True Love: Forever Reunited
Chapter 5: A Blast from the Past
Will woke with the sunrise on the following morning. Ever since his return just over a week ago, he had found it impossible to sleep past this hour. He sat up slowly, not wanting to disturb Elizabeth, who was still asleep. He smiled at her sleeping form, and kissed her nose before getting up from his perch. He slid on his shoes and walked next door to the room where Willy slept, and gave his son a kiss on the top of the head, his heart swelling at the sight of him. Afterwards he padded quietly down the stairs and out onto the back deck, so he could watch the sunrise. He soon found however, that he wasn't alone.
"Good morning Will," came the still sleepy voice of Andrew. "You're up dreadfully early."
"Yes I am," said Will with a grin at his friend. "I haven't been able to sleep properly since I came home. But I imagine that it will fade in time. I'm not used to sleeping very much anyhow; I didn't really need to when I was on the Dutchman"
Andrew didn't respond, but walked up to the rail of the deck and stood there, staring out into the sunrise, which was just peaking over the trees.
"What's bothering you Andrew?" asked Will, real concern in his tone. "You've been acting strangely ever since we arrived last night."
Andrew turned to Will, his green eyes looking rather tired, as though he hadn't slept at all the previous night. "You don't know what it was like for Amelia and I Will, when first you, and then Elizabeth disappeared. It was terrifying," he said, running a shaky hand through his dark blonde hair. "The last I saw of you, you had been arrested and had been forced by Beckett to go and look for Sparrow in order to save yourself and Elizabeth from the gallows."
"It was the only choice I had…" Will said, confused as to where his friend was going with this.
"I know that," said Andrew in a firm tone. "But you and Elizabeth were gone for months, presumably out fighting with the pirates, while dozens of people here were being hung just for associating with pirates! Amelia and I were terrified that one day you and Elizabeth might be among them. We had no idea if either of you were alive or dead until we got that letter from Elizabeth these ten years ago."
"Did she tell you everything?" asked Will quickly. "From the moment we were arrested to when I had to leave to captain the Dutchman?"
"Yes," answered Andrew, shaking his head. "She told us everything. It was an extremely long letter, I'll tell you, full of things about the East India Company, Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones, Krakens, Singapore, traveling to the ends of the earth, and the Flying Dutchman. Then she said something about you two being married by a pirate during a battle in the middle of a maelstrom, or something equally insane." Will noticed a small grin slip onto his friend's face at the mention of Elizabeth's and his less than conventional wedding.
"I know it all sounds crazy, and for a while I could hardly believe it myself," responded Will with a sigh. "But it's true; every last bit of it. I did think about you and Amelia, and I wish there had been a way for us to let you know what was going on, but there wasn't. Elizabeth and I just got swept up in it all so fast, that at one point we had trouble communicating between ourselves, let alone anyone else."
"I know," said Andrew, his tone softer now. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh. It's just been hard to deal with all of this, especially the bit about you being trapped in this complete other world for ten years. And I know Elizabeth has been through a lot too, losing her father and then being separated from you for ten years. Sometimes I just wonder if I even know you anymore. I knew you as Will Turner, the blacksmith, master swordsman and fiancé of Elizabeth Swann, not Captain Will Turner, the pirate and high seas adventurer." His voice sounded slightly desperate, as though wishing for Will to give him some reassurance.
"That man is still there," said Will, closing his eyes as the warm morning breeze swept over him. "He will always be a part of me, but after all of this I've realized some things about myself, and I've become the person I was always meant to be, for better or worse; a sort of combination of who I was and who I am. But one thing is for sure Andrew, you will always be my friend." He turned to his friend, hoping that he had proven his doubts about their friendship to be untrue.
"Yes," said Andrew slowly, nodding his head. "Yes, we will always be friends. It shall just take me a while to take in all of these stories you have to tell. I was never one for fantasy, but now it seems I must be, for some things I never believed possible have been proven true; skeleton pirates, Davy Jones, and Calypso, just to name a few," he said with a grin.
Will laughed aloud, giving his friend a warm hug. "Believe me; it took me a while to get used to the idea of it all, especially the idea of having to ferry souls to the other side. The ten years apart from Elizabeth was awful, but there was one upside to it."
"What might that be?" asked Andrew curiously.
"I got to spend some time with my father, before he passed to the other side," said Will, his eyes conveying the sadness that he still felt at his father having to pass on.
"I know that was good for you," said Andrew, knowing full well how much Will had missed his absent father. "You two had plenty of time to catch up and mend fences."
"We did," said Will, smiling fondly at the only really happy memories he had from the Dutchman; those of time spent with his father. "I'm glad though, that nothing can tear me away from Willy; my father regretted not being there for me, and I fully intend on being there for Willy."
"Speaking of Willy…" said Andrew, now feeling much better about the situation. "Here he comes."
"Good morning papa," said Willy as he sleepily rubbed his eyes. "You're up early."
