Disclaimer: Do not own a thing (everything is Disney's and you know the story).
Spoiler: Almost nothing. Some speculations but really, almost nothing.
Pairing: Guess. ;) Yeah, yeah… who said Sparrabeth? You get a cookie with rum.
Warning: Dark themes, angst.
PG-13
The Sun always rises
She tries to breathe but it's hard, too hard. She's lost everything, everyone who has ever mattered. Father, William, James, they all have disappeared, leaving her all alone with guilt and regrets, and she knows she isn't ready to face the unknown. And that's why Elizabeth is suffocating, sitting on the edge of the deck, her bare feet waving over the dark water. She has killed many men not giving it a second thought but now it comes back to her one second after the other, every face, every victim. She had no right…
Her clothes are drenched in blood, it dries on her slowly (the fight has ended not more than a few hours ago, or maybe it has been only minutes? She cannot tell) but she isn't sure whether it is hers or maybe someone else's, because her body aches with unbearable pain. She is not certain if it is her flesh or soul that has been wounded so badly.
The sword, once shinning, clean and beautiful is now stained with dark marks of death. Elizabeth wishes she had strength to use it and put her life to an end, inglorious and deprived of grace, yet she cannot bring herself to commit this final act of desperation. Why? Because deep in her soul she senses this tiny flicker of hope, burning like a dim candle light, making her believe that despite everything, her life is not over and her fate may soon alter, change for the better.
Soft steps reverberate behind her and Elizabeth knows there is only one person now who cares (hates?) enough to come and see how she is feeling. She also understands that if he wants, he can be quieter than a cat and she would never hear him approach if he didn't want her to notice. But he doesn't want to startle her and she is grateful for his delicacy. He sits by her, his dark figure dangerously close in the thick mist, the only source of eerie light is the full moon up on the sky. They must make a strange view, she thinks. The pirate King and his Queen, tired from the fire of fight. Winners? Hardly… but they didn't loose either. They're just alive… not many had this luck James, Will… she shakes her head trying to suppress the images appearing before her eyes.
"You, ah… you've been very brave, Lizzie," Jack breaks the silence and in spite of everything, his deep, silky voice still manages to make her heart skip a bit. She's alive…
"There is no bravery in killing. There is only blood and suffering," she answers bitterly, but without anger. Her head sinks lower between her shoulders, suddenly too heavy to carry. She's kept it high for a long time and now she just wants to close her eyes and lay down. Sleep. Wake up.
Jack remains silent for a moment and she wonders if he regrets coming here after all. Why wouldn't he? She has killed him and will never ask for his forgiveness. Not because he would not forgive her, no, he is too much of a man to hold it against her, but she will never ask because she does not deserve his kindness. This is this one deed that cannot, shall not be forgiven.
Suddenly she feels his rough hand upon her blood-stained fingers. He gives her hand a gentle squeeze and then opens her palm dropping something right in the middle of it. She looks at the small object to see one of Jack's rings. It's beautiful, a dark green sapphire sparkles in the gloomy moonlight and she catches her breath admiring its beauty.
Slowly she tears her eyes away from the ring and for the first time finds courage to meet Jack's all-knowing, piercing stare, the stare which has been haunting her dreams.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" he asks, and she nods, her heart pounding in her chest like a wild bird. She barely realizes he continues and she tries to focus on his words. "The most beautiful thing about it, love, is that it is perfect in its imperfectness," he brings the ring to the level of their eyes. "You see, there are those little marks, stains, flaws in the stone, which may decrease its value in some people's eyes, however I would never, ever replace it with another," he finishes firmly and then takes Lizzie's hand. Ever so gently Jack slides the silver ring on her finger. She wants to protest, this is his ring, something significant to him and she cannot possibly accept such gift, but he hushes her. "As a reminder" he states, and she doesn't know whether he means it should be a reminder of what he said, or of him. Maybe both? Maybe even he isn't sure…
"What am I going to do now?" she asks in a small voice.
"Ah…, that's the beauty of it, darlin'," he answers with a slight grin upon his lips. "You can do whatever you wish."
"I'm alone, I have no one to go back to…," her tone is morose, miserable, and something must have broken inside him, because he answers her with sincerity she never though she would hear in his voice. "You're not alone. You'll never be because I will always be by your side. As long as you need me… as long as you want me."
She understands what he means but she cannot see why he accepts her, why he even talks to her while he should have killed her the moment he came back. So she reacts with anger. "How can you be so calm?" she asks him loudly, nearly screaming. "What I did was wrong, unforgivable and you brush it off as nothing".
"You're a pirate," he says simply.
"Stop that! Stop saying that, you cannot justify everything I do with this one word!"
"All right then, you want to know what I think about you and what you did?" he asks calmly and she shivers from the sudden change in his voice, but nods nevertheless. She has to know.
He sighs, looking intensely into her brown eyes. "I think you're an angel. A flawed one and imperfect, yes, but still an angel. The only angel I've ever met."
"I am no angel, more of a demon actually" she tries to put some humor in her voice but the statement comes out flat. What he said… what he meant…
"No dear, I've met some of these and you certainly are not a demon," he chuckles softly.
Suddenly she feels this is the time to tell him everything. She is a murderer, she has fought like a man and certainly she can find strength to make it all right between them. She has to. And so she looks at Jack, challenge in her gaze. "I told him I didn't love him anymore, before… before he left. I told him my heart did not belong to him, it hadn't for a long time. It took me some time before I could admit it before myself," she waits for his reaction knowing everything is in his hands now, and with a surprise she sees that for the first time he looks completely thrown off balance, but this lasts only for a mere second and he regains his composure before she can say anything.
"And he…?" Jack asks with curiosity, seemingly calm.
"He told me not to feel guilty for his choice, because it was his choice and his alone. He wanted me to move on with my life and be happy," she answers shyly.
"Probably the first wise thing I've ever heard the boy say."
"But how can I be happy now? Everything is so dark, so empty…," her voice trembles a bit.
"Ah, it will come to you eventually. The sun always rises, even after the darkest of nights. I can help you… if you want me to," he sounds strange. Unsure?
She looks at his features searchingly, and what she sees must be moving, because tears start trickling down her cheeks, drawing lines in the dirt and dust. He brings his hand to her face and gently dries the moisture. She leans into him then, uncertain if he will move back, but he doesn't. He just puts his arm around her and closes her in a warm embrace. And then she feels Jack's lips upon her forehead.
She tilts back a little to look up at him and sees an unspoken question in his beautiful, dark eyes. She moves closer to him and again their faces are just inches apart. He takes in her face in awe and she smiles just a bit. Finally, after what seems like ages, her lips brush against his, hesitantly and then urgently. He returns the kiss with such sweetness and softness it's agonizing. It feels as if he was afraid he could break her with one sudden movement. He knows what she is capable of, what she has done and how fierce his Queen can be when she wants to. But still there are moments in which she is just a delicate, flawed angel from his dreams.
When their lips part, once again she leans into his embrace. She trusts him completely, unquestioningly. The warmth of Jack's strong body radiates from under his clothes, and a soft smile creeps upon Lizzie's lips. After all, the sun always rises, even after the darkest of nights.
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