A one-shot using spoilers and speculation for AWE and some ideas that are purely my own. I own nothing, I'm just borrowing the characters and will return them to Disney in the same slighty scruffy condition that I found them in.
He could pretend that he doesn't notice the tears streaming down her dirt-smeared cheeks. But it would be a lie. It's hard to miss them as they glisten in the dim hut; reflecting and refracting the candlelight. When they raise their mugs in a toast to their fallen Captain, she does not join them in drinking. The cup never reaches her lips. A gesture that only confirms to him her heart is shattered as completely as the planks of the Pearl.
He could pretend that she risks her life on the journey to world's end to bring back the person that Jack Sparrow is. Namely, someone who has carved out a place of significance in this life and needs to be returned to it. But she would not make this journey for just any person, this is a journey she would make for Jack and Jack alone.
He could pretend that learning she left Jack to die changes things. But in truth it only makes what she did more devastating. Her guilt at murdering Jack is surpassed only by her guilt for loving Jack. If she cannot yet see it, Will can. With an empty feeling spreading in his gut, Will watches as the woman he loves and the newly brought to life Captain dance about each other, trying too hard to make the world believe their charade.
He could pretend she will answer "yes" to the proposal he makes on the rain soaked deck of the Pearl. But her mind is not on marriage, her mind is on Jack. As the pirate who preaches running away fights with all the ferociousness he possesses, Elizabeth watches him and Will watches her. He forgets they are in a battle, he forgets about everything but Elizabeth and Jack. They fight together, side by side and Will knows he no longer belongs with her. And so in his grief, he is distracted and does not notice when the fatal stab is placed in his side. A cry echoes through the storm and reaches his ears. It is Elizabeth's voice he hears cutting across the wind, but it is Jack who reaches Will's side first. Without hesitation, Jack holds out the heart of the sea to Will, offering him the immortality that belongs to the Captain of the Flying Dutchman.
He could pretend it doesn't torture him that she will spend the rest of her days in Jack's arms and not in his own. But to his core, he loves her and so he must let her go. For all too fleeting a moment, Will and Elizabeth are alone on the beach and perhaps in another time and another place they could remain that way forever. But in this lifetime, it is not meant to be. For waiting in the distance are Will's new vessel and his father. And standing a bit further down the sandy strip, Jack waits for her. As they say their goodbyes, he glimpses a deep sorrow in her eyes; but there is also a fire there that cannot be concealed. This is the passion that only Jack Sparrow could match.
The time is up for their parting and Will leans in close to Elizabeth, not saying "goodbye" but merely, "until we meet again."
As he nears Jack, Will pauses. There is no glimpse of bravado or teasing from the infamously wicked pirate. In Jack's eyes, Will sees only gratitude and respect. The older man offers Will the smallest hint of a smile. It is in this instant that Will knows Elizabeth will be loved, she will be respected, she will have a life that fulfills her. And for that, Will owes a debt to Jack. And Will Turner always repays his debts.
"You gave me immortality and I give you my blessing."
"It's a decision neither of us will ever regret, William."
It is perhaps the most honest thing Will has ever heard Jack say.
And so the new Captain boards the Dutchman. Gripping the wheel, he asks his father for a heading and then he turns to take in her visage one last time. It will have to last him ten years.
Elizabeth and Jack stand side-by-side and there is a familiarity and a comfort between the two that would take most a lifetime to achieve. The pirate tips his hat and his lady raises her roughened yet still elegant hand in farewell to their friend. Before any of them are ready, the Dutchman disappears.
He could pretend that it hurts when he carves his heart out. But truth be told, his heart was dead the instant he watched Elizabeth kiss Jack as the Krakken circled underneath them.
It has been ten, interminable years, and now he is headed for land. For home. Not his home, but Jack and Elizabeth's.
Tortuga.
'We'll have enough rum so that even if Lizzie burns some no one will notice; and more pirates then sit on the Brethren gathered for your return, William,' Jack had promised him.
And so, William Turner, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, sails towards a welcoming party.
He could pretend that the life Elizabeth has with Jack could have been his own. But it was not so. The life she craved, the life she had been destined for, was one that needed Jack to be completed. Just as the life that Will had been meant for was not to be shared with her.
He likes to take solace in the fact that he is a worthy keeper of the afterlife. Day after day, his duty is one that he gives everything he has to fulfill. With his father by his side, Will brings sailors to their final resting place and grants them the peace in death that most did not find in life.
The shore is fast approaching now and it seems his longboat cannot keep pace with his furious rowing, so he simply steps overboard into the waters that belong to him. There is a force on land that is pulling him in like the tide.
Waiting on the beach are two figures. One looks as beautiful as he remembers her when he dreams. The other, a child, is a stranger to him. But only in name; for his face is unmistakably that of Jack's. Will half-imagines the child will smile to reveal golden teeth and the word, "savvy" will tumble out of his mouth. Straining his neck, Will scans the beach searching for the notorious pirate Captain who is, at present, nowhere to be found.
