Summary: When Jack and his crew find a young princess's tomb, they do not realize the danger they are in until Jack suddenly begins to think he is a child again… As the crew panics and searches for a way to return the gold and break the curse, Will Turner becomes the official caretaker of "Child Jack". As Will keeps Jack out of harms way and teaches the "young" Jack about piracy, he learns new things about Jack... and about himself.

Takes place between CoTBP and DMC.

Last and Final Chapter.

Chapter Fifteen: At the break of dawn…

Norrington would have their heads… It was a terrible risk to take, bringing Jack back to Port Royale with such hast… But Will was determined to help Jack break the curse that affected his mind in such a strange way.

The sun began to rise, and the sky turned into a soft mix of oranges and reds. Will turned around and glanced at Jack, who was asleep… and drooling as he usually did. He felt a dull pain in his chest at the thought of having to part from Jack… He hadn't realized how much joy and adventure Jack had brought to his life.

It was a strange revelation that worried Will to no end.

It was not long before he could see the docks and other ships far off in the distance. He sighed…

"Come on, Jack…" Will gently shook the pirate's shoulder, and Jack moaned softly. He did not wake up, he just turned over on his side and swatted effortlessly at Will's hand. "Jack… Wake up." Will wasn't yelling… just begging. The pirate's eyelashes fluttered and soon he slowly opened his kohl-lined eyelids and blinked his chocolaty brown eyes.

"No…" Jack whined and he frowned. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes and he thrashed about. "No, nononono!" Will sighed… but he did nothing to stop Jack from going into another tantrum. It didn't even really matter, regardless, Jack was at least awake.

They had to sneak passed the large boats by skulking in the shadows and avoiding all personnel. Will held Jack's hand the entire time, not wanting to lose the pirate.

They somehow, successfully made it back to the Blacksmith's shop, and Will ordered for Jack to stay hidden underneath a crate that was tucked in a far corner, covered by shadows.

The knock at the door frightened them both, but Will regained his composure and leisurely walked to the door, opening it painfully slow… He was relieved to see that it was only Elizabeth standing at the door, a very unusually happy grin on her face, making her light up like an angel.

"Oh Will!" She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly… Will was taken aback, but he returned her hug first. "I missed you so much!" She whispered into his ear…

"I missed you too…"

They parted for a moment, and Elizabeth continued to stare at him, her grin never leaving her face for even a moment. She was glowing…

"I have some wonderful news!"

––––

"You're kidding!" Will laughed, and shook his head almost not believing what he was hearing.

"No! I'm not! I was actually able to convince James Norrington to give you full pardon!"

Will continued laughing, his joy overflowing… But then, he saw Jack. Jack was still hiding under the table; his eyes were wide and fearful. That dull pain returned in Will's chest and he let out a soft breath through his nose… He turned to Elizabeth.

"What about Jack…?"

Elizabeth's smile had finally faded a little and she shook her head. "…He's still a pirate. I couldn't bargain with Norrington otherwise."

Will nodded slowly, then patted his lap, gesturing to Jack to come out from under the table. Elizabeth waved at Jack, but the pirate only stared at her as though he had never seen such a person before. Jack wobbled over to Will and he climbed onto the blacksmith's lap and sat on his leg.

Will's face contorted for a moment… not having realized how heavy Jack was. He recovered quickly, and held Jack's waist to keep him from falling off. Jack continued to stare at Elizabeth, and his thumb slowly found its way to his mouth. He drooled again…

"Wow.." Elizabeth's voice was soft, "Jack wasn't like this before he left…"

"Yeah, I know." Will tried to dodge Jack's wandering hand as it tried to touch his face. To distract Jack, he attempted to bounce the slobbering pirate on his knee as a father would… He only made it to one bounce before his leg fell victim to sharp pains. He grunted…

"What are you waiting for…?" Elizabeth asked idly.

"What…? We're waiting for the Black Pearl."

"You didn't see it in the harbor?"

"No…" Will's eyebrows arched. "Did you…?"

"I saw it far off in the distance; it had been there for a while now. I could only guess that some of the crew are probably wandering around the city looking for Jack."

"Damn…" Will spoke beneath his breath. "I didn't think they'd be here so soon…"

Elizabeth chuckled. "Geez, you're not the only one who loves Jack. His crew needs him more than you do…"

Will ignored her and he pulled Jack from his leg and up onto his feet. He dusted Jack off a little and fixed his hat, trying to make him look spick and span. Before he left the shop, he turned around and gave Elizabeth a long, passionate kiss on the lips. They both blushed a little and he waved to her as he took Jack's hand is his and made his way to the door. Jack attempted to wave as well before he was hauled away by Will.

––––

"Jack Sparrow!" Anamaria hugged the pirate Captain tightly, and Jack just stared… he was too shaken by fear to say anything or move. He turned and gave a helpless gaze Will… Will could have sworn that if Jack's eyes could talk, they would be saying 'please don't leave me, Will Turn Er'.

The kisses and hugs didn't last long, granted, the pirates knew that they were sitting ducks in Port Royale and they had to flee to open waters will all hast. Anamaria thanked Will a countless amount of times before she took Jack's hand and tugged for him to follow.

Jack shook his head and he jerked his hand away. He backed away from Anamaria and Mr. Gibbs slowly before turning around and hiding behind Will Turner. Will sighed…

"Go on, Jack…" He tried to pull Jack from behind him, but the pirate would not move and he absolutely refused to go with the two strangers…

"I don't know them, Will Turn Er." Jack finally spoke out softly.

"Will!" Anamaria was growing impatient… "We really need to go now!" Though they were safely hidden in an alleyway, far from the sight of any pedestrian let alone an officer, they still felt unsafe…

Will turned to Jack and he held the pirate's shoulders tightly… "Jack, this is your crew… they came all this way to break this curse and now it's time for you to go back to them…" Will was not expecting to see tears streaming down Jack's face.

"B-but… I don't want to go with them. I want to stay with you, Will Turn Er."

Will's heart felt as though it had dropped from his body and fell to the ground… broken. He wrapped his arms around Jack and pulled him into a warm embrace. He sniffed and tears burned his eyes as they leaked slowly from his closed eyelids.

After a few short moments, when Will's voice came back, he whispered softly into Jack's ear as he held him, "Jack… I'll always be here when you need me. I won't be any place else. Any time you need me… I promise to be there for you… my brother."

Jack's lips quivered and he clutched Will even tighter. "… You'll always be my best brother, Will Turn Er." Will smiled.

They pulled away from each other and Will patted Jack on the back gently. "Alright… Get lost, you scallywag!" He spoke to Jack in a joking matter and Jack smiled back.

"I'll miss you…" The pirate said as he walked towards Anamaria and grabbed her hand.

"I'll miss you too…"

Anamaria and Mr. Gibbs waved to Will and they left stealthily through the shadows and disappeared, leaving Will in the shadows of the alleyways, tears streaming freely down his cheeks now.

––––

"There it is!" Elizabeth exclaimed and she pointed to the tiny speck of a ship that was floating off in the horizon. "There's the Black Pearl, Will!"

Will stood from where he was sitting on the couch and he came to stand in front of the window and looked in the direction where Elizabeth was pointing, and he saw it… the ship with black sails. He felt his lips curl into a small smile and he waved…

Onboard the Black Pearl,

Jack was leaning against the wooden railing of the deck and he was waving at the open air… Jack had not stopped waving since the moment they departed from the docks.

Author's Notes:

This is the last chapter, and so, it completes the story.

When I get the time, I might make an alternate ending for this...

Well. That's all for now, Folks!
Read and Review. (:

Make the author happy today.

Thanks!
-Rawiyah