So, I've been politely scolded by readers of the first story, News of Home. I never really thought of these stories as chapters in a larger story, but more as oneshots from the same universe. I, however, was wrong. I have received a few messages from people who wanted to see the story continued, were to be alerted to the fact, but because I didn't post them as new chapters, they had no idea they were out there. So, I am very, very sorry to all of those who were waiting. And incredibly grateful that there are people out there who liked it enough to be want to be alerted, and who were so interested, that they got mad at me for messing it up. Thank you all very much for telling me you like the work.

I apologize for reposting these, (if you're looking to see if they are any different than the first posting, they're not). I have left everything the same, except for this intro.

I was left with way too many questions at the very end of AWE regarding my favorite couple. I didn't like the idea of father and son not knowing each other, particularly Will not knowing of him, and so I've decided to remedy that. I'm generally not very good at dialogue; this piece proves it. Thanks for reading, though.

News of Home

It had been just over five years since William Turner became captain of the Flying Dutchman. His original crew, including his father, had left the ship, to be ferried themselves to the world beyond. They had atoned for their sins.

He had just taken on a new crew member, an old English pirate sailing in Singapore. Trying hard to hide his curiosity, Will had handed him over to his crew, who would give him berth and drink. His crew was always excited to bring on a new sailor; it meant news of the world.

The world they left behind.

Will rarely joined in the nighttime gatherings where information was pried from the newly dead. It was still painful for him to hear news of that life and it would not do for his crew to see him weak. The Dutchman's job was not an easy one and the crew needed all of the strength they could get from their captain.

Tonight, though, he left the hatch open as he sat on deck. He eavesdropped on the party downstairs, hoping against hope to hear news of those he knew.

"And how do you come to be here, friend?" one of his more experienced officers asked.

"I died protecting my captain," he replied. The crew laughed. It was not uncommon for the newly dead to make their deaths nobler than they actually were.

"Then tell us the story, man! It is always good to hear about good men."

"There is nothing to tell," he said simply. "A stowaway tried to shoot the captain. I got in the way."

"There must be more," the crew insisted. Grandiose stories were almost as good as the pirate stories they had heard in their youth, or, in some cases, lived through themselves.

"A man had hidden himself on the ship at our last port stop. He had a crazy plan. Crazy. He was crazy. He's probably already passed through here. The Pirate King doesn't waste time with this type of threat."

On deck, Will's breath caught in his throat. Could it be possible?

"Our stowaway tried to kill the son of the Pirate King. And, I imagine, the Pirate King killed him."

Will felt his stomach clench with pain. Either his Elizabeth no longer held the grand position or…or she had moved on without him. Either way, nothing about this story was going to make Will feel any better about his situation. There would either be no news, or bad news.

This was exactly why he never tried to learn of the other world.

The men down below had collectively taken a huge breath. Most of them had been sailors in life; they knew the stories of the Pirate King. To threaten the boy was madness and suicide.

The crew's curiosity got the better of them. As interesting as death tales could be, the Pirate King was a much better story. They called out questions all at once.

"And what of the King? Is it true that you would sail the seas to scavenge the dead?"

"They say that the King never fires on another ship. What type of pirate is that?"

"Does she still take on the likes of Jack Sparrow?"

Will bowed his head. It was Elizabeth, then. He hoped she had been able to lead a normal, safe life.

He hoped she would have waited for him. But she had a son…she sailed with Jack. It was a disgusting thought, but one he couldn't deny.

And, if he was honest, one he couldn't blame her for.

Below him, the pirate's voice rose over the din. "The King is a great pirate and the Empress a great pirate ship. She never needs to fire; she always has a plan to get what she needs with little mess. And, I might add, when we don't fire, we don't get fired upon. The King has lost very little of her crew since she began to sail."

"She lost you, though," a laughing voice sounded from the back of the crowd.

"Yes. She learned his intentions and ran him through without a second thought. It was in his last breaths that he tried to shoot her with a guard's gun."

Will's fists clenched. Whatever her current life, the thought of Elizabeth in danger made him furious and terrified at once. One of his greatest fears was to one day see her among the souls he was meant to lead.

Suddenly, the man below laughed. "And, would you know it, that little boy came running out from behind the barley barrels, all spit and fire. All three feet of him ran up to the killer and kicked him in the leg saying, 'My mum killed you and my dad's gonna send you to Hell.' It was the last thing I saw with living eyes."

Here the man fell silent, reflecting on all he had left behind. Bringing himself back to reality, he said, "That boy's gonna get punished bad for hiding out, I can tell you that. And even worse for the language."

The men around him laughed. "But the King?" someone asked again. "Is she really all they say?"

"King is nothing more than a title and she's the first to tell you that. But my captain…my captain is all they say the King is."

Will smiled. She could never be anything less than royal, he knew.

The men were breaking up their party. It was late, with long work ahead of them tomorrow. They had years to listen to the stories this man could tell about pirating with the King. And the ones of Sparrow would probably be amusing, if completely unbelievable.

As usual, the new crew member was the last to leave. On the first night, they usually tried to stave off sleep for as long as possible. Going to sleep meant waking up. And waking up meant realizing that none of this was a dream.

Will sat, staring up at the sky. The news of Elizabeth both relieved him and devastated him. He had truly thought she would wait for him to return.

Footsteps sounded below him, as someone climbed on to the deck. He turned to see his newest sailor.

The man looked at him and acknowledged him with a nod. Then he looked again. Realization dawned on his face.

"You know, the King said the strangest thing to me as I drifted away. She whispered in my ear, 'Tell my husband to drop me a line sometime."

Will started violently and stared at this new crew member. The man smiled. "We sail to every great battle, every great storm. Any place where there are sure to be deaths on the sea. The King never says why, but we of course wonder. Some say she's a scavenger, but, personally, I think she's a searcher. She's looking for something."

The man stopped, looking at Will again. "We've all heard crazy Jack's stories of the other side of the sun. I've always blamed the rum. But now that I'm here, I wonder. What happens to things under the water at sunset? Can they get back, like Jack did?"

Will could do nothing but stare, fists clenched, breathing deeply. His sailor gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"And damned if your eyes aren't just like the boy's."

Will's hands shook and he paled. The man shook his head, bemused, as if he had finally gotten a joke too late. "She always said the boy had his father's eyes."

The Empress cut through the debris of the latest shipwreck. However, Elizabeth was paying no attention to what was left of the vessel. Her crew would take what they needed from the ship's supplies.

But she wasn't here for supplies. She was never here for supplies.

Her son stood tiptoe at the helm, gazing over the water. His mum always told him to help her keep watch, but he never knew what he was watching for. Mum just said that he would know it when he saw it.

And, there below him, a wooden box suddenly popped up from underneath the water, landing with a small splash. He laughed in delight and called his mom over. They definitely should keep this one; it had his initials on it!

He didn't understand why she was crying when she opened the box. It was a great sword. Cap'n Jack said it had gold filigree inlaid in the handle.