A/N: Again, I'm absolutely amazed by the reviews I've been getting, especially with this being my first POTC fan fiction. This is going to be short because I'm procrastinating studying for finals to make plans to go see At World's End again tomorrow, so I apologize for my bluntness. I promise that there will be more of Will very soon. I always love to hear what you think, so let me know, good or bad. Thanks.
The cool salty morning breeze was a welcomed feeling on her face and bare arms, the day surprisingly warm despite the immense fog surrounding the ship on all sides. The feeling of being back at sea, back on the Black Pearl itself was a bittersweet one, making her comfortable as if she were finally back home, but making her heart ache for Will, the whole reason for her return to the sea, at the same time. It had been a spontaneous decision to leave without telling a soul the evening before, an idea brought up by Jack and quickly agreed upon by Barbossa. They sat at the same table in the poorly lit room as the afternoon passed by, turning into dusk and then dusk in turn to night. Elizabeth assured both the men that by this hour Jonathon would surely be asleep, explaining to them that he kept himself to the same tight schedule, and listening as they snickered when she said that he had kept her to a similar one. She slipped back into the mansion only long enough to retrieve clothing and the chest itself, an object she was sure would be needed for any rescue mission to be successful, and then she left with them for the Black Pearl.
She had been exhausted by the time she was settled into one of the only empty rooms left below deck, so Barbossa merely told her that they would stay in the harbor for the evening, and she should retire to her room for the night and they would discuss her plan in the morning. Now, she finally felt ready to confide in the seasoned pirate, but storm clouds just visible on the horizon made leaving that day almost impossible already. Sailing into a storm was one thing, but leaving into the eye of one was another completely different situation, one that not even the most seasoned captain would put himself in.
Sighing to herself, she placed her elbows on the railing that ran along the ship's edges, resting her chin against her palms as she stared out at the sea, rocking with each gust of wind beneath her. They were moving now, not fast or in any particular direction, but they were moving all the same. And watching the water rise and fall, mirroring the movements of the ship, she found it hard to believe that they weren't already letting the sea lead them where it may. Whether it was the rocking of the ship, the humid morning air, the fear of what she was about to do, a combination of the above, or something completely different, she suddenly felt that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. She stood back up a little too quickly and soon found herself emptying the contents of her stomach over the side of the boat, her entire body heaving as she felt her cheeks flush.
She had always been able to handle the sea, seas much rougher than this, and yet here she was, acting as if she had never set foot on a ship before. She remembered the last time she had been sick like this, shortly after she had chosen Will over James Norrington, much to her father's dismay. They had gone out for the day on one of the ships her father owned, a crew provided for them to Will's disappointment who had wanted it to be an intimate affair consisting of just the two of them. A storm had trapped them a few miles away overnight, and the ship tossed and turned for hours on end, much worse than the current conditions. When she thought she was completely alone, she had finally let herself get sick, but it wasn't long before she felt the feeling of his warm, strong hands pull her hair away from her clammy face, and let him wrap his arm around her waist and lead her back to sit down on the floor in the corner. She didn't realize that the clear memory consuming all her thoughts now was making her cry until her bitter salty tears reached her chapped lips.
As she gently wiped at her eyes, her body still shaking and her stomach still heaving enough to make her slightly uncomfortable, she felt a hand on her back, gently pulling her back to stand straight again. She was met with a sympathetic smile from Barbossa as he led her away from the edge of the ship and the taunting waters below to slowly walk towards the door leading to the lower levels of the ship. "It looks like you need some time to get your sea legs back, Mrs. Turner."
He gave a hearty laugh as he opened the door, holding it for her to pass through as well. She offered him a weak smile and a slight nod in response, moving to stand at the bottom of the stairs and waiting for the elderly gentleman to join her there. "Yes, I guess that's true. It has been an awfully long time that I've been away."
"Oh, I don't know if I would say that… I'd give it another week or so, and I think you'll be just fine aboard me ship. Don't you agree, Elizabeth?" She felt her stomach drop again, unsure she wanted to acknowledge this statement at all. She felt her own fear rise in herself as she thought over what he said in her mind, wondering how she could've been so stupid to think otherwise. Of course this journey would take longer than a week, it would take at least a few months, but after the first few steps were carried out, how long did Will really have? She tried not to think about it as she let him lead her back to the main quarters, helping her into a seat at the table in the center of the room where Jack was already looking out at the water's edge right outside the window, a sight that made her stomach flip flop again. She quickly looked back down to her hands folded in her lap instead, taking the small time to reflect on the dates that had passed, just how long it had been since Will had come to visit her, just how long they had truly been apart, if it was possible for him to be as miserable as Jack had portrayed him to be.
Snapping her back to the events of the moment, Jack cleared his throat and turned around with a flourish of his hand, walking the length of the room in his familiar slightly skipping manner that only he could truly pull of. While Barbossa had taken the seat adjacent to her at the table, Jack himself gave her a cocky grin from where he was standing in the corner, making no motion to edge a little closer to her as he spoke. "Elizabeth, love, I finally have you in my company again, and I have been waiting breathlessly to hear your sweet little plan to bring dear William back from the dead…" His voice trailed off as he side-stepped a lone boot that had somehow been forgotten on the floor, stopping once he reached the table. He leaned forward and supported his weight with his hands firmly against the surface, staring straight into her big brown eyes. "So, please. Do tell."
