Chapter 20

One and a half years later:

Jack stood on the helm of the Pearl peering out of his eyeglass to a ship that sat several boat-lengths away. It took him a moment to recognize what ship it was, but its sails gave it away eventually.

"Huh," Jack said, lowering the eyeglass, "I'll be damned." He turned to Gibbs and ordered him, "Brace windward slack, we are going to commandeer that ship."

"Aye Cap'n," Gibbs responded, and then he directed the crew to Jack's orders. It was easy for the Pearl's crew to overtake the opposing ship, suspiciously easy. After all the physically exerting fighting was over, Jack boarded the Empress and looked around smugly, examining each member of the crew.

"Where's the Captain to this ship?" Jack inquired, referring to the first mate of the Empress.

"There!" He said, pointing up to the helm. A body sat slumped back on a chair with both feet kicked up on the wheel.

"Thanks mate," Jack said while walking up to meet this mysterious person. Jack wasn't sure who it was; he figured Elizabeth went back to land to wait ten years for Will, so he assumed it wasn't her.

"Captain Sparrow," A voice swept out of the person's mouth, a voice that sounded like honey and cream and Jack instantly knew who was in front of him. After over a year away from her, she was finally there, so close to him. He could not deny that he was angry with her when she left for shore, even with the note that she gave him, but a large part of him rejoiced with the fact that she was living the pirate life. He figured that if she really wanted to be with him, she would've tossed the whelp and lived with him on the Pearl, pirating and looting together. "Took you long enough." Elizabeth raised her eyes to meet Jack's and smiled.

"I thought ye were on land, luv," Jack said. He wasn't going to let her off easily, he wanted it to seem as though he hasn't cared about the time away from her.

"Did you not read my note?" Elizabeth inquired. Jack lowered his hand to rest on his pocket for a brief moment before speaking, he felt the paper crumble and smiled, happy to see that the note that he read so many times was still on him.

"No," Jack lied, "I lost it almost instantly." Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked knowingly down to Jack's pocket. She knew that he still had her note.

Jack noticed that Elizabeth looked different from the last time he saw her. Her hair was messily pulled back in a neatly tied bandana, much like the one that Jack wore, but hers was a deep purple that made her brown hair and eyes pop. Her lips were chapped and she wore scars from previous battles. She was considerably tanner, as well. The sun had obviously done a number on her coloring for her blonde highlights were considerably lighter and more vivid.

"So, what happened to dear William?" Jack asked nonchalantly.

"He's sailing, last I saw of him was a few months ago when I came across the Flying Dutchman on the way to the Locker." Elizabeth said.

"Ah, well, ye've ought to protect yer ship better luv, me crew and meself overtook it in moments." Jack responded. Elizabeth laughed and tugged on her shirt which was sticking to her body from sweat. That's when Jack noticed it; the shirt Elizabeth was wearing was the one that he gave her in Shipwreck Cove, his shirt.

"Honestly, Jack," Elizabeth said walking closer to him, "Did you really think that you would've gotten on this ship if I didn't want you here?"

"Why's that, dearie?" Jack inquired.

"Oh, Jack," She said.

Jack loved the way she said his name, the way she lingered on it as if it were something to be cherished, protected. The way her eyes lit up every time it escaped her mouth. She said it with seductively and with obvious love. Jack did not know if she did this on purpose or if it were a subconscious instinct, either way he missed it.

Elizabeth cautiously raised a hand to rest on Jack's chest. She didn't know how he would react to this after so much time, but he seemed fine so she moved her hand under his shirt so she was touching his bare skin. Finally, yes. Elizabeth thought as she felt the heat that Jack emitted under her fingertips.

"Now, now, Mrs. Turner," Jack said, stopping her calloused hands. Jack noticed that her hands were different, now calloused and rough, but they still emitted the same gentle, feminine tendency. Elizabeth looked up at Jack and smiled.

"It's Ms. Swann," She said. She couldn't wait any longer, she was sick of this teasing and flirting when all she could think about the last year was how much she missed Jack and his lips. She lifted her head and gave him a lingering, soft kiss. She pulled away and looked at him in an attempt to read his reaction, "Jack?" She asked.

"Aye?" Jack responded.

"I never told you this, but I'm sorry," She looked down guiltily, "I'm sorry for everything from leaving you to the Kraken to leaving you to be with Will, but I'm ready to change that, if you are." Jack lifted her chin so she was looking at him and smiled.

"All is forgiven," He said, he then pulled her in to another, harder kiss. She tugged at his shirt, trying to gesture at him to follow her to her cabin, but he stopped her.

"Not yet, luv," Jack whispered against her lips, "This time, I'm going to be the one playing games." Elizabeth smiled and kissed him again, mindless of the world that surrounded her. All she cared about was the fact that she had Jack, she had her ship, she had the sea, and that she was finally free.