That old bald cheater, Time. 4/4

Summary: Beckett's future begins...
Characters: Beckett, Elizabeth, Jack
Pairing: Beckabeth, Willabeth, Speckett, Beckett/OC, Sparringbeck
Rating: Hard R SLASH
Disclaimer: This is totally AU. Disney owns everything and Ted and Terry are wonderful guys so please don’t sue!!! justin_barrette do not read this until you’ve seen AWE.
Comments: As you see, the Rating went up, if you'd rather read a PG-13 Chapter 4, please leave a comment and I will give you a link to the completely PG-13 version once it's posted on fanfiction.net although that will not happen until I'm done with As He Brews, So Shall He Drink. That old bald cheater, Time was meant to be the sequel yet somehow I finished it first. Also, the author responsible for the titles of both stories is mentioned in this chapter. Hope you guys have liked it.

It was several hours later when the group reappeared. It was immediately evident that Will was not with them and that Elizabeth had dried tears staining her face. She went to her room and promptly shut the door, but he knocked anyway. His knock was very recognizable though and the door was opened just enough for him to enter. Then, it was shut behind him and Elizabeth crossed to the bed. Cutler sat beside her and she leaned against his chest, crying.

“What happened?” he asked, drawing her closer and softly running his hand down her hair and back as he would with the girls when they’d had a bad dream.

“There’s nothing to be done, he remains the Captain…Davy’s dead,” she sobbed.

“And what of you?” Cutler questioned and Elizabeth snuffled her nose before pulling away so he could see her face.

“This is no place to raise a child,” she spoke, “but I can’t just start a new life…I want him to be able to find me.”
Cutler noticed her lack of “us” and a thought occurred to him.

“You neglected to tell him.”
Elizabeth could only nod with an embarrassed look at the accusation so it was true. The thought was bizarre; he couldn’t imagine not knowing for ten years about Charlie.

“If he knew, it would only eat away at him. The knowledge that his child was without their father as he was would be too much to bear and…and I don’t want to be the cause of that pain,” she explained and he hugged her again. A new thought was in his head; which was worse: Turner not knowing his child for ten years and then only every ten years after that or Cutler who was doomed to never see his again?

“I love him so much,” she continued, “even a precious little time spent together is worth more to me than an entire lifetime of trying to find someone who makes me feel half as loved as when I’m with Will.”

Cutler found that tears were coming from his eyes as well and she wiped them with her fingers.

“In a way, I’ll finally have freedom from corsets and restrictions and propriety…,” she spoke, “It’ll be my new adventure, my Herculean task.”

“And mine?” Cutler inquired since it seemed that Elizabeth’s mind was made up, but he was still far from where he should be.

“It’ll come to you, but I don’t think you should stay here either. You’re unrecognizable. You could take on a new identity and start over…perhaps even find the woman…or man…who makes you truly happy…promise me that you will,” she begged, her brown eyes burning into his stormy ones. How could he refuse?

“I promise,” he agreed and she kissed his cheek before asking, “Please don’t leave.” They removed their boots and lay on the bed fully clothed although holding each other so that his hand was on the ever so slight bulge on her lower abdomen. He would miss her and Charlotte and especially his children. However, Cutler intended to keep his promise.

In the morning, they woke and treated it as a normal day. It was not. At noon, Elizabeth spotted an island that struck her fancy and took a rowboat with her. He was tempted to go with her. However, he felt that she was right about his path lying elsewhere even if he wasn’t ready to leave the Black Pearl yet. There was still a test or two for him to face. Cutler looked in Jack’s direction and saw him quickly leave for his cabin.

Over the next few days, an odd quiet fell over the ship as though Elizabeth had taken some of the ship’s very essence with her. Then, Barbossa came up to him as he varnished a rail.

“Perchance you might have noticed how Jack is not himself lately; I think we can capitalize on that weakness,” the older man suggested.

“By taking the Pearl as your own?” asked Cutler and Barbossa nodded.

“No thanks,” he answered, running his hand along a finished piece of blackened wood, “I caught her once and watched as she was set on fire and her blackened bowels sunk to the depths of the ocean. I lay no claim to her now.”

When night fell, Cutler knocked on the door he’d been dreading since he’d woken up on this very ship. Jack grinned and let him into his cabin which Cutler found himself entering despite telling himself not to earlier.

“Barbossa is planning another mutiny.”

“Ah, is that it then?” Jack questioned; almost bored.

