bringmethatnpc | (no subject)

(no subject)

The Black Pearl sails on through the endless seas of the Locker, its main deck a regular bustle of crew labouring under the command of two captains, both determined to stake their claim on the vessel.

The crew themselves are active and enthusiastic, spurned by the thrill of rescue and the need to learn a ship few of them have sailed on before. It's only below decks, in the hold, that any peace can be found, away from the ready ears of pirates.

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Unconsciously leaning forward like she's pushed by a gentle breeze and it's as natural as breathing to sway toward Will, Elizabeth opens her mouth to say something and shuts it again. Catching herself, she straightens.

"Would it have changed anything?" She raises an eyebrow. "You didn't come here to rescue Jack. You came to rescue the Pearl."

"It would have changed things between us," Will tells her. "A year, and you wouldn't share with me."

Wounded, she hardly waits for him to finish before objecting.

"We were trapped, and what would it have gained? It would only have upset you."

"And I wasn't upset already?"

He hasn't moved, so close he can smell her, just waiting, hopelessly, for a reaction.

"I just didn't know why I was. I thought..."

He can't put it into words. Can't say that he lived for a year thinking she had betrayed him. Besides, he's spoken too much.

She starts to take a step, to close at least the physical distance between them, and searches his eyes. Telling him would have changed things; for the worse, she feels. But now that it's over and done, she's no longer keeping it from him, and that's all that was...

Her eyes widen and her lips part in astonishment as realization sets in.

"You thought I loved him," she guesses, unable to hide a hint of accusation.

Instead of moving closer, she turns away.

No.

Will closes his hands on her arms before she can turn. They're going to talk about this if he has to make her stay.

He steps forward, pushing her back until she's brought up against one of the walls partitioning the hold.

Elizabeth hadn't intended to go far -- just a few short paces away while she considered this new revelation -- and surprise registers on her face.

This is Will.

He's only stopped her from leaving and pushed her against a wall, but she's never considered that he might do even that.

And the parallels between this and the way she backed Jack into the mast don't escape her attention. Her eyes dance over Will's face, and she briefly entertains the notion that he might kiss her.

He's has surprised as she is, to be honest. Never has he had so little control over his own actions, never has he felt so wounded by someone he trusted.

And now he knows he's gone further than he should have, but she betrayed him.

"If you make your choices alone, how can I trust you?"

The answer is so obvious that it cuts like a well-sharpened knife, and Elizabeth holds her breath, wanting to rail at him, wanting the only reply she can give not to be true, and wonders if this spells the end.

(Pirate)

"You can't," she manages, voice quiet and honest and just short of breaking.

Unable to bear whatever he might say in response, and, if she's honest with herself, not wanting to deal with what this might mean, she breaks away from him and scurries up the stairs.

Will jerks his arm up to let her leave, worried that he'll do something he'll regret if he tries to make her stay.

He just wanted to talk this out. He'd intended to share his own secret, so they could work things out. They were supposed to get better when they rescued Jack.

He rests his hands against the wall as she goes, and wonders how he managed to mess it up so spectacularly. But he's not going to give up on her.

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