Will found himself in his son's surprisingly strong grip as he pulled him up the dune path by the hand. Will followed as quickly as he could, his other hand clasped with Elizabeth's. The three of them made their way to the top of the cliff as best they could in the growing dark.

"Come on, Papa, hurry!" called William, "I want you to see the house!" Will chuckled – he could already see the persistence in his son that he and Elizabeth shared.

"I'm coming, lad! Take it easy, it's been a while since I walked on land, never mind up a cliff in the dark!"

Elizabeth broke from Will and approached her son, stopping him.

"William, your father has already had a very eventful day. Why don't you run along ahead, and we'll catch up?"

William nodded obediently to his mother and was about to run on by himself, before he stopped and came back to Will. Will crouched down to his son's level and gave him a last hug.

"I'm glad you're here, Papa," William said, "I missed you." Will breathed in deeply, inhaling the sea breeze and his son's hair. He gave him a gentle squeeze, then looked at him.

"I'm glad too, William. I'm so glad you're here," Will said, "And I'm so sorry… I—" His voice quickly died in his throat. How could he possibly put into words the immensity of what he was suddenly feeling, what he had so recently realized? And how could he possibly begin to ask forgiveness for it?

But it seemed that William didn't need to hear him explain or say anything. He only grinned widely, gave him a last squeeze, and ran up the path out of sight. Will and Elizabeth stood for a moment after he had gone, until finally, Will turned to his wife.

"Elizabeth… I… I don't kn—… I couldn't begin t—…"

She watched him as he tried to speak in this inarticulate way, then came in close to him, and resting her hands on his shoulders and the back of his neck, she said softly,

"I know,"

"Thank you," he whispered back, the only thing he could think of to say, "Thank you." Their lips were inches away.

"I would never have done anything less, Will," she said, "I've raised him as well as I could this far, but the truth is, he has missed you from the moment I first told him about you."

Will mistook this statement as one that requires an apology, and he flushed, looking away.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth… If I had known—"

"No, Will, I didn't mean it to sound that way!" Elizabeth gripped both his hands in hers, her eyes wide with sincerity. "I only meant that he has been looking forward to meeting you all his life, and I know that you have already more than lived up to your reputation in his eyes."

She could see Will's eyes darken in the fading light, become infinitely tender.

"I know that there was nothing else that could have been done on your part," she continued, almost ready to cry again, "I know you had a duty to fulfill, and if there was any possible way I could have let you know when I found out…"

"Elizabeth, it's all right," he said, and enveloped her in his arms comfortingly as her tears dampened his shirt. He definitely felt pain that he had to miss the first part of his son's life, but he couldn't place any guilt on her, not after what she had done for him. "Don't think I blame you at all for not being able to tell me. There was nothing that could have been done. If… if I hadn't been made captain of the Dutchman, the alternative would have been…" he trailed off, but Elizabeth finished for him.

"Would have been death."

Will nodded, not wanting to imagine how the circumstances would have been different if he had actually died. Elizabeth spoke again.

"So do you think it was worth it, then?"

Will didn't have to think long as he held his wife close to his beating heart, on the solid ground of the twisting path, the sea sparkling below them in the moonlight.

"Yes," he said softly, remembering their reunion on the beach a little while before, "Yes, I think it was worth it."

They kissed. Not the frenzied, starved, needy kiss from before, but calmer and softer. As they tasted each other, it seemed that tingling electricity spread from their mouths to every other part of their bodies, awaking sensations they had both nearly forgotten. Reveling in this new awakening, and thinking ahead to how they would surely be spending their time later that evening, they both wordlessly smiled at each other and continued on the path, their arms around each other.

As they reached the top of the bluff, they could faintly see their son far ahead of them in the approaching night, coming up on a large cottage set back a few hundred yards from the cliff edge. There were a few trees, some bearing tropical fruit, and an extensive lawn. There was a small gazebo and a fresh water spring, which was all that Will could see in the present dimming light. He saw his son reach the front yard and start playing with a furry grey puppy.

Will and Elizabeth stopped at the top of the bluff and looked out over the sea, lit brightly by the rising moon, at the same spot where she had been waiting for him only a little while before. They took on this spectacle for a moment, and then looked back at the house, light shining brightly from the windows.

"This is where you live?" Will asked, taken in by the surrounding beauty. Elizabeth nodded.

"Most of the time. When we're not at sea or in Singapore… or Shipwreck Cove or Tortuga or Port Royal…" Will grinned.

"King."

"And former governor's daughter as well. It's not easy living a double life, though I must admit I'm a bit lax in holding up my responsibilities to the latter."

"I wouldn't imagine you'd like having to make your appearances at Port Royal in a corset and gown," said Will as they continued walking along towards the house.

"Lord, no. I only show up there about once a year, to let them know I'm still around. That's how this area is relatively safe now." Elizabeth nodded in the direction of Shipwreck Island a few miles away. "I let it be known that this area is perfectly safe – virtually inhabited – and they believe me and leave us alone.

