A/N: Well, here it is, the final chapter!! ::sniff:: I could have split this into two chapters, but I would have uploaded them at the same time, and it's quicker to just upload one long on. Yes, Jack and I are lazy. Deal with it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it made me cry. I know, I am a mushy person. Oh, well. Enjoy this last chapter!
Chapter Six: Heartstrings
"But, Jack, I don't wanna go there!"
Jack sighed deeply from his gut. Somehow, he felt completely terrible. He had nothing to say to this. What would he say? Anna-Maria had convinced him that if he really cared for Ellie, he wouldn't let her grow up in the squalor of a ship? How would he explain that to her, when he really didn't understand it himself?
Jack decided in the end not to answer. Instead, he tugged a little harder on Ellie's hand, leading her down the streets of Port Royale. If he remembered correctly, Will's little house was just down this street.
He didn't bother to knock, just barged in, pulling a reluctant Ellie behind him.
"Will!" he yelled. "Elizabeth!"
"What?" came the distant voice of the eunuch. "Who is it? We're coming!"
Ellie hid behind Jack when there was the "thud, thud, thud" of Will's footfalls on the stairs and the "pat, pat, pat" of Elizabeth's slippers.
"It'll be fine, love," he reassured her.
Will stepped out of the stairwell and saw Jack.
"Jack!" he cried in surprise, unable to repress a smile. Elizabeth stepped out as well, and she, too, smiled.
"Jack, so good to see you!" Jack bent low over her hand and kissed it, giving her a cheeky grin.
"Elizabeth, darling, you're looking wonderful."
She rolled her eyes a little, but then suddenly noticed Ellie.
"Jack!" she cried in surprise. "Who's that?" Jack felt Ellie cringe, and he saw Will crane his neck to see whom Elizabeth was pointing at.
"Elizabeth, Will … this is Ellie." He tried to disentangle Ellie's fingers from his sash so that he could pull her out for Elizabeth to see. She wouldn't cooperate, however, and remained staunchly stable behind his legs.
"Ellie …" he pleaded a little. "Come on."
"No."
Jack did not know what to do. Ever since they had forged a friendship, Ellie had never actually disobeyed her. Not, of course, that he had actually asked her to do that much. He was at a loss.
Elizabeth, however, seemed to know what to do. She knelt down so that she was looking through Jack's legs at the little girl.
"Hello there, Ellie," she said, in the same voice Jack had heard Anna-Maria first use with the child. "My name is Elizabeth Turner. Why don't you come out so Will and I can meet you?" She gestured to her nonplussed-looking husband. "This is Will, my husband."
Ellie wavered for a moment more, but Elizabeth was smiling invitingly, and she reluctantly released Jack's sash. Jack let out a little breath of relief - she had nearly been choking him; she had been holding on so tight.
Elizabeth held out a friendly hand for Ellie to take, which she did, albeit a bit nervously. Elizabeth introduced her to Will, who shook her hand with a little wonder. Like Jack had been, he was unaccustomed to little children. Though they had been married almost five years now, the two had been unable to have children, a source of pain for both of them.
When he stood up from shaking Ellie's hand she stepped back away from Elizabeth to stand by Jack, but she did not look much frightened anymore, and she merely stood by Jack.
"Now tell me how you happened to acquire a child, Jack," said Will, a hint of amusement tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Anna-Maria brought her aboard," Jack explained. "She was in Tortuga."
"Alone?"
"Yes. And the thing is -- the thing is --" Jack was about to ask them to take her, when he looked down at Ellie, and stumbled him. She was watching him with her usual wide-eyed expression, and it suddenly tugged at his heartstrings. Hard.
Anna-Maria was right. He knew she was. They had talked long and hard about it the night after their argument, after Ellie had gone to bed. Ellie just couldn't grow up on a ship. She deserved more than that (which was Anna-Maria's line, and the argument that had really won Jack over, not to mention making him feel bad about wanting to hinder her life by keeping her on the ship). She deserved an education, and the chance to grow up as a young lady. But that didn't change the fact that Jack didn't want to let her go. It was troubling him deeply. Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't supposed to need anyone: he was a pirate, for God's sake! He would follow the code to end, and if you cared for someone, and they fell behind, you might be tempted to do something stupid, and go back for them, thereby risking your own hide. But here he was, Jack Sparrow, most feared pirate in the Caribbean, and yet he was having difficulty leaving a five year old kid with friends. What a pitiful excuse for a pirate he was …
"Yes?" Elizabeth prompted, breaking Jack out of his reverie. "The thing is …?"
