Chapter 19

"5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10…. Ready or not here I come!" Young Will hollered as he jumped up uncovering his eyes and running around looking for his parents.

He spotted the rug messed up on the floor in front of the closet. He ran over, swinging the doors open.

"Found y—" he started to say but then found that no one was in there, "Huh?"

Suddenly Will ran up behind him and swung him in the air, "Gotcha!"

They both laughed, "No papa! You cheated now you have to find me!" he laughed.

"Oh really? Do you know who I am? I am William Turner!—" Will joked still holding his son.

"No you're not!"

"Well then who am I?"

"You're Captain William Turner Of the Flying Dutchman! You're my daddy!"

"I am?" he said sarcastically, "Well then I guess I can do this!" he said as he started tickling him. They laughed uncontrollably.

"Momma! Papa tick—, he's tickling me! Momma!" William joked as he laughed.

Elizabeth came in laughing.

Will stopped tickling William, "Let's get her!" Will yelled.

They both smiled as Elizabeth ran, "You'll never catch me!" she laughed.

They ran all around until finally Elizabeth sat done on the couch downstairs, "I surrender! You two are to good for me!" She laughed as William jumped up next to her and Will sat down too.

"Good fight but I think we won," Will joked.

"Oh really?" Elizabeth said winking to William, "Get him!" Elizabeth and William began tickling Will. They all laughed.

"Okay, okay!" he laughed as they all stopped.

"Momma what smells good?" William exclaimed.

"I woke up early and made pancakes," she smirked.

"My favorite!" the boys said in unison.

"Pancakes are your favorite too Papa?" William exclaimed.

"Yes indeed, great minds think alike," he answered.

They all went into the kitchen and dug in.

"This is delicious," Will said as he ate as fast as he could.

Elizabeth laughed, "I can see you two like it."

Both Wills were eating rapidly before she had even sat down.

After they finished eating there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Elizabeth said heading from the kitchen to the door. She expected to find Jack or an upset hung-over Chloe but it was neither.

"Joey? Joey what are you doing here?"

"I heard about what happened last night with Gaverty. Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine."

"Is Will okay?"

"Uh-huh."

William heard Joey's voice and jumped up to run and say hi, "I'm gonna go say hi to Joey,"

"Joey?" Will said standing up and going to the door. He wanted to meet him. Any friend of his wife and child's was a friend of his so he wanted to greet him and thank him.

"Uncle Joey!" Will said running to Joey.

"Whoa, Will. How are you doing today?"

"Better than ever! You'll never believe it, my—"

"Will why don't you—" Elizabeth started to say but was stopped by Will coming up behind her.

Joey was shocked beyond belief.

Elizabeth was trying to put off the two men meeting, she wanted to talk to each of them first but it was too late now.

"Who's this?" Joey asked trying to sound happy, he knew exactly who it was.

Will stood next to Elizabeth, "Will Turner," he shook Joey's hand, "I'm Elizabeth husband."

"I'm Joey Lyle, I've known Elizabeth and young Will ever since they moved here—"

"Joey's helped us a lot over the years, his father owns most of the shops on the island. He's a very good friend."

"Well any friend of Elizabeth and Will's of a friend of mine," Will said smiling.

"I… I should be going. I'm needed down at the shop. It was nice finally meeting you Mr. Turner," Joey said shaking Will's hand.

"Call me Will."

Joey nodded his head.

Elizabeth knew Joey was shattered inside, she felt horrible.

Joey looked at Elizabeth and awkwardly shook her hand.

"I'll see you in the shop Elizabeth, feel free to come down whenever any of you would like," Joey said as he began to go off the porch and down the small walkway to the sidewalk.

"Uncle Joey why don't you stay! Come on I—" William said running to him.

"I have to go back to the shop now, maybe I'll see you tomorrow or something."

"Alright… well bye Uncle Joey!

"Bye, Will, " Joey said as he looked back at Elizabeth and Will on the porch and then continued down the sidewalk down the hill.

"He seems nice, Will looks up to him a lot, I can tell," Will said putting his arm around Elizabeth.

"He does, but not as much as he looks up to you."

"But he doesn't even know me, how could he look up to me?"

"You're his father Will, his only father. Even though you haven't been here physically, you've been right here… next to me, guiding me. That's how I made it through all these years. I knew that the day would come where it wouldn't matter anymore, where we could all three be together with nothing stopping us."

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. If I would have known then what I know now, I would have never put you two through all of this, I w—"

"Will… if you wouldn't have done what you did, you wouldn't be here… Will wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be a family. You did the right thing," Elizabeth said running her hand softly down Will's cheek.

He took her hand in his, "I just wish I could tell myself that. I don't know how you did it. I would have gone crazy if I had to do what you did. Raising Will on your own, finding a place to live, hiding from the East India Trading Company. In fact I did…:"

"What do you mean?"

"I lost my way over the years, I became wicked, obsessive, overruled with jealousy, but overall hatred for the people who did this to us. I'll never leave you again. I can't, it's been hard enough all this years. I was misunderstood of what the world wanted of me. It came to the point where I did things that I will regret the rest of my life, but at the same time it all led me back to you, and Will—"

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, I understand. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you. At least I had Will and I could go anywhere, but you, you were bound to the ship, charged with the duties of ferrying the souls. If anyone should be ashamed it should be me…" Elizabeth said walking away from him and looking over at William playing.

"Elizabeth, whatever you did, I forgive you. You don't even have to tell me what it was. We can put it all behind us now."

"No Will, maybe you can but I… I just can't," Elizabeth said almost crying.

"Come here," he said as he embraced her once again in his arms.

Elizabeth couldn't hold the tears back any longer.

"Shhhhh, it's okay I'm here now…" Will continued trying to comfort her.

"Will I've cried so much. There were so many nights where I cried myself to sleep. I had horrible thoughts that I can never forget and unspeakable nightmares. I wanted you so bad that I…I.."

"Elizabeth, healing takes time, you don't have to tell me right now. Just relax; I'll protect you now. I always have, and I always will."

"Will I almost… I almost…"

"You almost what? I understand if you had feelings for someone else, it's just human nature. If I—"

"No, no, not that, I've always loved you and I always will. It's worse."

"It's okay I already know…"

"What? You do?"

"Jack and I kept in touch through letters over the years, I had him watch over you for you since I couldn't. I'm not mad at you…"

"But I—"

"No, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Come on lets go inside, it's cold."

Elizabeth nodded her head.

"Time to go inside Will," Will hollered as William ran inside s=behind them and closed the door.

William went into the living room and sat on the floor playing with a few little toys he had.

Will made a fire in the fireplace, then he sat on the couch with Elizabeth in his arms.

"You look tired," Will said looking down at her.

"I'm fine, I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed," she said trying to make a smile.

"It's okay, just relax. Go to sleep, I'll stay right here…" he said kissing her on the forehead.

He took her hand in his and drifter off to sleep… but her nightmares had not left her just yet…