True Love: Forever Reunited

Chapter 9: A Talk and a Song

It had been quiet between Will and Jack for a solid five minutes since Elizabeth had left with Willy; Jack was propped back in his chair, his feet still on the table, sipping at his rum, and Will rested his chin in his hand, drumming his fingers on the table. Jack had shot several nervous glances at Will, the silence clearly making him uneasy. Will kept a steady gaze upon Jack, wanting to find words to thank him. But how in the world did you thank someone for something like that?

"So," began Jack, unable to take the awkward silence any longer, "That's a nice boy you've got. He looks just like just like you and Elizabeth; always has, ever since he was little. He sure is feisty though. Bit me once, he did, when he was a toddler."

Will couldn't help but laugh uproariously at that image, causing Jack to give him an indignant look.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" questioned Jack, "It bloody well hurt!!! Although Elizabeth seemed to react the same way you did; she thought it was hilarious."

Will regained his composure, and grinned. "I assume he hasn't bitten you again, has he? He does like you, you know; he's always telling stories about the times you came to visit."

"No, he hasn't bitten me since then," answered Jack, unable to stop himself from laughing. "And of course he likes me; who wouldn't? I am of course, Captain Jack Sparrow."

It went quiet between them again for a moment, and Will got up the nerve to say what had been on his mind ever since they had come upon Jack in the Faithful Bride.

"I cannot thank you enough, Jack, for checking in on Elizabeth and Willy while I was away," he said softly, his eyes averted, and resting on the floor. "I also can never repay you for giving up your immortality to save my life." Finally, Will looked up at the infamous pirate captain, and saw an unreadable expression on his face. It was obvious that Jack realized he could not run from this serious conversation, this conversation that needed to be had.

"What can I say," said Jack, "Despite our odd friendship and our betrayals of each other, you grew on me, whelp." He grinned at Will's irritated look at the word whelp. "It wasn't as though I didn't owe you, William. You did save my life once, and it is because of me that you and Elizabeth ended up pirates in the first place; I'll admit to that. And as for checking in on Elizabeth and Willy, well it was what a friend would do."

"Ten years was a long time to be separated from Elizabeth, and I missed out on a good deal of Willy's childhood," began Will, his voice holding a deep sadness, "But it was far better a fate than death would have been. What made you do it Jack? What made you give up what you wanted most to save me from Jones' judgment?" asked Will, wanting, for once, to understand Jack Sparrow's actions.

Jack sighed, his hand clenched around the rum bottle. "Because you and that bonnie lass turned Pirate King of yours, have worked too hard to be together," he answered quickly. "And as much as I hate to admit it," he said, taking a swig of his rum, a smile spreading across his features, "You and Elizabeth were right; underneath all this, I can, on occasion, and under certain circumstances, be a good man."

This drew a hearty laugh from Will. "We told you so," he said, a highly amused look on his face. "It was you, after all, who taught me that you can be a pirate and a good man."

"Aye. And look at you now; a full fledged pirate. I remember the first time we came across each other; you said you avoided familiarity with pirates. Talk about irony," commented Jack. "I never would have thought it; a governor's daughter turned pirate king, and a blacksmith turned Captain of the Flying Dutchman. What a pair you two are."

"That is certainly true," said Will in a thoughtful tone, "Elizabeth and I didn't set out to be pirates, but that is what happened. Although it cannot be denied that she and I both have a sense of adventure. I can only hope that Willy will still have the chance for a good childhood; I want him to have an education and be able to enjoy his childhood. He has pirate in his blood; but I want him to have the normal experiences of a child too. I just wish I had some way to make up for the time I missed with him."

"You may not be able to go back in time," responded Jack, "But I have no doubt you will make up for the time you missed, William. That boy worships the ground you walk on; always has, and does even more now that you're home. And I wouldn't worry about him. Elizabeth has done a good job of balancing things; he gets his education and then gets to be a pirate during the summer months. What child wouldn't love that?"

"I just hope everything isn't turned upside down by all this East India Company business," said Will, his eyes reflecting the worry that he felt inside.

"I can't guarantee that won't happen mate," said Jack with a frown, "But I really bloody wish they would just quit trying to take over the entire ocean, and just relax, kick back, and have a good bottle of rum. Have they never heard of perhaps, you know, sharing the ocean?"

"Speaking of rum," said Will, "Can I have a swallow of that?" he asked gesturing at the half empty rum bottle.

