Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean, its story and characters, is owned by Walt Disney Pictures.

Chapter 1

Will shivered slightly as he came out on deck that morning. Jack had taken the morning shift at the helm and since there was no warm body to cuddle up against, he saw no reason to try and stay in bed any longer then he should. Taking in the first breaths of a new day, Will stretched and reached his arms high into the air above his head, enjoying the slight cracking sound of his back. He was already thirty eight years old and although he didn't feel like an old man, his age was starting to catch up with him. His face was still as fresh and bright as it had been twenty years ago, but he had a few scars from the pirate lifestyle that he began to lead, and his brow had earn a few creases from the worries of parenthood. Still he felt good about how he looked.

He turned over and faced the helm and saw Jack gripping the wheel, staring off into the distance, every so often glancing down at his compass and mumbling to himself. Will simply smiled at the pirate and walked across the deck, enjoying the quite of early morning. He saw that he wasn't the only early riser on board when he spotted Gabe leaning on the railing, day dreaming as he peered across the vast ocean.

Will strolled over toward his son and smiled at him. "Good morning," he said cheerfully.

Gabe jerked a bit at the sound of his father's voice. He turned to stare at him and smiled back. "Mornin' Father," he replied a bit tired. "You startled me."

Will chuckled. "Sorry son," he said softly.

Gabe then turned back to the sea and began to stare at the sunrise. The orange hue was truly breath taking, but Will couldn't help but stare at the young man whom he'd carried inside of him for nine months. Gabe was about an inch or so taller then he was, and his shoulder length curly, black hair was lose today. The faintest of scars rested on the young man's chin, a result of a very active childhood, and his face was nearly as tanned as Jack's. A thick mustache rested on his upper lip and threw his right earlobe was an earring of a hook. He wore a loose, old red shirt and a pair of faded black trousers. He was barefoot today, and the tip of his tattoo peaked out from the collar of his shirt.

Will grunted at the memory of that tattoo. The earring was slightly bearable and had come sometime after, but the tattoo he was never very fond of.

Will sighed as he finished pouring the last bucket of warm bath water in the tub. He had noticed that Gabe was walking with a slight pained look on his face, complaining that there was a slight pain in his back. Never having been one to let his baby suffer, Will was more then willing to help him feel better. A nice hot bath would do good for sore muscles, besides, the young man stank and could use a good scrubbing.

He went over to the cabin that Gabe and Mina shared bellow deck and found Gabe resting flat on his stomach on his bunk as Mina sat reading a book in her own.

"Gabe," he called, getting both teenagers' attention. "Come with me, it's time for you to take a bath."

Gabe, who was no more then sixteen at the time, stiffened at his father's request. "I... I don't think that's necessary Father," he stammered nervously. "No thanks!"

Will folded his arms and gave the teen a stern look. "Firstly Gabe, you smell." At this comment Mina giggled, trying to hide behind her book. "Secondly, I noticed the way that you've been walking, clutching your back and constantly rubbing, even complaining that it was sore. A nice warm bath will do you good. Now come on, you're taking a bath."

Gabe glanced over at Mina, giving the thirteen year old a pleading glance. Mina simply shrugged, signaling that he was on his own. Gabe reluctantly followed his father into the captain's cabin where Will had set up the bath.

Will turned to face, the young man then. "Alright, hand me your clothes and I'll take them to the wash and get you a fresh set."

Gabe seemed to pale a little at this suggestion. "I really don't think that a bath is a good idea right now Father," he said, shifting from foot to foot. "I'll do it some other time."

"Gabriel, take off your clothes and get in the tub." There was no room for argument in Will's tone. When he spoke to his children by their proper names they both knew he was serious.

Gabe slumped his shoulders in defeat. He began to take of his shirt and then stopped. "Could you at least turn around Father?" he asked sheepishly.

Will sighed a slight smirk on his face. "I've seen you naked many times before Gabe," he chuckled slightly. "Remember, I'm the one that used to bath you by hand."

Gabe blushed slightly. "Well, that was when I was little," he argued. "I'm sixteen, practically a man now. I think I'm a bit too old to have my father looking' at me naked."

Will rolled his eyes and then turned around. He was getting older, it made sense for him to want to be treated like more of an adult. Especially since Will had a tendency to coddle his children, even around the crew. He felt a shy hand tap his shoulder and he reached around to grab the clothes from Gabe's hand, still not looking. "I'll be back in a moment with some fresh clothes for you to wear."

