Jack and Eve stared at each other.
"Jack? It. . . it can't be. . ."
"I could say the same for ye. I musta had too much rum." Oh yeah, it was Jack alright.
"But, Jack! You were. . . SHOT! You fell in the water! I was there! You were dead!"
"Innocent until proven guilty. Or, rather, alive until proven dead. Savvy?"
Eve's eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip. Jack stood and helped her up.
All Eve could do was stare at him. She brought her hand to his face, felt his skin. Looked into his eyes. They were his eyes alright. "Jack. . . I thought. . . I could've. . ."
He hugged her, didn't let go. "I though ye were too, love. Yer a hell of a person to track down, savvy?"
"Savvy. The Dark Angel makes that a habit."
"Dark Angel?"
"I'll explain later."
"Sounds fine. . . but are ye sure yer real?"
~***~
Eve peaked into the old smithy. It was still as dusty as ever. But the room was lighter than she remembered.
She walked in slowly, quietly. Looking along the walls she fingered the hole she made with a dagger while learning to swordfight. "Will? Are you here?"
Will came staggering out of the back room. "Eve! What are you doing here?"
Eve raised an eyebrow. "I have a surprise, but after that warm welcome. . ."
Will smiled, "Sorry, you just. . . surprised me."
"Will, who is it?" Came Elijah's voice.
"Elijah?"
"Eve?"
"Ok WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!"
Elijah and Will both smiled feebly. "Nothing, Eve. Nothing."
"Who the hell is Eve!?" Jack came bounding in.
"Jack!" Eve stomped. "Jack not yet!"
"Jack?" Said Will and Elijah together. "Jack!"
Elijah gaped. Sure, it was great to have the captain back but what of Eve? What of what he had recently done with Eve.
"Sorry, love. Couldn't wait. Missed you too much." He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed softly.
Will just stood by with his mouth open. "Jack, you're dead!"
"Am I? Well."
Eve looked up. "He's not dead. We never found the body, 'Lijah! I was right!"
Elijah looked in her eyes. But instead of seeing gray, they were bright green!
"Eve! Your eyes!"
"What about them?"
"They're green!"
Elijah unsheathed his sword and Eve looked at her reflection. "I knew he would come back," she whispered.
"So you're back to Eve now?"
"Captain Eve Spade. Of the Dark Angel," Elijah intervined.
"Captain? My Angel! Well. . . but. . . what of the 'Pearl?"
Eve's face fell. "When you were. . . when I thought you had. . . died, well, the 'Pearl had been deserately damaged. We got 'er repaired and done up nice, but it seemed so. . . disrespectful. . . to keep a name of her glory days, when she wasn't that anymore. . . so we renamed her. The Dark Angel. The crew named me Captain when we got 'em all together, see? And Elijah 'ere is me first mate."
Jack looked at Elijah. "'Ey! Ye've grown something, 'aven't ye, lad?"
"And neither you nor Eve have."
Jack looked at Eve. Her eyes were alive again. But she still looked about 21, and he still looked about 28. Elijah looked older than both of them.
In fact, Will had aged too, not as much though. He must've been, maybe 35 by now, and looked only about 30. Handsome as ever, in Eve's eyes.
Suddenly everyone looked at Eve. Will laughed. "Angel Sparrow in a dress! Well!"
Eve gave a hurt, pouty face. Jack wrapped his arms back around her. "For yer information, tis perfect! Tis her wedding dress!" Jack took her hand and looked at it. "And her wedding ring," He added softly.
Eve looked up and him, went on her tip-toes, and gave him a kiss. They hugged, and over Jack's shoulder Eve saw a large clock.
"Four o'clock! Elijah, We're due to see the commodore!"
Jack looked at her. "Commodore? Who is it now?"
"Still Adam Riley. That's why we're seeing him."
"Well, love, we aren't getting anywhere standing around! C'mon Will, Elijah, We have a commodore to catch!"
Jack lifted Eve into his arms (had she gotten lighter?) and ran out the shop. Will ran after them, brushing himself off as he dodged people in the street. Elijah sighed, then went after them. Eve's gift would have to wait.
~***~
Christian Riley and his father stood in Adam's office, looking impatiently at the clock. Adam sighed. "That would be Eve. Always late."
Christian laughed. "Yes, Father. . . that would be her."
Adam recognized the tone is his voice. "Hmm. Like father, like son."
"Father?"
"You like her. Am I right?"
Christian smiled uneasily. But his response was cut off by a pounding on the door.
~***~
Eve straightened herself out at the doorway of Commodore Riley's home. Jack delicately brushed a smudge off of her powder-pale face and the two waited as Will, then Elijah arrived. Both men calmed themselves and looked up, nodding.
Jack rapped on the heavy door. He was surprised when a young man opened it. "We're here for Adam Riley," Jack said.
"Jack! Don't be rude. Christian, sorry we're late."
"Who're you?" Jack and Christian said together.
"Jack, can't you tell?" Eve asked. "He and Adam look so alike!"
"No they don't! Not Adam Riley! Maybe Julianna!"
"Jack?" Christian looked confused.
"Yes, Christian. And Jack, he only has his mother's hair!"
"No 'e doesn't! The lad has her nose and everything else! My memory's good as ever, Angel!"
"Angel?"
"Angel?" Eve asked the same question as Christian. It had been so long. . . "Yes, Angel."
Christian steamed. "Alright, All of you! Inside! This will be cleared up."
As they walked to his father's office, Christian's thoughts wondered. Wasn't his godmother a woman named Angel?
