title: Taken

fandom: Pirates of the Carribean

pairing: so far - vague Will and Elizabeth, but we all know that's going to change. ;o)

rating: NC17 (but not for Will and Elizabeth, I wouldn't do that to you! trust me! *evil grin*)

spoilers: the whole movie

author: nancy

WIP: yes

archive: sure! just let me know!

Taken
By Nancy

Elizabeth jumped when a strong hand clamped down on her shoulder, losing almost all her wits in fright. She retained enough of them to jab sharply back with her elbow, as Will had taught her to do. It was caught, however, and she was whirled around and pushed against the stone wall. The dark shape that loomed above her was a mass of hair and braids under a very distinctive hat. Anger made her hiss, "Jack!"

Pulling back a bit so that more light shone on his face, revealing the dark-lined eyes and familiar smirk as he bowed with a flourish and replied, "Missus Turner, a pleasure to remake your quaint, acquaint, good to see you again, Miss Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth hid a grin at the faintly slurred words, knowing the other man wasn't drunk despite it. It was a strange affectation, but Will had supposed it to be from being out in the sun too long. "What are you doing here? If Norrington catches you..."

"He'll kill me, yes. Or, he'll try," Jack amended. "But these are migrate, migitate," Jack paused, then tried again with a slowly enunciated, "Situation. We have ourselves a situation, here, Miss
Elizabeth."

"I know that, but how do you? Will's only been gone since a week yesterday. There's no way that you could have found out so quickly."

Lips pursed, Jack replied, studiously avoiding her gaze, "Let's just say that I would never leave such a dear friend as Will without someone keeping an eye on the lad. He's a lightening strike of
trouble."

"Only when you're involved," Elizabeth accused, hands on hips. "What have you done, Jack?"

"Me? Miss Elizabeth, I am shot through to the quick that you would think..."

Elizabeth glared at the slightly leaning man. "What did you *do*, Jack?"

Sighing, Jack answered, "I didn't have to *do* anything, Elizabeth. But this is the very reason that pirates aren't supposed to have friends, let alone good friends like Will."

"Are you saying that Will was taken because he's your friend?" Elizabeth demanded, voice rising.

Jack clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around sharply. When he heard and saw nothing, he released her and suggested, "Why don't we continue this on th'ship where you can yell at me all properly, savvy?"

She nodded, still highly agitated, and started walking.

* * * *

It wasn't really a surprise to find Elizabeth striking out on her own. What was a surprise to Jack was that it had taken her over a week to get started. Given how she and Will were, and he grimaced mentally at that thought every single time it struck him, he'd've thought that she would have gone off the moment it was known that Will had been kidnapped.

As they approached the Black Pearl lying anchored in a cove well outside the town, he asked, "Why so tardy in going after young Will?"

Elizabeth stiffened and answered, "My father had Norrington guarding the house until just yesterday when they figured it was too late for me to do anything. He anticipated my going after Will, just as you. He probably thought that I couldn't come up with a way to go after Will this late."

"And what were you planning to do?" Jack questioned curiously.

Clearing her throat, Elizabeth replied, "I was going to borrow a boat and find you."

Jack grinned wickedly and observed, "Borrow? I must be rubbing off on you, Miss Elizabeth."

"Oh, please."

Snickering softly at her indignant retort, he motioned for her to get into the lifeboat and then took up post at the oars. It wasn't long before they were at the Pearl and, having to climb a rope ladder aboard, he was grateful that she'd worn sensible clothing. Of course, the form fitting breeches and loose shirt, both presumably Will's, offered a more than satisfactory view.

Just because he didn't want her didn't mean that he didn't enjoy looking.; she did cut quite a figure.

Once aboard, the crew automatically went about their tasks to get the Pearl underway. Elizabeth followed him to the deck where he took the wheel in hand. Glancing at her briefly, he observed in satisfaction, "Just in time to catch the outgoing tide, too."

She was silent as the pirates' ship got out onto the open sea and Jack appreciated that, as well. One thing he didn't want was a chattering nuisance while he was bringing the Pearl out of a rocky harbor. He knew this inlay, knew it well, but that didn't stop him from needing a connection to the water and space around him in order to steer. He relied on that and the occasional bellow of the sailor in charge of noting the depth told them by a weighted, knotted rope.

