Author's Note: It's a Will centered fic, based solely on the events at the end of AWE and life afterwards on the Dutchman. I'm not sure yet whether it will have full length chapters, or drabbles, we'll see how it goes. Rated T for safety. Willabeth.

Green Dawn

Prologue: Sunrise

Pain. That lone feeling trickled through the black haze William Turner found himself in. An all-consuming pain, searing through his chest, his only link to the outside world. A world Will struggled to remember, struggled to return to, grasping onto the pain like a lifeline to accomplish that goal. Distantly, he heard screaming, a female voice, wrought with pain and grief. Who was it? Will couldn't remember, but he knew she was important. Vitally so. Ellie? No…. Marie? No, that wasn't it either….

Elizabeth.

That was her name, the name that had always kept him going, kept him fighting, the sound of it caressing his ears. And with the remembrance of that sweet name brought a shocking clarity, a rushing of knowledge. Davy Jones, Jack, the chest, the Dutchman, his father and the oath he swore to him.

Davy Jones.

Davy Jones' had stabbed him! So this was dying, realized Will, resigned. Jones' had run him through with the blade he himself had crafted, had slaved over for weeks to reach absolute perfection. That blade was beautiful, perfectly balanced, Will knew.

But what was the chanting he suddenly heard? What were they saying? Will didn't know, couldn't concentrate, but it felt like he was missing something, some vital link in the chain of events that had brought him here, to his death. What. Was. Missing?

A sudden ripping, searing sensation across his chest drove those idle thoughts from his mind. What had happened? He was already dying, why injure him further? Or was it something else he had felt?

His heart thudded loudly in this eternal blackness, as though trying to stave of it's imminent demise. His heart…. Who had stabbed Davy Jones' heart?

Jack, he supposed. It would have been to much a temptation for the young pirate to resist.

The thudding was growing distant, as though he was moving away from it. Or it was moving away from him….? No, that was ridiculous. Will listened intently, hearing the faint thudding finally silence, to far out of range. Or perhaps it had simply given up it's pointless struggle against what Will knew to be the inevitable.

Strangely, though Will knew he was dying, and could no longer even hear his own heartbeat, the world almost seemed to be growing clearer, the haze starting to drift away. No, it really was, he realized, blinking up at the worried face of his father. Things were in focus now, he was no longer trapped in a strange mist of darkness. But it wasn't right, either. His father had no trace of the sea life previously found on him, he looked completely normal, albeit a bit pale. And the light wasn't right either, he noted, looking around. It was green, murky, as though…… As though they were underwater, Will realized with a jolt.

"William. William, can you hear me?" His father's voice drifted to him, sounding slightly muted. Swallowing, Will nodded, looking up at him. Bootstrap smiled, a tight, worried smile, and extended his hand to Will.

Will stared at it, trying to comprehend what had happened. Where was he? No, he realized abruptly. There was only one place he could be.

The Flying Dutchman.

Looking back up at his father, he took the hand offered, and helped pull himself up. Swaying slightly, he glanced around, noticing the silent crew staring at him. Feeling self-conscience, he looked back to Bootstrap, the later watching him, a peculiar look on his face. As though he was proud of him, but also feeling terribly guilty for something….

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked, needing to have reassurance that, no matter what had happened, or was going to happen, Elizabeth was safe.

"She's safe, on the Pearl. Jack took her before we fell below"

Will nodded, still confused, but at least glad to know his... Wife was safe. Will felt giddiness at the thought. Wife. Elizabeth was his wife now, even if the ceremony was a bit… Different. Shaking his head, trying to clear it of thoughts of her beautiful, smiling face, he turned back to his father.

"And Davy Jones?"

Now he knew something was wrong. Truly wrong, by the way his father looked away before answering.

"Dead. You stabbed the heart"

Will reeled back, not understanding. He had…? But when? Jack had had the heart, he remembered hearing him talking to Jones, vaguely. He had been a bit preoccupied with Elizabeth and dying and all.

"I…. What? Jack had the heart" He whispered, reaching blindly, feeling as though a storm was upon him, with no way out. His father slowly shook his head.

"Aye, Jack had the heart. But you were dyin', and he guided your hand true. 'Twas you, in the end, whose hand held the knife. 'Twas yours that had to replace it" With this, Bootstrap glanced over to the intricately designed chest. Will followed his gaze, horror dawning on him. So that's why he'd heard it growing distant, why he no longer felt it now….

Snapping his gaze back to his father, suppressing the questions and protestations he felt welling inside himself, he let his tone grow hard.

"And what of Beckett?"

"Still sailing. Ready to take down the Pearl and the pirate fleet it leads"

Will nodded, determination pushing his own dread to the back of his mind. Time later to dwell on such thoughts, now it was time for battle.

"If I stabbed the heart, then I'm the Dutchman's captain?" He wanted to be sure, before he began bellowing out orders.

"Aye" His father nodded, and small smile blossoming on his face as he realized where Will was going with this. Will smiled grimly, heading up to the wheel of the Dutchman.

"Then take us above. We have a fight to win"