AN: I usually don't write stories that take place within any of the films, preferring to stick to the "in-between" times, filling in the blanks of the trilogy. However, I've wanted to do a reconciliation piece for some time now, something that illuminates the thoughts, feelings, and internal struggles that Will and Elizabeth are dealing with at this very crucial point. I decided the one year anniversary of AWE was the perfect time to do so. This encompasses rather a large chunk of material and touches on several different scenes, but I've tried to avoid dwelling to much on what we've actually seen in the film, focusing instead on filling in the things we didn't see and verbalizing the thoughts and emotions that were evident on their faces.

This story does jump around a bit from scene to scene, and I struggled with the decision of keeping it a single, large oneshot or breaking it up into five short chapters. Ultimately, as I didn't want to give the impression of this being anything more than a contained oneshot, I opted to post it all as one. However, for purposes of clarity, please keep in mind that each pagebreak represents a passage of time and a change of location.

After all these years
After all these tears between us
Can I, knowing how I've tried,
Still come close to losing you
When you are my world?
Each time I stop to think what it is I really need
I must conclude all I really need is you

Elizabeth Swann stood in Sao Feng's lush cabin, surrounded by ornate carvings and satin tapestries, but the finery was lost on her, representing nothing more than a glorified prison cell. In the hours she had spent aboard the Empress, she could have no complaints of her treatment. She had been given a hot meal followed by a warm bath, and was now being outfitted in the finest clothing she had worn in at least a year's time. Yet she was not so naïve as to miss the significance of these preparations. Sunset was upon them, nightfall quickly approaching, and she know very well what was coming next. Perhaps Will had been right. Perhaps she had been too rash and for the first time had dove headfirst into waters too deep to tread.

……Will. As Sao Feng's concubines slipped the silk kimono over her shoulders, Elizabeth's mind drifted to her beloved. She had been harsh with him, undeservedly so, going so far as to physically push him away from her, suggesting that he was no better than these men, suggesting that she did not need his help……How wrong she was. But she hadn't meant it, not any of it, not really. Her mind was still reeling from the knowledge that Will had kept something so vitally important from her, that he hadn't trusted her, that apparently she was as unworthy of his confidence as she herself had intimated. Still, to learn that, at least at one point, he must have agreed felt almost as much a betrayal of her as it was of Jack. And yet she had no right to those feelings in light of all she had keep from him those many months. Will had looked so devastated when she'd shunned him and willingly walked off with another man. True, she was bargaining for both of their sakes, doing the only plausible thing to safely extract them from the situation but, as before, the action left a bitter taste in her mouth. She hoped that wherever Will was at the moment he knew she hadn't meant what she said – wasn't really angry with him – and she wished more than anything in the world that he were near her now.

The door to the cabin could be heard opening and the concubines scurried to the exit, leaving her alone with a man who clearly had but one intention. Though years spent living in the public eye had taught Elizabeth well how to put on a mask of confident indifference, inwardly she shivered. Sao Feng wanted something of her she would die before conceding. Despite the setbacks in their relationship, her soul ever belonged to Will Turner and she would give her body only to him, no matter what she need do to ensure this.

He spoke to her of powers and gifts, attempted to take that which she would not willingly bestow and, somehow in a turn of events she could not yet get straight in her mind, her honor remained intact, Sao Feng lay dead, and she was now a pirate captain. Yet the victory was tainted by her immediate capture and imprisonment aboard the Flying Dutchman – by James Norrington of all people. But Elizabeth Swann was never one to go quietly into the night or placidly accept defeat. The hideous terrors of the ghost ship she now sailed with outranked even her vivid imagination, and her heart bled to think of the time her fiancé had spent aboard and the horrors he had endured. Still, his connection to the ship gave her hope. Will's father was somewhere aboard and could surely offer her assistance. It was only a matter of finding him amongst the crew.

She called out for Bootstrap to anyone and everyone who passed by. She knew nothing of what the man looked like beyond the testimonies of those he had sailed with aboard the Pearl, who insisted her betrothed bore a striking resemblance to his father. However, that was many years ago and the current state of the Dutchman's crew rendered them unrecognizable. In truth, for all she knew, Bootstrap could be any man onboard. A passing sailor laughed at her outcries, either amused at her desperation or perhaps her chances of actually finding the man. Nevertheless, she remained persistent.

