Okay. My computer (and it's internet connection) hate me. I don't know what happened, or what I ever did to the poor thing, but suffice to say, Jack broke the internet, and so this chapter took a long time. *sobs* I'm sorry!!
And you all need to make that happy review button say '300' before I put up the epilogue! I mean it!
AleniaOceanstar: She was kinda preoccupied with having her heart be broken!
Saiyan-girl-cheetah: See, you all are very smart! You all think of such bloody brilliant ideas! *huggles*
CotG: Because, dear, they are men.
Elderberry: Erm, yes. Excellent point. But I did want to come up with something Will would say, and I can just imagine him saying that...so.... O.o And that is a .... ahem.....interesting variation to the story idea I had......O.o
Lady Riddle: Well, I'm happy that I can actually write "chemistry". I was trying to make it kinda obvious that they cared, but I couldn't just come out and say that. And he is a sexy rogue, ain't he?
I88er-az: Nope. Didn't get 300. Got darn close, and I am very happy.....And my poor Jack. :D
Ecila: I feel like crying myself, but thankies so much that I managed to make someone else cry! Aww...*huggles* Thanks!
Ninjix: Why, thank you, I'm glad you liked it! O.o Christine's gonna marry Francis now? Oh my.
Dalas Ray: Yay! Someone that understands why I made him like that! *happy rum dance* And I wrote more....no stabby?
Recovering: *huggles* And it was okay, then? The best chapter? Better than marooned? Wow. :p Thankies so much!
Sugaricing: Mwa ha! Yes! It has arrived! Whoot!
Ellina: Mwaha! I shall join you in laughing at Francis! I agree with you, too. He had a reason....I suppose. But he still was a jerk! *pouts* Huggles Willy, everyone!
Tabby Kitten: No! *beats her own character with a frying pan....then realizes that the character is herself* Oops.....no! You cannot marry Francesco....Francis! Listen to the reviewer!
Completeopposites: Mwa ha! Have I a plan? Or am I just......EVIL?!? Bwa ha!!!
Anonymous Bulldog: Why, thank you! I'm glad I portrayed him right!
Huntress16: Why is Elizabeth marrying Norrington, hmm? Think of that one!
Kery J. Wales: Thanks so much! Really! And I agree...people better review if they want to read! Mwa ha!
Lady Aura: Ooh...I have fans?! Wowsers. And quite frankly, I would join you in being not happy. No! Dumb characters.....just cause I wrote them....
Irishlass: Well, technically, she could.
Lilrujan: Ooh.....happiness! missie _ ducaine @ mailcity . com and don't forget to take out the spaces and I would LOVE to get a piccie! *huggles* I have FANS!!!! *huggles again* Ummm....and she's marrying him so that all of you fans can have Jack? :D
Lyssa2: Can I join you in the shaking of shoulders? And the huggings of Will? And, while I'm at it....I shall hug you! *huggles* Aww....I have not yet descended into Mary-Sue-dom? Yay!
Taffy: Love it! And more comes! Die. Francis. Die.
Jehsahka: But she said yes, not no......:D
HyperCaz: He's a pretty cute prick, though. And he does like her.....
Seductive Gyspy: Glad you like it! Yay! No complaints!
Kayt Sparrow: Well...actually, she does something along those lines....though no aspirin.
Brem Nakada: Yes, I'm pretty sure I realize what I just wrote.....and yes'm. Cannot have that at all. Glad to hear that I managed to capture Will too...it was fun.
Calender: And shall she? Guess we'll soon see!
Spontaneousxhumanxcombustion: What is the plan? PLAN CHAPTER!!!
Christé: Oh, c'mon, you're not used to my plot-twisties yet? Sheesh. And Will can read the heart. Heather's just got the strangest way of following it......;) Seeing you soon!
~KKR~: Mwa ha...I have the most evil plans.......
Disney, could we please, for just a minute, pretend I owned them? Please?!
