Ironic

Title: Ironic (2/3)
Author: Mahie/EvenStar
Reply to: persefone_rj@hotmail.com
Pairing: Jack/Will
Rating: I think it's R...or PG-13...not really sure. But only for
language...for now...next chapter rating will be R or NC-17 for sex. :)
See Part 0 for other info.
No infringement is intended.
'thoughts'
----
*Jack* (some months ago)

After Jack had been freed from the gallows - by Will, more importantly - he was really happy to know the Pearl was *his* again. She had always been his, that was for certain. The crew, who had accompanied him to the rescue of Elizabeth, had stayed and now he would be the happiest pirate captain in the world. He could return to a pirate's life and everything it meant. And that would make him the happiest captain. Right?

- Right? -

Then why did he keep looking back to the ocean, almost if he could see something he had left behind? He was happy to get his Pearl, aye; but why did he feel somet - * - *someone* - was missing?

While Will suffered because he thought Jack would never love him -would never love *anyone* at all - Jack started to realize he had fallen in love after so many years.

He was in love with Will.

It wasn't difficult to realize. The second day after his rescue from the gallows, Jack was in his cabin and realized that there was a sword there that didn’t belong.

He remembered it all too clearly.

----
*flashback*

Just after the Dauntless arrived at Port Royal after leaving the Isla
de Muerta: Jack Sparrow was locked in a cell again. This time, it seemed he wouldn't escape from the noose. He was locked up and there were lots of guards making sure no one would help him escape this time.

Last time, Will had sprung him out of the jail, but now the guards were really strict - no one could have contact with the prisoner alone, as Will had done the last time.

Jack was resigned. Maybe it would be better this way. What did he have left? He had no Pearl, had no wife nor children and no hope either.
Even Will was to be married but he wouldn't be a pirate even if he wasn’t going to marry,just like Jack desired Will to be. Yes, maybe it would be better to everyone if he died.

"Move!!!" came a familiar voice and the sound of a sword. Jack turned around to see Will in front of his cell. The lad smiled at him. But the guards standing alongside Will just looked at them.

"It's just for a few minutes." Will spoke, exasperated. "I'm not gonna spring him out. I need to talk to him."

"It's okay, lad," a guard said. "We'll let you stay. But make it fast."

Jack was surprised - and really happy - to see Will. Will knelt in front of Jack’s cell and Jack looked at him eagerly. They took each other’s hands.

Will spoke: "Jack. I don't have much time. You heard it. So I will have to quickly make myself clear," he lowered his voice, glaring at a guard who held a sword to his back. "Don't. Worry." Will looked at Jack in the eye and lowered his voice even more. "You're not going to be hanged, or my name is not William Turner."

"How?" Jack asked.

"You'll see." Will smiled beautifully. "Just don't worry, okay? No need to worry anymore. You're not gonna die, luv."

That word - love - make Jack's heart melt. He squeezed Will's hand and
said: "Be careful. I don't want any trouble coming to you. Don't do anything stupid this time."

"Don't worry about me, Jack. Look," Will put his hands on his own hair, and looked deeply into Jack’s eyes again. "The Pearl is here," he lowered his voice again.

"What?!" Jack asked confused.

"They've returned and they're hidden. They've returned to you. And tomorrow you're going to leave with them, okay?"

"But the Code..."

"Fuck the Code, Jack!"

Jack breathed, relieved, and wanted to cry from happiness. But he didn't. "I made you a sword." Will said. "It's with Gibbs. You can ask him later."

"Thank you, Will." Jack said, sincerely thankful. "I was in need of a new one," and with that Jack started to cry. He couldn't stand it anymore.

He was really stressed with that entire situation. He had believed he would be leaving with the Pearl and treasure from the Isla de Muerta and found himself locked in a cell again; it was really too much to bear.

"It's okay." Will said, squeezing Jack's hands. "I'm here for you. I always will be."

"Time to go, mate," the guard angrily said. Will glared at him and looked at Jack caringly.

"Just don't worry, okay?"

"Okay." Jack replied, but was worried all the same. "I thought no one would miss me, but now I know you will."

"I'm not gonna miss you, Jack, because you're not going to die," and with that Will kissed him full on the lips.

The guards looked at them and didn't know what to do. Jack responded to the kiss eagerly, even though he didn’t understand why Will kissed him.

Was it a goodbye?

He didn't want to think about it. He didn't know what Will was up to. But he knew the boy cared for him. A lot. And it made him want to live again.

"Get the fuck out now!!" two guards separated them. Will left, but he didn’t break his gaze with Jack even as he was being pushed away from him by the guards.

His look seemed to be that of a lover.

But Jack didn't want to think about it. He was far too worried. Will didn't think about that kiss, either. It had been a desperate kiss, a kiss of fear of losing someone he loved so dearly. But he had swore to himself that Jack wasn't going to die.

And he didn't, really. Will managed to save Jack from the noose and helped his friend leave with the Pearl and his crew.

---- End flashback

Jack looked at the sword at his hands and caressed it. He wished to caress Will that way. Now that he was free,and wasn't going to die, he couldn't forget about the kiss they shared. It had been rash, sure, just like everything Will did, but not less passionate because of that. If anything, the rashness had made it even more passionate. It had been short and desperate.

He couldn't stop thinking about Will and the fact that he was to marry Elizabeth haunted his mind. Jack realized with ease that he was deeply attached to the boy.

Jack had tried to push it out of his mind. Oh, he did. But it wasn't – it wouldn't be that easy. He thought about Will every single day.

Once he had written Will a letter. Didn't tell him anything about his feelings but wanted to know if he was okay and how his marriage was.

