The sun rose over the horizon. Elizabeth was already there to greet the morning on the beach. She was sitting in the sand, tears streaming down her cheeks. The tears were salty and warm. Today was the day. Today was the day Will would come home. Ten long years had lead her up to this point. Ten years of lonliness and pain without the one she loved with all of her heart. She thought of everything she had come through to get to this point. Here at the end of their separation, she started thinking back to the beginning, when they first met. It was on the crossing from England when she saw Will unconcious in the water. They brought him aboard and she was put in charge of him. When he woke in a panic and grabbed her wrist, she calmed him down.

"It's ok. My name's Elizabeth Swann."

"W-W-Will Turner." He seemed terrified as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"I'm watching over you, Will."

Will drifted back to sleep. That's when she found it, the medallion that was around his neck. Afraid that he was a pirate and would be hung, she took it and hid it for years. That is what really set in motion the events that would lead to Will saving her for the first time. Eight years later The Black Pearl attacked Port Royal. When she was captured by Barbossa and his band is miscriant pirates, she gave her name as Elizabeth Turner, thinking that it was the Governor's daughter they were after. She had no idea that it was really Will who they needed. Elizabeth smiled as she thought of that first time she had said her first name aloud with Will's last name. As she grew up, she had always thought of it, but never spoke it until that night. Now she really was Elizabeth Turner.

Ironic how things turn out. Elizabeth thought to herself.

Elizabeth began to think back to her first wedding, the one interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett. Will was arrested while dressing for the ceremony and she was left at the altar in the pouring rain. She sat there, with the rain pouring on her, thinking about why it was happening, why her perfect wedding was being ruined. When she found Will, he was in shackles and being lead by a few soldiers. Immediately, she dropped her bouquet and ran to him.

"Will! Why is this happening?"

"I don't know. You look beautiful."

"I think it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."

They were both thrown in jail. Elizabeth remembered sitting in jail wondering why, on the day she was supposed to marry the love of her life, all of this was happening to her. After a few hours, Will came to her and explained that Beckett wanted Jack's compass for some reason and was sending him to retrieve it. Will promised to marry her properly when he returned if she would still have him. To that, she responded that if it weren't for the bars, she would have him already. Elizabeth smiled when she remembered that. Their actual wedding was far from proper, but fitting for two pirates. She thought of the next hours she spent in jail. At nightfall, her father came and took her out of the cell she was sitting in. He was going to send her to England. Though she protested, he was adament about getting his daughter out. When they arrived at the dock, Elizabeth took an assessment of the situation in a pirate-like manner and decided to get out of there as quickly as possible. She left the coach and made her way back to the Governor's mansion, where she knew Beckett was now. Quietly, she slipped inside and found the Letters of Marque, but knew they weren't vaild without Beckett's seal. She found a pistol and waited for him to return. When he did, she confronted him and aimed the pistol at his head. He signed the letters.

"Consider into your calculations that you robbed me of my wedding night."

For that, she was beyond angry. He handed over the letters and she left to sail to Tortuga to find Will. All of that seemed like so long ago. Today Will would take her into his arms again and she would feel whole for the first time in ten years. Since he left, she had always felt like part of her was missing. Nothing felt right without Will. On that thought, Elizabeth's mind drifted back to a time when she and Will were not speaking. It was right after Jack was taken by the Kraken. She felt the horrible pang of guilt knowing that she had chained him to The Pearl and left him to die. Will had thought she loved Jack. They traveled to Davy Jones's locker to rescue Jack and bring him back. It was then that Jack revealed that it was Elizabeth who sent him there. Will was hurt to find out the truth. When they boarded the ship, she immediately went below deck and sat on the stairs. Later, Will came and found her to confront her about it.

"You left Jack to the Kraken."

"He's rescued now, it's done with." She paused for a moment. "Will, I had no choice."

"You chose not to tell me."

"I couldn't. It wasn't your burden to bear."

"But I did bear it, didn't I? I just didn't know what it was. I thought..."

"You thought I loved him."

She tried to push past him, unable to believe that he actually thought she loved Jack over him. Will always had her whole heart and he should've never doubted it. He was the only man she would ever love. Will blocked her exit and pushed her against one of the pillars of the ship.

"If you make your choices alone...how can I trust you?"

"You can't."

