"The desire for excitement is deep-seated."

– B. Russell

Expecting Jack's return sometime mid-morning, Will had left the smithy closed down and father, mother, and son had enjoyed another carefree day as a happy family, reunited at last. However, when late afternoon came and Jack had yet to arrive, they decided to carry on the remainder of the day as normal. William had just finished the last of his lessons they'd put off that morning and Elizabeth was assessing his work as Will looked on, wondering what the long lost captain wanted – and how much it would require of them. As was always the case when he truly paid attention, William's answers were all correct, and his proud mother announced lessons were finished for the day to his cheer of approval.

"Thank you, boy. I knew you'd be missing ol' Jack."

All three whirled about to find the pirate standing in their parlor doorway.

"How does he do that?" Elizabeth asked Will in frustrated amazement.

William looked the most excited to see him, rushing to his side. "Captain Jack!" he exclaimed, his voice animated with childlike enthusiasm before, catching himself, he quickly revised in a more moderate tone, "Have you been on many adventures since you were here last?"

"A new one every day, young William," Jack replied, thoroughly enjoying playing the role of luminary for the only member of the Turner family that would hold him as such.

William grinned, his eyes alight with fascination at the mere thought of the life that Jack must lead. "And did you find more treasure?"

"Of all sorts, lad. Just last night, I was in your tavern here when not one but two strum –"

"Jack," Will cut in warningly, coming to stand beside his son, "perhaps that's a story best left for another time."

William looked up at his father in disappointment at the abrupt ending of what promised to be a thrilling tale. Nevertheless, he was suddenly struck with the singular event that was unfolding before his eyes. For the first time in his memory, the two men who had played the largest role in his life, his figures of enthralled idolization, stood side by side in the same room. Overcome for a moment with pure happiness at the realization, he snuggled closer to his father, resting his head against his ribs.

Will glanced down at him and smiled, placing his arm around his shoulders before turning his attention back to Jack. "Instead you might tell us of your….'business proposition', was it?" he questioned skeptically.

"After all these years, still wary of me, hmm?"

"Do I have cause to be?"

Jack opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Elizabeth's sudden address to her son.

"William, I think now would be an excellent time for you play in the garden as you'd wished to earlier," she said, knowing better than to allow the child to be privy to their conversation until she and Will had decided how best to respond to whatever it was Jack wanted. One thing Jack had a particular talent for was spinning a plot that sounded impossible to refuse, especially to an impressionable young boy with a preexisting attraction toward piracy.

William appeared about to protest but, seeing the look on his mother's face, he thought better of it and silently left the room, closing the door behind him. Yet, as his father had said only yesterday, he was more like Elizabeth than either of them realized and wasn't about to miss out on whatever secret things Jack was planning with his parents that they thought he ought not hear. Plopping down upon the hardwood floor, he pressed his ear to the door and prayed Eleanor or Edmund wouldn't catch him.

Inside the room, Elizabeth had come to stand beside Will and the two expectantly eyed Jack, who seemed perfectly content to let the suspense and their curiosity mount.

Elizabeth, as it turned out, was the first to break. "Well?" she demanded impatiently.

"As you both know, my travels have taken me across the seven seas, and I've met many a colorful person – some less upstanding than others," he said, nodding towards Will.

"Quite an understatement, I'm sure," Will quipped.

Jack gave him a wry smile before continuing. "On my latest venture overseas," he began, pausing as Will and Elizabeth shared a look which clearly communicated they believed his journey to be one of depravity, debauchery, and outright piracy rather than any sort of a proper business 'venture'. "On my latest venture," he repeated, "I encountered a rather wealthy couple in Portugal, the Caldeiras. It seems the gentleman in question comes from a long line of fine and fancy, highbred aristocracy, a quite well-to-do merchant family. I'm sure you understand the sort," he said flippantly, directing his comment toward Elizabeth.

"And what extraordinary circumstances would cause such 'highbred' people to cavort with you?" she retorted.

"One might ask you that question. Were you not highbred?" Jack rejoined. "And yet here we are."

"Hardly a fair answer," Will interjected, "as she didn't exactly meet you at afternoon tea. Did you threaten that woman's life at first encounter as well?"

