Disclaimer: I do not own the movies or the characters that you recognize. I am making no money off of this story.

Author Note: So this is technically the last chapter. It's also the longest. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

Chapter Fifteen:

The Restoration

Will could feel Elizabeth's temper rising as she stared at the goddess. He was concerned that she would overexert herself if she decided to take on Calypso now; she was already breathing heavily and leaning on him as her main support. Yet, his feisty wife didn't seem in the mood to back down from a challenge.

Calypso seemed to sense that the animosity in the room was now being directed toward her. Slowly she turned away from Thomas' cage so that she was facing the couple.

"You don't look well at all Mrs. Turner. You should sit down for a spell," Calypso said. Her words were kind, but her voice was insincere.

"And when did you start caring about my well being?" Elizabeth questioned. She didn't believe that the immortal had ever shown compassion for anyone other than herself. "I'm sure that even if I dropped dead right now, your life would continue unaffected. After all, what is one mortal life? In fact, what are a hundred mortal lives to you? It doesn't matter. Does it?"

Calypso looked confused by her statements. "Are you trying to hint at something? If you are, I do not comprehend your intentions."

Elizabeth took a moment to breathe before answering. "Because of you, the people in my life have suffered. My mother was killed in front of me! Mr. Gibbs, my dear friend, was slaughtered by the monster you created. You took away my husband, leaving me to raise a child alone. And now, Thomas is a rabid beast who nearly killed me!"

Her energy was leaving her rapidly. Will was practically holding her up now, and her speech to Calypso was spoken in a vehement whisper because that was all she could manage. Each breath was a chore and her eyes had trouble staying open and focused.

"Elizabeth that's enough," he whispered into her ear. "You need rest, love."

However, the goddess in front of them was not about to let Elizabeth have the last word. "How is it that all of these troubles are my fault? It is not my fault that Davy Jones died and your husband took his place. I was not the one who put a sword through your mother or your friend. And yet you accuse me of these things. You lay blame on the wrong person."

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she glared at the goddess with all the hatred she could muster. "You created him…" she accused, pointing in the direction of Eric, who was still on the ground, looking at the sword. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes off of it. "If you hadn't given him power he couldn't control, none of this would have ever happened. As for Davy Jones…you may not have been the one to stab his heart and make Will captain, but you keep him away from me for ten years at a time! His son doesn't even know his father…and now maybe he never will…"

"Enough of this!" Calypso shouted. It was clear that Elizabeth's words were having an effect on the goddess. The only question was whether that effect was good or bad.

"I will not argue with a mortal!" the angry goddess stated. "Someone is needed to captain The Flying Dutchman and that man is your husband. I can't bring back anyone from the dead, and I can't do anything to help your son. It's tragic, yes, but you'll get used to it eventually. You have no choice but to accept your fate!"

The usually unemotional goddess was quite frazzled by the end of her decree, and she took a moment to fix her hair and brush a wrinkle out of her otherwise flawless dress. "Let's go Will. You have a ship to get back to and duties to carry out."

"No! You can't take him from me….Not yet…" Elizabeth whispered, too weak to protest in any other way. She clung to her husband both for physical support and as an objection to the goddess' order.

"The time has come. Will, I will not tell you again." Calypso's cold demeanor was back with a vengeance.

"No!" Elizabeth cried, not wanting her husband to leave. She was ready to pass out from exhaustion and overexertion; Will could tell. Elizabeth felt like her world was being ripped away from her and spinning out of control. She was in urgent need of a doctor, her son was a monster that tried to attack anything that had blood pumping through its body, and her former enemy and half-brother was sitting on the floor, still contemplating suicide.

"Who do you think you are to talk back to me?" Calypso stated, coming over to stand directly in front of the weak woman. Will turned his body to put himself between the two women. Neither one of them was being rational at the moment, which was not a good thing. He didn't want his wife getting injured any more than she already was. There was no telling what kind of punishment the disgruntled goddess would inflict on the woman defying her.

Still, Elizabeth wasn't willing to give up her husband without a fight. But she was too weak to protest and Will knew she had reached her limit for mortal endurance. In fact, she was probably a mile past that point. "I won't let you…take him…from me...Not again…" she stammered out in a hoarse whisper. A single tear streaked down her face, telling the world that she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She was just too stubborn—and proud—to admit defeat.

