This is my first attempt at a Pirates fanfiction, so I don't know how good it will be. Please review it. I love reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything here at all.

Promised Return

The anchor dropped into the sea.Salt water and foam lapped at the wooden hull of the ship. The wind tugged at the furled sails, the sails that were old and black. There was much activity on deck as the Black Pearl came to rest.

Elizabeth stared out to sea, watching for the glow that would announce the sun's return from the ocean's depths. The stars still shown and danced in her eyes. Wind whipped at her hair and caught in her clothes and she couldn't help but smile. She had been at sea for many days and longed to return to land. The shore was sandy and deserted, bordered by swaying palms.

When she turned, she saw the captain of the Pearl, Jack Sparrow. He stood proudly at the wheel of his ship. He was a good captain. Elizabeth had joined his crew nearly ten years ago because, though she had been raised the governor's daughter, she would always long for the sea. She was the pirate king, after all. Which meant she would sail as a pirate and she loved the freedom.

"Mom!" She turned and saw her son, William Turner III, ascending the stairs from the deck below. "We're there?"

Elizabeth smiled down at him. "Yes," she said. "Yes."

Will grinned back at her, the excitement in his eyes reflecting her own as the longboat was lowered into the water.

"Well?" Jack said as he approached. "You wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting." He motioned toward the boat that rocked with the gentle tide.

"Thank you, Jack," Elizabeth replied.

Jack smiled. "Give him my regards."

Elizabeth gave each crew member a glance. Mr. Gibbs nodded a warm farewell and Jack watched as she left. She and Will settled into the small boat and she pushed away from the Pearl, dipping the oars into the water and rowing toward shore. The soft waves rocked the boat from side to side, the swells gently tossing them back and forth. The Pearl receded as distance pulled them apart.

Then the boat came into the shallows where it was pulled into the sand. Elizabeth and Will walked up along the beach, a pirate and her son, to watch the sunrise over the distant horizon.

Elizabeth slipped off her shoes and dug her feet into the sand, feeling the cool earth against her skin. The water seeped into the sand and she felt its icy chill. She breathed in the fresh night air and it smelled of palms and salt and freedom. Standing under the stars, she gazed out across the brilliant Caribbean Sea and could no longer make out of the shadow that was the Black Pearl.

"Is he really out there?" Will asked as he came to stand by her side.

Elizabeth nodded.

"And you're sure he'll come?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied. "I know with all my heart that he will. Just keep a weather eye on that horizon."

Young Will glanced up at her then returned his gaze to the water. Already the stars were fading and the moon had long since set.

They watched in silence, waiting for the sun to rise. This was the moment Elizabeth had waited for so long. After many years, the ache in her heart would cease and she would truly live again. This was the moment she had longed for for ten long years.

The very edge of the ocean was tinted in fine gold, to announce the approaching dawn. Suddenly a flash of green lit the sky, shooting up from the horizon and into the heavens. A majestic ship emerged from the depths, silhouetted by the sun. It was encrusted with barnacles and appeared a massive, heavy thing. But to her, it was the most beautiful thing in the world. The Flying Dutchman.

Its sails fluttered as it magnificently sailed toward land. And on the deck, Elizabeth made out the figure of a man. The captain in pirate's clothes, with a pirate's sword at his side and he was gazing toward the shore where she stood.

Tears escaped Elizabeth's blue eyes and rolled down her cheeks, tasting of salt like the sea. Her son shot her a glance of wide-eyed amazement before looking back toward the unbelievable sight.

Will had kept his promise. He had returned by the light of the rising sun.

I hope you liked it. It's not that long but when I was sitting at the computer, I remembered that post-credits scene at the very end of the movie and since that was one of my favorite scenes, I decided to elaborate on it a bit. Please review, because I love reviews.