Jack and Will exchanged surprised looks. Jack's eyes were wide and gleaming at the very mention of his precious Pearl.
"Aye, love?" he asked, confused, "What of the Pearl?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath before she replied, "I know…this may sound crazy at first but…Jack, I know how much the Black Pearl means to you and how the feeling of the sea and freedom are a part of who you are…so…I propose that we summon the Pearl back to port and…and live on her."
Jack's eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of his head at the notion. His jaw gaped in astonishment and wonder as he considered what life would be like, living on his precious Pearl with Elizabeth and little William. Will Turner, on the other hand, was not so open to the suggestion.
"Elizabeth are you mad?" he asked, giving her a disbelieving look, "Living on the open seas on the Black Pearl of all ships?"
Jack gave Will a hurt look, "Hey now! What's wrong with me Pearl?"
Will rolled his eyes at Jack, "My point is, is that really the best option? Is it really a good idea to allow our son to live like a pirate?"
Elizabeth's eyes flashed at that as she glared at Will, "Do you forget who you are Will? You're a pirate! Jack's a pirate and he's raised our son! Little William adores Jack and the very thought of living on the seas. This would be a dream come true for him."
Will shook his head, "Yes a dream come true, but Elizabeth that's all it is for him. He has no idea what dangers he would face! Think about all that the three of us have been through together. Do you really want that for William? Do you want him to end up…to end up like his father?"
Elizabeth felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw the agony and shame that crossed Will's features. Jack glanced away, feeling guilty once again for Will Turner's fate.
"There is nothing wrong with his father," said Elizabeth, barely above a whisper, "Nothing at all."
Will shook his head in protest, "That's not what I meant and you know it…I just don't want him to suffer the same fate. I want him to live a full, happy life."
"And what would that mean for him then?" asked Elizabeth, "Staying here in hiding? That's no life, Will. Trust me we've lived that life for ten years now. It's time for us…all of us…to move on. We can't go back to Port Royal or to living a normal life because the soldiers will find us. The only way we can live in freedom is to live the life of pirates. The Black Pearl is the fastest ship on the ocean and Jack is the best captain in the world. Yes we'll face dangers and hardship but that's how life goes. And as for me I would rather face those dangers and live in freedom than live in safety locked away in a cabin far from civilization."
Jack cleared his throat, his eyes still wide with excitement at the idea of seeing his precious Pearl again, "Aye, I must agree with Lizzie, Will," he said with a nod, "She makes a good point."
Will narrowed his eyes at Jack, "Oh well of course you would agree with her."
"I agree too!" shouted little William as he walked into the kitchen, his head held high with pride as he donned Jack's hat and sword, "I want to be a pirate and I wanna live on Jack's ship!"
Elizabeth tried to suppress a grin of amusement while Jack openly grinned from ear to ear at the sight.
"Aye, you see there Turner?" he asked as he gave Will a knowing look, "Your boy's got more of your blood in him that you even realize. Let the boy be a pirate…let him live the life that he was born to live, eh?"
Will gave Jack another sharp look, causing Jack to flinch a little. Will sighed after a long moment as he contemplated the idea. He looked over at Elizabeth and saw the pleading look in her eyes. He knew she would do what she wanted after he left…but she wanted his blessing…for herself and for their son.
"So first you take the love of my life and now you're going to take them away on your pirate ship?" asked Will, feigning anger as he glared at Jack.
Jack flinched and swallowed nervously as he scooted back a little in his seat, "I…it's...well…I….I didn't do it on purpose!" stammered Jack.
Will smirked a little as he and Elizabeth exchanged amused looks. Jack glared at both of them when he realized Will was only joking.
"You're a cruel man William Turner," grumbled Jack as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.
Will rolled his eyes at Jack again, "Alright…fine," he said with a sigh, "Take Elizabeth and my son, put them on your blasted ship and teach them to be pirates."
Little William squealed with excitement and Elizabeth laughed at his reaction.
Jack grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "I'm not attuned to taking orders from anyone, Mister Turner…but this order I'll gladly take and follow through."
"Alright then," said Will as he stood and held out his hand, "I leave them in your care, Captain Sparrow. Take good care of them…Lord knows I wish I could do the job myself."
Jack gave Will a sad look and nodded solemnly, "Aye my friend…I'll take good care of them and raise little William as if he were my own son."
Will swallowed back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him as he pulled Jack into a hug, "Thank you, Jack," he whispered in his ear, "Thank you."
…
For those days we felt like a mistake,
Those times when loves what you hate,
Somehow,
We keep marching on.
For those nights when I couldn't be there,
I've made it harder to know that you know,
That somehow,
We'll keep moving on.
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things we're not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that,
We're marching on,
(We're marching on)
(We're marching on).
For all of the plans we've made,
There isn't a flag I'd wave,
Don't care if we bend,
I'd sink us to swim,
We're marching on,
(We're marching on)
(We're marching on).
For those doubts that swirl all around us,
For those lives that tear at the seams,
We know,
We're not what we've seen,
For this dance we'll move with each other.
There ain't no otherstepthan one foot,
Right in front of the other.
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things we're not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that,
We're marching on,
(We're marching on)
(We're marching on).
For all of the plans we've made,
There isn't a flag I'd wave,
Don't care if we bend,
I'dsinkus to swim,
We're marching on,
(We're marching on)
(We're marching on).
We'll have the days we break,
And we'll have thescarsto prove it,
We'll have the bonds that we save,
But we'll have the heart not to lose it.
For all of the times we've stopped,
For all of the things I'm not.
We put one foot in front of the other,
We move like we ain't got no other,
We go when we go,
We're marching on.
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things we're not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that,
We're marching on,
(We're marching on)
(We're marching on).
Please Review!
I'll post the epilogue tomorrow! : )
Also, the song and lyrics are by Onerepublic and the song is called Marching On. I encourage everyone to look it up and give it a listen! It's a perfect song for this story : )