Disclaimer: I don't own POTC. I wish I did, but it's not mine.
This is a one shot about Will being freed from the curse of the Dutchman after ten years, thanks to Elizabeth's patient waiting for him. Seems it's the way things turn out in the series, I found this information on Wikipedia.
Captain No More
Elizabeth Swann was a strong woman, and the adventures she had lived in the past few years had made her even more so, but what lay ahead of her was one of the toughest challenges of her life. Her love, Will Turner, had had to become the captain of the Flying Dutchman in order to survive, after being almost killed by Davy Jones.
Now, after a touching rendezvous on a beach, where they had made love for the first time, she was losing him for ten years. Such a long time he would have to dedicate himself to ferry the souls of those dead in the sea, before he could come back to her for a single day.
Looking at the chest containing his heart made it all more real, now that the ship had vanished after the green flash. Wiping the tears that stained her cheeks, Elizabeth grabbed the heavy chest and put it on the boat, then rowed back to the Black Pearl, which would accompany her to the city that had been her home for years, Port Royal.
Now that her father had died, and Beckett too, she would have to govern the city. She was, after all, the daughter of the former Governor.
As time passed, Elizabeth knew she would have an hard time. Not only she had responsibilities to fulfil, but she had discovered she was pregnant too. Of course, Will was the father. There weren't other men in her life, not in a so intimate way anyhow. Yes, she had kissed Jack Sparrow, and had been forcefully kissed by Sao Feng. She had even let the Admiral Norrington kiss her, just moments before Bootstrap Bill killed him.
But no one held her heart like Will did, and only with him she had made love. So there was no doubt.
But even pregnant, she was a stunningly beautiful young woman, rich and important in town. So there was a long queue of men trying to woo her every day.
She was honestly tired of having to politely decline every offer of marriage that came to her, but at least most men were smart enough to understand at the first refusal.
There were some, instead, who kept trying to convince her to marry them. The poor lads didn't know she was already married. Well, not in a church, but even the rocky marriage on the deck of the Pearl seemed wonderful to her, just because she was marrying Will. Strange how just minutes later her world crumbled, first with Jones's sword embedded in will's chest, and then seeing him stab the heart, knowing very well he would live, yes, but mostly far from her.
When she started showing, things got even worse. People started whispering about her condition, about what could have happened to her while she was away, and about how it wasn't proper for a woman who wasn't married to be pregnant.
Elizabeth hated them, and if she could, she would have gone to Tortuga, searching for Jack or Barbossa, and would have sailed with them. But she couldn't, not now that she had a little life growing into her.
So, day after day, she faced Port Royal and its whispering community, till the baby was born. It was a lovely boy, that she named after his father, William.
As time passed, the boy grew happy and healthy, and she encouraged his interest for pirates. She taught him that they weren't lower creatures, but at times could be even better than many high officials. Beckett was a clear example of a respected powerful man, a Lord, even, who acted in a way far worse than the greediest pirate.
William missed his father, but often Elizabeth would tell him his dad wasn't dead, and that he would meet him one day.
She would talk to the chest with the heart, every day, as if Will could hear her through it. She knew it wasn't possible, but she felt him closer that way. More than once she would look at the sea with longing, wondering in which part of the world the Dutchmanwould be, doing its job.
She missed the crew too, after all you don't go to world's end together without establishing a strong bond, and would have given everything to meet them again. Not really probable, she knew that. But one could hope, right?
Finally, the time of leaving to reach the place of the meeting came. She and her son sailed on a ship of the fleet, and little William enjoyed the trip very much. She had taught him to love the sea, and Elizabeth couldn't help grinning at the sight of her overjoyed son.
As they arrived on the island, Elizabeth led her son to an hill. From there, they would see the Dutchman approach from afar. As her son sang the same pirate song she had loved in her childhood, she couldn't help pulling him close and smile.
Suddenly, it appeared. A green flash lighted their faces, and then the prow of the Dutchman was pointing right at them. She squinted her eyes, trying to spot Will, and there he was, hanging on a rope of the main mast, looking toward them.
She could see him grin when he spotted her and his son, who he didn't even know he had.
Her son was grinning too, finally he would meet his father. And, the show of the Dutchman appearing out of nowhere had fascinated him.
Minutes later, the two of them received Will on the beach. He ran toward his wife and pulled her close, inhaling her scent, that he had missed for then years. Elizabeth couldn't stop the tears of joy that flowed from her eyes, and wiped at them with an happy smile. Finally he was there again.
Then, Will captured her lips in an hungry kiss, he barely managed to keep his hands off of her, but he needed to feel her lips on his own. Lacing her arm around his neck, Elizabeth grinned against his lips, before responding to the kiss with the same enthusiasm.
God, how she had missed him.
As things got heated, someone they almost forget about made his presence known.
"Ewww!" little William said, covering his eyes with his hands. He was still too young to be attracted by girls and wanting to kiss them, after all.
Elizabeth laughed, while Will turned toward the boy.
"And who's this little man?" he asked, curious.
