Birds of a Feather

The Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Chance to Try Again

They had barely pulled apart when suddenly the door slammed open and banged against the wall. A rather breathless and red-faced Philip stood panting in the doorway.

"Uncle, Will and Elizabeth should be together, and I am taking a stand for their side!" Philip stormed into the room. He slammed the door behind him with verve, "I cannot and will not leave this room until I make you see reason."

Weatherby and Elizabeth glanced at each other.

"Uh… Philip," Weatherby spoke.

"No!" he snapped. "I am done sitting in the corner and watching everybody suffer. You will listen, and you will listen good! It has been obvious from day one that these two love each other and should be together. And I don't just say this because they are my best friends, but it is that fierce love I have for both of them that drives me to ensure their happiness."

"Philip-" Elizabeth tried.

"Elizabeth, I know that I have been reticent in the past and that is my error. I truly apologize for that."

"That's not what I-"

"What I do know and will testify to is that I have grown in a family understands the importance of being with the one you love. I've seen my parents together. I've seen Aunt Ada and Aunt Lucy with their husbands. I've seen you and Aunt Kat."

Weatherby sighed, "Philip-"

"It wasn't until I met Syrena that I really understood what it meant to have someone you love actually be there with you. You know, physically be at your side. To meet that person and know that if they leave, part of you leaves with them. I've only just met Syrena and already I'm willing to cast off my life as it is and follow her to the ends of the earth if she asks me."

That statement slightly concerned his uncle, "Philip-"

"And I'm a fool for not understanding that before when I could so clearly see that between Will and Elizabeth," he chastised himself. "This adventure has changed me. Changed all of us. In ways we are only beginning to understand. But what it hasn't changed and instead just accentuated is how strong and true this bond is. This is not something man made but instead has been fore destined by the Lord. Love is fore destined by the Lord. As it goes from the Book of Proverbs, A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps."

"Philip!" Elizabeth threw her head back impatiently. "Would you just stop for five seconds and-"

"And in the Book of Proverbs, it is also commanded that Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Uncle, you have the power to-"

"For the Love of God, Philip!" Elizabeth shouted. "Father just agreed to let me be with Will!"

That shut him right the Hell up.

Mouth still hung up from the words of his lecture frozen on his lips, Philip looked agog. Brow furrowed, his head swivelled back and forth between the pair confirming and reconfirming the factuality of Elizabeth's statement.

Weatherby nodded and gave a small lighthearted shrug.

"…Oh," Philip sunk down into the chair Norrington had earlier vacated. "That's great."

"Aw. You had an entire speech in our defense prepared," Elizabeth looked both teasing and touched.

"Yeah, maybe a little. It's not like I spent a good three hours this morning flicking through the Bible to construct it."

"I apologize for wasting your morning," Weatherby said genuinely.

"Oh, no, it's alright," Philip muttered, unable to look either of them in the eye. "So… Will and Elizabeth, huh?"

"Just like you've always dreamed," Elizabeth teased. "Not sure if you or I are happier at the thought."

To be honest, Philip didn't know either, "So catch me up. What's going on? Are we starting to plan a wedding? Because I have thoughts on the floral arrangements."

Weatherby coughed rather violently on nothing at the suggestion.

Elizabeth just smiled kindly and put a hand on her father's arm in a way Katherine had done so many times, "I think the next plan of action is telling Will and hoping he doesn't get a case of nerves and backs down."

"Lord help me, if the boy has the gall to reject you at this point," Weatherby groaned.

"He won't," Elizabeth assured. "I know he won't."

"Wait," Philip frowned at Elizabeth, "so I know about this before Will does?"

Elizabeth grinned, "I did promise you would be the first I told of my marriage decision, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah," Philip remembered the last dinner conversation they had all had together the night the pirates attacked. "I guess you ended up wiggling out of that talk about the medallion after all."

"Don't you ever underestimate my ability to avoid uncomfortable conversations again."

"Well best of luck to Will then. That doesn't sound at all like it will come back to bite you and make your relationship more difficult than it needs to be."

"Oh please, like as if when that does happen you won't be sticking your nose in all of it making it your business to solve."

"Just always be open and honest with each other and I'll mind my own business."

"Sometimes I dream about a world without you in it."

"A world without me in it would just result in the two of you having long, drawn out relationship problems that you never actually talk about and resolve, just move back into the being together thing without ever addressing the root of your issues."

"Yeah, and your world without Will and I would probably just involve you annoying everyone and end up tied to the mast of a pirate ship at some point."

"How would I end up tied to a pirate ship?"

"Ah, so you don't deny the annoying everyone part."

Weatherby groaned, "Children, I do have a very bad hangover this morning. If all you're going to do is sit here and bicker-"

"Sorry, Father."