Will returned a few minutes later with a change of clothes for Gabe. He had somewhat forgotten his son's request when he came back to the cabin and neglected to knock before entering. No one regretted this more then Gabe.

When he entered the room he saw his son clothed in nothing more than a mere towel that was wrapped around his waist as he patted his curl black hair dry. He had his back facing Will, giving his father a good look at his freshly made tattoo. The large image of a black wolf's head rested between the teenager's shoulder blades. The wolf seemed to be growling or barking at something, baring it's sharp, blood stained teeth, while a wild look glowed in it's all white eyes.

It wasn't the graphic detail of the image that made Will gasp, but the very fact that his son had gotten a tattoo without his permission. No respectable gentlemen could carry a tattoo without having it come back to haunt him. If Gabe had ever had any chance of leaving the pirating world to pursue a normal life, he just threw them straight out the window. He may as well have just put a Jolly Rogers in place of the wolf.

Will shook with anger and disappointment. He dropped the clothes that he had been holding in his arms and balled his fist at his sides. "Gabriel," he said dangerously, an edge to his words. His voice made the boy nearly jump out of his skin. He turned around and stared into his father's eyes, they seemed to glow with an anger that matched that of the wolf he would forever carry on his back. "How dare you," he began slowly, trying to keep his cool just enough to actually make words. "How dare you get a tattoo and not tell me about it! And to make matters worse, you go around hiding it from me! Do you know how worried I've been? I thought that you were seriously hurt, instead I find that you've merely been covering up that... that... thing on your back!"

"Father," he began, his voice trembling, squirming in fear. He took a step back, unconsciously. "I-I can explain."

"Does your Dad know about this?" he asked, completely ignoring Gabe's words.

"What?" he almost squeaked, confusion clear in his voice.

"Does Dad know about this?" he repeated. Gabe opened and closed his mouth, looking very much like a fish on land, gasping for breath. Will grunted with frustration at the boy's lack of a response and instead opened the door and called for Jack. In a few seconds the pirate captain was rushing into the room.

"Somethin' the matter, luv?" he asked somewhat annoyed at being called away from the helm.

Will grabbed Gabe roughly by the shoulder and spun him around, giving Jack a good look at the wolf on their son's back. "Did you know anything about this?" he demanded, pointing at the tattoo that ruined the young man's perfect skin. He wasn't very gentle as he did so either, making sure to point at it hard, so that Gabe would wince in pain.

Jack stared at the marking with wide kohl-rimmed eyes, a nervous look on his face. He bit his lip and swallowed a little bit, trying to think of something to say. "I am utterly shocked," he said. His tone was unconsciously insincere and gave him away.

"You knew!" Will accused. He had been around the pirate for sixteen years now and he knew when he was lying. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I asked him not to," Gabe cut in before Jack could make up a lie for him.

"That enough out of you!" Will said, shaking him harshly as he pulled him over to face him. "How could you do this? Haven't I been good to you? Haven't I been loving to you? And yet you disobey me. You lie to me. You tell your Dad things that you won't tell me."

"Father don't be mad," Gabe pleaded, still trying to reason with the enraged blacksmith, who had always treated him with the love and kindness equal to that of any parent.

"I'm not mad," Will said, his voice small and weak. "I'm hurt. It's clear to me now that you don't love me the way that you used to. You shrug away from my touch, you grimace and squirm as I try to kiss you, and now you keep things like this from me."

"Father I wasn't thinking straight! I was drunk!"

As soon as the words left his mouth Gabe knew that he had made a mistake. He barely heard Jack mumble the words "stupid boy" under his breath. He waited for Will to react, and winched as the blacksmith turned an accusing eye toward Jack. Jack was taken a bit by surprise, not expecting to be at the receiving end of Will's fury. "I didn't know anything about this, luv, I swear. All I knew, was that he got the tattoo and didn't want ta tell ye 'bout it. That's all!" Will turned away from him sadly, knowing that Jack was telling the truth, but that didn't stop this from hurting.

"Why?" he asked meekly. "Why are you trying to pull away from me, Gabe?"

Gabe shifted nervously, suddenly feeling very cold in nothing but his towel and his wet skin. "B-because I'm sixteen years old," he replied, knowing that the response sounded very lame, even to him. "I'm a man, and whenever I'm around you... I-I feel so small. Like I'm a baby. I just want to be grown up and treated like a man."