"As per usual, it seems," responded Will, walking over to the boy and picking him up. He began to spin him around in the air, and Willy let loose a chorus of laughter that rang most pleasantly through the morning air.
"Awake now?" asked Will, highly amused at his son's antics.
"Very!!" exclaimed Willy as his father set him back down on the ground. He turned to Andrew, and shyly addressed him. "May I call you Uncle Andrew?"
"Of course," said Andrew, who was now beaming. "I would be most delighted. What do you say that we go and wake up Charles and Anna, so you can meet them? I think the three of you will have a lot of fun together."
Willy nodded eagerly, and grabbed both Will's and Andrew's hands as Andrew led the way towards his children's rooms.
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Elizabeth woke not long after Will, and tread down the stairs just after the sun had risen to find Amelia in the kitchen, making tea.
"Good morning Lizzie," said Amelia with a smile at her long lost friend. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well," said Elizabeth, running her fingers through her hair, which had become quite tangled from sleep. "Will was up before me though; it's been that way ever since he came home."
Amelia came over and sat at the table next to Elizabeth, setting down two cups of tea in front of them. "I certainly have missed you," stated Amelia as she put two lumps of sugar in each cup of tea. "It just hasn't been the same without you."
"I know," answered Elizabeth, taking a sip of the soothing tea. "It hasn't been the same without you either. There have been so many times when I wanted to come and see you, but I just didn't want to come back here without Will."
"I understand completely," said Amelia sincerely as she put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "I don't think I would have either." She was silent for a moment, seemingly unsure about her next statement. "You really missed Will while he was gone, didn't you?"
Elizabeth looked at her friend, her expression wistful. "I did miss him," she said. "I missed him terribly. I just had to take it one day at a time, and find things to distract myself. Sailing on the Empress during the summers and my teaching helped immensely. And of course, Willy has been a blessing from God."
"He is adorable," said Amelia fondly. "I think he and Charles and Anna will get along splendidly."
"So," asked Elizabeth, with much enthusiasm in her tone, "How have things been with Andrew?"
At this query, Amelia's eyes lit up. "It has been more wonderful than I could have ever expected," she said blissfully. "I do believe I love him more everyday. We've created a lovely life together with our children, and we cannot thank you and Will enough for telling us to give each other a chance all those years ago."
It was silent between them for a moment, and Elizabeth couldn't help but contemplate what her life might have been like if Beckett had never set foot in Port Royal. Will would still be owning the smithy, and they would be living in Will's house by the shore, with a gaggle of children. These thoughts made Elizabeth slightly melancholy, and she wished things had turned out differently. But, she told herself, things, had turned out the way they were meant too, and all was well now.
"So," said Amelia suddenly, her raven eyebrows quirked upward. "Pirate King?"
Elizabeth laughed very hard at this statement, nearly choking on her tea. "And don't you forget it," she responded jokingly. "Yes that was most unexpected. First I was unceremoniously made captain of the Empress, and then just a day later, Pirate King. Not bad for a governor's daughter, is it?" she said laughingly.
"Not bad at all," answered Amelia in amusement. "It's almost as if all those pirate storybooks you read as a child came true. I remember whenever you had one of those, your father would always try to get you to read something else, but to no avail."
"He gave it up eventually," remarked Elizabeth, a twinkle in her eye as she reminisced. "I remember once, he even bought me one himself, for one of my birthdays. I do miss him horribly," she said sorrowfully. "Amelia, can you tell me what exactly has become of his belongings and the house and such? I know you said that you and Andrew were storing some of it."
Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a loud chorus of laughter from upstairs. "Upon, my word!!" she exclaimed. "What is that?"
"I think," said Elizabeth, rising from her chair and going to see what all the commotion was, "That Willy has shown your children his wooden swords."
As soon as she said this three children came flying down the stairs. Willy was one of them, holding his sword aloft and sparring with a little boy whom Elizabeth assumed was Amelia and Andrew's son Charles. The boy was the picture of his father, with the same dark blonde hair and green eyes. A little girl about age seven followed close behind them, laughing and cheering them on. She looked much like Amelia, with the same jet black hair that was tied into a ponytail at the base of her neck.
"Gentlemen, dare I ask what you have managed to get yourselves into?" asked Elizabeth, trying to hide her smirk.
"Well, we were just introducing Willy to Charles and Anna, and they were all so excited and then Willy went and got his swords and Charles wanted to play with them, and well, then this happened," Will said, trying to his best to explain, his voice bewildered.
Amelia and Elizabeth shook their heads, not able to stifle their laughter. "Willy, Charles, Anna, please calm down," said Amelia to the children, and they instantly stopped.
"See," said Elizabeth, as she ventured over to give her son and husband each a good morning kiss, and to carefully extract the sword that had caused so much chaos from Willy's grip, "It's that simple."
"Well," protested Andrew, "You two make it look so easy. Anyhow, Elizabeth, let me introduce you to my children, seeing as how your husband and son have already been introduced. This is my son Charles, and my daughter Amelia. Children, this is Elizabeth Turner, your godmother."
