Author's Note: Another day, another update. Once again thank you to all my reviewers, I greatly appreciate you input! I've recently found out that a friend of mine has been reading this without reviewing (you know who you are!) and I'm hoping to inspire that person to review this time so that I know what you're thinking right as you were reading! LOL, anyway, all reviews are immensely looked forward to and I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

Chapter Fourteen

Regaining consciousness Bill shifted his weight weakly. He dimly registered that he was on a bed and only vaguely wondered what had happened to land him there when a hazy memory of lying on the floor of the deck with Jack leaning over him and telling him to breathe came to him. He groaned, his throat felt like he had gargled crushed glass and his head was throbbing.

Presently he became aware of a welcome coolness on his head and when he opened his eyes he could just make out the dim form of Jack mopping his forehead with a moistened cloth.

"There ye are mate, knew ye'd come around soon," Jack said when he noticed Bootstrap was awake, the relief in his voice betraying that he hadn't been so sure.

Bill coughed weakly and groaned as the pain in his throat increased tenfold. "Hurts," he managed to choke out and Jack nodded.

"If ye can sit up I've got some o' that salt water made for ye," he told him.

So with a helping hand from Jack, Bill did indeed manage to sit up, but when Jack made to give him the water Bill weakly shook his head. "Stuff… tastes terrible," he mumbled with the ghost of an old grin on his face. "Want… rum… one last… time," he panted tiredly.

"Dippin' into me stores even now eh William?" Jack said lightly, though in his mind he was anything but calm. "Alright then, but only because ye're an old friend."

"Lucky me," Bill whispered, his voice cracking with the effort.

Jack removed a flask from under his pillow and gently put it to his friend's lips. "Here ye go mate," he said softly, "Genuine Tortuga rum for yer drinking pleasure."

"Jack," Bill said weakly, once he had finished. "I don't… think… I have… much… longer," he said, every word now a laborious effort.

Jack swallowed anxiously, he didn't think Bootstrap had much longer either. "Hang in there William," he muttered, his mind not wanting to accept what his gut feeling and instinct were telling him. Bootstrap was going to die. What do you say to a man who is about to die? Jack wondered dimly. This wasn't the first time he had been in such a situation and it was unimaginably hard each time, but Bootstrap was different. After everything they had been together and all the times they had stared death in the face and laughed, Bootstrap was different.

Another factor that complicated matters was Will. Once Bootstrap was dead Jack knew he would be the one to break the news to the younger Turner and it was not a task he relished. Rather, it was a necessary task, and one he had accepted from the moment he had agreed to assist Bootstrap in this last endeavor of his. However, accepted or no it was still difficult.

Bootstrap shivered and groaned; he was breaking into a fever and it was climbing extremely fast. "Forgive… me…" Bill moaned, rolling his eyes around to look at Jack. "I need… to… know that… you… truly… forgive me…" he panted heavily, all his strength going into getting these words out. "I shouldn't… have… listened to… ye… that day… you needed… help."

Jack shook his head sadly; even now the whole thing with Barbossa still bugged him. Guilt was a heavy thing to bear indeed. "How many times do I have to forgive ye mate? Even if ye had helped me all that would have changed is ye would have ended up on that God forsaken spit of land with me. Course I forgive ye if that's what ye need to hear, but there's nothing to forgive. If ye had tried to help however, not so sure I'd have forgave ye then," he said, trying his best to assure his friend that they were good.

Bill's eyes rolled back in his head as he started coughing violently and retching. "Jack,' he gasped as his fever spiked up. "My son… keep an eye… on me boy… tell him… not to… be too… sad… that to… grieve… is natural… good even… but no matter… what… not to… let it… rule him." Bill coughed and gasped, trying desperately to catch his breath and finish what he wanted to say before it was too late. "He needs… to concentrate… on the… present… and to… always… live his life." Bill fell back on the bed, exhausted and remained quiet, his breathing shallow.

Jack feared those would be his friend's last words and hurried to assure him before it was too late, "I will mate, I will," he whispered, holding his Bill's hand tightly to try and give him some small measure of comfort. The only thing he could do now.

After a few moments though, Bill opened his eyes weakly, and pulling from the last reserves of his strength said, "Remember… before… Barbossa…" Bill groaned as another cough racked his body. "The fun… we… had…?" he said, his voice fading.

"Aye, the whole world belonged to us," Jack murmured. "Nothing daunted us, everything was an adventure."