****************
"Tomorrow afternoon." The words floated over me as I lay in a comfortable, feather down bed, blankets pulled up to my chin. "The pirate hangs."
I shivered, and snuggled deeper under the blankets. We had arrived in Port Royal that afternoon, and just before we'd all stepped off the ship, Norrington had stood before his crew, and announced Jack's fate. And then we'd been hustled off to the Governor's house, as a meek and quiet Will headed down the cobble-stone streets towards his smithy.
We had discovered, upon arrival back at the house, that the repairs were almost completed, and though a number of valuable family heirlooms had disappeared, everything was much the same as it had been when we'd left, 2-? 3-? weeks ago. The seamstress came by that afternoon to deliver the dresses she had made from our measurements, followed soon after by the local bone-saw - that is, the doctor.
He had been sent for by the Governor, and immediately asked to see my injuries. I had pointed to my right hand, which was still bandaged.
He had taken off the wrappings, and, for the first time, I saw my wounds.
Angry red slashes traveled across the inside of my ring and middle fingers and thumb; two parallel stripes marked my palm, and a four inch gash stretched along my wrist. It looked worse, not better, when he washed the dried blood off of it, and I, even with no medical knowledge, had to agree that he must be right when he told me that I would likely never have complete use of my hand again.
It was no longer in much danger of bleeding, he said, though he wrapped fresh bandages around my hand and wrist, and ordered me to be careful in water. I nodded, only too glad to keep that simple rule in mind.
I had begged to be allowed to go to sleep once the doctor left, and Governor Swann had agreed. Retreating to the simple chambers he had had the maids quickly prepare for me, I locked the door, and lay on the bed.
Tossing off the red-coat uniform I still wore, I threw on a simple nightgown, and found myself staring out at the ocean, my legs feeling weird to be back on ground. But once the sun had sunk below the horizon, I found myself to be very cold, and staring out at a sky with nearly no moon at all. Stars twinkled cheerily at me, but I turned away, staring instead at the candle one of the maids had left, now burned and melted into a stub.
After staring into the flames for awhile, I realized that the candle light was reflecting off of something, but I couldn't place what it was reflecting off of. Sitting up in the bed, I looked around, spotting at last the source of the strange light refractions. Crawling across the bed, I reached forward to pick the golden crown off the side-table where someone had laid it.
Sitting back on the bed, I turned it carefully around in my hands. It was a pretty thing - a little gaudy for my tastes, but beautiful nonetheless. Sighing, I laid it carefully in my lap, eyes no longer seeing it. What was I going to do?
***
Christine, meanwhile, had opted to stay downstairs, having donned one of the dresses the seamstress had brought. Dressed in a simple, pink dress, she sat on the chesterfield, hands folded neatly in her lap.
Governor Swann sat in one of the various chairs around the room, and Norrington and Elizabeth sat on the love-seat, Norrington looking quite pleased. He had asked, when arriving, where I was, and was given the answer that I was still "recovering". Christine decided, over the course of the evening, that Norrington really was a nice guy. She realized that Elizabeth's heart belonged to Will, but altogether, she didn't think she was getting too bad of a deal.
He actually paid attention when she explained some of what had happened, and looked properly scandalized when she told her story about Barbossa. "That man deserves to be shot!" He asserted firmly, and Christine had to grin.
"He was. Jack shot him."
His firm expression faded into a weary one, as beside him, Elizabeth's features hardened in what could only be fury. "Ah."
Christine hesitated, then changed the subject. "So...who is Francis Parsons? I'm afraid I really haven't had the honor of meeting him." She mentally gagged at that idea, but had to get her ball rolling.
Commodore Norrington smiled, and Christine couldn't help smiling back. "He's one of my best men. He was quite smitten with Miss Heather the moment he saw her. Your sister has chosen well in marrying him."
Christine blinked. Her sister?! "My sister has?"
