/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy: they are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." –Marcel Proust
This was the battle to end all battles, or so William Turner had been told. And as he stood in the middle of the deck as the battle raged on, he couldn't have agreed more. It was pirate against pirate, man against man and no one knew who would survive at the end of it all. And that had Will frightened.
Thinking of all the things that had happened to him the past, and what had conspired between him and Elizabeth. He never regretted loving her; he still didn't regret loving her. And as he stood here at world's end, Will realized that he had loved her all along, even through her deception with Captain Jack Sparrow.
And as he thought about it, Will realized that Elizabeth had never meant to hurt him, she never meant to turn away from him. Elizabeth had done what she did because she had loved the simple blacksmith with all her heart and she didn't want to see the man of her dreams get hurt. All of this for love.
At that moment, Gibbs rushed passed Will, apparently trying his hand at shooting a few pirates that needed to be shot at. And as he passed, Gibbs looked at the boy curiously.
"Are you mad, boy?" Gibbs shouted above the noise. "Why are you just standing there like a madman? You need to move and do something!"
Though he knew the pirate mean to move so he wouldn't get killed, Will knew that at a deeper, spiritual level, Gibbs' words spoke volumes. Will grabbed the pirate's arm and pulled him closer so that he could talk into his ear.
"Thank you, Mr. Gibbs," Will exclaimed. "I didn't realize what I needed and missed until you said those words."
Without another word, Will rushed off, leaving Gibbs standing in his wake in complete shock. Coming back to his senses, Gibbs shook his head and took a swig from his pouch.
"Mad as a hatter, that boy is," Gibbs muttered. "If I didn't know any better I would say that fool of Jack Sparrow has rubbed some of that madness into him! What will become of the next generation?"
As Gibbs stood contemplating, Will pushed through the maddening rush of pirates and dodging the gunfire as he searched desperately for Elizabeth. He needed to tell her now, tell her how sorry he was for disbelieving her, for pushing her away. He wanted to tell the angel of his heart that he had never stopped loving her, even after all this time.
He nearly missed her as she darted passed him, but thankfully Will turn just as she was about to disappear into the crowd and grabbed her arm, pulling her close. If given the choice, he would have held Elizabeth this way for all eternity, never letting go.
"Will!" she gasped, surprised at Will's actions and breathless from being grabbed unexpectedly from behind. "What are you doing? We're going to be killed!"
"Not if I can help it," Will stated stubbornly. "Elizabeth, I need to talk to you!"
"Here, now? Of all places?" Elizabeth gasped. "Will, I—"
Will pressed two fingers gently against her lips and Elizabeth hushed instantly. "I know this is an inconvenient time, but I must tell it now, or I might never have the chance to say it again, if all goes terribly wrong."
Elizabeth started to protest again, but Will hushed her again. "I know I have been a complete and utter ass about everything thus far, and I never gave you the explanation for my rash actions. Elizabeth, I saw what you did with Jack that day when the Black Pearl went down."
Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "Will, I am so sorry. I never meant for you to see that. Please believe me, I never meant for you to see that, or for you to get the wrong impression. I was only doing what I thought was best for us, for all of us. Forgive me, please."
Will smiled and traced Elizabeth's face gently. "Don't worry about it. I should have known all along that you never changed your love for me. But I was being stupid. Elizabeth, I still love you as I have ever had."
"Will, please—" Elizabeth started.
"Please, Elizabeth, I need to get this out," Will exclaimed. "Elizabeth, I love you with all of my heart and soul. I love you more than life itself, even more so now, after it everything that's been done. Will you marry me?"
Elizabeth stared at Will in shock, unable to believe what he had just said. Will Turner still wanted to marry her after all the horrible things that she had done? The two of them had been separated for far too long and in that time, Elizabeth had almost believed that she was in love with the infamous Jack Sparrow. Hell, she had nearly gave up everything remotely civilized, humane, and decent just to be called his wife.
But something had stopped her from doing it. And as the crew made ready to leave the Black Pearl, Elizabeth realized that she had never really loved Jack the way she loved Will. She loved the idea of freedom that Jack lived and embodied day after day. The freedom from restrictions that society placed on its every member, the freedom to just go out into that horizon and live how you wanted it.
And standing on the deck of the Black Pearl, Elizabeth realized that this wasn't the life that she wanted. Yes, she wanted freedom, and yes, she wanted to be able to call her life her own. But as with everything in life, one must hold up certain restrictions and carry burdens for the freedom of all. And that's when she knew that she had to leave Jack there on that deck, to leave behind forever the idea of complete and utter freedom without the thought of others.
Will looked down into her eyes, curiously, anxiously. Elizabeth knew that he loved her as he truly as he said that he did. But did she want this for herself? Could she bear the burden that society expects her to be? Could she live up to the expectations of a pirate's son?
Elizabeth smiled softly up at Will and traced her hand across his dirt filled and sweat soaked face. Any other woman would cringe away from such an act, but Elizabeth loved it. Because in that dirt and sweat streaked face, Elizabeth could find all the answers that she wanted and needed. In that face, she could see her future.
She looked up into those beautiful brown eyes that held everything that she held so dear. And in them she found her answer. The answer that she had been looking for all this time but never found until now.
"Yes," Elizabeth answered finally. "Yes, I will marry you, William Turner, a thousand times if needed. I would follow you to the ends of the earth and back just to marry you William Turner, because I love you. I can't see myself with anyone else, and neither will I be, because I want to be with you, the man that I love."
And with that, Will kissed her. It was the deepest, most passionate kiss that they had ever shared with each other since that first adventure with Jack. They had finally found reconciliation and absolution with that kiss.
It would have gone on forever if the booming of cannons and guns hadn't broken that sweet moment. It broke Elizabeth's heart that it finally ended, but she knew the duties of the ship in battle. They certainly couldn't abandon fight just yet.
"Elizabeth, man the wheel!" an indistinguishable voice cried out.
Flinching at the voice, Elizabeth rushed over to take over the wheel. Making sure everything was still under control, Elizabeth looked back at Will, still standing where she had left him. It would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so serious.
"You know, I think that was the best time," Elizabeth exclaimed.
Will could only smile.
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Author's Note: This story was based loosely on the trailer for the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End movie. I know that Elizabeth was hanging on to the mast's ropes or whatever it was when she said "I think that was the best time" but I just wanted to tweak it slightly to make it fit into my story. As you can tell, I get inspired easily by anything they put out for the Pirates movies, and I couldn't resist writing this one because the trailer inspired me to hope again that Will and Elizabeth will be back together by the end of the next movie. So there you have it!
I'm sorry I haven't been updating like I've been spoiling you people over my winter break, but as they say, crap happens to you when you least expect it and I've barely had time to sort my life together and get to school and stuff let alone trying to update, but I shall return, I promise you, starting with this story!
I hope everybody enjoyed this one shot and I promise I'll update my stories as soon as I can. Don't forget to review, it makes the writer happy!