A birthday gift for Hendercats, this was one way AWE might have ended...
Denouement
She'd lit our way through the storm, the fire of her spirit and courage warming us like the rays of the Caribbean sun, but that was past. Her Will was gone, gone with the Dutchman, gone along with so many others, and though she was surrounded by the Pearl's crew, Miss Elizabeth stood alone, bedraggled and battle-weary, and bleak with grief.
"It would never have worked between us," she replied to Jack's query, not really meeting his eye.
Jack wore that cat-in-cream smirk of his, but there was an odd, soft expression in his eyes. "Keep tellin' yourself that, darlin'."
She focused, and tried to smile. "You told me that."
Jack rolled his eyes some. "Aye, but you know how I am with the truth." He'd been leaning on the rail, but now he straightened, taking up his compass. "Look here." He flipped up the lid and showed her.
She stared, her brow furrowed. Glanced up, but he silenced her with a lifted finger. He began to move around her, paying no mind to the muted chuckling of the crew at this odd performance. The lass turned as he did, watching the compass work, seeming more and more surprised, until Jack was back at the start and she frowned up at him, a spot of color blooming in her cheeks. "How long has that been happening?"
He snapped the lid shut. "Too long!" He glared at her.
She stiffened a bit at his tone, and flushed more. "How long? Is that why you gave it to me before?"
Jack hesitated, but finally growled, "Yes! So you see, Miss Swann – or Mrs. Turner, rather – we need to have a bit of a parlay, you and I. We've things to discuss. Points to raise. Conclusions to reach. You owe me that."
There was a light returned to her eyes, but it was hard to tell if it would warm or burn. "Is that right?"
"That's right. Now, if you'll step into my cabin—"
"Where you still have 'no dress', I suppose?"
That took the wind out of Jack's sails, and he almost smiled again. "No dress. No. However, even that is open to negotiation." And then he picked up her hand, like he meant to kiss it, though he ended by just giving it a squeeze. "Will you come with me, love?"
That squeeze, and the "love", did the trick, it seemed. There was a tremor in her voice as she replied, "Very well."
She glanced about, lips fighting a smile of her own at the interested faces all around her, but Jack grinned outright, suddenly merry as a grig. "Mr. Gibbs!" he says to me. "What the devil are we waiting for? Set sail at once, tout suite, savvy?"
"Aye, Captain!" I said, and as the two made their way aft to his cabin, I called out to the crew, "You heard 'im! We've fair weather, and a new day. Let's lay on sail and head for home!"
And I had to grin meself at the shout that went up. A fine new day, indeed!
o-o-o