The Weakness in Me

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Chapter 2: I Mean to See You

Nothing had been sweeter than getting out of that cell. Jack lead Will through the back streets away from the prison, listening to the inane yammering about how they had to save the girl Will didn’t even have any real claim to. He sighed. His only real concern was to get his ship back, once and for all, and this boy had exactly what he needed—Turner blood. If Jack could get them out of this mess with what they both wanted, the more the merrier. Having seen the Swann girl that Will was enamored with, Jack highly doubted that he would get the girl in the end. She was somewhat of a stubborn woman. Very beautiful. Jack couldn’t see her marrying anyone but that commodore. What interest she could possibly have in a blacksmith-son-of-a-pirate Jack couldn’t possibly fathom. He paused in his thoughts, leaning his back against the wall as he heard the distinct sound of redcoats marching nearby. They made a light clicking, tinkling noise as they passed on the dirt street.

“Jack…” Will started, but Jack didn’t respond, simply standing there with his eyes closed, pressed against the wall as if the soldiers passing in the main street wouldn’t have seen him if they had been standing five feet away. Will leaned to watch them. He’d been raised without fear of the men of the Queen’s Army. They protected the city that was kind enough to take an orphan such as himself. He looked at Jack and supposed the man had learned the opposite lesson with all of his trouble making. That’s all that pirates were really good for, after all. Making trouble and making orphans of innocent children. There was something different about this pirate. Surely, he was still a scoundrel and a liar… but there was something regal about him. As if under all that dirt and grime, noble blood flowed through him. There was also something soft, almost feminine in the way that he held himself. Will frowned at himself as he couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and touch the gentle curve of the pirate’s neck. His brown skin was hot to the touch, rough and wind bitten… but smooth underneath it all. Jack’s eyes opened and peered at him from beneath kohl blackened lids. Will’s fingers fell to his collar bone, touching lightly, almost fascinated by the textures beneath his fingertips. The only skin he’d ever actually dreamed of touching would be lily white and smooth as silk… he never imagined that this pirate’s warm, dark skin with the texture of leather could be just as appealing. He leaned forward, putting his hands on the wall to either side of the other man, pinning him in place as he bent his head to taste that tanned-leather skin.

“Will… we can do what you like when we have a ship,” Jack’s hands were on his chest, pushing him backwards gently, “but right here, in an alley… not the best place, lad.”

Will pulled back, feeling suddenly ashamed of himself for the display. Here he was, thinking about how he had to save the woman he loved… and he was touching and kissing a man he hardly even knew. He looked down at the ground, waiting for Jack to move past him before he followed…

*~*

Elizabeth raised a hand to rub at her eyes as one of the servant girls combed her hair. Sometimes, she preferred to do the task herself… other times, she was content to let the girl do the work. The girls’ hands were gentle as they gathered Elizabeth’s hair, holding it in place while working the soft bristled brush through its length. Elizabeth took her eyes from the girl’s work in her mirror, focusing on her husband’s reflection. Normally, he was not in their room while she prepared to bed, but she wasn’t greatly disturbed by his presence. She was more worried than anything, watching how his shoulders stooped as he wandered aimlessly around the room. There was very obviously something on his mind.

“Will?” she asked, keeping her eyes on him in the mirror. He turned to look at her, eyes distant as if he wasn’t really seeing her.


“Yes, Elizabeth?”

“Is there something on your mind?”

He turned away from her, picking something up from her bed stand and putting it back down again. She heard him sigh, and watched as he sat down and stared at his hands.

“Jack’s back in Port Royal,” he sounded as if this fact angered him, which puzzled Elizabeth. Before, Will had spoken about wanting to see Jack again and wondering what he was up to. That was before they had gotten married. She wondered if the change had to do with her, and how their relationship had changed… but that was just silly. If Will was going to be a child about Jack’s presence, it certainly wasn’t her fault. The servant finished her hair and she thanked her before standing and walking over to Will.

“Is this a bad thing, darling, that he’s back?” she asked, sitting down beside him. She shifted her nightgown, leaning against his shoulder. He sighed and wrapped his arm around her, trailing his fingers down her bare arm.

