Folkestone, England.
April the 16th, 1745.
It seemed a dream, a complete whirlwind. Evangeline had attempted to reason, but logic, too heavy for the occasion, never came.
This isn't real. I must have fallen asleep, and dreamt up a scenario where Jack Sparrow could possibly love me. The past predicts the future. Is this real?
Jack took her through the back alleys of town, their hands tangled together in a web, promises trapped inside. After the rain had ceased, the cobblestone shimmered under their boots, and water fell from the rooftops with a solid rhythm. He stopped three separate times to turn to her and smile, asking if she truly wanted to follow him back to the Pearl. Her answer every time; Yes.
Now they found themselves alone in the captain's quarters of the Black Pearl, in his bed, completely beside themselves with illogical happiness.
"When did ya know?" Jack asked. He carefully reached for her hand, and wove his fingers with hers again. "Ya said you've felt this way for years, but when did you realize that ya loved me?"
She felt Jack's heartbeat through his fingertips. It was rapid and strong, much like a storm, and it mimicked hers. The raised skin on his palms read like a map, and she traced the scars with her fingers, attempting to find her port.
"I was eighteen, and you had just left for the Pearl. Expecting to fall for Nathaniel, I fell for you instead. It became apparent after he kissed me that night on my doorstep that . I lived for you. I dreaded your departure, I aimed to spend every minute of my day with you, but it wasn't until you left that I realized just how deep my feelings ran," she whispered. "I chased after you that day to tell you, but you were gone when I reached the hills. I thought of you every day for four years, and still everyday after that."
Jack's eyes became sullen. "I truly had no inkling, luv. If I had only known..."
"I attempted to tell you so many times. I desperately wanted you to know."
His laid his hand on her cheek, and she closed her eyes to put the feeling to memory.
"I hurt you," he said, barely above a whisper. "That was never what I wanted. I went out of my way to make sure the opposite happened on a daily basis, but...I caused it meself."
"I know you never meant to."
"It was always there; the thought that perhaps I felt more for ya than I initially gathered. There was an attraction that I couldn't name. I knew ya made me happy; thoroughly, purely happy. I knew ya were everything to me, yet I didn't bloody understand what I wanted. Then ya were gone, and it shattered everything in me. I lied awake for days, waiting for ya to wake up, terrified that ya never would. After the second day, I knew; I became completely aware that I could not possibly live without ya, because I am hopelessly yours. All that I am belongs to you," Jack said, as Geline clung to every syllable. "Then I lost ya again, so suddenly, and I tried to move on. I did. It was months of torture at my hand. I hated meself. It was hell. Then five days of searching for ya in this bloody town, and thinking ya were going to marry the doctor-"
"I love you," Geline interjected with force.
He closed his eyes, and smiled contentedly. "That sounds beautiful comin' from you," he replied. "Say it again."
She sat up with a feline grace, and he followed as she leaned into him, and let her forehead rest against his.
"Jack Sparrow. I love you," she whispered slowly and deliberately, recalling the times she had wished to say it just this way, but failed to.
He smirked and placed a kiss on her temple, his lips warm and comforting. "I love you as well."
Hours passed, and when they weren't laughing while recalling memories, they were silently staring at one another, as if they urgently needed to take in every inch of skin. Moonlight filled the cabin, and illuminated their faces. Evangeline could hardly believe how handsome Jack looked while next to her. His eyes gleamed, dark and inviting, and her heart beat wildly. She felt it in her feet and heard it pounding in her ears.
"God, you're pretty," Jack confessed, his eyes meeting hers. "Have I ever told ya that? You're so damn beautiful."
She took a deep breath, and let her reply ride the wave of her exhale. "Thank you."
He held her to him, and slid his fingers down her bare arm, chills forming beneath his touch. His lips came close to hers, but he didn't let them touch.
"I want to kiss ya," he whispered. "Very much. I need to know if that is also what ya want, luv."
Evangeline had made it clear back on the cliffs that becoming his next conquest was not what she fancied. She knew Jack Sparrow did not ask a woman's permission before kissing her, but he was respecting boundaries. It made him all the more desirable. She didn't respond with words; instead, she closed the gap between them and kissed him lightly. He moaned. His hands found her hair, and his fingers became lost in her curls as he pulled her to closer to deepen the kiss.