"Well," said Jack, slowly. "The thing is, she can't grow up on a ship. As a pirate." He smiled down at Ellie. "Not that she wouldn't make a good one, eh, mate?"
"Aye," said Ellie, sadly. She was looking down at her shoes now. When Jack had told her two nights ago that they were still taking her to Port Royale, she had been very angry at him. She had even slapped him, and broken his best bottle of rum, spilling the rich contents all over the floor of his cabin. She had then stalked off to go to bed. Jack had skulked around the ship, miserable, the next day until she had forgiven him, and had allowed him to explain that he was taking her back for her own good. She was not any more convinced than he.
"And," Jack continued, "I was hoping that you would take her. And raise her, you know." When Will and Elizabeth were silent, Jack continued on.
"I'd send money, o' course. She's no trouble at all, are yeh, love?"
Will and Elizabeth looked at each other. Jack determinedly looked anywhere but at them, so nervous was he of their answer. Maybe, just maybe, they would say "no". Which would mean he could say, "Well, we tried!" and Ellie could come back onboard. He hoped, but when he looked up and saw Will and Elizabeth looking at each other with that mushy, luminous look in their eyes, he knew he had lost her.
***
When Anna-Maria saw Jack walking back towards the Pearl, it tugged on her heartstrings in the same way Ellie had the first time she had seen her, all alone on the corner of the street in Tortuga, dirty and hungry. Jack had that same sad, hungry, lonely look in his eyes now. They were cast down and he was walking slowly. He was still sashaying, as was his usual manner, but he kicked each foot out in front of the other in a listless, slow manner that lacked his usual vibrant energy. He walked up the plank onto the ship, and gave his best attempt at a bright smile to Anna-Maria, who was not in the least fooled.
"Is she at Will and Elizabeth's?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Jack. "She's got her own room, and everything. I think she'll be happy."
It was true. That was what hurt the most. She did look like she'd be happy. She had been amazed by the little room Will had fixed up for her. It was just a pallet on the floor now, but Will had promised to build her a bed the next day. Elizabeth had blathered on and on about school, and clothes, and how much fun she was going to have cooking for her, that Ellie had looked a little overwhelmed at first, but by the end of it, she looked so excited that Jack could hardly stand it. She even gave Elizabeth a hug. Consequently, Jack was miserable.
"Well, it's for the best," said Anna-Maria, and she was surprised at how easily the words fell from her lips. She'd miss Ellie, too. That was why she had sent Jack to take her to the Turners. She didn't think she could bear to do it herself, and there was no way in all the seas that Anna-Maria was going let anyone or anything make her cry, least of all that little girl, and least of all in front of someone.
"Yeah …" said Jack. "But I want to check on her … next time we're around here…"
"O' course," said Anna-Maria, with an almost wistful note in her voice. She wasn't so sure she had done right by letting Jack taking her. She'd missed some time with Ellie. She had said her good-byes on the ship: a handshake (Anna-Maria didn't hug, on principle) and a quick, "See ya, kiddo." She wondered if Ellie had hugged Jack, and that made her feel jealous and worried.
Ellie had hugged Jack, but only around the waist. Jack had just been leaving, and he had said,
"Well, pirate, guess this is it. I'll be seeing yeh, when yeh're all civilized." He had been debating on whether or not to shake her hand, or pat her on the shoulder, or something, before leaving, when she had suddenly thrown herself at his waist and hugged him, hard.