“No… maybe, I don’t know,” he leaned his cheek against her forehead, squeezing her against him. Sometimes, he made her feel like there was nothing she could do to comfort him. Like someone else occupied his mind. She wasn’t going to stand for that. If he wanted someone else, he could have married someone else. If she hadn’t wanted to be with him, there was someone else who would have gladly married her, and gladly elevated her status in society. If Will couldn’t see that she passed up an opportunity greater than she could have imagined to be here and to love him, then he was blind and disserved to mope without consolation. She sighed at her own spiteful thoughts and wrapped her arm around his waist. There was no one else in Will’s life and she knew that. He’d been utterly focused on her since he ended up in here care so many years ago. He wasn’t about to change his mind about her now that he had her hand in marriage and shared a bed with her.

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it, Will… he’ll do what he will, and you know he bares you no ill will,” she got up and went to the other side of the bed, tugging back the blankets and climbing in.

Will stood up and prepared himself for bed, taking the time to fold and put away his clothes before rejoining her. She sometimes marveled at what a neat person he could be, well trained as an apprentice to keep out of the way. Sometimes, it didn’t even look as if he occupied this room at all. Sometimes… Elizabeth worried that he would just disappear. Take those neatly folded clothes and vanish… would she even notice until it came time to go to bed and he didn’t appear to wrap his arms around her? Another useless thought of creeping paranoia that didn’t belong. He loved her. She loved him. That’s all that she really needed. He’d never disappear…

He ran his hand along her body, pulling her back to the present. He was here now, laying beside her, looking at her with those deep eyes. She couldn’t allow him to drag her down into paranoia with his moods. That wasn’t conducive to anything, much less getting his sorry self out of those moods. She smiled at him lightly, turning towards him as his hand cupped her breast. She could keep him occupied for the night, and herself pleased… and hope that he was in a better mood in the morning. She grabbed his wrist, urging his hand into the movement that pleased her the most, then pushed it downwards along her stomach. She reached up with her other hand, pulling his face closer to steal a kiss from his lips. He never seemed to mind giving her control when they met in bed… and neither did she. She smiled at him again as she guided his hand where she wanted it, between her legs…

*~*

Jack arched his neck, looking up at the dimly lit windows. The house wasn’t a bad one in the least. It was obvious that it was a present from the governor to his daughter and her husband. There was no way that Will could have afforded it on the money he earned as a blacksmith. Jack leaned his back against the wall of the building on the opposite side of the street, watching the shadows in the windows. Servants were moving below, doing the last of the day’s cleaning. Through open curtains on one of the upper floors, Jack could see the happily married couple… doing what married people do. He smiled to himself. He always knew that Elizabeth would have her way in bed. There was no way that Will would ever have it in him to deny her that. He watched the slender curve of her back undulating with the movement of her hips, her long hair cascading between her shoulder blades. Every now and then he would see Will’s hands venture up that slender back, or around to the chest that Jack’s eyes were denied. He wondered if the couple realized their curtains were open and the show they were giving any who stood outside. Perhaps it was of no concern to Elizabeth. Perhaps they really were ignorant about the windows.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder, eyes hooded as she rocked herself against Will. She was saying something but, of course, Jack could not hear the words from where he was on the street. He wondered if she spoke aloud in bed, or if she stayed her voice at a whisper. She must have been speaking about her realization of the open curtains, because soon she was moving across the room… beautiful. Her skin fairly glowed, her curves and features detailed in warm shades of honey. Jack licked his lips, watching the shift of her breasts as she moved to draw the curtains shut… then the fabulous view was gone. He looked down at his boots, smiling to himself. Really, he couldn’t blame Will for fleeing the Pearl for the company of the fair lass he had just witnessed in all of her glory in the windows. He would leave the ship himself for her company, for the chance to kiss the hollow of her throat, and pinch one of her pert nipples between his fingers.

Jack put his hat back on his head and moved down the street. He wanted to see Will. He wanted to talk about what had happened… and what he felt. But tonight was not the night. Tomorrow would be a better time to have that discussion, after the warmth of Elizabeth had worn off the lad. Tomorrow he would talk to him of how the sun glinted off the waves, and the sound of the gull’s as the soared above. They would talk of the rocking of the sea, the taste of rum on their lips, and the feeling of tender companionship that Will seemed reluctant to allow himself to remember.

Jack needed him to remember.