"Your not a man, Gabe," Will choked, barely able to hold back his tears. "Your just a boy with a bloody wolf tattoo on your back! Get out of here, Gabe! I can't stand to even look at you anymore."

"But-"

"Ye heard yer father," Jack barked, cutting in. "Now go to yer room!"

"Can't I change first?" Gabe asked meekly, nodding down at his towel wrapped his lower half.

Jack raised an eyebrow and gave him a stern look. "If ye like that tattoo o' yer's so much, then ye'll be more then proud to show it off ta the rest o' the crew. Now out with ye!"

Gabe left quickly, half out of anger and half out of shame of the way he had treated the man who had been so kind and caring to him all his life. He softly closed the door and left the pair alone.

Just as the cabin door shut, Will collapsed on the floor in a fit of tears, crying his eyes out. Jack tried his best to comfort him, but all Will could to was cry and whimper the words "my baby" over and over again.

Will frowned at the memory. Gabe had apologized to him the next day, but he could never forget that incident. His rough grabs and shaking of Gabe's shoulder was the closest thing to a beating as Will had ever given him. He was even surprised to find bruises on the boy's shoulder the next day.

Still, Gabe seemed to recover from the encounter rather quickly. He now proudly showed off his wolf tattoo whenever the opportunity arrived. At certain pubs, Gabe was even given the nickname of "Wolf" to which he would always respond with a long howl and a silly grin. Will knew that it was simply his way of rebelling against him, but still Gabe loved him. He was certain of that.

He smiled over at his son. "Couldn't sleep, lad?" he asked lazily.

Gabe sighed and hunched over the railing, nearly pitching himself over the side and Will nervously readied himself to catch the young man just in chase. "Naw," he replied. "I guess I just wanted to watch the sun rise over the horizon. Loved doin' that when I was a kid." A far off glance crossed his tanned face as he stared at the ocean. "I hate being away from them," he said longingly, referring to his wife and daughter. "I wish they had come, but Silvia doesn't think Rosemary could take the trip. Too young, she says."

Will slung his arm across his son's shoulder lovingly. "They'll be just fine," he said reassuringly. Gabe could be just as protective as Jack when it came to his family. It had started with his sister and now with his wife and child. He was willing to do damn near anything for the ones he loved.

He smiled and glanced at Will. "What 'bout you?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Will turned and smiled over at Jack lovingly and was rewarded with a grin as Jack stared at him in a lusty manner. Will chuckled and turned back to the horizon. He saw Gabe shake his head from the corner of his eye. "Never mind," he groaned.

Will chuckled at his son's reaction. "It's not like that," he explained. "I just felt too cold to sleep. I guess I'm just used to having your Dad around to keep me warm."

Gabe rolled his eyes at the older man. "So it is like that," he teased.

Will nudged the young man slightly, before turning back to stare out at that the horizon. "We'll be in Port Royal in a few days," Will commented thoughtfully. "Are you excited?"

"Of course," he responded with a shrug. "I've been wantin' to Mina again. I haven't seen my baby sister for quite sometime now. Not since my own weddin' I think. An' that was 'bout two years ago." He frowned a little at the thought. When he married his wife, Gabe had picked to stay with them on land. He'd been taught by Will not only how to read and write, but also the craft that Will had apprenticed in as a boy, making the father and son even closer. He had opened up his own little smithy and had thrown himself into his work. "If I'd been around a bit more, she probably wouldn't be marrin' that little bastard," he grumbled under his breath, but Will still heard him.

Gabe had never taken a liking to Graham. There first encounter had been when Gabe was only six and Graham was five. Graham had taken an instant liking to Mina and had been caught by Gabe trying to steal a kiss from the three year old girl. Graham only succeeded in earning himself a bruised cheek.

Will frowned at his son's words. He thought that Graham was a nice, respectable young man, but in his heart he didn't think he was good enough for his baby girl. In fact, Will thought no one was good enough for his daughter or his son (when it came to Gabe, Jack thought Will was just being silly, but when it came to Mina, the pirate whole heartedly agreed). Still, if he made his daughter happy, he was willing to let go. He had had quite the hard time letting Gabe go, but the pain had come with the realization that his children were growing up and were going to leave sooner or later. He decided then that he shouldn't interfere unless it was dire.

"Be nice Gabe," Will warned. "Remember, he's about to be your brother-in-law, and he makes your little sister very happy. So please, at least this one time, try to get along."

Gabe bowed his head reluctantly. He heaved a deep sigh. "Alright Father," he said. "For Mina's sake."