Fic: The War Within

Rating: M
Characters: Elizabeth/Jack Elizabeth/Will
Chapter Title: Pain is Forgotten where Gain Follows
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.

Three of the nine pirate lords made their way down the small sand spit; grim expressions on their hardened faces, eyes narrowed against the bright, harsh light beating down on their backs. Their booted feet slipped on the sand as they walked along; making their way to their counterparts.

At the end of the nature made sand bar, were Lord Cutler Beckett, William Turner and Davy Jones. They stood, stoic and imposing, awaiting the arrival of the three.

The air was thick; a miasma of tension - cloggy and almost tangible as the coils of heat undulated over the coarse sand. Silence reigned. One could be forgiven for thinking the scene missed a roll of tumbleweed.

Three faced three, the symbolism apparent; three upon three, the triad of each side noticeable. Was it fate that faced one with their counterpart? Was it choice that determined the sameness as well as the differences between the separate three?

Hector Barbossa faced Captain of the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones; both grim, determined and were the most feared on the seven seas. Both were guilty of attacking for the sake of it, plundering and leaving no survivors. Here and now, they were two opposing foes, neither respectful nor caring for the other. Each was a pirate, a privateer, a marauder in their own right. Neither giving, only taking what they felt was rightfully theirs to take.

Before it was Barbossa that was the one rancid with villainy; he would storm ships, pillage and plunder the innocent and the guilty alike. Now it was Jones who waged war on innocent pirates, taking lives before they were due; not waiting for those near death – only the neither dead or dying would be his targets now.

It used to be that Jones would deliberate, would provide counsel and mediate prior to life being taken – perhaps a remnant of his previous being. He would be the one that waited until people were near death before providing them with the option of death - or life. Barbossa used to be one that took without purpose, aside from his own. Now he was the one who tried to unite those within the vagabond brotherhood so they could keep their chosen lifestyle intact.

Trickster and Knight, pirate and would-be; facing their demons, their own truths. The differences were obvious, the sameness not so much. Jack Sparrow and William Turner, the older teaching the younger, the younger training the older - life dealt you with whatever hand and they were playing for keeps. Good men, dishonest men, they were of the same ilk, though one further along than the other. They could live with whatever decisions they made, they each ensured that they could.

Now was the time that their shared knowledge would either help or hinder their separate causes.

For as Jack Sparrow had taught William Turner how to reconcile with the pirate inherent in him - that was inherent in everyone had they but to seek it within – William had in turn taught Jack about himself and how he really did yearn to be the noble one, the one that defied all and did as he pleased with noble outcomes.

They had reached a level of understanding and though one person would inevitably upset that understanding, they both knew that they understood each other now. Jack would always try to win Elizabeth, when he wasn't too busy trying to save his own skin; Will would always try to win Elizabeth, when he wasn't too busy trying to save other people. Whether the two would reconcile their differences, one had to wait to find out.

Elizabeth Swann – a woman in the inherently man's world – stood for the side that she had always thought of as fascinating, exciting and symbolic of absolute freedom; she chose not to rule over them, but instead relied on their compliance and loyalty to the Code and their choices of lifestyle or death. Cutler Beckett – a man to whom absolute freedom meant absolute power – ruled an iron fist in a velvet glove. He gave both friend and foe enough rope to hang themselves, yanked it when needed and generally strove for dominion and lordship over any and all opposition.

The two Commanders opposed to each other's actions; two people who believed in the total opposite of the other. One that with sheer will and determination overcame life's obstacles; the other with power and coercion overcame any obstacles that should in their path. They glared - in contempt, in derision; they smirked – in disdain, in scorn. Each would fight for their own goals and only one would be the true winner.

The trepidation was palpable, yet neither party had consideration of backing down - retreat was not an option.

"So you're the cur that gave us up?"

Next up - the actual meeting. Thanks to all those who have reviewed. I will be replying individually when I have a moment, but rest assured, each and every one is appreciated and my muse has been well-fed! Thanks again and as always, feel free to review once more! TJ