Elizabeth looked at him with hurt in her eyes. She knew he was right. He let her go and she ran up the stairs. Later that night, she was standing on the deck of the ship and saw her father go by in a boat. She was excited to see him, thinking that they were back in the land of the living. Unfortunately, they weren't. Elizabeth tried her hardest to retrieve him and pull him into the ship, but nothing worked. Distraught, she almost jumped off the ship to save him, but Will pulled her back and comforted her. He held her while she cried for her father. Without a word, he had comforted and protected her. She remembered feeling hopeless and lost that night. Her heart grieved for her father and at the same time was breaking because of Will. Now, she was sitting on the sands of a beach, waiting for him to come home after ten years. Her heart was full of anticipation and love for Will. Though she was sure William was awake by now, she decided to stay a little longer and remember.

It all came down to one battle, a battle between pirates and the East India Trading Company. The Bretheren Court released Calypso, but it did no good as she was angry at both sides. The Bretheren Court for imprisioning her and Davy Jones, her lover, for first showing them how to bind her. In that anger, she created a maelstrom to make it difficult for either side to battle. The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman sailed forward as the flag ships to lead the battle. Shots from cannons rang out until the ships were close enough to allow enemies to swing across and battle hand to hand. Elizabeth pulled her sword and began to battle with a combination of the red coats and those who had lost their humanity while serving Davy Jones. During battle, Will found her and began to fight side by side with her, as a team. Amidst the fighting, Will began to talk to her again.

"Will you marry me?"

"I don't think now's the best time!"

"Now may be the only time! I love you. I've made my choice. What's yours?"

"Barbossa!" Elizabeth paused for a moment. "Marry us!"

"I'm a little busy at the moment!" Barbossa stood at the helm, fighting off enemies.

"Barbossa NOW!" Will was insistent.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today..." fighting covered his speech, but it continued nonetheless.

Will and Elizabeth interlocked hands. "Elizabeth Swann, do you take me to be your husband?"

"I do." Elizabeth's face lit up with joy.

"Great!"

The fighting continued as Will and Elizabeth fought holding one another's arm. "Will Turner, do you take me to be your wife, in sickness and in health, with health being less likely?"

Will twirled her. "I do."

Barbossa still stood at the helm, fighting. "As Captain, I now pronounce you..." he crossed swords with an enemy, "You may kiss..." he stabbed a man, "you may kiss..." then shot another, "JUST KISS!"

Will took Elizabeth in his arms, but quickly pulled her up to stab another enemy. Finally, they crossed swords with one another, pulled them down, and kissed one another passionately for the first time as husband and wife. In that moment, Elizabeth felt more love for Will than she had ever before. It was as if the whole world stopped for a moment for them as the waves splashed around the ship. Unfortunately, the battle continued. Will swung over to The Flying Dutchman to fulfill his promise to his father to free him. Elizabeth remained on The Pearl and continued to fight off enemies right and left. After a few minutes, she went over to The Dutchman to help Will. As soon as she landed on the deck, she came face to face with Davy Jones himself. Their swords blazed in battle until he knocked her against the stairs and she momentarily lost focus. Just as he was going to stab her, Will came out of nowhere and shoved his sword through Jones's chest to protect Elizabeth. Jones manically laughed at him and shoved Will to the deck, realizing that they were the ones in love. His laugh stopped when Jack shouted at him. Jack was holding Jones's heart in his hand with a broken sword at it. Without hesitation, Jones drove his own sword into Will's chest, right into his heart. Elizabeth's world shattered before her eyes in a matter of seconds. Immediately, she rushed to his side and put her hands on his face. Will was gasping for air and trying to stay alive. She begged and pleaded with him to stay with her, but he was fading fast. Jack came to his side, set the heart down on the deck, and put the broken sword in Will's hand. He helped Will to stab the heart, sending Jones to his death over the edge of the ship. The crew of The Dutchman began to circle around Will. Jack realized what was about to happen and pulled Elizabeth away from Will's dying body. Elizabeth fought it. She didn't want to leave his side. Once they were safely off the ship, it capsized below the water with Will on board.