When Elizabeth at last heard a faint reply to her calls, her heart pounded as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She had found her way out. She was one step closer to freedom, to reuniting with Will. Yet as soon as she laid eyes upon the man – if such a term could be used – her face fell and her heart broke. His condition was deplorable, more ocean than man, and she ached for how awful it must have been for Will to see him in such a state. She knew too well the pain of losing a father, and it hurt her – unspeakably so – to know that this was a pain it seemed her beloved would have to endure twice. Still, despite her beliefs of her future father-in-law's chances at survival, she did her best to reassure the man that his son was alive and doing all he could to help him.

Bootstrap snapped to attention, his demeanor suddenly changing as he declared, "I know you. He spoke of you."

Though it was widely improper at such a moment, her heart skipped a beat at the knowledge that in the few moments he'd had to spend with his father, after so many years apart, Will had wished to tell him of her, their love, and the life they had planned. She opened her mouth to reply, but Bootstrap continued on, his next ominously puzzling words destroying her moment of lovestruck excitement.

"He can't save me. He can't come because of you."

The words held a tinge of bitterness, and her confident surety faltered at the accusation. "Me?" She had never once tried to discourage or prevent Will from finding and rescuing his father.

"You're Elizabeth," he replied simply, as if her identity itself was the obvious answer.

"Yes, I'm Elizabeth," she confirmed, hoping her admission would induce him to further clarity.

"If Jones be slain, he who slays him must take his place……..If he saves me, he loses you."

The words echoed in Elizabeth's mind, playing over and over again in a nauseating repetition as the true reality of their situation began to sink in. What Will must be going through! On their journey to Singapore, and then to World's End, she had been too caught up in her own feelings and worries to realize that Will believed her to be in love with another man. Afterwards, she blamed the all-consuming guilt for this oversight which caused him to suffer so. Yet, even after that burden was relieved, she had thoughtlessly directed her anger at Will following his mutiny attempt when, in reality, he had only been trying to secure his father's freedom and still manage to hold onto their future together. Rather than set his mind at ease, rather than support him in his time of need, her rash actions had only, once again, given him further cause to fear he'd lost her affections. How selfish she'd been and what a fool!

Now there was no telling what Will might think, what he might do…."If Jones be slain, he who slays him must take his place"……The words haunted her. In the height of her own fears, before Will had found out the truth of what she had done, she'd distanced herself from him. She couldn't bear the guilt and condemnation his presence engendered within her, merely because he was so noble in light of her shame and she dreaded the day when he would come to know the terrible act she had committed. In her guilt-clouded haze, her tormented mind realized that Will was upset by her distance. She knew their relationship was experiencing a rough patch but, through it all, she never once entertained the notion of actually losing Will until this very moment. "Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine," she'd told herself. He might be disappointed in her, might think less of her, and it might take a long while for things to be as they once were between them, but they would still be together. They would rescue Jack. Her conscience would be clear, and she and Will would eventually find a safe place to settle, marry, and live happily as they had planned. 'Everything will be fine' had become her mantra, and yet it couldn't be further from the truth. There was a very real possibility that she could lose Will – and what a awful position he was in, forced to choose between the woman he loved and the father he'd always wished to know. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes – the emotional trauma so great the pain was physical – as her heart ached for him, for what he must be enduring and for the part she'd played in adding to that burden. Her last words to him had been harsh and cold. The knowledge was devastating that, in his time of suffering, at a moment as crucial as this, she'd left him with such an impression of their relationship.

But she must not lose him, could not lose him, simply would not let this happen. After all they'd been through, all the time they'd spent together, all that they meant to each other, to lose him now was inconceivable. She loved him, needed him beyond words. He was Will. Her childhood companion. Her strong, compassionate blacksmith. Her pirate. Her love. Life without him was unthinkable, too horrible to comprehend, her worst, must unbearable fear come to fruition. The idea was indefinably torturous.