"Goodbye, Jack!" she had said, sounding tearful. Jack was so stunned for a moment that he didn't say anything, just awkwardly patted her head. He looked up to see Will and Elizabeth standing arm and arm looking at him with this obnoxious gooey look on their faces that said very clearly that they were not fooled at all. They knew exactly what kind of a hold this little girl had on him. He wanted to kneel down and hug her back, harder, but because of this look, he settled for a gruff,
"It's Captain Jack, love." She let go of him, and gave him a wave. And then Jack had nothing to do but just back out of the shop, close the door behind him, and head back to the Pearl. The Pearl. His only real love, right? The Pearl and his whiskey. Yes, there was a big jug of rum with his name written on it in his cabin, and as he stood on the deck with Anna-Maria now, it was calling to him. His only solace in times of trouble. So he said nothing more, save giving the order to haul in the anchor and hoist sails, then disappeared into his cabin.
***
Jack survived about three weeks before giving the order that they return to Port Royale.
"I've got to make sure she's happy," he'd said. "It's me duty. To make sure that eunuch isn't ruinin' 'er."
"Ruinin' her?" Anna-Maria had asked, confused.
"You know … civilizing 'er, and all that rot."
"Jack, that's the point, you know."
"Well, jus' so long as he isn't, yeh know, makin' pirates sound bad."
"Jack, his father was a pirate."
Jack didn't care that he was being irrational. He had to get back to Ellie. It had occurred to him a few nights ago, when he was brooding with his ale, that there were many things he ought to teach Ellie, and hadn't when he'd had the chance. Like the pirates code. She should know that. And how to man a ship. It was important, really. Things every young lady should know.
It was Anna-Maria who convinced him to wait before returning, however. Jack was at the helm, a working compass in his hand, steering towards Port Royale, when she approached him.
"Jack," she said, "We ought to wait a bit before going back."
"Why's that?" asked Jack, eager to make all haste to Ellie.
"Because, well, you don't want to interfere with her getting used to Will and Elizabeth. Like it or not, that's her home now, and she's going to be happier if you don't barge in there all the time and remind her of the ship. Go once she's settled."
"It's been three weeks! She's settled now!"
"Jack …" Anna-Maria sighed, but it wasn't an exasperated sigh. It was a sad one, and it made Jack look at her. "I miss Ellie, too, yeh know," she said, in a small voice.
"I don't miss Ellie," said Jack, indignantly. "It's me duty to make sure she's happy!"
"Jack," said Anna-Maria, now sounding exasperated. That was not the reaction she was hoping for.
"Alright …" admitted Jack. "Maybe I do miss 'er."
"'O course you do."
"A little."
Jack sighed again, and looked out over the sea. Then he sighed, checked his compass, and turned the wheel, turning the Pearl off of the course to Port Royale.
"Three more weeks," he said, firmly.
Anna-Maria nodded.
***
The three weeks passed without incident. Jack kept pillaging and plundering foremost in his mind to pass the time quicker, and to his surprise, he noticed Anna-Maria doing the same. She had brought Ellie up once, and then seemed to feel almost guilty. It had surprised Jack. He had surprised himself, too, by what he had done next.
"I s'pose Ellie's started school now," she had said. It was a scene similar to their last conversation about the child. They were at the helm, alone, and it was night.
"I s'pose so," Jack had said, trying not to think about it. He felt Anna-Maria stiffen and silence, and she said nothing more. He looked at her though. She was staring out over the sea, not really seeing, but looking terribly sad, for Anna-Maria, who usually had only three expressions: neutral, mildly happy and very, very angry. It gave him that strange flippy, tugging feeling around his chest that Ellie gave him. So he surprised both of them by doing what he would have done with Ellie if Will and Elizabeth hadn't been standing there: he hugged her.
He guessed that that was the end of the rift that had appeared between them when Ellie had arrived. It was funny: she had dragged them apart when she was there, but now that she was gone, she had pulled them back together.
What a ridiculous man he was getting to be, Jack reflected as he held Anna-Maria. That little child had made the most effeminate pirate out of him. He ought to be disgusted with himself, he told himself sternly, but it did no good.
Oh, well. It wasn't as if he was going to be soft on the crew. Or Anna-Maria, most of the time. This was an exception. But then, so was Ellie. A major, major exception to his whole life.
***
Jack almost didn't recognize Ellie when he saw her. He and Anna-Maria were standing at the door of the little house, and Anna-Maria had convinced him to actually knock instead of just barging in.
