Chapter 2: Catching Up
A few minutes after their wonderful reunion, the Turner family was finally home. Elizabeth had shown her husband into the charming little house in which she and Willy had been living, and all three were currently sitting on the couch in the living room. Will was in the middle, with Willy sitting almost on top of him, gazing up at him with adoring brown eyes. Elizabeth sat nearly as close, her hand holding one of his, almost afraid to let go. Will couldn't help but have a permanent grin on his face. Finally, after all these years, he could be here with his family.
"Willy," said Will, loving the sound of his son's name. "Where did you get that hat?"
"Mama
gave it to me," answered Willy, his eyes not ever leaving his
father's face. "It's my pirate hat. Mama said that it suits
me."
Will looked over at his wife,
an eyebrow raised in amusement.
"What?" said Elizabeth innocently. "It does."
"It sounds like your mother had been regaling you with pirate tales," said Will with a chuckle. "Do you like pirates Willy?"
Willy nodded earnestly. "Of course I do papa!!" he exclaimed. "You're a pirate!"
Will shook his head, shaking with laughter. "I am, am I?" he questioned, amused. "And how did you know that?"
"Mama told me," said Willy. "She told me all the stories!! She told me how you met Captain Jack Sparrow and went off to save her from Barbossa, and she told me about how you saved Captain Jack's life, and how you fought the Kraken, and Davy Jones, and how both of you fought together with all kinds of pirates from all over the world!" responded Willy, his eyes alight with happiness.
"Ah," said Will in a mischievous tone. "And did your mother tell you that she was elected Pirate King?"
"Yes," said Willy, hardly able to contain his excitement. "She told me that. And she told me that you were captain of a ship."
"I was," said Will, a bit of sadness entering his voice. He felt Elizabeth squeeze his hand lovingly. "I was captain of the Flying Dutchman. You see Willy, I had to help those people that died at sea to find their way so they wouldn't get lost. Do you understand?"
"I think so," said Willy, frowning slightly in concentration. "I knew that you had to do that job for ten years. But now you're home for good, right papa?"
"Yes," answered Will as he hugged the boy to him once again. "I'm home for good."
At these words he looked over at Elizabeth, his heart hammering at the mere sight of her before him. He admired her for a moment, thinking that she had gotten even more beautiful in the time that he had been gone. Motherhood had put a new glow into her face. Her devotion to Willy was obvious.
"Papa?" questioned Willy, breaking him out of his trance. "Will you tell me a story?
"Of course," said Will eagerly. "What would you like to hear?"
"How about when you and mama first met Jack Sparrow and how you fought against those skeleton pirates!! That's my favorite one!" said William, crawling into his father's lap.
"All right," said Will, beaming down at his son. He began the story, and before he had even reached the part about the epic battle with the skeleton pirates, he noticed that Willy had fallen asleep in his lap.
"Did I not tell the story right?" asked Will worriedly. "Was he bored?"
"Of course not Will," said Elizabeth with shake of her head. "Didn't you see how his eyes sparkled while you told the story? He was just tired from all the excitement. He falls asleep all the time when I tell him bedtime stories. Here, let me put him to bed," she said as she reached her arms out for him.
Will made no move to hand over his son, and was quiet for a moment. "May I put him to bed?" he asked in an almost childlike whisper, his eyes gazing at his son's sleeping face.
Tears sprung to Elizabeth's eyes once more when she heard the slight melancholy in her husband's voice, like he felt horribly guilty for never having been able to tuck his son into bed before. "You didn't even have to ask that Will, of course you may put him to bed," she said in a gentle tone.
"Thank you," said Will as he picked the boy up into his arms and carried him to his little bedroom.
Elizabeth followed her husband into Willy's bedroom and watched as Will carefully pulled back the covers and delicately tucked Willy in, placing the covers over on his small form. He took off Willy's beloved hat and set it on his bedside table. He lovingly swept the hair off Willy's forehead and kissed it. "I love you Willy," Elizabeth heard him whisper to the sleeping boy before he turned back to her, closing the door behind him.
"He's beautiful," said Will softly. "I can see you in him."
