A/N: Phew, this took forever to write. My last little Sparrabeth OneShot was called Hell, so I thought it would be fitting to write one called Heaven. I'm pleased to report that this second attempt is noticeably longer and more Sparrabethy-y! I really really hope you enjoy it! R&R please (:
The sand was soft and warm beneath her blistered bare feet and such a pale gold in colour that it appeared almost white except for where the gently lapping waves had stained it a rich caramel. The sea itself rippled gently in the almost non-existent breeze, stretching on endlessly ahead of her into that perfectly formed horizon she'd been keeping "a weather eye on" for the past year. She supposed the scene was beautiful. But there's only so long a time you can appreciate something before you start to resent its continued presence.
Elizabeth gazed almost hungrily at the gradual setting of the Sun, watching it steadily grow from gold to orange to red and marveling at the glorious array of pinks and purples that were splashed suddenly across the vast sky. She could never prevent the faint stirrings of hope from springing to life in her chest whenever she watched the Sun make its colourful descent behind the sea, though she knew perfectly well such hope was in vain.
Unsurprisingly, the tight constriction that had, once again, formed around the area of her heart loosened with an anti-climatic trickle of disappointment as the Sun hid itself completely from view. She sighed forlornly. No doubt she would suffer the same feelings of wasted anxiety when it made its reappearance at Dawn the following morning. Still, she couldn't complain. This faint hope was merely an annoyance, a vast improvement from the heart-wrenching emptiness that had wracked her with despair for the first few months.
She glanced down at her red and sore feet. They were in such a state as a result of walking around the island all day, in desperate search of a change of scenery, but to no avail. The landscape was just as bleak, whichever direction she faced.
It was particularly unnerving that no other vessel ever sailed through these waters to give her the occasional spot of company or even just something to look at every once in a while.
Elizabeth stamped her foot in frustration, then instantly regretted it as her many blisters throbbed in painful protest. Filled with despair, she threw herself onto the ground and allowed a sob to escape her lips. Constantly, she had to remind herself of why she was doing this.
Will.
Will, her husband.
Will, whom she loved more than anything or anyone else… but how could she know if such a sentiment still held true when he was never there to feed it proof? She let the tears flow freely, relishing in the feel of them gliding down her cheeks. At least it gave her something to concentrate on.
After several minutes, however, she was startled into an abrupt halt. She could hear unnatural rhythmic splashes drawing ever-closer upon the now pitch black sea. It sounded almost like oars…
Her suspicion was confirmed as she eventually sighted what appeared to be a relatively small boat sailing toward the little island. She stiffened in shock, unsure of how best to approach the situation. Should she hide? That was probably wise. But the desperate craving for company was too over-whelming to ignore…
Cautiously, Elizabeth crept toward the edge of the sand, until the water lapped at her toes, relieving them a little of their pain.
Distantly, she could make out a lone figure sitting aboard the small ferry and after a few seconds, it seemed the figure had spotted her too, for it gave a little jerk of surprise. Eventually, the boat came close enough for Elizabeth and the newcomer to take in each other's faces. Half a second of stunned silence passed before they both gave simultaneous gasps of recognition and the male figure in the boat appeared to drop one of his oars with an audible splash.
"Jack!" Elizabeth cried after a moment of incomprehension that rendered her speechless.
He didn't reply at first. Elizabeth thought she heard the sound of a bottle being hastily kicked out of sight. Well, at least she would if such an act had a unique sound. It was more likely that she merely knew Jack well enough to interpret what he was doing accurately. She found herself laughing a little hysterically. It sounded wrong in her long-dormant voice. Clearly, she was out of practice.
"You're never going to trust me with your Rum ever again, are you?" she called to him in what was supposed to be a teasing tone, but the hysteria was still there, ruining the effect somewhat.
"You can never be too careful, love!" he yelled over his shoulder before clambering out of the boat, and making his way towards her.
Without even thinking of what she was doing, Elizabeth raced towards him; her arms stretched wide in jubilation, and embraced him enthusiastically around the waist.
Jack staggered a little in surprise but then recovered himself enough to pat her clumsily on the back with a faintly amused expression.
"I've missed you!" she gasped into his shoulder, clutching at him still more tightly.
"Steady on, love."
It was the second time he'd used the endearment and it didn't go unnoticed by Elizabeth. She finally released him and beamed up at his familiar face with unprecedented joy. She'd certainly never expected to feel this happy before the decade was out, and he in turn had never expected to receive such a warm reception from the woman who had seemingly disapproved of him so deeply in the past.
"So this is where he keeps you?" Jack blurted out to break the short silence.
"He doesn't keep me anywhere, this is my choice." she retorted, averting her gaze to the ground for fear of crying again. She'd not expected to ever be able to discuss this with anyone, not even Will in case she made him feel unnecessary guilt. No, this was her own personal burden she had to cope with.
Jack seemed to sense some of this, for he motioned for her to sit down before scurrying back in the direction of his boat.
"Where are going?" yelped Elizabeth in alarm, but he was back before she had chance to worry. In his hand was the bottle of Rum she'd suspected him of concealing from her upon his arrival. She rolled her eyes in mock disapproval before taking a healthy swig.
He'd wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Elizabeth was irresistibly reminded of the last time they'd been on a deserted island together with naught but each other and a bottle of Rum for company.
"My tremendous intuition of the female mind informs me that you are troubled." he began smoothly.
He'd said the exact same words to her long ago and they both grinned at the memory.
Like that last time, Elizabeth found it surprisingly easy to open up to him.
"It's just so lonely," she almost whispered, and to her shame the tears were silently making another bid for freedom. "I know I love Will but sometimes I wonder…"
She paused to choke out a sob and Jack stroked her shoulder tenderly in response.
"I sometimes wonder if it's enough. And I know that sounds so terribly awful of me," she wept, burying her face in her hands. "I can't stand all this waiting and hoping. It hurts, Jack."
She continued to cry fiercely, while Jack held her to him, uncharacteristically quiet.
"Lizzie…" he murmured, attempting the wipe the tears from her face as they fell.
After she had calmed down enough to speak, she turned to face Jack and his expression was too complex for her to read.
"So how did you end up here?" she whispered. Their faces seemed suddenly very close.
"I was just following my compass, love." he breathed, and at the very same moment, they both seemed to realize what that meant. They gazed at each other for a long moment before the infinitesimal gap between their faces unexpectedly closed as they both moved their heads in the exact same second. Their lips parted and they were kissing passionately and this time, thought Jack to himself, her kiss wasn't leading him straight to Hell. It was opening the gates of Heaven.