"Yes," Governor Swann agreed, nodding happily. "She has. You're welcome to stay here after she's married, of course." Then, brightening, he turned to the Commodore. "Really, Norrington, I do believe the boy is deserving of a promotion. Lieutenant, perhaps?"
As the two men discussed possible placements for my future husband, Christine considered what they'd just said. Sisters. Well, she supposed that made some sense - after all, we had been traveling together. We knew each other awfully well, protected each other to the point where I'd risked death at least once for her, and we were both blondes. She frowned a little, considering the idea, then shrugged a little. Alright. If we were sisters, then we were sisters. At least it would give us an excuse to see each other again. Regularly.
"What do you think, Christine?"
The Governor's voice broke her train of thought, and she looked up, blinking. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. What was that?"
"We were just remarking that a spring wedding would be lovely for Heather and Francis. What did you think?"
Christine bit her lip, trying to keep from laughing. Hadn't I told her once, as we'd flipped through the pages of a bridal magazine, looking at the dresses, that I thought a spring wedding was the stupidest thing ever? I had told her that, if I ever got married, I wanted to get married either a) in the snow wearing a red cape with white fur trim over a red and green dress; or b) on the deck of an authentic sailing ship, in the Pacific. She grinned. "A spring wedding would be perfect."
They nodded, and returned to the discussion of weddings and the now-Lieutenant Parsons, as Christine hid a smile behind her hand. Ooh...she was evil.
***
The birds were singing, the sun was shining, I was warm and cozy, and the sweet smell of johnny-cakes and bacon floated up from downstairs. It seemed to be the perfect morning. For a few moments, I lay in my bed, simply relaxing, trying to pretend that this was just another day in the Caribbean.
But it wasn't, and soon I rolled out of the bed, running my left hand through my hair. My old clothes, the "underthings", were laying on the side table, beside the crown. Frowning, I checked the pockets, and found my wallet. Surprised, I opened it, but the paper money inside was soaked, gone. The only things salvageable were the cards, the coins, and, in one of the photo packets, a small slip of paper that made me grin. Tossing a quarter into the photo pouch, I turned, and tossed the rest of the wallet into the fireplace, watching as it flared up in flames. I nodded, sighing, and slid the photo pouch into the waistband of my pantalettes. Grabbing a brush off the vanity, I began to tackle the knotted mane, when a soft knock startled me. "Yes?" I called, turning on the small circular stool to see who it was.
Sarah Parker, the maid, the first person I had seen besides Christine after this whole fiasco started, opened the door and stepped in. "Morning," she said cheerfully, carrying a tray of food. "Are you hungry?"
"Very," I said, setting the brush down, and settling myself on the bed so I could eat. "Thank you."
"Your welcome," Sarah said humbly, then turned to the wardrobe, sorting through the few items inside. "Are you headed to the hangin' this afternoon?"
I swallowed my eggs, and bit my lip. "Yes."
Sarah nodded. "Yes, the others are as well. Did you have anything in mind to wear, or shall I choose a dress for you?"
"The black one," I said, returning to trying to spoon up eggs with a fork and my left hand.
"The black one?" Sarah pulled it from the closet, frowning slightly. "'Tis very...dark. Like a mourning dress."
"Exactly," I said, pleased to discover that I did have enough mobility in my right hand to handle a chunk of my johnny-cake as I spread butter on it with my other hand. "And I want some practical boots to wear - none of those ridiculous slippers."
Sarah frowned, bending to look at the footwear on the bottom of the wardrobe. "Shall these do?" She asked, holding up a pair of stiff-looking, buckled shoes.
"Certainly not. I need something sturdy, but still wearable. Like...those ones." I pointed to the pair of red-coat army boots sitting in the corner with the uniform itself, then took a bite of the johnny-cake. "They were quite nice."
"I'm afraid we haven't anything like that," Sarah frowned still, looking a little worried, now. "Perhaps I'll have to go into town, to see if I can find anything that will do."
