My deepest thanks to my lovely beta Michelle (Princess of the Pearl) for all of her assistance with this story and for patiently sticking by me through the slow times. You're the best! :)
Be sure to check out Michelle's fics, too...she writes Jack and Liz very well. My personal favorites are "For Your Eyes Only" and "Collide"...you WILL swoon, I guarantee it.
Also, much gratitude to everyone who reviewed my fic "Love Voodoo." I was nervous, as it was my first POTC fic, and all of your kind words really made my day and gave me the courage to post another. Thank you!
Finally, if you've never heard this song, give it a listen. It's got a certain haunting quality that I love...when I was inspired to write this fic, I had such a clear mental picture of Jack wandering alone through town.
I own absolutely nothing. Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to Disney, and the song "Under the Milky Way" belongs to The Church.
Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty
Sound of their breath fades with the light
I think about the loveless fascination
Under the Milky Way tonight
Scarlett didn't stir as the coins slipped from Jack's fingers and clattered onto the rickety bedside table.
"Much obliged, love," he murmured as he quietly shut the door behind him.
In the hours just before dawn, Tortuga was eerily quiet. The streets were nearly deserted, save for a few poor souls who had squandered all their money on rum and had passed out, unable to afford a night's lodging. Jack meandered through the desolate town, lazily swinging a half-empty bottle of rum in one bejeweled hand. He was more drunk than he'd been in a long time, and he felt it was a luxury he richly deserved.
It had been four years since Will had entered into immortality and become captain of the Flying Dutchman, and during that time, Elizabeth had made the Black Pearl her home, giving herself over to her love of adventure and the sea.
In the months immediately following Will's departure from the earthly plane, nary a night passed when Jack wouldn't spot Elizabeth high up in the crow's nest, her slender legs braced wide apart, the wind whipping her golden hair, like some mythical sea goddess, seemingly searching the horizon for some kind of sign – or so Jack guessed – to let her know that Will was safe and happy.
Jack had done his best to coax her out of her melancholy: Inviting her to have dinner in his cabin, regaling her with tales of his past adventures – embellished, of course, but what was the harm? – surprising her with whatever little trinkets he thought may strike her fancy.
Elizabeth's fondness for him seemed to grow with each passing year, and in recent days, Jack had finally come to admit to himself that he was completely enamored with her as well. But all it had taken was one star-filled night and one grievous error in judgment to drive Elizabeth from his life for what he feared would be forever.
Lower the curtain down on Memphis
Lower the curtain down all right
I got no time for private consultation
Under the Milky Way tonight
Jack wandered toward the docks, suddenly entranced by the sight of the full moon, its brilliant luminescence reflected on the shimmering waves. He took a long pull from the rum bottle, tilting his head back and squinting up at the stars. The moon had been full the night Elizabeth had left, nearly six months earlier.
"It's a beautiful night," Elizabeth observed.
"Indeed," Jack agreed, passing her the bottle of rum they'd been sharing. They were to set sail again early the next morning, but at present the Black Pearl's crew was indulging in all the forbidden pleasures Tortuga had to offer. Jack and Elizabeth were alone on the ship, content simply to relax in each other's company. It was a night no different than countless others they'd whiled away in the same fashion, yet Jack sensed something in the air between them, although he wasn't quite sure what, and he felt a tingle of anticipation.
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have know what you would find
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
Elizabeth sighed quietly. Jack gave her a sidelong glance, wondering what she was thinking.
"Something wrong, love?"
Elizabeth flashed him a smile, her brown eyes dancing. "Not at all. Quite the contrary, in fact. I was thinking that I feel perfectly happy and at ease for the first time since…"
Her voice trailed off, but Jack knew without a doubt how her sentence would have ended: "Since Will's death."
He quirked an eyebrow. "For the first time?"
Elizabeth squeezed his hand, picking up on his meaning. "Well, I suppose it's not the first time since I've felt happy, but it is the first time I've been able to think of Will without pain or sorrow, to look up at the stars and not wonder where he is and if he's thinking of me…"
Jack slipped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned her head on his chest, just as they had done many times before on quiet, peaceful nights such as the one they were currently enjoying. A bond had been forged between them over the past couple of years, and the easy familiarity they shared still never ceased to amaze Jack."I suppose there's something to be said for moving on, " he said, trying to keep his voice light.
"Yes," Elizabeth whispered, squeezing his hand again. Jack felt his heart skip a beat as he gazed at the honey-colored tresses trailing down his arm. She tilted her head up to look at him, and their eyes locked for a long, charged moment. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. Elizabeth returned the kiss at first, but suddenly seemed to stiffen. Jack felt her hands grasping at his shoulders then, and she shoved him away with a force that startled him.
