Title: No Regrets

Author: Jenn

Summary: Missing scene. Will and Jack talk the night before Jack's hanging. Will wonders if he can do anything to help Jack. Will/Jack Friendship. One Shot.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: For POTC

Timeline: the night before Jack is to hang.

Category: General. Missing scene. Non-slash.

Feedback: Always happy to hear what readers have to say.

Archive: Anywhere, but please ask me first. I would like to know where it's going and to make sure it will have my name on it.

Disclaimers: They're not mine. Disney owns them. Not making one penny for this story. This fic is just for enjoyment.

Thoughts and quotes from the movie are in italics.

Edit: Edited the fic some, also added a little part for tie-in with DMC.

"They did what's right by them. Can't expect more than that."

These words haunted Will Turner. Usually he took his frustration out on his work as a blacksmith. What could he do? He could not stop Captain Jack Sparrow from going to the gallows tomorrow.

His mouth turned up in a weary grin. Jack may not have a ship and was going to be a dead man tomorrow, but he was still a captain. Why had his crew deserted him like that? They were pirates, true enough, but did loyalty not matter among friends come above piracy?

I guess not, Will silently answered his own question as his mouth turned down into a grim frown.

By law Jack should hang tomorrow, even though he was a pirate, he was also a good man. But there was very little Will could do. Correction, there was nothing he could do that would not go against the law.

Throwing down his hammer, the young blacksmith eyed the sword he had been forging. He had hammered it too much. The blade would be no good if it was not perfectly balanced. It would have to go back into the fire to be done again.

Will made no move to do that, though. Instead, he took off his apron and headed for the door. Turning, he looked over at the unkempt drunken man in a chair slumbering. Will doubted he would be missed.

Mr. Brown was a good blacksmith, that is when he was sober. He had taught Will everything he knew about being a smith. Will, nearing the age of thirteen, had had a talent for the art. As he had learned and grown, Will honed the ability. Now, at the age of twenty, he was doing most of, if not all of, the work while Brown got drunk or slept.

When he left the smithy, the wind, carrying the scent of the sea, brushed Will's nose and went through his dark hair loosing strands that brushed his cheeks and chin. That scent did not bring to mind Jack, who sat in the prison awaiting his fate on the morrow. No, it brought to mind the woman Will had loved since he'd first seen her on the HMS Dauntless when he was twelve.

Elizabeth Swann. How was she faring? Will had not seen her since they docked this morning. They had not spoken much on the voyage back from Isla de la Muerta, Island of the Dead.

Running his thumb over the white bandage that covered his cut, Will started walking, no real destination in mind. Looking around him, he saw Port Royal was going to take some time to heal from the destruction the Black Pearl had left in its wake. Namely, the destruction Barbossa and his undead crew had caused.

Now the curse was lifted, Commodore Norrington had not bothered waiting for tomorrow to order the deaths of what remained of Barbossa's crew. But perhaps he had been more merciful ordering them to be executed, instead of waiting to be hung this afternoon.

Governor Swann had granted Will clemency, though he deserved to be in the cell with the pirate captain. Frowning, Will tugged the scarf loose from his neck. He had been forgiven, but that did not clear Jack's fate from his conscience.

Ironically enough, Will found himself in front of the building that was the jail. One of His Majesty's men was standing guard at the entrance. He stopped Will from going in. "State your business."

"I wanted to see Sparrow."

"You are to leave all weapons here."

Will stared at the man, he felt temper starting rise. But keeping his voice the same, he said, "I do not have anything on me."

Giving Will an once-over look, the guard stepped aside.

Now on the floor where the cells were, Will could hear singing. It was quiet, what it was he did not know, but still hearable. He saw two more guards at one of the cells. The guards were none other then Murtogg and Mullroy. They aren't taking any chances were they? Or rather Norrington won't, Will thought grimly.

Rumor had it the last of Barbossa's crew had to managed to escape. Ragetti and Pitel had been able to get the dog with the keys to come close enough to their cell and they were able to unlock the cell with the keys. They had not bothered to free Jack though. They could be anywhere though. The keys were left behind, but the dog they had took, that, or the dog had followed them.

But Will was not going to do anything as stupid as to try to spring Jack from jail again. As much as he did not want to see his friend hung, Will could not think of anything to prevent that from happening.

"…-rate's life for me,

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

Will now could hear the song Jack was singing quietly. He had remembered Elizabeth singing it when they were young at some point. Now was not the time to hear that song. Elizabeth was going to marry Norrington.

Sitting against the far wall in a cell, Jack was making the song so mournful.

"We're beggars and blighter's and ne'er-do-well cads,

Drink up, me-"

"Stop singing!" Mullroy snapped as he glared at Jack. Jack stopped. Turning to Will, Mullroy asked, "What do you need, Mr. Turner?"

"Aye, but we're loved by our moms-"

"Jack." Will ignored the two solders, and cut off the pirate captain's singing.

"Will?

Glancing at Mullroy and Murtogg, Will asked, "Can I talk to him in private?"

"We are to-" Murtogg started to say.

"We'll stand over there," Mullroy cut in. He walked toward the other side of the room. "Make it quick." At least they would not have to hear Jack Sparrow singing.