Elizabeth and Jack made it back to The Pearl safely. Now they faced an armada ready to attack all the pirates. Elizabeth couldn't feel anything but pain. Her husband of less than an hour was gone because of Davy Jones. Suddenly, without warning, a ship emerged from the waters. The Flying Dutchman! Will was now at the helm, ready to fight. A smile spread across Elizabeth's face. He was alive! The Pearl and The Dutchman began sailing side by side to take on Beckett's ship, The Endeavour. As they passed it, both ships began to blast Beckett's to pieces. Shocked at the turn of events, Beckett did nothing but resign to his fate and died with the sinking of his ship. After Lord Beckett's ship was sunk, the entire armada turned around and retreated, leaving the pirates with victory. Shouts of triumph were heard across the army of pirates and hats were thrown. Even Jack, who zealously guarded his hat let Mr. Gibbs throw it in with the rest, but made him also retrieve it.

Elizabeth stood silent through most of the celebration, looking over at The Dutchman where she knew her husband was. Within an hour's time, the crew had readied a long boat for her to go ashore with Will for one day. The crew assembled in a line to say goodbye to her. Pintel and Regetti bowed their heads in respect to her.

"Goodbye poppet."

She smiled at the use of the nickname Pintel had given her when he found her hiding in the closet of the Governor's mansion. Quietly, she gave them both a nod and moved down the line to Barbossa. He smiled at her politely and nodded.

"Mrs. Turner."

That really was her name now. It felt proper to hear it for the first time from someone. Finally she came to Jack. In a joking manner, she tried to kiss him again. He adamantly refused, remembering well what happened the last time she kissed him. Innocently, she smiled and said her goodbye to him.

"It would've never worked out between us."

"Keep tellin' yourself that, darling."

Elizabeth climbed into the boat and it was dropped into the water. She rowed ashore and found Will already waiting for her. Almost instantly, she jumped out of the boat and ran into his waiting arms. By this time, she was sobbing.

"I thought you were dead. I watched Jones stab you and then you...you stopped breathing..." Her sobs were muffled into his chest.

"Shhh...it's alright Elizabeth, I'm here. I'm always going to be here. I could never leave you because I love you so much." He held her tight against him.

"Oh, Will."

By the time she had stopped crying, it was nearly nightfall. Their swords were crossed in the sand as a sign of their unity. Will lead her to a nearby jungle where it was quiet and private. Thankfully, the crew had thought to put blankets into the boat, so she brought them with her. They pulled off all their weapons and outer armor and laid it aside. He was left in a shirt and trousers and she, a black silk robe tied at her hip.Together, they sat under a tree, spreading the blankets below them for comfort. After just laying in his arms for a while, she began to kiss him passionately. She needed him more than anything. Gently, she lifted his shirt over his head and fingered his scar tenderly.

"Did it hurt?"

"Not as much as it did to think that I would leave you."

He brought her fingers up to his lips and kissed them. It was by far the most seductive thing he had ever done. Elizabeth found herself wanting him and knew he wanted her just as much. Without much else being said, other than the gentle murmurings and whispers passed between lovers, Will made Elizabeth his wife.

All of that was ten years ago. Ten years since Elizabeth became a wife. Now, she sat on the beach waiting for her true love to come home. It wouldn't be until sunset when she would see him, but she had come to the beach to remember everything about their relationship and how much that they love one another. It never ceased to astound her how much her love kept growing for Will everyday during their separation. She felt it was boundless. Their love had crossed so many complications and been through so much. Now, all that remained was a few more hours of their greatest test. Elizabeth could not wait to be held once more in Will's arms.

Aboard The Flying Dutchman

Today was the day. Will stood at the helm of his ship. It had been ten years. Ten years he had faithfully served his duty and now he could go home. He thought of those waiting for him, Elizabeth and his son. The son he could now finally meet for the first time since his birth just over nine years ago. His precious Elizabeth, the wife he loved so much with all of his being. As he stood at the helm, he felt the ring still bound to the cord around his neck. Tonight he would give it to her and explain what each stone meant. As he held the ring, he began to think back on his relationship with Elizabeth. He had always loved her. From the moment he was pulled aboard the ship from the water and saw her for the first time, he had loved her.

