Chapter 14

Fic: The War Within

Rating: M
Characters: Elizabeth/Jack Elizabeth/Will
Chapter Title: Comparisons
Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney does, no money being made off this.
Summary: Captain Elizabeth Swann, Pirate Lord and King. Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirate Lord, lecherous pirate, son of the Keeper of the Code. What will happen on the eve of battle. JE. Reviews welcome.

Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.

The younger William Turner stood upon the deck on the Endeavour. Cutler Beckett's ship, facing out across the great expanse of ocean that separated him from the woman he loved. He could hear Elizabeth's voice in his head. She had said that to him shortly after he proposed. He had offered to see her home, but as he had no carriage, they had opted to walk together, a footman walking behind them. Perhaps the footman had been the Governor's way to provide a detriment to Will's making any design toward Elizabeth should he had but designed to put it to more than mere thought. Either way, the governor should not have troubled himself for young William Turner could not, nay would not do anything that would jeopardise a relationship with this fine woman that was the governor's daughter.

He had been so sure that he was not good enough, that he would be a detriment to her station, that he would never be a good enough son-in-law. Elizabeth had thought otherwise and had calmed him down, her hand coming to rest on his arm, and she had gazed at him with those beautiful eyes. She had told him then, "You will always be good enough for me William Turner. There is no such thing as impossible – only improbable. Nothing is difficult to the man who will try. Remember that Will." He believed that he had never loved her more than at that moment.

Elizabeth. She was the anchor to his soul; his key to life. Without her, nothing would have been possible; he would have been the lowly blacksmith apprentice, painstakingly, achingly making his way up in the world and perhaps making it one day to blacksmith. But she – she had taught him that he could pursue dreams, dreams that he had never thought fathomable. She taught him to dream, to dare, to live.

Will snorted at himself. They had wasted so much time. They had not talked to each other since the Kraken attack, not like how they used to. He used to always be the one who said to her, "One today is worth two tomorrow. I am so very lucky to have even just one day with you." Now he had not even talked to her except to accuse her. In the past he had often lamented at how long it was for him to gather courage to let her know how he felt in the first place, rueful at the amount of time they had wasted.

Now look at how much more time they had wasted. He had been incredibly angry at her; and for what – for not telling him about kissing Jack? Well alright to be honest, he did have a slight issue with the actual kissing portion too, but if she had only told him that she had used it as a device, in order to chain Jack to the mast.

He thumped his hand against the railing, frustrated with the way things had turned out. Now here he was separated from her, not knowing what she was thinking, what she was doing nor how she was faring. He had set out to get the compass for Beckett and to free Elizabeth, but instead here he was trying to find a way to free his father, losing Elizabeth in the process. His heart twisted in his chest. He was losing her. His brown eyes gazed out over the water, as if trying to see his Elizabeth across the great, blue-watered expanse.

The sun had arisen, its golden light bathing the sea and the many boats upon it. He squinted against the light reflecting off the water's surface. He shivered despite the sun's slowly warming rays.

Elizabeth carried a great deal of sorrow and guilt from her recent actions and Will knew it. What he did not know was that some of her guilt had been somewhat alleviated by the thought that Jack had truly forgiven her, but not eliminated. Instead the guilt had been replaced by her ever changing regard for Jack.

Will knew that Jack was a danger – not to others, but to Will himself. Will knew that Elizabeth felt something for Jack. The way they were when he had arrive upon the shore at Isla Cruces was enough for jealousy to rise angrily in him and kiss the woman he loved, beyond the bonds of correct propriety. He had not kissed her like that before then, not since she first chose him as society did not deem it correct, but the very fact of finding her alone with both her ex-fiancé and the notorious Captain Sparrow of whom she had always raved about in the year since their engagement, well he had to kiss her, to claim her – at least publicly. Did he not?

Will gave it a moment of pause. Was he wrong to claim her in that manner? She did not seem to mind it at the time. But then again it wasn't too long after all that Elizabeth had put those same lips upon Jack Sparrow's. His shoulders hunched forward at the thought. Briefly, it crossed Will's mind that it was ironic that Will freed Jack from the gallows and death just to have his fiancé shackle Jack and send Jack to his death. Will shook his head. In past time he would have said that was a dishonest thing to do, but since his introduction to pirates, he could well understand the motive.

It seemed there was nothing that he or Elizabeth would not do, if it meant that the action was done for the good. Freeing Jack taught him that. He could understand that Elizabeth had thought she was doing the right thing at the time. He just wished that she had shared it with him. He wanted to share in everything with her, just like he would have once they were married.

Will gritted his teeth and his stance straightened, fair bristling with suppressed anger. If it were not for the arrival of Beckett, he and Elizabeth would be married by now. Not in this place, about to embark on a battle that could see the lives lost not only of his love, but of many other innocents. Marty, the diminutive man; Cotton and his talking parrot; Gibbs, the man who was willing to share as long as you had a drink and the time to share; these men were innocent in this war of Beckett's. They should not have to take part in Beckett's bid for supremacy nor should they have to die to keep the life they wanted.