It wasn't long before they were under full sail and aiming south by west. He watched as the sun began its excruciatingly hot climb for the day and made a note to repair the kohl under his eyes. It was going to be a scorcher, he could just tell.

"Do you know where to go?"

Elizabeth's question brought his wandering thoughts back to bear and he quipped, "I always know where to go, Miss Elizabeth."

Her brow furrowed as she demanded, "For Will. Do you know where to go for Will?"

"Ah. Well, not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I have an idea of who may have taken him, but nothing for sure and, hence, not a rock solid plan for getting him back. However, given how plans tend to fall by the wayside around me, that's just as well."

"Jack..."

Her warning tone reminded him that he wasn't the only one worried. It also reminded him that she had the more legitimate claim and a scowl surfaced as he snapped, "I'll find him, Elizabeth. It doesn't matter where they take him, there's nowhere that I and the Black Pearl won't retrieve young Master Turner. On that you've my bond."

"A pirate's bond."

"Is there any other kind you can trust?"

Elizabeth snorted, her gaze going out to the now sparkling ocean. "I just want him back, Jack. Can you understand?"

*All too well,* Jack thought bitterly. Aloud, he answered, "Of course. Why don't you get some rest, take one of the cabins by mine, they're all empty."

Surprise etched over her face and Elizabeth glanced out at the crew, busy at their duties.

"Oh. They'd rather a hammock than a bed any day. Well, unless a woman's already in it," Jack amended, eyebrows wriggling suggestively.

Sighing, aggravated, Elizabeth stated, "I think I shall retire, thank you."

He watched as she went below, then leaned on the wheel and stared out at the ocean with a heavy sigh. His thoughts darkened, contemplating what Will was even now going through. He did actually have a notion on who had taken the young man and if it were true…well...it didn't speak much of Will's virtue remaining intact.

Not for long.

* * * *

Will had given up struggling to get out of his chains as a useless cause. There was nothing in the small, bare cell for him to use to pick the locks and no leverage to pry them from the wall. Whomever had him obviously knew of his livelihood as a blacksmith and wasn't taking any chances on escape. It had been several days and, though fed and watered twice daily, he still had no idea of who had taken him.

Or why.

And it was perhaps the why of it that had him more worried. There weren't any of the former Black Pearl pirates after him. It certainly wasn't Norrington behind the attack. That left absolutely no reason for him being taken. Being son-in-low to the governor wasn't nearly the privilege that some assumed, no money was involved at all seeing as how Elizabeth had moved in with him above the shop. This wouldn't be for ransom, because he had little to offer. His father-in-law just didn't hold him in that much esteem, which the entire colony knew.

Sighing, Will stretched to his tip-toes to look out the porthole and saw nothing save the unending ocean and late afternoon sun. Exactly what he'd been looking at since the morning he'd woken up with an abominable headache, chained to the wall. They weren't even moving
anymore, had put down anchor in the middle of nowhere for a reason he couldn't yet discern. A reason that he perhaps didn't want to know.

A noise from above garnered his attention and Will looked to the stairs. On schedule, the young lad who was his keeper was bringing his dinner down on a tray. The boy, not hardly more then twelve or thirteen, set the tray through the slot and waited silently as Will started eating. He again tried to engage the boy in conversation, but to no avail. Once finished, he sighed and passed the tray back through the slot.

Another day gone, another day of uncertainty and fear crawling into the pit of his stomach. Will knew that he was no coward, but this kind of existence would tell on anyone.

*Well, except for Jack,* he thought fondly. *Jack would probably just lounge and sleep the days away without care. Perhaps bellow for rum, now and again.*

But he would be ready to escape did the chance present itself and Will fully intended to follow his absent best friend's example.

* * * *

Elizabeth stared openly at the sight of the crew dancing on deck. Jack did indeed have a fiddler and drummer and they were now belting out various tunes, always returning to the Pirate's Song. Jack himself was nursing a bottle of rum and lounging carelessly across the way.

