What You See...

Muffling his scream of completion by mashing his lips down on to his
lover's, Will Turner spilled his love and passion deep into his
lover's body.  It was as intense a feeling as the first time they
had finally acted on the emotions that had always simmered between
them… he'd been on the receiving end of things that time.

Reluctantly removing his spent cock from Jack, Will slid on to his
side and rested his head on Jack's heaving chest and dropped a
chaste kiss on his heart.  Within minutes, Jack was asleep.  Not
tired himself, Will raised his head from its resting place and moved
his arm so he could rest his cheek on his palm and look on the
sleeping form of his friend… his lover… his captain.

Three years.  Had it really been three years since he'd met this
loveable rogue?  Will smiled.  Life certainly hadn't mapped
outthe
way he had thought it would but he would never regret the choice he
had made.  It was inconceivable now to imagine his life now without
*Captain* Jack Sparrow in it.  Walking away from the life Elizabeth
could offer had been hard and he would always regret causing her
pain.  Not taking the chance on the life Jack represented would have
killed him.

It had been strange at first - being a part of a pirate crew.  While
pirating was in his blood, his formative years had been - according
to Jack - lamentably law abiding.  Will stifled a chuckle as he
remembered the mournful, exasperated and gently teasing expression
that had been on Jack's face the day he had made that
announcement in
front of half of the Pearl's crew.

He'd quickly found his niche in the crew in those early months,
albeit under a variety of seeming labels.  To some, he was Bootstrap
Bill's boy; to others, he was the blacksmith that had become a
pirate rather than marry the Governor's daughter.  To all, he was
the
Captain's friend and *that* they respected.  There
weren'tmany that
would go head to head in verbal banter with *Captain* Jack
Sparrow…
there were even fewer who could hold their own.

One label he had never understood.  He had fought side by side with
the crew on more than one occasion, and, like them, he had killed in
battle.  True, Sparrow seemed to have a gift for getting as few
people killed - on either side - as he could manage.  Still, they
were pirates not angels… people did die.  Even so, by the end of
his sixth month on the Pearl, he had somehow been saddled with the
curious title of the *nicest* pirate ever to sail the Caribbean.

His seventh month with Jack had been when his life suffered its next
upheaval.  Anamaria was taken from them.  It had stunned their crew
of hard-bitten pirates to their very core.  There hadn't even
been an
enemy the could avenge themselves on… fever was fever.  Tortuga
would wait a long time to see a wake like Anamaria's again, that
was
for damn certain.

He'd worried about Jack then.  The twinkle in his eyes had dimmed
for a time.  After the wake, the next upheaval in his life happened. 
Jack called him in for a private discussion in his cabin and named
him First Mate.  He'd tried to protest but Jack's simple
announcement
that, "Job's yours, boy.  It was always goin' t' be
yours.  Had she
lived, Anamaria was takin' her share of our treasures and
gettin' a
ship of her own.

"She knew - and I always knew - that your arrival meant it was time
for her to be movin' on.  I need a First Mate I can trust…
with me
crew… with me ship… with me life.  That's you,
plainan' simple."

The crew hadn't even batted an eye at the announcement and, loand
behold, the *nicest* pirate in the Caribbean was suddenly the First
Mate of one of - if not *the* most - effective pirate ships there
were.

Two weeks into his new life and sharing a quiet dinner and a bottle
of rum with his captain, Will Turner experienced the next upheaval in
his life.  A questioning kiss on Jack's part, his kohl-rimmedeyes
seeking an answer to his overture had merited only one response from
him… he'd returned the kiss with everything in his heart.
That was the night that they became lovers.

Over the next two years, their lives had been eventful to say the
least.  The Black Pearl had once again claimed the true legend that
was her right - not the terror inspiring one that Barbarossa's
command had created.  She was renowned for her daring raids on the
ships of the Caribbean, her foxing of the navy ships that chased
her.  Norrington's replacement - after he and his wife returned
to
England - was a poor substitute for his skills.  The Pearl even
rescued survivors of other pirate attacks and dropped them close to
safe ports.

