Thank you so much to all who reviewed! Calenlass Greenleaf1, willabeth0906, AKA Parfait, Wills_Elizabeth23, shewhoshallwrite, master of time, sweetmissbean, and Telcontar Rulz: You made my day!! :D

Anonymous Review Replies:

master of time: Thank you so much for the review! I've had a lot of fun with Jack's character. He's just so unpredictable that it makes a good foil against Will's steady, sure character.

Wills_Elizabeth23: Oh, I'm so glad you liked it. Actually, Jack and Elaine are still with Jones' men (I'm sorry if that was confusing). But I wouldn't worry too much for their safety as Jack always manages to get what he wants. And yes, the tunnels aren't a very safe place at all for Will/Elizabeth/Mariel/Celia. The flashback was really neat to write as I haven't gotten to write much young Will/Elizabeth. There should be a bit more Willabeth comfort in this chapter. :) Thanks very much for the review!

Chapter 26: Developments

His hair had a touch of red in it.

Elizabeth hadn't ever noticed that before.

In the gentle light of the tunnel, his unruly locks became a riot of chestnut browns, deep mahogany, and the slightest hint of red.

Her slender fingers brushed back the soft strands at his temple, eyes lingering on his battered face.

Each feature was carefully tucked away in her memory. The nose, slightly crooked from their many adventures as children, the chin, lightly dusted with facial hair, the eyes, closed away from the world as his mind wandered in dreams.

If there was one thing that set Will apart, it was his eyes.

They were so expressive, so deep, so full of him. A swirling fusion of warm browns, just the chocolate they'd shared on her twelfth birthday. One glance and she couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

Her musings were broken when Will shifted, his brow wrinkling in anxiety before he sank back, the disquiet melting away with a gentle murmur from Elizabeth.

Lovingly taking his hand in hers, she nestled further against her husband and listened as his breathing evened out. She ran her thumb along back of his hand and felt the abrasions there.

Her heart beat faster as she was reminded for the hundredth time at what he had been put through. But now they would return home, the baby would be born, and all would be well…wouldn't it?

"He wishes what?!" Jones fumed. He slammed his fist into the table with such force that the poor structure nearly cracked. "I am not one of his lackeys! If he dare order me about there will be not be enough left of his army to scrub a deck let alone to conquer my home!"

Isaly sighed gently. "Henry, my love, I think Hawthorne merely wishes to finish this once and for all. And besides, where else besides the tunnels could Turner be hiding?"

"I will not allow some idiotic fop and his equally foolish soldiers to trample through my lair! You know as well as I that Alabanza Vacia is not what lies on the surface but what is beneath!"

"Hawthorne does not have to enter the tunnels."

"Does it matter? Even if our men search the tunnels, he will demand an explanation, the bilge rat, and I will not solicit his pandering, conniving ways!"

"Henry," Isaly slid up against his chest and ran her slender hands along the smooth fabric of his tunic. "Please, calm yourself. This situation is not altogether lost. Remember what I spoke of earlier this day."

The fury eased away from his shoulders and his expression softened. "Isaly, you have a quick mind." The tips of his fingers brushed her cheek and a smile flitted across his face.

She allowed the edges of her mouth to curl, knowing that his anger had been abated for now. "Aye, and it wants to think no more of this state of affairs. Send out the men and let them find Turner. Hawthorne will have his prize and we can be alone again."

Will awoke like one being pulled from a mud pit, slowly and laboriously. And he immediately regretted his efforts.

There wasn't one inch of him that did not ache with a vengeance. Every muscle burned with pain and he hadn't even tried to move. His eyes felt as though they had ten pound weights attached to them and moving them was hardly even considered.

He decided grimly that a return to his dreamless slumber was far less painful and therefore the course of action he would take.

"Will,"

Suddenly, he fighting the battle to waken, shaking off the last dredges of his lethargy like a man swimming up from the bottom of a pool. Thick cotton felt as though it'd been clogged around his wits but with firm fingers he plucked it away and forced his weary body to respond. Finally, his eyes shot open and he glanced about wildly trying to find her. He wanted, needed to know that she was safe.

There.

She knelt beside him and was close enough that he could feel the gentle cadence of her breath washing over his cheeks, a comforting welcome to the icy, wet wind he had been accustomed to. Her cool fingers stroked his pulsing head, her soft, honey colored locks tumbling over her stooped shoulders, brushing his ear and neck.

He had to ask. He had to know. "Are you hurt? Is the baby-"

Her hand moved his to her belly and the child within squirmed restlessly. "We're fine." Elizabeth's tone was as smooth and beautiful as he remembered.

Her lips parted in a full smile as he stared back up at her, scarcely hoping to breathe lest she vanish, when she closed the bare distance between them and kissed him with all the tender love they'd ever had.

She pulled back after a long moment and continued her gentle ministrations.

"Where are we?"

"Some kind of tunnel."

Will shifted a little and was surprised to find clean, white, linen securely fastened around his aching ribs. "How long have I been asleep?"

"It's difficult to say…six or seven hours would be my guess."

"Hours?" Will started to stand but Elizabeth wouldn't have that.

"Please, Will, you mustn't strain yourself."

Reluctantly, he leaned back at her insistence but as he did so a sharp bolt of pain lanced through his head. When the pain receded Elizabeth was leaning over him, a worried expression enveloping her face.

