Death Shan't Part Us
A/N: This is a fic based off of the challenge that Mandylion posed on Hide The Rum. Here's the result. It is going to be a multi-chaptered work so I will attempt to get chapters posted as soon as possible.
DISCLAIMER: Yes, I do own Pirates of the Caribbean. That is why I am writing a fanfiction about it. (note sarcasm) I don't own Pirates and neither do you. Sorry, we've got to deal with it.
Chapter One: Pain
Pain. Suffering that accompanies a bodily disorder such as a disease or injury; suffering of the mind or emotions; a feeling that is caused by something harmful and usually makes one try to escape its source. Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann never truly knew the meaning of pain until that day. Until the day where in a single instant, their lives were changed forever.
Will Turner was unsure of how or why things went wrong. One minute his plan to capture the Pearl and rescue his father was running smoothly, the next, Sao Feng had decided to attack the ship. Now, the young blacksmith-turned-pirate was fighting against the crew of the man he had made a deal with and he couldn't help but notice that another ship was on the horizon. One that looked much like the Endeavor. That would mean that Beckett was on his way. Will did focus on that fact, however, due to the other fact that he was simply trying to stay alive. This was no easy feat considering that they were vastly outnumbered by the crew of the Empress.
At the moment, Will was feeling immensely guilty. If any of the men from the Pearl were killed, he would be the one at fault. He was the reason that Sao Feng and his men were there. If he had not made that foolish deal with the pirate, this would not be happening. Suddenly, Will could see Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye, fending off two men. Just as suddenly, his heart plummeted and his stomach dropped out. He had put her in danger. He had put Elizabeth in danger. If anything happened to her, he knew that he would never be able to live with himself.
As the young man battled, he let himself remember their last conversation. He had asked her how he could trust her if she did not speak to him and entrust him with her troubles. She had answered that he could not, desperately trying to stave off the tears in her eyes before running off and leaving him alone. The particular part of this conversation that was vexing Will was that she could not trust him either. He had told her nothing of his father or of his pact with Sao Feng. He was just as guilty as she, if not more. After that conversation, he had felt like a hypocrite. He had stood there, pushing and prodding her about why she kept the truth from him and he was doing the same in that very instant. It pained him, to know that they had grown so far apart. He missed her. He missed her so much it caused him physical pain. That is when he decided, as soon as they were safe, he would mend things with her. He would tell her that he was sorry and he forgave her for what happened with Jack and that he loved her. Will knew that he still loved Elizabeth. He had never stopped. He had continued to love her even after he witnessed her kissing Jack, even after he learned the truth of the kiss. He knew that he has loved her every day from the moment he opened his eyes to meet hers on that fateful day when he was but a child.
Will broke himself from his reverie when he saw an opening. He had been sure to keep a close eye on the Captain of the Empress while fending off the men around him. Sao Feng was just in front of him, fighting off Barbossa when he left himself an opening. Will leapt forward and let the point of his sword rest on the man's throat. Slowly, the clashing of swords and firing of pistols died off, everyone on the ship looking to see what Will would do.
"Be gone." Will said, his voice coldly calm. Before the pirate could do anything of the sort, he heard Elizabeth shout his name from behind him followed immediately by the shot of a gun. Will turned and was met with an image that was sure to haunt him until the day he died. Elizabeth stood in front of him, her eyes filled with pain as blood blossomed from her chest and back, soaking her clothes. To Will, it felt as if someone had physically struck him. He had no control over his body as he caught her as she fell, lowering both of them to the deck. He was oblivious to the world around him, seeing only his dying love.
"Elizabeth..." he whispered, struggling to breathe. He drew her close to him, pulling her onto his folded knees, letting his arm support her neck as it wrapped around her shoulders. He cupped her soft cheek with his hand as she desperately opened and closed her mouth, trying to speak. He vaguely noticed that rain began to fall and was drenching them, creating a stream of red with Elizabeth's blood. He caressed her cheek, gazing into her honey-colored eyes with what he was sure was horror and whispered sweet lies to her. He told her that she would be okay, that she would be all right, knowing that neither believed these as the truth, though they desperately wanted it to be so. With the last vestiges of her strength, Elizabeth reached her hand up, tracing his cheek and jaw line with the tips of her fingers. She looked up at him, desperately wanting to speak to him, to say something, though Will knew not what it was. As Will whispered her name, her eyes fluttered closed and her mouth shut, her hand falling away from her face as her head fell back onto his arm. Will shook his head, not willing to accept that she was gone. Elizabeth couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. She was the strongest person he knew. She was Elizabeth, for God's sake! She could not die. She could not leave him here alone, not before he had the chance to tell her that he loved her or had the chance to marry her. She couldn't leave him alone. The world would be to cold of a place without her by his side.
Desperately, he choked out her name, running his free hand over her cold, wet cheek. The tears fell from his tortured brown eyes and mixed with the rain. He held her close to him, burying his face in her neck and hair, hiding himself from the world. He sobbed into her cold form, willing himself to believe this was nothing more than a dream and that he would wake up at any moment, realizing she was still alive. He clutched her to him, unable to let her go. She couldn't be gone. He couldn't live without her. She was his light, his anchor. Without her, he would cease to exist. He could not lose Elizabeth Swann. Without her, the world was nothing more to him than pain.
Pain. Suffering that accompanies a bodily disorder such as a disease or injury; suffering of the mind or emotions; a feeling that is caused by something harmful and usually makes one try to escape its source. Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann learned the true meaning of this word the day that she put herself in the path of a bullet meant for him. The day that she proved to the world that she was willing to do anything for the man she loved.
A/N: Okay, this isn't the end! I know this is super, super angsty and I apologize. I have not yet decided whether or not I will un-angstify this so bear with me. Personally, I'm extremely proud of this. I don't think I've ever written something so angst-ridden before. So, review if you feel like it; flames will make me happy because I really like fire.
xoxoxo
Katy/Gerbil-san