"Oh, really?" My eyes lit up. "Well, then. If you're going into town, I have a few other things I need you to find for me..."
***
There was a knock on my bedroom door, then Estrella's voice floated in. "Heather? Lieutenant Parsons is here."
I blinked, pausing from my task of attempting to fasten my hat on properly. "Lieutenant Parsons? What, is that his father?"
There came a giggle from the other side of the door. "He was promoted, this morning."
"Oh, well." I had to grin, and returned to tugging on the ribbon under my chin to fasten it. "Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes." Rolling my eyes, I whispered to myself, "Well, fancy that. I'm going to be a Lieutenant's wife." I bent to look in the mirror, and nodded. It was a nice hat, as hat's go, a flat straw thing with a plain, thick black ribbon tied around the brim and then down to under my chin.
Standing back, I appraised the entire effect. Simple black dress, high collared, straight, flared sleeves, with a full skirt. I had always thought that I looked good in black. Satisfied, I turned to walk downstairs, boot-clad feet conveniently covered by the floor-sweeping skirt.
I opened the door, and didn't make it two steps into the hall before I heard a female voice. "Well, off to a funeral, are we?"
Smiling, I turned back, and curtseyed to my best friend. "And we're headed off to a church social, are we?" I jibbed, motioning to her low-necked pale pink dress, and sunhat with pink field-flowers woven into a chain around the crown.
"As I understand it, that's about the attitude at this sort of thing." Christine hesitated, biting her lip. "Look, Heather. I realize that we've...changed things. And I realize that I don't know what's going to happen. But I....I can't believe that you're doing this."
"What, going to the hanging, or dressing in black?" I knew what she really meant, but I tried to avoid it.
"Getting married," she said, cutting right to the chase. "What's come over you? The Heather I know would never give up on that man this easily."
I gave a little sad smile, and reached forward to pat her on the shoulder. "There might be a lot of Heather that will surprise you." Sighing, I nodded, and turned to descend the stairs. She followed, silent.
Francis stood near the doorway, talking quietly with Elizabeth and Governor Swann. I had a sudden sense of beginning-of-the-movie deja-vu, as he looked up, face lighting up. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Parsons," I said, with a small smile.
"You heard?" He seemed ready to burst into song and dance at any moment, his face glowing with a wide smile, darting forward to take my hand and help me down the last couple of steps, though I really could have managed it on my own. "The Commodore just told me this morning. It's quite an honor." He looked down at me, frowning a little, and said, "Why are you wearing black? You look like you're in mourning."
"I am," I said without smiling, lowering my eyes from his confused gaze. "Shall we go?"
He looped his arm, and I slowly slid my hand into his arm, biting my lip as I followed him out of the house, and climbed into the carriage. The conversation on the way there was dominated by the Governor and Francis, Elizabeth, Christine and I being mostly silent.
When the carriage stopped bouncing over the cobbled streets, we emerged into the sunlight, and were greeted with festive smiles as we headed towards the archway where we joined a grimly smiling Commodore Norrington. "Sir, ladies, gentlemen," Norrington nodded at each of us in turn, reaching out to gently take Elizabeth's hands. She looked at him without emotion, nodding.
I found myself examining Francis, trying to avoid the eyes of the people around me. He wore a blue jacket now, instead of red, a mark of rank. A sword hung from his belt - no doubt one of Will's masterpieces. He looked happy - ecstatic, even, as though, on some level, he had suspected the pirate's intentions to me, and was happy to be getting his rival out of the way for once and for all.
A murmur ran through the crowd, and I spun towards the source of the commotion. My breath caught in my throat, for there, being led by two red-coats, hands tied together, was Jack. I watched as they led him through the square, then up the steps and onto the wooden platform in the center of the courtyard.
Commodore Norrington held up a hand, and slowly, the crowd ceased talking, turning to look at the platform and its three occupants - Jack, a man holding a decree, and the executioner.