Will had once said he should have told her how he loved her everyday since they met. The words had never before rang more true in her heart. She must find Will, find him and make him understand that she's sorry, that she knows of his struggle, that she empathizes with the hardships he's endured and, above all else, that she needs him and loves him desperately. In spite of all she had said and done in the past year and all that had changed around them, that point, that truth, had never wavered. Through it all, she had always loved him. He must know. She must find some way to prove it. Will was her entire world and she would not, could not, ever let him go. Everything and everyone else might slip through her grasp, lost forevermore, but not Will, never Will. They had already wasted so much time, but it was not too late. She wouldn't let it be.

Will Turner glanced above him at the brilliant stars twinkling in the perfect night sky. Had his mood been different he might had laughed at the absurd incongruity of the situation, such beauty overhead whilst he floated below, clinging for dear life to the dead body of a random sailor he do not know nor did he care to. How had life brought him here? Just under a year ago, he was back in Port Royal, a self-made man, owner of the smithy, set to marry his lifelong love and live the future he'd only thought possible in dreams. Now, as he drifted helplessly in the increasingly cold waters of the Caribbean Sea, nothing was certain anymore.

Still, as desperate as his situation was at the moment, he knew Elizabeth's was far worse. He had seen the lust in Sao Feng's eyes and begged her not to go with the man. He knew very well what desire for Elizabeth Swann could drive a man to. On more than one occasion it had very nearly caused him to take her innocence long before their wedding day. He shuddered to think of the lengths a man without his moral compass, who wasn't madly in love with her, would go to get what he wanted from her. Yet, he would not, could not, allow that scenario to play in his head. The thought was too much for his mind and heart to bear. Elizabeth was a strong, intelligent woman capable of looking after herself. His mouth twitched a half-smile as he contemplated how, in happier days, his fiancée would have chastised him for worrying so and doubting her abilities to take care of herself. Yes, she would be well. She would find some way of overpowering Sao Feng, if not through strength then wit.

As he drifted further into the night, Will longed for those happier days with Elizabeth when she would throw her arms around him, giddy with pride and delight at having just mastered the latest sword technique, the perfect afternoons they would spend on the beach, the long passionate nights at the smithy, narrowly skirting the lines of impropriety. His mind still could not comprehend how things had degenerated to where they currently stood. How had Eden turned into a waking nightmare?

He shouldn't have been so quick to doubt Elizabeth's love, to assume her affections rested with another man but, in light of what he knew and saw, it was the natural conclusion. The true fault rested in the many months he had spent so close to her, never asking, never telling – barely speaking at all. While, afterward, he had laid blame on Elizabeth for failing to divulge her secret to him, he had been no better. She had a right to her anger that afternoon of the mutiny. Who was he to speak to her of trust when all the while he concealed such plans? There must have been a million times he longed to share them with her but it never seemed to be the right moment – a theme which repeated itself over and over again throughout their relationship. But how could he tell her he was preparing to overthrow the man she loved – or at least thought she did? What would come from that other than the heartache and pain of watching his love fight against him and slowly slip through his grasp? Then again, wasn't that already happening? "I'm losing her…..Every step I make for my father is a step away from Elizabeth." But how does a person choose between the life of his father and trying to make amends with the only woman he had ever – would ever – love? Yet how could he mildly accept that his wishes, dreams, and longings for so many years had been in vain? How could he, after all they'd been through, after how close they'd come to forever, lose her now?

The answer was he wouldn't; he couldn't. In reality there had been no choice between his father and Elizabeth. All of his rash actions and dangerous plans had sprung from a time when he thought his father was all that remained to fight for, when he thought Elizabeth's heart belonged to another, when he believed there was nothing left for him to lose. When he found out that wasn't the case, that Elizabeth loved only him, that there was still hope for a future together, everything changed. He did not wish to abandon Bootstrap; he would do all in his power to avoid that scenario. But if it came down to the two of them, there was no choice. He would not sacrifice a life with Elizabeth, not for any cause – even his own father. Elizabeth was his world. He could not be without her anymore than he could be without the air he breathed.

