Disclaimer: I do not own Captain Jack Sparrow or Elizabeth Swann (Disney does). I only play with them from time to time.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. It's not my best writing ever, and it's also un-beta'd, because I just wanted to get it up. This is probably the last official chapter, although there's definitely an epilogue. But I can't decide whether to make what comes next into a sequel, or add it to this. It'll probably end up being a sequel. Erm...I only have one note about the actual chapter this time, and that is the reason Elijah never does anything but smile and nod. It's because he's stone deaf, but Jack is too thick to notice. Anyway...
Valediction: n, an act of bidding farewell or taking leave
Chapter Four: Valediction
Jack woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through the window. He looked around. Elizabeth was nowhere in sight, but his clothes were neatly folded on the desk chair, and his effects evenly placed on the desk itself. His boots lay on the floor. Bemused, Jack got up and studied the tableau. It'd all been cleaned and laundered, too, save for his shirt which was nowhere to be found. He picked up the glaringly white thing left in its place and raised an eyebrow at it. It hung from his hands, smugly innocent. He got dressed and stepped outside, accompanied by the unfamiliar scent of fresh linen.
A child dashed past him, dodging sailors and laughing, followed by a very large cat and parrot screaming "Tag, you're it!" repeatedly. Another, smaller child sat on the shoulders of the scarred giant from the day before, eating an orange. A tiny Japanese woman holding an infant stood on the deck, alternately screaming orders at the crew and cooing at her newborn. An ancient black man grinned toothlessly at the proceedings, side-by-side with an even more ancient person of indeterminate race and sex who stood watching everything with sharp black eyes. Elizabeth, restored again to her pirate queen regalia, conferred with Dai at the helm. She caught sight of him and strolled toward him, smiling.
"Good morning," she said. She looked him up and down. "Don't you look nice." She reached out a proprietary hand to straighten his collar. He looked at her sourly.
"Out of curiosity, what happened to my shirt?"
"Oh, I don't know. They burnt it probably. The women of this island keep standards of cleanliness that would make an English housekeeper envious."
Jack stared at her.
"It wasn't worth the trouble of laundering," Elizabeth explained.
"That shirt had tremendous sentimental value, I'll have you know," said Jack. Elizabeth laughed.
"Only because you'd been wearing it for the past ten years straight."
One of the children dashed up to Elizabeth, still followed by the screeching parrot.
"Okâsan says we're ready to leave when you are," she said. Elizabeth ruffled her hair fondly.
"Thanks Kiku. Tell her I'll be there in a minute or two."
The child ran off again. Jack watched her go, and turned to look at Elizabeth as she surveyed the deck. There was a slight, proud lift to her head, an easy, unquestionable confidence to her stance and a small, satisfied smile played about her lips. She looked at Jack.
"What do you think, Jack Sparrow?" she asked.
"I think you've done well for yourself, Lizzie-girl," he answered. "All thanks to me, of course," he added. Elizabeth's smile widened.
"Yes, and all blame, too." She started across the deck, gesturing for Jack to follow her. When they reached the Japanese woman, Elizabeth stopped.
"Jack, this is Midori. Midori, this is Captain Jack Sparrow."
The tiny woman looked Jack up and down, clearly unimpressed, and said something to Elizabeth in Japanese. Elizabeth laughed, the first honest laugh Jack had heard from her since…well, ever actually.
"Yes, well, each to her own," she said. Midori grinned and turned to shout something at the scarred giant, who started guiltily and lowered the small child on his shoulders to the floor. Elizabeth turned toward the two aged individuals.
"This is Elijah," she said, giving a fond smile to the toothless old man, "and this is Mistress Hawkins. The midwife," she added, somewhat unnecessarily. Eyes that sharp, that knowing, could only belong to a witch-woman. They stared out at Jack from a mass of wrinkles. He had the uncomfortable feeling they saw straight through all of his pretensions and defenses, and straight to the dirty grey of his soul. He swallowed. The old woman gave him one last piercing look and turned her gaze on Elizabeth. Jack had the feeling he had narrowly escaped his final judgment. He watched the woman as she conversed with Elizabeth and Midori. After a moment, the woman climbed back over the side of the ship to the longboat and Elizabeth turned to him.
"Elijah has kindly agreed to row you back to shore with Mistress Hawkins," she said. The old man gave him a gummy grin and nodded. Jack swallowed at the thought of sharing a boat with those black eyes, but managed a nod and a word of thanks. Elizabeth watched him sideways, the gleam of amusement flashing in her eyes. Jack could hear Midori yelling at the crew from behind him as they clambered up and down the ladder, loading the longboat with packages and jars. The old man began to climb down into the longboat. And then, suddenly, it was time to say goodbye. Jack turned to Elizabeth.
"I hate goodbyes," he said, feeling awkward for the first time since his misspent youth. Elizabeth grinned.
"Me too."
"It was good to see you again, Lizzie," he said, surprising himself by actually meaning it. His occasional honesty would be the death of him someday.
"Yes, you too," she said. She sounded similarly surprised.
"Well…I suppose I'd better, uh…" He gestured towards the longboat. Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes, you probably should. Well…Goodbye Jack." She stuck out a hand. He raised an eyebrow.
"What, no last passionate embrace?" he asked. Elizabeth snorted. He grinned a bit and took her hand. He raised it to his lips and snuck a glance at her face. Her beautiful eyes held an expression somewhere between exasperation and wistfulness.
"Bye, Liz," he said. He dropped her hand and climbed down into the longboat. The old woman looked at him, snorted, and closed her eyes, settling into the prow. Elijah gave him another grin and shoved off from the ship with an oar.
"Jack!" Elizabeth called. Elijah kept rowing. Jack looked up at Elizabeth, standing there on the deck of her ship, surrounded by everything she loved, and by those who loved her.
"Catch!" She threw something to him as her ship's sails caught the wind and it started to move away. It flashed in the morning sun as it spun toward him. He caught it, and looked down. Pearls and trident prongs winked up at him. He looked back up at Elizabeth, astonishment written on his features.
"Elizabeth, wha—" he began, but she cut him off.
"Never say I don't pay my debts, Jack Sparrow," she yelled. She turned away from the railing, and then she was too far away to hear him anymore, even if he had anything to say.
Jack looked at the pendant in his hands, and back up at the ship receding into the distance.
"Amazing woman, that," he said to no one in particular. Elijah smiled and nodded. Jack glanced down at the pendant again, shaking his head, a half smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Truly amazing."