Something More Than Before
Chapter 12 – Let Fate Run Its Course
"The way you stole mine."
The words rung sharply in Jack's ears. He knew that the woman still loved him, but there was nothing he could do. There was no point in being with her because neither would be happy. Jack wouldn't be happy in a relationship he didn't want; and the woman would be unhappy because she would know Jack could never love her. It was most definitely not a win/win situation.
The rest of the pirates seated around the table seemed to notice Jack's sudden mental absence from their discussion.
"Jack?" Gibbs asked drunkenly, waving his hand in front of Jack's face like a fool.
"Wha'?" Jack asked, snapping back to reality. "So, where were we with the questions?"
"We have no more questions to ask," Ragetti said miserably.
"So you've riddled everything out of me you wanted to?" Jack asked hopefully.
"Well," Marty said hesitantly, "I have one question."
"Fire away," Jack said, sitting back in his chair and taking a long drink of rum.
"What were you thinking about just there?" Marty asked suspiciously.
Jack slowly lowered the bottle from his lips and carefully put it back down on the table. "I was thinking of..."
"And no lies!" Pintel interrupted.
There goes my plan, then, Jack thought. "I was thinking of a woman who told me she loved me a few years ago; two, maybe three years ago now."
"Who was it?" could be heard from every man around the table who was paying attention.
"It was –" Jack started, but was broken off by a barman supplying them with more drinks. By the time the men around the table had acknowledged the newly refilled bottles of rum in front of them, they forgot all about Jack telling them who the woman was.
Thank God for that, Jack thought. I can't believe I nearly told them.
-----
Elizabeth and Will had since returned to sitting in front of the slowly dying candle on the small table. Conversation had not passed between the two much; it was rather quiet, and the pressure was mounting on Elizabeth.
"So," she said, "did you get the key?"
Will looked up at her, frowning in puzzlement, "How did you find out about the key?"
"Jack told me everything," Elizabeth shrugged. "So, did you?"
"Oh, yeah," Will said, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out a very old and oddly-shaped key.
"I understand Jack needs that," Elizabeth smiled fondly, thinking of Jack, "to save his life."
Will nodded. "Apparently it opens a chest –"
"–that contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones," Elizabeth finished.
"Jack did tell you everything, then?" Will smiled.
Elizabeth smiled back. "Yes. He kind of has to."
"Why?" Will asked confusedly.
"Because I make him," Elizabeth said simply, "or I won't –"
She stopped short before she said anything more. She had been about to say "or I won't sleep with him". And then she realised exactly what she was going to say, and who she was going to say it to.
"Won't what?" Will asked, thinking he hadn't heard.
"Won't..." Elizabeth faltered, "Won't help out on deck."
"Oh," Will said.
"He needs all the help he can get," Elizabeth went on lying.
Will nodded. "Of course."
Already it seemed to Elizabeth that most of her time nowadays was going to be about lies and secrecy, and she wasn't sure she was going to like it.
-----
Barbossa had been suspiciously quiet since his arrival on Jack's ship. Even though all the pirates had gone ashore, he, Elizabeth and Tia Dalma were the only ones to remain on board. Tia Dalma didn't normally venture out on deck if she could help it, and Elizabeth was normally hanging around Jack, glued to his lips. Barbossa didn't know what the pair planned to do now Will was back.
All thoughts of stealing Jack's ship had been vanquished since the last attempt. Yes, that went exceedingly well. Anyway, he didn't want to risk, and lose, his life over it...again. It was a lot less hassle to just get along like friends.
He stared down at the map on the table before him aimlessly. He was looking at it, but not taking anything in. It was a pain when that happened. He needed to know the course so he could be of more help on deck.
But no matter how many times he re-read every word and location on the page, his mind was in other places. Like Tia Dalma.
What was her reason for bringing him back from the dead? She didn't love him; she pretty much despised him.
There seemed to be no logical explanation. Was it at request? No...Who cared about him enough to want him to be brought back to life?
Nobody. Right?
-----
Tia Dalma sat alone in the darkness that filled every inch of her room. She sighed as the moonlight spilled onto the floor through the small window. She closed her eyes and focused, once again, on the near-ish future.
This time she could see herself standing on the island where Jack and Elizabeth were. Again, she could not see who Jack was talking to, but Elizabeth was not yet looking scared. She also noticed that there were tears spilling from her own eyes, and she looked as though she was about to shout something against her own will.
Everything went black and another scene unfolded before her very eyes. Jack was cuddling into Elizabeth on his bed, and she'd very clearly been crying alot, but seemed to be falling off to sleep. Jack also seemed very tired. They both closed their eyes, and then Jack whispered something so quietly and softly that Tia Dalma couldn't hear it, and Elizabeth's eyes sprang open.
She already knew, at that moment in the dark of her room, what she would be shouting on the island. It was going to be something that she'd been dying to say, but she knew she would regret it when she did.
But, she had to let fate run its course.
Haha, I know what happens and you all don't! Lol, sorry, but I have to say, it's satisfying that only I know the plot! Anyway, the scene between Jack and Elizabeth on his bed is so important that without it, this story would not have been written!
Review please!
QueenSerenity818 out.