"Mate," said Jack slowly as he pushed the bottle across the table towards Will, "I thought you'd never ask."

With that, Will took a quick swallow of the burning liquid and the two friends walked off the Pearl and towards the Empress, ready to gather the pirates to sing the song and summon the Brethren Court once again. As they walked along, a sudden thought popped into Will's head.

"Jack, Elizabeth told me of your quest to find the Fountain of Youth, but we never did get around to talking about whether you found it or not," asked Will curiously as he carefully stepped over a drunken pirate. "Did you?"

"Eh," said Jack, sounding slightly disappointed, "I found it all right, but it was not all it was cracked up to be. It seems that taking one drink out of the Fountain is not enough to secure your immortality; you see, if I wanted to remain immortal I would have had to keep drinking out of it, and seeing as I'm not one to stay in one place, that wouldn't exactly work out."

"That's too bad," answered Will, "But at least you've got your ship back."

"True enough," said Jack, a twinkle in his kohl lined eyes, "It's good to have me ship back, and me crew."

"Who is sailing with you nowadays?" asked Will.

"Well you know, Gibbs o 'course, Cotton and that parrot of his, Marty, Pintel, Ragetti, a number of other scallywags that have joined since I got the Pearl back from dear old Hector," said Jack, "Oh and Ana Maria," he mumbled in an offhand sort of way.

"Ana Maria has rejoined your crew?" asked Will slyly, very interested in this bit of information. "How is that going?"

"Let's just say that it's one of those, on again, off again, sort of relationships, that is currently on again," said Jack, his eyes holding a slightly amorous look as his thoughts clearly drifted towards the fiery female pirate. "I'm not really a one woman sort of man, as evidenced by Giselle and Scarlet, among others. But seeing as I've never really tried be with one person before, I told Ana Maria I'd give it a shot. Now for how long it will last, I can't really tell you. I am, after all, irresistible to the ladies," he said, making a grand sweep with his arms. "Well except for Elizabeth of course; she only has eyes for you."

"You are impossible Jack," said Will, rolling his eyes. As he said this, they reached the spot where the Empress was docked, and saw Elizabeth standing there, talking with the former Commodore Groves.

Elizabeth's eyes lit up as her newly returned husband approached. "Did the pair of you have a nice chat?" she asked

"We did," said Will as he put a loose arm around her waist. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Estrella is aboard the ship, watching the children, all of whom, have fallen fast asleep, and Andrew and Amelia went with Ana Maria to fetch the rest of Jack's crew, so that the song may be sung; they were curious to see what Tortuga was actually like," said Elizabeth. "Jack, I believe you remember former Commodore Theodore Groves?"

"Course I do," answered Jack, reaching out his hand to shake Groves', "'Ello mate!! I see you've decided to see the right way of things and become a pirate, aye?"

"I rather, shall we say, had no choice," answered Groves, "But seeing how much the navy has gone downhill these days, I think I'd much rather be rid of it." He surveyed Jack, awe in his expression, as though he still didn't quite know what to make of the incredibly eccentric pirate.

"Bloody East India Company," scowled Jack, "They think they're so damn high and mighty."

"Yes well," said Elizabeth warily, leaning against Will, "We'll show them that they cannot frighten us."

After a few minutes, Ana Maria showed back up at the docks, along with Andrew, Amelia, Gibbs, Cotton, Marty, and the rest of Jack's crew.

"Well hello there Will!" exclaimed Gibbs, pulling Will into a bear hug, "It's good to see you lad!!! Are you glad to be back?"

"Very," said Will with a wide smile, "It's good to see you Gibbs."

"And hello to you too Elizabeth," said Gibbs, giving her a hug as well, "Where is young Willy?"

"Asleep on the ship," said Elizabeth, nodding her head at the Empress, "He got so excited that he exhausted himself."

"He must be excited to have you home Will," said Gibbs, "He was constantly talking about you whenever I saw him, counting the days until you were home. I do wish we weren't having this trouble with the Company though; peace doesn't seem to last long for pirate kind, eh?"

"No," said Will, "It doesn't. Well I imagine we should summon the court, now that we're all gathered here."

"I never thought I'd see the day," commented Jack, "Normally the Court only has to convene every hundred years or so; now we're summoning it again, after just ten years. And I'm sure that I must have done something to offend another of the Pirate Lords over the past decade, so it is almost certain that they will not all be glad to see me."

Elizabeth chuckled. "That's what you get Jack," she teased.