The official cleared his throat, and held up the paper. "Jack Sparrow, let it be known that you have..."
"Captain." I whispered, making Francis turn his head just a little to look at me. "Captain Jack Sparrow."
"…for your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most grievous of these to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling…" The official continued, though on our vantage point, he was interrupted by Elizabeth's soft voice.
"This is wrong."
"Commodore Norrington is bound by the law," Her father admonished, then added firmly, "As we all are."
"…impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England…" the official continued to drone on his list of charges.
Jack smirked at an obviously good memory, and grinned at the executioner, who glared back.
"…sailing under false colors, arson, kidnaping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation and general lawlessness. And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul." The official finished, and rolled up his decree as the executioner moved towards a silent Jack, suddenly sober.
Tearing my eyes away, I looked down with a sigh of relief to see Will moving towards us. Doffing his hat, he called up, "Governor Swann. Commodore. Lieutenant. Ladies. Elizabeth." He smiled, then said, sincerely, " I should have told you every day from the moment I met you…I love you."
The men looked properly scandalized and furious as he turned and walked away, towards the platform, where the executioner was now placing the noose around Jack's neck.
Elizabeth looked up, gaze alighting on something. Her eyes widened, then gasped. "Can't breathe." As she collapsed onto the flagstones, the drums began to sound.
"Elizabeth!" The Governor gasped, and he and Norrington rushed to help him. For my part, I was immensely glad for the distraction the brightly colored parrot had provided.
"Francis," I whispered, and when he leaned over to ask me what I wanted, I grabbed the sword from his belt, and whipped it out as he let out a cry of surprise. "Sorry," I told him, honestly, then gripped the sword tighter in my left hand, and jumped down to the courtyard.
"Heather!" He cried, but it was drowned out to my ears by Will's louder shout.
"Move!"
People darted out of my way as I charged forward, cursing my skirts, and ducked under the scaffold. Jack's feet had a tenuous hold on the sword sticking into the trapdoor, the only thing between him and a 'short drop and a sudden stop'.
Bracing my shoulders, I ducked under the sword, and caught his feet, pushing upwards. Now Jack's full weight was on my back, which wasn't all that easy, as the man was pretty heavy. Startled at the sudden support, he looked down, eyes widening.
"What're you..." He never got to finish that question, for at that moment, Will cut the rope around Jack's neck, and I dropped forward, letting him hit the ground himself. He backed a step away from the sword embedded in the trapdoor, then turned to look at me with an equally wary eye. "What do ye think yer doing?!"
"Saving you," I said not-so calmly, using Francis' sword to slice through the ropes around his wrist. He grabbed another, just as Will dropped under the scaffold to join us.
He gave me a surprised glance, then moved right on past. "Let's move!"
And move we did. Will and Jack seemed to move into a certain rhythm, a groove, as though they had been training together all along. I could never pretend that I matched them, or, even that I caught up with them. Not only was I severely inexperienced with swords, but I was forced to use my other hand, and I was in a skirt. But I was amazed at how well I did manage to keep up. Twice, as we headed towards the tower, I found myself with my back to Jack's fending of soldiers best I could, and once, managed a neat little duck under Will's swinging arm as he took out a soldier, emerging on the other side to engage a soldier that had been aiming for Will.
We were doing well, until, in an unfortunate twist of fate, we were surrounded - by soldiers with guns. Following the men's lead, I moved with my back to the other two, forming a neat little triangle, and swept around the circle, crossing my sword with the pike on the front of each musket.
And then we waited, until Norrington stood close, shaking his head.
" I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill conceived escape attempt, but not from you." He paused, eyebrows furrowed as he looked directly at me. "And certainly not from you."
Governor Swann stepped forward, flabbergasted. "On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency, and this is how you thank me? I took you into my home, and this is how you repay my generosity? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!"
"And a good man." Jack smirked, proudly gesturing towards chest, as Will defended him. "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."