“Did you hear what I said?” Cutler inquired.

“Yes, another trip to port a bit sooner than planned, ‘at’s all,” he replied and handed him a bottle, “Come, have a drink with me, luv. I’m parched for company.” Cutler frowned yet still allowed himself to take the bottle and uncork it. Maps were spread all over the desk and Cutler peered at them, including some that were unlike any he’d seen before. They were of Oriental make and he took them in like a drug, intoxicated by the new information. He could also smell Jack’s breath which reeked of rum. It was difficult being so close, just the two of them…

“Seems so strange with her gone, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of her and now I miss her…hell, I even miss the whelp,” Jack admitted and emptied the rest of the bottle. Cutler took a large swallow from his as well as he followed the other man to the bed where Jack sat with a rough crash.

“Norrington?” he questioned the captain who nodded and replied, “My favorite adversary; never be another like him. He was a good man.” They clinked bottles and Cutler added, “I grossly underestimated his character.”

A sad look passed over Jack’s face and he uttered, “Everyone leaves ol’ Jack.” It was then that Cutler realized what Jack had really mean by his getting hurt…he knew that Elizabeth, Will and everyone else wouldn’t be staying on ship.

“Even you,” the Captain added and Cutler couldn’t help laying his hand on Jack’s.

“As I recall, it was you who left me the last time,” he corrected with his other hand unconsciously touching on his forehead where his wig used to hide a very small scar. Jack didn’t flinch from the contact and instead, moved ever so closer to Cutler before asking, “Do you remember the cabin boy we picked up once and kept for the night?”

Cutler had noticed that since Elizabeth had rescued him that his mind was not what it once was. It used to be like his desk with everything where it should be and within easy reach. Now, it felt as though his mind was a vast ocean full of islands containing his memories, information and words. Sometimes, he’d be on the right island for what he needed to know, but other times, he’d have to swim against a tough current to reach what he needed or it was on island that he knew existed, but was entirely unattainable. Earlier that day, he’d completely forgotten the name of the crewmember shorter than himself in order to borrow the varnish from him.

However, he did vaguely recall when they had been a little less than a score and five years old and they’d found a boy not much more than seventeen or so at a pub. Just joined the Royal Navy and they took him back to Jack’s flat where they spent several delicious hours. It was curious that he couldn’t recall the name or what became of him although he hadn’t thought about it in years. Cutler grinned and Jack did as well for a bit before his mouth became more of a frown.

“That was James,” he said and Cutler shook his head in disbelief yet hadn’t Norrington always seemed familiar as if he’d known him from somewhere before?

“I doubt James ever realized that we were his companions from that night either,” Jack continued and drank more rum.

“Those were good times,” Cutler spoke as he grazed his nails from the tips of Jack’s finger and up his arm.

“Yes,” agreed Jack and kicked off Cutler boots before shaking his own off. The actions surprised Cutler who looked at him and saw a gleam in Jack’s brown eyes. He leaned in and kissed him so that his mustache tickled and he felt as though he could get drunk just by inhaling him. He’d missed this. His fingers slipped through Jack’s greasy hair and played with the various dreadlocks and trinkets wrapped in them. His partner’s hands were going his hair as well and Cutler liked the new length that allowed Jack to do that. He moved his hands down to the man’s shirt that he grabbed and changed his position so that he straddled Jack as Jack sank back on the bed. Then, the shirt was removed as was Cutler’s. Tattoos and scars covered Jack’s body and Cutler was determined to see which ones were new. His eyes kept straying to the one he’d left on him and he took Jack’s left arm, kissing the brand burned there.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, but Jack shrugged it off saying, “We were both so young then…thought we knew everything.”

Then, his tongue found Cutler’s nipple before gently biting it. It was absolute heaven and he went for Jack’s belt, undoing it. His own pants that were usually so loose were starting to feel horribly constrictive. Jack started working on the other nipple as Cutler pulled the other man’s pants off. That was when Jack stopped his actions, untied Cutler’s pants and pulled them down. They started kissing again, their hands roaming all over their bodies and skin against skin. He grabbed Jack’s cock and worked his fingers over it until Jack moaned, sucked his finger and stuck it up behind Cutler. There was a sharp intake of breath from the breach and he looked around for what he’d know Jack would have close to the bed. A wooden box with a latch looked about right and he undid the top. Various bottles were inside and he took one out. It smelled like lavender and he rubbed it all over his hands and cock and Jack’s body. Jack nibbled at his ear and stroked Cutler’s cock before Cutler moved to his back. He wrapped his arms around Jack and laid kisses down his neck before a quick nip at his right nipple. His hardness rested teasingly against Jack’s ass and his fingers grazed down Jack’s chest until they cupped both of his balls. Jack moaned again and his hands moved down to his own cock that also stood at attention. Then, Cutler started to thrust until their moans became indistinguishable. Several minutes later, they lay spent in each other’s arms.