"Missus Turner."

Glancing over at him, she inquired, "Yes, Jack?"

"I forgot to offer my apologies for missing the wedding," Jack announced. "And my hearty regret for not being present during the honeymoon."

Eyes narrowing, understanding the tone and look in his eyes, more than the specific meaning of the words, Elizabeth replied cuttingly, "That's quite all right, Jack. Norrington stood up for
Will in your place."

Dark eyes narrowed back at her in return and it was a few moments before he said, "The honor was all Norrington's, I'm sure."

*It's so hard to take his measure,* Elizabeth mused, looking away.

On the one hand, he was very often the picture of a drunken pirate, even when he wasn't drunk, but often that act disguised a wicked intelligence. She wasn't about to forget how thoroughly he'd played them all during that last adventure. And he was clearly insane, holding his own life in little disregard given the danger he courted on a regular basis. On the other, he was strangely loyal to those he considered friends, which most likely included only those on this very boat, aside from Will.

*Aside from Will. That's the rub,* Elizabeth thought. *If Jack were a woman, I'd bet my sash that he was after Will in a heartbeat.*

Because she knew the look that sometimes entered the pirate's eyes, had felt it in her own when she thought about her husband. Slightly wondering if Will could be for real, slightly amazed that he was, and thoroughly bemused to have his attention and love to herself. And though love didn't enter the equation between Will and Jack, how could it, Jack had obviously grown used to having Will to himself while searching for her.

An addictive substance, to have that caring, gentle and honorable man in one's life. It was a heady brew indeed. Sweeter and spicier than the darkest of rums, she knew. Something that very well could tempt even Captain Jack Sparrow into an honest action now and again, to which she still enjoyed baiting him about.

"Perhaps we should raise a flag of truce."

Elizabeth glanced over at the man who was eyeing her thoughtfully. "How do you mean?"

"I mean that we both want to retrieve Will, to save him from whatever peril in which he finds himself," Jack returned. "Towards that end, we can stop the time wasting insults. At least until we get him back."

Smiling faintly, seeing that Jack had somehow been following her own thoughts, Elizabeth nodded, agreeing, "A truce, then."

"A truce," Jack murmured, smirking slightly.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering how many insults we'll be able to save up for when we get him back."

She laughed merrily, unable to help herself. And there was the other thing. Jack himself. Most of the time she wanted to strangle him or push him over the rail, but sometimes, they were definitely of the same mind.

* * * *

Lying in his bunk, Jack's thoughts inevitably turned to the person they always did when he was prone and relaxed; with or without the rum.

Will.

Handsome, daring, honorable, dashing, a wicked fighter and, perhaps, a wicked lover? No. He would be kind and gentle, loving and careful. With Elizabeth, Will had probably barely even broken through her virginity on their wedding night, perhaps hadn't at all. Perhaps Elizabeth had taken his, as seemed more likely in Jack's mind.

Grinning to himself, Jack's hands wandered over his torso as he thought about that last day on the parapet. When Will and had jumped between him and Norrington to save him from the hangman's noose, again. And then, to all surprise, Elizabeth joining him. He shook his head, chuckling at the sight of Norrington's shock.

Then, as his hand gripped his cock and started pumping, Jack's mind turned to the familiar fantasy, the pleasurable day-dream that changed events on those days. Instead of Jack jumping over the edge alone, Will had gone with him to set sail on the Pearl. That the Pearl had left the island colony with Jack and Will at the helm, shoulder to shoulder, perhaps Jack's hand on Will's backside, shifting slowly lower, and lower...

And then that night in the Captain's cabin, on this very bunk, Jack would lick and suck and kiss his way over Will's entire body. His hands would pay tribute to the incredible man who had saved his life and believed in him, despite all evidence to the contrary. The man who always seemed to know which way Jack's wind would turn, even when Jack himself didn't.

He would taste the salty sweat soaked into the finely tuned muscles that he had to imagine, thanks to far too much clothing on Will's part. Then he would lick the dark spot between Will's cheeks, sucking there lightly while listening to the groans of pleasure from above. Will would be writhing, not knowing what to feel or why it was so good, willing to let him do anything.

