Epilogue

Jeanne walked along the beach with her handmade spear and bucket, filled with the fish she would have for dinner. She gathered a few shells along the way, some of which she would turn into combs for her hair. The sand beneath her feet no longer burned them as she meandered toward the house she had built with the ship she sailed in on and from what the island provided.

Rounding the corner of the island toward home, she spotted a familiar ship on the edge of the swell. Her eyes adjusted to it before her eyes spotted a small rowboat onshore. Her brows furrowed as she glanced about the beach in search of her guests.

Cautiously, she approached her home. It wasn't until she neared the hut that she saw a familiar frame emerge from within. She blinked at him as he stared back at her, a smile forming on his lips.

He crossed the gap between them, stopping a couple of feet away from her. Her eyes roamed his tall frame for a moment, wondering if she was hallucinating his image. She had done it once before when she had run out of freshwater - before she had found a clean spring to drink from.

He stared at her for a moment before running a hand through his hair. "You might be wondering how we found you…" he started, pausing as he watched her blink at him. "It took some time, believe me…" He shifted his weight onto the other leg.

Motioning off to where The Walrus sat anchored, Billy added, "They're waiting for me to tell them whether or not I'm staying here with you…" he paused again, examining her expression carefully. "That is if you want me to stay."

When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Flint gave the blade back to the Irish." He chuckled. "They were surprised to see his... generosity, they called it." He laughed again at the memory before adding, "They paid him for it, which...you know, isn't as much as he could have gotten for a blade of that caliber but…"

His words stopped as he realized she didn't care about the blade. He licked his lips. "We took Madam Rose back home...she's doing better…"

Jeanne started to walk away from him. He called out, "Wait! Please!" She stopped briefly, glancing over her shoulder. He walked around to face her again. "I wanted to leave with you that day. I realize what a fool I've been all these years...and...I know I have a lot to make up for…" He swallowed nervously, afraid he was blowing his chance of being with her. "Silver told me that I don't deserve you...and maybe he's right but...I mean, I did come all this way to find you...that's got to count for something, right?"

The wind blew across the beach, blowing her hair behind her shoulders. The setting sun created a beautiful mural of pinks, blues, and purples in the sky above them. She scanned his body before sighing heavily.

"Please, Jeanne," he pleaded. "I can't lose you for a third time…"

Her dark eyes darted around his face before she asked, "What took you so long?"

The realization of her words slowly sunk into his brain. When he realized what she had said, a wide smile crossed his lips. "Is that an invitation?"

"If you want it to be," she told him. She watched the pure joy beam from his expression. She held up a hand and added, "I tell you this now...I am not returning to the world as we know it. This is my final resting place...I want you to know that before you agree to this."

He nodded. "I don't want a world without you - not again. I've done it twice. I won't do it again."

She smiled at him. "You're a fool, Billy Bones."

"That I am," he admitted, smiling like a mischievous child.

She nodded slowly. "Then tell them to go and I'll make you dinner." He took the bucket of fish from her, carrying it for her.

The two walked together toward her hut, arm in arm as the sun set into the ocean. The Walrus raised anchor, turning and heading back to the real world, leaving them to become stories for generations to come.

~Fin~