Author's Note: Well here we are…done. This is the last REAL chapter. As you can see, there's another chapter…but it's not really to the story...I just added it because I didn't want to add it at the end of this week. So thanks for reading. I really enjoyed all your opinions and thoughts on my story…*sigh* Author Thanks at the end…
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Months passed slowly for Gwyneth and Jack. Both in their separate worlds but somehow connected. Jack led many raids in that time and injured himself in the arm in one of them. At that point, Gwyneth could swear she felt someone being hurt. Her family thought she was insane for asking all of them if their arms felt okay, she gave up when she found no one had been hurt.
Jack felt himself getting used to the new crewmembers and even growing a bond with them. Not a day passed by when Gwyneth didn't enter his mind. He constantly had dreams about her and kept the letter she wrote him years ago in his pocket. Brenda saw it when it fell out one afternoon and rolled her eyes, thinking it was sweet but crazy at the same time, thinking he was being childish, not going to talk to her. "She doesn't want me." Jack's response would be to every eye roll. She shrugged and didn't say anything in response.
Gwyneth found herself relating everything she saw to Jack. She mentally slapped herself every time and scolded herself for letting him leave. Often at night she would have an urge to go to a tavern and ask the sailors if they had heard anything about Jack. She resisted when she remembered she told him to go. I was a fool. She reminded herself.
With the months passing on, summer quickly came. Trevor and Jonathan still had their jobs, but the four months of May, June, July and August, the younger school-kids were out and free. Emma, the friend of Caitlin often came over and asked Gwyneth about Jack whenever she saw her. Gwyneth never responded to the question and told her to leave the subject alone.
With her birthday coming sooner than she had expected, Gwyneth thought it was time to leave. Leave her brother's house, leave her brother's family and leave Port Royal. As much as she didn't want to, knowing all her friends and family were here, she knew she needed it. The thoughts of it kept her awake during the night…
Gwyneth…Gwyneth… A soft voice often called to her in this repetitive dream, Gwyneth saw herself in an unfamiliar place, always looking for the caller, but usually never found the person. As she walked along, following the sweet voice, she came into some woods, the trees calming her instantly. She kept going, picking up her pace. Finally she reached a beautifully built wooden house. It looked to be two stories with spacious grounds around it, the trees cutting off and it looked like a stable in the back. This is too strange, she thought to herself.
There was a large porch that seemed to go all the way around the house and there was a beautiful garden around the house as well. A man was standing in it, his head down. Gwyneth walked to him and lifted his face. The man was Trevor. He smiled, saying, "Thanks so much, Aunt, I needed this as much as you did."
She frowned, not understanding him at all. She went inside the house, leaving him in the flower bed and saw that the inside was even more beautiful than the outside. It was furnished wonderfully, candles lighting the place quite well, beautiful windows looking out into the back yard, it seemed. Where a horse stood, eating, in a fenced off area. She sighed and explored more.
There was only one main sitting area and in it, there were couches and the like, with only a large model of ship, with beautiful wood- the ship was familiar. There were long windows and dog, almost full grown, sleeping happily by the fire. She smiled and went upstairs. The first room had a bed, windows, mirror, dresser and bookshelf, but around the room were many carvings made of wood. Of faces, birds and other animals. She sighed and went on to the next. The room looked like the last, but only had one piece hanging on the wall. A drawing with little color and of two women. Gwyneth smiled, knowing the two women.
She went on to the next; it was smaller, with a small bed- a crib, with a sleeping child in it. Gwyneth frowned; not knowing who this child belonged to. She exited the room quietly and went to the next. The last one, the largest, had a large bed in it and a ship's wheel hanging over it. Gwyneth…Gwyneth… the voice was calling her again. It seemed so inviting and calming. She turned, looking at the window seat where her caller was, but before she got a good look at his face…
She woke up.
The dream always ended there. This time must've been the third time she had had that dream, and now upon waking up, she knew exactly what that house was and where. She didn't know what the rest of the dream meant, but she didn't have time to consider those things. She quickly got up and began writing a letter.
****
"Gwyneth, slow down! Slow down!" Edward sighed, "Now say that whole thing over again, but slower."
She sighed, annoyed. "Edward…listen carefully, because I don't want to say this again. I wrote to the Commodore and told him I want to leave Port Royal, and if there were any ships I could 'hitch' a ride on. He said that there was a ship leaving Port Royal a week before my birthday, en route to Haiti…the island they're dropping me off at is Cape Clear."
She paused, knowing he knew that tiny island, "Why in the world would you go there?" He asked. "You haven't been there since we both were kids, don't you remember what it was like? Miscreants running around everywhere! The island alone isn't big enough to hold more than one city! And even the population was lower than a normal city or port."