Jack had been in a state of emotional haywire the day leading up to their arrival in Port Royale. He had drunk himself into a stupor the night before, and was just coming out of it that last day. He stumbled around on deck, yelling at crew members, threatening to keelhaul them or fed them to the sharks. Anna-Maria was not much better, only in a different fashion. She had avoided people at all costs, whether up in the sails, or down below deck. Cotton had even caught her once hiding in the brig.
When Ellie opened the door, she was wearing a charming little dress and shoes, with a matching ribbon. She would have looked like a little angel if it wasn't for the grass stains on her knees. When she had seen Jack and Anna-Maria standing there, she had cried,
"JACK! ANNA!" She had hugged Jack first, wrapping her arms around his waist. The shoes gave her a little more height, but Jack didn't know that, and he gave a wistful thought to how much she had grown, the kind that only a parent can give. She then turned her attentions to Anna-Maria, hugging her just as hard. Anna-Maria looked a little shocked, but definitely pleased.
Will and Elizabeth had heard Ellie's shouts and they appeared in the foyer, looking very pleased to see the two pirates on their doorstep.
"Jack! Anna-Maria! Come in, please," said Elizabeth, opening the door wider. "Ellie, darling, you better let go of Anna-Maria, or she won't be able to walk."
Ellie let go reluctantly and stepped back. This gave Elizabeth the chance to see the front of her dress, and she moaned, only a little mad,
"Oh, Ellie, your dress! That's going to take me a good bit of work to get out!"
"Sorry, 'Lizabeth," apologized Ellie, unabashed, and untruthfully. She had a wide grin on her face, and she took both Jack and Anna-Maria's hands to lead them into the house. As she went, she gave neither of her two surrogate parents the chance to speak, because she immediately started rattling on and on to Jack and Anna-Maria about school, her friends, her room.
And it was in that moment that Jack knew he had done the right thing.
The End
A/N: Well, readers, we have reached the end of our journey! I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think; which characters you thought were in character, and which were not, whether it got a little too mushy or not, and most importantly, whether or not you thought the ending was too abupt or if I should add a bit about Jack's thoughts. Thanks a lot! Jack says thank you, too, and he WILL be accepting fanmail, and giving out kisses to ALL reviewers. Thank you much!
Chapter Six: Heartstrings
"But, Jack, I don't wanna go there!"
Jack sighed deeply from his gut. Somehow, he felt completely terrible. He had nothing to say to this. What would he say? Anna-Maria had convinced him that if he really cared for Ellie, he wouldn't let her grow up in the squalor of a ship? How would he explain that to her, when he really didn't understand it himself?
Jack decided in the end not to answer. Instead, he tugged a little harder on Ellie's hand, leading her down the streets of Port Royale. If he remembered correctly, Will's little house was just down this street.
He didn't bother to knock, just barged in, pulling a reluctant Ellie behind him.
"Will!" he yelled. "Elizabeth!"
"What?" came the distant voice of the eunuch. "Who is it? We're coming!"
Ellie hid behind Jack when there was the "thud, thud, thud" of Will's footfalls on the stairs and the "pat, pat, pat" of Elizabeth's slippers.
"It'll be fine, love," he reassured her.
Will stepped out of the stairwell and saw Jack.
"Jack!" he cried in surprise, unable to repress a smile. Elizabeth stepped out as well, and she, too, smiled.
"Jack, so good to see you!" Jack bent low over her hand and kissed it, giving her a cheeky grin.
"Elizabeth, darling, you're looking wonderful."
She rolled her eyes a little, but then suddenly noticed Ellie.
"Jack!" she cried in surprise. "Who's that?" Jack felt Ellie cringe, and he saw Will crane his neck to see whom Elizabeth was pointing at.
"Elizabeth, Will … this is Ellie." He tried to disentangle Ellie's fingers from his sash so that he could pull her out for Elizabeth to see. She wouldn't cooperate, however, and remained staunchly stable behind his legs.
"Ellie …" he pleaded a little. "Come on."
"No."
Jack did not know what to do. Ever since they had forged a friendship, Ellie had never actually disobeyed her. Not, of course, that he had actually asked her to do that much. He was at a loss.