"And what are you going to do to stop me, exactly?" the goddess mocked, knowing that Elizabeth was in no condition to fight.

Just then, someone else entered the room. Everyone looked up to see who it was.

"I'm here to help!" Jack Sparrow proclaimed, brandishing his sword in one hand and his pistol in the other. His eyes immediately fell on Eric and he charged forward, sword raised to deliver the killing blow. The man on the floor made no movement to stop the pirate or protect himself.

"Jack! No!" Will shouted. He couldn't believe that he was saving the life of his former enemy. "He's human again."

The pirate looked at his friend in bewilderment. "That doesn't change what he did ta Gibbs…." he commented, anger flashing across his eyes. "Or your wife. Or Tom. He deserves ta die!"

"I agree with you whole heartedly," Will responded. "But Elizabeth doesn't want him dead. At least she doesn't want him killed by anyone's hand but his own. I respect her wishes, and so should you."

Eric made no attempt to sway either of the men to one side or the other. He simply sat there, staring at the sword on the floor.

"Aye. I'll agree with her wishes…fer now," he added. At that moment he seemed to take in the scene before him for the first time. He realized that Calypso was in the room. Thomas began thrashing around in the metal cage again, causing Jack to visibly jump. Then he looked over at Will holding Elizabeth, worry coming into his eyes.

"It's seems I've missed something important," he mumbled to himself as he sheathed his sword. "Elizabeth darling, ye look like hell," he commented.

"Jack?" Elizabeth said as she opened her eyes slightly, squinting to try and see her friend. That was all it took for her remaining energy to leave her and she passed out in Will's arms. He scooped her up and held her close to his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

Jack smiled. "I have a way of doin' that ta the ladies," he stated warmly. He turned his attention to the goddess. "Calypso," he said, nodding his head in respect. "May I inquire as ta what you are doing here?"

"I've come to collect my servant," she answered. "Now Will, we must be going."

This time it was Will who was ready to protest, although he tried appealing to her empathy instead of blatantly disobeying her commands. "Please, don't make me leave when my wife is like this. She's lost a lot of blood and she needs care. I can't leave her when she's in this state."

"As I've said before, the Dutchman needs a captain. That's you. Unless someone else would want to take your place…" she said, casting a meaningful glance at Jack.

"Sorry William. As tempting as that sounds, with the immortal life and all, I've decided that I like living as a mortal. Knowing yer going ta live forever takes the fun out of life. There's no risk," Jack explained.

He strode over to Thomas' cage and stuck a finger through the bars. The demon child immediately tried to bite it with its sharp fangs. Jack removed his finger at once. "What happened ta him?" he questioned.

Calypso turned back to Will with a knowing smile. "You see? No one will take your place willingly, so you must return to your ship or suffer the consequences of your actions and become the same unholy demon as Davy Jones."

"I will take his place."

All eyes spun around to where Eric was sitting on the ground. He was no longer looking at the sword, but at the assembled people. Slowly, he stood up. "I will take his place as captain of The Flying Dutchman."

"You would be willing to sacrifice your freedom for a man that was just recently your enemy?" Calypso prodded, incredulous to this turn in events.

He nodded. "It is the least I can do. I am indebted to him and his wife's family for the rest of my days. If this will help them in some way, I will do it. Besides, I realize now that everyone's soul should have a chance to find peace. I would like to help guide their souls to a final destination."

The goddess took a moment to think about the man's offer. "Fine. It is done," she exclaimed. "William Turner you are free from your duties to The Flying Dutchman. Eric Sinclair, you are to come with me. Now."

The former vampire walked over to the goddess and stood by her side. He looked over at Will who was still holding Elizabeth. "I am truly sorry for what I have done to you and your family. I do not expect forgiveness, but I hope that this helps to show you that I am sincere in my apologies." Before Will could answer the man, Calypso touched her hand to his shoulder and they were both gone in a flash of blue light.

The two pirates stood next to each other, staring at the spot Calypso and her charge had just vacated. Will adjusted Elizabeth in his arms. Thomas had calmed down for the moment, having used a lot of his energy trying to escape from his prison.

