Chapter 10

Aboard die Süsse Liebe, present...

The little girl dodged pirates, the living, dead and undead alike. Under her chubby arms she had clutched a familiar doll, and she felt herself sobbing for her mother.

Strong arms caught her as she neared, and her father's face looked down at her.

"No love," he pulled her close. "No point there."

She wriggled as Jack tried to hold her in his arms, but failed. The look on her face was breaking his heart, she'd not had time to reconcile herself with finding her mother before...he couldn't think the words, to think his Bess was gone. He refused to give the thought power over him.

He watched as the small girl crept closer. She was whispering to that damn rabbit again, he noticed with a sudden surge of absolutely irrational anger. The stupid thing was useless, WHY was she always talking to it instead of someone helpful?

He would eat his words a moment later, when Abigail placed the rabbit over Elizabeth's heart and wrapped her mother's arms about it. More specifically, he would eat his words when the rabbit melted away, and a bright light appeared instead.

Of all the things that Jack may or may not have been expecting of his daughter's stuffed rabbit, seeing it generate a well-lit fog over what he refused to accept was the lifeless body of Elizabeth Turner did not reach anywhere close to the top ten.

He also did not expect at that very moment a semi-incorporeal Vianne de Valois to appear kneeling beside her, and smoothing the hair of his only child.

"Mère?" He cocked his head, his current denial allowed him to react a bit better to this situation than he normally would. "Well...this is an unexpected treat. Did I forget your birthday?"

The apparition was dressed as truly Mayan as she claimed her blood was. Loose-fitting skirt and drapes of fabric, and shining black hair left unbound to her waist. "Jacques," her voice was soft, her eyes fell on him with intensity. "My dear boy," she reached out and stroked his cheek. She smiled sweetly and turned back to face Abigail. The spirit touched her granddaughter's hair gently. "Abigail," she whispered. The little girl looked up at her, tears running tracks down her grubby cheeks. "Yes, I can, are you sure? I cannot interfere again."

Abby pulled away, curling up on the ground next to her mother. She put her hands over her destroyed chest, mimicking her father's earlier attempts to stop the blood. "Momma..." her voice cracked. "Please wake up." She looked up and over at her grandmére. "Miurne, please?"

"Oui, chéri, non, don't cry." the spirit moved her hands. "I will, oui, I will."

Jack stared at them, blank shock in his eyes. "This is Miurne? You are Miurne?"

His mother looked at him with disdain. "Petit Jacques, you never paid attention when I attempted to teach you the language of my people. Do not become tiresome now, because you do not know it. Miurne means grandmére." She turned away from her son with a sniff, kneeling over Elizabeth's body with a determined air. She stared for a long moment, and there was a grand flash that froze all the men in their tracks. A waft of smoke floated above them all, perfumed of some unnaturally sweet flower.

Vianne's spirit moved back to her son. She tugged his beard to make him look at her, and met his deep chocolate eyes with her own. "Chéri," she said softly. "Mon petit Acarapi. Remember always, how your mére loved you. Tell your father I await him comfortably...savvy?" The bit of pirate slang made him smile and he felt cold as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I will tell Claudia and Henri you love them," she whispered, and faded away with the mist about Elizabeth's body.

Which they noticed as the mist lifted, was no longer where they'd left it.

Had they known the exact measure of the magic which had been wrought, they would have a much better explanation for this – as it was, Will grabbed Abigail's shoulders and stared into her small face.

"Where has she gone?!" He demanded fiercely. "What has -" he didn't want to say 'what has your stuffed bunny done with her' but he couldn't think of quite another way to say it. "Where has she gone?!" he settled on repeating.

"There's a bit of a trick to that," a feminine voice replied loftily. "It was all quite mystical actually." Everyone turned and stared at the figure by the rails, her arms looped about a rope from the Pearl. It was not the woman who had lain before them moments ago. Well, at least not attired the same. This particular woman looked a good deal more like the Pirate Lord of Singapore, complete with odd, pointy hat.

There was a chorus of shocked cries; all her various names represented by those who loved her, particularly a wail of 'momma' before she found herself with an armful of five-year-old girl. She wrapped her arms around the child and held her as close as she could. She rested her cheek on the girl's soft curls and breathed deep. "Abbygirl," she said softly. "My little Abby."

The girl's chubby arms are tightly around her mother's neck and she didn't let go as they approach the pirates. Elizabeth smiled rather sadly. As she reached Mr. Gibbs she unlatched Abigail's hold on her and whispered a few soft words in her ear, before handing her to the aging pirate. She smileed at him, then turned her eyes to Will. Before she could move far he had pulled her into his arms, and for a moment she closed her eyes.

'Willwillwillwillwill,' she felt his name in her rapid heartbeat, she smelled the salt sea and smoke about him – even after ten years on the ocean he will always smell of the smithy to her. "Oh Will," she said his name quietly, against his chest. "Will Turner I have missed you," her voice was soft and breathy.

He tilted her chin up and kissed her. For half a heartbeat she kissed him back, but then she pulled away. She saw the hurt bloom in his eyes, as well as the horrible knowledge of her reasons.

"He wasn't a second choice was he?" Will's voice was strained and rough in her ears and she hated to hear the pain in it.

"No," the reply is near inaudible. She looked up at him, and he could almost pretend that the love he saw shining in her eyes is all for him. "Will, I will always, always love you."

