Thanks very much to reviewers Calenlass Greenleaf1, AKA Parfait, willabeth0906, Traveler of Worlds, shewhoshallwrite, Telcontar Rulz, sweetmissbean, Wills_Elizabeth23, and lynxlan!!

Anonymous Reviewer Replies:

AKA Parfait: :) I was so pleased when you updated. I'm so glad you liked the chapter. Thanks very much for the review!

sweetmissbean: Thanks very much for the review! I'm so glad you liked it! :) You're the one that inspired the opening of this chapter.

Wills_Elizabeth23: It's perfectly alright. I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I thought of you when I wrote it. :) Will Turner is such a wonderful character and I've loved writing him. Thanks very much for the review!

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has been with me throughout this entire story, even if it's only for the read. :) I've loved having you! We have this chapter, and then the epilogue. (if you want, there's a little deleted scene I could upload, too) As for updating next week, I'll still be uploading as I've finished the epilogue. Thanks, again!

Chapter 31: Endpoint

Elizabeth didn't remember being this comfortable in ages.

The only thing that might make life better at this instant was having Will healed. In considerations of his aching muscles and healing abrasions, she had curled up next to him on the cot.

Her fingers toyed with the edge of his loose shirt but other than that she made no move to hold him closer for fear that she might damage the healing process. However, position as she was she could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat.

He had, miraculously, stayed relatively at rest for the past week. Today alone, he had already slept most of the morning and managed to eat an entire bowl of the watery concoction that Gibbs had the audacity to call soup—she asked him where the vegetables were and he'd merely laughed.

And now, they sat together in the late afternoon sun, staring through the smudged aft windows. Elizabeth had tried in an impulsive moment to clean off the perpetual dirt. It was no good. But it was a way to use some of her excessive worries.

As the days passed she grew more concerned. Will was as cheery as ever. But she knew something was wrong. He was thinking too often, staring out into the distance with a look that heralded trouble.

She'd thought long and hard herself, trying to decipher what was going on in that dark curly head of his, trying to read the brooding chocolate eyes.

But she couldn't think what the nettle in his thoughts could be.

The door clicked open and head wreathed in a bright crimson handkerchief popped around the corner before a lanky body followed, swaying back and forth.

Jack plunked down in a straight back chair across from the dented table in the center of the room. He rummaged about for a moment and yanked a smoky, golden-brown bottle from beneath a stack of filthy blankets.

"The whelp's sleepin' again?"

Elizabeth smiled, keeping her eyes on her husband.

"Tha's all the buggery whelp does…sleep." Jack took a long draught from the rum bottle.

There was a snort of laughter. "And you drink." Will's voice was slurred from sleep and his eyes were blurry but he grinned.

Jack merely took another long drink from the rum bottle. "See what you really need is more rum. Rum'll fix anythin'."

Keeping his eyes partially closed, Will laughed, a truly mirthful sound that sent a blossom of warmth through Elizabeth's heart. How long it had been since she'd heard him laugh, or seen him smile.

"So it's to Port Royal for the happy couple?"

Elizabeth's spine stiffened. Port Royal…home…A thousand other thoughts flooded her mind. But Norrington and this whole mess with His Majesty's Service. They wouldn't take Will, would they?

Anger welled in her stomach and she felt a hot indignation build to her throat. "Will?"

His dark eyes met hers and she thought she was standing on the edge of a courtyard with the steady crisp beat of a drum and the murmur of a crowd thrumming in her ears. She could almost feel the hard wood of her fan in her hand as she clutched it in a death grip.

"Elizabeth…"

The illusion snapped as she pulled away. "No." She told him firmly.

He tried to catch her hand. "Elizabeth."

"Will, you can't." she pled, fingers brushing her wide belly.

He looked so weary. Lines etched his face in a macabre reminder of how much he had weighing on him. "I have to, Elizabeth."