"Apologies, Uncle," Philip said at the same time. "We'll get out of here in a minute. I promised Syrena to take her on a walk around the deck this morning to try to get her more used to her legs. Appropriately chaperoned, of course."

"Oh God," Elizabeth muttered. She had a horrid sense of dread that the comparison of Philip's propriety to hers was going to once more be a thorn in her side as he courted Syrena and she courted Will. Elizabeth had had more than her fair share of why can't you act like your cousin for a lifetime.

"That sounds fine, Philip," Weatherby nodded. He didn't say anything about Elizabeth's reaction, but she knew from the look he gave her that he had noticed. "I suppose you will wish to have some sort of similar outing with Mister Turner as well. Let's see what we can do. I know that Commodore Norrington already has a list a mile long of punishment duties for Turner and Philip… Likely more so now."

Elizabeth frowned, "You know you can call him by his Christian name, right? It's just Will."

Weatherby shifted uncomfortably, "I'm not sure that would be entirely appropriate-"

"No, she's right," Philip agreed. "You've known the man for eight years. You can call him Will just as much as you can call Syrena by the name Syrena."

There was a prolonged silence.

"You- You are going to call her Syrena, right?"

"I think it would be best for all if I were to follow decorum and call her by her proper name of Miss Finson."

Philip looked both insulted and dumbfounded, "But that's not even her proper surname. You might as well call her Miss Barbossa."

"Do not be ridiculous, Philip."

"I'm not the ridiculous one here. Do you even understand how important being called by the name Syrena – or really any name she can definitively claim as hers – is to her?"

"Save your breath, Philip," a stormy look had overtaken Elizabeth's face. "It's exactly what we both were expecting. You didn't really think he had actually come around to Will and Syrena, did you?"

Weatherby scowled, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it's one thing to accept Philip and I being with who we want. It's another thing entirely to accept those people as they are. Will is a smart, strong, brave, talented young man, but to you he will only ever be the blacksmith apprentice in love with your daughter. And as for Syrena – the mermaid who enchanted Philip in a single day – God knows what you think of her."

"Elizabeth, the partners you and Philip have chosen-"

"They're called William Turner and Syrena Barbossa," Philip said flatly. "Elizabeth's right. You don't care about them. You only care that we care about them."

Weatherby sighed, "I don't know them."

"And who's fault is that?" Elizabeth shot. "Sure, Syrena has just entered the picture, so no one on earth could possibly blame you for not knowing her. But Will? You've known Will for eight years. He's been Philip's best friend for eight years. Have you once even bothered to try to understand what it is that we see in him that makes us want to be around him so much?"

"But I couldn't-"

"You got close to my father," Philip pointed out. "The year he stayed in your home. While in the background my parents were falling in love, in the foreground, you became good friends with poor missionary Nathaniel Swift."

"He wasn't exactly that poor."

"And you knew my mother," Elizabeth added. "Three years she and Aunt Rebecca were friends, and so were the two of you. You were close enough that when your father told you it was time to marry, you knew her enough to know she could be someone you could spend your days with. Sure, you courted and got to know each other more to confirm those feelings, but you knew her enough that when you stood in a room together it wasn't just Rebecca's best friend and Rebecca's older brother. You were Weatherby Swann and Katherine Skylark. Three years is all it took. Yet when you stand in a room with Will after eight years, it's still just Governor Swann and Mister Turner."

Weatherby tried to sputter out a few words, but no sentence, no strong argument could formulate in his head.

So Philip went in for the kill, "Tell me, Uncle, in another eight years when Will has married your only daughter and gotten a few children on her, are they going to look up at their father and grandfather and still find it's Mister Turner and Governor Swann?"

Weatherby didn't even have an answer to that.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, struggling with the thought of the two most important men in her life still being so awkward and distant.

But Philip wasn't ready to let the issue die quietly, "Why is it such a hard thought it let them in?"

"Philip," Weatherby shook his head, "you don't understand."

"I'm trying to, but be honest with me, do you even know?"

To his surprise, his uncle nodded, "Yes. I do know why."

It took Philip back for a minute. His uncle sounded so strong. So certain.

But Elizabeth wasn't phased.

"It's because they're a blacksmith and a mermaid," she said bitterly. "That's all they'll ever be to you. Never Will and Syrena. You know, it's not an easy thing for me either. The thought of Philip and The Mermaid as I've known her over the past month, to be together the way that I love Will. The way I grew up seeing between you and Mother. But I do it, and I push myself to open up and know her more. To know her as Syrena… So why can't you do the same for Will?"

Slowly, Weatherby shook his head, "I'm sorry. I never could bring myself to try… and now I fear that it's too late."

