True Love: Forever Reunited

Chapter 27: Epilogue

AN: Here is the long awaited epilogue everyone!! I started this story ages ago, and I am so pleased to finally find the time to finish it. There were extremely long amounts of time between updates due to real life circumstances, but I was determined to finish. So here you go!

5 years after the defeat of Clinton…

Elizabeth Turner strode around the edge of her back garden, playing hide and go seek with 5-year-old Anne and 2-year-old James. She heard giggles from within the garden shed and tiptoed so she would not be noticed by her children. She carefully pulled open the door.

"Found you!!!" she cried, causing the two children to dissolve into laughter.

"Was it hard to find us mama?" asked Anne as she stepped out of the shed. "We tried to find a good spot, but I couldn't get James to stop laughing," she said, looking over at her younger brother as Elizabeth scooped him up.

"Oh it was very difficult," answered Elizabeth. "I thought all might be lost. Now what do you say we go find daddy and Willy?"

"Yeah!" chanted the two children in unison.

Elizabeth sat James down, and watched as Anne took his chubby baby hand in hers and they ran ahead of her. Anne had Elizabeth's golden brown hair and light brown eyes, but with Will's curls. James on the other hand, had blonde hair, inherited from Weatherby Swann's younger days, and Bootstrap Turner's light blue eyes.

"William Turner!!" called Elizabeth.

At the sound of both of their full names being called, both Will and Willy, who now that he was fourteen liked to be called William, appeared from the dock near the front of their home. As they walked toward Elizabeth, Anne, and James, Elizabeth couldn't help but marvel at how much 14-year-old William resembled his father. He had the exact same eyes and shade of hair, although his hair was much straighter than Will's. He had grown it out like his father, and had it pulled back.

"Hello love," said Will when he reached them, planting a kiss on Elizabeth's lips.

"Papa, did you catch anything when you were fishing?" asked Anne, looking up at her father with wide eyes.

"Why I believe William and I caught a feast that will feed all of us, including the Riley's, Uncle James, and Uncle Jack when he arrives," said Will.

He reached down and ruffled his beloved daughter's hair, then picked her up and swung her around, sending her into a fit of giggles.

"She's got him wrapped around her finger doesn't she?" asked William with a chuckle to his mother as James reached out his arms for his brother to pick him up, which Willy obliged.

"Daddy's little girl," said Elizabeth with a smile. "Did you two have fun fishing?"

"We did," answered William, his eyes lighting up. Father and son had been nearly inseparable since the family had returned from the ordeal with Clinton, desperate to make up for missed time. William was more like Will in personality than Elizabeth could believe, although she was sure his stubborn streak came from her.

"Papa will you play tag?" questioned James from his perch in his brother's arms.

Will glanced up at Elizabeth, sharing a secret smile. "Of course! But do you think you can catch me? William's it!"

"Oh then!" said William, grabbing his mother and brother and launching them into the game with Anne and Will.

Will and Elizabeth ran until they were out of the breath, then allowed the children to finish the game and splayed out on the grass.

"Getting too old for this?" joked Elizabeth, reaching over to take her husband's hand in hers.

"Never," laughed Will. "I'll be at it when I'm 70. Growing old with you will keep my spirits and energy up." He looked over and smiled at his wife, his brown eyes lighting up at the mere sight of her.

They watched contentedly as their children continued playing tag until they spied the Rileys walking toward them from their house down the street with 14-year-old Charles, 12-year-old Anna, and 4-year-old Mary. The three instantly ran to join the Turner children in their game while Andrew and Amelia sat down next to Will and Elizabeth on the grass.

"They're certainly an interesting lot," chuckled Andrew. "I'm almost positive Anna has it rather bad for your William."

Elizabeth and Amelia glanced at each other and shared a secret smile.

"What's that for?" asked Will, catching the exchange.

"They've probably already started planning the wedding," commented Andrew.

"Not true," argued Amelia. "But Anna admitted to Elizabeth and me how she felt about William ages ago and you're just noticing?"

"No," shot back Andrew with a grin at his wife. "But Will and I don't spend our time contemplating love matches for our children."

"Well, somebody has to," remarked Elizabeth with a laugh.

The two sets of parents continued to watch the children, who had ceased to play tag. Mary and Anne were chatting happily while taking turns braiding each other's hair, Charles was tickling little James, and William and Anna were wading in the water. William and Charles had become the best of friends, and it was obvious that Charles took an intense interest in whatever was blossoming between the two of them.

"Well we'd better get these started," said Will, gesturing at the fish. "I promised the children we'd eat out here and have an outdoor fire."

"When did Jack say he'd arrive in his letter?" asked Elizabeth.

"He implied it would be sometime today," answered Will. "Although I'm rather surprised he actually wrote to tell us he was coming; that's a first."

"I'd say so," came the amused voice of James Norrington. "Sparrow doesn't usually show those kinds of manners when he decides to grace us with his presence. Need some help with those fish Will?"

"Sure," Will answered, giving Elizabeth a swift kiss before he went with James and Andrew to cook the fish and start the fire.

Elizabeth and Amelia gathered the blankets each family had brought and spread them out over the sand, watching as the waves lapped onto the shore a few feet away. The sun was just starting to set behind the vast Caribbean Sea, shooting streaks of orange across the aqua water. Elizabeth watched the three men cook the fish over the growing fire; James, who had despite their differences, been a true friend; Andrew, who had been a faithful husband to Amelia and a steadfast friend to both she and Will; finally her eyes landed on Will, her beloved, cherished husband, who she knew she could not live without. His hands worked at a steady pace, a smile lingering on his handsome face.

She turned her gaze to the children. Anna had left William's side to entertain the two younger girls and James, while William and Charles were scouting for firewood, wishing to show they could assist the men. Elizabeth thought about each of her children; James, who was just a toddler, but had brought such joy into their lives with his bubbly personality; Anne, whose intelligence was clear even at only 5; William, who had experienced so much along with his parents, who was the first living testament to their love. He seemed a bit older than his actual age, his maturity reaching beyond his fourteen years. He was a wonderful older brother and a loyal, loving son. Elizabeth sighed in contentment, hardly able to believe how much she and Will, along with their friends and their children, had overcome to attain this happiness, this peace.

"Elizabeth," said Amelia, her loose raven hair blowing in the slight breeze. "Look on the horizon. Black sails."

Cries of "Uncle Jack!" resonated through the air from the children, and Elizabeth was sure she saw even James smile at his former foe.

She turned, catching Will's eye and grinning with him at the sight of Jack Sparrow's familiar ship. He was sure to bring mischief with him, perhaps even adventure, but Elizabeth knew that no matter what lay ahead for all of them, they would stand a united front. She looked over at Will once again, knowing that they were forever bound by love. True love, forever reunited.

AN: Hi all! Finally, here is the ending to one of my favorite fanfics I've ever written, nearly 2 years after I started it. I know the updates got to be few and far between, but life likes to get in the way sometimes. I hope you enjoyed this last little bit…I thought it would just be nice to see a little peek into the life of the couple and characters we love so much!