The song is Come What May from Moulin Rouge (best movie!!!! Besides
POTC, of course)
~*~
Chapter Seventeen
Galaxy
~*~ Never knew I could feel like this Like I've never seen the sky before Want to vanish inside your kiss Everyday I love you more and more Listen to my heart can you hear it sing Telling me to give you everything Seasons may change, winter to spring But I love you until the end of time Come what may Come what may I will love you until my dying day Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste It all revolves around you And there's no mountain too high No river too wide Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side Storm clouds may gather, And stars may collide I love you until the end of time ~*~
The days pass slowly on the sea. They are nameless, changeless, save for the shift of the clouds and the stars in the sky. The constellations were alien to Serenity here, on the other side of the world. She had never learned the names of these stars; she only knew the ones that traced paths through the sky over England. Halfheartedly she wondered what Connor's parents were doing and thinking back in Ireland. They had never met their son's wife, of course, but they had planned to visit the Emerald Isle once they were settled...
Serenity was suddenly filled with the need to go to Ireland, to see Connor's parents, to explain. Deep in her heart laid guilt, the guilt that it had been partly her fault that Connor had been killed...murdered...murdered by an evil that slept just below these decks.
Will came up behind her and put an arm around her. "What are you thinking about?" he asked softly.
"Connor," she answered, promptly and truthfully. Serenity didn't feel the need to lie to Will. She knew that he knew that she had loved Connor, much as he still loved Elizabeth. He had the right to think about Elizabeth. I have the right to think about my own husband, she thought, shifting under the weight of Will's arm. It's my right. White clouds from the galaxy beyond scudded across the sky. Will sighed. Serenity felt guilty suddenly, like she had done something to make him unhappy, and she turned and gently clasped her hands together behind his neck.
"Don't feel bad," Will said unnecessarily.
"I won't," came the whispered reply. She leaned her head gently on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
"...I do," he said.
"Why?" Serenity lifted her head off his chest to look him in the eye. "Because of Elizabeth?"
"Because..." Will paused. "Because this."
He leaned down and kissed her softly. It was a simple kiss, nothing extravagant...but Serenity was kissing him back. She laced her hands up around his neck to run them through his thick curly hair that hung around his ears. She could feel the light pressure of his hand on the nape of her neck. He was soft and warm...the best thing she had ever felt.
Will pulled away slighlyt, enough for their lips to part but still keeping her close to him. She smiled headily, kissed his bottom lip, and then rested her head back on his chest.
This is right, thought Will as he cradled her in his arms. This
is how it's supposed to be.
"I love you," he whispered to her.
"I love you too," she replied. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders...like the world was spinning again. She couldn't suppress a smile into the softness of his shirt. For the first time in a long time she felt truly happy. From the hands on her waist, to the fingers caressing the small of her back, to the breath on her hair, it was all right. This was how things were supposed to be.
~*~
Elizabeth Swann awoke late in the night with a feeling deep in her breast that something was not right. She rose from her bed, slipped her feet into her slippers, and wrapped a dressing gown around herself, trying to warm her cold arms. The night looked peaceful from what was visible between the parted brocade curtains. Elizabeth reached out and parted them the rest of the way so that she could open the door that led onto her balcony. This place was her only refuge of solitude. She leaned against the stone railing and looked out over the green mountains, looked out over the black sea. Briefly she wondered at the dead feeling that had woken her. Maybe she had had a bad dream. Yes, that must be it. A nightmare.
However peaceful the night was, there was a suspicious chill in the wind. Elizabeth went back into her room and slipped back under the covers, feeling the lingering warmth of the heated bricks in her sheets. Her big toe brushed one of the square stones as she fell back to slumber. Her sleep was filled with strange dreams where Will was cheating on her with a ghost and people referred to herself only as the 'Mrs. Commodore.'
~*~
Will, on the other hand, awoke late in the night with something he knew he must do. His subconscious had made his decision for him, it seemed. Gently he shifted Serenity off him (somehow they had fallen asleep together) and went to a small makeshift desk that had been set up. He did not sit down, but instead composed a brief and to-the-point letter to Ms. Swann penning his regrets and his hope that she would be able to lead a happy life without him. As Will put the letter into an unsealed envelope and scrawled Elizabeth's name onto it, his eyes glanced towards the dark shape on the bed. He wanted to marry that woman. He knew it. Whatever stood in the way of their marriage was either dead or being put away by the letter in his hand.
Will would mail the letter at the next stop. He put it into his pocket and laid back down next to Serenity. They had not made love, and they wouldn't. Serenity lived by firm example that people should not make love until they were married...and Will respected her decision. He loved her all the more for it, even. Briefly he wondered if her and Connor had...had ever even had the time to make love to each other, as they had been married and all. Deep down he knew that he would never know. That chapter in Serenity's life was closed, and it should stay that way until they both were dead.
The letter made a crumpling, final-sounding rustle in his pocket as he laid down on the bed. He would look it over many times before he actually managed to mail it, but he knew he had made the right decision.
~*~
There was an envelope lying right in front of Serenity's face when she opened her eyes that morning. It had fallen out of Will's pocket during the night, but she didn't know that. Gently she eased the letter out of the envelope, read it, and put it back.