Bill coughed again, blood on his lips, but his fevered eyes locked on Jack's and cleared for one shining moment and he smiled. "Those… were… the days. Ye've been… a great… friend… Jack," he said before the moment was over and he tiredly closed his eyes, his head rolling to the side and his grip on Jack's hand loosening.

He was gone.

Jack remained at his side, staring at the body of his friend, it was over and he couldn't help but wonder where to go from here. Eventually Jack's mind turned to Bootstrap's last words to his son, to no matter what, always live his life. Jack sighed, it was good advice, he reflected, it would be very hard to follow through with though. Gently he wiped the blood of his friend's face and closed his eyes with one hand. He sat there staring into space for awhile, his thoughts distant and his mind clouded with memories of days past, days that would never again be a part of his life.

Slowly the pirate captain got to his feet, leaving the body of Bootstrap Bill in his cabin, and walked to the helm of his ship. It was the one place in the entire world that relaxed him more than any other. The one place he always found himself when the world became too much or he just had to think. Oh, how he had longed for this spot in the ten years when he didn't have the Pearl. Bootstrap was dead. The thought just kept repeating itself in his mind and yet he wasn't sure it had really, truly, sank in. Bootstrap was dead.

Eventually the night turned to early morning and Jack watched it quietly, the miracle of the morning. It was a never ending cycle really, life and death, and the world scarcely even noticed. Another day was dawning and slowly the people of Port Royal woke and began their day. Standing at the helm of his beloved ship and staring at the water he could hear the morning hustle and bustle.

Presently though, he distinguished, amid all the other sounds, the separate sounds of Will and Elizabeth Turner walking across the docks and up the gangplank of his ship. Jack realized then that he had been standing here all this time waiting for them, a deep and distant part of his mind telling him that he couldn't do anything else until this task was completely finished, but still he didn't turn to greet them. They were murmuring things to each other and laughing softly in the manner of a young newlywed couple in love, and Jack quietly marveled at how life did indeed go on.

Sure, reality would come crashing down on the two lovebirds soon enough, but in the here and now they were carefree and Jack knew in that moment that they would be all right. They were young and strong and they would make it. "Jack, you're up. Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Will said, spotting Jack and walking up to stand just behind him.

It was beautiful, wasn't it? Jack dimly thought, still not turning around. How ironic.

"Jack? Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked when the pirate captain still did not acknowledge their presence. "Where's Bill?" she asked after a moment, looking around as though expecting him to come jumping out at her.

Jack closed his eyes briefly in a moment of intense pain at hearing his friend's name. How easy it would be to lose control, and how surprised they would be. Still, it would be perfectly understandable, considering the circumstances. Jack considered this quietly, but no, the part of his mind that had kept him alert and calm to wait for them would not allow that to happen now. Besides, these two needed him. They needed him to be calm and collected, and so he sighed, steeling himself, he would have time to grieve later. With an effort he managed to push all thoughts to a far corner of his mind and with a deep breath he turned to face them. "He's gone," he said quietly. "He died during the night."

Strange, Jack quietly mused to himself as he studied Will's reaction to this devastating news. He didn't seem surprised, upset yes, hell, grief stricken, but not surprised. Well, it wasn't very surprising, reflected Jack, he had been extremely sick, everyone who saw him had known it was only a matter of time.

"I knew it," Will whispered now, tears forming in his eyes. "When I left last night I had a feeling that I'd never see him again but I ignored it. I should have stayed with him."

"No, mate, it would have made him feel terrible if ye had spent yer first night as a married with him instead o' Elizabeth," Jack told him.

"Were you with him at least?" Will asked sadly.

A flash of Bootstrap's face as he died.

No, mustn't think of that now. "I was there," Jack said, pushing the memories from his mind.

"See Will, he wasn't alone at least," Elizabeth said soothingly.

"Thank you Jack," Will whispered, grief choking his voice. "Where's his body?" he asked suddenly, "I'd like to see it."

Jack nodded, understanding that he needed to see the body to finalize things in his mind, the beginning step that was necessary for the eventual recovery, and so he motioned for Will to follow him. At the door of his cabin he stopped, not wanting to go in again himself. "We'll give ye a moment alone with him mate," he said quietly, "'Liz'beth and I will be on deck, savvy?"


