To Ride the Waves

For the dismersmers, see the previous 2 chapters

For the disclaimers, see the previous 2 chapters. I couldn’t be bother writing it again. I'm not writing in accents, partly because I don't know how to spell in them and partly because it makes it more difficult for me to follow it myself. It's not my intention to be make the characters OOC by doing this, I'm just trying to make it easier to read.

Reviews:

Mahie: Thanks for the kind words. I have written slash before, but for Stephanie Plum fiction. I want to do something different this time. I think almost every possible M/M relationship in PotC has already been explored (not including Gov. Swan). The muse may have something to say about that but at the moment it's going along with me... maybe I should be worried.

PJ: You may be onto something with Elizabeth pining for freedom. She just struck me as being very spoiled in the film. I don't think even the most doting father would, in this era, have allowed this relationship to continue. I find it very likely that even if the father had gone along, the local townspeople of Elizabeth's social standing would have objected to the point where the engagement would of had to have been called off. The 17th Century was extremely rank conscious. She is embarrassed by her relationship with Will (in this story anyway). As for what happened to her, I don't know, the muse hasn't told me yet.

Jack4Turner: Yeah, I know it was mean. Do you know what's worse? I have this really bad habit of getting distracted by another idea at the worst possible moment, usually just after I manage to get everyone in place for the big rumba… Oh and this chapter ends at the 'opportune moment' so to speak.

Brief recap:
Jack and Will have been arrested by Norrington, Jack for being a pirate, Will for attacking Elizabeth. We know Jack's a pirate, we don't know if Will attacked Elizabeth. Hell, we don't even know if she was attacked. Oh yeah, Will made two matching swords for himself and Jack. They come back into it in a bit.
And now, back to the story… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will stormed around the cell, talking to himself, or maybe Jack as he cursed, Elizabeth, Norrington, Brown, Weatherby Swan, himself and at one point, Jack as well. "I can't believe Elizabeth told Norrington I attacked her! I can't believe Norrington believed her." He paused in both his pacing and his tirade. "No, actually I can believe he believed her… Jack? Jack, are you even listening to me?"

Jack opened one eye and looked at the other man in the cell with him. "Yeah, I'm listening, William. You were just doing so well I didn't think you needed my help." A sheepish smile tugged Will's lips at the contrite intone in Jack's voice. "I have been going on a bit."
"Aye, lad, you have been, but it's understandable." The pirate rolled over on the hard bunk until he could look at his cellmate. "Tell me what happened between you and your bonny lass?" Will slid down the bars until he was leaning against them sitting on the floor. His mind went blank and after a hesitant second, he shrugged. "I'm not really sure. After you left, Governor Swan gave Norrington a way out. Norrington took it and he even seemed reasonably happy for us. Then one day…" he sighed again and closed his eyes closed, "I was taking to Tessa Keystone outside the bakery. She's the baker's youngest daughter. I knew she had a…" a faint blush rose up from Will's throat and began to spread. Jack noticed in passing that it also spread down and idly wondered just how far down it went. He might have been tempted to find out but he was far more interested in what had caused it. "Acrushonme. I think half the town knew…" Jack frowned and tuned out Will… acrushonme… acru shon me… a crushon me… a crush on me. Ah, that was it! Jack tuned back in to what Will way saying. "… things at me. I don't know where she got the idea. With Tessa it was understandable in an Elizabeth kind of way. s evs every woman though. The night I broke up with her, I had just had enough." He shrugged and fell silent.

It took Jack a moment to realise Will was waiting for him to say something. "So the bonny lass was jealous?"
"Yeah?"
"Of you or the women or the one thing you all have and she does not?" Will paused at this and looked at Jack in surprise. "What do we have?" Jack raised an eyebrow and the younger man and smirked at him. "Well, admittedly you don't have it right now…"
"Jack…"
"Freedom lad. You have freedom, William Turner and Elizabeth Swan does not." Jack paused for a moment, "Well, usually anyway". He shrugged and turned back onto his back, making it clear that the conversation was over. Will leaned back. *Freedom?* It made sense in a weird way. She had had him locked up to take away his… Will wasn't sure he liked the way his thinking was going, so he solved the problem by shutting down his thoughts and following Jack into sleep.
Once he was sure Will was asleep, Jack swung his feet off of the bed and stood up. For the first time since he had escaped the noose with Will's help, he allowed himself to hope the boy would come with him. When he had jumped he had desperately hoped that Will would follow him, even th inh in his heart he knew he wouldn't. Will had loved Elizabeth with all his heart and soul. He had seen the same look on Bill's face whenever he looked at Katherine, Will's mother. Thinking back he wished he had listened to Bill when the older man had told him Barbossa was a bad idea, *Should have listened to Bill about a lot of things.* he thought. Looking at the younger man, he wondered if he would ever have the guts to tell him the truth about his father. Looking around, he wondered if he would have the time. Thinking of Katherine brought Elizabeth back to mind and Jack sighed. He was sure he was right about the lass. Her need for freedom had soured her love for Will. She seen in him the courage she needed to break free and ran to it even as she held the chain around his neck. Elizabeth, Jack reasoned, was a caged falcon, but it was a gilded cage and she quite liked the gold. *How long will it take him to break free of her?* They only had a short time if they wanted to escape.

With a sigh, Jack returned to the hard bunk after one more look around for the blasted dog.
It took him a long time to fall asleep as he waiting for the dawn to bring him to the gallows, yet again.
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Elizabeth was standing on the battlements of Port Royal, looking over to where a fresh corpse hung from Gallows Point. thi this distance the only way to identify the body was by the red bandanna it was wearing. Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat as one word escaped her lips, "Jack…" She turned away from the scene, feeling tears gather at the corner of her eyes and found herself facing Will. She threw herself into his arms as she began to weep. Will's arms did not rise to comfort her and no heat seeped into her body from his. She pulled back and looked at his face. The tears dried and she screamed.

The man who stood there was Will. But this Will had blue tinged skin. His eyes were wide and protruding. A noose hung from his neck. Elizabeth backed away, shaking her head. "No, no, no". The glazed eyes were staring at the corpse in the red bandanna
"Why did you chain me, Elizabeth?
"I didn't!"
"Why wouldn't you let me go, Elizabeth?"
"I…"
"Why did you accuse me, Elizabeth?"
"You were cheating on me!"
"Why did you kill me, Elizabeth?"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"Why did you hurt me, Elizabeth?"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"Why did you hate me so much, Elizabeth?" dead eyes turned from Gallows Point to her's. "Why did you hate him so much?"
Elizabeth fell to her knees whispering, "It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault." Over and over as she cradled her face in her hands. When she looked up again, there were two men standing in front of her. "Forgive me?" she begged of them and one word answered her whispered plea.
"Why?"
The word echoed around and around in her mind as they gazed at her with pitiless, dead eyes.
Elizabeth screamed.
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Eimear: *&%*$""£% Muse. I knew it was taking the entire 'no slash' thing to well. Where did I put that whip… Hmm… whip… whippreamream… Jack covered in whipped cream… Will licking the cream. Bugger. *£&%($£)
Looks like you might be getting that slash you wanted Mahie. Stupid muse, wing ing the plot bunny… I have got to get my mind out of the gutter…