Beyond the Reef (POTC 3)

Chapter 12: Goodbye Mrs. Elizabeth Turner

Annette's POV

Elizabeth stood on the main deck, her hand on the taffrail of the Pearl, looking over at the Dutchman where Captain Will Turner looked back at her adoringly. He wore his wet grey bandanna over his forehead with an open black coat that showed the unhealed bloody scar of where his heart was cut out.

"Mrs. Turner," Barbossa said to her as she walked to her longboat with a slight nod. Everyone gathered at the main deck for her departure, and some were preparing a longboat for her to get to the Dutchman.

She smiled gently and kept walking.

"Goodbye, Poppet," Pintel said to her as she passed.

Crew were taking off their hats as she walked past until she reached Jack, who was leaning against the railing by the longboat.

"Jack. It would never have worked out between us," she joked.

Jack smiled conceitedly and said, "keep telling yourself that, darling."

She took a step to give him a kiss but he raised his hands up and said, "once was quite enough."

She stopped and said, "thank you."

It was my turn to say my goodbyes, but Elizabeth beat me to it by wrapping her arms around me. My eyes bugged from being caught off guard, but her hug grew tighter. I'm not much of a hugger myself, but that doesn't mean I never do. I returned the hug, and realized that I might actually miss her.

"I don't think I would have survived with these scoundrels without you," she chuckled as she pulled away.

I chuckled back, "probably not."

She walked off to her little boat, with us smiling pleasantly at her as she left. She is probably imagining her new life on land. I was almost envious. But not nearly enough to join her.

"Oh, my dear, your arm," Jack said softly behind me.

I turned to him first before looking down at my arm. It looked like it had been to the butchers shop and reattached to my body. Blood, both fresh and dry stained my clothes and my skin. A series of cuts surrounded the injury caused by the bullet that scraped my arm. My adrenaline distracted me from any pain, so I barely thought of it since it happened.

"Oh, would you look at that," I replied sarcastically. If I didn't think about it, then it didn't hurt. And I was beginning to think about it.

Jack took my arm and performed his favorite magic trick: making a rum bottle appear out of thin air. He used his teeth to rip the cork out of the bottle and poured it over my arm.

The liquid burned my open flesh and it caused every pore of my body to scream out. I yanked my arm out of his grasp and cried out, "what the hell is that?!"

"It's rum, and you're bloody wasting it. Hold still, won't you?" He scolded. His eyebrows were raised as he childishly waited for me to give him back my arm. I rolled my eyes and obliged, and I prepared myself for the pain. I bit down on my free arm, and dug my teeth into my skin when Jack once again drowned my arm in rum.

"A-ha! There. No infection for you."

I sniffed and when I blinked, tears from the pain slipped down my cheeks. "How gallant of you."

"Perhaps when we get back to dry land, we can have a doctor take a look at you. I can't have you dying on me now and spending the rest of eternity in the Locker. Coming back from the dead is a thing you can only do once."

I readjusted my skirt and asked, "is it still Davy Jones' Locker? Or is it William Turners' Locker now?"

Jack pondered my question for a second and said, "I haven't the foggiest. I'd rather be killed without the chance of resurrection than be stuck in a place called 'William Turners' Locker'."

Everyone started to disperse as Elizabeth dropped down to the longboat to spend as much time with her husband as she could before she had to be sent back to land and not see him again for ten years. I could not imagine not seeing someone close to me for ten years. Just the thought of losing Jack twice in a short amount of time was enough.

"Just when I think I've got you figured, you surprise me," I told him.

"Hmm? How so?" He asked.

"You aren't as selfish as you seem to be. You still could have stabbed Davy's heart and gone on to sail the seas for eternity."

Jack looked down. "Aye... but ones priorities become shuffled when they meet a certain someone and that certain someone is a certain someone whom they wish to see more often than once every ten years... Annie, do you fear death?"

"With you captaining the Flying Dutchman, oui."

A little smile rose Jack's mustache. Jack bobbed his head as the ship swayed, using his flapping hand gestures to change the subject, "I've got a very special surprise. Just because of your good looks, I'll give you a hint as to what it is. The thing I'm going to show you, rhymes with mate."

"Mate?" I repeated with a puzzled expression on my face.

Jack dangled his own nine pieces of eight in front of my eyes and said, "eight. For if anything should happen to me—hope nothing does—I appoint you in my place as Lord of the Caribbean. Savvy?"

I reached up to touch the silver piece, but Jack pulled it out of my way and hid it in his palm with a smile, "no, no. See, if you touch this, you immediately take my place. Now we can't have that yet, now can I?"

"I'm patient, mon amour," I said, inches from his face. My chest trembled with anticipation, and my breathing got shaky. Perhaps we could go back to where we left off. I traveled to the end of the world to save him, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"Aye, me too," Jack said. His longing eyes darted down to my lips. I felt my lips part, but he pulled away and commanded to the crew that the anchor be weighed, announcing that our next stop will be Tortuga.

I rested against the taffrail, slightly disappointed, but not surprised. I had to remember that Jack flirts with everyone, regardless of who it is. I haven't forgotten seeing him kiss Elizabeth. It's fun to play along but I am aware that it's meaningless flirting for him.

AN: if you had to choose one of these men to marry, would you choose Jack, Will, or Norrington?
I'm in love with Jack, don't get me wrong but I would probably choose Norrington. He is the safe option, and my life would be comfortable 😂 but an impulse decision might make me choose Jack lmao