And anything was exactly what Jack would do. First he would sink into that virgin hole as slow as cold molasses, making them both insane with need. Then he would build faster and faster, going as hard and deep as he could go until Will shouted, no, begged to come. Not until the tight hole had pulled him in deeper than Davy Jones' Locker would Jack allow that, hitting that nub inside that made this kind of coupling so incredibly sweet. They would come almost
together, because Jack would make sure of the fullness of Will's pleasure before branding the young man with his seed. And he would come harder than ever before because it was Will, calling out his lover's name.

Groaning Will's name for real, Jack surged a few more times into his hands, his balls tightening and then his cock spurting his come over his hand and stomach. Panting and trying to get his breath under control, long hair stuck to his sweaty neck and shoulders, Jack closed his eyes. He pretended for the few moments before sleep that Will was in his bed, curled close around him to make the night a sweeter place.

* * * *

Elizabeth tossed and turned in her tiny bunk, wishing that life at sea wasn't quite as filled with motion. She wasn't sick, exactly, more like uneasy in her stomach. The walls on the Pearl were thin, unfortunately, so the racket from the crew, both above and below, wasn't aiding in her quest for sleep any.

Getting up, she moved to the porthole and opened it, breathing in the fresh air with a sense of relief. Then an odd sound caught her attention and she frowned, trying to place it. Her cheeks flamed when she realized what, and who, it was.

Jack. Jack was, well, had to be...

Swallowing heavily, Elizabeth listened with a sense of guilt and sin to the not-quite muffled groans and pants. They reminded her of when Will was inside her, about to find his finish. Her stomach tightened for a different reason when her mind conjured what Jack must look like before she could banish the thought: head back, hair strewn about, chest heaving as he reached the pinnacle.

Then he groaned with what had to be his completion, and it was Will's name on his lips.

*

Will looked up at the heavy footsteps descending the stairs and got to his feet, spine stiffening as he would finally meet his captor. To his surprise, the man looked refined and presented quite a
handsome figure with subdued, clean clothing and his pale hair tied back in a roughly naval fashion. He was older, probably in his fortieth year or better, but still quite strapping, with the body of a man who'd been at sea his entire life. Sharp blue eyes looked him over and Will grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"So. Master Turner. I understand that you and Jack are quite the pair."

Surprise skittered through Will as he answered dumbly, "Jack?"

"Yes. Captain Jack Sparrow. The man whom you saved from hanging not once, but twice."

This was about Jack? Of course it was about Jack. Sighing to himself, Will wondered how he could extricate himself from the situation without betraying their friendship. "I saved him the first
time so that he could help me save my wife. The second time, well, that was in gratitude for helping save her."

"I see. So you don't care that I have him chained to the deck above and have whipped his back raw for his defiance of me?"

Will automatically looked up at the ceiling as if he could see the truth of the matter for himself, stepping forward. Then he cursed himself soundly at the chuckle that came from the other man.

"As I thought," the man stated, motioning for the sailors who had accompanied him to open the cell. They did so and he entered the room, not stopping until he reached Will. Staring at the younger man, he brushed a finger over Will's cheek and whispered, "Such a pretty young lad. I'm going to enjoy having you...on board, Master Turner."

Dread shivered through Will at those words. Swallowing against a throat gone dry with fear, he jerked back from the touch and hissed, "I don't know what game you're playing, but Jack will come for me."

"Oh I'm countin' on that," the man replied, smiling broadly. "But that's not to say I can't have some fun while I'm waiting."

* * * *

The blindfold was driving Will crazy. He could take being bound, even on a berth by leather straps that cut into his skin when he tried to get free. He could take the nudity, though granted, it was more than a little disconcerting to be so all the time. He could take the fact that he had to have someone else's help to use the chamber pot and could only go when he was allowed or would soil his bed. He could take someone feeding him. He could even take the times that Captain Markus, as he found out his captor's name was, coming in just to stare at him.

But the blindfold was definitely pushing him over the edge.