"And I can see you in him too," answered Elizabeth. "He looks just like you. He's been such a blessing, I'll tell you. His presence has helped me so much over these past ten years. It's like you left a piece of yourself behind." She looked up at him, reveling in the fact that she had so many days to come when she would be able to set eyes on him. She had kept a picture of him in her mind for all these years, and now she didn't have to do that anymore; she could look at the real thing.
"We have so much to talk about," responded Will, "So much to catch up on."
"We do," said Elizabeth. "But we have forever to do it. It's so wonderful to know that you don't have to leave ever again. To know that I can wake up every morning to see your face," she continued, her voice heartfelt.
"It's like heaven," agreed Will. "In the meantime I have to get used to walking on land; it feels so strange after having been on a rocking ship for ten years."
"I would imagine that would take some getting used to," laughed Elizabeth. "If you fall I'll just pretend not to notice."
"All right," said Will, a grin spreading across his handsome face. "Fair enough."
The two walked into the kitchen, where Elizabeth fixed them each a cup of tea, for which Will was very grateful for; he hadn't had a good cup of tea in such a long time.
"What have you done over these years?" he asked curiously. "I saw the Empress anchored on the shore. Have you been sailing?"
"A bit," answered Elizabeth as she took a sip of her tea. "I was sailing for the first few months after you left because the sea was so calming to me. But then I discovered I was pregnant with Willy and came back to this island. I took a position as a governess for a wealthy family just down the road."
"How did you like that?" questioned Will. "Are they nice people?"
"Very," said Elizabeth honestly. "They didn't ask very many questions about my past, but they knew I was very educated and so they hired me. It provided a nice income, so that was what mattered."
"But don't tell me you haven't been sailing since Willy was born," said Will, an eyebrow raised. "You have, haven't you?"
"You know me too well, William Turner," said Elizabeth playfully. "Yes I've been sailing since then. Ever since Willy was about three we've gone out on the Empress during the summer months, when the children I taught were off their lessons."
"A summer holiday on a pirate ship," mused Will with a smirk. "Only in our family. Do you teach Willy lessons as well?" he asked.
"Yes. He learns his lessons along with my employer's children, and he gets along with them really well," said Elizabeth. "He's such an intelligent little boy."
"He seems it," answered Will. "Have you seen or heard from Jack at all?" he asked.
This earned a good natured eye roll from Elizabeth. "We've run into him a few times during the summers when we've been out sailing, and he did come by here a few times to check up on us, which was rather kind of him. He's been strangely helpful. But it's been about a year since we've seen him last."
"I take it he's up to usual antics?" questioned Will, already knowing the answer.
"He most certainly is," said Elizabeth with a shake of her head. "Always running about, getting into some sort of trouble. Barbossa took off with the Pearl soon after you left, he told me, but Jack somehow managed to get it back. If he'll be able to keep it is another question."
Will laughed, taking the last swig of his tea. "Jack Sparrow will always be the same, it seems. At least in most ways," he said fondly.
Elizabeth nodded, suddenly remembering something that she had been meaning to ask Will ever since he had arrived. "Will," she said carefully, "I saw your father aboard the Dutchman, but he didn't come ashore. What has become of him?"
Will sighed, still a little saddened by what had happened. "He is going back to the other side. He said his life had merely been prolonged by being on the Dutchman with me. It was his time to go. But he was the one that kept me going these ten years without you."
"I'm sad that he had to go," said Elizabeth sincerely. "But I know that he died happy, because he got to spend those last years with you."
"Yes," said Will. "He was happy. But I will miss him. My job would have been so much harder to deal with without his company. Sometimes you see things at World's End that you don't want to see."
"What do you mean?" asked Elizabeth, intent on what he was saying; this was the first time he had spoken of his experiences in the immortal world.
"I had to ferry people that I knew were far too young to have died," said Will sadly. "Children, young men and women, even whole families. They were always the ones that didn't want to admit they had passed on. It was always the older people that seemed more at peace. I always tried to comfort the ones that seemed upset, but sometimes there just wasn't anything that would console them." He finished speaking, his shoulders slightly slumped, looking a little defeated.
"I can assure of one thing Will," said Elizabeth kindly as she moved to hug him. "There has never been a more caring captain of that ship in all of its existence."
"I found James Norrington there," said Will quietly as he returned her embrace. "He sends his greetings to you."