"And William comes along with you on these trips? To Tortuga and Singapore?" Will asked, curious to what his boy thought of such adventures, in such uncouth places. Elizabeth smiled at him, as if reading his mind.

"Oh, yes. He loves being at sea, and seeing new places. He's learning the sword too, from me, and from Jack whenever we see him."

Jack. That brought up a whole other subject that Will had been wondering about during his ten years away.

"Jack… do you see him often? Does he still have the Pearl?" Elizabeth grinned.

"Yes, to the first question. I'm not sure about the second – last I knew he had the Pearl, but he and Barbossa steal it from each other every three or four months or so, so I'm not sure anymore. You know, over time he's become sort of an Uncle Jack to William."

"I wonder why that doesn't surprise me… I suppose he really is a good man, at heart," Will said, remembering the last time he saw his friend up close, as he was dying in the rain on the Dutchman, before Jack helped him stab Davy Jones's heart and all went black. Will shuddered. "I need to thank him myself, after I clout him for provoking Jones in the first place."

Elizabeth put her arm back around his waist and pulled him closer to her. They walked the rest of the way to the house without speaking.

William was on the doorstep to meet them, and ran towards them in a small bundle of energy and excitement as the puppy barked and ran between his legs.

"Come on! What's taking you so long! Papa, I want to show you the house! This is Piddles. I got him in Shipwreck Cove." William picked up the puppy and held it out to his father, who noticed as he pet it that it resembled a dog he once saw in Jack's jail cell when he propositioned him to help him track down Elizabeth all those years ago. The puppy yapped and wriggled in William's arms and he put it down, where it ran between all their legs, not heeding Elizabeth's commands to behave. Chuckling, they went into the house, which was comfortable and cozy, and which let the sea breeze blow through it so that it wasn't too hot in the tropical air. William ran around showing his father the parlor, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, pantry, library, and upstairs where the bedrooms were.

"This is my room!" he announced proudly as they reached the first bedroom.

Will felt a stirring of deep, fatherly pride as he gazed on his son's room. There were drawings all over the walls of various subjects: William swordfighting, Elizabeth swordfighting, both of them on a ship, both of them standing on the cliff overlooking the sea, both of them standing by their house with Piddles… and then Will saw that some of the drawings featured three figures – the third of which could only have been himself, brandishing a sword in several heroic situations. William saw his father looking at one of these pictures, and took it off the wall to show to him.

"I made this of you," he said proudly.

Will's throat tightened and his vision was suddenly blurry as he looked at the picture. It showed the three of them standing on the beach, their arms around each other, with Will and William wearing matching bandanas and swords. Elizabeth looked a little wide around the middle, but she had a big smile in the drawing. Will cleared his throat and sat on his son's bed next to him.

"Well, let's see… you've got me and you down very well, but your mother looks a little too big…" He glanced at his wife's slim figure standing in the doorway.

"No, no," said William, taking the picture back and pointing to it, "Mama's not fat. That's my little sister."

Will's mouth fell open like a codfish, and he had to gulp loudly before he could speak – not made any easier by Elizabeth's stifled giggling from the doorway.

"Your little sister?" Will asked his son, looking down on him. He put his arm around him and leaned in to look at the picture more closely, feeling some of the strongest stirrings of love he had ever felt before in his newly-restored heart. "Would you like a little sister?"

William nodded emphatically.

"Aye. I want enough little brothers and sisters to fill this entire house. And Mama's entire ship…" The boy grinned up at his father, who couldn't help laughing aloud as he saw his hopeful expression. Every time he looked on his son's face his love for him grew twice as strong, and he felt it physically in his chest. It was impossible to believe that two hours ago he was on the Dutchman, completely unaware of his son's existence, and now they were smiling at each other as if they had known each other all their lives.

Will bent down and whispered in his son's ear, so Elizabeth almost couldn't hear him,

"Your mother and I will do our best to oblige you, my boy."

William beamed back up at his father, all excitement and childhood innocence. Will kissed the top of his son's head and stood up. Elizabeth was silently smiling at him, trying not to laugh. Turning away from her so as not to fall under the same risk, he said to William,

"Why don't we let you get ready for bed, and we'll talk more in the morning."

William stood and faced his father defiantly.

"I never go to bed without Mama telling me a story."

Will looked over at Elizabeth, who shrugged with a faint smile. He looked back to his son, who was gazing up at him with a hopeful, almost nervous expression.

"Will you tell me a story, Papa?"

Will had the distinct feeling that his son had been waiting to ask that question for most of his life. And seeing his boy looking up at him with so much hope and love in his familiar brown eyes, it was impossible for Will to answer anything other than yes.

"Of course I will," he answered, and William's large, excited smile of response filled Will's heart with such a huge swell of love that he thought himself in danger of breaking down in tears again.