"There was no need to," he calmly replied, though his eyes betrayed his amusement at going to head to head with the Turners, who proved an increasingly worthy match as the years went by. "They sought me out. As with many prosperous merchants, such affluence doesn't all come by the straight and narrow," he said, looking pointedly at Elizabeth. "Much like yours, their family takes part in a certain amount of 'off the books' trading and has its ties to piracy…..though not quite as intimate as yours."

"And which one of us are you implying is the pirate?" Will asked.

Jack frowned. "Come to think of it, you both are. All in the family, I suppose"

"So you met them through common acquaintances," Elizabeth went on, ignoring his sidetracked efforts at humor.

Seeing she was all business and thus resolving to be so himself, he continued, "Yes, and they had a proposition to put to me, which I now put to you." He paused a long, drawn-out moment for effect, in which Will nonchalantly stood with narrowed eyes, but Elizabeth was nearly prepared to retrieve a weapon and pry the remainder of his proposal out at the point of a sword. "They've offered me a sizable fee in addition to the bearings to a cove off the shores of Morocco where their 'associates' have amassed certain supplementary wealth they keep hidden from the Crown."

"And the local gentry," Elizabeth added with understanding.

Jack smiled, pleased that she was catching on. "To maintain respectability and all," he confirmed dryly. "They've promised me the entirety of its contents, which I'll split with you, of course – seventy-thirty." Elizabeth gave him a severe look. "Sixty-forty?" She held his gaze, unremitting. "All right," he sighed. "Fifty-fifty." She smiled in return, but her husband appeared less than won over by the carrot Jack was dangling before them. "Just think of it, William, a cave full of treasure, all for the taking."

Outside, William's ears perked up and he inched closer to the door. He hadn't grasped all of what had been said, but a cave full of treasure was a concept well within his understanding. He leaned further against the door's crack.

"And," Jack continued mesmerizingly, "this one makes Isla de Muerta pale in comparison. All of it can be ours."

Will still looked unimpressed. "In exchange for what?"

He paused a moment before unceremoniously blurting, "You."

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth asked in outraged disbelief. "You want to trade my husband, whom I waited ten years to have by my side, in exchange for a treasure map?"

"And some gold," Jack drolly corrected. Elizabeth was either too astonished or too angry to respond, so he amended, "I'm not going to trade him. They're just want to borrow him for a little while."

"Jack, you know this is absurd, right?" Will questioned.

"I know no such thing," Jack replied, looking unperturbed, as if he was expecting this precise response. They continued to gape at him as if he'd gone mad, prompting him to add, "He doesn't actually want you. He wants something you possess."

Will regarded him in utter perplexity. "What?"

"The power to heal…..his wife," Jack finally admitted.

"I don't follow," Elizabeth said blankly.

Jack turned back to Will. "During the time you were in the nether region – "

"My husband was not in Hell," Elizabeth heatedly interrupted.

Jack held up his palms in surrender. "Slip of the tongue. When he was ferrying souls, it seems there was an earthquake in Lagos followed by a sort of a tidal wave." At their looks of confusion, he added, "A city in Algarve – southern Portugal – where they lived at the time. The wave destroyed everything in its path. Caldeira survived, but his wife was crushed beneath the rubble and left unable to walk, complete paralysis from the waist down." He shuddered slightly at the thought. "Personally, I'd run myself through."

Elizabeth looked at him in disgust at such a crass joke, in even poorer taste considering all that the poor woman had been through. "But what has this to do with Will?"

"The past two years they've been searching for a cure, anything that will restore the Missus to her former state. They've tried doctors, mystics, voodoo; they're willing to try anything. I told you of their ties to piracy," Jack elucidated. "It's through those connections that they learned of the Captain of the Flying Dutchman, his immortality, and the powers he possess which reach beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. They spent the last year and a half finding out all they could about the good Captain – seeking to know who he is, who his friends are, tracking down rumors of his family, where they live, and everything about the curse and its chances of being broken. Their discoveries eventually led them to me."

"And you told them who and where we are?" Will asked harshly.

"I told them I knew who and where you are. They then offered me all the compensations I've just told you – if I'll bring you, and your healing powers, to them. Just a short visit is all they ask in exchange for a rather hefty sum. How could I refuse such an offer just fallin' at my doorstep?"

