A/N: This is an AU where Will and Elizabeth make up after DMC before AWE.

Will stood on the deck of Tia Dalma's hut, the pain of Elizabeth's betrayal still causing his heart to ache. He couldn't decide what was worse, the memory of her passionate kiss with Jack or the sight of her silently crying in the hut not half an hour ago, looking vulnerable and alone. Will was so angry but his love for Elizabeth made him want to comfort her against his own will. And now that he discovered Barbossa was back and they were to plug into a mission to rescue Jack from the dreaded Davy Jones' at World's End, he must help Elizabeth find her way back to Jack, the man she truly loves. Will had spent the last year believing she loved him, what had changed? Had she ever loved him? At the mere thought of Elizabeth never loving him, Will felt as though as though a hammer had just been swung into his chest and he slammed his fist into the railing, causing a jolt to go through his body and a grunt of pain as he felt a wound on his back reopen. But the pain he felt right now is a thousand times worse then any amount of pain he endured on the Flying Dutchman.

The group had agreed that they were to spend the night at the hut, and then tomorrow they were heading for Tortuga to get a ship to take them to Singapore, they needed the charts to Davy Jones' locker from Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord of Singapore. Will could barely remember much of the conversation; he was too distracted by Elizabeth. She looked so deeply trouble and frightened at times he was at a constant battle with himself whether or not to do something to comfort her. In the end he had to leave, he had to get away from her.

"You should be resting Mr. Turner," Barbossa's voice sounded from behind him. Will turned as saw Barbossa standing in the doorway.

"I'm fine," Will replied shortly, looking back over the swampland surrounding Tia Dalma's hut.

"I take it you still hold a grudge against me?" Barbossa replied casually. When Will didn't respond, Barbossa continued, "I suppose I don't blame you, the last time we saw each other I was holding a gun to your lover." Will clenched his jaw painfully and didn't respond, instead choosing to walk away and headed back to the door.

"All is not what it appears to be Mr. Turner," Barbossa said to him as he walked away. Will stopped at the door and turned around.

"What?" he asked in confusion. Barbossa didn't respond, just turned around and gazed out over the swamps.

Will decided he wasn't going get a better explanation so went inside.

Will made his way up the stairs, looking for where he was supposed to stay. He immediately stopped outside a door when he heard female voices inside.

"How can I ask forgiveness when I can't even forgive myself?" Elizabeth said with a shaky voice and Will's heart felt heavy, she was obviously feeling guilty that she loves Jack.

"You took advantage of Jack's love of women and kissed him to lure him to the mast so you could chain him to it." Tia Dalma's response shook Will to his core. Was it possible? "Your reasons for doing it is as human as the guilt you feel now about it," Tia Dalma continued and Elizabeth quickly replied,

"I don't want your sympathy or understanding. I have betrayed one man and I can't forgive myself for that, and I can't ask him for his forgiveness." Will thought she was talking about Jack, but Tia Dalma's voice so close to the door made him step back but he was still able to hear her say.

"Young William Turner can not forgive what he does not know; he needs to know what you did,"

"I can't tell Will, he shouldn't have to bear such a burden. He has already suffered enough for my selfish mistakes," Will has in shock over what he was hearing. The kiss between Elizabeth and Jack had been a trick on her part to leave him for the Kraken.

"I know it sounds so horrible," Elizabeth continued. "But while I stood there, thinking about how unlikely it was that we were going to survive the Kraken. I looked at Jack and thought of how this his fault." Will heard her draw a shaky breath then say, "He betrayed Will and lied to me. He took advantage of the fact that Will and I love each other and used it to save himself." Will could feel the pain Elizabeth was in and felt a similar conflict. "But he came back, he started to row away but he came back and saved Will when I couldn't."

"You will have to learn to make peace with the decisions we make," Tia Dalma replied.

"Well when we rescue Jack," was all Elizabeth said in reply. Will stepped to the side when Tia Dalma opened the door. Tia Dalma closed the door behind her and looked at Will without the slightest hint of surprise.