Philip looked over at Elizabeth. Their eyes met and a silent conversation flew through between blue and green gazes. They both could see there was something there cracking open beneath the visage of Weatherby Swann. A glimpse at a reason why he was the way he was towards Will and an opening they could pry apart to break down that barrier. After a minute of silent deliberation, Elizabeth finally nodded, and Philip smiled.

He looked back to his uncle. Weatherby's head was hung with shame, and guilt shone through his eyes as he stared off towards the portrait of Aunt Kat sitting on the table.

"If that's what your fear is, Uncle," Philip spoke with all the reverence and command of a preacher, "then I have good news for you. It's not too late. In fact, right now is the greatest time to act. With the introduction of Syrena and the changing relationship between Will and Elizabeth, there has never been a better time to take this chance."

Weatherby frowned, "What chance is that?"

"The chance to try again."

It was noon when Will was relieved of his kitchen duties, and he never wanted to look at another potato in his life. He had spent four hours peeling a literal mountain of potatoes, and he wasn't even sure if Norrington was going to have them served that day to begin with.

Will hadn't seen much of anyone that day. His morning had started with a very sour faced Norrington waking him up in his hammock and charging him with a list of the day's duties. When Will noticed that Philip wasn't in the hammock below, he had asked Norrington the whereabouts of his friend. Norrington had told Will that he had seen Philip heading towards Governor Swann's cabin after Norrington and Elizabeth had discussed their engagement plans with the Governor.

Norrington hadn't revealed to Will the contents of said engagement discussion, but he had "accidentally" leaned on the hammock in a way that "accidentally" flipped over the sheet and "accidentally" sent Will smack onto the ground.

Will had been very tempted to "accidentally" tell Norrington that he knew the taste of his fiancée's lips, but decided that would only make things worse.

He had then practically been chained to the wall of the galley as he assisted the cook with the potato mountain project. Thankfully being a blacksmith meant hard labour didn't affect Will too poorly, but that said he was a sword maker and not kitchen hand. He definitely nicked himself more times than he was willing to confess to.

Will was just on his way back to his hammock for a little down time before Norrington found him again, when he heard someone shout his name.

He turned around just in time to catch Elizabeth who had thought an unannounced tackle embrace wouldn't most likely end in injury to them both.

But Will found he couldn't complain as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck. His arms locked around her body, and he felt a tension he didn't know he had been holding release. She felt so right in his arms, fitted together so perfectly like a lock holding its rightful key. He had been placed on this Earth to be with this woman, to hold her, protect her, love her.

He wanted to be mad about the engagement, be cold, distant, and aloof. But when it was all laid bare, when all that that didn't matter was stripped away, his heart always had belonged to her.

Will's faith renewed the fact he had always been certain of: he would do anything for this woman. He was hers: heart, body, and soul.

"Elizabeth," he murmured, holding her tight. God himself wouldn't be able to pry her from his arms. "As much as I want to, we can't keep doing this."

"Yes, we can." He could feel her smile into his neck, "It's over, Will. It's all over."

He drew back, confused, and scowled at her, "What do you mean?"

She looked like the cat who ate the canary, her arms draped languidly around his neck, "My engagement to Norrington is over."

"What? How?"

"James withdrew his offer and my father withdrew his consent. He wants me to be with whomever makes me happy… Father has given his blessing to be with you."

The words seemed unreal, and Will had to play them back in his mind for a few times before he grasped them, "It's done then. You and I… we really can be together."

"For now and forever," she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. Elizabeth loved the way his eyes slipped shut at the touch of her skin against his. Feeling his hot and somehow both shaky and smooth breath against her face, Elizabeth studied his features and decided that she would quite insist on him bearing facial hair in the future. She reached up and caressed the line of his sideburn, "I am yours and you are mine… That is unless you were wanting to back out."

He caught her hand, "Never."

And he pulled her into a kiss. A kiss that was fierce. A kiss that was passionate. A kiss that was hungry and celebratory at finally having the freedom they had yearned for for years.

A kiss that was interrupted by a polite cough.

They pulled apart and whirled around. Instantly heat rose in both of their faces as they took in the figure down the other end of the hallway, a rather red faced himself looking Governor Swann.

"I see then that Elizabeth has shared the news," Weatherby couldn't even make eye contact with them.

"Father," Elizabeth untangled herself from Will, and the pair hurriedly smoothed out their clothing as if they hadn't been caught redheaded. "Will and I were just-"

Weatherby held up a silencing hand, "Elizabeth, your mother and I were quite affectionate within our marriage. I am- Well acquainted with what you were doing."

Elizabeth didn't know whether being caught kissing Will or hearing her father reference her parents' physical love life that was worse. Either way, she kind of wanted to go throw herself in the sea.