"So what are we going ta do about these two?" Jack asked.

"Elizabeth needs a doctor, or a healer. As for Thomas, I don't know that anyone can help him now. Calypso said that she couldn't do anything for him, and if a goddess can't do anything to help, then who can?"

"I may know someone," Jack stated, a smile coming to his face.

The next day, they set out. Will had dressed Elizabeth's wounds to the best of his abilities, but although the bleeding had stopped, she still hadn't woken up. The only indication that she was still alive was the fact that she was breathing and she had a pulse.

Jack had gone out the night before and gathered some plants from the nearby forest. He made some type of pasty mixture out of these plans and made Thomas eat it. The mixture was a sedative of some sort; Thomas passed out soon after ingesting it.

The pair made it to the town just after midday, transporting the two unconscious bodies on a wagon pulled by a donkey that Jack had also procured in the night. Will didn't ask where he had found such commodities or how he had acquired them. He had a good idea in his mind though.

They made their way down to the docks where Jack's schooner was still located. Carefully transferring Elizabeth and her son from the wagon, they boarded the vessel.

"Ahoy there mates," came a familiar voice from the stern of the ship.

"Gibbs?" Jack asked, nearly dropping Thomas on his head.

"Mr. Gibbs. What are you doing here?" Will questioned.

The deceased pirate came down the stairs and helped them with their burdens. They put Elizabeth in the captain's cabin on the bed. She seemed to be unresponsive to what was going on around her. It worried her husband and her friends.

It was difficult to find a place to keep Thomas because when he woke up he would be a dangerous monster again. Reluctantly, they decided to put him in the hold's cell, where Eric had previously been kept. Gibbs boarded up the hole that was in the side of the ship while Jack fixed a pallet for the boy and placed some food and water inside of the cell. Will gently laid his son down on the pallet. Now that he was sleeping, he looked like a normal little boy. He could only hope that his son wouldn't be a monster forever and that Jack's friend could help them.

After everything was done, Gibbs started to explain why he was on Jack's schooner. "Captain Sinclair sent me here. Ye know, now that he's not a raving monster, he's not so bad. He has a lot ta learn about sailing though. I've taken on that task personally, but he sent me ta see ye first." Gibbs pulled a jar out of his pocket. Inside was a yellow-flowered plant. Will stuck out his hand to receive the jar, but Gibbs pushed it into Jack's chest.

"Make sure she gets this. It will help with the ritual," he said mysteriously. Will was confused, but Jack seemed to know what the pirate was talking about because he nodded in understanding.

"Gibbs…" Jack started, "I'm sorry fer not havin' yer back. Ye know…when it happened. I should have been there." He couldn't look his friend in the eyes.

"I fergive ye Jack. Don't blame yerself," the older pirate responded. He embraced the two men, clapping them on the back in fellowship. "I'd best be going now. My duty is done here. That and I'd better get back ta the ship before that idiot Sinclair runs The Dutchman aground…again." They all shared a laugh and said goodbye to the old man before he went on his way.

Soon the schooner was under way, headed for its home port in Port Royal.

Elizabeth's eyes opened languidly. The objects around her were out of focus and hazy. It was dark. She didn't know where she was. She could feel herself sinking into a comfortable mattress, and she could hear people talking around her. There was a soothing sort of smell in the air. It was smoke for sure, but there was an herbal scent to it. The smell was familiar and comforting although Elizabeth couldn't remember where she knew it from. She closed her eyes to the welcome scent and soon she was sleeping again.

The next time she opened her eyes the room was sunny and bright. Her vision was clearer and she recognized whose house she was in just as the owner walked into the room.

Madame Harriet stood in the doorway, a calm expression on her face. Her lips curled up into a smile as soon as she saw that Elizabeth was conscious. "You're awake. Good." She had a tray in her hand with a bowl and glass on it.

"How long have I been sleeping? When did I get here? How did I get here?" Elizabeth asked the questions in rapid succession, but stopped when Harriet held up her hand.

"I am sure that you have a million questions, and they will all be answered in time, but there is no need to rush. You still need to rest. You aren't fully recovered." The fortuneteller came over to the side of the bed and set the tray down on a stand next to it. She firmly pushed Elizabeth back against the pillows. The younger woman was in no mood to protest and fell back against the plush pillows as she was told.