Elizabeth, however, seemed to know what to do. She knelt down so that she was looking through Jack's legs at the little girl.
"Hello there, Ellie," she said, in the same voice Jack had heard Anna-Maria first use with the child. "My name is Elizabeth Turner. Why don't you come out so Will and I can meet you?" She gestured to her nonplussed-looking husband. "This is Will, my husband."
Ellie wavered for a moment more, but Elizabeth was smiling invitingly, and she reluctantly released Jack's sash. Jack let out a little breath of relief - she had nearly been choking him; she had been holding on so tight.
Elizabeth held out a friendly hand for Ellie to take, which she did, albeit a bit nervously. Elizabeth introduced her to Will, who shook her hand with a little wonder. Like Jack had been, he was unaccustomed to little children. Though they had been married almost five years now, the two had been unable to have children, a source of pain for both of them.
When he stood up from shaking Ellie's hand she stepped back away from Elizabeth to stand by Jack, but she did not look much frightened anymore, and she merely stood by Jack.
"Now tell me how you happened to acquire a child, Jack," said Will, a hint of amusement tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Anna-Maria brought her aboard," Jack explained. "She was in Tortuga."
"Alone?"
"Yes. And the thing is -- the thing is --" Jack was about to ask them to take her, when he looked down at Ellie, and stumbled him. She was watching him with her usual wide-eyed expression, and it suddenly tugged at his heartstrings. Hard.
Anna-Maria was right. He knew she was. They had talked long and hard about it the night after their argument, after Ellie had gone to bed. Ellie just couldn't grow up on a ship. She deserved more than that (which was Anna-Maria's line, and the argument that had really won Jack over, not to mention making him feel bad about wanting to hinder her life by keeping her on the ship). She deserved an education, and the chance to grow up as a young lady. But that didn't change the fact that Jack didn't want to let her go. It was troubling him deeply. Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't supposed to need anyone: he was a pirate, for God's sake! He would follow the code to end, and if you cared for someone, and they fell behind, you might be tempted to do something stupid, and go back for them, thereby risking your own hide. But here he was, Jack Sparrow, most feared pirate in the Caribbean, and yet he was having difficulty leaving a five year old kid with friends. What a pitiful excuse for a pirate he was …
"Yes?" Elizabeth prompted, breaking Jack out of his reverie. "The thing is …?"
"Well," said Jack, slowly. "The thing is, she can't grow up on a ship. As a pirate." He smiled down at Ellie. "Not that she wouldn't make a good one, eh, mate?"
"Aye," said Ellie, sadly. She was looking down at her shoes now. When Jack had told her two nights ago that they were still taking her to Port Royale, she had been very angry at him. She had even slapped him, and broken his best bottle of rum, spilling the rich contents all over the floor of his cabin. She had then stalked off to go to bed. Jack had skulked around the ship, miserable, the next day until she had forgiven him, and had allowed him to explain that he was taking her back for her own good. She was not any more convinced than he.
"And," Jack continued, "I was hoping that you would take her. And raise her, you know." When Will and Elizabeth were silent, Jack continued on.
"I'd send money, o' course. She's no trouble at all, are yeh, love?"
Will and Elizabeth looked at each other. Jack determinedly looked anywhere but at them, so nervous was he of their answer. Maybe, just maybe, they would say "no". Which would mean he could say, "Well, we tried!" and Ellie could come back onboard. He hoped, but when he looked up and saw Will and Elizabeth looking at each other with that mushy, luminous look in their eyes, he knew he had lost her.
***
When Anna-Maria saw Jack walking back towards the Pearl, it tugged on her heartstrings in the same way Ellie had the first time she had seen her, all alone on the corner of the street in Tortuga, dirty and hungry. Jack had that same sad, hungry, lonely look in his eyes now. They were cast down and he was walking slowly. He was still sashaying, as was his usual manner, but he kicked each foot out in front of the other in a listless, slow manner that lacked his usual vibrant energy. He walked up the plank onto the ship, and gave his best attempt at a bright smile to Anna-Maria, who was not in the least fooled.
"Is she at Will and Elizabeth's?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Jack. "She's got her own room, and everything. I think she'll be happy."