"Elizabeth," he pleaded hoarsely, reaching for her.
"Don't!" she snapped, moving away from him. "Don't touch me. How could you, Jack?"
"How could I – " Jack shook his head, completely bewildered. He would've sworn on his own dear mother's grave that Elizabeth had wanted him to kiss her. He glanced at Elizabeth, her shoulders heaving and a wild gleam in her eyes, and felt a pang of guilt at causing her such obvious distress. A moment later, anger at her accusatory tone set in, and his eyes hardened. "I hardly think one small kiss warrants such a reaction. It's not as if I'm some horrible lecher who accosted you in a dark alley."
Elizabeth went on as if she hadn't heard him. "You know that Will and I are married – "
Jack's eyes flashed dangerously. "Will is dead," he growled, ignoring Elizabeth's sharp intake of breath. "Perhaps only in a manner of speaking, but dead all the same."
Tears glimmered in Elizabeth's eyes as she balled her hands into fists. "He's still my husband," she insisted vehemently.
Jack knew he was treading on perilous ground, but the words came tumbling out before he could stop himself. "That may be so, but can you truly be happy with a husband you only see once every ten years? All of your love locked away and wasted, save for a few precious hours every decade? Is that the kind of life you want?"
Elizabeth's shoulders slumped, and she began to tremble.
Jack took a tentative step closer and tried to pull her into his arms, but she wrenched herself free.
"I'm leaving, Jack," she said brokenly.
His heart in his throat, he reached for her again, but she whirled around and ran off.
That was the last time he'd seen her. He'd inquired after her whereabouts and learned that she'd bartered passage on a merchant vessel, but no one knew the name of the ship or where it was headed. He hadn't stopped searching for her, though deep down, he knew it was futile; if Elizabeth didn't want him to find her, he most certainly wouldn't.
Taking another long swallow of rum, Jack wobbled unsteadily and nearly plunged headfirst into the water. He wondered absently what the rest of the crew was doing. In the months following Elizabeth's departure, his dark, violent moods and quick temper had caused them to become considerably wary of their captain, and they now tended to avoid any interaction with him whenever possible. He could scarcely blame them.
Jack wandered back down the dock and onto the beach, glancing up at the creamy white moon again. There were nights when he'd sat alone in his cabin, contemplating the things he could have said and done differently to make Elizabeth stay. He'd thought of all the times they'd talked together, laughed together in the years she'd been aboard the Pearl, and how he'd always felt that Will was somehow there in spirit, insinuating himself between them. Could he ever hope to compete with a phantom, the last remnant of Elizabeth's former life? Did he even want to try? He tilted the bottle again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. There were also darker nights, with no moon at all, when he'd tortured himself, thinking she may have gotten into trouble, that she may be hurt, or worse yet, dead. Absurd as it seemed, however, it was nights like this that gave Jack some comfort, thinking that Elizabeth could be gazing up at the same starry sky somewhere in the world, perhaps even thinking of him.
A raucous burst of laughter caused him to jump. A new ship had slipped into the harbor and the crew was disembarking, most likely hoping to find an open bar, despite the late hour. Jack sighed as he watched them head toward the center of town. Should probably head back to the Pearl, he thought tiredly. Nothing left to do but sleep.
He turned to head toward the ship and was startled to find someone standing directly behind him. His arms flailed wildly about as he struggled to maintain his balance. He rubbed his bleary eyes with his free hand, trying desperately to focus. The figure took a step closer and reached up suddenly to remove its hat. Long golden hair tumbled out. The bottle slipped from Jack's grasp, rum spilling onto the sand as he dropped to his knees. "Elizabeth," he whispered.
And it's something quite peculiar
Something shimmering and white
It leads you here despite your destination
Under the Milky Way tonight
Jack drank in every detail of Elizabeth's face, hardly daring to believe she was real. The moonlight gave her an ethereal glow; she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. And then she was holding him, burying her face in his shoulder and murmuring his name over and over again.
"I thought I'd never find you," she wept.
A teardrop fell into the palm of Jack's hand, and he stared at it in wonder. "Likewise," he replied dazedly. In the next instant, he pulled away so abruptly, Elizabeth toppled backward onto the sand. "What in God's name were you thinking of?" he fairly shouted, as she stared at him, her mouth agape. The tiny part of Jack's mind that was still sober began clamoring for attention. "Shut it!" it was screaming. "Shut your foolish mouth now before you say something really stupid and she leaves for good this time!"
He ignored this warning, however, and plowed on. "You might've gotten yourself killed, running off on your own like that!"