Once Will had stepped into the cabin and closed the door he took a deep breath and looked around the room. There were two beds, one made neatly and unoccupied, but it was on the second one he spotted his father lying on his back with his eyes closed. As long as he stayed across the room he could almost convince himself that his father was in fact, only sleeping, not dead at all.

Jack's desk chair was beside the bed and Will slowly advanced across the room and sat in it. Gently he stroked his hand across his father's forehead but he quickly yanked it back. Bootstrap was cold to touch and he was starting to stiffen. A sob choked Will's throat, he had only just begun to get to know this man, now lying dead before him. He was gone from his life again already and it just wasn't fair.


On deck Jack and Elizabeth stood quietly, side by side, staring out at the calm blue Caribbean water. "This must be hard for you too Jack," Elizabeth said eventually and Jack gave her a small, tired smile.

"Life goes on luv," he murmured, ignoring the part of his mind that did not quite believe it.

"Yes, I suppose it does," Elizabeth agreed as Will finally came back out.

"What type of funeral are we going to have for him?" Will asked abruptly.

"If we start making the arrangements now we can have him buried by tonight," Elizabeth suggested.

"No," Jack said before Will could even respond. "He was a seaman; he should be put to rest at sea. I'm a ship captain, I've done it before and I can do it again. Bill would've liked it better this way."

"Well, that is fitting," Will agreed thoughtfully.

"It's settled then," Jack remarked and Will nodded.

"Elizabeth and I should go get in something more funeral like, we'll be back in half an hour," Will murmured, holding his arm to his wife.


Once Will and Elizabeth had left Jack headed into his cabin with the idea of getting Bill's body ready for the funeral.

"Ah William," he muttered once he was standing beside his friend's body. "Yer son may be acting calm now but he's not taking it so well."

Jack slowly started wrapping the body in the sheets. He was just about to go get some rope to tie them closed when he heard a voice calling his name.

"Jack? Jack, where are you?" the voice called out.

Upon exiting his cabin he saw Commodore Norrington had just boarded his ship. "Commodore, what brings ye here?" he asked, to tired to greet him with his usual cheeky grin.

"I just ran into Will and Elizabeth a few minutes ago. They both seemed quite upset and they said Bill Turner was dead," Norrington explained quickly.

"So ye came to see for yerself, is that it?" Jack asked, not quite meaning to sound rude, but his exhaustion and misery for a moment getting the better of him. Without waiting for an answer he turned to head into the galley and get some rope so he could finish the job with the body and Commodore Norrington quickly fell in step with him.

"As appealing as his body undoubtedly is," he said lightly, "I actually came to tell you that while technically your pardon ends today, considering the extenuating circumstances you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to so you can take care of your friend's funeral. You will not be arrested," Norrington said smoothly.

"That's very generous of ye Commodore," Jack said, although in truth, with everything else on his mind he had not given his pardon a thought, there had been no question in his mind that he would stay until everything was taken care of. "Ye can't possibly have cleared this with the Governor already though," he now said to the Commodore.

"He'll understand, you just let me worry about him," Commodore Norrington said calmly.

Jack clasped his hands together and nodded, his own way of silent thanks. He didn't really feel much like talking right now and the Commodore seemed to understand this because he said, "Well, I should really get out of here and leave you to your preparations." Jack nodded again and Norrington gave a quick and brief sympathetic smile, "My condolences," he murmured softly before he left.

"Wonders never cease," Jack murmured to himself as he grabbed the rope he needed and headed back to his cabin. After he had secured the body in the sheets he realized that he was still wearing the clothes he had worn to the wedding. For a moment he considered changing but then he decided against it. Clothes didn't really mean much to him and they had never meant all that much to Bill either, he had always worn what he'd had to; whatever outfit fit the role he was playing at the time.

Once Will and Elizabeth were back aboard the ship Jack steered the Pearl out into deeper waters, they wanted to get a good distance away before they dumped the body. They would weigh it down of course, but they wanted to be positive it wouldn't find its way back to the docks of Port Royal. So they sailed, the three of them in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and memories. Jack kept a sharp eye out for a good spot as he contemplated what he would say as he gave Bootstrap's body to the ocean. It was going to be difficult, he knew, but as with so many things, it was necessary.

A/N: One more chapter to go and then it will all be finished. It made me sad to kill Bootstrap but just as Jack is finding a lot of things to be necessary, as far as this story plot goes Bill's death was necessary. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review and tell me what you think!