"For what?" countered Jack, "Being myself?"

"Aye," answered Ana Maria with a smirk, "You deserve everything you get Jack Sparrow."

Jack looked at her in mock offense, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Ana, you're me lass, you're supposed to stand up for me!!"

"Don't get so easily offended, mate," said Will, unable to stop himself from laughing. "Elizabeth teases me all the time; it's a sign of affection. Am I right?" he questioned, looking over at Elizabeth and Ana.

Both nodded, still unable to stop laughing. Jack seemed satisfied, but still stood there, a bit of a pout on his face. Gibbs, being ever useful, pulled out the silver piece of eight, and held it out for everyone to see.

"Well then, let's do this," he said, gazing around at everyone.

The group of pirates gathered around in a circle, Andrew, Amelia, and Groves included, each of whom looked terribly excited. Then, the haunting, unforgettable tune began.

"Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the
Colors high… heave ho, thieves
And beggars, never shall we die…

The king and his men stole the queen
From her bed and bound her in her
Bones……
The seas be ours and by the powers
Where we will we'll roam…"

The song began slowly, with just the small gaggle of pirates singing, but soon, and in a most unexpected way, the song began to spread across the island of Tortuga. Pirates that were near the Empress and the Pearl swept off their hats, and began to sing.

Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the
Colors high…heave ho, thieves
And beggars, never say we die

Some men have died and some are alive
And others sail on the sea – with the
keys to the cage…
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler's Green!

Soon enough, a loud chorus could be heard from all over the island, with nearly every pirate having joined in the song.

"The bell has been raised from its watery grave...do you hear its sepulchral tone?
A call to all, pay heed the squall and turn your sails toward home!

Yo ho, haul together
Raise the colors high!
Heave ho thieves and beggars, never say we die."

By the time the end came, and the singing ceased, for the first time in known history, the island of Tortuga was deadly silent.

"Did it work?" asked Elizabeth in a whisper, as though afraid to interrupt the silence.

Gibbs held up the small coin to his ear, and heard the ringing that summoned the court. "Aye," he said with a pleased expression. "It worked."

"That was bloody amazing!!" exclaimed Andrew, "I never thought anything could quiet this place."

"Neither did I," said Amelia, her eyes alight with exhilaration.

"Pirates aren't a serious lot," said Jack to the young couple. "But our way of life being threatened is one thing we do take seriously. Glad to see you two have joined our ranks. How could you help it really; your best friends are two of the most infamous pirates, after all."

"Thanks, in large part, to you, Captain Sparrow," said Amelia, her eyebrows raised.

Jack swept off his hat in a grand fashion and bowed. "I do what I can," he said with a grin.

Footsteps were soon heard coming off the deck of the Empress, and the small forms of Willy, Charles, Anna, and Estrella appeared.

"I heard singing," said Willy, rubbing his brown eyes sleepily. "What's going on?"

"We were summoning the Brethren Court," said Will to his son, "After we all have a good night's sleep, we're off to Shipwreck Cove!!"

"Shipwreck Cove!!" shouted Willy in a huge burst of excitement, "Mama took me there once, and it was unbelievable; no ship can do any damage to the entire fortress!!"

"So I've heard," said Will as he lifted Willy up on his shoulders and spun him around.

"Is that really true Aunt Elizabeth?" asked Charles, who was having a grand time on this adventure already.

"It certainly is," answered Elizabeth.

"Are you really the Pirate King?" questioned Anna, tugging on Elizabeth's shirt.

"Indeed I am Anna; but we'll have to see if I get re elected this time around."

"Wait," said Estrella, coming into the conversation, "How does a woman become a Pirate King? Wouldn't that make you queen?"

"That is always a question I've wondered about," she said thoughtfully, "But I've never had time to find an answer too; perhaps I'll ask."

"My wife; a governor's daughter turned Pirate King," said Will, highly amused, "I never would have thought it."

After a few more minutes passed, everyone agreed that it was indeed, time to go to bed, and both the Empress and the Pearl would set sail at sunrise.

AN: Hey everyone!! Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope that you liked it! The next chapter should be up soon, because the plot bunnies are running around in my head. I'm having a great time writing this story, and it will probably be quite long. I thank everyone for the reviews! If anyone has any requests or suggestions, just tell me, and I will try to see if I can put them in at some point. Also, sorry for the lack of WE fluff and of Willy in this chapter, but you can be assured that there will be a lot of that in future chapters, because that's my favorite thing to write!