He couldn't have known Will would never get that letter.

---
*flashback*

"Commodore!" Gilette called him.

"Yes, Gilette?"

"There's a letter here. Came with one of the ships," he spoke. "It's addressed to Turner. I thought you'd be interested." The lieutenant said with a knowing glance.

"Thanks, Gilette. I am indeed." Commodore Norrington was really suspicious. After Jack had again escaped from the noose, he was searching for anything that could tell the captain’s whereabouts.

He imagined the pirate would keep contact with Will, and it wasn't difficult to realize the letter was from him; Will never rved ved letters and so Norrington was suspicious of that one. He opened it and read.

But he was disappointed to know Jack hadn't said a single thing about where he was.
But he couldn't deliver an opened letter and threw it away. Will never knew Jack had written to him.

------ end flashback

Jack was becoming really sad with the passing months. Three months after he left Port Royal, he was depressed and was losing much of his interest in piracy. He stood in his cabin, letting Gibbs take the helm, attacked few ships and whenever he did, it wasn't with the same passion he used to have.

He was feeling lonely. He couldn't stop thinking about the boy who had stolen his heart. He needed to see him. But how? He would be married by now.

'Will's never going to love me back,' Jack thought, without any clue that Will thought the same, that Jack would never love him back. 'I need to forget him. What would a precious boy like him want with a scallywag like me? He deserves so much more!'

A month more had passed and Jack was still down. He was in his cabin when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in." Jack spoke.

Annamaria entered and said: "Captain Jack. There's a merchant ship not far away from here." She was anxious, Jack could tell. He knew the pirate woman loved to attack ships.

"So what?" Jack replied, bored.

"Well..." Annamaria replied. "I thought you would want to take it."

"Not today, Anna. Just let me sleep."

"Captain." Anna spoke. She liked Jack a lot and was concerned about him.

"Aye."

"You've been so...different, Jack," she used his name because they were friends. Only her and Gibbs called him Jack and never in front of the crew. The others had to call him *Captain Jack Sparrow*.

"You don't want to take many merchant ships anymore. You don't care about gold and other treasures anymore."

'Oh,I care about treasure.' Jack thought to himself. 'Just not the ones you're thinking about. Gold. Fuck the gold. I just wanted a certain lad's heart.'

Anna continued: "You don't even care about the Pearl anymore. Or rum. Jack, you're ill. It's the only reason I can think about. What is happening to you?"

"Just leave me, Anna. I don't wanna talk about it. I'm fine, okay? If you want to take the merchant ship, then let's take the ship."

And with that Jack rose from his bed and prepared his crew to attack.
But Annamaria knew he had no joy of doing this anymore. He was really down and did it just because he had to. He fought and won, as always, but now it seemed to have no value to Jack.

Several weeks had passed; and Jack had no wish of being a pirate anymore.

His crew was astonished and if there had been any mutineers onboard, it would have been easy to take the Pearl from Jack. Fortunately, each of them liked his captain a lot, and they were concerned about him. Jack had left almost ythiything at Gibbs's hands and passed almost all of the day in his cabin.

He was drinking rum again; but not because he was happy about something and wanted to celebrate. He drank to forget his problems. He drank to try to forget Will, but it was impossible.

Annamaria was a very smart woman. One day she was at the helm and Gibbs was doing something next to her. She spoke, voice low: "Gibbs."

"What?"

"Don't you think Jack is suffering because of Will?"

Gibbs widened his eyes and said: "Why are you saying this?"

"He keeps staring at that sword Will gave him all the time. Every time
I reach him at his cabin, he's staring at it. Almost caressing it. And lately we've been talking a lot. He doesn't say a word about why he's down but he talks about Will all the time. He says ten words, and five of them are 'Will'."

"Really?" Gibbs was astonished. "Gods, he must be missing the boy really deeply."

"Aye," the woman spoke, and her tone became serious. "Gibbs. I'm gonna make it to Port Royal. It's the only way we can have our captain back. We need to find Will. And we need to buy things for the ship, because soon there'll be many things missing. Jack doesn't want to attack many ships, you know."

"What if're're wrong?"

"Then it was worthy a try. But we've got to try, because we have nothing to lose. We've already lost Jack. We've got to bring him back to us."

With that Anna advised the crew and headed to Port Royal.

----

Some hours later, Jack left his cabin. He realized the landscape had changed and asked Anna, who was at the helm: "Where are you going?" he said, but was uninterested.

"I'm heading to Port Royal."

"What?!?" Jack's eyes widened.

"ed ted to buy some things for the ship and it's the nearest city." she
lied.

Jack was astonished, but Anna realized he had become really happy. He spoke: "Let me take the helm."

Anna grinned: "It's all yours."

---

Jack headed to Port Royal and they arrived by nightfall. They were
hidden so as not to call attention. As the Pearl had white sails now, she wouldn't be recognized as easily.

Anna was leaving to buy some things at the city. Jack was looking at her eagerly. He wanted to say 'Bring Will to me,’ but didn't. Couldn't.

"Want something?" Anna asked.
"Oh...no, I think you're better when it comes to shopping. I don't even know what is missing on the ship." Jack spoke but thought, 'Oh, I know what is missing. Better,*who* is missing.'

"You should've known, Jack."

"Aye." Jack finally spoke. "Um...Anna?"

"Aye." She replied.

"If you find Will..."

Jack didn't need to end his request. Annamaria said: "I'll bring him, Jack," she put her hands on Jack's shoulders. "I'll find him."

Jack stared at her. She knew. He was sure of that. He smiled at her and felt really relieved.

End of Part 2

TBC