Chapter 4: Twilight

Elizabeth gasped and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see what was going to happen next and which one of them will be quicker drawing a pistol. Probably Jack, he was better at it and James would be too stunned at first. However, there was no clicking noise, a gun being fired or blades clinking, or even a good hearty yell of surprise. Nothing, bar the rustling sound of dresses.

She had to open her eyes and saw James lying on the floor buried under a pile of skirts, coats, corsets and night gowns, supplemented by her complete ball attire on the top of his head, covering his eyes.

Jack was in the way of leaping over him and sliding under the bed, spry like a cat, in a fashion that reminded her of the way he jumped into the water head first. She would've laughed out loud at the strange occurrences in her bedroom if she wasn't supposed to be pretending to be light-headed. Withal, she felt the need to rescue her husband from under the collection of clothing items, shelves and bits of the closet, that somehow miraculously decided to disintegrate itself the moment James touched it.

"You shouldn't have pulled it so when it was stuck," she advised him self righteously.

James' head popped out from under the tousled curls of her voluminous chemise, "what happened?" He asked dazed, spitting the end of a ribbon out his mouth.

"Oh, just that wardrobe falling apart. Must've been my fault for overstuffing it, sorry."

James picked himself up with the help of Elizabeth. Such mishap will not slow him from finding out whether a possible son was on the way. He shook off her fontange that was stuck to his trousers, an adorned cap of lace wired to stand in vertical tiers with streamers to either side, "the maid will deal with the mess. You rest," he intonated as if giving an order and walked out. God, those clothes women have to wear are heavy.

"Out! From under the bed!" Elizabeth made a much better job of commandeering, than James earlier, but of course he didn't have the constitution of a pirate king. "What positions you're putting me in here! State your intentions or lea...uuh.." She remained speechless as Jack emerged in an orange, long, tight satin bodice with paned sleeves lined in white and a matching petticoat. These men were covered in her wardrobe! "How did you manage to put that on under the bed??"

"Captain Jack Sparrow, luv!"

"But why are you wearing it?"

"I was thinking along the lines of disguise."

"And the string of pearl eardrops?" She pointed at the earrings hanging from under his hair.

"Pearl! I miss her!" He ceremoniously shrugged the women's clothing off, "we're ten miles inland! Tell me darling, how could ye leave it all behind like that?"

"Will was gone and I never wanted to do it alone. James has always been there for me. He offered..."

"An offer? Is that what ye want?" His eyes were daring her to answer either way, he was ready to fight.

Elizabeth felt struck by the intensity in his manner once more, there was some energy there inside him that was hard to suppress and one movement of his hand contained several lifetimes' excitement. He didn't need to talk, some words could never be spoken between them and they didn't have to. He moved closer and she shook her head in deja vu. No, she wasn't on the Pearl, no, she's hasn't just been encouraging him to be a good man while teasing him at the same time, no, she's not nearing him, taunting him with the possibility of a kiss, but he is caressing her cheek and they are going to kiss. He jerked her closer and traced the line of her lips before tasting them. It was that kiss that never happened because of the black spot, it had finally came to take place, only transmuted in another place and time, the one both of them were thinking of since neither of them wished to remember the kiss that did happen.

She broke off, "Jack, I can't go with you. I can't do that to James, to my children..."

"Hush, don't speak. Take it as a present. No doubts, no repent, no committal. How long do we have till yer husband comes back?" He slipped a knee slowly between her legs.

"No rush, Jack," she smiled relieved by him wishing the same thing as her and she slid against him. If this was their only time she wanted it to be perfect.

A year later

Holding the three months old Jamie in his arms and looking at her beautiful wife playing with the two other children, James nodded to himself, having come to an agreement with himself that all the heartache and difficulties he went through for this ideal family was worth it. All the wondering about her love for him from ever since he first thought about marrying her has finally came to an end. It was his dream to have a son and apparently it must've been Elizabeth's dream to have a son with him too, cause ever since their baby son was born Elizabeth was as if somebody would've swapped her over with a happier, cheerier person and not just that, but sharing her happiness with him as well, coming over as more loving than ever before. He could hardly believe it, but he wasn't going to argue with his own luck.

Elizabeth glanced at the perfect picture of her husband gently rocking the baby to sleep and quietly muttering to him. It wasn't an easy job, the boy had more energy than all of them put together and wished to discover the world as soon as possible. During her pregnancy she was very worried that the child'll come out with dark skin and long, wavy black hair and what would she have done then? Jamie however, thankfully, took after her, at least as much as appearances were concerned. She did sometimes imagine Jack in James' place, what he'd do and say to his son, but it was best this way. A sense of peace has made its home in her. She'd loved three men in her life, she could never have them all, but she could have a token from all of them, just for herself to keep.

The End.