"Nice to meet you!!" chorused the two young children.
"I like Willy's swords!!" said Charles excitedly. "He said that Uncle Will made them for him."
"That he did," said Elizabeth with a grin at the little boy. "Have you given them a try Anna? You might be good at it."
"I've never thought about it," responded Anna shyly. "But mama told me that Uncle Will taught you how."
"Indeed he did," said Elizabeth, shooting Will a wink from across the room. "Will has promised Willy to teach him, and I'm sure he will consent to teach you and Charles."
"Of course I will," said Will. "What are godparents for?"
At this statement, all the children jumped for joy, terribly excited by the prospect.
"Will you help teach us Aunt Elizabeth?" asked Anna in her sweet little voice.
"I would be delighted," said Elizabeth.
"Children," said Andrew. "Why don't you go and play with Willy in the backyard, while we talk about a few things?"
The children eagerly agreed and each grabbed one of Willy's hands and darted rapidly into the yard.
"Don't run off anywhere!" called out Amelia.
There was a faint call of "We won't!" and with that the children were off to play.
"Well," said Amelia as she poured Andrew and Will each a cup of tea, "You two came in just on time. Elizabeth and I were just about to discuss what has become of her father's estate."
At the mention of this, Elizabeth noticed that Will's eyes clouded with concern for her, and she moved closer to him, taking his hand in hers. Andrew's face noticeably tensed as he took his seat next to Amelia, who began the story.
"Nearly as soon as the two of you left," she began, "The East India Company and Beckett took over Port Royal completely. They took Governor Swann's power and were hanging pirates right and left. When the news that he had passed away reached here," she said, a mixture of resentment and despondency in her voice as she spoke of the good man's death, "The whole town was furious, but helpless to do anything about it. Beckett seized your father's property…"
"What!!" exclaimed Elizabeth obviously outraged; Amelia had not told her this in her letters. "He had no right!"
"In our minds he didn't, and it was wrong," said Amelia, placing a caring hand on her friend's shoulder. "But a warrant was out for you because you had allied yourselves with the pirates, and Beckett had deemed you an outlaw and unworthy to inherit anything."
Elizabeth felt Will squeeze her hand, and she had to fight to hold back her tears.
"But," said Andrew, trying to uplift her, "One night Amelia and I snuck over to your house in the dark and managed to get a few things. The rest however, is in the Company's storage houses in town."
"Oh," said Elizabeth, her voice emotional. "Thank you so much, you two, that means more than you can know to me."
"At least some of it was rescued love," said Will, lovingly brushing a strand of stray blonde hair from her face. "I wish it could have been more, and if there were a way to get it back, I would. Speaking of property, Andrew, do you know what happened to my house?"
Andrew sighed, not wanting to share more bad news. "Beckett deemed you an outlaw as well, for siding with the pirates, and seized your property too. But Amelia and I went to your house the same night and managed to get a few of your things as well. But the rest is in the storage houses."
"What of the Company now?" asked Will. "Are they still influential here?"
"Very," answered Amelia, draining the last of her tea. "Not quite so bad as when Beckett ruled, but the new governor is even part of the Company. Pirates are still being hunted religiously," she said pointedly, looking worried. "So you two will want to be careful. I just wish there was something we could do to get your things back."
"Perhaps there is," said Elizabeth. "Do you know where those storage buildings are?"
"They're right on the edge of town," answered Andrew. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth glanced at Will, and he could read the plan in her eyes; she wanted to break into those buildings and salvage what she could of her beloved father's belongings that had been as good as stolen from her.
"I think she is," said Will. "But it would be dangerous to try and break in there, especially with the Company's agents roaming around."
"And with Admiral Gillette always around as well," said Amelia in an offhand way.
At this statement, Will and Elizabeth nearly choked on their tea.
"What?!" said Will, shocked. "Admiral Gillette?"
"Yes, unfortunately," said Andrew darkly. "That man is a demon. It's just a good thing that Groves has recently been promoted to Commodore, so at least there is one decent high ranking naval officer."
"Well," said Elizabeth firmly. "Will and I have gone through much worse than the likes of Gillette."
"Agreed," said Will with a fervent nod. "And I agree Elizabeth, if we do this carefully enough, at night of course, we might be able to pull it off. If I can get the key to the dead man's chest from right under the tentacles of Davy Jones, I think we can do this."
"We'll help you of course," said Amelia eagerly."
"Amelia you really don't have to do that," said Elizabeth, in a vain attempt to stop her friend.
"Yes," said Andrew in a voice that left no room for argument. "We do."
And so it was agreed that in two night's time, they were going to get back what was rightfully theirs.
A/N: Hey everyone!! Hope you liked this chapter. Sorry it doesn't contain much action, but the friends just needed some time to catch up and find out what was going on in Port Royal, so hopefully the next chapter will be more action oriented. Thanks for all the reviews!!!!!