It was true. That was what hurt the most. She did look like she'd be happy. She had been amazed by the little room Will had fixed up for her. It was just a pallet on the floor now, but Will had promised to build her a bed the next day. Elizabeth had blathered on and on about school, and clothes, and how much fun she was going to have cooking for her, that Ellie had looked a little overwhelmed at first, but by the end of it, she looked so excited that Jack could hardly stand it. She even gave Elizabeth a hug. Consequently, Jack was miserable.
"Well, it's for the best," said Anna-Maria, and she was surprised at how easily the words fell from her lips. She'd miss Ellie, too. That was why she had sent Jack to take her to the Turners. She didn't think she could bear to do it herself, and there was no way in all the seas that Anna-Maria was going let anyone or anything make her cry, least of all that little girl, and least of all in front of someone.
"Yeah …" said Jack. "But I want to check on her … next time we're around here…"
"O' course," said Anna-Maria, with an almost wistful note in her voice. She wasn't so sure she had done right by letting Jack taking her. She'd missed some time with Ellie. She had said her good-byes on the ship: a handshake (Anna-Maria didn't hug, on principle) and a quick, "See ya, kiddo." She wondered if Ellie had hugged Jack, and that made her feel jealous and worried.
Ellie had hugged Jack, but only around the waist. Jack had just been leaving, and he had said,
"Well, pirate, guess this is it. I'll be seeing yeh, when yeh're all civilized." He had been debating on whether or not to shake her hand, or pat her on the shoulder, or something, before leaving, when she had suddenly thrown herself at his waist and hugged him, hard.
"Goodbye, Jack!" she had said, sounding tearful. Jack was so stunned for a moment that he didn't say anything, just awkwardly patted her head. He looked up to see Will and Elizabeth standing arm and arm looking at him with this obnoxious gooey look on their faces that said very clearly that they were not fooled at all. They knew exactly what kind of a hold this little girl had on him. He wanted to kneel down and hug her back, harder, but because of this look, he settled for a gruff,
"It's Captain Jack, love." She let go of him, and gave him a wave. And then Jack had nothing to do but just back out of the shop, close the door behind him, and head back to the Pearl. The Pearl. His only real love, right? The Pearl and his whiskey. Yes, there was a big jug of rum with his name written on it in his cabin, and as he stood on the deck with Anna-Maria now, it was calling to him. His only solace in times of trouble. So he said nothing more, save giving the order to haul in the anchor and hoist sails, then disappeared into his cabin.
***
Jack survived about three weeks before giving the order that they return to Port Royale.
"I've got to make sure she's happy," he'd said. "It's me duty. To make sure that eunuch isn't ruinin' 'er."
"Ruinin' her?" Anna-Maria had asked, confused.
"You know … civilizing 'er, and all that rot."
"Jack, that's the point, you know."
"Well, jus' so long as he isn't, yeh know, makin' pirates sound bad."
"Jack, his father was a pirate."
Jack didn't care that he was being irrational. He had to get back to Ellie. It had occurred to him a few nights ago, when he was brooding with his ale, that there were many things he ought to teach Ellie, and hadn't when he'd had the chance. Like the pirates code. She should know that. And how to man a ship. It was important, really. Things every young lady should know.
It was Anna-Maria who convinced him to wait before returning, however. Jack was at the helm, a working compass in his hand, steering towards Port Royale, when she approached him.
"Jack," she said, "We ought to wait a bit before going back."
"Why's that?" asked Jack, eager to make all haste to Ellie.
"Because, well, you don't want to interfere with her getting used to Will and Elizabeth. Like it or not, that's her home now, and she's going to be happier if you don't barge in there all the time and remind her of the ship. Go once she's settled."
"It's been three weeks! She's settled now!"
"Jack …" Anna-Maria sighed, but it wasn't an exasperated sigh. It was a sad one, and it made Jack look at her. "I miss Ellie, too, yeh know," she said, in a small voice.
"I don't miss Ellie," said Jack, indignantly. "It's me duty to make sure she's happy!"
"Jack," said Anna-Maria, now sounding exasperated. That was not the reaction she was hoping for.