Years of passion had grown between them. Years of yearning, and secret thoughts of doing just this; years of aching to touch one another, and they had kept it at bay until the light of the moon prompted them to release it all in that moment. They took in air between kisses, and Jack traced her bottom lip with his tongue, something that was new and foreign to Geline. She gasped, surprised at the sensation, and Jack stopped.
"Did I...was that too much?" he asked, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry."
She felt heat pool in her cheeks, and she shook her head. "No," she replied. "I liked it."
Jack's nose brushed against her cheek before he kissed her again. Only when there was a knock on the cabin door did the couple realize that life existed outside the confines of the quarters. Jack breathlessly pulled himself from Geline, and shot an angry glance towards the door.
"I didn't realize it was so late," Geline whispered, and Jack stood up, fixing his tousled shirt and heading for other end of the cabin.
"Yes, Master Gibbs?" Jack asked, as he poked his head around the door, annoyed at the interruption.
"Beggin' your pardon, Jack, but the crew are beginning to get uncomfortable just sittin' in the open. There are Navy men stationed here."
"Aye, that's a fair complaint, we will head farther out within the hour. Anything else?"
"If you don't mind me sayin', Jack, it's about damn time you and miss Evangeline to-"
"Alright, Gibbs, that's enough!" Jack declared before shutting him out. He turned back to Geline with a small chuckle as she swung her legs over to the side of the bed to stand.
"Sorry about that, luv," he said sheepishly.
Geline brushed her hair back, and looked out the large windows behind Jack's bed. She had seen the same sight countless times from the cliffs, but she found she preferred the look of things from Jack's quarters.
"I should return home. Nathaniel tends to worry, and you should get the Pearl out of the bay. It's dangerous."
"Do you really have to go, luv? You could stay," he asked, meeting her at the edge of the bed, and placing his hand on her shoulder.
"I cannot abandon my friends, Jack. Nathaniel's wedding is important to me. I left him once before, it would be selfish to do it again."
Jack nodded his head, and removed the last strand of hair from Evangeline's shoulder, tucking it behind her ear. She closed her eyes, placed her palm on his chest, and felt his heart racing. He laid his hand over hers protectively.
"It's yours, you know," he spoke softly. "If ya walk off the Pearl, and choose not to come back, it will still be yours."
The top three buttons of his shirt had come undone in the throes of their affection, and Geline's fingertips grazed his bare skin.
"I'm coming with you, Jack. After the wedding, I'm coming with you."
"Then I'll wait."
She shook her head. "You'll wait here for a fortnight? That isn't safe, Jack. I haven't heard anything from Alexander, or anyone else stationed at the fort, but they do patrol. You cannot risk staying that long. You have been here five days already, and even that is too long."
"I am not leaving again," Jack said forcefully. "I won't do it. Not now."
Evangeline smiled sweetly, and let her hand rest on his cheek. "Fourteen days. Take the Pearl further out for fourteen days. What is a few weeks time compared to years?"
Jack seemed determined, but Geline would not have him risk his life or the lives of the crew on her behalf. She watched as his eyes softened, and he sighed with resolution. "I am a captain first and foremost," he mumbled, and Geline nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you are. I'll return here the night of the wedding, after the ceremony. At nightfall."
"We will go wherever you would like, luv. Anywhere in the world."
She smiled, the corners of her full lips reaching high. "Somewhere warm? After this past winter, I fear I'll never recover from the cold."
He chuckled, their hands bouncing against his chest. "I'm privy to a few spectacular islands where the sand is blinding and the waters are so incredibly clear, you're able to see the all manner of sea creatures. I'm privy to some of the most beautiful places on Earth. I'll take ya to every single one."
"Such a big promise. You're a captain first, remember? What will the crew say?"
"Well, luv, if you're made an official member of the crew, you'll get equal say, same as the rest of 'em," he said with a shrug, and Evangeline let her hand fall from his chest.
"An official member? Me?"
"Aye. Can't have the crew spreading rumors of favoritism simply because you're beautiful and on my arm. It would come with certain duties and expectations, however. Is that something ya would like, luv?"
She stood quickly, and wrapped her arms around him, nearly knocking him over. "Yes!"
"Alright, luv, let's get you home," he said, taking her hand and leading the way.
