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The Flying Dutchman	By : BrethlessM Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 3366 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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A/N: Hey! My new friend has reviewed twice, so this chapter's dedicated to you! To everyone else who's reading - I know you're out there, so rate and review! Feed my muse, please! I'll give you cookies... *offers cookies beseechingly*
Chapter Four

William narrowed his eyes at the pirate towering over him, hoping to convey courage instead of the fact that he was being blinded by the light of the setting sun. Pulling his injured foot beneath him and shoving off the rock onto his feet, William lunged for the fallen stick he�d carried as his weapon, wondering as his fingers slid between the rocks how long it would take for his mother to notice his absence and come looking for him.

A twinge of pain shot up his leg as the weakened ankle gave beneath his weight, and William cried out as his body slid horribly close to the edge of his perch above a huddle of dangerously sharp rocks at the water�s edge below him. From above, an arm wrapped around William�s waist and the boy found himself in the arms of the pirate with the unseen face.
�Careful, lad,� the pirate said with a chuckle as William began to struggle. �The Locker�s no place for a young lubber like yourself.�
�Let me down, you scallywag!� William shouted, kicking his legs and twisting to get away. The stick in his hand found a tender place in the pirate�s stomach and the two of them fell backwards onto the sand beyond the rocks with an explosive �oof� of breath.
Scrambling onto his knees and away from the pirate as best he could, William thrust his makeshift weapon forward as the larger man lifted himself up on his elbows. �Hold, you scurvy scum,� William�s voice shook as he spoke. �Or I�ll run you through and send you to the Locker myself.�
The pirate, whose face was now visible in the fading light, shifted his expression into one of concern to hide his amusement. �All right, lad. I mean you no harm. What say we put down our� weapons,� a quick grin slipped over his lips but was gone again in a second, �and talk like the respectable tars we are.�
William tried not to smile at being called a �tar�. He continued to stare at the stranger unwaveringly, wondering frantically where his mother was and what she would do in this situation.
�Do we have an accord?� the pirate asked seriously.
William would have relented at those words alone � it was the language used between pirates, and even though he knew the man was humoring him, he was respectfully treating him like an equal. A child could ask for little more from an adult, and William knew enough about pirates to know when he was in danger from one. Before he could lower his arm though, the boy began to notice several things about his captive.
What had been invisible in the glare of the sun were a pair of chocolate-colored, kohl-lined lines and an array of colorful beads dangling among the matted dreds of his long dark hair and braided beard. William�s arm fell to his side as he glanced at the pirate�s dirty hands, looking for a few more features that would confirm his suspicions � a twist of lace around the wrist and a pale scar in the shape of the letter �P�.
The pirate had gotten to his feet with a golden-toothed grin and began brushing sand off of his bottom with a meticulousness that would have been laughable in any other situation. �Well now,� he began. �Now that we�re all friendly like, why don�t you tell me what�.�
�You�re Jack Sparrow,� William said. It was not a question.
�Captain�� the pirate began, even as a disconcerted frown marred his face. With an unsteady sway to the action, Jack sunk on his haunches in front of the boy.
�Here now,� he said slowly. �You seem to have me at a disadvantage. I know my reputation precedes me, but how would a young lad such as yourself be recognizing the likes of me?�
�I knew it!� William broke into a wide smile. �You�re Captain Jack Sparrow!�
Jack couldn�t help but grin at the boy�s excitement. �Aye, that I am.�
�You knew my mother.�
�Your mother, ay?� Jack�s expression brightened, and then just as suddenly faded into an uncertain grimace. �Wait. You�re not� um, that is to say, I�m not� er,� Jack peered closely at the boy�s face. �What�s your name, lad?�
�I�m William Turner, III,� the boy said. He held out his hand to his parent�s old friend quite formally, though with great excitement.
�Oh,� Jack said with a sigh of evident relief. Then, �Oh!� as understanding swept over him. He scanned the boys face once more, recognition filling his eyes along with a few other emotions that William couldn�t rightly name.
They were wasting time. �Come on!� William shouted, taking the hand that Jack had never offered in return and pulling the Captain back toward the rocks.
Jack only hesitated a moment before following after the boy. If he truly was who he said he was, and of that Jack had little doubt, then the last thing he needed was to let the lad go running off and hurting himself while in Jack�s presence. The rocks were slippery beneath his already unsteady gait, and his feet were almost too large for the ledge young Turner used to ease around the tight corners.
�And, uh�� Jack began when he felt it safe to try for conversation. �Where might we be off to, precisely?� Sighing with relief once his feet touched dry sand again, Jack couldn�t help staring at the child before him. He was the spitting image of his father, save for the light brown of his eyes. Something within him lurched unpleasantly, and he burped, tasting rum.