"But Will…"

Jack cleared his throat, jamming the cork back in the opening of the rum bottle and shoving his feet back underneath himself. "It's been lovely chattin' but I've got me a ship to sail." And sauntering out, he left Will and Elizabeth to themselves.

Will pushed himself up off the cot, eyes beseeching her to understand. "It's the only way."

Deep in her heart, she knew he was right. The baby needed a safe home. "And the Woods girls?"

"We'll get them a fare on a merchant ship headed back to the Americas."

She nodded, feeling like her world teetering on the edge of disaster.

"Elizabeth," his warm fingers threaded through hers. "Everything will be fine."

Port Royal was exactly as they remembered it. Crowded, noisy, and filled with less than savory smells. But it was home. And home was one place that Will and Elizabeth were more than ready to be.

They'd been placed in a rowboat and sent out a few hours outside Port Royal as Jack didn't want to encounter the 'good commodore'. Now, the coast was just ahead and they would be in their own house shortly.

They received a good share of strange looks but no one commented. A few smiled and tipped their hats. A few more shot them dark glares. Elizabeth didn't care a twit. She had far more serious issues devouring her emotions.

There was the loud scraping of wood against wood as the rowboat connected with the dock. They slowly pulled themselves from the craft, Elizabeth hindered by her heavy waist and Will by his still healing wounds. However, they did manage tying off the boat and moving into town.

Elizabeth couldn't help staring down anything that twitched. Her hands were damp and her heart beat at twice the normal rate. She was trembling when they rounded the corner and caught their first glimpse of the simple house they called home.

Her world turned to ashes in one instant. A contingent of red coated soldiers appeared from a cross street, Norrington in lead.

Will didn't try to evade them. He merely stood, a weary expression on his face. Elizabeth tensed, holding tightly to his hand. They couldn't take him from her now. Not after all they'd survived.

Norrington's face purely business as he came to a short stop directly in front of the young couple. "Mr. Turner."

"Commodore."

"I am here to inform you of a career change."

Elizabeth tried to step in front of Will, primed to let loose all she had against this 'friend' that dare separate them. But Will, calm as ever, gently kept her back, one hand still holding hers and the other wrapped protectively around her belly.

Norrington either didn't see her move or chose to ignore it. "This letter should explain everything." He seemed slightly uncomfortable handing the blacksmith a folded letter with an ornate seal.

Though Elizabeth ached to see what was on the page Will stood unknowingly at an angle so that she wasn't able to view any of the words. Tense moments passed and Elizabeth felt each one keenly.

Finally, Will looked up at Norrington, pure shock on his face. "What?"

"The grounds on which you were employed by His Majesty's Navy are considered null and void."

"But-"

"Mr. Turner, you were brought to the Waking Power, unconscious and reeking of rum. I have gathered several witnesses and they attest to seeing Hawthorne counterfeit your inebriation. If you had agreed to service, even while drunk, it would have been held against you. But as I have gleaned, your consumption of alcohol was entirely fabricated by Hawthorne to cover up your kidnapping. Therefore, your time on said vessel was not lawful and as such will be considered your service for His Majesty for the remainder of your days. As stated in the letter you will also be reimbursed for the time lost with the sum mentioned in paragraph three."

Will looked as though he'd lost his voice.

Norrington offered the couple a smile and a stiff bow. "Good day, Mr. Turner, Mrs. Turner."

"Good day, Commodore." Elizabeth answered for Will as he was still staring at the page in wonder.

The soldiers marched off with crisp steps, their boots echoing along the narrow road. Elizabeth kept her gaze on them until they turned the corner, the last crimson uniform disappearing behind a hedge of thick foliage.

A heavy sigh fell from her lips, and a weight lifted from her shoulders.

They were free, at last. No more exploding ships, no more near death experiences, no more pain at separation, no more fearing that someone might swoop in and steal her husband away.

Understanding her visible relief, Will caught her hand, smiled reassuringly, and together they walked towards home.

TBC...