
"Come on boy, let's head home."
She kicked her heals into the horse sides and he started to gallop.
And only the wind would ever see the tears that fell from her eyes on their way home…
"Will look at me!" Elizabeth grabbed her husband, it was in the middle of the night and Will had been on his way out.
"Elizabeth…" He sighed.
"You can't do this Will! What is it that you are doing? Please, tell me."
"I can't, not yet."
"Will! I need to know!"
"Why won't you trust me?" Will looked at his wife; she had tears in her eyes.
"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" Will felt the familiar pain in his chest, Jack had once said the exact same thing to him.
"No but…"
"Then please, do so."
"I can't! You are never home; you are always with Jack or in your shop. At least that's where you say you are…"
"Elizabeth, do you really believe that? I love you, and I have loved you since the first day we met." He kissed her.
"I love you too Will."
"Then give me a few more days, that's all I need, and then you'll see that you had nothing to worry about." He embraced her, Elizabeth pressed her body against his, she loved feeling his arms around her. But why did she have to be so afraid?
Carefully she opened the door; she didn't want to wake him up. She sneaked into the room in the dark, quiet. She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. The door squeaked, she held her breath. No, he hadn't woken up. She took out his coat and started searching through the pockets, nothing!
Damn…where does he keep it?
She looked at him. Maybe… She walked over to the bed, pulled carefully away the covers. Then, with a shivering hand she reached down her hand into his left pocket. Empty…
She reached over his body and then carefully let her hand slide down his right pocket.
Bingo!
She pulled up the object, leaned back and put the covers over him again. Then she carefully and slowly backed away, over to the door. She turned around just to be met by a familiar face.
"Good evening Angela."
"James? You startled me." Angela turned around and looked at Jack, he hadn't noticed anything. Quickly she snuck out from the room, then she closed the door carefully.
"What are you doing here?"
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing." Angela didn't like how pleased he looked.
"Well, I happen to live here. Besides, I asked you first, what are you doing here?"
"I've been working late, again." Angela knew that it was no use to ask James what he and the Governor discussed behind those closed doors, so Angela didn't.
"But what were you doing? Since you seemed to be very busy, digging in Jacks trousers and all." He laughed, Angela blushed.
"Oh, very funny James…" Angela walked passed him and into her own room. When James entered she was standing next to her open window. The wind was blowing in her hair, and with the white nightgown on she almost looked like a ghost. She held something in her hands.
"Angela?"
"I was looking…for this." She turned around and held out her hand. James walked over to her and looked at the object she was holding. Jacks compass, or, the one half of the compass that weren't on the bottom of the ocean.
"What do you want with this?"
"It's so strange, isn't it?" She turned around again, with her face turned to the window. James took a step forward and stood next to her.
"What is?"
"That such a small thing, this small thing. That this little thing could change so many lives. If Jack hadn't been given this compass about eleven years ago, none of this would have happened. There would not have been a mutiny, no curse, no ten year long hunt, no dead father…But meanwhile, if the mutiny hadn't happened, if there had been no curse, Jack and Will wouldn't be this close, Will would already have a father. He had never gotten to know Elizabeth. I would never have come…And Jack wouldn't be hurt." James saw how tears had started falling from her eyes.
"Such a small thing…But so important to so many people's destinies…" James looked down, he had never thought of it like that before. He cleared his throat.
"So…is it a good thing Jack got a hold of that compass, or not?"
"Good, definitely good. Things have always worked out well in the past, and I know they will now."
"Then why did you sneak into Jacks room in the middle of the night to steal a broken compass?" Angela sighed.
"It calls to me…the curse. All the time. Always calling…pleading. I can't stand it no more. I just want to understand. And assure myself that I could never go back to that horrible place!" Angela started crying for real now, she dropped the half compass as she pressed her hands over her face. James didn't know what to do, but he did the one thing that felt right. He put his arms around the crying girl and pulled her into a close embrace. She seemed so small in his arms. He tightened his grip around her; he wanted her to feel safe.
"Thank you James." Angela pulled away and looked him in the eyes.
"Thanks for being such a wonderful friend." James took her hand.
"You're welcome."
I hope that you all appreciate my efforts in trying to make Norrington soften up a bit.
I want reviews ;)