"So," Weatherby folded his hands behind his back and slowly began to walk toward the pair, "this is the path you have chosen, isn't it? After all, he is a blacksmith."

She watched the wince on Will's face with all the love in her heart pouring over, "No. He's a pirate."

Will smiled at her, every doubt he ever had lifted from his chest. Pirate, blacksmith, thief, hero, villain, or savior. None of that mattered. He was hers and she was his. Nothing would ever come between them again.

Weatherby nodded. There was no disappointment, no judgement, or regret. He was happy, happy and proud of this young woman who wasn't just pieces of Katherine, Rebecca, and himself crushed together. This young woman was Elizabeth Swann exactly as who she was as utterly as she would ever be: herself.

He felt a tear in his eye and his voice shook a little as he said, "They would all be so proud of you."

Elizabeth didn't need to hear him specify. She knew he spoke of her mother, her aunt, her uncle, but most of all, himself.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

Weatherby Swann bowed his head and pushed away that longing for his own love to be at his side. Still, he couldn't help but think about how happy Katherine would have been in that moment and how he could feel her love shining down from heaven upon them.

"It is my honour as your father," Weatherby replied. He then took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and straightened, "Now that said, let's not rush into floral arrangements with your cousin just yet. There are still a few things we have to settle before anything moves forward."

"Floral arrangements?" Will puzzled.

Elizabeth waived him off.

"While I run the risk of sounding the hypocrite considering my own bride's age," Weatherby continued, "I'm not entirely keen on my daughter being wed at only nineteen."

"Wait, am I not twenty yet?" Elizabeth scowled. She suddenly realized that having been kidnapped, she had been removed from calendars for weeks and did not actually know when in time she was. "What day is it?"

"February the 24th," Weatherby answered a little too exactly. "It's been a little over a month since you were kidnapped… or bathed."

"Hey, I did get completely submerged in water the other day when Barbossa made me walk the plank into shark infested waters with Sparrow."

"…God did not bless me with enough strength to handle you."

Will couldn't help a snort of laughter, and received the wrong end of Elizabeth's dark glare.

"But as I was saying," Weatherby took charge of the situation so naturally again, "there are a few things we must discuss."

"Of course," Elizabeth said. "I'm all ears."

"Actually… I was hoping to speak with William alone for a few minutes."

It was hard to tell which of the pair was more surprised at the request.

"Oh, of course," Will said and then gave Elizabeth a look.

"Fine," she huffed when both of the men's gazes lingered on her. "I'll just go sit back in my cabin like a naughty child sent to their room."

"I think Philip was telling me that Syrena was needing some help to prepare for their walk. Poor girl apparently does not understand shoes."

Will frowned, "Like how to put them on or the concept?"

Weatherby shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Fine! I'll go teach the fish how to tie a shoe." Elizabeth took her leave, but as she passed her father, she stopped to whisper, "William?"

"I figured it was the best place to start."

"Thank you," she kissed him on the cheek and then disappeared.

Silence hung on the air as the men felt the heavy weight of Elizabeth's absence. They had been alone before – however briefly – but it was different when Will was in the position of Elizabeth's beau and most likely soon to be fiancé. In that moment both men independently wished that Philip would show up to be a nice neutral third party.

Oh who was Weatherby Swann kidding? Philip would absolutely side with Will if he was here.

"So," Will braved the breaking of the silence, "you wished to speak with me?"

"Yes," Weatherby cleared his throat. "I, uh… I wanted to… I need to… I should say that…"

He had been going over in his head exactly what he wanted to say to William Turner the entire walk over, and yet as he looked the young man in the face, he found his words lost to him.

Finally, he blurted it out, "I wanted to apologize."

Whatever Will had expected the Governor to say, that was not it, "I'm sorry?"

"I need to apologize," Weatherby repeated. "I'm sorry. I should have had the faith and trust in you to support your save Elizabeth plan to the Commodore, and I didn't. I was wrong and I apologize for that."

"Governor-"

"It's Weatherby," he said with a fierceness that was hard to tell if he was assuring Will or himself. "You can call me Weatherby."

Will hesitated, and a factor that neither Philip nor Elizabeth had considered arose. They might have been happy at the thought of Will and Weatherby calling each other by their Christian names. That didn't mean Will was comfortable with it.

"How about we start with Sir and work from there?" Will suggested pragmatically.

"That sounds good to me, though I must insist you share that with Elizabeth and Philip, else I'll never hear the end of it."

"I can do that," Will chuckled.

It was an interesting glimmer to catch Weatherby Swann like that. That vulnerability to family bonds and joking rivalries. It always reminded him in those moments that yes, indeed he was the father and uncle to Elizabeth and Philip and that not so long ago Weatherby and Rebecca too had been a snarking sibling spectacle.

