The Empress dropped anchor in the harbor beside the island. The longboat was dropped with Ana, Elizabeth, and William inside with Elizabeth's trunk and other items to take back to the house. A second boat would follow with the rest of their things and three crew members to help unload things. Ana rowed the boat as Elizabeth held William in her arms. He was now four years old and impatient to get home where he could run around freely. As they got closer to the island, he wriggled and squirmed in his mother's arms. Elizabeth gently chastised him and told him to stay still until they got to land. His excitement settled a bit until the boat reached the shore and was pulled onto the sand. Elizabeth set him down and he ran around the sand, scaring all the birds that were scavaging for food on the beach. He squealed with delight after all the birds were gone, obviously pleased with his actions. Nearby, Elizabeth watched her son play and smiled. It wasn't too long ago that he was just a baby in her arms and now he was a playful toddler that wanted to know everything about his world. She watched him crouch down on the ground and pick up a shell to examine it. William turned over the shell and peered inside of it. He ran over to Elizabeth's waiting arms with childish pride as he handed it to her.

Elizabeth took her son into her arms and swung him around. She sat him on the ground and took his small hand in her own. The crewmen followed her and Ana back to their home where they deposited their things and bid them goodbye for another year. Once the crew members left their home, they were on their own again. Elizabeth went to her and William's room and began to unpack her things, laying out her clothing on her bed. William followed his mother and imitated her example by unpacking his toys. He lined them up neatly on his bed and turned around to show his mother.

"Mama, look."

"I see. That is a very good job William. Why don't you put those in your toy chest that we left at the end of your bed?" She walked over to show him.

William obeyed his mother and put them in the toy chest. He then scurried out of the room to see what his Aunt Ana was doing at the moment. Over the last four years, he had grown fond of his mother's first mate and thought of her as a surrogate aunt. Ana was proud to be so. She loved William almost as much as his mother did. In a way, it made her feel close to the daughter she had given up so many years ago. Elizabeth was grateful to have Ana as another motherly figure for William. It gave her a few moments to steal away to think of her husband, Will. Once William had ran out of the room, she sat on the end of her bed and sighed. Today was officially the half-way mark of Will's curse. It was also the five year anniversary of her marriage to him. Elizabeth could hardly believe that it had been five years since she said "I do" to her husband. So much had happened since then. Discovering her pregnancy, the birth of her son, finding the letter from Will, and the package he sent more than a year ago. All of it filled her mind as she knelt down next to her trunk and opened it. Beneath all the letter she had written to Will, the package that held the dagger, and the journal was the compartment that held the chest. She unlatched it and pulled it out. Will's heartbeat could be heard, beating as steadily as ever. When she set it in her lap, however, it seemed to sense her presence and began to beat faster. Elizabeth smiled as she traced the patterns in the wood on the chest itself. After so many years apart, his heart still only beat that way for her. For a few moments, she held it close, hugging it next to her own heart. She then resecured it in her trunk. After which, she sank onto the floor and thought of her last year on sea.

The journey began as always, Elizabeth tending to her duties as Pirate Lord and King. The visited all the ports where the pirate lords were located that weren't sailing. She knew Jack and Barbossa would definately be sailing the seas on another adventure, so she did not visit their ports. All of that took six months to complete. So, after, the rest of the journey was simply for pleasure to take in the sights of new places. William was happy to be on the sea again to be sure. He followed his mother everywhere on deck and clung close to her as he did not recognize many of the crew members. As the months wore on, however, he relaxed a bit around them and even allowed a few to hold him. The crew was delighted by Elizabeth's son. Who ever was at the helm would often times allow him to steer for a few minutes under their careful guidance. William loved it. He would run to his mother, pleased with his actions.

Over the months, his vocabulary improved vastly. Elizabeth saw to that. She wanted her son to be well read and able to speak properly. By the time he reached his fourth birthday nine months into their journey, he spoke politely in full sentences to his mother. Still, he was a shy little boy that rarely spoke to anyone else. That, Elizabeth decided, was definately a quality he inherited from his father. While she was glad he inherited a lot of things from his father, that was one she smiled at most. It made her think back on a time when Will barely said two words to anyone but her. From the moment they met, they were always close. Even if her father disapproved of their friendship, neither cared. They had always told one another everything. Elizabeth remembered the first time he mentioned his mother to her. They were fifteen years old and spending more and more time together. One evening, they were walking around on the beach, their favorite spot to come without her father's knowledge.

"You seem sad Will. What's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's just been a long day at the shop with Mr. Brown. He's teaching me some complicating things that I haven't quite mastered yet" he lied.

"Will, I know you better than that and I know something is bothering you, more than you're telling me."