"William, meet your father. Will, this is you son" she said, watching her husband for a reaction. She had had no way to tell him, so now she saw shock on his face, that was understandable, but then his eyes lit with pure joy.
"Son? My son?" he asked stupidly.
She nodded, and he hugged her, spinning her around. "Elizabeth, it's fantastic! I'm a father!" he exclaimed, while she laughed at his antics, and relieved the stress she was feeling. He was happy of having a son, good.
Will then ruffled the little boy's hair. "So, what would you like to do today, William?" he asked him.
"Can we go on your ship?" the boy asked.
"Not really" Will answered with an half smile. "See, my ship is kind of…particular…"
"I see" the boy said, a bit dejectedly.
"But, I've lots of stories to tell you about the Black Pearl, I'm sure you've heard about it"
The boy nodded, enthusiast. And so, Will sat on a rock, Elizabeth on his lap, leaning on his chest, and together they told their son about their adventures on the sea, about saving Elizabeth from Barbossa's cursed crew, battling the Kraken, then going to retrieve Jack at world's end, and finally the battle in the maelstrom, with their marriage in the process.
The boy looked at his parents in awe. Then, he went to play a bit on the beach, giving them some time alone.
As the walked on the wet sand, hand in hand, both knew the day would not last long. They treasured every step together, every single moment, because that would have to be enough for ten long years, before they could see each other again.
Will suddenly hugged her, pulling her close, and nuzzling her neck. "You're still gorgeous" he whispered to her. She smiled.
"You're not so bad yourself" she joked, knowing he would remain forever the same. He would not age, nor he would die. One day, he would go back to land, and won't find her. It was their destiny, and both knew that.
But neither of them wanted to think about it at the moment.
Leaning in for another kiss, Will poured in it all his love for her, a love that had started many years before in Port Royal, while they still were Miss Swann, daughter of the Governor, and Mr. Turner, apprentice of the local blacksmith.
She never wanted to let go, and kept him there, close to her, his arms wrapped around her body, is lips on hers, their tongues battling fiercely, for seemingly forever.
Then, when they broke the kiss, the two of them rested their foreheads one on the other, like they did ten years before, just moments before his departure.
Elizabeth sighed. "The moment is coming" she said, not wanting to, but knowing she had to let him go back to the ship.
He sighed too, but nodded.
They reached William, so he could say hello to his father, who lifted him up and made him promise he would look after his mother, then Will put him back on the sand, and with a last look at his wife, he spoke.
"Keep your eyes on the horizon" he said, like he did last time.
Then, he started walking toward his boat, but as soon as he neared it, the boat was dragged away by a sudden wave.
Then, from the water, a figure started forming. Little William looked in awe at the water rising to form a figure of a woman, and this figure slowly turning real. Will had already drawn his sword, ready to defend his family if the need be, but then he recognized the figure that had formed. He put it back into place, while looking confused.
Elizabeth was wondering what was happening too.
"Calypso?" finally Will said, seeing the former Tia Dalma in front of them.
"You have been a good captain for the Dutchman, William Turner. Like I said to you many years ago, you had the hand of destiny upon you, and you took your duty, even if that meant you would lose the woman you loved. I have been told to be terrible, untameable like the sea, but I'm also good to those who are good to me"
Will was wondering what all that was about, he was risking to miss his return on the ship.
The Goddess of the Sea read his worry. "There's no need for you to return to the Dutchman, William Turner. As I was saying, you've been a good captain, and you have found your love waiting for you faithfully. The pact you subscribed the moment you became captain was to ferry the souls of those dead in sea for ten years, and then you could go on shore for a day. But since your love waited for you, not like I did with Jones, this frees you from the duty. You're a free man again, William Turner, and I'll find a new captain for the ship" the goddess, in the form of Tia Dalma, said to him smiling.
Little William looked at the scene in awe.
"You saying that I'm free to stay on shore with my family?" Will asked, not believing his ears.
The goddess smiled and nodded.
"What about my heart?" he asked then, placing an hand where it should have been, but feeling it empty.
"Elizabeth Swann, I reckon you've kept it safe, aye?" Calypso asked the other woman, who nodded and showed the chest.
"Very well then" Calypso said, then walked toward Will and placed an hand on his chest. Suddenly, he inhaled a sharp breath, and felt his heart return to its place.
Elizabeth couldn't hear the beating anymore from within the chest she was holding, and grinned.
"The key, please" the goddess asked then. Will gave it to her, and with a slight bow, Calypso retreated.
"My duty here is finished. May you have an happy life" she wished then, before melting again in the waves and vanishing.
Elizabeth and Will looked at each other, then couldn't help but grin. They hugged strongly, and she couldn't help but crying, so much she was happy.
Her Will was back forever. They wouldn't need to separate ways anymore, and she made it more real kissing him hungrily, at which he replied eagerly.
Looking at his parents, William smiled. Of the whole ordeal, he understood only that his father had not to leave anymore, and could be with them every day now. He was happy for that.
As sun started to set, the three of them boarded the small boat Elizabeth and William had used to reach land, and rowed back the ship that had brought them there.
They were finally reunited, and were going to live happily from now on, as a real family.