Not for the first time it made Will wish he had been lucky enough to meet the infamous Rebecca Swift and wonder how history would have changed had she lived.

"Well, Sir," Will made a point of the word, "what I was trying to say is that you don't need to apologize for not supporting my plan of breaking Jack out of prison. It was a ridiculous plan with only a fool's hope to actually work."

"And yet it did work, didn't it?"

"…I suppose it did."

Weatherby let out a long breath, "I'm… I'm sorry William. For a great many things. For not trusting you to save Elizabeth. For not trusting you to teach Philip how to fight. For pushing you off into the care of the Browns instead of taking responsibility for you myself-"

It was a statement too far, "You didn't owe me anything. I was a random child you found in the middle of the sea who could have been from anywhere. You were more than generous finding me a home, guardians, and an apprenticeship. The Browns were a wonderful place for me until Agnes…"

The silence spoke for both of them.

Will sighed, "I wouldn't be the man I am today if you didn't point my life in that direction."

"Yet I know for a fact that if even one of them – Katherine, Rebecca, even Nathaniel – if a single one of them had survived to that crossing, you never would have left our home."

And for a minute the pair of men indulged in thoughts of that life that never happened.

Of how Katherine would have instantly mother-henned Will, taken him under her wing and told her husband "This one's mine now."

Of how Rebecca would have survived to play out their fresh start they had planned all those years ago and taken Will into her own house to raise him like Philip's brother and constantly pester Weatherby to let her play matchmaker with Will and Elizabeth.

Of how Nathaniel would have been two men against the world with Weatherby, trying to raise a bunch of troublesome children and convinced Weatherby that Will was a gift from God.

They were all nice thoughts to Will: growing up with clothes that didn't itch and tear, food always in his belly, be warm and safe and lived. But to Weatherby the thought was just a reminder of all he had lost and why he had pushed Will away to begin with.

"I should have raised you," Weatherby finally spoke the words. "I took Philip into my care without a thought, but with you… it was just too much."

Will bowed his head, "You never had an obligation to me."

"No, you're wrong. I did and I refused that obligation. I pushed you away into a corner and tried to forget you were ever there. I tried to ignore the bond you built with Philip and I tried to ignore that you built with Elizabeth. I told myself I would never hurt my children the way my father hurt his, and yet I was still as stubborn and selfish as him… I couldn't, I couldn't even give you the dignity of telling you how well you crafted the Commodore's sword."

Will looked at him in shock, "You know?"

"I'm not blind. I've known for years that you've been doing all of Brown's work for him. You've become a fine craftsman and I'm confident you will make a name for yourself in your own right. Honestly, I was surprised when you admitted to me that you made Philip's sword for him."

"In all fairness, Philip did throw me into the lion's den on that one."

"Gets it from his mother."

"She sounds like a wonderful woman."

"As wonderful as a brother dare admits to flatter a younger sister. Especially one with an ego like Rebecca… she would have liked you. They all would have."

"I'm sure I would have liked them," Will said honestly. "Sir, if it makes you feel better, even though I don't believe you need to apologize, I will tell you I forgive you for not taking me on as your ward. But if you don't mind me asking, may I ask why you didn't."

It was a very long time before Weatherby spoke, but when he did, Will understood it all.

"Tabitha. It's because of Tabitha."

Will just nodded. He knew the story that the Swanns almost never spoke of. It had only ever been told to him in hushed whispers and fragments he had to stitch together himself to understand the full picture. She was a specter on the family, a ghost of what could have been, and the forbearing of all their tragedy.

Because Tabitha was the sister of Elizabeth's who had lived.

Weatherby and Katherine Swann were notorious for having lost twelve children as stillbirth or miscarriage. But that didn't mean all of their children never made it to the cradle; there had been three who lived.

The first had been a son named Daniel, born sometime after the Beckett Incident. He had been small at birth, but was strong enough to make it past the birthing bed. Unfortunately, his lungs hadn't developed properly and after three months of struggle, died in his mother's arms.

Elizabeth had been the next survivor, and she was going on twenty years still kicking. Sometimes literally.

Tabitha was the last, born when Elizabeth was six years old.

She had been a bit of a miracle, the first pregnancy that Katherine had had after Elizabeth. In confidential whispers, Elizabeth had told Will that Rebecca had once confessed to her that Katherine had actually been preventing pregnancy after Elizabeth's birth. Every day she took a type of herb that Rebecca brought back from Kifka, a herb she also took herself and the reason why Philip was an only child.

Somehow Tabitha had defied the properties of the Kifka herb, and unlike all her brothers and sisters before her just slipped so easily into the world. Even her birth had been extremely easy, only taking four hours to converse Elizabeth's twenty-three hour ordeal. (That detail Will had learned while stuck in the middle of a very odd and Will definitely should not have been there but it would just make things worse if he tried to slip out of the room fight between the Governor and Elizabeth.)