Normally, a similar act pulled by Jack Sparrow would result in her frustration and retaliation of sorts as she responded in a tone dripping with sarcasm. This time, however, was different as her teeth just barely grazed her bottom lip, looking instead to Barbossa and receiving a small nod in response, edging her own. She had never been this nervous around the two familiar men, but something about the topic they were discussing made her leery, fearing they would reject her plan altogether. "Well… I thought that we could go and get Will to start with, I want to make sure that he still is willing to try Jack's plan… And then we would have to find Cascada's location…"
Jack hit his open palm against the table, causing her to jump in his chair as he slid into one of the remaining empty ones, shaking his head from side to side in an overly dramatic manner. "No, darling, that's no place to start. I know all that already, it was my preparation to begin with, or have you already forgotten? No, what I want to know is what made you decide to finally listen to the only person who is right in this whole bloody mess?"
Elizabeth ignored the cocky air to his last statement, letting her eyes fall to her hands still folded in her lap instead. Her reasoning for this decision had resulted in the deterioration of her platonic relationship with Jonathon Greene, it had convinced her that she needed Will back more than anything, and it had led her to this moment right now. She had promised herself that night when she couldn't sleep, her mind restless, that Will would be the one and only person she would confide in. No one else had to know until then, not even Jack and Barbossa, the only other people she seemed to be able to trust in her life. She gave him a sickly sweet smile as she met his hard gaze again, concurring with a snide remark of her own. "If I told you that I would have to kill you after confiding in me, would you still want to know my reasoning with such a strong desire?"
Jack's gaze floated upwards, even with a spot on the wall inches above her head, as he tapped his index finger against his closed lips in thought for a moment longer before shaking his head in response. "Yes, I would. You've already killed me once, and look at how well that turned out."
She gave a bitter laugh as she stood up from the table, leaning forward and glaring right back at him in the same menacing manner he had only moments before. She gritted her teeth as she spoke to him, feeling her anger grow with each passing second. "The only reason that you're still around is because I took the time to come back for you." Elizabeth watched as he merely nodded in response, standing up as well. He brought his hand to rest on her cheek again, giving her a smile that made her feel ill once again.
"I know, love. We both know that you cannot resist my charm." Her face contorted into a scowl as she removed his rough hand from her face before straightening and crossing her arms over her chest. Her response was harsh and bitter, and it had left her mouth before she could think of the consequences it may bring of the pain it may cause Jack himself, although, she had never really seen him as having any feelings at all before.
"The only reason I brought you back was so I could be with Will, and I've regretted that decision everyday since then. We may never have reconciled if it hadn't been for you, but he wouldn't be dead and trapped on the Flying Dutchman either." Hearing her own words resonating in her ears, the color drained from her face and her knees buckled once again, having confessed the feelings she had felt for so long aloud to someone other than Will. She lowered her shaking body back into the chair at the same instant that Barbossa rose to his feet, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, his gaze firmly on Jack all the while.
The animosity that now filled the room seemed to be almost suffocating to all three of the people involved, a feeling that none of them found comforting in the least. Captain Barbossa's hand lingered on her shoulder a little longer than necessary as he spoke directly to both of them, his voice stern and serious. "Now, now, now. This is nothing to get yerselves this upset about. Elizabeth can keep her reasoning to herself, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. She's entitled to her own opinion, doesn't mean you have to agree, Jack." Off a nod and a dramatic sigh from the other gentleman, he turned once again to the young woman, his eyes softening around the edges as he looked down upon her. "Mrs. Turner, if you would be so kind, could ye please tell myself and Jack here how ye plan to get Will back from the clutches of the Dutchman."
Elizabeth nodded solemnly, feeling just as lost and small as she had when she had first sat down at the table, her anger from before replaced with pure shame, embarrassed by the things she had uttered aloud. Her voice was stronger this time, and it held a pleading tone to it, as if her desire for this to work out perfectly was laced through her every word. "I want to talk to William first, as I said before. They say that there must be a captain for the Flying Dutchman, but I've checked, and nowhere does it say that Will is not aloud to leave if he has a substitute command the ship in his absence. I don't see why Mr. Turner wouldn't have a problem taking over for the time being. And Jack, he's been hiding your charts, he knows how to get to the Fountain of Youth. If we have Will, his heart, and Cascada in the same place, I don't see why an attempt to give the ship a new captain and restore Will's mortality would fail."
Silence followed her quiet voice, a sound even more unnerving than the sound the sword had made as it was pulled from Will's lifeless body she decided after another moment suffering under their harsh gazes. After a while longer, Barbossa finally nodded in response as he offered a hand to help her back to her feet, which she gratefully accepted once again. "Very well, Elizabeth. I can't see Bootstrap having a problem with that arrangement either, but me thinks it would be best if Jack and I had a moment to discuss this together properly. It's been an emotional discussion for ye as well, so ye can return to yer quarters now."
She gave a grateful nod, stealing a small glance at Jack in the corner who was now picking at a cuticle on his left hand and didn't seemed phased at all by what she had said so carelessly to him. Before she had the chance to say a word to him, utter an apology or scream and yell at him to find out why she hadn't affected him in the least, Captain Barbossa was escorting her to the door and giving her a small smile before closing it, and she was left alone. She walked the short distance back to her tiny room with her head hung low, studying her feet as if they too would lead her straight to Will if she concentrated hard enough. She closed the door to her room behind her and took refuge on the small bed against one wall, trying to ignore the sounds of the upper deck as she laid her head down, her hands resting beneath her cheek.
The small room was not lavish, nor was it anything like what she would have selected her bedroom to be like, but it made her feel safer than she had since the day Will had left her the first time. The Black Pearl was a familiar place, even if she no longer wanted it to be, and it would be the only place she could call home until she was back in his arms. She tried not to think about the conversation going on in a closed room down the hall or the many months that would come and pass before she could finally call William Turner a free man, but she was making an effort, and that had to count for something. She shut her eyes tightly as she willed herself to sleep, if only for a few moments, succumbing to the newest nightmare before she woke up screaming in a cold sweat. Before she had to wonder if the line between reality and her nightmares was just blurred beyond recognition or if it had ever existed at all.