For the second time in twenty-four hours, the Turner family faced the long walk from the beach back to their home. Will and Elizabeth walked hand in hand while their son scampered on ahead of them. This time their journey was not hampered by the anxiety and apprehension that lay between them the day before. Elizabeth had been worried that Will and their son would take much longer to develop an attachment between them, but that had proved to be unfounded. Will had been uneasy about fitting into a life he had never really known, but was now confident in the knowledge that he would have the constant and consistent love and support of his family to help him with the transition. Even this afternoon they had all been worried that Bootstrap would, at the last minute, back out of his promise to take Will's place aboard the Flying Dutchman, thus requiring Will to do another ten years of service. But that too had worked out to everyone's satisfaction. Likewise, they no longer had to deal with Will's heart being in the chest, thanks to a most unexpected, nocturnal visit from Calypso. All in all, it had been a very productive day. But now they were completely exhausted, mentally, physically and emotionally, and were quite eager to be home.
"Will?" Elizabeth asked, as they approached the center of town. He looked at her and immediately recognized the expression on her face. It was the sly half smile she used when she wanted to talk him into something. She continued, "Since Mrs. Lansford is out today, and Brigand ate what was supposed to be our dinner….."
"Can we eat at the tavern?" another voice interrupted.
"Will!" Elizabeth barked. Two faces turned to look at her.
"Well, can we?" The boy asked, sounding ever so hopeful.
"It depends on what your father says."
"I already told him that you can't cook, so that means we can go, right?"
Elizabeth raised one eyebrow and glared at her son through narrowed eyes.
"What tavern might you be talking about?" her husband asked cautiously, obviously remembering some of the more colorful establishments that Port Royal boasted or worse yet, some of the ones he had seen in Tortuga. Heaven forbid it be anything like The Faithful Bride
"Ours!" was the dual reply.
"Ours?" Will was puzzled. Is there no end to the surprises they have in store for me?
"Yes." Elizabeth answered, "We own a tavern. It's where we feed our ship's crews when they're in port. It's called the Flash of Green."
"Where we feed our what?"
Elizabeth flashed a smile, mischief twinkling in her eyes. "Crews - from our ships. Surely you've heard of such a thing."
Will narrowed his eyes at her, "Crews, I understand. It's the our ships and our tavern part that concern me."
Elizabeth stopped in her tracks. "William Turner! Surely you didn't think I spent the last ten years sitting around, hosting tea parties and stitching tapestries?"
The image of that made Will laugh. "I'm sure you didn't. I honestly had no idea which of the tales I heard of Elizabeth Turner were true and which ones were pure fabrication. I just knew I was grateful to have any word of my wife."
"Will?" She looked directly into his eyes. "How did you hear stories about me?" Her voice soft, but hesitant. Although she and Will had managed to spend a few brief moments together, here and there, over the course of their separation, they seldom had talked about what either of them had been doing. Most of their conversations tended to center around their child. Will never tired of hearing of his son's antics, not that Elizabeth blamed him. The boy provided an endless source of amusement for everyone he was around.
He looked away into the distance as if suddenly uncomfortable. His eyes seemed to focus on something far away that only he could see. "Sometimes," he started, then stopped. His expression gave the impression that he was trying to recall some long forgotten bit of information. "Sometimes when we…." He shook his head as if redirecting himself to this place and this time. He gave Elizabeth a faint smile as his gaze returned to her. "I can't. Not yet. Maybe someday, but not today" he said with a resigned sigh. "I don't want to think about that now."
She gave him a faint nod. "I understand. You don't have to talk about it. Forgive me for asking."
"There's nothing to forgive. I just need to focus on what's ahead, is all."
"And what might that be?"
"I don't know. I think – I think I was afraid to anticipate anything beyond today."
"You knew I would be waiting."
"Yes, I never doubted that." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, all thoughts of ships, crews and taverns now forgotten. "It was finding someone to take my place that concerned me. Had it not been for my father…" his voice trailed off yet again.
Elizabeth reached up and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. She knew he had to have a lot on his mind. They were both out of practice with having someone to share all their hopes and fears at any hour of any day. "Will, we both- no, all three of us - have to keep looking ahead. If we dwell on what we've already come through and the unfairness of it all, we'll never make it."
"I know." Will looked around at the people walking up and down the street. "Speaking of three of us, where is William the third?"
Elizabeth gave a most unladylike snort as she turned to scan their fellow pedestrians. "There." She inclined her head, indicating a point somewhere behind Will and to his left. "He's found one of his friends. I can only imagine what he's telling him."
"He must have an incredible reputation as a storyteller. A veritable Mr. Gibbs in training, as it were." The boy's father rolled his eyes at that thought.
"Too bad no one believes him," she said slyly.