Ten minutes later, William was in his nightclothes and ready for bed. Elizabeth went to the master bedroom to get it ready, and to give them some time alone. William was busy showing his father his wooden sword, and the skillful moves he had mastered already.

"This is what I practice with. Mama says I can have a real one when I'm sixteen, but I'm pretty good with this one already. I injured Uncle Jack last month when he last came by."

Will had to laugh aloud as he dodged a swing.

"You injured Uncle Jack? What did he do after that?"

"He swore a lot, but I think he was still impressed."

Will laughed even more, and caught the wooden blade mid-swing right before it hit the lamp.

"No swordfighting indoors, now. We don't want to burn the house down on my first night back."

William put the sword down thoughtfully and went to sit on his bed. After a few moments he spoke.

"Papa?"

Will sat down next to him and smiled inwardly as William yawned, the excitement of the day finally catching up with him.

"Yes, William?"

William hesitated, as if he were afraid to hear the answer to the question he was about to ask.

"Are you really going to get to stay with us? You won't have to go back out to sea?"

William stared at the scars on his father's chest that was visible through his low-necked shirt. One was small and short, where Davy Jones had stabbed Will with his own sword that he had made for James Norrington, long ago – what had essentially killed him. The other was a diagonal gash, where Bootstrap had cut out his son's heart in order to save his life. Even though Will could feel his heart beating unfamiliarly in his chest, he still felt a searing emptiness whenever he looked at that scar.

He closed up his shirt a little so his son wouldn't have to see the scars, and answered him, bringing his arm around his shoulder protectively.

"Yes, I really get to stay here with you. And with your mother. The only way I'm going back out to sea is if you're both coming with me." William grinned and tried not to yawn again.

"I love the sea," he said serenely.

"Aye, me too," his father answered as he tucked him into bed, "But I love you more."

From the expression that appeared on his son's face, Will suspected that he had been wanting to hear that his whole life, from a father who didn't even know he existed. Realizing this, Will went on, determined to let his son know exactly how much he was loved.

"And I can't tell you how happy I was to see you for the first time. You are the most wonderful surprise I could ever hope for, my lad."

William held his father's rough hand in his small ones, and settled into his pillows – the most perfect vision of serenity, happiness, and hope Will had ever seen. But William was fighting off sleep now, and he reminded his father,

"You promised to tell me a story, Papa." Will chuckled.

"So I did. Let's see… where should I start?"

"Start from the beginning. From where Mama was taken by the pirates, and you had to go find her with Uncle Jack."

"Ah, very well… the beginning... So… it all began one morning, when Uncle Jack arrived at Port Royal in the tiniest, most dilapidated dinghy you had ever seen—it had practically sunk before it reached the dock. He poked around until he'd spotted a ship of the Royal Navy, guarded by these two rather inept gentlemen—meanwhile, your mother was at a ceremony honoring…"

He went on for a few more minutes until he noticed that his son had fallen fast asleep. He was trying not to feel too embarrassed about his apparent lack of storytelling skills when Elizabeth spoke from the doorway.

"Don't worry. You can finish it tomorrow."

He stared at her from his son's bed, wondering how long she had been there. She was now dressed in a very light, airy nightgown. Her hair was tied loosely behind her neck, and her skin glowed in the lamplight. He rose from the bed to join her in the doorway, both staring at their son as he slept.

"He's so beautiful, Elizabeth," Will whispered to her, "I still can't believe that he's mine. That he's ours." He wrapped his strong arm around her waist as she silently nodded. "He's perfect, and he's ours."

They watched him silently for a while longer as the lamplight burned lower. Finally, Elizabeth spoke.

"I'm so happy, Will. I'm so happy you love him as much as I do."

"How could I not? I couldn't imagine a more wonderful gift." He squeezed her softly. "I've waited so long to see you again – done my duty as best as I could to satisfy Calypso – hoped that the day would come when I would be free to be with you again. And then when today did come – to find not only you here waiting for me, as beautiful as I've ever seen–" (Elizabeth blushed.) "—but to find that we have a son as well! It's… it's just more than I could ever believe."

Elizabeth hugged him across the chest, feeling his heart beating strongly against hers. They stood like this for a long moment, watching their son sleep, until the lamplight had almost burned out. Elizabeth went to blow out the lamp so there would be enough oil left for tomorrow, and both of them went out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind them.

Now alone, they simultaneously realized what was left for them to do… what they had been wanting to do deep down ever since they had seen each other on the beach hours ago. Elizabeth smiled mischievously at her husband with a slightly quirked eyebrow, while he grinned wolfishly back at her, reading a thousand inappropriate thoughts in her eyes. He caught her in her arms and she stood on her toes to kiss him, but as their lips were millimeters away from touching, she whispered,

"Let's go to bed."

Without another word, he gallantly swept her up off the floor and into the master bedroom.