Here it is: the oh-so-depressing final chapter. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, and let me know what you think of the ending!

And, if any Doctor Who fans happen to read this, I suggest going on Youtube and searching for the soundtrack music from the Tenth Doctor's regeneration, 'Vale Decem'. Listening to it while you read this works surprisingly well.

Falls the Sword

Chapter 4: Dying Again

She was so close. So very close, and yet so far away. She was on the Pearl, he was on the Dutchman… and that was the way it was going to stay. They had one day, just one day to say everything that needed to be said. One day to hold on to for the next ten years.

He shivered involuntarily. Ten years. He tried to remember how long ten years really was. He had only been eleven, ten years ago. He hadn't even met Elizabeth yet.

Ten years was a long damn time.

He didn't even know his father was behind him until he spoke. "Orders, Captain?"

'Orders?' he thought blankly. 'What kind of orders? What exactly is a captain supposed to… oh, never mind. It doesn't matter anyway.'

"You're no longer bound to the Dutchman. You're free." It hurt just to say it. Freedom was something that Will himself no longer had any claim to. His father's next words almost didn't even register, until he replayed them in his head. 'Did he just say he wouldn't leave?' That was certainly more than he'd dared to hope for, and it meant more to him than he could ever say.

"On the wheel, then, Mr. Turner."

"Aye, Captain Turner."

Now that the adrenaline rush from the battle was wearing off, he again felt the jarring sensation that accompanied being addressed as 'Captain'. He wondered if he could convince the crew not to call him that.

But the thought quickly faded from his mind, because Elizabeth was still there, close and far away at the same time, staring sadly at him across the water.

"This ship has a purpose again..." Again, Bill Turner's quiet words startled his son out of his reverie. "And where we are bound, she cannot come. One day ashore, ten years at sea. It's a steep price for what's been done."

'I know,' Will thought despondently. But all he said was, "Depends on the one day."

"I – I love you. I love you so much." Of all the things he had wanted to tell her, wanted to make sure she knew, it was all he could say when he finally got the chance.

She tried to smile at him. "I know. I've always known." Her eyes filled with tears. "I love you, too."

"Elizabeth… I – I can't…"

She frowned, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Will swallowed hard, forced the words out. "Ten years is – I can't ask you to wait that long. You deserve your own life. I'll understand if… if you don't want to – "

Elizabeth pressed her fingers against her lips to silence him. "Will…" She shook her head. "Don't you let yourself think like that. I will never abandon you. If I had to wait my whole life for you, I would. When you come back in ten years, I am going to be the first person you see." She kissed him softly. "I promise."

Eyes shining, Will pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, unable to imagine being apart from her for so long.

"I love you so much."

All he could think as he looked at the sunset was that it had come too soon. Days were supposed to last longer than this; the sun couldn't be going down already.

"It's nearly sunset."

There was just one thing left to say, one more thing he had to take care of before he had to leave. It felt strange to hear his own heart beating inside the chest…

"It's always belonged to you. Will you keep it safe?"

"Yes." She stepped forward, took it carefully from him, nodding reassuringly. "Yes."

It was all a blur from there. He needed to remember this moment, to memorize her face; he had to be able to hold onto this. And then he was turning away, leaving behind the most important person in his world, until she called him back, and he held her one last time, kissed her one last time…

'I'm not ready to leave her yet…'

He was back on the Flying Dutchman. Less than a second ago he had been with her, but now he was standing there on the Dutchman, staring back at the beach he had just left, and everything in him was breaking, shattering, and falling apart; and this time the tears simply could not be stopped, because the pain that he could feel filling him as the green flash lit up the sky and the island vanished from sight made him feel as if he were dying again.

~FIN~

I just broke my number one rule of fanfiction writing. I promised myself when I started that I would always find a way to write a happy ending. Well... I didn't this time. I think it was worth it, though. Thanks for reading!