Evangeline could not recall how she ended up on Nathaniel's doorstep, or how long the journey had taken. After kissing Jack goodbye on the deck, everything had become a blur. She was too thrilled to even bother to watch where her feet had stepped. Now, back home, she brought her fingers to her lips to recall the farewell kiss. She had to be sure what had happened on the cliffs and on the Pearl was not just a figment that her mind had come up with to shield her from the reality that Jack still did not love her. Geline stayed that way as Nathaniel's door opened, and Sarah sighed.
"Evangeline! Nathaniel and I have been sick with worry!"
Geline turned to see the redhead standing in the doorway, and she smiled.
"Sarah!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her friend.
"Are you okay, Geline?"
Geline laughed heartily, but as Nathaniel came around the corner and made eye contact with her, she began to cry with no control.
"Oh, what's happened?" Sarah asked, as Nathaniel ran to her aid.
"Evangeline, what is it? What did he do to you?"
The three of them were crowded just outside the doorway, with Geline clinging to Sarah's blue dress, and Nathaniel looking on with worry. The lamps outside cast elongated shadows of the trio, some deformed conglomerate of limbs.
"Let's go inside, shall we? I'll get some tea made up," Sarah suggested.
Nathaniel took Geline's hand and brought her to the chair in front of the unlit fireplace, while Sarah shut the door and made her way to the kitchen.
"Evangeline, what did he do? Tell me, and I'll run him off for good. I'll alert the Navy this time."
She wiped a tear from her cheek, and shook her head at her friend. "He hasn't done anything wrong, Nathaniel," she said, taking his hands gently.
He kneeled beside her. "You were gone for hours, and now you're in tears. You should not cry over him. I was only minutes away from leaving to search for you. What happened?"
She could hear Sarah from the kitchen, the sounds of china cups clacking and footsteps blending together in a domestic orchestra.
"He loves me," she whispered after a moment of silence between them.
"What?" he asked with confusion tinged vibrato. "He loves you? He told you this? I thought-"
"He confessed to me on the cliffs. He told me how he feels about me. Nathaniel, he thought you and I were to be married, and he was distraught over it. He cried. Jack Sparrow cried, and told me he loved me. That's why he wanted to meet me at the cliffs."
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Geline critically. It was a stare that made her uncomfortable, so her smile faded and she turned away.
"You believe him? After everything he has done to you, you believe him?"
"He saved my life, Nathaniel. He brought me back to life, in every sense of the word. I believe him. I took some convincing, but I believe he loves me."
He stood and paced the room, and the joy she felt began to falter. His low ponytail swung slightly as he did walked in circles, and Evangeline was reminded of the night she had done the very same thing while Nathaniel sat in the same chair. When he had asked her again to marry him, and she had declined.
"So that's it? You're returning to him again? Without a second thought? He calls for you, and you run to him like a pup? You were doing so well without him, Evangeline. You're better than this."
His words stung, and she looked at him - her oldest friend - with pain in her eyes.
"You're disappointed with me?" she asked, folding her hands together in her lap.
"It's more than that."
"What do you mean, Nathaniel?"
He came closer to her chair, and leaned towards her.
"I do not understand this spell that Sparrow has over you, Evangeline. I never have. If I could only harness the power and use it on you myself, I would!" he hissed quietly.
Geline's mouth hung open at his words, at what she understood them to mean, and Nathaniel sighed.
"I did not mean-"
"You still care for me," she whispered with realization.
He looked up at her with comprehension that he had been exposed. "You weren't supposed to know. With all the time we've spent together...it has brought forth feelings I can't control."
"Nathaniel, Sarah is to be your wife!" Geline breathed quickly and quietly.
"Evangeline, I'll always love you," he replied as he kneeled next to her again. "I love Sarah, too. So much. It's important you understand that. I desperately want to marry her, and I will, but you…you will always be the one th-"
He stopped then as Sarah walked in with tea. He pulled away from Geline, and the two of them avoided eye contact with one another.
"What's happened with you two?" Sarah asked, and she set the tea down on the mantelpiece. She looked at both of them with worry.
"Evangeline was just telling me some wonderful news. Her tears were not sad ones, in fact, they were happy."
"Your meeting with Jack went well?" She asked, suddenly forgetting about the tea, and sitting in the chair next to Geline.