~*~
Chapter Seventeen
Galaxy
~*~ Never knew I could feel like this Like I've never seen the sky before Want to vanish inside your kiss Everyday I love you more and more Listen to my heart can you hear it sing Telling me to give you everything Seasons may change, winter to spring But I love you until the end of time Come what may Come what may I will love you until my dying day Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste It all revolves around you And there's no mountain too high No river too wide Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side Storm clouds may gather, And stars may collide I love you until the end of time ~*~
The days pass slowly on the sea. They are nameless, changeless, save for the shift of the clouds and the stars in the sky. The constellations were alien to Serenity here, on the other side of the world. She had never learned the names of these stars; she only knew the ones that traced paths through the sky over England. Halfheartedly she wondered what Connor's parents were doing and thinking back in Ireland. They had never met their son's wife, of course, but they had planned to visit the Emerald Isle once they were settled...
Serenity was suddenly filled with the need to go to Ireland, to see Connor's parents, to explain. Deep in her heart laid guilt, the guilt that it had been partly her fault that Connor had been killed...murdered...murdered by an evil that slept just below these decks.
Will came up behind her and put an arm around her. "What are you thinking about?" he asked softly.
"Connor," she answered, promptly and truthfully. Serenity didn't feel the need to lie to Will. She knew that he knew that she had loved Connor, much as he still loved Elizabeth. He had the right to think about Elizabeth. I have the right to think about my own husband, she thought, shifting under the weight of Will's arm. It's my right. White clouds from the galaxy beyond scudded across the sky. Will sighed. Serenity felt guilty suddenly, like she had done something to make him unhappy, and she turned and gently clasped her hands together behind his neck.
"Don't feel bad," Will said unnecessarily.
"I won't," came the whispered reply. She leaned her head gently on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
"...I do," he said.
"Why?" Serenity lifted her head off his chest to look him in the eye. "Because of Elizabeth?"
"Because..." Will paused. "Because this."
He leaned down and kissed her softly. It was a simple kiss, nothing extravagant...but Serenity was kissing him back. She laced her hands up around his neck to run them through his thick curly hair that hung around his ears. She could feel the light pressure of his hand on the nape of her neck. He was soft and warm...the best thing she had ever felt.
Will pulled away slighlyt, enough for their lips to part but still keeping her close to him. She smiled headily, kissed his bottom lip, and then rested her head back on his chest.
This is right, thought Will as he cradled her in his arms. This
is how it's supposed to be.
"I love you," he whispered to her.
"I love you too," she replied. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders...like the world was spinning again. She couldn't suppress a smile into the softness of his shirt. For the first time in a long time she felt truly happy. From the hands on her waist, to the fingers caressing the small of her back, to the breath on her hair, it was all right. This was how things were supposed to be.
~*~
Elizabeth Swann awoke late in the night with a feeling deep in her breast that something was not right. She rose from her bed, slipped her feet into her slippers, and wrapped a dressing gown around herself, trying to warm her cold arms. The night looked peaceful from what was visible between the parted brocade curtains. Elizabeth reached out and parted them the rest of the way so that she could open the door that led onto her balcony. This place was her only refuge of solitude. She leaned against the stone railing and looked out over the green mountains, looked out over the black sea. Briefly she wondered at the dead feeling that had woken her. Maybe she had had a bad dream. Yes, that must be it. A nightmare.
However peaceful the night was, there was a suspicious chill in the wind. Elizabeth went back into her room and slipped back under the covers, feeling the lingering warmth of the heated bricks in her sheets. Her big toe brushed one of the square stones as she fell back to slumber. Her sleep was filled with strange dreams where Will was cheating on her with a ghost and people referred to herself only as the 'Mrs. Commodore.'
~*~
Will, on the other hand, awoke late in the night with something he knew he must do. His subconscious had made his decision for him, it seemed. Gently he shifted Serenity off him (somehow they had fallen asleep together) and went to a small makeshift desk that had been set up. He did not sit down, but instead composed a brief and to-the-point letter to Ms. Swann penning his regrets and his hope that she would be able to lead a happy life without him. As Will put the letter into an unsealed envelope and scrawled Elizabeth's name onto it, his eyes glanced towards the dark shape on the bed. He wanted to marry that woman. He knew it. Whatever stood in the way of their marriage was either dead or being put away by the letter in his hand.
Will would mail the letter at the next stop. He put it into his pocket and laid back down next to Serenity. They had not made love, and they wouldn't. Serenity lived by firm example that people should not make love until they were married...and Will respected her decision. He loved her all the more for it, even. Briefly he wondered if her and Connor had...had ever even had the time to make love to each other, as they had been married and all. Deep down he knew that he would never know. That chapter in Serenity's life was closed, and it should stay that way until they both were dead.
The letter made a crumpling, final-sounding rustle in his pocket as he laid down on the bed. He would look it over many times before he actually managed to mail it, but he knew he had made the right decision.
~*~
There was an envelope lying right in front of Serenity's face when she opened her eyes that morning. It had fallen out of Will's pocket during the night, but she didn't know that. Gently she eased the letter out of the envelope, read it, and put it back.