Spoiler: Yet another frustrating chapter...

Disclaimer: POTC belong to Disney.

Chapter 9

Jack was sitting on the deck in the back of the ship, when Elizabeth finally found him.

"Jack! Where have you been? I've been looking for you, Jack?", she knelt beside him, trying to attract his attention.

She was quite exhausted after a difficult conversation with her father.

Jack looked at her after a while, and asked calmly, with some reluctance in his voice:

"Why didn't ye tell me?"

She looked at him, baffled.

"What do you mean?", she asked with an uncertain smile.

"Why didn't ye tell me about the wedding?", he asked resentfully.

"What wedding?", she looked at him, blinking, not sure what he was referring to.

Then it dawned at her that Will might have told him that she ran away from home just a week before the planned wedding. She did not understand, however, why it should bother Jack that much, and why he should be angry with her about that. He knew she was going to marry Will before, and she probably would marry him more than five months ago, if it was not for Beckett arresting them on their wedding day.

But now it was all different. She had left everything behind, along with the wedding plans, and came to to find him. Of course, she did not mention that she ran away only a week before the ceremony, and she even did not mention the planned ceremony at all, but still, it just did not seem to her to be significant enough, as to make him treat her like he was treating her right now.

There was a glint of annoyance in his eyes, which she saw for the first time. She did not know this uncanny and serious part of him.

"I didn't think it was important", she said frankly.

Jack finally looked at her, and gave her most quizzical look.

"Ye did not think that was important, aye", he repeated almost ironically, and a certain smile appeared on his face.

And that smile sent shivers up her spine. She saw it before. A half-smile, half-sneer. The one with which she left him on the Black Pearl. Then.

She gazed at him, blinking, trying to figure out what was wrong. What has she done? There was something miserable in his eyes, yet he looked at her steadily, and searchingly, as if he has been looking for some kind of an answer, which she would gladly give him, if he would have asked her. But he asked no more questions. He just looked at her. He looked at her sadly.

Apart from being angry, however, Jack did think that it was somewhat unfair of him to behave like that towards her. After all, she did not commit any crime. She married somebody she was due to marry long before. Yet, she came to find him. She went all the way to Tortuga to find him. Then she said she loved him. Did he had a right to be jealous of the past? (Because if she came, it meant that she decided that Will belongs to her past). Could he be jealous of her husband? About her one abandoned (for she did abandon him, didn't she) husband? If she would chose to be jealous of his past, she might probably need another life for counting. But these thoughts did not cheer him up somehow. He felt no better. He felt as if she lied to him, in a way.

"Jack..."

She was a pirate, after all. How could he blame her for omitting the inconvenient parts of the truth, for telling him only what she wanted to tell him, what she needed to tell him at the moment? Moreover, he still wanted her to be with him. But maybe it was better for her to go home, to go back to her life. Perhaps she was, in a sense, disappointed with her life, and that was why she went away to find him. But maybe it was nothing important. Maybe it was something she would regret in a month. Maybe she was just lost, and he should not be taking advantage of her being lost. If she married the whelp, she must have... felt something... towards him.

But the way she looked at him... The way she kissed him... It was not fake. He would feel it, if it was. But then again, he did not feel anything bad coming, when she kissed him before chaining him to the mast...

Jack turned very gloomy, as he remembered the incident. It suddenly came back to his mind. Did he mind it after all, then?

"Jack...?"

Elizabeth stood up, and walked away, being on the verge of tears. She did not know what was happening, but whatever it was it hurt as anything else, it hurt more than everything. It hurt like hell.

Will held his breath, as he was watching the scene from concealment. He could hardly believe that it worked so well, this one lie. Perhaps one more would finally get things settled for good.

He followed Elizabeth below deck, and after a while knocked on the door, behind which she had disappeared. She did not tell him to come in, however in he came. She was lying on a bed, crying softly. She did not even notice his presence.

"Elizabeth", he said quietly.

She turned around, and stood up quickly, smoothing her dress and her hair in a nervous gesture. Her beautiful eyes were red from crying. It occurred to him that it was his fault that she was crying. Yet, he asked with sincere concern in his voice:

"Elizabeth, what are you crying about?"

"I'm not crying", she said rather brusquely, avoiding his eyes.

"Elizabeth, I...", he started, coming closer to her, and noticing, not without irritation, that she instinctively took a step backwards.

"I am sorry, Will", she said, making an effort to smile. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I know that this is no excuse, but... I am sorry."

"Let's forget all about it", said Will excitedly, reaching for her hand. "Elizabeth, let's forget about it. Let's start anew. We go back to Port Royal, and..."

She withdrew her hand from his grip almost immediately. Somehow she could not stand his touch. Not that she had any hard feelings for him, no. She still liked him, he still had a special place in her heart, in her life, in her memory. Actually, he was mostly like a memory right now. But she almost shuddered, when he touched her, as if it was something extremely unpleasant. And it felt unpleasant, in a way. She just could not stand being touched by anybody else but one person.

"Will... You don't understand", she said, looking at him seriously. "I said I'm sorry, but... it doesn't mean that I want to go back... And as a matter of fact, I don't."

He looked as if he wanted to interrupt her and say something, but she did not let him.

"I decidedly don't", she whispered firmly."I'm sorry".

She kept saying that she was sorry because she really was. Besides, she did not really have anything more to tell him. She did not want to cause him any more pain.

Will did not understand. He saw her quarreling with Jack, she was crying because of... Jack, and yet she insisted on not going back home. It did not make sense. Or did it?

"You don't love him, do you?", he asked rather stupidly.

She looked at him, smiling sadly.

"Will", she said softly, "it is an answered question, don't you think?"

Will turned gloomy. He looked depressed, but it was only a mask that he was using to conceal his anger. He did not want to be doing this, but she made him do it, he thought.

"I feel sorry for you, Elizabeth", he said bitterly. "He's not worth it."

Elizabeth sighed, and looked away, wishing to end the conversation.

"He said", continued Will, trying to keep his voice steady, "that he always knew he can win you easily."

Will discovered that it was much easier to lie, without thinking about lying. It was better to think about something else, and then lie almost absent-mindedly. Like that, it well-nigh did not feel like lying at all. He carried on, as he noticed that he caught her attention.

"What are you talking about?", she asked with a grimace.

"I'm only repeating his words", he said coldly. "He said that your father and I should not bother with the pursuit, because he was going to send you back to Port Royal anyway. After a night or two...", he added, feeling his gorge rising.

He felt awful, as he noticed Elizabeth turning pale. But it was too late. He has gone too far. The truth did no matter anymore. He just wanted her back, he wanted her love back; whatever the costs.

"He couldn't have said it", she whispered with disgust and disbelief.

"But he did", said Will, and feeling unable to endure any more questions, he headed for the door. "Think it over, Elizabeth. For him... you're just a plaything", he said closing the door behind him.

As he closed the door, he sighed deeply. It was over. He did what he could. Now, he just had to wait and see what happens. Whether it will be for him and her a new beginning, or a definite end.