Will remembered well the feeling he had the moment he realized that Elizabeth had been taken from Port Royal by pirates. He went directly to Norrington and Governor Swann to talk about how to safely get her back. When he realized that it was futile to try and negotiate with them a plan of action, he went to Jack Sparrow, a man who knew about The Black Pearl. The two men struck an accord and Will sprung him from jail. Within a few hours time, they were sailing towards Tortuga for a crew on a ship they commandeered in the harbor of Port Royal, The Interceptor. Once in Tortuga, they picked up a crew and headed for the Isla de Muerta. They reached the island, where Will suspected Sparrow might betray him, so he knocked him out and proceeded to rescue Elizabeth. They escaped back to The Interceptor and immediately set sail. Below deck, Will attended to Elizabeth's laceration across her hand. She was trying to tie a cloth around it unsuccessfully. Gently, Will took her hand and began to tie the cloth for her. His rough hands startled her.

"Sorry. Blacksmith's hands."

"Don't stop."

Impulsively, Will leaned in, as if to kiss Elizabeth. She hesitated, then took his hand and lead it to the medallion she was pulling out of her dress. Instantly, he recognized it as the treasure his father sent to him eight years ago before he crossed from England. He thought he had lost it when his ship was attacked by pirates, but Elizabeth had it the whole time. When he asked her why she took it, she said that she had thought he was a pirate and wanted to protect him. In his frustration, Will lashed out.

"It wasn't your blood they needed. It was my father's...my blood...the blood of a pirate."

Will slammed the medallion on the table in anger. Now, so many years later, he saw his anger irrational and misplaced. Elizabeth was only trying to spare him from being hung. For that, he loved her all the more. She had protected him when they were children, so in turn, he always sought to protect her. As he stood at the helm, he remembered more things about their relationship. After their first encounter with pirates, things began to settle down for them. They were officially engaged and began planning their wedding. The months flew by quickly with all the planning and spending time alone with Elizabeth, talking about their future. They shared the same dreams of a family with children and a normal life.

Normal life? Will chuckled to himself.

Their life was far from normal, especially after their wedding was interrupted by one, Lord Cutler Beckett. Will hated that man more than any single person on the earth. As Will was dressing for his wedding, a group of redcoats busted in and arrested him. They lead him down to where the ceremony was to be held where he saw his beloved Elizabeth, kneeling in the rain in her wedding dress. Upon seeing him, she got up and immediately ran back to him. She looked beautiful to Will in her dress. After their charges were read, they were both placed in prison, separate from one another. Will paced his cell, furious that all of this was happening. This was supposed to be the day that he shared with Elizabeth and her alone, not sitting in some prison cell for ridiculous crimes. A few hours later, Beckett summoned him and demanded that he go after Jack's compass in exchange for Elizabeth's freedom. Will grudengly agreed and left. He stopped by Elizabeth's cell before he set sail to explain the situation to her and say goodbye.

The journey to Jack was harder than Will expected. He started in Tortuga and wound up on an island where he was captured by the natives. He was put in a cage made of bones where he was reunited with other members of The Black Pearl. All worked together to pull the cage back onto land from its dangled position off a cliff. They finally escaped the island and made it back to the ship. Jack also found his way back to the ship where he climbed aboard to get away from the Pelegostos, who were trying to eat him. Once on the ship, Will insisted that they made their way immediately to Port Royal to save Elizabeth. Jack refused and then explained to him that he needed to find the key.

"You want me to find this?" He asked, pointing at the drawing of the key.

"No. You want you to find this, because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and or locating in your discovering the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle, ol' what's-her-face. Savvy?"

"This is going to save Elizabeth?"

"How much do you know about Davy Jones?" Jack's look was conspicuous.

"Not much."

"Yeah, it's going to save Elizabeth."

Will had no idea what the key truly was until their visit to Tia Dalma, wherein he learned that the key unlocked a chest that contained Davy Jones's heart. Things happened quickly after that. First, he was press-ganged onto Davy Jones's ship by Sparrow where he was reunited with his father, Bootstrap Bill Turner. He snuck into Jones's quarters one night and stole the key. He then escaped with the help of his father, but not before promising to find a way to free him. The next day he was picked up by a merchant ship, where he found Elizabeth's wedding dress and knew she had escaped and was looking for him. Soon after, the ship he was on was attacked by the Kraken and he was the sole survivor. He reached Isla de Cruces where he found Jack, Elizabeth, and Norrington all standing around the chest. Elizabeth ran to his arms. He was overjoyed to see her safe and alive.