But there was hope, now more than ever. With Jack's help, he could make good on his promise to his father and still have the life with Elizabeth he had always dreamed of. She was angry with him; that was true. Yet, even in her anger, he found hope. "If this is what frees us, then done," were her words. "If this is what frees us."…. "Us", she had said, and his heart fiercely clung to that one small word. As long as she still believed there was an 'us', she hadn't given up on him yet. Somehow he must find his way back to her and explain his actions, ask her forgiveness but, above all else, he must tell her how he needs her, that she is his first and only priority and he will let nothing come between them, that she means everything to him, more than life itself, that every day, every night, every moment, through it all, he had always loved her, that he too still believed in 'us'.

These were dangerous waters he tread, with more at stake than ever before, but he was resolute. He was determined. He had hope. And, he thought as he watched the bow of the Endeavour come into sight on the horizon, if he still had Elizabeth, if the two of them could only get out of this mess alive, nothing else in the world mattered. He would secure their freedom. He would find an avenue of escape. Once upon a time, he had sworn to her his forever and, though official vows had never been spoken, nothing would stop him from giving her all that he had promised.

Life, at least her life, had an amazing way of twisting and turning, taking so much and leaving so little. Elizabeth had become captain, king of all pirates. She had seen the Code and lived adventures straight out of her childhood fantasies – but at what price? Her father was dead, cruelly murdered by an evil power-hungry man. The dreams she'd had for her future were torn asunder, and her own life now perilously hung in the balance. Yet, as she walked across the spit of white sand, locking eyes with her beloved, her heart only saw how very much there was still left to fight for.

As the opposing parties came to rest, Will and Elizabeth found themselves staring across the sand at one another, so close that but a few steps would bring them into each other's arms. This was not the time for lover's reunions, apologizes, or heartfelt vows, but it was also not the time for holding back. They still had a chance to be together – and they were both grasping at it as if their very lives depended upon it.

There was still strategy. There was still much at stake but, as Will confessed to his betrayal of the Brethren, Elizabeth could only think of soothing his pain, alleviating his worry, telling him that she empathized with the desperation that drove him to such an action.

I'm not angry with you. I know. I'll help you. I'll do whatever I can. "Will, I've been aboard the Dutchman. I understand the burden you bear, but I fear that cause is lost," she softly told him.

Despite the careful mask he attempted to wear, Will's expression changed at this knowledge, wondering how Elizabeth ever ended up aboard the ghost ship, and wishing she had never had to witness its horrors. Yet, here was his chance to let her know he was on her side. This was still about 'us'. He was still fighting for their future. "No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight for it," he purposefully replied, pointedly looking to Jack.

The conversation, the careful manipulation, the bargaining continued, but it was lost on Will, who had eyes only for Elizabeth, watching and waiting, praying she understood. Suddenly it all clicked into place in her mind. He was telling her they had a plan. The two men were working together. Jack would be the one to dispense with Jones. Will was no more willing to sacrifice their future than she was. She looked to him with eyes wide with understanding and his heart-stopping smile was all the confirmation she needed.

Words were spoken. An exchange was made, but all that mattered was that they were back. They were no longer shutting each other, no longer keeping secrets. They were sharing their plans, wordlessly communicating, in sync once more. As Will came to stand beside Elizabeth, they stopped to exchange a meaningful glance that said all that words could not: We're still in this together. There was yet an obstacle to overcome, a war to be fought the likes of which they had never before seen but, in spite of it all, it was still the two of them together against the world as it always should have been, as it ever would be.

Before they knew it, they were sitting side by side in a longboat, preparing to row back to the Black Pearl and begin the battle of a lifetime. Yet, even in the gravity of the situation, it was impossible to slow the beat of their hearts at finally being on the same side again….together….so close. For a moment, they merely looked into each other's eyes, and then Will smiled and she felt her lips curl up in response. Barbossa boarded the longboat, bringing the two of them back to reality as he heaved the vessel away from the sand and forward into the sea. But before Will began to row, he reached down and delicately, almost shyly, placed his hand atop Elizabeth's, his thumb tenderly stroking the back of her hand, feeling alive at this simple touch…..It had been so long…..Elizabeth twined her fingers with his, meeting his eye once more as she softly squeezed his hand. For now, that must be enough. Barbossa turned back to them with a grunt, indicating the oars that lie unused. With one last smile, they turned away from one another, focusing on the battle at hand, rowing with all of their might, as Elizabeth apprised Will of the Brethren's plan.