Above all else, the legend about her captain and his first mate
grew.  The former was a rogue and definitely a little crazy but he
was freely acknowledged as one of the most knowledgeable sailors in
the Caribbean.  The latter was still considered by some to be too
nice to be a pirate, though he was acknowledged to be one of the best
swordsmen in the Caribbean.

One thing nobody doubted.  They were a pair and devoted to each
other.  In battle they were a force to be reckoned with - they
outfought and outthought their opponents at every turn.  Their
friendship was legend, their loyalty to their ship and each other
unwavering.  When one hurt, the other bled.  To threaten one, you
brought down the wrath of the other.

The only time Will Turner ever threatened to lose his title of
*nicest* pirate was when he went after those who tried to harm Jack. 
Will knew that his most recent defence of Jack would have attained
the status of near-legend the next time they returned to Tortuga. 
Arm unconsciously tugging his lover's sleeping form closer to his
body, Will's memory turned to that afternoon.

It had been their last night of their recent stay in Tortuga and Jack
had been heading off to check on the re-provisioning of the ship when
Will had noticed two men following in his lover's path.  With a
glance, he'd beckoned Gibbs and another one of the crew to his
side and they'd quietly followed the men following their captain
down
Tortuga's side streets.

When they saw them try to snatch Jack they acted.  Clearly surprising
the men, Jack hadn't struggled too much.  Will hadn't been
worried. 
He knew that Jack had an innate sense of when he was near - they both
had that gift.  It wasn't something they questioned as it had
saved their lives far too many times for them to do that.

Instead of struggling, Jack cocked his head to the side and smiled
his special smile and said, "You don't want to be doin' this,
mates."

"And why is that, *Captain* Sparrow?  Do you have any idea what the
reward on your head is?"

"Well, to my way of thinkin' the reward is in no way enough, but
that's not the point."

"What is the point?" demanded the same man, only for his voice to
choke off as an arm as strong as a steel band snaked round his neck
and a deadly voice hissed in his ear, saying, "The point is, *I*
would be very, very upset if anything were to happen to him."

It was the last voice, he ever heard.  With an economical twist of
his arm, the First Mate of the Pearl broke the neck of the man who
tried to take its captain away from him.

Gibbs and Hobson held the shaking form of the man's partner in a
rough grip as Will turned his attention to him.  They held him tight
while their First Mate grabbed roughly at his collar and leaned close
to murmur something to him.  Their eyes widened at what they heard
and they blinked warily at their crew mate.  The smell of the urine
making its way down the leg of their captive returned them to the
moment.

At Will's instruction they had let the man go and he quickly
scuttled off into the night.  Eyes wide, they watched as the man who
had just killed one man with a twist of his arm - and terrified
another enough to humiliate himself in public - turned to their
captain and quickly pulled him close as he worriedly checked for
injuries.

They'd nodded and left when he'd excused them to head off for
a night
on the town, assuring him that they'd pass the word that their
captain and first mate were spending the night on the Pearl.

Jack had smiled at their reaction to Will's behaviour.  Even
after
all this time, Will's ruthless loyalty to him still surprised
even
their own crew.  It shouldn't.  Will knew that Jack understood -
even though nobody else seemed to.  With him, what you saw was what
you got.  Jack not only had his undying loyalty, he owned his heart. 
*Nobody* would take away what was his.

They'd returned to their quarters on the ship and Jack had
allowed
Will to take reassurance in the most basic way they knew how.  Body
to body, heart to heart.

They both also knew that, by the time the crew returned in the
morning, Gibbs, Hobson and the fool that Will had let live would have
passed the tale from one tavern to another… and another layer to
their legend would be created.

Sleep finally claiming him, Will Turner stopped his silent
reminiscences and joined Jack in slumber.  The crew would be back by
early morning, they'd sail with the early tide.

This time tomorrow, they'd be out at sea and where they belonged.

***

                            
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