Elizabeth pulled back, shocked. "You ran into James? Was he all right?"
Will nodded. "We talked for quite a while, and he told me that he was at peace. He died helping you and the side he finally realized he should have joined. It was a little awkward between him and my father, but Norrington understood that my father had no control over his actions at the time."
"I'm glad to know he was at peace," said Elizabeth, very relieved. "Did he ask you how you came to be captain of the Dutchman?"
"He did," answered Will. "I told him how everything had turned out in the end, and that you and I had finally been married. We settled all our old differences, and he expressed his confidence that you would be here when I returned."
"And so I was," said Elizabeth as she kissed his forehead. "You never had to doubt that I would here when it came time for you to come home. I love you Will, more than my own life."
"I love you too," said Will, his eyes glowing at the words. "And I never doubted you. But it was pleasant to hear someone say the words; it helped me to hold on to the fact that my return was something that would eventually happen, instead of just something that existed in my imagination."
After both finished their tea they went back into their bedroom, and while Elizabeth changed into her nightgown, Will saw a second wardrobe and opened it to find several set of clothes there.
"Where did these come from?" he asked, interested.
"Well I knew you would be coming home," said Elizabeth, blushing slightly, "So a few weeks ago I went and bought you a few things. You do need clothes to wear, after all."
"Indeed," said Will, changing into a pair of sleeping pants and a shirt before climbing into bed next to her. He opened his arms and she enthusiastically climbed into them, loving the way they fit perfectly around her form. They faced each other, two pairs of brown eyes gazing at the other. Oh, how she had missed this!!! It was quiet between for a few minutes until Will spoke up again. "I've missed you so much Elizabeth," he said, his voice a bit shaky.
"Oh Will, I've missed you too," she said in response. "I've tried so hard to be strong for these years, but it's been so hard sometimes," she admitted, moving even closer to him.
"You're the strongest woman I've ever met in my life Elizabeth," said Will seriously. "You've done things that no other woman has ever done, and you continue to do so; you've fought off valiantly against your enemies, become a pirate lord and captain of a ship, and most important of all, you've done a magnificent job raising our son."
"Yes," said Elizabeth, "But there is one thing that I haven't been able to do; I haven't been able to return to Port Royal."
Will was silent for a moment before he responded. "That's understandable Elizabeth," he said, stroking her silky hair. "There are so many memories there of your father and Norrington, and memories of a different life. Maybe you needed time before you go back there."
"I just couldn't go back there alone," continued Elizabeth. "I wanted you with me when I went. But I did write to Andrew and Amelia, and we've kept in a pretty steady contact."
"Really?" said Will, a little surprised and still feeling said that he had missed so much. Elizabeth noticed the change in his voice instantly.
"Will," she said as she caressed his cheek. "It's not your fault you weren't here. You had to perform your duty; you had no other choice. The important thing is that you're here with us now."
"I know," answered Will, sighing. "But I just hate it that I've missed all of this. I've missed so many things in Willy's life, I've missed watching you become a mother, I've missed years of friendship with Andrew and Amelia, I even missed Jack trying to get his ship back for the hundredth time. I just wish I could have done something to prevent all of this."
"We all do," responded Elizabeth. "But we also know that nothing could be done. You are a good and honorable man Will, and you performed the duty that you were charged with as captain of the Dutchman." She stopped for a moment, as though afraid to utter her next statement. "And this is better than what the alternative would have been," she in a small voice, looking into his eyes.
Will breathed in sharply, taken aback. Though these ten years had been so hard for the both of them, it was a welcome alternative to being separated by the death sentence that Davy Jones had tried to lay upon him. She was right. She was so very right. "You always manage to set me straight Elizabeth. How do you do it?"
"Because I know you," responded Elizabeth with a sly grin, one reminiscent of the mischievous girl he had met all those years ago on the voyage from England. "I know every single inch of you backward and forwards."
Will smiled broadly, his spirits lifting as he leaned down to kiss her lips once more. "Yes," he said. "Yes you do."
A/N: Hey everyone!! Sorry for the strange ending, but I thought it worked, so I used it. Thank you to everyone for all the reviews!! Sorry that I didn't get a chance to respond to them this time around, but I will on the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this!