Barbossa had had his way. Calypso had been freed, but it had all come to naught. Their last hope was exhausted; she had not helped them. They were hopelessly outnumbered. A victory under such conditions seemed impossible and the men appeared ready to give up, but their king would have none of it. As the wind whipped around them, signaling an ominous change in the weather, Elizabeth roused the men, delivering a speech a life spent in the political arena seemed to have prepared her for. Will looked on, silently watching his fiancée, complete awe dancing across his features. He had never been more proud or loved her more. As she finished, she looked to Will and the message between them was clear: Whatever it takes, whatever happens, we're in this together.

Everything went quickly from there. The rain poured down in torrential sheets. The Pearl swirled closer and closer to the eye of the maelstrom. Men – both human and of the sea – came at them from every side. The situation was bleak, desperate even, and an overwhelming need engulfed Will. Despite their best efforts, and they would certainly continue to make them, the reality was that the odds were simply not in their favor. There was a very real possibility that they would not make it out of this alive and, if they had to die, they would be married first. He would not leave this earth without realizing that lifelong dream.

"Elizabeth!" Will screamed, fighting his way to her. "Elizabeth," he implored, reaching her side and taking hold of her arm, drawing her attention from the battle that continued around them. With a softness that expressed the deep emotion behind the words, he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Elizabeth's face betrayed her astonishment, for she instantly understood his meaning; he was not speaking of a wedding in the future, but in that very moment. But how were they to wed in such circumstances? Blurting out the first thing that came to mind, she answered, "I don't think now's the best time," ducking to avoid an incoming blow.

The battle broke them apart and, even as he engaged several men, Will shouted to her, a touch of desperation in his voice, "Now may be the only time."

They actively fought their way back to each other, Will taking Elizabeth's arm once more, this time pulling her closer, his face near onto hers as he tenderly conveyed the final words that needed to be said, "I love you."

Even in a moment such as this, with death and danger all around them, his heartfelt declaration blocked all else from her consciousness and her eyes momentarily flitted to the lips it had been so long since she'd tasted.

However, reality – in the form of two attacking sailors – swept in again, breaking them apart. Making short work of the men and finding they way back together once again, Will held her arm and, this time, Elizabeth's hand firmly griped his arm in return. "I've made my choice," he declared, softly adding, "What's yours?"

Elizabeth looked intently into the eyes of her beloved and, without a moment's pause, shouted, "Barbossa!" She tore her eyes from Will's to look up toward the captain at the helm. Will's face registered a moment's confusion: Was this a yes or no? "Marry us!" she ordered.

Will's eyes widened with utter joy.

"I'm a little busy at the moment," Barbossa growled in reply.

Neither one paid heed to his reluctance, Elizabeth looking insistently to Barbossa as Will continued to regard her, his face filled with love and pure happiness. The two were torn apart by more men as the fight waged on, dragging them back in.

"Barbossa, now!" Will commanded. This was one opportune moment he was not about to let pass them by.

"Fine then," Will and Elizabeth faintly heard the captain agree as they fought their way back into each other's arms where they'd always belonged. Will slipped his hand about her waist, embracing her from behind, as they paused to simply look at one another, love flowing between them.

"Dearly beloved, we be gathered here…."

This was their chance at all of their dreams, everything that had been denied them. While they yet prayed for a future, for a tomorrow, to survive this together, if not, if this was the end, they would always have each other. They would leave this world as man and wife. And though it was not exactly the wedding they had imagined, as they looked into each other's eyes, neither one of them had ever wanted anything more.

AN: The lyrics quoted at the top of the story are from an old Neil Diamond song recently covered by David Cook, "All I Really Need Is You". It's quite a pretty song and fits this portion of the film perfectly.

As I said before the fic, I've wanted to do something with this reconciliation period for quite some time and actually did a companion video first (not to "All I Really Need Is You", as that had yet to be recorded, but to an equally fitting song called "There Never Was A Time"). If you're interested in watching it, it is available on my YouTube page. The link can be found on my author's page here (just click on my penname).

Thanks for reading!