"Eddie, it's perfect. Papa inherited that old house from grandfather, and papa gave it to you! Give it to me, and I'll live there. I loved that town…"
"Gwyneth! Are you out of your mind?! That island thought just because it was between us, Cuba and Haiti, it thought it could bend the rules! Need I remind you, it's still under the Crown?"
"Then it's just what I need! I think Port Royal is too strict anyhow. If Brenda ever comes to see me, then she won't be hung because she did so. The island is small, too small to be noticed by merchants or smugglers, and I loved the atmosphere. Eddie, please, this is what I need."
"You'll be all alone though…" he said, getting to his true concern.
"Thanks for the concern, but by the time I get there, I'll be forty years old…I'll be able to take care of myself. Oh! And don't you remember Grandmother's horses? There's a stable, so I'll be able to take Pearl."
"The Royal navy is willing to take you and your horse?"
She nodded. "All I need is the approval from the owner of the wood cabin."
He sighed, "I'll let you go on one condition…of course I will need to ask my wife about this, but…what if Trevor went with you?"
Gwyneth paused, "Are you serious? Letting your eldest leave home when he's not married?"
"He wants to be a vintner, and from what I remember, Cape Clear has large hills, covered in grapes, correct?"
She nodded, "But Eddie…this is the farthest Trevor will ever be from home! Faith won't give him up!"
"Nonsense! We've been talking about setting him up with a nice girl to kick him out of the nest. You have to let them fly, Gwen."
She sighed, "Well if he agrees and isn't mad at me, then I'm fine with it…"
He smiled, "Wonderful. And we'll come visit from time to time…although it'll be a hassle with all the children and the fact that I don't have a ship…" he sighed, "But we'll find a way."
****
Brenda gasped and sat straight up in a flash. She grabbed her heart and tried to catch her breath. What a horrible dream! She thought to herself as she calmed down. Like Gwyneth, she was having a repeating dream about something that had happened in her past. Trevor kissing her.
She sighed, got out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants and knocked on her father's door that adjoined their two rooms. Jack had made it when she had gotten her own room, and hadn't had a reason to remove it. She quickly slipped in and heard her father mumbling. "Dad!" she whispered into the darkness. She sighed when he said, "Stop talkin' an' go back t'bed!"
She carefully inched her way to a candle holder that was always by his door and searched for matches that were usually next to it. She found on and lit it quickly and soon the room was illuminated by the candle. She picked it up and went to her dad's bed. She roughly shook him and before he even opened his eyes he pulled his gun that he kept at his side, even when sleeping, and pointed at her.
Brenda rolled her eyes and took the gun out of his hand, "Dad! This is serious!"
She grunted, rubbed his eyes and finally sat up, his eyes barely open. "What." He said sharply, saying it more like a statement than a question. "Ye don't like t'be woken up in the bloody middle of the night, so why are you doin' it t'me?!"
She smirked, "Dad, it's about a boy."
He paused, his eyes still slits, his back straight and him not wavering, "One of Gwen's nephews, eh?"
"Aye. He was so annoying at first too. Bloody nuisance." She sighed, "Unfortunately the idea of opposites attractin' ain't a new concept."
He nodded, knowing many pirates taken by women they first hated. "Hate at first sight…very common."
She sighed, "The thing is, I've been havin' dreams 'bout him… and as much as I don't want to admit it- I grew attached to him, as well as Gwen…"
Jack sighed, rubbing his upper nose, "If I tell you this, will you go away?"
She nodded, "If it has somethin' t'do with this."
"I saw Ana Maria at Tortuga a couple months ago when we saw her…she told me if Gwen truly loved me, then she'll forgive me. What you and her have said makes too much sense…I need to talk to her, force her to sit down and talk to me."
Brenda smiled, "And of course she'll be happy to see your hair is growing back." She paused, "Set a course to Port Royal then?" He nodded. She smiled wider, "Thanks dad. Goodnight."
****
Trevor gladly accepted the invitation on going to Cape Clear. He would love living with his aunt, and in the hopes of Brenda ever coming back, he wanted her to be safe. He asked his parents if he could change his profession to a sailor. Faith and Edward were both a little surprised, but they agreed, as long as he didn't turn pirate. After dinner he raced upstairs and Faith confessed her concerns.
"I know he's wildly excited Gwen, but please keep the same rules we do. If he's still young enough to live under your roof, then he's young enough to abide to your rules. And make sure he picks a good ship…merchant preferably…but that doesn't have to be it…" she sighed, "Other than that, be careful with my baby."
"Faith, I'm surprised you're agreeing to this."
"So am I."
"But thanks so much. Trevor will really give me a lot, that I couldn't get if I was alone…and I promise to make him write every week."
Faith smiled tears in her eyes, "Thanks."
Gwyneth and Trevor quickly packed all their things, seven trunks between them. They also made agreements with each other to make sure everything ran smoothly between them when they finally did get to Cape Clear.