"Jack, Will has a great many talents," Elizabeth said, smiling saucily to her husband, "but healing, I'm afraid, is not one of them. You know that as well as I."

Jack frowned. "Most fortunately, I cannot speak to his other 'talents'," he replied, making a face. "I leave that to you. But, as long as they believe he possesses that ability, then he as good as does. Furthermore, the fee was to simply bring Will to them. It was not a guarantee that his powers will work. Nothing else they've tried has, and no one's yet to meet an unfortunate end."

"So you want us to sail with you to Portugal to meet these people, collect our fee – "

"The fee is a mere trifling. The map is what we're really after. We collect that, go on a few days' sail to the cove, and the Pearl returns home with a belly full of gold – which I'll split with you."

On the other side of the parlor door, William's eyes grew large. To think of it: sailing across the sea to Europe on an adventure of his very own, having a pirate rendezvous, following a bonafide treasure map to untold sums of gold and jewels. It was exactly like the stories he had heard since childhood. To have the chance to actually live one was almost too thrilling to be contained, and he very nearly burst through the door then and there to beg his parents to accept. Getting a hold of himself at the last second, he instead returned his ear to the door, eager to find out what his parents' response would be.

"William!" he heard and quickly leapt away from the door, discovering he had been caught by Marta of all people. He knew he was in for it now.

"William Turner," she shamefully scolded, "listening at the key hole. Why, your mother would have your hide if she knew. Where are you meant to be?"

"In the garden," he ruefully replied, having the good sense to look contrite even if he didn't feel it.

"Off with you, then. I've no time to stay here and keep you out of mischief. Supper doesn't prepare itself, you know."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered and dutifully turned the corner toward the front entryway.

Seeing the boy penitently making his way outside, Marta smiled fondly after him and turned on her heel back toward the kitchen.

Oblivious to their son's snooping or his recent exposure, Elizabeth and Will continued on in their discussion of Jack's increasingly convoluted plot.

"And what of William?" Elizabeth asked. "You can't honestly believe we'd leave our son behind while we go off on a lengthy journey."

"Naturally, I expected you'd want to bring the boy," Jack countered. "And, before you protest, after a decade's dry spell, I also anticipated your desire to continue on in a private bedchamber. From what I witnessed last night, I can see that I was right," he smirked proudly to Will who merely rolled his eyes and looked away. "You'll find that I've made the necessary modifications to the Pearl– so as not to scar the boy. He doesn't need to see that for another four years or so."

Elizabeth glared at Jack and was about to deliver a scathing retort when Will, recognizing such, placed a hand on her arm to stop her. "Jack," he said, in all seriousness, "Elizabeth and I are more than willing to help you in whatever way we can. We both agreed so only this morning. But what you ask is too much. It is a long journey, and I've only just returned from one longer than I care to remember. I've been back less than three months' time. I can't even begin to contemplate returning to life on the seas so soon."

"Not even with your dearly beloved and the little whelp by your side?" Jack pressed.

Will sighed deeply. "Yes, with them by my side, I could happily go anywhere. But," he added, "having them with me is all the more reason not to. No matter what you think of your 'friends', the possibility exists – no matter how remote – that things will go awry once they discover I'm unable to heal her."

"And even if they're gracious in the face of yet another disappointment," Elizabeth chimed in, "I don't want my husband to have any part in deceiving innocent people."

"And I wouldn't wish to," Will agreed. "I'm sorry, Jack, but it's simply more trouble than it's worth to us. Between our merchant sailing commissions and the income from the new smithy, money is not an issue. I would do what I could simply as a favor to you, but not at the expense of my family or our happiness."

Jack appeared retrospective and, after a moment's silence, finally replied with sincerity, "It would've been like old times, the three of us together….But more's the pity…..Of course, I can't do it without you, but – "

"Apparently your talents can't quite measure up to Will's," Elizabeth cut in, recognizing Jack's attempts at engendering sympathetic guilt in her husband.

In the foyer, a small chocolate brown head peeked around the corner, surveying the hallway and determining that all was clear. Tiptoeing toward the parlor, he once again resumed his position, with ear pressed firmly to the door, in time to hear his father's negative avowal.

"I'm afraid our answer holds firm, Jack. My family and I won't be joining you."