He strained to hear all that he could. He could hear the timbers of the ship creaking gently as they remained at anchor. He heard the crew going about their daily routine, talking, laughing and cursing throughout the day. He felt the heat of the sun through more than one port as each day wore on, the gentle breeze over his skin as it brought in the clear, salt-water smell. His back and front sides became well versed in the soft bedding on which he lay.

It seemed like he'd been confined in this fashion forever and it confused him as much now as it had in the beginning. It was actually more comfortable than the cell, even given the restraints, which made no sense. Why would Captain Markus keep him tied up like this? Something brushed down the hollow of his ribs and Will jumped in shock, not having heard the door open or anyone come in. "Who's there?"

"Me."

Oh. The Captain. Licking dry lips, Will questioned, "Why do you keep me this way?"

"Because I like the look of you thus."

That all too familiar dread again hollowed out his stomach and Will wished that he hadn't asked.

"I've decided on an even better form of revenge, my boy."

That didn't bode well.

"I've decided to keep you. You'll be my slave, devoted to me in every way, shape and form. You will pleasure me as you never have anyone else in your life and do so willingly."

"That will *never* happen!" Will exclaimed, horror sluicing through him.

A low, warm chuckle spread throughout the room. "Oh, it will my boy, it will. Just give me time."

* * * *

"Captain, are y'sure y'want t'do this?" Gibbs asked for the fourth time.

Jack restrained himself from causing bodily harm, but barely. Of course, it helped that he was in the lifeboat and Gibbs was on deck. Reaching over would've been very foolish. "Not particlarly, but there's no help for it."

"But, Sir..."

"'At's enough, Gibbs. Lower the boat," Jack snapped.

Unhappy, Gibbs nonetheless motioned for the hands to do as ordered, and the boat rocked down towards the water.

Jack eyed the ship just out of canon-shot range, knowing her as intimately as he did the Pearl. He'd been first mate on that ship a long time back and, though some of it had been a most pleasant diversion, if Captain Markus held Will...

Jack threw that thought aside and cast off from the Pearl, taking up the oars. It had been a lucky strike that they'd found out about Markus anchoring outside of Antigua. He wasn't normally there this time of year, preferring easier marks without so much of the Navy around to hamper him. However, the same man who'd recently departed the crew of The Trident, had mentioned as how Markus was looking for revenge on Jack and had happened upon what he thought the perfect plan was.

Of course, he'd mentioned it under a hard whipping from the flat of Jack's sword, but that didn't make it any less true of a confession.

It had been over a month since Will had been taken and most of that had been spent sailing towards this destination. Anxiety over his friend's fate had made him short with the crew and he'd prowled the decks looking for something to take his temper out upon. Fortunately for the hands, they knew better than to provoke him, doing their jobs without complaint or even much voice.

Even Anna Maria had kept herself from him, something that didn't normally happen during a voyage. Of course, they hadn't really gotten together since his official return to the Black Pearl,
anyhow, but that didn't need any mentioning. No, no mentioning, but every now and again, before this journey to find the blacksmith, she'd given him a broad wink and asked if he'd had news of Will. The grins and winks were definitely gone now, though.

Strangely, it was Elizabeth herself who proved to be a boon during the journey. Despite the truce they'd called early on, she had no fear of cutting him down with words when his mood got too black and menacing. They'd spent many nights going back and forth, scathing words snapping between them like foreplay. Several times they'd garnered an open-mouthed audience, all standing at discreet and safe distance, of course. The most intriguing thing to everyone alike was that ladies like Elizabeth weren't supposed to know words like that.

Now he was heading into the danger that could kill him, as Markus had known he would. The older man had made his living as a pirate the last thirty years, after all, he had more than passing
acquaintance with cunning and strategy. Not to mention personal knowledge of Jack himself.

The rowboat came up alongside The Trident and a rope ladder was thrown down. Hard to miss his colors, Markus would know perfectly well who was coming over for a chat. Climbing up the ladder with the agility of any monkey, Jack swung himself topside and found several sword points at his throat. His eyes flickered quickly around, taking note of position, strength, arms and crew.

"Hello, Jack."

Jack turned slightly towards the voice and smiled falsely. "Markus my lad! How good t'see you."

