Title: Changing

Author: ImmortalFlick

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all.

Pairing: Jack/Will

Summary: Elizabeth cheats on Will with Norrington, he leaves to be the pirate he's meant to be (a damn good one) and five years later (after gaining quite the reputation) he comes across... yes that's right, Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl! Hallejuiah folks, love is abound.

Chapter 1

The crack in the door showed more than he wanted to know. The sounds told him they were definitely enjoying it. He knew the wedding was off instantly. Will leant against the wall, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. Norrington and his Elizabeth, no, not his anymore, Norrington's Elizabeth. It was what she wanted, she had her brush with adventure, now the playing was over, time to settle down. Will was a playful adventure to her, nothing more. It hurt to think of himself like that but he buried the feeling of betrayal. Elizabeth would be happy with Norrington, he knew she would. Her heart lay elsewhere and if he were to search his own he would find his did too. Only Will didn't know where it belonged exactly. Although, looking out over the glistening blue vastness of the sea, he had some idea of where he wanted to go.

Will decided in an instant. He turned, retrieved his hat and sword and wrote one word as a farewell to Elizabeth. FREEDOM. He signed it 'Love, Will'. He knew how it might be interpreted. Free of his infidelity, free of his obligations, free at sea, with the Black Pearl, with Jack. Only he wasn't going to run off to the Black Pearl. He couldn't run to Jack, no matter his feelings for the drunkard pirate Captain. Will knew what he needed to do and by God would he do it. First, he needed to find himself, then, just maybe then, he could find out where his heart belonged. All the way back to the lying, cheating bastard who was Captain Jack Sparrow. Will walked directly to the docks and commandeered a ship, an act of piracy to be proud of, and sailed out of Port Royal, alone and with a heavy weight on his chest.

-Five years later-

A trinket covered, perpetually half-drunk pirate sauntered onto the dock of a place he remembered vividly. What a memorable voyage that was. His first stop: see how Will was doing, if he'd got the girl, the riches, the happy ending. Jack found his way to the blacksmith where he'd first met Will Turner. His sneaking had only improved with time. The pirate was surprised when the blacksmith in residence wasn't Will at all, he was a young man, maybe twenty.

What was this? Will wouldn't have given blacksmithing up for marriage to the Governor's daughter. He would have quickly fallen into boredom with his blood, Bootstrap's blood. Bootstrap never sat still for a second.

Jack hated to admit it but he was confused. He leaped down from the rafters he was hiding in. The young Blacksmith turned around when he heard the thump. A strange expression of recognition appeared on his face.

"Hey, you're Jack!" He accused.

"That would be Captain, savvy?"

The boy ignored his reproach. "Will used to talk about you."

Jack frowned. "He doesn't anymore?"

"Well, not since he left, no."

The pirate was suddenly alert. "Left?"

"After Mrs Norrington was unfaithful with the Commodore, he just left."

"An' when was this?"

"Five years ago."

Five years?

"Do ye know where?"

"I heard he hanged himself. But I reckon he went to sea. He used to sit outside every night and stare out into the harbour. He never wanted to be here at all, he wanted to be out there."

"Knew he'd follow 'is blood!" Jack exclaimed to himself.

"If you're goin'a find Will, tell him Connor said 'Good luck and thank you'."

"Thank you?"

"He was a great teacher and he left me the smithy."

Of course, Will had left no loose ends tying him to Port Royal, maybe subconsciously.

"I'll do that then."

He spun in a usual Drunk Jack manner.

"Oh wait, and good luck yourself."

Jack nodded in acknowledgement, although he didn't know what he needed luck for, he was Captain Jack Sparrow, wasn't he?

Elizabeth was looking beautiful.

Jack had seen a far share of beautiful women in Tortuga, women were always getting knocked up there and a lot of them looked even more radiant as a result.

"So, it'd be Norrington's then?" Jack's question startled the woman holding a purple scarf, which was promptly dropped at the sight of the familiar pirate.

"Jack!" She yelled, a delighted look on her face. She leaped toward him and hugged him fiercely. The Captain froze at the intimacy before awkwardly patting Elizabeth on the back.

"Hey there, lass, let's not get carried away now."

Elizabeth finally broke away with a silly grin on her face.

"I haven't seen you in years!"

"Five." The smile left her face, replaced by a guilty and uneasy frown.

"It's Norrington's, we're husband and wife."

"And Will?" He knew this part of the story but not the details.

"He left when he found out about the Commodore and I."

"Left?" He inquired for the second time that day.

"He wrote me a note and left."

"There was a ship that went missing from the dock." A voice explained. The two turned to see the Commodore in the doorway.

"Norrington." Jack nodded.

"Sparrow." Norrington responded, not with contempt but with a quiet acceptance.

"A pirate's life for me." Jack sang his favourite song softly.

"It was Will's calling." Elizabeth didn't look guilty anymore, she looked pleased.

"Will you give him a message for me?" She already knew where Jack was going.

"Sure, luv."

"Tell him: I'm sorry that I didn't call it off before I chose the Commodore."

Jack just nodded. The injustice of infidelity always got him down. How much it could hurt. Considering the long list of misdeeds he had performed in his life, it might have been strange for him to pass judgment. He had been rooting for the Commodore but still... not quite like that.

The ocean was full of pirates, hundreds, thousands even. So to find just one particular pirate, Jack thought, would be very difficult indeed. Well, every now and again, Captain Jack Sparrow could be wrong. It couldn't happen too often though, it would ruin his reputation.

Of all the reputations of all the pirates Jack knew of, one particularly mysterious rumour had spread around the Caribbean five years ago. The 'Shadow of the Sea' they called him.

There was a fellow. He had started to garner recognition a few years back and had quickly gained a widespread admiration among pirates. Quite a character. No one Jack heard of had actually seen the pirate as of yet. That would be why he was called the Shadow, Jack supposed.

"Black Pearl? I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never left any survivors."

"No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"

The memory made him smile. Well, that was where he was going then, to find the Shadow. Even if the pirate wasn't Will Turner maybe he'd know where the kid had gone. He was decided.

Now, where was his rum?