Where Elizabeth took mostly after her mother, Tabitha Rebecca Swann took after her father. True, she had her mother's heart shaped face and cherubic cheeks, she had her father's dark eyes and curly brown hair. She was just as lively as the Swann women before her, and having Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Tabitha alone in a room together was a recipe for trouble.

Six-year-old Elizabeth and seven-year-old Philip adored Tabitha, but her presence never got between their own bond. They were still the older children and as they grew up were less inclined to have a little sister toddle after them.

When Nathaniel and Rebecca came home to see their son turn ten, Nathaniel was harangued by his mother about how little she got to see the children. It wasn't an unfounded refrain as indeed the Swanns in raising Philip did spend significantly more time with them than his Swift grandmother and aunts. But it wasn't just Philip who Nathaniel's mother wanted to see.

Lillian Swift had met Katherine during the year Nathaniel stayed with the Swanns, and upon seeing how mistreated she was by her parents and her father-in-law had up and declared she had herself another daughter. As such, she treated Weatherby and Katherine's daughters as much her grandchildren as Philip was, despite Elizabeth and Tabitha not sharing a drop of blood.

After much debate it was decided that it would do Elizabeth some good to spend time with her aunt and uncle, and so Philip, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, and Rebecca went off to Nathaniel's hometown of Black Hill Cove for a month. Little Tabitha was only three at the time, and Katherine refused to let her baby go off without her for such a long time. Nine-year-old Elizabeth could understand why Mummy wasn't around, but Tabitha wouldn't.

It was a decision that would come to destroy Katherine. During the holiday, Swann Manor was hit by a bad bout of scarlet fever. Katherine had developed it but ultimately shook it off.

Tabitha wasn't so lucky.

Weatherby and Katherine had suffered so many infants lost, but Tabitha broke Katherine in a different way. To have loved her and had her so full of life for three years only to be ripped away by disease was more than she could bear. Katherine was still in her recovery bed, forbidden to see Tabitha lest either of their conditions to get worse, when Tabitha passed away. Weatherby hadn't even been permitted to be with his daughter in her final moments. But he was given the honour of giving the news to Katherine.

She never could forgive herself for not letting Tabitha go with the others to Black Hill Cove. If she had let her baby go with the others, Tabitha never would have gotten sick and died. The usually jubilant Katherine Swann became severely depressed and started taking her meals alone. She even began sleeping in a bedroom separate from her husband, something she had never done beyond the odd night here or there for the entirety of their marriage.

But then Katherine began sharing her husband's bed again, and it was in more than just the sleeping fashion. When Rebecca found out, she instantly informed Weatherby that Katherine had stopped taking the Kifka herbs. It wasn't hard for everyone to realize what was going on: she wanted another baby to replace the one she lost.

If Weatherby had ever confronted her about it, that was something only known to the two of them. As was whether Katherine's subsequent pregnancy was something Weatherby had been unaware of intent at the time of conception, or if he had been a complicit partner. After all, he was a grieving father as well.

Whatever the motive, Katherine did become pregnant, and it was a deadly error on her part. The baby was a stillborn boy, just another heartbreak on the pile of children torn out of their arms. But nobody saw coming what happened next.

First came the nausea and the blinding headaches. No one thought the abdominal pain or the swollen ankles were out of the ordinary for a woman who had just given birth. But when the confusion and vertigo set in, it was clear to all that something was wrong. There was no saving her when the seizure started.

Katherine died confused, in pain, and before Weatherby could even make it to her side.

"In less than two years, I lost my daughter and then my wife with no warning at all," Weatherby told Will, but Will had the feeling the Governor wasn't even really speaking to him. "Just… gone like all those years together meant nothing at all. Like what we had been through didn't matter."

Will thought to the moment he had seen Elizabeth fall off the plank. To when he had seen her standing at the mercy of Barbossa's crew in Isla de Muerta. To when he saw Barbossa pull that pistol on her, moments from when he had dropped the medallion into the chest. How close had he come to losing her? For all of their history to be wiped clean like it never happened at all.

He never gave much thought to the relationship of Elizabeth's parents, but he had always known it was (mostly) a love match. It seemed unfathomable to Will that this strict man of decorum and propriety could ever feel the same burning passion for a woman the way Will felt for Elizabeth.

And to imagine it all gone in an instant…

"I lost Tabitha," Weatherby said. "Then I lost Katherine. A year later, Nathaniel was gone. And then a year after that, when we were all going to leave and get a fresh start in the Caribbean, Rebecca left me too. You see, that's the thing people don't often talk about. The more you have to love, the more you have to lose."

