Summary: When Jack and his crew find a young princess's tomb, they do not realize the danger they are in until Jack suddenly begins to think he is a child again… As the crew panics and searches for a way to return the gold and break the curse, Will Turner becomes the official caretaker of "Child Jack". As Will keeps Jack out of harms way and teaches the "young" Jack about piracy, he learns new things about Jack... and about himself.

Takes place between CoTBP and DMC.

Chapter Seven: Strange items that sit around the house…

This day felt so lonely. For the first time since Jack arrived, Will did not know what to do with himself… as Jack slept, he tried reading books, writing letters or practicing with his swords. Three hours flew by so quickly that it almost felt like minutes had gone since he had left Jack to sleep…

He sat on the couch and absently stared out the window… He hadn't had very many commissions this week so far, and though he was ever so grateful for it at first… he was now beginning to wish that business would pick up speed, if not for the money, at least for the sake of his own sanity.

There was a knock at the door, and it shook Will from his calmness. He picked himself up and casually walked to the door to slowly pull it open… and there she was again.

"Hullo, Will." Elizabeth gave a charmingly polite smile and she glanced into the house. "I'm not distracting you at all, am I?"

"Oh no! Come in…" Will practically pulled her into the house and he slammed the door behind her. "Oh god. I've missed you so much…!" It was all he could do to keep himself from sounding lonely. Elizabeth smiled and she leaned in to place a kiss on his lips, but just before their lips made contact, a loud coughing sound could be heard from upstairs…

"What was that?" Elizabeth looked around curiously, not sure, if that sound was something she heard in her head or if her dear William was not alone…

"Oh… uhm…" Will made an exaggerated fake cough and he fanned himself afterwards. "I'm so…" He coughed. "Sorry… " Cough. "I've just been having these really strange" Cough. "Coughing fits. Whew. But I'm better now!" He smiled and desperately tried to keep Elizabeth from being suspicious…

His attempts, however, had all failed when Jack yelled down from upstairs for Will. Elizabeth turned to glare at Will and she scowled as she lifted her skirts and climbed up the steps slowly to Jack's room… as, she was not quite sure of what to expect.

Just as she was about to push open the door to peer inside, Will came running up behind her and he pulled her back.

"Don't look!"

"William Turner! What are you hiding from me…?"

"It's nothing…! Really, it isn't!" Will pulled Elizabeth closer to him and held her tightly, keeping her from turning her head and seeing Jack through the slightly cracked door. "It's just some business that I need to take care of…"

"William! You have someone else in this house besides me…" She didn't know why she was repeating the obvious, but she felt it'd strengthen the next point she was to make.

"… yeah. I do."

"And you think that I shouldn't have any right to know about it?"

"He's only here for another week, though, Dear!"

"Let go of me!" Elizabeth wiggled against him and broke free of his grasp. As soon as she turned, she threw open the door. Jack screamed; a loud, piercing screech that he made at the top of his lungs and he dove under the sheets to avoid being seen. Thankfully for him, too, he had moved so quickly that the only sight of him that Elizabeth caught was his two feet as the poked out from underneath the sheets. After his scream, he fell into another harsh, uncontrollably coughing fit and he took a violent gasp of air before coughing again. "Oh woah…" Elizabeth's eyes widened… "I didn't mean to frighten him."

"It's okay… He just… gets like that sometimes." Will chewed his bottom lip and he saw that Jack was physically shaking from beneath the sheets. "I'm babysitting. He's just… a little sick right now, and he doesn't like strangers…"

"Who is he?" Elizabeth inquired.

"He's… uhm…" Will pulled the first word that came to his head. "My brother."

"Brother?"

"My baby brother."

"Since when did you have a brother…?"

"We have different fathers."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"How old is he...?"

"Uhm..." Will tried to think about Jack's behavior... how old did Jack act? Five? Six...? "He's twelve."

"Twelve?"

"Yeah... He's just... really tall."

They left the room quietly and went downstairs to talk. It only lasted a few more hours or so before Jack began crying loudly from the upstairs and Elizabeth took that as her queue to leave. Will waved to her from an open window before slowly climbing up the stairs to check on Jack again…

––––

Will scrubbed at Jack's back with a sudsy, wet cloth and Jack moaned softly. As Will rubbed Jack's back with the washing cloth, Jack blew spit bubbles though his mouth and giggled softly. His long dreadlocks fell over his face and they were wet and dripping. Jack glanced around the bathroom and he smiled when his eyes caught sight of something that snagged his attention.

"Will Turn Er?"

"Hm?" Will was still very concentrated on getting Jack clean in the bath water…

"What is that?" Jack pointed to the glass jar that sat on a shelf a couple of feet away from them. Will glanced over Jack's should to see what it was that the pirate was pointing to…

"Oh that? That's just a jar of dirt from Trinidad."

"Jar of dirt…?" Jack repeated.

"Mhm." Will turned Jack around and poured more hot water on the pirate's back before adding more soap. He lifted Jack's arm and began scrubbing away at the pirate's chest.

"That is a jar of dirt?"

"Mhm."

"Can I have it…?"

"What would you do with a jar of dirt?"

"Mud pies."

"No."

Jack pouted as Will continued washing him. Once Jack had been entirely cleaned, Will threw a freshly dried towel over the pirate's head and led Jack as he stepped out from the tub. He dried the pirate, clothed him then put him back to bed within minutes.

Jack sighed and snuggled further into the warm sheets. He closed his eyes and smiled when he felt Will's lips press against his forehead.

"Will Turn Er?" Jack whispered.

"Hm?"

"Ye called me yer brother today."

"Yeah, I did, Jack."

"… do ye really like me that much, Will Turn Er?"

"Yeah. I do, Jack."

Jack smiled, and his golden teeth sparkled in the moonlight.

"Ah've always wanted to have me a brother, ye know."

"You make a great baby brother, Jack."

"Ye really mean it?"

"Yes." When Will saw Jack's smile, he could have sworn that all of the hard work he put into keeping Jack safe was definitely worth it. He kissed Jack on the forehead again and wished the pirate sweet dreams. Jack's eyes never opened the whole time, yet his smile stayed in place, as if his face was glued in position.

Will smiled too and he closed the door only slightly so that he could still hear Jack's voice if he called.

Author's Notes:

I have none.

Thank you so much for your very sweet replies. (:
I look forward to reading more! *Hint hint*

Thanks again!

- Rawiyah