Author's note: Thank you, to all of my readers and reviewers! I am thrilled with the many, many kind words! I am so flattered! Stay with me...Things are really going to start happening in the next chapters! Pirate Cat
Jack had learned not to question William about the way that things were done on the Dutchman. He hoped sincerely that he was not keeping the young captain from his duties, as William had worked so hard ... too hard... to rectify the wrongdoing of his predecessor. It was taking a toll on William, but it did seem to Jack... and he hoped that it was not an hallucination... that the whelp had brightened some since rescuing him from the tossing Sparrow's Revenge during the storm. It was evident that William and Bill were bent on helping Jack to get the Pearl back, and Jack was more than grateful. Jack had already had his own plans in mind to perhaps lend the whelp a hand, even prior to losing the Pearl to Barbossa, and he was more determined than ever to put things into effect... he knew, however, that what he had in mind was something that he would have to do all by his onesies. That, he reasoned, was something that he, Captain Jack Sparrow, was exceptionally good at.
Jack wondered, though, where Bill was. He had gone from the ship several days ago, and William did not seem to think that it was one bit remiss. Of course, Jack had to remind himself that he and Gibbs were, in fact, the foriegn factors at work on this vessel... he and Gibbs were the only one that was of flesh and blood, as it were... the others, even William, who looked exactly the same as he always had, save for the jagged scar upon his chest, were of a different nature than he and Gibbs were, altogether. Once in a while the fact that Gibbs and himself were mortal was lost upon him, until someone would walk through a wall, make an object move without touching it, or, as in Bill's case, simply disappear from the ship, even though they were out at open sea.
Gibbs found it to be somewhat disconcerting, Jack simply accepted it. His mind could not completely grasp what was real and what was not, at times, so things did not faze him as much as they did Gibbs. To Joshamee's credit, he seemed to have gotten past many of his superstitious ways; indeed, Jack had been brought back from the dead and Gibbs seemed to accept that, now, as though Jack had been brought back from a tavern on Tortuga. Perhaps Gibbs was most comfortable simply because the Flying Dutchman had been reborn as an absolutely beautiful, elegant vessel, and she was captained by a man that Gibbs trusted and liked... never mind that he was different, physically... it was still William. A lonely William, who was growing a bit sadder every day, and more morose... but it was William, nonetheless.
Jack watched his friend hard at work, day and night, charting, documenting, accounting for every soul left in his care, and Jack, himself, knew that he needed to apply himself to the task which he had undertaken on his own behalf, many years ago. Since he was sharing cabin space with Will, sleeping in a hammock that had been strung up (he would certainly appreciate his own bunk once he got his Pearl back), he would have to seek out a place of privacy on the ship, and get to work on his own missive... it must be done, before the plan that they had put in motion started moving quickly. Once it did, there would be no stopping it...
William was at the helm, with Jack and Gibbs at his side. It was early morning, and they had been awake all night... William could go for days without sleep, but he was not able to never sleep, and it seemed that this is what he wanted to do. It kept him from dreaming about Elizabeth. It kept him from missing her so much that he thought his heart, wherever it was, would break in its cold, locked chest. He could never understand what made Jones become what he did... William was not that kind of man... but he could feel himself withdraw from his old self more and more every day.
It was with the rays of the rising sun that William felt better... it was so good to have two old friends at his side, after sailing for so many months among strangers. These strangers were his crew, and he had learned each of their names and stories in a short time, but except for his father, who he loved and trusted implicitly, he had no one else on his own ship that he felt close to. Having Jack and Gibbs along with him was like a tonic to him, although Jack required a bit of watching now and then. It was a small price to pay for having the man aboard... he was always good for an amusing story, a game of liar's dice, or a good evening of drinking, if the need arose. Even the odd things that he would do, or the strange things that he would say were a very welcome and pleasant distraction. Anything to keep his mind off of Elizabeth... did she still love him... or was this burden to much to bear? Would she wait for him... or would he forever be bound to the Dutchman? His tired mind kept turning these thoughts over and over, and Jack and Gibbs were quite cognizant of that fact. They prattled on about anything that they could think of... anything to keep the young man from sinking into long silences.