Trudging through the shallows, Will allows himself to take her in. Still so beautiful, time has not yet had its' way with her. Her skin is darker and her sun-streaked hair flies wildly about her face. Her dress is simple and yet she needs no finery to compliment her now more womanly figure. The hem of her skirt is darkened with water and when a gust of wind raises its' edges he is able to glimpse her bare feet sunken in the sand. A ring on her finger catches the sunlight and Will recognizes it as having once belonged on Jack's hand. Smiling to himself, Will wonders if she stole it from its' previous owner or if it was given freely.
With eyes as wide as the moon, Elizabeth's face is a mix of nervous anticipation and joy. She clutches onto her child as if she needs to touch something to convince herself this moment is real. There is a brief hesitation before she stumbles forward to take Will into her arms.
"I can't believe you're really and truly here," she whispers against his chest.
Against his will, his arms wrap around her and he holds her small frame against his larger one. All too soon, she pulls back and stares into his eyes. "We've missed you."
He knows she is referring to her and Jack. They now comprise a we and so again, he scans the horizon for the man she has chosen to spend her life with. "And where is Jack?"
Even the mention of his name makes her smile. "He's waiting for us at home with Gibbs and Pintel and Marty and ... oh ..." a girlish giggle escapes her lips, "practically every person on Tortuga that once called him 'Captain'."
He could pretend that he did not hear the word "home" mentioned so easily by his former fiancée when she refers to her pirate. But it echoes as loud as canon fire in his ears. The child at Elizabeth's side clasps on to her hand and Will's attention is captured by the unwavering way the boy is staring at him. It looks to Will as if the boy is sizing him up and trying to challenge him at the same time. It is a look Jack must have taught him. Will gives Elizabeth a smile. "I see Jack sends you out with a protector."
"The fiercest." The pride in her voice and eyes is obvious as she beams down at her son and ruffles his unruly hair. At this, the boy's face flushes with embarrassment and he brushes away his mother's hand, all the while never taking his eyes off of the stranger addressing her. The boy is all Jack, save Elizabeth's curious expression. His eyes sweep up and down Will, as if he is trying to memorize every detail.
Turning her attention back to the man in front of her, Elizabeth offers up an explanation for her seemingly speechless companion. "But, truth be told, Jackson could scarcely wait to meet you."
"Jackson?"
An amused smile flashes on her face mingled with pure wickedness and again Will finds himself thinking it is a look Jack must have taught. "Yes, well when we were naming him Jack wanted something he couldn't easily forget."
Will cannot stop the laugh that seems to come from deep in his belly. He may have missed the last ten years of their lives, but this revelation reassures him that some things have not changed and probably never would.
Elizabeth shares in the laughter at Jack's expense but then in a heartbeat, her expression changes to a sincerity and wonder that only she could possess. "I've heard great tales of your compassion, Will."
"It is my duty to be compassionate," Will answers with typical self-depreciating modesty.
"Davy Jones did not think so," Lizzie reminds him.
Memories of his own lashings at the behest of Jones and his father's captivity plague Will's mind. "Something my father will never let me forget."
"Something James will never forget either, I trust. You should know, Will, he tells everyone in Tortuga that will listen the story of how you returned him to us."
He could pretend it was his sense of honor and duty that had spurred him to return James Norrington to the world of the living. But James knew and he suspected Elizabeth did as well; Will had done it for her. The grief in her eyes when she told them all of James' demise was as deep as the ocean and if Will could fill but one foot of that cavern he would do it. "Well, I certainly didn't want to have to listen to his belly aching in the Locker for all eternity."
She knows he will never admit that it was a deed done for her sake. "You are too good, Will. You always were."
"Something else my father will never let me forget. So, how fares the former commodore?"
"As well as the rest of us. He's become the perfect smuggler. He and Jack make quite a winning pair."
"Jack and Norrington. Working together. You cannot be serious."
Again she laughs, "Oh but I am. Actually, I consider the fact that I've prevented them from killing each other my greatest accomplishment."
"I would think that Jackson here would be your greatest accomplishment."
"No," Lizzie answers with that intoxicating mix of pride and love. "He is my greatest miracle."
With a sudden purpose, Elizabeth clutches up her skirts and turns away from the water. "Well, we should return to the house before Jack sends out a rescue party that consists of Hector's monkey and Cotton's parrot to retrieve us."
The name causes Will to halt in the gritty sand. "Elizabeth, tell me Barbossa is not amongst the guests Jack has collected."
"Of course he is. Jack and James sprung him from a cell just for the occasion."
Will merely shakes his head at Jack's terrible sense of humor. 'Bloody pirate,' he thinks to himself before beginning to follow Elizabeth and Jackson as they lead the way up the beach towards the light amidst the palms. Will takes up a place alongside the boy and the three walk in a silence so complete that the sun can almost be heard setting. There is a certain comfort in the quiet and when it is broken it catches Will off-guard.
"Are you really a pirate?"
The question stuns Will - especially once he processes that is has come from the child. Glancing down at the source of the inquiry, Will sees the boy waiting with baited breath for an answer.
With a glance back at his ship standing proud on the horizon, Will ponders his response. It's one that has taken him a lifetime to come to terms with.
"Aye. That I am."
He could pretend he doesn't notice the pride his statement provokes in Elizabeth's eyes. But for once, he doesn't want to.
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Here's to rum and waffles and May 25 :)