DISCLAIMER: I don’t own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise or any of the characters or dialogue associated with the film. They are the property of the Walt Disney Corporation.

AN: Part Three: Elizabeth's (short) perspective. I am feeling disheartened by the whole "curse isn't broken thing". gah.

Elizabeth watched from the window as father and son embraced…finally. She had raised Will to practically worship his father, so the unspoken resentment had been unexpected. Even more unexpected had been Will’s silence and detachment from not only their son, but also her. She’d made do for ten years, done the best she could with her limited resources, and now she had a bit of a reputation as a madwoman. A lot of people had doubted that she was married, a lot of men had pushed it too far. Luckily, Will had taught her well and she defended herself admirably.

Will had nearly completed the forge and she knew that he would then spend his time building the smithy around it. Her only concern was that once it was built, he would lose himself in sword-making again, as he had before their first attempted wedding. She could appreciate that he had been through a lot in the last ten years, and that ferrying souls would be the work of only a strong constitution, but she had needs as well. She had imagined that he would need time to adjust to living normally again, and so she gave him the space she felt he desired.

The first night of his return, he had asked young Will question after question, and so he had asked questions in return. When the boy had finally fallen asleep at the table, Will had carried him off to bed and tucked him in lovingly. The whole scene had brought a great hope to Elizabeth’s heart. That night, Will had also been particularly attentive to her. But, somehow, as the month progressed, he had grown distant. He had detached himself from her and Will in almost every way. He had even gone so far as to distance himself from her intimately instead of running the risk of a pregnancy. Did he not want more children? Did he not want her? Elizabeth suspected that it had to do with his silent need to provide, but she’d made do before, she could do it again.

Meanwhile, young Will resented him for his lack of engagement. Elizabeth had noticed that Will would only really step into the role of parent when he felt that their son had stepped out of line. This morning was a prime example. This worried Elizabeth. It would not build a solid foundation between father and son if the only role Will chose to play was that of the disciplinarian. If she asked him, he was silent on the matter. He would nod in silent understanding, mull over it in silent contemplation, and finally smile in a silent offer of comfort. She loved him despite the maddening silence, but she knew that eventually someone in this house would break. She hadn’t even considered that it would be her son. As for Will, it was almost as if he had relapsed into the person that he had been very long ago – burying emotions and holding back for the sake of others. The overall result was exasperating, but she felt as she had back then. She felt that she wanted nothing more than to entice Will Turner from out of the shadows and into her arms.

Elizabeth had hoped that bringing Jack around would have coaxed him out of his shell but, in fact, it had only served to make him more guarded. But, now, at least whatever was being said outside had brought about the collapse of the wall between father and son. It was now up to her to bring down the wall between them. They were laughing when they entered the door, and she thought she heard Will talking about Port Royal. Elizabeth hadn’t told young Will much of anything about their past. She was not a great storyteller, but rather a relay for facts. Will smiled at her and she couldn’t help but return it. There was something in his eyes that reminded her of that desperate battle on the Pearl, ten years ago. It was now or never.

She stood, frozen outside her son’s room, listening in silence to Will’s story about how they had met and all that had transpired with his father. Young Will had, of course, met his grandfather and so the story was of incredible interest to him. Will was a storyteller, she discovered, smiling to herself. She would have never imagined him for one, but he had been on a ship of pirates for ten years and so must have picked up the art along the way.

He caught sight of her again, as he turned his head, and smiled warmly, his eyes locking with hers. She smiled back sheepishly, embarrassed at being caught in her espionage. As sleep claimed young Will, Elizabeth found herself drawn to the magnetism of her husband. It was as though a floodgate had opened and Will had been released. Without a word, he stood up, walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He took Elizabeth’s hand and led her back to their own room, again closing the door behind him.

He turned quickly and placed his hands on the door behind her, essentially pinning her there. His eyes studied Elizabeth’s face intensely.

“Elizabeth, I…”

But she didn’t let him finish, covering his mouth with her own. For once, she felt as though she could, as thought it were allowed. Will pulled back breathless.

“ Elizabeth, I just want to say…,” he paused, looking guilty and a little sad. “I love you. I should have been telling you and Will everyday. I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth smiled, genuinely, and pressed her body against his. “How sorry are you?” she whispered in his ear. He leaned down and kissed her, reverently but passionately, pressing her into the door. A thought crossed her mind, something that had been weighing on Will’s mind that she suddenly remembered. Although it was distinctly against what he body wanted, she pulled back from Will. The last thing she wanted was for this to all go away in the morning and for him to resent her for it. The last thing she wanted was another pregnancy alone.

“Will…what about…what if…?”

Will smiled, knowing what she was asking. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her softly. “We’ll make do, Elizabeth,” he whispered.

It was the only reassurance she’d really needed from him before succumbing entirely to the mad passion that she’d always felt towards him.

They’d all slept in, although Elizabeth was the first up. She glanced at Will, peaceful in his slumber, and traced a finger down the scar on his chest, finally pressing her palm to it and feeling the reassuring thump of his heart beneath it. She kissed him lightly and crawled out of bed, dressing with silent aptness. When she reached the kitchen, pattering along silently in bare feet, she glanced out the window. It was a beautiful day and the sun shone intensely already. Was it really that bright, or had her outlook just become that much brighter.

“Good morning, mother,” Will said sleepily behind her. She turned to find her son coming towards her, dressed haphazardly and also in bare feet. She smiled. Hang propriety.

“Good morning, Will. I’ll have breakfast ready in a few moments,” she replied softly. Her ability to prepare meals amazed her. She had been brought up with servants and the very idea of cooking had baffled her at first. It was quite easy, however, once she’d done it a few times.

Breakfast was almost ready when she heard the door click down the hallway. Elizabeth smiled to herself and turned to discover that young Will had decided not to hunch up and stare at the table, but rather had turned as well, a delighted smile on his face. Will entered the room, rubbing his eyes groggily, his feet also bare, and Elizabeth knew that they were already on a different path than the one they had been on yesterday. Will glanced at her and she knew, as her son started talking excitedly to his father, that they were all on the right path…finally.