William gave him a look that Jack had not seen in nearly ten years, but on another, more feminine face. The boy pointed off into the distance of the beach, to a small circle of pirates standing away from the gathered ships Jack and his own crew had sought to avoid. �To see Mother, of course.�
Mother. The word sent a wave of panic through Jack, but before he could react, the boy had taken hold of his hand again and was dragging him across the beach. Jack opened his mouth to protest but as he looked up, he saw the women he�d spent ten years trying to forget stalking towards them in a disturbingly familiar way.
�William Turner!� Elizabeth scolded as she fell to her knees before her son. Examining his torn shirt and dirty trousers, she scowled. �Just where did you run off to? I�ve been looking for you everywhere!�
�I was just climbing the rocks,� William said hurriedly. He wasn�t concerned about his mother�s wrath in the face of such enormous news. �But guess who I��
�The rocks? How many times have I� you know better than to run off by yourself, William.� Her expression softened, but only slightly, as she noticed he was favoring one of his ankles. �You�ve hurt yourself too, haven�t you? Oh, William�.�
The boy sighed in frustration. �Mother,� he interrupted her. �I�m all right� but look who found me!�
Elizabeth kept her eyes on her son, but addressed the man behind the boy, who was still clinging to William�s hand. �Thank-you for keeping an eye on my son. He�s usually very well behaved�� her voice trailed away as her eyes fell on a familiar emerald and gold ring with skulls carved into the band. Standing slowly, her eyes followed the arm up a faded blue coat sleeve, into dark, snarled hair, and ending in another pair of eyes that had not quite managed to fade in her memory.
�Hello, Love,� Jack said softly.
Elizabeth�s eyes narrowed and she shook her head, taking a step backwards. A hand fluttered first to her head, and then to her chest where it rested over her breast. Jack�s eyes followed its movement and he grinned at it�s landing. If nothing else, that convinced her of the moment�s reality.
As a beaming William looked back and forth between his mother and the pirate of so many of his favorite legends, Elizabeth�s eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped to the ground at their feet.
�Mother?� William said in confusion.
Jack only sighed. �S�all right, lad. I�ve been known to have that effect.� Looking around at the crowd of pirates he put on his most Captainy scowl. �Don�t you lot have better to do than stand about gaping like fishwives? Go on, shoo!� As the men around them jumped and scattered, Jack bent and lifted Elizabeth into his arms, ignoring the scent of jasmine that suddenly surrounded him. �Don�t suppose you know a quick and private-ish route home, where an infamous pirate can carry off a lady without incurring damage to his person?�
William nodded. �Come on.�
Trying not to think about the last time the boy had uttered those words, Jack did as the boy asked.
They talked little as they made their way out of the cove of Diamond Caves, back through the shallow water and away from the busy docks. Jack noticed that William stayed as far from the more populated areas as possible, and even avoided the town proper all together, choosing instead to trek up the weedy incline leading more directly, if not easily, towards the house on the cliff.
Leading Jack into the house and towards his mother�s bedroom, William stopped suddenly when he realized the pirate wasn�t following him any longer. Turning, William stared questioningly as Jack stood frozen in the doorway.
Jack entered the house slowly, as though expecting an ambush. To his left was the parlor and to his right, a sitting room complete with a pianoforte. William stood before him in the hallway and in response to the boy calling his name Jack attempted to grin. �Let�s get your mum settled then, shall we?�
Elizabeth�s bedroom was rich with the woman�s scent, and Jack took a moment to look around as he followed William inside. It was a decidedly unfeminine room, he thought. It was decorated in deep blues and whites, and paintings of ships on rolling seas adorned the walls. Above the bed hung a matched set of oriental swords. Jack smiled. It was perfect.
As Jack lay her down on the thick blue cotton quilt, Elizabeth gave a soft moan, and he could have sworn he heard her say his name. He stilled, leaning over her, but she was quiet again. Sighing, Jack stood up to find William watching him.
�Erm� your mother wouldn�t, by any chance, have changed her views on rum enough to keep a bottle lying about? For emergency purposes?�

William scrunched up his nose in thought for a moment before his eyes brightened and he ran from the room.
Pleasantly surprised and suddenly hopeful, Jack followed him out into the hallway, through the sitting room and dining room into the kitchen. In one of the cabinets, high enough up for William to need a stool to see into it, the boy began digging though a collection of herbs, bandages, and other surgical supplies. Reaching as far back into the cupboard as his arm would allow, William emerged with a nearly full bottle of Port Royal�s finest rum.