And Will understood, "So when a boy shows up in the middle of the ocean, the same age and tragic backstory as your children-"

"Sent as some gift of God to help me move forward… I failed. I turned away and tried to not care. Because if I didn't care about you-"

"Then it wouldn't matter if you lost me," Will finished. He had no judgement in his voice, just understanding.

Weatherby sighed, "I failed on that front too. Elizabeth was right in her estimation: you are a strong, brave, intelligent, talented young man that I would dearly miss if anything happened to you. …I know that doesn't seem to count for much when just yesterday I did agree with the order to leave you behind with pirates-"

Will laughed, "Well, it's nice to know you at least would have felt bad about it."

He couldn't help but chuckle in reply, "I did try to fight the Commodore on it. A little bit."

"I appreciate it. And I accept your apology. I bear you no ill will on your decision and hopefully we can move forward in harmony."

Weatherby looked at him for a long beat, "William, Elizabeth is my dearest treasure in the entire world. I would rather be dead than let anything happen to her."

"It's a sentiment that we both share."

"Good, because if this all goes where we all know it's headed, I want you to know I'm expecting you to take the job of husband to my only living child most seriously."

"I promise, Sir, there is nothing in this world that is more important to me than Elizabeth's happiness and safety." Will paused uncertainly, "So do this mean Elizabeth and I are-"

"Courting," Weatherby answered firmly. "Just courting for now but after an appropriate amount of time has passed, you may make an announcement of engagement. I will leave the actual proposing business to yourself and Elizabeth when you see fit. I do ask you take the time to properly court and not rush into anything out of obligation."

Will couldn't help but dare to ask, "Does this have anything to do with the whole your sister proposed on your behalf story?"

Weatherby raised an eyebrow, "Have you ever heard that story in full?"

"Only the facts I just quoted to you."

"I had been courting Katherine for three months and my father invited her, her parents, and her brothers to dinner at our Manor. Twenty minutes before their carriage arrived, my father informed me I was proposing that night at dinner without even so much as a please? Katherine also was told on the carriage ride over and the pair of us were so awkward and nervous we barely could look at each other. When it came time for the toast where I was to propose, I panicked, stuttered out something about family unity, and ended the toast sans proposal. My father was furious and sent Katherine and I on a walk in the garden with the instructions to come back engaged or don't come back at all. I panicked, couldn't bring myself to ask such an uncomfortable Katherine to marry me, and Rebecca who was our chaperone decided the only way Katherine and I could ever feel comfortable about entering into marriage on forced but affectionate terms was if Rebecca did the proposing herself. Funny story, right?"

Will couldn't help but wonder why all the funny Swann family lore turned out to just be sad and abusive.

"I will not have my daughter forced into accepting an engagement." He remembered the events of the previous day, "…For a second time."

"Sir, I promise that I will propose to Elizabeth in an unrushed, thought out manner that doesn't cause her discomfort at all. Or at least will try to. Elizabeth is a factor in this, so who knows what will happen?"

"Good man," Weatherby knew that at least the boy wouldn't have to seriously think through whether or not marriage between himself and Elizabeth was a good idea. Come hell or high water, it was happening. "Now, while I understand that it is not my place to approve a marriage on Elizabeth's behalf, I would like to give my blessing. And to receive my blessing, there are three things I would ask of you."

"Name them."

"First, you will obtain a proper home for yourself and Elizabeth. I am willing to discuss that home being moving yourself into the Manor if need be, or you can seek a home of your own to build or purchase. But so help me, William, my daughter's marital bed will not be a cot in the back room of a blacksmith's shop. Is that understood?"

"Understood." It wasn't hard for Will to agree to the point. It was something he himself had already been thinking of. Besides, it would be nice to sleep on something better than a cot for once.

"Next, you will not wed Elizabeth until you are in a proper financial position to support a wife and a child. I have known far too many men in my life who found themselves a father before their first anniversary. Considering every single Skylark I've ever met has managed to sire a child or become pregnant within the first year of marriage, I suggest you not roll the dice."

Will resisted the urge to tug at his collar. Yes, he absolutely did want to have children with Elizabeth in the future, but even talking about that to Philip was uncomfortable, much less Elizabeth's father.

Then again, Weatherby Swann hadn't already named Will and Elizabeth's future children, unlike one Mister Swift, so maybe it was less awkward.

He cleared his throat, "Absolutely. It's a goal I'm already working towards. I've been saving to purchase the shop from Mr. Brown who has promised me a good price. It should be about another year or two until I can do that, and then I will likely need another year of business to really establish myself. Then maybe another year to get a proper home in order."

Weatherby and Will held each other's gaze. It was no doubt to either of them that the timeline of three to four years before Elizabeth actually got to marry Will probably wouldn't go down well with her.

"I'll figure it out," Will promised.