"I think you'd best go in," she replied with a small smile and walked away from him, down the stairs. Will stood staring at the door, he wanted more than anything to see her and talk to her but found it difficult to make himself open the door.

---------------------------------

Elizabeth stood in front of the dresser, washing her hands as tears silently flowed down her face. She had changed into a white dress Tia Dalma had given her, and had bathed so she was refreshed but still felt horrible. The relief from her physical distresses did nothing to help her inner turmoil. Her heart ached her everything she had done. Although at the time she had been able to justify her actions at the time now all she could hear was Jack's last word, "Pirate,' echoing in her head. Elizabeth walked over to the large bed at the side of the room and sat down on the edge, her head in her hands. The irony of it, all the innocence of childhood had put a false excitement in pirates, but now the word was haunting her in a way she would have never had contemplated. But right now, despite what she had done to Jack, all she could think about was Will. Unlike Jack, there was no doubt that Will was a good man. A man who loved her, and she had done something that would hurt him more than stabbing him in the heart, if he ever found out.

"Elizabeth," the sound of Will's voice startled her and she looked up and saw he had entered the room, and was currently closing the door behind him. "You left Jack to the Kraken," he said quietly, but not as a question.

Elizabeth looks up at him without a mixture of horror and relief. "How did you know?"

"I heard you talking to Tia Dalma," he replied.

Elizabeth looked down with shame as she forced more tears back. "There is nothing a can say that will make this okay," she said shakily. She didn't speak after that, knowing that what she had said was true, she couldn't say anything. Elizabeth felt the bed shift, Will had sat down beside her, but she continued to look at the floor.

"I saw you kiss him."

Elizabeth looked up at him when he spoke. "So you did know what I did,"

Will shook his head slightly. "No, I only saw you kiss him. I thought you were saying goodbye, I thought…"

"You thought I loved him," she whispered in horror. He didn't respond but Elizabeth knew it was true. "And you still tried to comfort me.' she added in slight awe and disbelief.

The pain of her betrayal was too much and Elizabeth stood and made a bolt for the door but Will grabbed her and spun her round to face him. "Please," she pleaded softly as she tried to turn to the door.

Will's grip was strong but not enough to hurt her, it was the look in his eyes that made her stop. "I love you," he said softly and Elizabeth felt her tears start to fall.

"I don't deserve your love, I don't deserve you,"

Will shook his head and asked, "Do you love me?"

Elizabeth met his eyes and replied softly but firmly, "With all my heart." Will leant forward and pressed his forehead against hers, loosing his grip on her shoulders and lowering his hands to her forearms. Elizabeth lifted her hands to hold his forearms and they stood there for a moment.

Will pulled away from her and looked into her eyes and said firmly, "We will get Jack back."

"I didn't know it was possible, I did it anyway, I'm a horrible person, I…" Will hushed her with his finger before saying,

"We will get him back. What's done is done; he has done enough to us in the past without trying to make up for it. You are not a horrible person. You were afraid and did what you had to do." Elizabeth looked down in shame and Will cupped her face and brought her head back up. "I will love you forever, no matter what. But you have to promise me, no secrets. What ever happens, what ever you do, I have to trust you,"

Elizabeth nodded and smiled at him shakily and replied firmly, "No more secrets, I promise,"

Will wrapped his arms around his fiancée and pulled her towards him, pulling her body flush against his body, burying his face in her hair. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his back, in heaven at the feel of his body holding her close. She tightened her grip on him and pressed her face against his neck, but she loosened her grip with she heard him make a hiss of pain. Elizabeth pulled away and saw Will had an expression that showed her was annoyed with himself and she knew he must have been trying to hide his pain. "What's wrong?" she asked immediately and Will replied,

"It's nothing,"

"Will! No more secrets."

He looked at her defeated and added, "I have an... injury, on my back that has reopened."