"How do you feel?" She inquired softly.

"I'm fine."

Elizabeth raised a brow at that but did not comment, knowing better than to argue with her stubborn husband when it came to his wellbeing. She opted for changing the subject instead. "Here, Mariel and Celia have been exploring and they found this for you."

A long necked bottle of strong brandy was pressed into his hand. "Elizabeth?"

Her eyes were fastened to her hands currently lying idle in her lap. "I've never condoned drinking but it will help with the pain."

He was unsure of how to proceed before a stinging pain burned up his back. Pulling the stopper, he drew a deep breath and took a gulp of the awful stuff. He'd drunk liquor before and had never understood the attraction. It burned from the moment your tongue touched and continued to wreak its torture long after you'd swallowed.

Wincing at the bitter aftertaste, he leaned his head back against the earthen wall and let the alcohol do its work.

Elizabeth watched meekly as he took sip after sip and in a relatively short span of time he'd consumed a quarter of it.

He was lifting the glass bottle for another swig when Celia and Mariel entered. Their faces were white and in their haste they forgot to speak entirely in English.

"Madame! Monsieur! They are coming, les pirates! Ils nous suivent!"

Elizabeth, too, paled and she immediately hooked an arm around her husband. "Will, we have to go now."

He didn't question her judgment. After all, she was the one that had managed to learn the tangles of their language, not he.

They stumbled to their feet and began to trek down the tunnels at the fastest pace Will could manage. Voices slowly became more pronounced and it was not long before they could hear the entire words and phrases.

"You check that passage?"

"Lumpy, look in the storage room!"

"Hey Peters! You come with me."

"Bloody pirates…"

Elizabeth tightened her grasp about Will's waist and moved her feet a tad swifter. "Just a bit longer, Will." She whispered in his ear.

He was breathing harshly and his head was lowered to better find the obstacles in his path but he sent her a brusque smile and nod in response.

A new shock of strength found its way to Elizabeth's weary limbs the instant she saw those dark brown eyes so full of adoration. She would be strong. Will was counting on her now.

Time was short and tension was heavy in the air as they made their way through the tunnels, knowing that at any moment they could falter and be caught. So, it was with great relief that Elizabeth caught sight of a long shaft of moonlight.

"Will, Mariel, Celia! Look!" She pointed down a tunnel that branched away from them to where a rectangle of glorious slivery-blue light spilled over the dirt floor. "That must lead outside!"

Huffing and puffing, they crossed the threshold and entered a world raging with rain, thunder, and lightning. In moments, they were soaked through. The cobbled streets were choked with water and the stones were growing more slippery with each step.

They were coming to a turn in the road and the overhang of the shops prevented any view farther down when Will sagged to his knees.

"Eliz…Elizabeth…" he wheezed, "need a minute…goin'…too fast."

Elizabeth's heart took a pained jump at the haggard appearance of her husband. He'd simply been through too much in too short a span of time. The wear was harsh and he was already weak under the strain. It would be cruel to ask him to continue much farther.

She scrutinized their surroundings and saw no haven to hide away in. Inwardly ranting at herself, she leant forward, laying a gentle hand on Will's brow, and asked, "Will, darling, we must continue. There isn't any place to rest here." Her voice trembled and tears bit at her eyelids.

"Can't…'liz…beth…hurts…"

"I know, my love, I know it hurts. But we mustn't stop."

Will groaned and in the darkening sky Elizabeth saw his teeth clench. With a shuddering effort, he managed to stand again. "Le's go."

Feeling her love for this incredible man swell, Elizabeth started them off again. It was even slower than before but it was movement, and they could only be grateful for that. The bend in the road was steep and they were all forced to pull down their gaze to keep from slipping on the treacherous roadways.

Too late, they heard the clattering of boots. Soldiers swarmed around them, closing in on the foursome like a noose.

Will's head darted up and he immediately pushed his weight off Elizabeth and pressed her behind him. His eyes were wide and alert as they flicked over each new threat.

"Give it up, Turner!" A voice Will didn't recognize called out.

"No!" Will's arm tightened around Elizabeth's waist.

"Really, I would have thought you to have a least some sense." A young woman with blond curls tumbling around a smudged but exquisite face stepped from the shadows. "After all the praises we've heard of you…" she tsked lightly.

"Isaly," Elizabeth growled. "Has it truly come to pirates betraying pirates?"

"Please," Isaly snorted derisively, "Jack Sparrow is hardly a credit to the pirate name. His tales are overblown and it's by sheer luck that he's still among the living. And you…you aren't any more of a pirate than him. A blacksmith and a little tart," she chuckled a little, "hardly pirate material."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed and her lips compressed. "What do you want?"

"Your good friend Hawthorne wishes to have a chat with you."

Will, meanwhile, was beginning to tremble from the strain. Yet one would never know the pain he was in from his facial expression. "Take me and leave them. They're not what Hawthorne's after."

Isaly raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing around her painted lips. "Indeed?"

"They've never been what Hawthorne wanted. Leave them alone and I'll come quietly."

"Will-" Elizabeth tried to move but Will's grip was stronger than she'd anticipated.

"It's a tempting offer, I must say. But I'm not feeling generous. So sorry." Isaly's grin turned devilish and she waved the soldiers on.

TBC...