"Here, you must be starving," Harriet said as she lifted the bowl to Elizabeth's lips. It smelled divine; some sort of chicken broth. Her stomach growled and she quickly drank the liquid in the bowl. Her insides warmed as the broth went to her stomach.

"You've been asleep for nearly four days," Madame Harriet began. "You gave us all quite a scare." She gave Elizabeth the cup of goat's milk—which the young woman greedily drank—before she continued. "Your husband will be sorry that he missed you waking up."

"Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed, choking on the milk. "Where is he? Has Calypso taken him back with her yet?" She sat up quickly intending to get out of bed, but all her action did was make her head spin.

"Calm down child. Your husband isn't with that troublesome goddess. He went out to the market to get some herbs I didn't have here. He should be back shortly. Now, lay back down before you pass out again."

Elizabeth did as she was told only because she was so relieved to know that her husband hadn't been forced back to the Flying Dutchman. "Wait. Why did Calypso let him stay with me? Certainly it wasn't out of the kindness of her heart."

"No," the dark skinned woman agreed. "A lot has happened since you've been unconscious." Then Harriet began to tell her everything that had taken place, from Eric replacing Will aboard The Dutchman, to how Elizabeth had ended up at her home. She also told her about her son's condition.

"So…he can be cured?" she asked for clarification. "There's hope that he might not be a monster for the rest of his life?"

Madame Harriet nodded. "Yes. He hasn't taken the life of any living thing yet, so he hasn't been completely turned. If we perform the ritual soon, there is a good chance that we can change him back into the happy little boy he used to be before all of this chaos happened."

The front door opened and closed quietly. Several feet could be heard shuffling in the entryway of the fortuneteller's home. Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat; Will was back. Harriet had to restrain her again and threaten to not let her see her husband before the younger woman agreed to stay in bed and not overexert herself.

"Madame Harriet? I've got the herbs and a few other things I thought might help," Will said as the older woman walked into the entryway to meet him and Jack.

"Took you long enough," Harriet complained as she rifled through the things he had brought. "These look good. You've done well, Mr. Turner. Now, I've got wonderful…"

"How is she? Has there been any change since I've been gone?" he asked anxiously, trying to peer into the bedroom, but the wall blocked his line of sight.

"Good grief. You and your wife must be a destined couple. You're both impatient beyond belief and too eager to listen to anything anyone else has to say. Now, as I was saying, I have good news. She's awake and…"

"Here," Elizabeth stated, standing on wobbly legs and leaning against the doorframe to the bedroom. Her soft cotton shift stopped just above her knees and her hair was uncombed and wild from being in bed for four days. Although she knew she must look like a disaster, she smiled lovingly at her husband who stood with his mouth hanging open.

"I told you to stay in bed!" Harriet reprimanded, shaking a finger in the stubborn woman's direction.

Will put a hand on Harriet's shoulder to calm her down but he never took his eyes off his wife. "I'll put her to bed, Madame. And I'll make sure she stays there this time," he assured her, winking at the older woman as he advanced on his wife. He scooped her up in his muscular arms as if she were weightless.

Elizabeth touched her lips to his, and he returned her kiss ardently. In a matter of seconds he could feel his knees start to go weak with passion. It had been a very long time since he had seen his wife. He moved into the bedroom with her in his arms while their tongues teased each other.

"She is not to exert herself Mr. Turner!" Harriet called after the couple.

Will laid Elizabeth down on the plush mattress, and then crawled in between her open legs, kneeling there and planting soft kisses along the neckline of her shift. "Don't worry," he responded to Harriet while grinning mischievously at his wife, "I'll make certain she doesn't lift a finger."

Night descended around the house, yet Elizabeth was anything but tired. She felt that she had slept long enough to stay awake for days without rest. She lay there, curled up in her husband's strong arms, just stroking them. It felt so good to have him back with her. She had missed him for so long that she hadn't been sure she would ever feel whole again, but now that he was here, the missing piece of her heart was back in place and she reveled in the feeling she got just being close to him.