"That might not be such a bad thing."
Elizabeth simply stared into her husband's eyes for a moment - it was as easy as ever for her to get completely lost in them. She then stretched up on her toes and kissed him.
Will's former persona of morally righteous and socially proper citizen of Port Royal briefly resurfaced, as he pulled back from her ever so slightly. "Elizabeth, we're in the middle of town square. What are people going to say?"
"They're going to say, 'Oh look! There's Mrs. Turner. Who is that dashing rogue with her? Could it be her long lost husband back from sea?' Or, at least, something to that effect." With that, she slid her hand up to the back of his neck and pulled him back to her.
Elizabeth had a long-standing tradition of not adhering to society's norms. Her sense of propriety and Will's had seldom, if ever, matched. Why should Will have expected any different now? Besides, hadn't they both learned a very hard lesson about trying to live up to someone else's rules? The very fact that they had even been allowed to play together as children was a major violation of what was considered proper given their vastly different social standing. Why should he care what people thought of him kissing his wife in public? This time he didn't resist as she pulled him to her. He eagerly returned the kiss; one that spoke not only of the tender affection between the newly reunited pair, but also of promises of what lay ahead.
"Miss Swann? inquired a decidedly familiar, but long unheard voice. The voice of a person who was either completely oblivious to or completely unconcerned about the rather private moment she was interrupting.
Elizabeth was too focused on her husband to notice the intrusion. Will apparently didn't notice either. They were both eager for something more that would have to wait until later, someplace more private, someplace without prying eyes, someplace without a nine year old boy under foot.
Again, "Elizabeth Swann? Is that you? I haven't seen you in ages, but seeing as how I just returned to Port Royal myself, that's not at all surprising," continued the unfortunate intruder, gloriously unaware that she was intruding on a long awaited and well deserved moment of tenderness, between the woman she was addressing, and the man accompanying her. "And who might this be?"
The speaker's voice broke into Elizabeth's reverie. She reluctantly pulled away from Will, noting as she did, that his eyes remained closed as if savoring every second of what had transpired between them. Yes, she was going to quite like having him back.
"Miss Swann? Can't you hear me?" This time the speaker's voice was much more strident.
Elizabeth turned towards the speaker. "It's Mrs. – Estrella?"
Will's eyes blinked open at the tone of shock and surprise in Elizabeth's voice.
"Yes, ma'am. You do remember me! And is this fine gentleman your husband?" Estrella looked Will up and down as if she were evaluating prize livestock. Elizabeth shot Estrella a slightly annoyed look, but as with everything else, Estrella either did not notice or chose not to acknowledge it. "Why, Will Turner! I thought they long since hanged you! And you, Miss Swann - I mean Mrs. Turner," she said, accompanied by a conspiratorial wink. "I heard you had returned to England with your father, the good Governor."
Will looked slightly annoyed - whether from Estrella's overt and indecorous appraisal of him, her ill-timed interruption, her hapless outburst, or all of it was impossible to tell. He hadn't seen Elizabeth's former maidservant since shortly after their engagement. The sight of her evoked some vague recollection of her leaving her position in the Governor's household, getting married and having a baby all in an unseemly short amount of time. Elizabeth had frequently described her as being too bold. Will had just thought her flighty and somewhat of an alarmist. He nodded his head in greeting. "Estrella."
Elizabeth, while happy to see her former maid and sometimes confidante, was a bit taken aback by Estrella's outpourings. "My father has been gone more than ten years now. He was murdered." Elizabeth's voice cracked and she winced as she said it. After all this time it still hurt for her to say it. "I thought you had gone to the colonies with your husband" she asked while trying to regain her composure. Will slid his arm around his wife's waist in a subtle attempt to comfort her.
"Aye, I did, but he's gone now; lost at sea, he was - gone to Davy Jones' locker with the devil himself." She didn't exactly sound too heartbroken over her announcement.
Elizabeth shot a quick glance at Will, who just shrugged slightly, then looked away. Estrella didn't notice, so intent was she on relating her tale of misfortune and woe. Elizabeth was tempted to correct Estrella's misconception about the nature of the infamous locker, but decided against it. That idea carried with it the potential for too many unwanted questions that neither Turner wanted to answer – ever.
"He left me with three brats, nowhere to go, and a fourth one on the way." She patted her swollen midsection. "I came back here to live with my sister and to find some way of supporting the little ones." It was apparent from the look on her face that she had just gotten, what she thought, to be a fabulous idea. "You and Mr. Turner wouldn't by any chance need a housekeeper or a governess would you? How many little Turners are there?"
"Just the one, a boy, William, like his father." Elizabeth looked back at Will, who continued to look anywhere, except directly at Estrella. She couldn't decide if he was trying to ignore her or if he was merely watching his son at play. Either way, it didn't matter.
