Something More Than Before
Chapter 15 – The Final Word
Elizabeth stopped just short of her cabin door, wiping her eyes and calming herself down. She had no idea how to go about this, but she had to trust her instinct that Will would understand. She had to, there was no alternative.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Norrington standing nearby. He had a look of pity on his face. He felt sorry for Elizabeth, and hoped that everything would work out alright for her.
Elizabeth took a final deep breath and walked into her cabin. Will was sitting where she had left him, silently waiting for her return.
"Are you OK?" he asked as he looked up at her return to the room.
"I'm fine," Elizabeth said quickly, "what makes you ask that?"
"You look like you've been crying," Will said, standing up, facing her. "Have you been crying?"
"A little bit," Elizabeth nodded truthfully. There was a pause.
"Are you going to tell me why?" Will asked.
"Yeah," Elizabeth said quietly. "Listen, I haven't been entirely honest with you."
"Really?" Will asked confusedly, "How?"
"A few minutes ago..." Elizabeth started, "...you told me you'd refused to sleep with a girl because of me."
Will nodded. "Go on."
"Well, this is similar to my situation..." Elizabeth paused.
"How so?" Will asked slowly, praying she wasn't going to say what he thought she was going to say.
"...except I didn't refuse," Elizabeth confessed, closing her eyes, waiting for Will's angry outburst.
"Who was it?" Will asked gently. He didn't sound angry...was that a good thing?
Elizabeth gasped, "It was Jack." She fell back against the door, almost losing her balance. She felt the tears well up once again.
Will looked into her eyes with shock. "Jack? You slept with Jack?"
Elizabeth sobbed, "Yes, and I'm sorry! It meant nothing to me; I don't love him or anything..."
But as she said that, something felt wrong inside her. Nausea crept through her body like a ghost through an empty house, and she knew she was going to be sick in minutes. She ran for her bathroom just in time.
Will stood, not being able to move from shock and hurt. This woman, the love of his life, Elizabeth Swann, had cheated on him and slept with none other than Jack Sparrow. Will was going to kill him.
Rage filled him from head to toe as Elizabeth emerged from her bathroom looking pale and distraught. He looked around at her, revenge filling his eyes.
"Where is he?" Will demanded fiercely.
"Don't do something like that!" Elizabeth cried, letting tears fall freely from her eyes. "You'll only regret it."
Will, who had had his hand on the holster of his sword, ready to draw it to murder Jack, pulled his hand away, and breathed deeply.
Elizabeth slowly approached him, placing her hand gently on his shoulder.
"Will, I'm really sorry," she said sincerely, "I've just been over to his cabin to end it."
"So, you were going to continue if I hadn't told you when I did?" Will asked.
Elizabeth didn't answer.
"How can I believe you love me?" Will went on sadly, "How can I believe a single word that escapes the lips he's kissed?"
"Because I swear to you now that it's the truth!" Elizabeth sobbed. "Please forgive me!"
Will turned to face her, brushing her hand off his shoulder.
"Say I had slept with Giselle..." he said quietly, "...and you hadn't slept with Jack..."
Elizabeth waited, her eyes now swimming with tears of regret and guilt.
"...would you have been able to forgive me?" Will asked. "Honestly, would you have been able to go on with our relationship, our wedding, knowing that I'd been with someone other than you, and enjoyed it?"
Elizabeth faltered. The answer was inevitable. "No."
"No," Will repeated. "And this is where our path ends."
"Don't –" Elizabeth tried anxiously.
"You said it yourself!" Will shouted, making Elizabeth flinch and back away to the wall behind her, where she stood crying. "You said yourself, less than a minute ago, that you wouldn't have been able to continue with me!"
Elizabeth sobbed, "Please..."
"And that's where we are alike," Will said calmly, lowering his voice. "You wouldn't be able to, and I'm not able to, either."
Elizabeth wiped a tear from her face, only to make way for another, "Will, I beg you –"
"It's over," he said bitterly, turning away from her, and heading for the door.
"Will!" she screamed out. He stopped, his hand about to open the door.
"It's over!" he shouted back at her. "That's my final word." He opened the door, and slammed it shut behind him.
Elizabeth fell to the floor, tears forming rivers down her cheeks.
"I love you..." she whispered out to Will, but he would never have heard.
-----
Will stood outside Elizabeth's door, his eyes shut, breathing heavily. He had never, not in a million years, imagined Elizabeth would do something like that to him. At least he now knew exactly what she was like, and he was well rid of her.
He marched over to a room he knew would be empty, and decided to name it as his own.
-----
Tia Dalma sat in the room next to Elizabeth's. She had heard every word that passed between the two. It almost brought a tear to her eye to hear the desperation in Elizabeth's voice. The longing and the hurt, and the loss of the love of her life combined must have been more painful than anything Tia Dalma could ever imagine.
It was like Elizabeth had been knocked out of happiness forever. But, Tia Dalma knew, that in a week, maybe two, that Elizabeth would come to see her with a problem that she had first noticed tonight, but had been going on for two, maybe three weeks now.
Tia Dalma would be ready when the time came, and hopefully, so would Elizabeth.
-----
Jack lay silently in his bed, going over the night's events in his head. The fact that he was in love with Elizabeth Swann was now fixed inside his head, and wouldn't budge from its spot.
All he could think about was her.
Poor lovestruck Jack, and poor heartbroken Elizabeth:( I really didn't like Will in this chapter :[
Review please!
QueenSerenity818 out.