Later that evening, the service was followed with a deathly solemn dinner at the Turner residence. Sarah was the chattiest of them all, smiling and laughing at memories of the antics Elizabeth had performed in life. Will excused himself more than once for various reasons, all which included taking his napkin with him and coming back considerably blotchier.

At about 10 o'clock, Ms. Turner excused herself and retired for the night. Jack gave her a proper goodnight, feeling an indescribable amount of jealousy roar to life inside him as she kissed Will goodnight and called him 'father.'

It was when she swaggered away to her bedroom, truly a pirate swagger, that it became fully known to Jack that his lover was dead. Gone, and by her own hand. He felt the tears threaten again, and again he swallowed them down. He tried to replace sadness with anger, as Sarah had seemed to do. It should have been easy; sixteen years of having his child handed to his lovers' husband should have been enough to make his blood boil. Still, he came up empty.

Bugger.

As he observed Will sitting in silence, there was but one thing he could think of that would calm him. One thing that would relieve him.

"Will…William, I must tell you something."

Will sniffed. "Anything, Jack. You can tell me anything." The Captain flinched at the sincerity hidden in the words and almost regretted what he was about to do.

Almost.

"There was…something Elizabeth never told you, Will. Something I need to tell you now."

Will tried to produce a smile, but it died on his lips. "I don't think I can talk about her right now, Jack."

"You don't have a choice, Mate!" Sparrow exclaimed, standing abruptly. Will's expression changed, taking on a look that was more worry than sorrow.

"What, then?" he practically begged. "What is it?"

Jack rubbed his forehead and sat back down. Pirate though he was, he had not the emptiness in his soul to know how to go about breaking such news.

"Almost seventeen years ago…the argument you and Elizabeth had just before your marriage. You recall, savvy?"

Will nodded, silent.

"During that short time of dispute between the two of you…times and circumstances being what they were…in her confusion, dear Elizabeth came to me…" It physically pained him to call the passion she had pretended mere confusion, thought he knew it well to be.

"What is it you're trying to say, Jack?" Will asked, beginning to sound anxious.

"Elizabeth came to me, Mate, and we…we were together one night. The night before the two of you made up, Elizabeth and I were together."

Red flooded Will's cheeks as the pure honesty in Jack's eyes drove the message home.

"Why?" he whispered, stunned. "Why would you choose now to tell me this? For Gods sake, Jack, say something!"

"Don't you get it, Will?" Jack asked too loudly. "Sarah! Sarah is-"

"Don't you dare!" It was Will's turn to jump up, and he executed the motion with quite a bit of force. "Don't you play with me, Jack Sparrow! I won't stand for it!"

"Why would I lie to you about this one the eve of your brides' funeral, William?" Jack questioned, standing as well. "I wouldn't! Sarah is my daughter!"

The words danced in his mouth like a sweet flavor, playing with his senses and roaring into the world heavy as a cannon shot. Finally, it was real. After sixteen years of harboring the beautiful truth to himself, it was real.

The majesty of the realization, however, was soon swept away by the point of a sword against his throat.

"No!" Will yelled, over his shock and now knee-deep in anger. "No! Sarah is my daughter, Elizabeth's and my own!" But even as he said it, it was clear the words were spoken to convince himself. He had crossed the line; he now fought for his sanity rather than the truth.

Jack began to shout something back, but they were both silenced by a ruffling of sleep-skirts at the doorway.

"Are we having a problem, gentleman?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide, her voice sweet.


AN- W00t for cliffhangers? I'd love to know what you think so far:D