Elizabeth grabbed his jacket and pulled it gently off him, saying. "Let me fix it." When she went behind him to remove his shirt she saw something that made her gasp. His shirt was torn at the back but stuck to his skin with his own dried blood. Five large gashes that could only have been caused from a whipping were etched on his back; the two worst were bleeding fresh blood. Elizabeth held back a sob and said quietly, "Come still down." She put her hands on his hips and led him over to the bed. She walked over to the dresser, pick up the bowl of water and a cloth and came over to the bed, sitting behind him. She placed the bowl on her lap and asked,

"How did this happen?"

As Will told her the entire story, from when he first woke up on the Flying Dutchman to when his father was forced to punish him, Elizabeth wet his back with the clothes so she could peel away the shirt without hurting him more. She then washed his back, so she could see properly his injuries. Three of them were healing and the two most painful looking once were once again bleeding so she gently washed them and ripped the cloth in two so she could sit behind him, holding the two pieces of cloth against the two wounds to stop the bleeding. When Will had finished the story Elizabeth was crying silently and gently placed kisses on his shoulder. Will leaned back and rested his head on her shoulder, his eyes closed and Elizabeth saw he had relaxed. She gently pulled the pieces of cloth away and saw the wounds had stopped bleeding, so she put the cloths in the bowl and gently run her hands up and down his sides, feeling that its was time for her to comfort him. He had suffered even more than she had and she hadn't even known. Will sighed contently; Elizabeth smiled against his shoulder,

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"Yes," Will replied. Elizabeth picked up the bowl in her lap and placed it on the floor. When she sat back up he had turned so he was looking at her. She smiled at him and he returned it, reaching over and cupping her neck, pulling her towards him and kissing her gently. Elizabeth returned it, her hands making their way into his hair. She felt his hand go around her waist and pulled her into his lap, making her gasp into his kiss. She deepened the kiss, opening her mouth and Will groaned softly as his tongue explored her mouth. Elizabeth was finding breathing more and more difficult as his mouth moved from her mouth, along her jaw line to her earlobe. Her breath was coming out in gasps, her hands holding his head close while he gripped her waist. They both need this, they needed to heal and show their love for each other. His calloused hands started moving his hands gently up and down her waist and hips, the contrast of his rough hands and the soft material of her dress sending her into an oblivion of pleasure and she arched her head back, giving Will access to move down her neck to her shoulders.

"Will," she said breathlessly. He stopped kissing her collarbone and stopped stroking her stomach, instead pulling away. Elizabeth looked at him and added, "Don't stop,"

"I have to," he replied sadly and Elizabeth moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders.

"No, no… no you don't," she whispered in protest. "You don't have to stop,"

Leaning his forehead against hers he replied, "Yes I do. This isn't how it was supposed to be,"

"No, it isn't," Elizabeth replied bitterly. "WE were supposed to have this three months ago on our wedding night. A lot wasn't how it was suppose to be. But Will.." she cupped his cheek before continuing, "I want, I need, to feel that I belong to you once and for all. I want to be yours. I don't want to wait any longer," She hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, not wanting him to see that she was once again getting emotional.

"It's not honourable, Elizabeth," he replied firmly into her shoulder. Elizabeth laughed and pulled away to look at him, checking to see he was humouring her.

"My honour? It isn't worth anything now," she said still laughing dryly. Will looked at her with all seriousness and replied,

"It means a lot to me; and I vowed when you chose me that I was going to do what was right by you," Elizabeth smiled, looking into his eyes. She saw the humble blacksmith she had fallen in love with. They had both changed so much over the past year or so, but there were parts of him that were still the same. He leant forward and kissed her, it was like their first kiss, warm, loving and undemanding. They ended it and Will said against her lips. "We need some rest,"

"Stay with me?" Elizabeth asked looking into his eyes hopefully. Will smiled and nodded, Elizabeth climbed off his lap to the head of the bed and the two of them got under the blankets, Elizabeth lying on her side with Will lying behind her, his arm around her, keeping her close. "I love you," she whispered, placing her hand over his. Will kissed the back of her head and replied, "I love you too."