�I think there�s another bottle here too,� William said, peering back into the darkness. �She keeps it here for when one of the pirates is hurt bad, then��
�I understand� medicinal purposes only, right Mate?� He relieved William of his prize with one hand while the other reached past him into the cupboard in search of the second bottle. �Well, it seems to me that this is precisely the type of situation that would call for the use of such drastic measures.�
William hopped off the stool and followed Jack back into the sitting room. �Do you think mother�s hurt that badly?� he asked.
Jack looked affronted. �Rum�s not for her, Mate. No, no, no� bloody wasteful.� Flinging himself around, Jack fell onto a settee and pulled the cork from the bottle of rum. �No lad � the rum�s for me.�
�Oh.� William looked confused, but he waited until Jack had taken a large swig of the alcohol before he asked, �but, you�re not hurt, are you?�
�Oh, aye � that I am, Matey.� He put on his most sincere face. �But don�t you worry m�boy � a few doses of this,� he held up the slightly emptier bottle, �and Bob�s-your-uncle, Fanny�s-your-aunt� I�ll be right as rain.�
Jack studied William as the child sat across from him in an overly large chair. Elizabeth and Will�s son� it had never occurred to him. Though of course, he�d known � there�d been that one, solitary day before Will had been forced to sail off again to do his duty. Jack had just never even considered the possibility that a child would result from their first and only union�. The very idea made him uncomfortable, and he racked his brain for something, anything, to say to the boy to erase the images now plaguing his mind.
William beat him to the punch. �Can you tell me about my mother?�
Jack opened and closed his mouth a few times before answering. �I gather she must have told you a fair bit about herself already,� he answered. �I don�t know as there�s much more I could add.�
William nodded. �She�s told me everything,� he said, excitement coloring the words. �At least, I think so. But was she really a pirate lord? the King of the Pirates? Did you ever see her kill anyone?�
As the questions kept pouring out of young William, Jack felt himself begin to relax. He seemed to know enough of the details about his parent�s travels with the Pearl that Jack didn�t fear revealing something he shouldn�t. It also appeared that William needed to hear some kind of confirmation of his mother�s greatness, as if it all seemed too incredible for a nine-year-old to believe that the woman who scolded him for getting his clothes muddy, was the same woman who�d led a motley crew of pirate ships against the entire East India Trading Company, and won.
Jack brushed over the fact that William hadn�t even mentioned his father yet.
�Did she ever tell you about the time I saved her life?� Jack asked.
�Yes,� William answered honestly. �But I want to hear it from you� all of it.�
Jack grinned. There was nothing he liked better than a captive audience eager to listen to him spin his best yarns. He flung his legs up onto the furniture to make himself more comfortable and began to talk.

William was a good audience, made even better because he seemed to have heard all of the stories before and knew just the right places to be excited, scared, or ask questions. Jack found himself talking more than he had in a good long while, charmed by the boy�s laughter and absolute lack of discomfort in the presence of a virtual stranger, and a pirate at that.
As he discharged his tale, Jack was able to glean a bit of information from William in return, as to what Elizabeth had been doing in his and Will�s absence. He learned only bits and pieces, but the most important to him was the fact that William had grown up knowing his name and legend just as well as his father�s � an idea that pleased him.
��Abandon ship!� I announced, and as the crew began falling out into the longboats, your mother managed to get me to one side and shackled me to the mast��
�That�s not right,� William interrupted.
Jack paused, mid-sentence. He raised an eyebrow. �It isn�t?�
William was frowning in contemplation and he shook his head. �Not exactly� she told me� she said that she told you, you were a good man for coming back, and then she kissed you.�
Jack was intrigued. �She told you that, ay? Then what happened?�
William shifted comfortably in his seat, warming up to the change in roles from listener to narrator. His eyes drifted closed and he smiled. �Yes, she kissed you � and you kissed her back � long enough for her to back you towards the mast where she shackled you, because the Kraken wasn�t coming for the ship or the crew, it just wanted you.� He opened his eyes and studies Jack thoughtfully. �She said she wasn�t sorry for it, and then you called her �pirate,� and you were smiling the whole time, like you were proud of her for killing you.�
Jack nodded. � Was proud. T�was the most piratical thing she�d ever done. Tricked me good and proper, too. Couldn�t have done it better meself.�
William eyed him. �Weren�t you mad though? That she left you for the monster?�
�Not at the moment,� Jack divulged without a moment of thought. �Surprised maybe. Later I was a mite perturbed with the lass, but�� he shrugged. �It all worked out in the end, didn�t it? Here I am, decidedly not dead � �ve got me rum, got me ship, and best of all, I�ve got a nice new souvenir for me troubles.� Leaning forward, Jack drew one of his braids to the front and held up the length of beads and gee-gaws attached to it.
Hanging from the end, was a five-inch long tooth.