Unsteady footsteps could be heard outside of the bedroom. Jack slowly made his way into the room, one hand covering his eyes, the other stretched out in front of him so that he wouldn't bump into anything. Elizabeth pulled the cover over herself more in an attempt to be modest—a sentiment her husband did not share. He was lying next to her, completely naked, his arm slung across her midsection and a satisfied smile on his face.

"What is it Jack?" he asked groggily.

"Harriet says it's time ta perform the ritual if ye two aren't indisposed at the moment. Yer not, are ye?" the pirate inquired, spreading his fingers widely and peeking through them to see what was going on.

"Jack Sparrow!" Elizabeth exclaimed, taking one of the pillows from behind her head and tossing it at the openly unmannered pirate. He smiled childishly at her response and covered his eyes again.

"Tell Harriet we'll be right there," stated Will.

Jack started to exit the room saying, "Don't rush. It's only yer son's life that we're dealin' with here. Nothin' ta fret over." Elizabeth threw another pillow at him for that comment.

"We'll be there in a moment," she concurred. Once the pirate had left, both adults got dressed quickly, although Elizabeth simply put the discarded shift back on; it was too much work to dress in her normal attire.

Once they were clothed they went into the fortuneteller's dining quarters. All of the furniture had been moved out of the room, leaving just the wood floor. On it, the older woman had drawn a star inside of a circle. The center of the star created a perfect pentagon, and in the middle of the pentagon was Thomas, unconscious for the moment.

In one corner of the room was a small pile of miscellaneous items. Madame Harriet was standing over them with some type of incense and mumbling incoherent words; she looked as though she were blessing them. In another corner of the room stood a group of men, all of whom Elizabeth recognized. Jack, Mr. Gibbs, and Eric Sinclair were all present. She looked at them in confusion.

"I don't understand," she said. "What is all this for? What are you doing here? Especially you," she added, nodding in Eric's direction.

"We were summoned here by Madame Harriet," Eric replied. "We are needed to perform some sort of ritual for your son."

"And Calypso just let you come here?" she asked skeptically.

"Well…no. It took a lot to convince her to let me come for a short visit. But when I mentioned William Turner's name, she conceded. It would seem that she has a soft spot where you are concerned Mr. Turner. She told me to relay a message to you actually. She said, 'You have never betrayed me, so I will not betray you now in your time of need.'" Eric finished the message just as Madame Harriet finished blessing the items on the floor.

"I hope you haven't worn her out," she told Will. "She's going to need all the strength she has for this."

"Just like I promised, Madame, my wife didn't lift a finger all afternoon…or all evening," he reassured the woman as he lifted the palm of Elizabeth's hand to his lips. She turned a deep red in reaction to his words and actions. The rest of the company smiled, except Harriet, who shook her head.

"Let's get this started before the child awakes," she said. Walking over to the pile of items on the floor, she picked them up and started handing them out to everyone. She gave Jack a small jar of the red salt that Elizabeth and her friends had used on their travels to protect themselves from Eric. To Gibbs she gave a rusty key. Will was given Elizabeth's heart shaped locket that she had not seen since the night she had found Thomas. Eric received a normal kitchen knife that held no specific importance to Elizabeth.

Finally, Madame Harriet picked up a delicate yellow flower and handed it to the younger woman. She grasped it with care, analyzing it. Its sunshine yellow petals were shaped like the wings of a butterfly and its center was blood red. The flower was both beautiful and mysterious, but Elizabeth didn't understand its importance.

"Now, Jack you stand here. You represent Earth," Harriet told him as she directed him to a point of the star. "Eric, you are here and symbolize Fire. Do you remember what you are to do?" she asked.

He nodded in response and stood where he was instructed.

"Mr. Gibbs, you stand opposite to Jack. You are Air," Harriet claimed. "And Mr. Turner, you stand for Water. Stand there," she added, indicating the point next to Eric. The fortuneteller motioned for Elizabeth to follow her to the head of the star.

"You my dear, stand here."

"And what am I?" Elizabeth asked.

"The most important element," Harriet responded. "You represent Spirit."

Elizabeth looked around at the other people standing at the points of the stars. Each held their items in their hands, all traces of mirth gone. Eric was staring at the unconscious Thomas and she could see the pain reflected in his chocolate brown eyes. Elizabeth held up her flower and looked at it again. Perhaps she was missing something…

"Madame Harriet?" she asked. "I don't understand the importance of the items, or why mine is a flower….I assume they are important in some way…but I don't see how these simple things can help my son."

