She felt as he came to stand behind her. The same as every other night since she had returned to Port Royal. She was standing, facing out the window watching the sunset, and he had come to her again. As usual, they stood in silence, and watched the sun sink slowly into the sea, revealing a diamond-filled sky. But on this night Elizabeth could remain silent any longer.
"Why do you come to me?" She did not turn to face the man behind, afraid for what she might find. She heard him take a step towards her, and heft the whisper of a breath on the back of her neck.
"Do you do this to torture me? To make me realise what I gave up?" And still there was no answer, and still she faced out onto the darkened harbour. "You know I did not wish for things to turn out in this manner."
She felt a hand come to rest lightly on her shoulder, and she leaned in slightly to the touch. There was something comforting in that touch, in his touch, that she had not expected to find. But she also knew that this was not real. Every night since his death, she had stared out on the water, and tried to imagine what could have been done differently. What she could have done that could have spared his life, taken so needlessly.
She could have remained locked upon the Dutchman, awaiting her fate and at a different chance for escape. She could have convinced Jack and Will not to leave Norrington alone to his fate on that island when he took off with the chest to save them, to save her. She could have informed him of the curse that was set upon the crew of the Black Pearl, so that he did not need to head to battle unawares. Most of all, she could have accepted his proposal when he offered his heart to her, instead of choosing the blacksmith, the pirate.
For now her pirate was lost to the seas, doomed to sail the seas for eternity at the helm of that fated ship. She had barely noticed when he gallantly broke their engagement, with the knowledge that one day on land for ten years at sea would not be fair to her. She was hurt of course, but it was nothing to the pain she felt when she landed in the ocean and realised that James would not be keeping his promise of following behind. She understood why he did what he did, but she did not expect to be so desolate. She did not expect that he would kiss her, and finally reveal the depth of his feelings for her. With that revelation she felt something in her change, and remembered all the times when James had looked out for her, protected her, loved her in his own refined way. She felt tears start to well in her eyes, and she realised that James was gone, and she would have to stop imagining him coming to her every night, if she was going to be able to carry on with life. She knew it was time to say goodbye.
"I never thought I would miss you this much, James. I know I had taken you for granted, your love and your friendship. It doesn't seem real, that you are gone. For over ten years, you were there for me, but I never allowed myself to see it. And I was so cruel to you, accepting you proposal, and then choosing Will instead. Then you took the chest to save us from Davy Jones' crew, and I just let you go. I never allowed myself to look deeper than your uniform, to see the man underneath. And now I see what a waste that was. You were the bravest man that I have ever met, James. You sacrificed yourself so that I could be free. I did not expect to find myself in love with you. I suppose I fell in love with out even noticing. But none of that matters now. You are gone, and I must continue on with life. So goodbye James, rest peacefully and know, that for however short a time, I did love you."
With a deep breath, Elizabeth wiped the tears from her eyes, and squared her shoulders, ready to face the world alone. She felt the gentle pressure of the hand on her shoulder, and waited to feel his comforting presence leave her for the final time. She did not expect, however to feel a gentle kiss being pressed onto her shoulder, then the side of her neck. She turned from the window, for the first time, to face the presence in the room with her.
"James? But you died…"
James Norrington stared down at her, love and understanding welling in the deep green of his eyes.
"Did I not tell you, when you left, that I would follow behind?"