"I'm sure you will," Weatherby said. "And as I said, if you do need to stay in the Manor for the first year or so-"

"I'll figure it out," Will repeated, bristling against the suggestion. Philip's long ago promise to offer some sort of charity to help Will buy the blacksmith shop echoed in his mind, but Will pushed it away. He was a self-sufficient man. They would manage. "What is the third thing?"

"The third is about your pirate heritage."

Will stiffened, "Yes?"

"I worry that if your parents were as prominent in the pirating world as I've come to understand, then that may down the line put another target on yourself and in effect, Elizabeth. As I said before, if any harm was to come to her-"

"And as I've said before, I will never let anything happen to her. I would go to the ends of the world if that meant bringing her home safe."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that, but what concerns me is that if something does happen where you and Philip need to dash across the Caribbean to save Elizabeth again, I want to be sure she was safe during her captivity."

Will frowned, "I'm not sure I follow."

"I want you to teach her to handle a sword."

He stared blankly at the Governor.

"I'm sorry," Will blinked, "I'm not sure I heard you right."

Weatherby sighed, "I know, I'm a hypocrite. I scolded Philip for wanting you to teach him and now here I am asking you to do that very thing for Elizabeth. But that was before all of this. Before the pirates, before Elizabeth being with you, before I could see what you could do with a blade."

"With all due respect, you actually haven't seen me with a blade since I duelled Jack. The new information is all based on hearsay and Philip and Elizabeth are prone to theatrics."

"William."

Will quieted.

"I just," Weatherby sighed heavily, "I just want my daughter to be safe. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," he said seriously. "Yes, I can."

"Good. Now don't think this is some free for all pass on propriety. These lessons will not be in the public eye and knowledge stays in the family. Oh, and Philip will be there for every second of it. This is a self-defence class and not a way to sneak improper affection before marriage. And if I even get a whiff that you are duping Philip and bribing him or coercing him in any way to get more inappropriate alone time, I swear to God, Gillette will start chaperoning."

"Yes, Sir. Understood," Will Turner never would be more afraid of Weatherby Swann than in that moment. "I promise that there will be nothing inappropriate between Elizabeth and myself before marriage. I quite strongly believe in the sanctity of the marriage bed and the wedding night and all that."

Weatherby narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he entirely believed Will – Weatherby too had been a young man with passionate urges for Katherine once – but he also didn't want to dig into it and find confirmation the other way. He would be perfectly happy even just pretending the blacksmith's apprentice wasn't trying to ravish Elizabeth… or the other way around.

"Alright then. That settles it." Weatherby offered a hand to shake, "Best of luck and congratulations."

"Thank you," Will shook. "It's an honour that your congratulations be our first."

"Well…"

"Philip already knows before me and has congratulated Elizabeth already, hasn't he?"

"I really need to get that boy a new hobby or distraction of some sort."

"I mean, he does have Syrena now."

"Yes, I suppose he does." Weatherby took a deep breath. "Philip wants me to try and spend some time to get to know her today. She can barely walk for more than a few metres at a time and Philip is already talking her out for a promenade on the deck. I don't even know what appropriate venue to invite her to, much less what to connect with her about."

"You should invite her for tea," Will suggested. "Last night, when we were waiting for you and Philip to leave the cabin, we talked a little. She told me that Barbossa had promised to take her for high tea when the curse broke. She was looking forward to it, and now she can't. Syrena might be very touched over the gesture."

"Then tea it is," Weatherby bowed his head. "Any suggestions for discussion points to connect on while you're at it?"

Will shrugged, "I think she likes books. Your wife liked reading, right?"

"Very much so."

"Talk about books and how much Mrs. Swann enjoyed them."

"Yes, I think I could do that."

"Well, best of luck on your tea," Will said.

"And best of luck with your punishment chores," Weatherby countered. "I think I heard the Commodore getting a nice large bucket of water ready for you to scrub the deck. And careful, the seagulls have been active lately."

He couldn't help but laugh at Will's sour expression.

"I guess it's true what they say," Weatherby slapped Will on the back, "crime doesn't pay."

"Considering that I get to be with Elizabeth, I don't think that saying rings true. Regardless, I'd do it over again in a heartbeat."

"Good man," Weatherby patted Will's shoulder and began walking away.

Will turned to start heading to his original goal: a quick nap in his hammock before Norrington found him again. Although with his mind abuzz over the new developments with Elizabeth, he doubted he would be able to settle down his brain enough.

"Oh, and William?"

Will stopped. He slowly turned to see Weatherby Swann paused down the hallway.

"I just want you to know," Weatherby said, "that in the future if we ever do end up in a situation like this again, any doubts that I may have… It's not from a lack of faith in you."

And Will knew he meant it.