A couple days later, a day before she was supposed to leave, a birthday/going away party was held in Gwyneth's honor. The Norrington's and Turner's came, each with their brood, and the Norrington's were surprised to know that Gwyneth was leaving in the first place. She told them the whole long story, wondering if James knew about Jack and Beverly and if Beverly felt uncomfortable listening to all this, but she looked fine, leaning on her husband, listening fully.
"So now you're just starting anew?" she asked when Gwyneth was finished.
Gwyneth sighed, looking at Elizabeth who looked like she was about to cry, "That's part of it."
"What's the other part?" James asked.
Gwyneth smiled, "Not sure, but starting a life for myself, finally is most of it. Jack kinda helped me with that. He went back to his regular life, from spending many months without it. I figured it was time I found a home away from my brother."
"Well I think it's wonderful. You must be so excited! You're going off on your own…armed with good thoughts and free will!" Beverly said, smiling.
Gwyneth sighed, knowing she should be smiling as well, but knowing part of this new life of hers was missing. She nodded instead of answering with words, knowing if she did, she would regret it.
****
Through tears and sobs, Gwyneth and Trevor finally left. A week later, family and friends were still feeling the effects. One unusual rainy afternoon Elizabeth was moping around the house, mourning the loss of one of her good friends. She and Will sat at the table that afternoon, after lunch- him drinking coffee slowly and reading orders that had arrived the day before and her sighing, resting her chin on her hand.
"I miss her."
Will didn't even look up, knowing who his wife was talking about. She had been talking about Gwyneth since she left. "We all do dear."
"Today would've been her birthday."
"Yes dear."
She sighed again, tired of hearing the same response when she said something about Gwyneth. Maybe she was obsessing. Even if I am, I don't want to stop. "Obsessing won't bring her back dear." Will said, eyes still on his orders.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, how did he know I was thinking that? "I've been married to you for sixteen years and have known you for more than fifteen before that, what do you expect?"
"Will Turner!" Elizabeth said, but before she could say anything more, a knock came on their back door. They both paused, Will, alerted looked up towards the door. They could barely make out a figure behind the closed door and through the curtain.
The knock came again and Will got up, put his papers down and drew a sword from a floor vase that was also holding umbrellas. He unsheathed it and gingerly put his hand on the handle and turned it. He sighed and lowered the sword when he saw who it was.
"You could've opened the blasted door little quicker, son," Jack said, coming in, Brenda behind him- both soaked.
"I told you it was unlocked." Brenda muttered, "We could've just come in."
"Stop!" Elizabeth said loudly. Brenda and Jack stopped in their tracks, looking at her. "You're soaking wet! Stay right there on the mat!" She called for the man servant to get some towels and moments later he brought them to her. She handed them to the two pirates and they dried off quickly. Jack left his hat on the mat however, knowing it would be dripping for a while.
"Where's Gwen?" Jack asked right away.
Brenda rolled her eyes, "Dad, I told you she would be at her own house."
He glared at his daughter and then made a motion with his hand and looked back at the Turners, "I thought today was her birthday."
"It is." Elizabeth answered.
"No party?"
"We already had a party…" Will said.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "Just tell me now lad."
Will sighed, "She's gone. She and Trevor left about a week ago…"
Jack's mouth dropped, "Why? Where?"
"She said she needed a new life. I don't doubt if it has something to do with you…" Elizabeth put it. "She went to Cape Clear though…her brother inherited a wood house up there."
"Where the blast is Cape Clear?!" Brenda asked, not recognizing the name of the island.
Will sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Its in-between here, Cuba and Haiti."
Jack paused, "I think I know where that is…now that I think about it. It is a tiny island, but they welcome pirates…" He sighed, "Well I guess that's our next stop."
"Is the sea giving you a rough time?" Will asked.
Jack shrugged, "I've seen a lot worse. It won't last. The rain is letting up, so it won't be that much longer."
Jack and Brenda left quickly after that, wanting to waste no time with finding Gwen.
****
Gwyneth sighed as she looked at the house before her. The garden in front of the house was dead, there was ivy creeping up onto the around-the-house porch and the trail that led to the house was practically gone. It had been a miracle they had even found it. "Let's just go in!" Gwyneth said, completely exhausted from the boat ride over. She had spent most the time sleeping in the hay with Pearl and Suzie. Obviously neither of them liked the ocean.
She got Pearl to the stable in the back that looked alright, even though the run needed some work, but that could be done much later. She and Trevor quickly made their way into the house and uncovered all the furnishings that had been covered for over twenty years. Then they had to open up the house completely because of the dust. When the dust cleared, she, Trevor and Suzie finally just fell asleep on the floor rug that was in the main sitting area.