William's brow crinkled and his mouth fell into a heavy frown. Here was an exciting adventure for them to have as a family – and what better family to take it then one with a mother who was the Pirate King, a father who was once the infamous Captain of the Flying Dutchman, and a son who was an aspiring pirate himself? So why was his papa refusing such a perfect opportunity for them? Why was every exciting proposal always met by a refusal from one parent or the other? Perhaps in the time he'd been back, William thought, Mama had somehow managed to convince Papa of the merits of such dreary constrictive rules. It was impossible not to see that his mother did seem to have certain persuasive powers over his father.

Taking the chance that, in the commotion of Jack's visit, his parents might forget to reprimand for eavesdropping, his hand found the door's handle and the next thing he knew he was inside. "I want to go, Papa," he entreated.

"William," Will said in surprise.

"William," his mother called much more sternly, "you've been listening at the door." Her son's downcast eyes were all the confirmation she needed. "This is a grownup matter that is not for you to be concerned with. Please go back outside while we finish with Jack. Then I'll come speak to you on the importance of respecting one another's privacy."

"But – – Yes, Mama," he grumbled and returned to the hallway, this time at a proper distance.

Will and Elizabeth exchanged an amused look. "I suppose I can't scold him too harshly for something I used to regularly do myself," she admitted.

Will nodded his laughing agreement before turning back to Jack. "You said these people know nothing of me beyond the information they sought out while I served as the Dutchman'scaptain. Therefore, they've never laid eyes on me," he reasoned. "If you're truly adamant about going forward with this plan, can't you simply find another person to come along with you and convince them it's me?"

Jack, whose focus appeared to be elsewhere, seemed to remember himself and replied, "I think I will. With or without you, this is too promising a venture for me to pass up."

"As I knew all along," Will smiled.

"Will you at least stay for dinner?" Elizabeth offered. "There's rum," she added as an afterthought.

Jack grinned. "Ahh, but the tavern has rum and other pleasures besides."

"How remiss of me. Will we see you again before you go?" she asked.

"Unlikely. We set sail first thing in the morning, providing I can gather the crew from whatever strumpets they've made off with."

"I wish you well, then," Will answered, extending his hand.

Jack hesitantly shook it. "Feel free to carry on where I interrupted – just not in front of the boy. That's an education best left for the fine ladies of Tortuga."

With characteristic ostentation, he saw himself out, taking the liberty of closing the door behind him. Turning about, Jack smiled widely. It seemed good fortune was on his side, as the very person he'd planned on seeking out had found his own way to him.

"William," he said keenly, "you wish to go with me, don't you? And why not? It hasn't escaped my notice over the years what a fine pirate you would make."

"I would," he said emphatically. "I already know how to fight, and I'm sure I could learn to sail very quickly."

"And with the blood of a pirate, who could deny it?"

"But you heard Papa," William glumly replied. "He doesn't want to go, and I don't think Mama would let us anyway."

Jack grinned at that. "So your father still follows after your mother's will, does he?"

William nodded. "Though sometime I wonder why he always does. I love her an awful lot, but even I don't always do as she says. He must love her very much."

"That, and I suspect she has other persuasions." William shrugged in confusion and Jack forced himself from his unappreciated diversions back to the task at hand. "You crave adventure and excitement. I recognized that spark in you when you were still at your mother's knee."

"I want us to go," William assured him, "but I know you can't change their minds, especially Mama's. She'll say it's 'too dangerous'."

"Perhaps I can't change their minds, but you could convince them," Jack said conspiratorially.

"How?"

For a brief moment, Jack looked puzzled. "I suppose in the same manner of all your kind – whining, weeping, begging, and such. You'd be surprised how quickly those tactics will bring a woman to her knees," he smirked at his double entendre. "Not that I've ever had the need to, mind you."

"I don't know," William said thoughtfully. "I don't think it'll work….but I'll try."

"I knew you wouldn't let Captain Jack down. Tell your parents to meet me at the last peer. The Pearl's docked on the far side of the island."