The erstwhile maid looked disapprovingly at the Turners as if she couldn't imagine how it was possible that they had but one child. She distinctly remembered Elizabeth choosing prospective names for her and Will's potential offspring. It would have been impossible to use them all.
"Estrella, we don't need anyone else to work in our household with just the three of us and all, but there might be a position for you at our tavern. We were just heading there now for a bite to eat. Would you care to join us? Where are your children?" Elizabeth had noticed the obvious absence of a set of children fitting the probable age requirements of Estrella's.
Will's attention snapped back to the conversation at the mention of Estrella joining the family for dinner, but he still did not speak - although he was curious as to why an obviously expectant widow was out alone with dark fast approaching.
"Thank you, Miss. I would like that very much. And as for me children, they're with my sister this fine evening." Estrella sounded a bit uncomfortable. "I had an appointment earlier and they can be such a bother."
Elizabeth wondered what sort of appointment Estrella would be tending to this late in the evening. She also took offense at the suggestion that children were a bother. She had dreamed of a large family, but thus far, that opportunity had been denied her. It was one of the few things that still aroused both anger and regret when she thought of all she and Will had been put through. Elizabeth also understood, at that instant, what was bothering Will. Estrella's husband had to have drowned fairly recently, but wasn't as if Will could have known who he was, nor could he have sent him back. Now she fully understood his earlier reluctance to tell her how he knew of her accomplishments during their decade apart. The ordeal must have been horrific for him, but she knew that all she could do was to wait and allow him to share what, when, and if, he chose.
"WILLIAM!" Will broke his silence, startling both women, as he called to the small collection of young boys that had now gathered around his son to listen to his tales. "Let's go!"
A brown head popped to attention. He waved goodbye to his audience and ran back to his parents; skidding to a halt and squeezing in between them when he got there. "Who are you?"
"William!" his mother admonished, "that was rude."
"Yes, ma'am, it was." He looked up at his mother then to woman standing with his parents. He bowed slightly. "Good evening ma'am, I'm Will Turner. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Hello, Master Turner. I'm Estrella. I used to be your mother's maid when she lived in the Governor's mansion."
"Are you going to have a baby? I keep asking mother for a little brother, but she said we had to wait until my father came home and then we would see."
"William!" his mother hissed. His father made a choking sound.
His face fell. "Was I rude again?" he asked, ""I'm sorry."
Estrella was not at all shocked by the boy's impertinence; he was, after all, Elizabeth's son. "It's quite all right. Yes, I'm going to have another little one in about four more months." The mention of the elder Will Turner's return made Estrella even more curious as to why the Turners only had the one child. Had she not heard Elizabeth talk incessantly about her impending marriage and all of the plans they had? Surely they wouldn't have spent an extended period of time apart by choice?
The trio of adults, Will still walking hand in hand with Elizabeth, followed after young Will on the short walk to the Flash of Green. The elaborately painted wooden sign hanging above the entrance creaked ever so softly, as it rocked back and forth, in the tranquil breeze, blowing in from the harbor. Will knew instantly that the image, so painstakingly created on the placard was no accident. It clearly showed ghost-like ship sailing in to a cliff rimmed harbor at sunset. Two human figures, so small as to hardly be noticed, stood sentinel on the escarpment. The entire image was awash with a translucent green light.
Elizabeth scanned Will's face for a reaction. His faint, but untroubled smile told her all she needed to know. Had anyone known the truth behind his absence, and the conditions regarding his return, the declaration of Elizabeth's faith in him was there for everyone to see.
Estrella squinted at the board and shuddered. "That looks like that accursed ship of Davy Jones'. I've seen it, I have. Nigh onto eleven years ago now. It came up from the sea like it had been spit back from hell. It blasted the ship what was following us, and every man aboard, to oblivion." Estrella crossed herself. "Then it plunged back under the waves as if it had never been there at all."
Will's unease and slight annoyance with Estrella was now readily apparent to Elizabeth, but she had no doubt that the gregarious matron was completely and blissfully incognizant of that fact. It did, at least, explain his sudden reticence. Elizabeth made up her mind to make this particular dinner party as brief as civility would allow. "Shall we?" She invited Estrella to enter.
Holding the door for the two women and his son to enter, Will rolled his eyes at his wife. Elizabeth successfully contained a knowing smirk and comment, but only just. "I'll try to make this quick" she mouthed to him. That earned her a raised eyebrow. "I love you," she again mouthed - whether by way of apology or as explanation was not clear. This time she warranted a full blown smile and nod.
Again taking her hand in his, Will lowered his head to where only she could hear him. "It's a good thing, or else…." his voice trailed off as they made their way inside.