Morning came; Trevor and Gwyneth quickly started to clean up the house. When going up stairs Trevor fell in love with the first room. Gwyneth frowned when she noticed it was the same room that had little carvings in it. Trevor's wooden carvings…She sighed, wondering what else she would find out in this house.
She took the largest room down the hall. Once the two had cleaned the house, Trevor went out looking for a job and Gwyneth went out to work on Pearl's stable and run.
A week had past quickly enough, Trevor finding a job as a merchant sailor, left the house for two weeks. Gwyneth had the house to herself and quickly went to buy things to fill up the empty rooms, including a large pillow for Suzie as a bed. One day when she found herself working on another sampler, there was a knock on her door. She paused and finally got up and answered the door, but when she did, no one around. She frowned and looked around, seeing something on her doorstep. She picked it up and slightly recognized the rough handwriting. It read: I love you. She paused, looked around once more and sighed. She went back inside and closed the door behind her.
When she got into the living room, she gasped, not sure she could be able to say something. There was Jack, the best that she's seen him in a long time, his signature smirk and a rose sitting next to him on the couch. "'Ello Love."
"W-what are you doing here?"
"Came to tell you the truth. I figured I owed you that…"
A small smile that Jack was waiting for graced her lips, "I hear you owe a lot more than that."
He sighed, "Rick spilled the beans? Beautiful." He took in a deep breath; he had been practicing this for two days. He could do this. "I agreed to the bet because I thought I could prove I was just as good as a man when I wasn't the pirate captain. You proved that wrong our first time together. But the main reason was, I wasn't expecting to fall so hard for you."
She sighed slightly. Not exactly the sweetest thing he could've said, with the proving himself…but it's the truth…and that's what I need. "So other than to tell me the truth…is there anything else you want to do while you're here?"
To kiss you. He thought immediately. He smiled, standing up, and picking up the rose, "I want to ask you something… Do you forgive me?"
She smiled, "If I say yes, do I get the rose?"
"Yes…but I would prefer the truth, love."
"Of course I forgive you. You obviously don't give up on the people you…love."
He shrugged, reaching her. He handed her the rose and gently kissed her lips. "Which brings me to my next question," he whispered, his eyes still closed from the light kiss.
"Hmm?" she said, her eyes closed as well, hovering in front of him, wanting so badly to be in his arms.
"I want you with me…Forever. But I'm sure you don't want me to give up life on the Pearl, and I wouldn't argue with you…so as long as I can still be Captain but I can still have you, I'll be fine."
She smiled slightly, "I wouldn't want you to leave your role just for me, that's too much to ask…but is it too much to ask to get married?"
He opened his arms and let her in just before kissing her forehead, "As long as it's small and there's rum…"
She nodded, "Your crew, my family…the Turners…"
"The Norrington's," He added. She smiled and nodded, "Of course all I need is you."
"I love you too." she said and reached up to kiss the man she had always wanted to marry, sealing their engagement with a kiss.
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Author Thanks:
PiratePrincess91: when you finally get to this chapter…I just like to say that I enjoyed hearing from someone new, I'm glad you liked Brenda and Trevor and I hope to see you in my next fic! Sorry I couldn't really answer your reviews, but this is better than nothing.
Ghostwriter155: Are you a new reviewer? YAY! I'm assuming you're going to read the next story since you like this one…right?
BittyBuffy and Albe-Chan and ThePinkPanther: I know you guys haven't reviewed for my last chapter, and that's fine. But I just wanted to say that I enjoyed hearing from all of you and just wanted to get this last thanks in. Hope to see you with my next fic!
Dawnie-7: You crack me up! Kuddos? Mm…those are good. Anyways- you didn't like Jack with out his 'costume' did you? Oh, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I swear. I know, Will doesn't ever learn, does he? But of course you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And I love pillow fights, so I thought, why not?
Piper8188: I am doing another story…so yea! I hope you review for me. Yea, I thought that it would be weird for Rick to talk to Gwyneth, because they haven't had any conversations throughout the whole story, but it worked better than I planned in my head. It seemed smooth when I actually wrote it, you know?
Emma436: You are my hero. You have written so much to me and I think I will return the favor when you update again (hint, hint) and I will TRY to write longer than ten words, deal? I feel like I know you! It's weird! Oh well…your ideas…hmm…only like two of them came true in this chapter I think. The going back to Port Royal…but of course Gwen wasn't there- so that was only half right…and the twist, is moving to another island twist enough for you? lol. It was kinda like a proposal, don't you think? He just wanted to be with her and would do anything to do that…you know? I can't believe I made you cry! Honestly! Jeez…you make me feel like a good writer. It's a 'tender' moment…but wow! That's cool though- don't think I'm making fun of you. Well this will be our last talk until you update…*sigh* But we can always e*mail…until next time mate.