The remainder of the evening was spent with William pleading, imploring, and repeatedly appealing to his parents to change their minds and sail to Europe with Jack. Will and Elizabeth did their best to explain to their son why now was not the opportune moment to commit to such a journey, and how they were better off waiting a few months and taking a trip privately. However, he refused to let the matter rest, continuing to go on about his desire to sail now,bemoaning his parents' refusal, and incessantly grousing about the many times his mother had promised him such a sea voyage in the past only to renege when the time came. Will and Elizabeth were patient with their unusually moody child, Will in particular feeling responsible for the boy's discontent – no matter how unwarranted such blame may be.

Thus, when bedtime came, he took special care to talk earnestly with his son, wishing to make sure he understood that their decision was based on his wellbeing as well, and that his disappointment was painful to them both. His father's heartfelt words seemed to touch William, whose manner drastically altered very shortly thereafter, enough so that Will felt much better about the situation as he bid William goodnight and walked across the hall to his own bedchamber.

"I believe he's finally accepted our decision," Will told Elizabeth as he shut the door behind him. Glancing up, he found his wife perched on the edge of their bed, already clad in a agonizingly sheer nightdress – one such as he had once confided his desire to see her in long ago, in the days of their courtship.

"Something about Jack's sudden arrival has put me in mind of days gone by," she confided.

Will chided himself for ignoring his wife's emotional needs; he truly mustn't always pounce on her the moment they were alone. Attempting to put his wayward thoughts into check, he directed his gaze at her face alone. "I know," he lovingly comforted, "but I'm here now and – "

"No," she said, reaching into the lone drawer of their night table. "I meant….thoughts of the sea, sailing, swords….and such…."

Will smiled amorously at her, now knowing where this was heading.

"I thought we might have a game of pirates," she said alluringly, withdrawing her hand from the drawer to reveal his old bandana dangling from the end of her fingertip.

Will slowly walked over to Elizabeth, taking his bandana from her before reaching into the still-opened drawer and pulling out the silk ties that often figured into their pirate play. "And am I meant to use these tonight?" he asked sensuously.

"Perhaps later," Elizabeth replied, shutting the drawer and rising to stand in place watching him, spellbound with desire as he tied the bandana into place, shedding his coat and baldric to speed the process.

"Would you like to be a maiden tonight or a captain as well?" Will asked before they began.

"Do not take another step," she said, suddenly lifting her hand to cover the broad expanse of cleavage her dress left exposed.

Will smiled. It was to be the maiden, then. His eyes thoroughly roved over her body, deliberately unhurried in their lustful glances, as he took several steps towards her despite the warning.

"I know who you are. I know of your reputation," she said, increasingly breathless as he approached her with a deliciously prurient look in his eyes. "You are a fierce pirate captain."

He stopped mere inches away from her, his breath warm on her face. "I can be fierce," he murmured temptingly. "Or," he added, running his hand enticingly down her arm, "I can be tender. However you want me."

"I – I don't want you at all," Elizabeth faltered.

"Your eyes say otherwise," Will boldly replied, one hand finding her waist as the other slipped behind her neck to bring her lips to his.

He kissed her insistently, enticing her to respond to him, until finally – game or no game – her body ached for him so she could not help but come alive in his arms. Her passion further incited his, his mouth leaving her lips to alternately kiss and nibble his way across her neck and shoulder. Overcome with the need to ravage him, she took his earlobe into her mouth, sliding her tongue through the gold hoop to tease the skin beneath.

The action proved too much for him, and he swiftly swept her up into his arms and onto the bed in one fluid motion, his body covering hers in an instant. Engaging her in a heated, increasingly erotic kiss, his hands glided over her body, the always incendiary effect of his touch further increased whenever they played at pirates, always Elizabeth's favorite game – and now Will's as well. Then her lips were no longer enough; he wanted to drink from every part of her. His mouth trailed down to the swell of her breast, claiming her there, biting and suckling with such intensity that her skin soon bore his mark. Elizabeth's hands clutched Will's hair, holding his lips to her breast, encouraging the action as he continued on, wishing to taste still more of her, unable to get his fill.

As if suddenly remembering the game, she abruptly unwound her fingers from his curls, attempting to go limp beneath him, though her body would not obey. "No," she insisted with all the modesty she could muster at such a moment while her husband slowly undressed her and she burned with the need for his touch. "You will not have your way with me."

