Chapter 14: On Farther Shores
They had administered the blood and were now playing the waiting game. Only Will, Liam and Jack were within the Captain's cabin waiting for Elizabeth to wake up. Liam was trying to keep his tears at bay while Jack had his arms around the boy. Will was sitting at Elizabeth's side, his hands folded before him in a pseudo-prayer.
"Please Elizabeth," he whispered into his clasped hands, his eyes never leaving his wife. "Please wake up."
---
"Please Elizabeth...please wake up"
The desperation and pleading in Will's voice made Elizabeth choke up with tears as she rested on the sands of the Farther Shore. Her hands sunk into the sand as she pulled herself up to a sitting position and Elizabeth couldn't believe it. She could almost see Will sitting by her side, praying that she would wake up.
"But I won't." she sobbed as she placed her head in her hands. "I won't wake up ever. Never ever again..." Elizabeth couldn't help but cry- and as her body was wracked with sobs she couldn't help but realize how unfair her predicament was. "This can't be happening to me-" she cried out loud but even as the words left her lips she knew that it was happening to her and therefore she could do nothing about it. "They are all going to miss me so much..."
"There are people here who have missed you as well Elizabeth," said a voice and Elizabeth looked up into the eyes of none other than James Norrington.
"J-James?!" She asked in shock- their last meeting running through her mind. "Why are you here--?" Elizabeth asked as she launched herself into his arms, almost crushing him with the friendly embrace. "I thought that I'd never see you alive again."
James smiled in knowing sympathy as he pulled away from her. "But I am not alive Elizabeth, and neither you."
That set the tears off again. "I know," Elizabeth answered quietly with a sniffle. "But I tried so hard to resist."
"You cannot resist the Farther Shore," stated James. "No matter what one does, you cannot resist."
"But you don't understand," Elizabeth protested. "Jack and Will were-are on a mission, a quest to save me and-"
James shook his head sadly. "They have obviously faded."
"Obviously," she answered bitterly before breaking out into tears once more. "Oh James, what am I going to do?"
"Come with me," James answered simply as he held out his hand for her to grasp.
"Where would we go?" Elizabeth asked staring at the hand as if it was poison.
"To two people who have missed you terrible as well Elizabeth,"
And with only a split second thought Elizabeth took James' hand and was whisked away.
---
Back on the Dutchman meanwhile, it was still the dead of night. Liam was fast asleep having succumbed to the exhaustion of the previous couple of days while Jack and Will maintained their steadfast vigil.
"Will," Jack began cautiously as he rose from his seat. "I think-"
"Don't," Will interrupted his voice so quiet that it was deadly.
"But Will-"
"I said don't." Will interrupted a bit more forcefully.
"Will-"
"Jack- DON'T!" Will ordered as her turned to his long time friend, standing up to meet his eyes. "I know," he began as his voice and eyes softened with understanding. "I know what you ware going to say and you're probably right but I- I can't-" emotion choked Will up and he had to look away from Jack for a moment to compose himself. His eyes settled on the still form of his wife and once again he felt his heart breaking into a million pieces even though he could hear it beating within the chest that sat mere feet away. "I have to believe that she will wake up," Will continued his voice firm as he clung to the only hope that he had left. "I just have to believe Jack, I've gone ten years without her and I honestly don't think that I or Liam would be able to survive the rest of our lives without her..."
"You'd still have each other Will," Jack pointed out as he placed a comforting hand on Will's shoulder as he stared down at the seemingly sleeping form of his wife. "You wouldn't be alone no matter the outcome."
"I know that," Will agreed as he sunk down and returned to his spot at Elizabeth's side. "And that is a small comfort Jack, believe me but I just-"
"You just have to believe," Jack interrupted as he patted his friend on his shoulder. "I understand that, honestly I do."
With that said Jack took his leave muttering something about getting fresh air which left Will essentially alone to maintain his vigil.
"Still nothing?" Anamaria asked as soon as Jack came aboard deck. "The blood has had no effect?"
Jack merely shook his head and Anamaria took him into her arms in a comforting embrace not caring that the crew of both ships- who had been maintaining their own vigil which was only interrupted by the occasional attending to duties- were watching.
"It shall be a sad day indeed," began Barbossa as he stood on the deck of the Dutchman. "-if we to lose the lass."
"She's a fine pirate," Jack muttered into Anamaria's shoulder. "-and a good friend to boot."
"I'll drink to that," said Gibbs as he raised his rum canteen and saluted Elizabeth.
"I 'ate to say it," began Davy Jones whom most people had forgotten about till them. "But if the girl has not woken up yet, then the chances are that she won't. And if she doesn't wake up even with the blood of that monster then she must already by at the Farther Shore."
"An' she is," answered Calypso as she appeared out of no where as she always did. "She be on de Farther Shore."