Will's hand tightened on the rail. They should not have to fight at all! They were all good men!

Jack had taught him many things. Not all pirates were untrustworthy nor were they horrible men who deserved nothing better than to die at the hangman's noose. Some pirates were good men.

The same applied to those of higher rank. Not all titles rang true of the person. Will knew this from his own bitter experience. Some treated him as something not worthy of wiping their shoes on, others dismissed him as unimportant. And then there was Beckett. Not all men in power were deserving of that power, nor were they necessarily good, decent men.

Injustice rankled Will. It would always bother him. He wanted good to prevail in this world, for something to be right. He himself tried to do best, but even he would do a wrong if it made a right. Will knew he did not have it in him to be truly evil, nor did he have it in him to do something wrong for the sake of it. There had to always be a higher purpose.

His first purpose had been to Elizabeth, and then the purpose was his father. Now that Jack had removed that purpose for Will, Will's purpose was again Elizabeth.

He stood staring, unseeing out over the softly bobbing waves. Elizabeth. His Life. His Love. He had to ensure that she lived long enough to be his wife. He loved her.

Willhad to ensure that Jack was able to get to the chest. After all as Jack taught him – it was about what a man can do or what a man can't do.

With his mind made up, he lifted his head, looked out across the water briefly, before he turned quickly and walked inside the ship. The time of parley must be almost upon them. He must meet with Beckett.

Elizabeth moved toward the railing on the quarter deck. She thought about Jack as she stared out, her eyes squinting against the bright sunlight. She thought about Will. The light blinded her momentarily.

She shook her head once, to clear her eyes. Unbidden the image of Jack Sparrow came to mind. She shook her head again.

Elizabeth looked along the lines of her navy of pirates. They were waiting – watching and waiting. She turned to look at the opposing ships. Something wrenched in her chest. There were so many of them. She turned away, she hoping that Will was not part of them, of that opposing side. Jack had said that perhaps Will was where he wanted to be.

She leaned against the rail and her eyes wandered, following the line of the ship's main mast up to the sky, her thoughts trailing along. Had Will and Jack had already planned out things between them? If so, when? While she was aboard the Dutchman or with Sao Feng? Were they now working together again? Would this mean that Will knew that Jack was willing to take his place? Will had never called in a return on his rescue of Jack from the gallows. Perhaps this was Jack being an exemplary example of a decent man, and repaying Will? If they were working together, was it like when they first met when they were trying to stop Barbossa and rescue her? If so she hoped they were more on the same keel than back then.

Elizabeth raised her face to the sky, her eyes squinting into the bright light, beseeching it to give her some answers. It was devoid of anything resembling answers, save a few wispy clouds. Her shoulders drooped and she felt like she could just about scream. She wanted bloody answers!

She laughed to herself as she imagined the pirates reactions if she did scream blue murder to the crow's nest and beyond. Mentally she pictured the shared look on Will and Jack's face if they were around to witness her moment of womanly action. 'Will and Jack would love that!' she thought, 'It might the only time they were in agreement about anything.'

Yes, from Will's account Jack and Will definitely had moments where they were not of accord. Will had told her about the time they had come to rescue her, in the cave of Isle de Muerta. Will had been at first aggrieved, then later was able to laugh too, when recounting the tale to her.

Stay here… and don't do anything… stupid.
I'm sorry Jack, but I will not be anyone's leverage.

Will had thought that Jack had put it upon himself to try and rescue her without Will, and that he was going to give up Will to Barbossa – for leverage – hence why Will had hit him with the oar. How was he to know that Jack had other plans? It wasn't like Will had not had precedent of thinking Jack was not being entirely truthful.

You cheated!
Pirate.

Elizabeth smiled softly to herself, allowing herself a few moments of reminiscence, her hand trailing along the rail.

Yes, they definitely had moments where they were not working at all in unison. She snorted quietly. Who knows what Jack has planned at any one time after all? He often confused her. She was often surprised that Jack kept it all straight in his own head.

Whose side is Jack on?
At the moment?

Yes, she never completely understood the mad man that was Captain Jack Sparrow. It did not stop her from still having a certain amount of regard for the man. To her he represented all that she held dear - freedom of expression, freedom of movement, freedom within. She moved restlessly, pacing slowly along the deck, her head down and her eyes unfocused.

She could understand his motivation to become theone. He had his brush with death, and his fear far outweighed his bravery. This was one that he was going to run from, yet in some ways he was brave, least ways to her.

After all, Jack was facing it head on and deciding his own fate; to be almost dead, and live forever. She lifted her head to look to the Endeavour. Will was there. Will was there because of Jack.

Jack Sparrow. She could respect him - almost.

For those who definitely are against the whelp, I'm not sorry… for adding him here.

Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I see many read this story, yet do not leave any comments. Please do, as I love to read all your thoughts. As always, reviews welcomed and encouraged…. TJ