"And for once, it's the same here," Markus answered, grinning broadly.

That didn't bode well. Forcing himself to remain calm, Jack questioned, "I understand that you have something of mine."

"I do indeed. Grown quite attached to the pretty young thing, actually."

"Yes, well, he has a way of doing that. I'd like him back."

"I think not."

"Let's be reasonable `bout this," Jack warned, keeping his tone light, but his eyes narrowed. "The boy's hardly the sea-farin' type, can't be doing you any good."

A smirk crossed Markus' handsome face as he replied, "I wouldn't say that, Jack. The boy is quite...good at any use I find for him."

*Blighted bastard!* Jack thought with silent venom. It was costing him a lot to keep the smile on his face. "I just bet that's true. However. Seein's how he's son-in-law to the governor, you'd want to rethink keepin' him."

And keeping him was exactly what Markus had in mind, Jack could tell. He also knew to what purpose, for it was one that he himself had contemplated often and long. Taking Will would be a pleasure beyond thought. Aside from that, it had the added bonus of being Jack's friend that Markus was taking.

Jack would wager from the fact that Will himself wasn't present that Markus was having trouble taming the lad, which was good. He knew Markus well enough to know that Will was in no physical danger, but then, that was so often the lesser of the dangers. Leaning back against the rail, he continued, "After all, the governor might not like him much, but he is family."

"Tell me honest, Jack. What is this boy to you?"

A thrice damned question, because no matter which way he answered it, he was forsaking Will. If he denied his friend, there was no reason to be there. If he claimed him, further reason for Markus to break Will. Shrugging easily, taking the path of least resistance, Jack replied, "An obligation, unfort'nately. His wife is a veritable shrew and yet, something of a sight, savvy? She's aboard the Pearl and while I enjoy her company for certain reasons, she wants the boy back. And I do try t'keep her happy if only to save my ears and warm my bed."

The grin Markus threw at him said that not a word was believed, but the other Captain only replied, "Interesting. So to keep her in your bed, you'll put him in hers. Must get awfully crowded."

"Ah, but the winter coal bill's gone down like you wouldn't believe," Jack quipped.

Markus did laugh at that, then motioned towards the sailors surrounding Jack. "Kill him."

"Stop! Don't! Don't kill him!"

Jack instantly locked onto Will, who had been hidden behind the topmast, pinned by two brawny sailors. He looked a bit wild around the eyes, darkness almost outstripping the blue even in the sun, as well as... Jack's jaw dropped slightly at the extent of skin visible. Will only wore a scant loincloth and nothing else. All the muscles he'd earned as a blacksmith were extremely visible. Jack saw that the other man was very well defined, far more so than had shown from beneath his clothing. Even under such dangerous circumstances, Jack felt a twinge from down below at the sight.

Marshaling his thoughts with effort, Jack assumed a dismissive expression and waved a lazy hand at Will. "So you see why the woman's a bit anxious to keep him around. Quite fond of him, she is."

"Well yes, apparently for the same reasons as myself," Markus replied. "Kill him!"

Jack winced as the swords came close again.

"I said don't! I'll do what you want, Captain, just don't kill him!" Will shouted, struggling uselessly against the sailors.

Markus held up a hand as he turned towards Will, demanding, "You'll give me your word?"

"I..."

"*If* I could interrupt, for just a second," Jack intervened, mincing forward a few steps. He took the nearest sword-tip between index finger and thumb and gingerly moved it aside. Now he was roughly three feet from Markus, but still no real hope of taking the other man captive. Not with the amount of men and guns surrounding him.

Markus arched an eyebrow at him and motioned for him to continue. With an ingratiating smile, slurring his words just a little, Jack said, "I think per'aps young Master Turner and I need t'have a word or three. On your `ndulgenz, of course, Cap'n?"

"By all means," Markus allowed, magnanimously.

Jack tipped his hat. "Thank `ee."

Sliding carefully through the trail of swords still aimed at him, Jack crossed the distance to Will and turned a black glare upon the two sailors holding him. They instantly released him and stepped a short distance away. Casting his eyes over Will, Jack saw that, indeed, the young man wasn't hurt, aside from the sliver of fear in his normally clear, blue eyes. In a low voice, he questioned, "You all right?"