The next blow to their relationship was a particularly painful memory for Will to recall. After making it back to The Pearl, Jones proceeded to release the Kraken on them. The monster relentlessly attacked the ship until they successfully blasted off several of its tentacles with barrels gun powder, rum, and a single shot from a gun. Deciding it was best to run for land, everyone abandoned ship into the longboat. As he was helping Gibbs load guns onto the boat, he looked up to find Elizabeth kissing Jack on the deck of the ship. He felt a blow to his heart. Elizabeth was his fiancee and the love of his life and now she was kissing Jack! When she got into the boat, she stated that Jack had elected to stay behind to give them a change to escape. The Kraken took down The Pearl and Jack with it. After that, they all retreated back to Tia Dalma's in the swamp. Will spoke not a word to Elizabeth. Tia Dalma walked around confirming that they would do anything to bring Jack back and with the confirmation, Barbossa came down the steps of her house, alive and willing to take them to the ends of the earth to bring Jack back.

Will did not speak to Elizabeth the entire journey to Davy Jones's locker. He simply felt empty, thinking that Elizabeth no longer loved him. It pained him to see her in so much pain. Upon reaching the locker, they found Jack. Jack then revealed that it was Elizabeth who killed him by leaving him for the Kraken. Finally Will knew the truth. He confronted her about it below deck later. Both agreed that neither could trust the other if they made decisions without one another. On deck later that night, Elizabeth saw her father passing in a dinghy and thought that they were back in the land of the living. Jack told her that they weren't. Realizing that her father was dead, she tried to retrieve him, almost to the point of jumping off the ship, but Will grabbed her. He pulled her close and let her cry. It felt right to have her in his arms again, even despite the circumstances. He consoled her by just letting her be held.

Recalling the memory of that night made Will feel guilty for ever doubting her love. She never loved Jack at all and only chained him to the ship to save everyone else. Will remembered the moment he realized this and proposed to Elizabeth in the midst of battle. They were married by Barbossa while still fighting. Will smiled.

Not the wedding we planned, but nonetheless fitting. He mused to himself.

Accompanying the memory of their wedding was the memory of being stabbed by Jones. The moment the blade pierced his chest, all he could think of was Elizabeth. He didn't want to leave her. They had only just been married and there was so much he wanted to do and give her. Gasping for breath, he looked at Elizabeth, who was urging him to stay with her. She looked so beautiful in the rain. He could see the pain in her eyes, knowing that she was fighting back her own tears. Suddenly he felt a blade in his hand. Jack was kneeling next to him with a broken sword, placing it in his hand. With Jack's help, he stabbed the heart of Davy Jones and sent him plummeting to his death overboard. The last thing Will remembered was Jack pulling Elizabeth away, knowing what was about to happen, and his father coming towards him with a dagger. Then everything went black. When he woke a moment later, he felt no pain and no sword was in his chest. Only a scar where his heart had been. He resurfaced as Captain of The Flying Dutchman. From there, his ship and The Pearl obliterated the ship of Beckett and killed him along with it.

After the battle, Will only had one day to be with his beautiful wife and make their marriage official. They spent their one day consummating their relationship and just being with one another. At sunset the next day, Will had to leave. Though he didn't want to, he knew that he had no choice in the matter. Before leaving, he pulled out the chest containing his beating heart. He gave it to Elizabeth to keep safe for him while they were apart. He turned and started walking towards the sea.

"Will!"

Elizabeth set the chest down on a rock and ran to him. He took her in his arms one last time and kissed her passionately. Tears were forming in her eyes. With all of his being he wished he could stay with her. Knowing it was time to go, he had to let her go and leave for his ship. The entire time it sailed away, he watched back on the beach at his wife. More pain hit him as he realized the next time he would hold her again wouldn't be for ten years.

Now those ten years were over. In a few hours he would hold his wife in his arms once again. The world would once again be right. As Will thought of everything they had come through to be with one another, he silently thanked whatever higher being sent Elizabeth into his life all those years ago when they were just children. Elizabeth was his everything and truly an angel from above.

A/N: Ok, so please don't shoot me or hang me. Parley! I just thought I would write down their thoughts and feelings before the actual reunion, which will be the next chapter. Review and let me know what you think. This is a LONG chapter. lol.