"Today's just been hard for me."

"Why?"

"Well, today would have been my mother's birthday."

"You've never told me about her. Maybe if you talk about her, it will ease your mind and allow you to let go," she suggested.

A long silence ensued before Will said anything else. "Her name was Laura. She had dark curls that she always kept in a braid when I was young. She said I would pull her hair when I was a baby. Even though my father was gone, I never felt sorry for myself because I had her. She always sheltered me from the cruel things in life. When she got sick, I always thought she would get better, but she never did. A few weeks later, she died and I came out to the sea to look for my father."

"Will, your mother's death was not your fault. She loved you very much and would be proud of you now. There's no greater gift you could give her now than to let her see how much of a wonderful young man you have become."

They stopped walking and Elizabeth pulled him into an embrace. It was their first real embrace and both felt the comfort of one another's presence.

Elizabeth had known from that moment who she would always go to for comfort. Will had always confided in her everything, save one thing, until later. And that was his undying love for her. That he confessed when they were nineteen years old, after their first run in with Captain Jack Sparrow and pirates. Their love had been through everything and yet, survived.

The last month of the journey was hard on Elizabeth. Again, her ship ran into their old friend, The Black Pearl and its crew. Jack welcomed them aboard as always. When they had crossed over, Jack invited them to stay for dinner and they accepted. That evening, after dinner, Jack entertained William with his lavish stories. William listened intently and hung on Jack's every word about Will. Elizabeth watched and smiled. A feeling of pride swelled in her heart as she watched the joy on her son's face at the mere mention of his father's name. At the end of the first story, William did the unbelievable.

"Uncle Jack," he said very timidly.

Elizabeth gasped in the corner. William had never said much to anyone, much less call them out by name. He was a very shy boy of four and even Jack knew that. Even Jack was taken back at the boy's statement. Quickly, he glanced at Elizabeth to reassure him of what to do next. Elizabeth nodded that he address William to see if he would respond again.

"Yes, m'boy."

"Please tell another story about my papa."

William said it plain as day. Jack gladly obliged his nephew and proudly told the story of how Will saved him from the Pelegostos. The details were a little shifted, but otherwise, most of the story was true to the actual event. Elizabeth could not believe her own ears. Never had her son requested another story about his father from another person who knew him. She was so glad that he was curious about his father and could not wait to write about it in the journal to show Will how much his son wanted to know about him.

The rest of the evening was placid until one of the crew announced that one of the elder members had passed on. Elizabeth knew what it meant. She had to get off the ship as fast as possible. Will would be coming to collect their soul to ferry them to the next world and she was not allowed to see him at all. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she grabbed her son and swung back over to her own ship. Ana followed. She ordered they sail away with all haste, her voice quavering with a sob. Just as they had sailed more than one hundred yards away from The Pearl, a ship exploded from the depths of the waters. Elizabeth knew it was Will. She collapsed onto the deck in a sob. Little William went to his mother's side, unsure of what was happening. Ana scooped the little boy up and took him below deck to distract him. The crew went on about their orders.

"WILL!" she screamed into the night between her sobs. "WILL!"

She was so close to him, yet so far. Folding her knees to her chest, she continued to sob. Without warning, she felt something warm surround her. No one was there, but she felt it. An intimate whisper filled her ear.

I'm here Elizabeth. Please don't cry.

In an instant, she recognized the voice as Will's. She could feel his presence wrapping around her as a comfort. He knew that she needed him. Again, Calypso seemed to have bent the rules for them to have small comforts with one another. For another few minutes, she felt his warm presence soothing her sobs. She heard The Dutchman dive below the waters again and felt all the warmth drain from around her. Before completely leaving her, she heard one last intimate whisper in her ear.

I love you Elizabeth.

Then he was gone. Moments later, Elizabeth stood up and walked below deck to her cabin to find Ana trying to keep William occupied. When she entered the room, Ana left her alone for some privacy. William ran to his mother, who scooped him up into her arms and sat on the bed with him cradled against her. He sat up and looked curiously into his mother's eyes. Gently, she brushed back his curls and kissed his forehead.

"Why did you cry, Mommy?" he innocently asked.

"I miss your papa so very much," she answered.

"When will he come home?"

"In about five more years, William."

"How come?"

"I'll explain when you're older. For now, I think it's time you were in bed. I'll tell you a story about him while you go to sleep."

Elizabeth tucked her son in and told him another story about his father. This time, about how he bravely fought undead pirates to save her. William fell asleep long before the ending and Elizabeth made note of where to pick up again later. She kissed his cheek and crawled into her own bed. Even though the covers surrounded her, she still didn't feel as warm as she did when Will's presence had surrounded her. As she drifted to sleep, her thoughts fell to him again. He was her everything.