He curled a loose strand of her hair around his large, coarse finger and nodded slowly. "Aye...but that's not enough is is Elizabeth?" He smiled sadly, and her heart ached for him. "We're not alike at all...never have been. You were meant to be a pirate Elizabeth Swann."

She hugged him then, a tightly as she could. "You are the best man I've ever known Will Turner."

He kissed the top of her head and pretended for the last time that that is enough for him. She met his eyes again and he smiled, this time the bitterness in his eyes is less. "Make sure the heart is well buried," he asked softly. She nodded. "Liam is at your aunt's in London. Make sure...I want word of where he is, when my day is up. I'd like to spend it with him, and you regardless..."

"Of course," she pressed her face to his chest again, holding him tightly against the break they both feel coming between. "I will always be there Will, on our island. Waiting for that day. I promise."

"No promises anymore darling," he pushed her hair back under her hat. "But remember if you need me, just...half-kill Jack or something and I'll hurry over." She laughed against him, and with one last embrace her let her go. He smiled at her and followed the curve of her cheek with his rough thumb. "Make sure he's careful of you...and apologize for my roughness, to Abigail. I was a bit tense," he leaned forward and touched her cheek. "Elizabeth Swann," he whispered, reminiscent of long-past voice and long-forgotten phrase. "I release you from your marriage vows." When she opened her eyes, he was gone and the Dutchman had vanished from sight, sinking into the ocean like the sea monster it had once been.

A sigh escaped her, whether it is for the man on the other ship or the life she had never led, even she wasn't sure. She woke suddenly from her stupor and looked around her sharply. The crew of the Pearl had dispersed sometime during the conversation between she and Will, along with it's wily captain and his daughter.

She looked confused for a moment, but a moment later knew exactly what had happened. "Bloody pirates," she snorted to herself, stomping across the deck toward the Black Pearl. A few moments and a talented swing on a rope later, she landed aboard the Pearl and allowed her heavy boots to make as much noise as possible as she approached the captain's cabin.

Jack did not turn to face her when she entered.

"Hello Mrs. Turner," his voice was entirely disinterested. "Thought you'd be well aboard the Dutchman by now. If you'd rather I drop you off on your island I can do that as well. Peg will be sailing aboard the Pearl for a bit more. She's down in the galley if you want to say goodbye."

"Jack," she didn't move from the door, unsure of how to proceed. "The Dutchman is gone. Will is gone."

"Ah, the grieving missus again are we?" He still refused to look at her. "Going to wait tragically on your widow's talk?"

"I will be waiting for him in eight months, if that's what you're asking," she replied firmly, beginning to get annoyed. "Jack, will you stop being stupid? Why did you leave die Süsse Liebe?" She shut the door and moved a bit farther into the room.

He turned on her then, his eyes flashing dark. "I didn't particularly care to witness your touching reunion with Captain Turner, my liege." His voice fairly dripped with sarcasm. "Of course, as Pirate King you have the right to be aboard my ship but please be aware I will be dropping your sorry hide on the next inhabited island I come across."

"Sorry hide?" Her voice rose shrilly. "If that's how you'll be about it Jack Sparrow perhaps I'll simply take Richter's ship as my own and not inconvenience you any further!" She stepped a bit toward him, her eyes darkening with anger. "But if you have even the vaguest notion that you'll take my daughter from me believe me you are entirely mistaken, Captain."

His voice lowered dangerously. "Well it's my ship innit? Captained by meself, run by me own crew. Which of us you think has better chance of holdin' onto the lass?"

"Will would come back if I called him," she growled. "Even if we've ended it, we're still friends Jack. He is capable of handling rejection with gentlemanly behavior!"

Jack paused, obsideon eyes scanning her face to any trace of deception. "Ended?"

"Aye." She pursed her lips angrily. "We parted on friendly terms." She held out her hand rigidly, even as Jack began to move toward her. "Which is not to say I'll be staying about this ship after the way you've behaved today Jack Sparrow! I'm quite tempted to settle on the island for a few months before returning to London and being done to hell with the both of you!"

"Lizzie..."

"Don't start," she turned away, pulling open the door angrily. She stopped just in the door. "You didn't wonder where I reappeared Jack?" she didn't see the expression on his face, but she could imagine it. "Your mum said the magic placed me in the location where I felt safest in all the world, someplace I knew nothing could hurt me." She paused and glanced over her shoulder. "It dropped me right on that bunk over there."

He looked at where her eyes led and saw his own rather uncomfortable bed.

That comment seemed the last straw for him. He crossed the room in two long strides and pulled her in, shutting the door behind her. She was pinned between him and the only exit. A few hours ago she would have panicked, but there is certainly something to be said for dying to free one of one's fears.

He leaned over her, his eyes tracing every curve of her face. "What do you want Elizabeth Swann?" His breath was hot in her ear, she closed her eyes and let herself lean into him. "Or is it Turner?"

She opened her eyes again, meeting his. She wishes she could truly tell him the things she felt – that they had a relationship where honesty led to anything but pain. "It's not Turner anymore," she responds after a moment. "Will...released me. Entirely."

"Aye, and then? What do you want Lizzie?"

She looks past him, to a map on the wall of his cabin. "I want the world Jack. I want the world and everything in it."

He grins and suddenly she has kissed him or he has kissed her, neither knows nor cares. He pulls her closer and whispers against her lips one word...

"Pirate."