“What was it like?” asked Jack with one arm on Cutler’s chest.

“It was incredible…you were there,” mumbled the other man, almost on the verge of sleep.

“No, the life of the morally right with the children and the house and all of that,” Jack clarified with his face just inches from Cutler’s own. It was an odd expression of wistfulness and remembrance.

“It was…nice,” Cutler tried to explain, “I had no love for Charlotte as I loved…you, but I loved always having someone there, someone who cared. There’s nothing quite like coming home from months abroad and having three little bodies fly at you from sheer happiness that you’re finally back.”

He knew that look on Jack’s face and continued, “But that isn’t the life for you. You can’t keep a sparrow in a cage or it dies. I tried.”
“You’re probably right,” Jack agreed, “but I can’t help wondering what might have been or envying Will.”

Cutler rubbed one of hair trinkets in his hand and kissed him on the cheek.

“I find it sad that he has everything he’s always wanted at a such a horrible price,” he commented and upon seeing Jack itching to say something, added, “You’re not thinking about searching for immortality again?”

The Captain didn’t look at him and Cutler had his answer.

“Immortality always comes at a price, Jack.”

“And so did this ship, she cost me my life which was partially your doing, luv,” the other man said, “I’m not afraid of what may come as long as it doesn’t involve dying again.”

Cutler traced his fingers over the scars on Jack’s chest that he knew had been left by his own agents shooting him. He was going to lose him again, but this time it was Jack’s doing. His eyes began to water as he spoke, “But I can’t go with you. I can’t watch you do that to yourself.” Jack merely nodded and they lay back on the bed. After an agonizingly silent moment, Cutler requested, “You can drop me off at the next port with Barbossa.” He continued to hug Jack’s body as he fell asleep and the tears stopped coming.

The next day was bright and sunny as Cutler walked from ship to ship, looking for a destination of his liking. London? Definitely no. Bristol? No. Capetown? No. Boston?

“Boston,” Cutler whispered to himself, hearing how the name rolled off his tongue. It was a start. He’d lost track of Barbossa.

“You sir, are you the captain?” Cutler called out to a man going up the gangplank. The man shook his head and motioned to another man who came forward.

“Ahoy there, I’m Captain Evans and this be my ship, what is your interest?”

“I’d like passage aboard your ship and I’m willing to work for it,” Cutler announced. If only his former colleagues could see him now, they’d never believe it. Captain Evans nodded and a boy went to fetch the crew list, ink and a quill.

Cutler looked back and saw the sails of The Black Pearl, hoped Jack would be alright. Then, he became annoyed that he still cared, but all traces of Cutler Beckett were left behind now. Although many years later, Cutler did visit London, his brown hair was tied behind with a black ribbon and streaked with grey, he had bought a new suit and he was just as slim as when he signed under Captain Evans. Adeline was getting married and Cutler invited himself to the wedding party although he went by a different name…different than the one he usually went by even. No one seemed to care or notice as he politely kissed Charlotte’s hand, wrinkled but still elegant. She wore a wig to disguise her own grey and Charlie stood close by with his own wife. Cutler’s heart stopped as he spotted a girl at the punch table with his same stormy eyes. It had to be Charlie’s daughter and his very own granddaughter. Adeline stood radiantly with her new husband in a blue dress and Cutler was about to make his exit when a young woman spotted him. Georgiana begged him for a dance which he obliged, but when she asked whether she knew him from somewhere, he shook his head in ignorance although it broke his heart to do so. He left London forever that very night.

Captain Evans was handed the list and a freshly inked quill so Cutler was asked his name. His name…it was a very important question and one he’d been pondering since Elizabeth’s talk with him. He couldn’t be Cutler Beckett anymore, he could go for a literary name like Ben Jonson, historical like Arthur or…there was another name that kept coming to mind. A name that deserved to live on and it was partly his fault that it wasn’t. It was the name he finally settled on. He told it to Evans who merely shrugged before handing the quill to Cutler who, for the very first time, signed his new name: James Norrington.