Will halted his motions, placing a lingering kiss to her bosom before sliding back up to look in her eyes. "Then," he breathed against her lips, "I will give you your way."

"Will – will I enjoy it?" Elizabeth asked, her lips quivering in the effort to not take his.

Will smiled. "So much so you'll scarcely remember to breathe," he whispered. Her hands found the hem of his shirt, slipping beneath to run her palms along his flank. "I'm going to love you till you're breathless. Till you can do nothing but tremble and speak my name."

With that, his lips found her skin once more, her fingers twisting into the bed sheets as he began to make good on his promise.

Outside his parents' room, William slowly crept through the hallway, a sack of necessities – and a few cherished possessions – in hand. He didn't wish to make his mama and papa unhappy by being displeased with their lifestyle, but he couldn't help his feelings. The sea called to him; it always had. As far back as he could remember, he longed to be out upon open waters living the excitements that, up until now, had been restricted to his mother's stories. Try as he might to be content – for he was happy with his beloved father finally by his side and their little family together at last – he still longed for things beyond the walls of his childhood home and was convinced that only with the wind on his face and a gently rocking deck beneath his feet could he feel truly free and alive. He was wise enough to know that life as a pirate – even a good one – was not meant for him in the long run. Perhaps someday he might become a captain of one of his family's merchant vessels, but he knew he was still too young for that now. Still, he was certain that just a single excursion, one chance to live out his dream, would tide him over until he reached adulthood. And, if his parents did not wish to go, he would simply have to make do without them; he was near onto being a man anyhow.

William paused at the top of the stairs, realizing that this was his last chance to change his mind. He knew his parents would worry after him, so he'd left a hastily scribbled letter explaining his whereabouts and leaving them his love – a bit mushy, perhaps, but this was an important step for a young boy. He began to feel a moment's remorse, wondering if they would miss him terribly while he lived his adventure at sea. After all, he was bond to be gone at least a month or two. But, as he heard the pleased giggle emanating from behind his parents' closed bedroom door, he knew he'd made the right decision. While he would never consider such a venture when Will was away, as it would mean leaving Elizabeth all alone, now such an idea was a very real possibility. Mama and Papa loved him immeasurably, William knew. But they also loved each other greatly, and he believed they could be happy together and amuse themselves until he returned. With one last smile in the direction of his parents' distant laughter, William hefted his sack upon his shoulders, stealing down the stairs and out the front door, ready for the first time in his nine year existence to embark on an adventure of his own.

Hours later, well after midnight, Elizabeth lie in her husband's arms, her head pillowed against his chest, listening to his heart beat, a simple yet miraculous act that never ceased to thrill her.

"I'm so exhausted," she sighed. "I feel as if I can barely move a muscle – for which I have you to thank."

Will softly chuckled. "But it was your idea to play pirates," he tenderly whispered, caressing the silken skin of her lower back.

"Yes," she murmured, rolling slightly so she lie half atop him. "You make a formidable pirate captain." Placing a string of open-mouthed kisses to his neck, she added, "But I may yet convince you to surrender."

"As you know quite well, I have 'surrendered' – more than once….just not as many times as you."

"We shall have to correct that," she impertinently replied, slinking down to languidly kiss his chest, following the line of his scar downward.

As she treated each rib to a soft brush of her lips, her kisses grew more and more lethargic, but Will failed to notice so lost was he in the feeling of her tongue sliding ever lower across his skin. His attention was finally captured when her kisses stopped completely, her head softly coming to rest against his ribcage.

"E – Elizabeth?" he panted, looking down to find his wife sound asleep on his chest. A slow smile stretching across his lips, he declared, "You win – though that was hardly playing fair."

Settling her body comfortably against him, he endeavored to quell the yearnings she had stirred up within him. His breathing at last slowing in tempo to hers, Will drifted off himself, his mind filled with thoughts of how happy they all were together and what a perfect life his family shared, each day better than the one before.

AN: What has little William done! ; )

FYI: The situation that Jack is describing in this chapter (and will continue to be discussed in reference to the Caldeiras, who incidentally are fictional) is loosely based upon the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, thought to be a magnitude of about 9.0, which caused a large tsunami that leveled entire cities (particularly so in Algarve were the devastation was heavy and widespread), killing approximately 100,000 people.