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "I can mange perfectly well on my own, Captain Sparrow," she spat. "I'm quite skilled at handling a sword…or have you forgotten?"
"Have you forgotten how many times I've had to save your life since we met?" Jack retorted angrily.
"Have you forgotten that I sailed to the end of the world to bring you back to life?" Elizabeth shot back furiously.
"Well, that's only fitting since you were the one who sent me there in the first place when you…" He waggled his fingers in the direction of her lips.
Elizabeth frowned. "I did apologize," she said in a more subdued voice. "And I was one of the first to agree to the voyage when Tia Dalma suggested it."
"Along with the many others who missed me terribly," Jack said, folding his arms and raising his nose in the air.
Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Oh, Jack, I truly have missed you."
Jack's face gradually relaxed, and he chuckled. "I've missed you, too. A little too much," he added under his breath, but Elizabeth heard him anyway.
"I was fine, you know," she said softly, laying a gentle hand on his knee. A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "The title of Pirate King seems to command much respect in most places."
Jack rolled his eyes and groaned. "Pulling rank, were we? I don't think I want to know."
Elizabeth flashed him a saucy grin. "Royalty does have its privileges. On three of the four ships I sailed with, the captain gave up his quarters for me."
Jack snorted in disbelief. "I'll bet. And I don't suppose it had anything to do with the fact that you're a beautiful woman?"
Elizabeth lifted her chin. "Of course not," she insisted, trying to fight the blush rising in her cheeks at his blatant compliment.
"And who, pray tell, was the captain of the fourth ship, hmm?"
Elizabeth's mouth opened, but she suddenly snapped it shut and averted her gaze.
"Well?" he prodded.
"Mistress Ching," she muttered finally, not meeting his eyes.
Jack flopped back onto the sand, laughing heartily. "I knew it," he gasped.
Elizabeth shot to her feet and glared down at him. "I didn't travel all this way to find you just so you could have a good laugh at my expense," she fumed.
Jack rose unsteadily to his feet, making a supreme effort to choke back his laughter. "I'm sorry," he said contritely.
Elizabeth tilted her head to one side and squinted at him, as if trying to judge his sincerity. Finally, she sighed and allowed a small smile to creep back onto her face. "I don't suppose I can blame you," she said, shaking her head ruefully. "That's what I get for being a braggart."
Jack's face suddenly became serious, and Elizabeth marveled – not for the first time – at the swiftness of his moods, as ever changing as the sea. "And what do I get," he asked quietly, his hand coming up to cup her cheek, "for being a good man…the man young Lizzie was so determined to believe I was all those years ago?"
Elizabeth stared up at him, his handsome face framed by the full moon that hung low in the velvet sky. As she looked into his eyes, she was surprised to see fear reflected there – fear that she might reject him, fear that she might close her heart to him forever. The thought that she could bring this man - a man so confident he bordered on arrogant, her childhood hero - to such a state saddened her. "This," she whispered, twining her arms about his neck and kissing him with all the longing of the past few years, when she had been afraid to admit her true feelings even to herself, afraid to betray the husband she'd married amidst the chaos of battle, the husband she could only be with once every ten years.
When their lips parted, Jack gazed down at her in wonder. Although it wasn't the first time they'd kissed, this kiss was entirely different from the one they'd shared aboard the Black Pearl. That kiss, too, had been passionate, but it had been fueled by the desperate need to save lives and marred by the despair of having to sacrifice his. This kiss was a symbol of Elizabeth's love for him, pure and sweet and unlike anything Jack had ever known, and it was his undoing. If ever there was a time for casting aside all pretenses and laying his feelings bare, he knew this was it. "Your love, Elizabeth," he whispered hoarsely. "That's all I've ever wanted."
He looked so vulnerable in that moment that Elizabeth could have cried. She knew it must have been incredibly difficult for him to make such an admission, and the fact that the indomitable Jack Sparrow would open himself up to her in such a way left her speechless.
After a long silence broken only by the sound of the waves breaking rhythmically on the shore, Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Jack," she said, wanting very much to explain herself to him, "that night when I left, it was as if you'd voiced all of the things I'd been feeling for so long." She looked out at the sea, and sadness touched her face. "I think it frightened me to feel so content with someone else. I felt like I was betraying Will." Her gaze drifted back to his face, and she gave him a tremulous smile. "But I couldn't ignore my feelings for you. You taught me to live again, Jack, and to enjoy life. And somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you." She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly.
Jack brushed her hair from her face and trailed a hand down her soft cheek. "I love you, Elizabeth. Will you let me make you happy?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Forever," she whispered as she fell into his arms.
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
Under the Milky Way tonight
Under the Milky Way tonight