On this morning, Jack and Will were making minor adjustments to their course in order to track the Pearl. The crew and captain of the Dutchman had a natural ability to locate any ship upon any body of water, but their ability was not infallible, nor was it completely accurate at times. It might be a while before they knew that they were exactly on course in following Barbossa, but William knew that they were on the right path. They were looking at an ancient chart spread out before them, when Gibbs exclaimed, "Wot in th' name o' Neptune is that???" He was looking down onto the main deck below, at a wee, tiny object that had made its way over the side of the ship and under the railing... it was moving along the deckboards with a direct course of its own charted.
The trio went down the steps for a closer look. It was a crab. A small, delicate, snow white crab. It was as iridescent as a natural pearl, with tiny droplets of water glistening like diamonds upon its shell. It was moving slowly, and with the utmost grace. It was exquisite. And it held a curious object in its tiny claws... a small rolled up paper, tied with a royal blue ribbon.
The small creature looked up with its tiny, shiny black eyes, as the three men looked down upon it in awe. Jack, especially, was completely fascinated by it, as it crept past his feet, to finally slow down and come to a complete stop in front of William. The little crab carefully placed the paper at his feet, and looked up at him for a very long moment. It then turned around, and just as slowly and gracefully, it made its way to across the deck, under the railing... and after pausing to turn and regard the trio one more time, it disappeared over the edge.
"... Mother o' God." Gibbs breathed, as he turned to the other two. William was standing stock still, staring at the rolled paper at his feet. Jack finally bent over ... almost falling over... and delicately picked it up. He stood up, swaying slightly, and picking up William's hand, he softly placed it into the young man's upturned palm. "I believe tha' this belongs t' you, mate."
William, even after all of his time on the ghost ship, was shaking. The ribbon was from Singapore - he recognized it. Jack pulled up a barrel for the young man to sit down upon, and gently guided him to it. William's hands were trembling so badly that Jack had to help him untie the ribbon from around the beautiful sheet of hand pressed stationary... as he carefully unrolled it, the scent of lavender... Elizabeth's scent... arose, and William's eyes filled with tears to read the beautiful handwriting within...
My love, my dearest Will!
I am wild with joy! I found a bottle on the beach with your letter in it! Praise Calypso, I cannot tell you how happy I am! My darling, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, and am so relieved that you are alright... I love you, I miss you, I...
William could not go on reading... he buried his face in his hands... the letter fell to his feet, and tears began to plop onto the deckboards... "She loves me... she still loves me..." he whispered, hoarsely. He could not speak, again, for a long, long while.
Gibbs carefully picked up the love letter, and slowly he rolled it up with his big, beefy hands. He tied the small piece of ribbon around it, and reverently held it in his hands, to hold it safely until the young captain could read it in privacy.
Captain Jack Sparrow had pulled up another barrel next to his friend, and had silently placed an arm over the shaking young man's shoulders, slowly and with great care... he clumsily patted William's back, as the whelp quietly cried tears of relief and happiness onto the polished deck. They sat like this for a very, very long time... he finally went to his cabin for a long while, and once he emerged, he smiled strongly at his two friends who had waited patiently out on the main deck for him.
It would be a better day for them all... and William would take the helm with a new resolve to move ahead, steadily... he felt as though he had a new strength, a new resolve... Elizabeth had finally found one of his letters...Elizabeth still loved him...
Late that night, the tiny snow white crab dropped, with a plop, into the waters that were churning off of the side of the Flying Dutchman. It had yet another rolled up paper in its tiny claws. It had not gone back into the sea earlier in the day, but had clung to the side of the ship, waiting to complete it's mission. The paper that it bore, like the one that it had brought, would not be destroyed by the sweeping saltwater, for the messages that were contained within each letter were far too important. They would not be damaged, as the small crab was not an ordinary creature of the sea. It, too, was immortal... and the message that it took with it to the depths were not tied with ribbon, this time. This message was tied with red string... red string that was used by Captain Jack Sparrow, to tie his dreadlocks... the captain's own plan was now put into motion... he had seized the opportune moment...
The time was almost nigh...