Now with some small amount of privacy, Will sat on the ground to make himself comfortable. He did not know how long he could talk, but he figured he had at least sit so Jack would not have to look up at him.

"How are you?"

"If hard bread and water were what you had for supper, then I'm fit as a fiddle."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

Shrugging, Jack said, "If this is the end, mate, then this is it. Do you have anything to drink to lift up the spirit?"

"Sorry, Jack. You should know by now I don't touch that kind of drink."

"You are your father's son." Jack shook his head.

Will smiled slightly. Turning serious, he asked, "So you don't have regrets about anything that led to this?"

"We all have regrets, mate. Things we can't change. Like what happened to Bootstrap, I can't change that, but I wish that hadn't happened to him."

"My father, do you think he regretted anything?"

"If you mean turning to piracy, I don't think so. As for other matters, I don't know, Will. But one thing I'm sure he was regretting was leaving your mother and you. And with the curse, there was never that chance that he could go back."

"And you, Jack?"

"Me? Not to go to Davy Jones' ferry," Jack said this with a shudder, "To have the Black Pearl, my freedom. What of you, Will? You rescued your bonny lass?"

"Time's up." Murtogg said as he and Mullroy came back over to their posts.

"Remember Will, the opportune moment? And do everyone a favor, and try not to do anything stupid." Jack grinned, his gold teeth flashing at him as Will got to his feet.

"Goodbye, Jack." Will said quietly. Jack Sparrow was hardly what one would call a mentor, but Will had learned a lot of important things in the past few days.

"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, we loot,

Drink up, me hearties…"

Going toward the stairs, Will heard Jack start to sing once again. The guards were in for a long night, Will knew as he climbed the stairs. Once again outside, Will felt the wind on his face, he headed for the beach.

Walking the beach that was a few miles away from the docks, Will inhaled the salty sea air. It was quiet now that it was nighttime. Being out here now let him have some time to him think.

Looking down the beach, he saw footprints in the sand by the light of the moon. Quickening his pace, Will saw a small boat up a ways. Who owned this boat? Before he could ponder that thought farther, he heard something. Looking up, Will saw two people coming toward him. It was Anamaria and Gibbs. What were they doing here?

"Are you two mad?" Will asked in a high whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"It is good to see you too, young Will. But to answer your questions, maybe there's a chance we can keep Jack from meeting the noose." Gibbs said. "But we can't think of anything that can get Jack free without getting caught ourselves."

"Do you have any bright ideas?" Anamaria asked. Her unasked question hung in the night air. Are you not going to do anything?

"Now you want to help Jack?" Will could not believe this. Why had they not stuck around before? Jack would not even be in this mess if they had waited for him.

"The Code is more like guidelines, Will." Gibbs explained.

"So you follow the Code when it suits you?"

"The point is, we are here now." Anamaria said sharply. "Are you willing to help or not?"

Will's mind raced. Was there a chance that they could pull of an escape attempt? Think!

A plan started to form in his mind. "Can you remain hidden behind the cove?"

Anamaria and Gibbs glanced at each other, then back at Will. "Yes," the woman pirate answered.

"I have a plan to get Jack from the gallows tomorrow eveining. You'll just have to be waiting until he hits the water over there." Will pointed out the fort's wall that held the bell. It was too dark to see clearly, but the outline was visible.

"And how do you expect to get Jack in the water?" asked Gibbs, with curiosity.

"Leave that to me. I'll need Cotton's parrot to fly into the fort to let me know that you're ready."

"Fair enough." Anamaria nodded. She would leave the young man to make his plans.

"You may want to go back to the Pearl so you aren't seen."

"Just a moment, lad." Gibbs said. Taking something off his belt, he handed it over to Will.

It was a small, but heavy bag. "What's this?"

"It's a small share of the treasure, it's yours."

"But, I-" Will started to say.

"You were one of Jack's crew for a time, Will." Anamaria cut him off. "The crew gets a share of whatever we find."

This isn't from Isla de la Muerta, is it?"

"Nay, we haven't gone there. This was in Barbossa's stash of loot."

Will did not want to take it, but he knew better then to argue, especially with Anamaria. He could try, but he did not want to make a scene.

"Thank you," he said humbly.

"Good luck to you tomorrow." Gibbs said as he and Anamaria made ready to row out to where the Pearl was hidden.

Will watched them go, and waited until they disappeared before heading back up the beach.

What was he going to do with money in the pouch? He did not know how much was in there, but it was small fortune indeed. He could buy a hat. He had not had one of those in a long time.

Hopefully everything will work out, Will thought. There was a chance that he would end up next to Jack tomorrow if his plan failed. But he would not regret doing it.

There was something else he would have to do as well. It was time seize the opportune moment. Will Turner was going to finally tell Elizabeth Swann how he felt about her.

The End

Notes: Wow! Done with my first POTC fic, a one shot no less. I hope to write more stories at some point, just don't know when.

As for this fic, I couldn't help but thinking that maybe Will and Jack would have one more 'last' talk. Plus, Will's rescue seemed planned to me.

Thanks for reading! Please Review. Jenn