"And if the executioner desires a skirt to hang from his gallows, then his wish will be granted. I too, shall die with the knowledge that I have done what is right, laws or no laws." I drew myself up, shooting Norrington the hardest glare I could manage.
He looked at me, frowning, then turned away, and addressed Will. "You forget your place, Turner."
"It's right here, between you and Jack."
The line of soldiers suddenly parted, as Elizabeth pushed her way through, to stand at Will's side. "As is mine."
"And mine," I agreed, holding my sword as steady as I could.
"Elizabeth! Lower your weapons!" Governor Swann waved madly at the soldiers. "For goodness' sake, put them down!"
Around the ring, the guns lowered, and I breathed a little sigh of relief, raising an eyebrow to look at Christine, who stared, open-mouthed, at me from outside the ring of soldiers.
"So this is where your heart truly lies, then?" Norrington asked softly, looking rather depressed.
"It is." Elizabeth said firmly, tightening her grip on Will's arm.
Meanwhile, behind me, I glanced back to see Jack's eyes focused on something. I glanced to where he was looking, and had to grin when I spotted the distinctive blue parrot. "Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about this!" Grinning, he turned to the Governor. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically?" Turning his attention to the Commodore next, "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that."
His attention turned to Francis next, eyes clouded. "And you, mate. Hurt her...and you'll be facing the wrath of a pirate captain so evil, hell itself spit him back out." Grinning again, Jack turned to Elizabeth, and gave her a tragic expression. "Elizabeth …it would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry. Will …nice hat. Christine - I'm glad you're not the worse for wear from my first mate. Find yourself a nice pirate, right?" Glancing at me once, he shot me a, "Keep yourself safe, savvy?"
He took only one step backwards before I spoke up. "Jack Sparrow, don't you dare think you're getting away that easily."
Blinking, he didn't have time to react when I dropped the sword, and reached forward, grabbing a fistful of his shirt. Yanking him forward the two steps, and tilting my head up, kissed him as fiercely as I could manage. Had the situation been different, and had I been any less forceful, it would have been quite evident that I had no idea what I was doing, but I let instinct guide me, one hand crushing folds of his shirt, the other drifting to the back of his neck. Moving my lips hungrily over his, I tried to absorb the taste of him - ocean and rum - trying to imprint that moment on my lips.
He responded almost immediately, one hand sliding around my waist to pull me into his chest, the other drifting over my cheek. He seemed almost as desperate as I, but much as I would have liked to pretend that we were alone, there was a whole crowd gaping at us. At last, I pushed him away, licking my bruised lips. "There. Now you can go."
He paused a moment, then nodded once. Backing up, he raised his voice again. "Men! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that you – "
And with that, he tripped over the battlement wall, and crashed into the ocean.
I actually laughed out loud as Gillette shook his head. " Idiot! He has nowhere to go but back to the noose."
"Sail, ho!" A sentry yelled, and there, plain as day, was the Black Pearl, and it was quite obvious that that was precisely where Jack was headed.
"What's your plan of action? Sir?" Gillette demanded, and I barely caught Swann's response regarding piracy sometimes being the right course of action as I turned to look at Elizabeth, Will, Christine and Francis.
"I really am sorry," I admitted, noting Francis' wide, hurt puppy-dog eyes. "Christine, snag yourself a good military man. You deserve one. Elizabeth, Will, I trust that the wedding will be lovely. Someday you'll have to tell me all about it."
"And where will you be, that you won't be there to see it?" Norrington demanded, startling me a little, as I hadn't realized that he was there.
"At sea, sir." I nodded, and walked backwards, slowly, and when I reached the cusp of the wall that Jack had fallen over, I stepped up onto it, black dress whipping around me. "Farewell. I wish you all the best of all luck." I saluted, and then I simply leaned back, skirts swirling as I fell straight down towards the water.