Harriet was stirring something together in a bowl. It smelled horrible and didn't look much better. After a moment of silence, the woman answered her. "In order for your son to resume his normal state, the evil inside of him must be drawn out and his true self must be guided back to its rightful place. The items you are holding each represent something that will aid that process."

"Ye mean this salt has some sort of magical power ta restore Tom's soul?" Jack asked, holding the jar up and examining the contents.

The fortuneteller shook her head as she continued to stir the putrid mixture in the bowl. "It is not the salt that has the power Jack. The salt is merely a symbol for something else. It is the symbol that has the power. That jar of salt symbolizes protection. Your locket," she added turning to Will, "symbolizes love."

"And what does a flower symbolize?" Elizabeth asked, trying to get an answer. The odor coming from the bowl was enough to make her lightheaded.

"That is a very special flower you have there. It represents the soul. You see its shape? A butterfly. Since the beginning of time, the butterfly has been a symbol for the soul. Although the flower is obviously not a real butterfly, it will serve the same purpose. It's a tad challenging to find butterflies at this time of the year," Harriet explained.

"Now, each of you must do exactly as I tell you to, when I tell you to. You will each be placing your items on the point you are standing on," the fortuneteller instructed.

"Isn't he goin' ta try and attack us once he wakes up?" Gibbs asked, indicating Thomas with a tilt of his head.

"You cannot be harmed as long as you stand outside of the circle," Harriet assured him. "He cannot leave the confines of the circle. You must not be afraid. He will try and break free, and you may witness many other terrible things, but you must not be afraid."

Just then, the child in the middle of the floor started to stir. A soft whimpering came from the back of his throat, but as he woke up, the sound turned into more of a growl. Slowly, it rose to its knees.

"You mentioned that we had to draw the evil out of him. How exactly does that happen?" Will questioned, looking at his son with cautious eyes.

"With this," the old woman said, scooping a small amount of the rancid smelling mixture out of the bowl with her hand and waving it in the direction of the monster child. "Now, all of you lift you arms and hold your palms toward one another, creating a circle with your arms."

They did as they were told. Thomas had picked up on the scent of the mixture. His pupils had glazed over with delight and he looked around for the source of the smell. Yet through his body language the assembled people could tell that he knew something was wrong; the evil inside of him knew this was a trap of some sort.

Still the delicious scent of the mixture was too tempting and he started to move toward it. Harriet stood in-between Gibbs and Will, moving her hand around to spread the smell. The boy glanced up at the two men, but then turned his attention back to the woman with the alluring concoction.

"That's it…come on," Harriet said in a sweet voice.

As soon as the boy came within an inch of the circle barrier he was expelled back with a powerful thrust that seemed to come from nowhere. He was sent flying back into the middle of the pentagon. But he wasn't the only one that was stunned; everyone, except Harriet, was just as shocked as the monster.

"What was that?" Elizabeth whispered.

"Hush," Madame Harriet snapped. She nodded in Jack's direction. "Put the jar down on the point of the star, and then all of you repeat what I say three times. Do not pay attention to what the child is doing."

Jack slowly lowered the jar of red salt onto the point of the star, placing it on the line of the circle. Then he stood back up and resumed his previous position.

"Protection is given to he that cannot protect himself," Harriet stated in a loud, firm voice. The others repeated the phrase three times as instructed in the same tone the fortuneteller had used.

Thomas was standing in the middle of the pentagon, a confused expression on his face. He turned in circles as the five people around the room repeated Madame Harriet's words. Then, a sudden pain seemed to overtake him and the child doubled over, moaning in pain.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed as she gazed upon her son. She didn't want him to get hurt, but she trusted Madame Harriet as well. She also believed that the process of ridding her son of the evil that was inside of him was not going to be pain-free. After all, his transformation into this beast was anything but painless.

When Thomas looked up again, a seething anger was in his eyes. Madame Harriet had moved between Gibbs and Elizabeth now and was offering her son more of the disgusting mixture. It looked like spoiled milk, but had more of a grainy texture. The boy was eyeing it warily, not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice.