"Calypso?" asked Davy Jones as he came to his beloved's side. "What happened to you? And what happened to Beckett and Mercer? And Eris?"
Calypso smiled. "Beckett an' Mercer shall not be troubling us any more. I locked dem up in de locker where dey shall never be found again...Eris...well who knows where she be? She and I 'ad a talking to by me own dear fader."
"The mighty Zeus himself?" Davy asked, a look of awe on his face.
Calypso nodded. "De on an' de same, 'e wasn't too thrilled wit all de meddling dat I 'ave done and yet 'e 'as sent me 'ere to set dings right."
"And Eris?" Anamaria asked. "Where she be?"
Calypso shrugged. "She be causing chaos for someone else, not us." She looked those who were looking at her. "An' dat be a good ding for we 'ave t'make dings right."
"And how to you propose to do that?" asked Jack with Anamaria's comforting arm still around his waist. "You said that she was on the Farther Shore Calypso, no one returns form the Farther Shores."
"Dat may be true witty Jack," Calypso began with a nod. "But when de king of de Gods is your fader and 'e be willing te bend de rules den dere always be a shred of 'ope."
"You mean that she might wake up?" Anamaria asked. "She might return to us?"
Calypso nodded again. "If she be willing to remember who she be,"
"What do you mean?" asked Will as he came on board deck. "Remember who she is? Why wouldn't she know who she is?"
---
What Calypso meant was that Elizabeth had forgotten herself in the realms of the Farther Shore. The moment that she had touched James' hand she had found herself in the foyer of her old English country home just outside of London. She was once again a little girl, long before she and her father had made the crossing, and James whom she had known back then was a young lad himself.
" Elizabeth?" asked a familiar voice. "Is that you?"
'Father?' Elizabeth asked herself as the speaker appeared in the doorway to the sitting room. "Father!" she exclaimed with joy as she saw her father and launched herself into his arms. "Father it's so good to see you again!"
"Why it's only been a couple of hours," Weatherby answered with a smile as he patted his young daughter on the head. And even though Elizabeth had herself buried within her father's arms she couldn't help but thinking; 'It hasn't been hours but years,' Elizabeth wanted to say that phrase out loud, but she didn't. She didn't say it because she was afraid that if she contradicted anything around her then the perfect world that she was in would disappear once more.
"Weatherby is that our little Elizabeth?" asked a light and caring female voice. Elizabeth eagerly peered around her father to see her mother standing before her. Her mother was just as she remembered her, as tall as her father with deep brown eyes and hair to match. She was dressed in a simple but elegant forest green gown and a wide smile was on her face. " Elizabeth sweetie, give mumsy a hug."
"Mamma!" Elizabeth cried as she hurtled towards her mother, but just as she was about to throw herself into her mother's arms a memory.
"Mamma?" Liam asked tentatively coming over to his father and mother with his grandfather close behind. "Pa," he asked. "-is she...?"
"I'm- I'm here..." Elizabeth whispered with a hoarse cough as she opened her eyes to gaze upon the worried faces of the men she loved. She looked first to Will and then to Liam. "My little boy..." she murmured raising her had to stroke her son's cheek.
---
"What do you mean Elizabeth can't remember?" asked Will his eyes wide as he ignored the sympathetic stares of all around him. "What are you talking about?"
"What do ye know of de Farther Shores William Turner?" asked Calypso as she took on steady step forward towards the captain of the Dutchman.
"I know that that is where the souls of the dead go," Will answered curtly, "What is there to know?"
"Plenty," answered Calypso. "When one lands on de shores den dey are sometimes taken to a place where dere heart 'as missed most. I know through me fader dat Elizabeth is in 'er 'ome in England wid her father an' her mother..."
"No..." Will whispered as he leaned against a cannon. "...she'll never want to leave."
"She will." Stated Calypso firmly, "She id already remembering who she really id. Now go back to her side and talk 'er back to you."
---
"My little boy..." echoed Elizabeth as she looked up to her mother. "Mamma, I can't stay here."
"What ever do you mean my little angel?" asked Charlotte, Elizabeth's mother. "Why can't you stay here with us? We are your parents, we love you and we want to have you with us. Children should stay with their parents."
"I know that," Elizabeth answered suddenly her adult self again. She wore the clothes of a pirate and she was as tall as her mother. "But mother," she continued a little softer. "I have a child of my own now, a little boy named Liam- after his father- and I have to stay with him. I can't leave him."
"There's nothing that you can do Elizabeth," answered Weatherby sadly as he placed a comforting arm around his daughter. "To be frank, you are dead. So be content that you are with us once more."
"Oh I am content," Elizabeth said tears in her eyes as she looked at her beloved father. "And if this was truly my time then I would be more than happy to stay with you father," she smiled through her tears and turned to her mother and realised that she too had tears in her eyes. "And I have missed you so mother," she continued as she embraced the mother that she had lost at such a young age. "But I can't stay here."