I broke the surface of the ocean with more force than I would have expected, and as my skirts took on water, I began to head straight down, exactly as Elizabeth had done, not so long ago. Only I was slightly more prepared than Elizabeth had been.
Rolling up the edge of my right cuff, I pulled the dagger I'd hidden in my sleeve out. Carefully, I cut the buttons off the front of my dress, hand shaking a little as the air in my lungs began to run out. Kicking upward, I broke the surface of the water with a gasp, then, with the front of my dress crudely cut open, I wriggled my arms out of the sleeves, then kicked the rest of the dress off.
Underneath were the items I had asked Sarah to fetch from town for me. Now much freer for movement in a loose white shirt, a tightly fitted vest, fitted breeches and the boots, I yanked the hat off by it's ribbons, and began swimming.
I'm not a particularly strong swimmer, but I have good endurance, if not speed. I could see Jack some ways ahead, and was rather relieved that the Pearl was growing steadily larger as I neared it. I could see when Jack was hauled over the side with a rope, greeting Gibbs, having his hat handed to him by Cotton. As AnaMaria laid his coat over his shoulders, I was by now close enough to feel relief flooding into me when one of the crew members called, "Captain! We have a swimmer!"
Those on deck turned, and though I wasn't close enough to see their expressions, I could see Gibbs bend, and a moment later, throw something into the water. When the rope hit the water only a couple feet from me, I reached forward to grasp it, and let them tow me forward, and haul me up over the side.
I bent over, trying to catch my breath, and laughed. "I thank you sincerely, Gibbs, for not keeping to the code."
He laughed, and I jumped as a heavy coat dropped over my shoulders, followed a moment later by the owner's arm. "And here I was thinkin' that that was your way of saying goodbye."
"That, Jack," I grinned, resting my head on his shoulder as he led us towards the quarter-deck, "was my way of saying that I didn't want to say goodbye."
He grinned, his eyes taking on a dreamy expression as he ran his hand over the wheel. "She's a beauty, ain't she?"
"And she's all yours, Jack." I grinned back, quite comfortable wrapped in his arm.
"Aye, that ye are, luv," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows, then before I could make any kind of response to that non sequitur, he bellowed, "On deck you scabrous dogs! Man the braces!"
When his crew rushed to do as ordered, smiles on their own faces, he pulled me a little closer, resting his chin in my hair. "Luv, you never did tell that Parsons fellow what your surname is. He asked me."
"Really?" I looked up at him, then grinned. "Morgan. My surname is Morgan."
There was a pause, then Jack said slowly, "As in the late and great Captain Morgan? The pirate?"
I smirked. No one was going to ever argue otherwise. "My father."
"You mean to tell me," he stepped back, looking at me with barely contained mirth, "all this time, everyone's been treating you like a proper lady, granddaughter of a Governor, and all along, you're a pirate whelp?!"
"Yep." I shrugged, biting the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing myself.
Jack did no such thing. He threw back his head, and roared with laughter, side shaking as he expressed his opinion of the matter. "You, luv, are bloody priceless," he laughed, then leaned down a little to plant his mouth on mine.
Unlike our last kiss, this one was surprisingly gentle, or at least as gentle as the pirate got. I made no objections, instead reaching up to tangle my fingers in his knotted, braided, wind-swept, ocean-soaked hair, eagerly responding to his advances. He broke the kiss off slowly, pulling me close to his chest. Looking up, I could see in the descending twilight, Will and Elizabeth on the bell-tower, imitating us.
Jack, who had also seen it, grinned, and lightly kissed the top of my head. "Now...bring me that horizon."
I reached around his waist to snatch the compass of his belt, then opened it up, holding it so I could look at it for a moment, then held it up a little, so he could see the slightly swaying needle. "We're devils and black sheep," I sang softly, and he grinned.
"And really bad eggs. Drink up, my hearties..."
"Yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."
*****************
Just the epilogue left, folks! Aww.....isn't that cute?!
Remember, 300 reviews in that review page, or no epilogue!