"Yes. Elizabeth is with you?"

Damned cheek, asking after the woman when it was Jack risking his life! Controlling his temper, knowing that it was more the situation than Will getting his ire up, Jack nodded. "She is."

"Warming your bed?"

"Oh. You heard that."

"Yes, Jack, I heard that."

"Well, no. She's not," Jack clarified. "Just trying to put matters in a light Markus might understand."

"If I had a sword..."

"Yes, I know. You'd run me through for the insult."

Will smiled unexpectedly and countered, "I'd cut your hat in half for the insult, beyond repair."

Hand to his heart, which was actually beating faster at the delightful smile on Will's face, Jack mocked, "To the quick, m'lad, to the quick."

"My patience runs thin, Jack. I'd like to be killing you now."

Jack didn't even look over at Markus' call. Instead, he gripped Will's shoulder and said urgently, "Don't give your word to Markus. You don't know what he wants."

"What does he want?"

Oh, the innocence in those crystal eyes that stared so trustingly and expectantly back at him. "You know how you and the missus, ah, have relations? The kind I generally get slapped for neglecting and/or initiating?"

Frowning, Will replied, "Yes."

"That's what he wants with you."

Will's jaw dropped, eyes widening in shock. "But, but how? I mean, he can't! There's nowhere to, ah, you know, put it."

"Oh there is, lad. You expel from there almost every day," Jack informed him.

Horror lit Will's face and put his back to the mast.

Nodding, Jack continued, "I'll escape, never fear on that score. And I'll be back for you, I swear. Unless it's a trade between your life and your honor, don't give in to him. And certainly don't give him your word!"

Moving closer to Jack, Will grasped his forearm and asked, "But how will you get free?"

Smirking suddenly, Jack moved his hand to chuck the other man's chin lightly, replying, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, lad. Nothing and no one can hold me for long, you know that."

"Time's up."

Will took Jack's arm, his jaw clenched shut, obviously keeping the pleading inside as he shouted with his eyes for Jack to save him. Jack covered his hand and squeezed it, whispering, "Stay alive, Will, that's the only thing that matters, do you understand? I'll be back for you, I swear on the Pearl!"

It hardly seemed possible, but Will's eyes widened even further at Jack's vow, but he had no time to reply as the sailor's returned and dragged him away, bringing him below.

Facing Markus, Jack began inching his way towards the closest rail as fluttered his hands about and opined, "Such a frightful effort at breaking someone like that in, Markus. All those notions of free will and rightful places. Doan you want someone who already knows what to do?"

With a grin, Markus questioned, "Are you offering?"

Jack paused. "No. However, I do know several pretty young things who are looking for work and none of that womanishness to clutter things about."

"I rather like that doe-eyed look of his," Markus commented, the smirk getting bigger. "I can't wait to see what he looks like while being whipped."

There were several ugly laughs from the sailors around him and Jack quickly memorized the faces of the ones he identified. If anything happened to Will, there would be retribution of the bloodiest sort. Stopping just shy of the starboard rail, the opposite side where the lifeboat was tied, Jack said, "You're going to kill me now, aren't you?"

Markus pulled out his pistol. "I am."

Sighing, Jack replied, "I thought so."

Quicker than a blink, he launched himself backwards, heaving himself over the side. It was a long, long drop to the water and he twisted midway, wrenching his back but successfully turning the fall into a dive and striking with barely a ripple. He swam as powerfully as he could directly under the boat to the other side. By the time he reached the surface, his lungs were ready to explode and he gasped in ragged draughts of air.

Swinging over the side of the rowboat, Jack unmoored and shoved off fast and quiet as he could, still hearing the pistol fire as Markus and the others shot into the water on the other side. He also heard Will shouting for him, begging them to stop shooting, which wrenched his heart far more than the twist had done his back.

Without another choice, he rowed as fiercely away from The Trident as he could, back to the relative safety of The Pearl. Fighting for and rescuing Will would have to come another day.

END