CHAPTER TWO
Night Time Liaisons

The sounds of chirping crickets cut through the muggy air in Tia Dalma's shack. Will lay awake upon his covers, his remaining crewmates and fiancé also in their own beds. They were in the basement of the wooden hut, their only light a lone candle which flickered against the shadowy stairwell. Soft snores sounded from the sleeping bodies. Ragetti, who was slumped up in a makeshift hammock let out indecent rasp before he licked his lips sleepily and went on snoozing.

Unable to sleep, Will slowly shifted off his back with a pained wince, the open wounds from his father's whipping searing in pain from the salty sea water and blistering sun. The rough linen shirt he wore offered no soothing ease to the sensitive injuries. Landing heavily on his front, Will drove his head back into his flat pillow, gritting his teeth as he strained for the pain to go away so he could sleep and get the rest he required. With the wounds being untouched medically, they were not healing as well as Will had hoped. His aggrieved sounds summoned the attention of Tia Dalma, who slowly made her way down the rickety wooden staircase.

The moving shadow flickered against the wall, her approaching form momentarily silhouetted by the singular candlelight. She came by his bed, gently crouching and placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. "William," she spoke in a hushed tone, though her heavy accent still present. He quickly looked up, his gentle brown gaze settling upon the tall woman besides him. He didn't speak, but chose to avert his eyes as though ashamed. "Come," she requested of him simply, stepping back a little but her hand remained upon his shoulder.

There was a moment's hesitation before Will pushed to his feet, moving around to find his waistcoat. But Tia stopped him, stepping towards him to prise the attire out of his hands and down onto the bed. With a knowing smile she turned away from him, moving back towards the staircase, which she began to ascend as she lifted the thick hem of her skirt from the dusty floor. Watching her for a moment, Will slowly turned and followed her up the steps quietly, as to not stir the sleeping crew.

"Yo' seem troubled, William," Tia said softly as she walked through the main room of her shack. Candles cast a gentle light over the scene, the faint glow rebounding off the many dusty glass bottles that hung from the rafters. Will followed her from the staircase, hesitating as Tia pulled out a chair from her scrubbed round table and indicated for him to sit.

"My father is still on that ship," he sighed, eventually lowering himself into the seat. "I promised I would free him, but now he has to wait."

Tia Dalma seated herself besides him, leaning on the table as she observed him closely with her black bloodshot eyes. "Bootstrap Bill.." she murmured heavily, stating it, rather than questioning. Will slowly looked up at her, frowning a little. She had a disconcerting habit of knowing everyones' names.

"You know my father?" he asked softly.

"We've met," she confirmed with a slow nod of her head. "Came wit' Jack, one day." Her painted lips spread into a crooked smile, baring her gold teeth at him. Will looked down at the worn tabletop, eyes trailing a black scorch mark. "Yo' look very much like 'im. De eyes.. de strong jaw.." her hand had outstretched to take his chin as she said this, lifting his head so his gaze was forced upon hers once more. "So," she started after a long pause, "'e's wit' the Flyin' Dutchman now, yes?"

"Yes. When Barbossa sent him to the depths, it was Davey Jones who saved him from his fate. I think now he might have preferred to die than live a hundred years in his servitude."

Tia nodded her head slowly, "De men find out too late that their decision was a bad one. For the first ten years it sinks in and de men are aware of their terrible fate. Ten years later, they no longer remember. They no longer realise their life before Davey Jones. They turn heartless and cruel." She slowly stood to her feet, moving round the back of Will's chair. Her fingertips trailed from his jawline and round to meet of his shoulder blades. Even the delicate touch was enough to summon a slight wince from Will as her fingers brushed a deep lash wound hidden below the linen shirt. Picking up on his wince, Tia paused, before she slowly leant her head down besides his. "Who whipped yo'?"

Will slowly glanced towards the close proximity of Tia's face. She had an uncanny ability to be spectacularly observant. "My father," he answered softly. "An act of compassion, he called it. Instead of the deliverer being Bo'sun."

"I see," Tia murmured quietly. "Take off d'shirt," she then ordered, stepping back briskly with an air of unexpected impatience.

"I don't – "

"Take it off," she said again. "I will treat t'wounds."

Will slowly looked round at her. No one else had seen his wounds; he hadn't even spoken of them to any of the crew, not even Elizabeth. He almost felt ashamed of the deep lashes in his back. Eventually, he relented, unbuttoning the front of his shirt and carefully peeling it from his back. Tia relieved him off the clothing, placing it aside whilst she ushered him ahead with an absent hand. "Go into de' back."

Looking towards where she had gestured, Will walked on through a curtained archway where a lone bed lay. Shelves surrounded the tiny room, filled with bottles and other medical items. He had only just seated himself down on the bed when Tia came gracefully through the curtain, carrying a small jug of water, which she set aside. Stepping forth, she gently took his arms and eased him round to lie on his front.

Will watched out of the corner of his eyes as Tia began preparing a strange mixture with powder and the water she had brought in. The smell was pungent and strong to the senses, so much so he didn't question what exactly the ingredients were. He decided he was safer not knowing. Tia closed in upon his back and the next thing he knew was pain upon pain. He made a sudden groan, having completely unexpected this assault to his open wounds.

Tia calmed his struggles with her hands, "It'll sting for only a moment," she whispered before she continued to apply the paste to the wounds on his back. Will had fought to keep silent against the initial whipping, but the surprise of this had caught him out and the sound of his pain made him cringe in embarrassment. Tia didn't seem to notice, she simply continued with her work, which, as she had said, was beginning to stop stinging and was becoming more soothing.

A few minutes later, the task was complete, and Will was allowed to sit up carefully on the edge of the bed. Joining him, Tia sat down by his side with a small smile. "Thank you," Will said politely, but indeed, the wounds at his back felt much better already.

"Yo' welcome. But.. it will scar, fo' sure."

"I can handle that," Will sighed softly, lifting a hand to brush his hair back from his face.

"Aye. Y'be a brave man, William. I can still sense de destiny about yo'. Perhaps this is it. Sailin' to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow."

Will looked up at her, "This is my destiny?" he asked of her, his eyes meeting hers at a closer proximity than intended. He got an abrupt waft of her strong natural scent, a mix of exotic spices, and it almost seemed to intoxicate him.

"I believe so, William," she spoke softly, her words low and drawling. Will took surprising pleasure at the way her accent played on his name. He didn't seem to have noticed it before. Abruptly, Will caught himself, and tried to abolish the sudden forward thoughts he was having. But wasn't that Elizabeth had seeked? The excitement in Jack? It was the same excitement Tia Dalma reeked of, from her alluring voice to her exotic appearance. Tia was now hovering extremely close to him, looking at him with the yearning stare she had held when she first clapped eyes on him.

"I must.. " he began weakly, attempting to get himself out of this situation. But it didn't work, for his eyes remained on hers. He felt himself being lured in by her steady gaze, and the contact of their lips shocked him like a sudden bolt of electricity firing through him. Seconds felt like an eternity, but the instant he felt the hot collision of their tongues he wrenched himself back, staggering to his feet with a wild look on his face. "I must go back downstairs now." he quickly said, finally managing to finish his sentence. "Goodnight." He made his way out of the room to fetch his shirt, throwing it about his bare torso and hurriedly descending the stairs to return to the basement. Tia Dalma watched him leave with a knowing smirk worked unevenly across her painted lips.

"Goodnight.. William."

Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter! I hope you review again! Please tell me what you think. We'll be seeing Jack's currentfate shortly, and the crew make plans to set sail!