"It's going to be quick after this," the old woman mumbled in a low voice to the surrounding people. "Be ready."

She placed the bowl with the remaining mixture on the floor and tapped it just inside of the circle with a push of her toe. The evil inside of her son couldn't resist and the monster sprang toward the bowl.

A resulting crash sounded as the invisible barrier of the circle sent the child careening back into the center of the pentagon. This time, he wasted no time in getting back up. Harriet pointed to Gibbs, who placed the key down on ground just as Jack had done. Thomas ran at Gibbs as he was bent over, but the force-field sent him flying backwards again before he could touch the pirate. The monster inside her son was furious and let out a loud bellow.

"Freedom is given to he who is trapped," Harriet proclaimed. As the people of the circle repeated her words, she pointed at Eric.

Eric took the knife in his right hand and cut a line down the center of his left palm. He knelt down and smeared the blood across the line of the circle, just as the others finished their chant.

"Contrition is given to he who has been wronged." Harriet's voice was growing in volume and so the other five repeated her words with more fervor.

The child inside of the pentagon was throwing himself around, spinning on the ground and pulling at his hair. He was screaming incoherent words and scratching himself with his nails. Drops of blood landed on the floor and his white shirt had lines of red were he had left his marks. It was obvious the thing before them was in pain, but along with its pain there was immense anger.

Elizabeth was becoming extremely worried for the well-being of her son. If the evil inside of him continued to injure her son's body, he might not be strong enough to recover from the attack. She looked over at Madame Harriet, her eyes pleading.

"Stay focused. It is almost finished," she said above the screams. "Give the evil thing no heed. It is trying to gain your sympathy. Mr. Turner, it is your time."

Will opened the locket so that the portraits of Thomas and himself were shown. He laid the golden object down on the center of the line just as everyone else had done and stood back up. When he did so, Thomas was directly in front of him, ready to strike out at his father. His pupils were dilated to the point that no white could be seen, just black glassy orbs.

The monster lashed out at Will, coming within an inch of his face, but again he was thrown back by the invisible barrier. Will had to look away, disturbed by the image of his son trying to kill him while looking him in the eyes. Once the child had risen from the ground, he started screaming again and thrashing around.

"Love is given to he who has drifted away!" Harriet yelled over his roars. As one voice the others screamed this as well. Elizabeth felt a power surge through her at that instant. She wasn't sure if she was the only one that had experienced it, but the feeling was consuming and intense.

Harriet nodded in her direction and she placed the delicate flower on the floor.

"A spirit is given to he who as misplaced his own," Harriet said loudly and clearly. The company repeated this last phrase three times and watched Thomas with anxious expressions.

The child was bent over on all fours in the center of the pentagon, heaving and gulping for air. Then he suddenly fell to the ground and rolled over on his back in convulsions. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and every limb was shaking. Everyone watched, not knowing what to do.

Elizabeth couldn't stand it anymore. She had to do something to help her son. "This isn't working!" she yelled at no one in particular. "There must be something we're missing. Something more we can do!"

Harriet shook her head. "This is all I know how to do. As far as I know, we did everything correctly." The older woman rubbed her forehead in contemplation.

Thomas stopped thrashing around and became very still. No one in the room made a sound; most of them didn't even seem to be breathing. All eyes turned to the child on the floor. Elizabeth's heart was beating so fast that she thought it might burst.

"Thomas?" she said. There was no response from the child. Elizabeth looked at her husband across the circle and saw the concern in his eyes. He didn't think this was good either. Something was wrong.

Without another thought, Elizabeth stepped into the circle. Harriet started to protest and call her back, but she ignored the fortuneteller. She crept forward a few steps, never taking her eyes off of her son's face. She bent down and stretched out her hand to stroke her son's hair.

"Thomas?" she asked again, her voice shaking with emotion.

Suddenly the child's eyes snapped open, but they were not the warm, kind eyes of her son; they were the eyes of the monster that had taken residence inside of his body. He lunged at her, going for the uncovered flesh of her neck. Elizabeth threw up her hands in front of her to block him. As a result he scratched the palm of her hand and not the delicate skin on her neck.