"Alright …" admitted Jack. "Maybe I do miss 'er."
"'O course you do."
"A little."
Jack sighed again, and looked out over the sea. Then he sighed, checked his compass, and turned the wheel, turning the Pearl off of the course to Port Royale.
"Three more weeks," he said, firmly.
Anna-Maria nodded.
***
The three weeks passed without incident. Jack kept pillaging and plundering foremost in his mind to pass the time quicker, and to his surprise, he noticed Anna-Maria doing the same. She had brought Ellie up once, and then seemed to feel almost guilty. It had surprised Jack. He had surprised himself, too, by what he had done next.
"I s'pose Ellie's started school now," she had said. It was a scene similar to their last conversation about the child. They were at the helm, alone, and it was night.
"I s'pose so," Jack had said, trying not to think about it. He felt Anna-Maria stiffen and silence, and she said nothing more. He looked at her though. She was staring out over the sea, not really seeing, but looking terribly sad, for Anna-Maria, who usually had only three expressions: neutral, mildly happy and very, very angry. It gave him that strange flippy, tugging feeling around his chest that Ellie gave him. So he surprised both of them by doing what he would have done with Ellie if Will and Elizabeth hadn't been standing there: he hugged her.
He guessed that that was the end of the rift that had appeared between them when Ellie had arrived. It was funny: she had dragged them apart when she was there, but now that she was gone, she had pulled them back together.
What a ridiculous man he was getting to be, Jack reflected as he held Anna-Maria. That little child had made the most effeminate pirate out of him. He ought to be disgusted with himself, he told himself sternly, but it did no good.
Oh, well. It wasn't as if he was going to be soft on the crew. Or Anna-Maria, most of the time. This was an exception. But then, so was Ellie. A major, major exception to his whole life.
***
Jack almost didn't recognize Ellie when he saw her. He and Anna-Maria were standing at the door of the little house, and Anna-Maria had convinced him to actually knock instead of just barging in.
Jack had been in a state of emotional haywire the day leading up to their arrival in Port Royale. He had drunk himself into a stupor the night before, and was just coming out of it that last day. He stumbled around on deck, yelling at crew members, threatening to keelhaul them or fed them to the sharks. Anna-Maria was not much better, only in a different fashion. She had avoided people at all costs, whether up in the sails, or down below deck. Cotton had even caught her once hiding in the brig.
When Ellie opened the door, she was wearing a charming little dress and shoes, with a matching ribbon. She would have looked like a little angel if it wasn't for the grass stains on her knees. When she had seen Jack and Anna-Maria standing there, she had cried,
"JACK! ANNA!" She had hugged Jack first, wrapping her arms around his waist. The shoes gave her a little more height, but Jack didn't know that, and he gave a wistful thought to how much she had grown, the kind that only a parent can give. She then turned her attentions to Anna-Maria, hugging her just as hard. Anna-Maria looked a little shocked, but definitely pleased.
Will and Elizabeth had heard Ellie's shouts and they appeared in the foyer, looking very pleased to see the two pirates on their doorstep.
"Jack! Anna-Maria! Come in, please," said Elizabeth, opening the door wider. "Ellie, darling, you better let go of Anna-Maria, or she won't be able to walk."
Ellie let go reluctantly and stepped back. This gave Elizabeth the chance to see the front of her dress, and she moaned, only a little mad,
"Oh, Ellie, your dress! That's going to take me a good bit of work to get out!"
"Sorry, 'Lizabeth," apologized Ellie, unabashed, and untruthfully. She had a wide grin on her face, and she took both Jack and Anna-Maria's hands to lead them into the house. As she went, she gave neither of her two surrogate parents the chance to speak, because she immediately started rattling on and on to Jack and Anna-Maria about school, her friends, her room.
And it was in that moment that Jack knew he had done the right thing.
The End
A/N: Well, readers, we have reached the end of our journey! I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think; which characters you thought were in character, and which were not, whether it got a little too mushy or not, and most importantly, whether or not you thought the ending was too abupt or if I should add a bit about Jack's thoughts. Thanks a lot! Jack says thank you, too, and he WILL be accepting fanmail, and giving out kisses to ALL reviewers. Thank you much!