Aboard The Flying Dutchman

Will opened his eyes and looked groggily around the room. He had just awoken from another dream about Elizabeth and wasn't sure where he was. In his dream, he had been in a house with his beloved wife and their son. They had a dog and Elizabeth was holding a newborn baby. Will felt himself beam with pride as he took his daughter into his arms. She was every bit as beautiful as Elizabeth, only she had his dark colored hair. He sat in a chair next to his wife and watched their son play in the yard with their dog, a playful mutt with a black spot over one ear. They were a happy family; something Will had always wanted with Elizabeth.

When he realized he was still on The Dutchman, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. The day was just dawning. Today marked five years of marriage to Elizabeth and halfway into his curse. Only five more years remained until he could see her again and get to know his son. His son, he realized, would be four years old now. Will thought of all the things he had missed in his son's life: his first step, his first word, and a whole other set of things he would miss for the next five years. He thought of the possible second child he and Elizabeth might have already had if he hadn't been bound to ferry the dead. In his head, he silently vowed that he would be there for every moment he missed with William for any other children he and Elizabeth might have after he was released and find some way to make it up to his firstborn. He knew Elizabeth would eventually explain to their son the circumstances of his curse, but it still would not make up for a father/son bond.

While thinking of his family, he thought of the past year of his curse. He ferried quite a few French sailors after a disastrous sinking of a ship. Most were ready to move on, but one particularly young one was not. Will spent many months getting to know him. His name was Jaques and he was barely twenty-five. Jaques told Will that he left behind his young wife, Gabrielle, and their two daughters, three-year-old Antoinette and two month old Ariana. The mention of Jaques's family hit a soft spot with Will. He told Jaques of Elizabeth and their son that he left behind. The two men shared a mutual understanding of leaving the ones that they loved behind without having a choice. After talking with Will for three months, Jaques was finally ready to move on. Will ferried him to the other side, knowing that he was finally at peace. Unfortunately for Will, his job had to carry on. He still shared stories with his father and talked about how much he missed Elizabeth with him. Bootstrap understood his son's predicament entirely and sympathized with him.

One fateful night, he learned that his next charge was a man who had died on The Black Pearl. He had already visited once before, so the crew knew what to expect. Will brought The Dutchman above water and pulled alongside The Pearl. When he came aboard, he noticed the entire crew quieted. Even Jack said nothing as he collected the charge. Will looked around quizzically at all of them. Finally, out of curiousity, he walked over to speak with Jack.

"What is going on?" he asked. "You're all acting like you've never seen me before or you're terrifiied of me."

"Will, I dunno how to tell ya this, so I'm jus' going to say it. Elizabeth was on this ship, no more than minutes ago with your son."

Will looked out into the night in disbelief and saw the lights of The Empress, Elizabeth's ship, about a hundred yards away. It was sailing away so that she wouldn't see him and cause them to be separated forever. He had missed her by mere minutes. In the distance he could hear her desperate cries and sobs.

"WILL!"

There was such pain and desperation in her voice that he could feel it himself. She needed him and he couldn't go to her and gather her into his arms to comfort her. He felt useless as he listened to his wife's continued pleas.

"WILL!"

Finally, a voice popped into his own head. It was that of Calypso. She, too, had heard Elizabeth's cries of anguish and decided to have mercy. Her instructions were that he could comfort her, but could not see her. Will thought of a way to reach her almost instantly. He sent whispers on the wind to reach her ears and her ears only. With that, he also sent his love to wrap around her.

I'm here Elizabeth. Please don't cry.

He knew she heard it and felt his presence around her. Her sobbing started to subside and he felt her heart warm with the knowledge that he was near. It wasn't fair that he couldn't hold her physically, but this was the next best thing and he would hold her as long as he could. But, he was reminded that he had a duty to fulfill, so he had to let go and say goodbye.

I love you Elizabeth.

With that, he let go. He felt her comforted and knew that she would be alright. Without another word, he left The Pearl and went back to his own ship. Quickly, it resubmerged and went back to work. Since that night, Will felt more guilt for leaving her than ever before. He couldn't bare to know how much she was suffering because he knew it was a great deal. Elizabeth was strong. She had to be suffering so much to completely break down like that. Will would never forgive himself for what he witnessed that night. He loved Elizabeth so much that it broke the heart he didn't have in his body to hear her so anguished. He promised that when he returned home to find a way to amend every pain she endured for ten years.

A/N: I am really sorry for my extended absense. I was away at camp being a counselor, but I hope that this long chapter makes up for it. Enjoy and review! Thank you so much for those who have already reviewed. I appreciate it so much!