"Jack? It. . . it can't be. . ."
"I could say the same for ye. I musta had too much rum." Oh yeah, it was Jack alright.
"But, Jack! You were. . . SHOT! You fell in the water! I was there! You were dead!"
"Innocent until proven guilty. Or, rather, alive until proven dead. Savvy?"
Eve's eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip. Jack stood and helped her up.
All Eve could do was stare at him. She brought her hand to his face, felt his skin. Looked into his eyes. They were his eyes alright. "Jack. . . I thought. . . I could've. . ."
He hugged her, didn't let go. "I though ye were too, love. Yer a hell of a person to track down, savvy?"
"Savvy. The Dark Angel makes that a habit."
"Dark Angel?"
"I'll explain later."
"Sounds fine. . . but are ye sure yer real?"
~***~
Eve peaked into the old smithy. It was still as dusty as ever. But the room was lighter than she remembered.
She walked in slowly, quietly. Looking along the walls she fingered the hole she made with a dagger while learning to swordfight. "Will? Are you here?"
Will came staggering out of the back room. "Eve! What are you doing here?"
Eve raised an eyebrow. "I have a surprise, but after that warm welcome. . ."
Will smiled, "Sorry, you just. . . surprised me."
"Will, who is it?" Came Elijah's voice.
"Elijah?"
"Eve?"
"Ok WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!"
Elijah and Will both smiled feebly. "Nothing, Eve. Nothing."
"Who the hell is Eve!?" Jack came bounding in.
"Jack!" Eve stomped. "Jack not yet!"
"Jack?" Said Will and Elijah together. "Jack!"
Elijah gaped. Sure, it was great to have the captain back but what of Eve? What of what he had recently done with Eve.
"Sorry, love. Couldn't wait. Missed you too much." He wrapped his arms around her and they kissed softly.
Will just stood by with his mouth open. "Jack, you're dead!"
"Am I? Well."
Eve looked up. "He's not dead. We never found the body, 'Lijah! I was right!"
Elijah looked in her eyes. But instead of seeing gray, they were bright green!
"Eve! Your eyes!"
"What about them?"
"They're green!"
Elijah unsheathed his sword and Eve looked at her reflection. "I knew he would come back," she whispered.
"So you're back to Eve now?"
"Captain Eve Spade. Of the Dark Angel," Elijah intervined.
"Captain? My Angel! Well. . . but. . . what of the 'Pearl?"
Eve's face fell. "When you were. . . when I thought you had. . . died, well, the 'Pearl had been deserately damaged. We got 'er repaired and done up nice, but it seemed so. . . disrespectful. . . to keep a name of her glory days, when she wasn't that anymore. . . so we renamed her. The Dark Angel. The crew named me Captain when we got 'em all together, see? And Elijah 'ere is me first mate."
Jack looked at Elijah. "'Ey! Ye've grown something, 'aven't ye, lad?"
"And neither you nor Eve have."
Jack looked at Eve. Her eyes were alive again. But she still looked about 21, and he still looked about 28. Elijah looked older than both of them.
In fact, Will had aged too, not as much though. He must've been, maybe 35 by now, and looked only about 30. Handsome as ever, in Eve's eyes.
Suddenly everyone looked at Eve. Will laughed. "Angel Sparrow in a dress! Well!"
Eve gave a hurt, pouty face. Jack wrapped his arms back around her. "For yer information, tis perfect! Tis her wedding dress!" Jack took her hand and looked at it. "And her wedding ring," He added softly.
Eve looked up and him, went on her tip-toes, and gave him a kiss. They hugged, and over Jack's shoulder Eve saw a large clock.
"Four o'clock! Elijah, We're due to see the commodore!"
Jack looked at her. "Commodore? Who is it now?"
"Still Adam Riley. That's why we're seeing him."
"Well, love, we aren't getting anywhere standing around! C'mon Will, Elijah, We have a commodore to catch!"
Jack lifted Eve into his arms (had she gotten lighter?) and ran out the shop. Will ran after them, brushing himself off as he dodged people in the street. Elijah sighed, then went after them. Eve's gift would have to wait.
~***~
Christian Riley and his father stood in Adam's office, looking impatiently at the clock. Adam sighed. "That would be Eve. Always late."
Christian laughed. "Yes, Father. . . that would be her."
Adam recognized the tone is his voice. "Hmm. Like father, like son."
"Father?"
"You like her. Am I right?"
Christian smiled uneasily. But his response was cut off by a pounding on the door.
~***~
Eve straightened herself out at the doorway of Commodore Riley's home. Jack delicately brushed a smudge off of her powder-pale face and the two waited as Will, then Elijah arrived. Both men calmed themselves and looked up, nodding.
Jack rapped on the heavy door. He was surprised when a young man opened it. "We're here for Adam Riley," Jack said.
"Jack! Don't be rude. Christian, sorry we're late."
"Who're you?" Jack and Christian said together.
"Jack, can't you tell?" Eve asked. "He and Adam look so alike!"
"No they don't! Not Adam Riley! Maybe Julianna!"
"Jack?" Christian looked confused.
"Yes, Christian. And Jack, he only has his mother's hair!"
"No 'e doesn't! The lad has her nose and everything else! My memory's good as ever, Angel!"
"Angel?"
"Angel?" Eve asked the same question as Christian. It had been so long. . . "Yes, Angel."
Christian steamed. "Alright, All of you! Inside! This will be cleared up."
As they walked to his father's office, Christian's thoughts wondered. Wasn't his godmother a woman named Angel?