The injured mother struggled to get away from her son. Will made a move to go and retrieve his wife, but Harriet prohibited him from doing so. Elizabeth was forced to kick the child off of her and then scramble back. She crossed the line of the circle just as her son charged at her again. He ran into the barrier and returned to the center of the pentagon, breathing heavily with exertion.

"I don't understand why this is not working," Harriet muttered to herself, running her hands over her black hair. Then her eyes fell on the flower at Elizabeth's feet. "Perhaps it is the flower."

"What?" Gibbs asked. "What do ye mean, it's the flower?"

"The flower was a replacement for the butterfly. Perhaps it is not strong enough on its own."

"But I thought ye said that the objects didn't have any power," Jack commented.

"They don't…" Harriet reiterated, still thinking about the situation.

All of a sudden an idea popped into Elizabeth's head. She grabbed the flower off of the floor and stood up.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked.

"I'm going to give my son his soul back," she explained, looking over in Madame Harriet's direction. The old woman seemed to understand what Elizabeth meant to do and nodded her approval.

"Get back into position," the fortuneteller said, coming over to take Elizabeth's spot. "This just might work," she said to the determined mother.

With that, Elizabeth walked back into the center of the circle.

"No!" Will protested.

"Leave her be," Harriet warned.

"But she's not strong enough to keep fighting him. He could hurt her."

"She will do what she has to do," the fortuneteller said.

Thomas jumped at his mother, nails and teeth ready to inflict harm. She dodged his advances as best as she could, but he caught her a few times with his nails. Elizabeth held onto the yellow flower tightly with one hand and grabbed her son's right shoulder with her left hand. His claw-like fingernails dug into her shoulder, but she bit back her shout of pain. Pulling him closer to her, she put the flower up to his heart and pressed it against his chest with her bloody palm.

The monster took advantage of her closeness and bit into the thin flesh of her neck. Elizabeth cried out, but she managed to bring her mouth to her son's ear.

"A spirit is given to he who has misplaced his own," she whispered, pressing the flower onto his chest with as much strength as he could.

There was a sudden burst of white light and high-pitched screaming. Elizabeth and Thomas were pushed back from each other and flew in opposite directions. The rest of the people in the room were also thrown off balance by the blast of white energy and when the brilliant light had faded, everyone was on the floor.

Will and Jack were the first to rise and immediately went over to Elizabeth's side, helping her to sit up. Gibbs was likewise assisting Madame Harriet. Eric rose slowly and walked over to the fallen child who had been flung against a wall of the room.

"Did it work?" Elizabeth asked, wincing in pain as her husband applied pressure to the wound on her neck.

"I'm not sure," he said truthfully.

Eric half-lifted and half-dragged Thomas over to where his mother was seated. "He has a pulse and he's breathing. At least we know he's alive," he said, trying to be optimistic for her sake.

Elizabeth pushed Will's busy hands away and leaned over her son's body.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," her husband said, trying to pull her back. He thought it would be better to be a safe distance from the monster if their son was still in that condition. Elizabeth wouldn't listen to him.

"I know it worked," she muttered as she stroked his hair. "It had to have worked."

Thomas moved his head from side to side as he started to come to. Everyone in the room tensed. Now was the moment of truth. Elizabeth continued to stroke his face as he woke up.

Finally he opened his eyes and looked around, bewildered by what was going on around him.

"Mum?" he asked in a scratchy voice.

Author's Note: Well this is basically the end of the story, except for the epilogue, which you should read. I really hope that you liked the story and thought it was interesting. Even if only one other person likes this story, my goal will be accomplished. I would love it if you left me a review to tell me what you thought. Is there something that I could add to make it better? Should I take something out? Tell me your thoughts. I will also read constructive criticism, but flames are not appreciated. Thank you so much for taking your time to read this. If you didn't read my stories, I wouldn't write them.

By the way, I did write a reunion scene of sorts for Will and Elizabeth, but it was much too explicit to post here. I wasn't going to be kicked off for posting it. If you really want to read it--and it is really pure smut--I'd be more than happy to send it to you. Members can establish a connection with me using the DocX application (although I confess that I haven't used it yet and may not know what I am doing). Non-members can e-mail me with "Extended Scene" in the subject line. My e-mail is on my bio-page. Thanks.