Evangeline smiled, and found her joy again as she looked into Sarah's kind eyes.
"He told me he loves me," she said, holding back tears. "He loves me, and I'm leaving with him after the wedding." Geline said this loudly, so that Nathaniel would know her intentions.
Sarah smiled and took Geline's hands. "How romantic! He sailed all this way to make his feelings known. I can't think of a better love story."
"It's not safe," Nathaniel said, grabbing the neglected tea, and passing it around.
"Nathaniel," Sarah admonished him. "I believe Evangeline would know better than anyone. She was at sea with him for nearly a year."
"Yes," he replied, as Geline took her tea from him. "She ended up dead, did she not?"
They stared at each other, and Geline found that she could not identify her friend in that moment as he sipped his tea and ignored her. He was somewhere else entirely. Nathaniel was missing.
"I love him," she said firmly, setting her beverage aside. "I will remain here until the wedding, unless you see fit to send me somewhere else. After that, I will leave with him."
She rose from her seat, kissed Sarah on the cheek, and made her way upstairs. With each step, Geline became more confused. She carried the knowledge that Jack loved her, and yet her heart felt heavy after Nathaniel's confession. Was it right for her to even take up space in his house now that she knew? Would she be punished in the afterlife for being untrue to Sarah? Was she now expected to tell the future Mrs. Frazier that her beloved loved two women? She clutched the stair rail when she reached the top, and sighed. Happiness was fleeting for her. She only wanted to be back on the Pearl with Jack.
Sarah had not yet left, and Evangeline could hear the couple whispering downstairs while she tried to sleep. She knew sleep would not come easily, though. She thought about packing her belongings and meeting Jack at the helm, about kissing him the way he had kissed her; using her tongue to spell out what she wanted from him. Several knocks disrupted her fantasy, and she sighed with frustration. Now that she knew Jack wanted her as much as she wanted him, she could not help but let her mind wander. She cracked the door open, and Nathaniel stood before her.
"May I come in?" he whispered sweetly, and she opened the door wider without speaking.
Evangeline lit a candle, and returned to her bed, bringing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Nathaniel sat next to her, and they stayed that way for several minutes.
"I have something for you," he said suddenly, as he stood up and reached into the pocket of his trousers. His hand remained closed around the object as he leaned into her.
"What is it?" she asked, and he took her hand in his, and let the item fall into her palm.
The object shimmered in her hand, and she smiled as she turned her ring over to admire the green stones.
"You asked me to keep it safe for you. Now that Jack…" he stopped, and took a deep breath. "Now that he has returned your affections, I thought it would be appropriate to return it."
She placed the ring on her finger, and watched as it slipped to the side. It had never fit, but that had never stopped her from wearing it.
"You told me that you had moved on, Nathaniel," she whispered, looking back to him.
"I had. Honestly, Evangeline, I had moved on. Sarah and I were made from the same mold, made to complement each other. But you...you were clearly made from a similar mold. Made to be just out of my reach, but close enough to catch my eye and make me want you. There are people who enter our lives who are simply passerbys, and then there are people who are meant to stay with us forever. You're the latter. My heart aches at the thought of us making a life together, of holding you in…"
He stopped and closed his eyes, and Evangeline thought he might cry.
"You don't belong to me. Not in that way. You never have. I accept that. I cannot lay claim over you. You and Jack, now that's a force to be reckoned with. I know, deep down, that you belong with him, however much I may loathe the idea. With that said, you will always be the woman who got away, and I cannot forget that. I'm marrying Sarah, with true and lasting intentions, but I cannot forget that."
Nathaniel placed his hand over hers for a brief moment, and then left the room without speaking. Geline stayed seated, twisting her ring around her finger the way Jack used to. Her friend's words hung in the air near her bed, reverberating off the walls. What was she to do with this information? It felt dirty and improper in some way. It had to be guilt, she thought, guilt over the fact that she could not go back in time and eagerly say yes to his marriage proposal. Guilt over leaving him for months. She sighed and leaned her head against the wall, gripping her ring tightly. She cast Nathaniel's words away, and instead, focused on Jack's words from the cliffs.
"I'm wholeheartedly, absolutely in love with you."
She burst into happy, relieved tears, laughing through them as she peered out her window in the direction of the ocean.