�Wow!� William�s eyes widened. �Is that from the Kraken? How�d you get it?�
Jack smiled and nodded the affirmative. �T�was the smallest one the beastie had in its whole mouth. After your mum and the rest so kindly fetched me back from the Locker,� amusement flashed in his eyes, �we found the creature lying dead on a beach. When I had a moment to me lonesome, I crept up on the thing and,� Jack made a yanking motion with his hands before smoothing his hair away from his face and settling back against the settee again.
Eyes gleaming with renewed admiration, William crossed from his chair to sit in the suddenly surprised pirates lap to examine the other adornments in his hair. �Where are the rest of these from?� he asked.
�Um,� Jack moved his arms awkwardly, not sure where to put them.
�What�s this one?� William held up a bead that looked to be carved out of some dark wood, for Jack to see.
Jack squinted at it. �Got that one in Morocco,� he said. �Was made for me personally by the Sultan�s daughter.�
�Really?� William asked, voice heavy with skepticism. �The Sultan�s daughter?�
�Absolutely,� Jack insisted. �I was hiding in the Sultan�s garden when I met her. Very lovely eyes, she had.�
�Why were you hiding in her garden?�
Jack held up his hand, showing off a golden ring in the shape of a rose. �I�d been wooing a lovely Spanish lady� a lovely, married Spanish lady, savvy? And when her husband arrived home much earlier than expected�� the pirate grinned, flourishing the bejeweled hand. �I took with me this little souvenir. Naturally, the gentleman took offense��
�I wonder� did he take offense at the theft of the ring, or his wife�s virtue?� A voice from the hallway interrupted.
William was up and across the room in an instant, asking his mother if she was alright. Jack remained in his seat, maintaining his leisurely posture as his eyes met Elizabeth�s. He was pleased to see that although her tone had been mildly scornful, her eyes twinkled with laughter and she couldn�t quite hide the smile that ghosted over her lips.
�Her virtue was in question long before I got there, Love,� Jack responded, folding his arms behind his head. �Seems as though the ring was the bigger loss.�
�Be that as it may, I�m not sure I want my son hearing stories of your debauchery,� Elizabeth mussed William�s hair and took his hand for him to lead her into the room.
�We were just talking about pirate things, Mother,� William said.
Jack nodded in agreement. �The lad speaks true. You�ve got a right smart pirate for a son, Lizzie, Love. But then,� his grin widened. �I wouldn�t have expected anything less.�
Elizabeth asked William if he would start tea for them, waiting until he�d left the room before meeting Jack�s eyes again. �Jack� why are you here?�
�And �hello� to you too,� he said. �I�ve been well, thank-you, and I can see you�ve been� busy,� Jack took his legs off of the furniture, crossing one over the other in front of him. �I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought to meself, �self! Why not drop in on dear old Lizzie and see how she�s��
�Jack,� Elizabeth growled in frustration. �It�s been� nearly ten years, and you��
�I� what, Lizzie?� Jack leaned forward tauntingly.
She stared at him. Standing up, Elizabeth began to pace. She gave a short laugh, and Jack was startled to hear suppressed tears in her voice. �Ten years,� she began softly. �I used to wonder when you�d show up again. If you ever would � after all, I did leave you for dead.�
�In the past, Love��
�Yes, Jack, in the past,� she stopped his interruption. �And you never came, and I so missed the ocean, and there was no one� no where I could go � you understand?� She looked up to see if he nodded and continued when he did. �And then there was William,� her face lost a little of its perplexity. �There was just William, and I came home to Port Royal, not knowing if I�d be remembered as the pirate daughter of Weatherby Swann, but there was no where else�.�
She sat again, looking at him with wide eyes. �We�re safe here, William and I. My father�s ghost doesn�t linger over us, and the truth about Will�s duty is safely guarded. When he comes home�� her voice caught, and she closed her eyes for a moment. �In just a few days, Will comes home, and then we can have what we fought for, do you see?�
Jack thought he did see, and he thought furiously for something he could say to forestall the inevitable. �Elizabeth,� he tried jovially. �I�m just here too��
�Yes, Jack.� Elizabeth interrupted firmly. �You�re just here.�
She was asking him to leave. Jack knew it, although he wasn�t quite sure he had followed her reasoning. It had been foolish of him to come, he knew it, but even as he made the decision to go and never look back, something kept him glued to the chair. Elizabeth continued to stare at him, tears now freely sliding down her cheeks, and Jack could read the confusion in them as clearly as if she had begged him to stay even as she pushed him out the door.
And at that moment, the house�s front door opened, admitting a small, elderly woman dressed in black. �Elizabeth?� the woman called, peering into the sitting room. �Oh, you have company! Who�s that with you now, then?�
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The Flying Dutchman