A/N: Thank you very much for your wonderful reviews!
...This is the next to last chapter... Please, stay tuned for the last chapter:)
Disclaimer #1: I don't own POTC.
Disclaimer #2 + Spoiler: I also don't own the text of the vows in this chapter (which are, I believe, more or less traditional).
Chapter 45
Governor Swann felt rather awkward, because of: one: answering the door (where was the footman?); two: answering the door in the middle of the night (ah; the footman was asleep); three: answering the door in the middle of the night in a dressing gown; four: answering the door in the middle of the night in a dressing gown being followed by his daughter in a night gown, and his... son-in-law-to-be in - how should he politely call it? - pirate clothing.
"Who's there?", asked the Governor, trying to remember when was the last time when he was opening the door himself.
The three of them listened attentively for an answer. But it never came.
"I'll handle this", said Jack in a low tone of voice, excusing the baffled Governor, and coming close to the door.
To the Governor's dismay, Jack pulled out his pistol, cocked it, put his hand on the knob, and then in one quick movement opened the door, aiming the pistol at whoever was at the door.
"Hands up!", shouted Jack in a menacing tone of voice. "Ye lousy scurvy slimy-", Jack blinked, "dad?", he asked in a suddenly decidedly less threatening tone of voice.
Elizabeth looked curiously over Jack's shoulder. Teague Sparrow gave her a pale variation of a smile that she knew so well.
"Not that you're not overjoyed seeing me, I hope", he said softly.
"What are you doing here?", inquired Jack knitting his eyebrows in astonishment.
"Jack!", Elizabeth disapprovingly tapped his lightly on the shoulder. "Please, come in", she said with a smile, stepping forward, and opening the door wider.
"Thank you, child. Or rather... Your Highness", he corrected himself, smiling back at her.
Your Highness? Governor Swann looked at the visitor with bewildered interest.
"Father", Elizabeth turned to the Governor. "Please let me introduce... This is...", she pondered over the phrase The Keeper of the Code for a moment, but eventually dropped it, "Captain Teague Sparrow, Jack's father."
The Governor lifted his eyebrows. There is more of them?...
"And this is", she looked at Teague, "my father, Governor Weatherby Swann."
"Brave and beautiful daughter you have, this one", said Teague, extending his hand.
The Governor shook the pirate's hand, still quite stunned by the entire situation. "Thank you", he nodded with half-polite, and half-nervous smile.
The clock struck two. The Governor glanced at the clock.
"May I inquire as to what brings you here at that splendid time of the... night?", asked Jack, hoping that this wording of his previous question please Elizabeth more.
"I was on your vessel, and your first mate told me that you may be here, so here I am", explained Teague, looking leisurely around the hallway.
"Elizabeth", the Governor addressed his daughter with a hesitant smile, "maybe... Mr.Sparrow would like to have something to drink-"
"No, no, thank you, no", broke in Teague, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm just here to deliver a message..."
"A message?", Elizabeth fluttered her eyelashes questioningly. She glanced at Jack with suspicion. "You did not invite him?", she asked Jack in a barely audible, but quite irritated whisper, still looking straight ahead, and not at him.
"I wrote him a letter", mumbled Jack nonchalantly.
"Ah", acknowledged Elizabeth, narrowing her eyes. "Did you send it?", she whispered.
Jack chuckled.
"Yes, a message", nodded Teague. "From the Brethren. Your presence is required at the next meeting."
Everybody stared at Teague. The Governor blinked. "What's brethren?", he asked with a forced smile, not expecting anything good to hear.
Teague opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off.
"We are not going anywhere until tomorrow", he stated surprisingly firmly. "That is", he considered something for a moment, "until after tomorrow, so if you-"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "We are getting married tomorrow", she interrupted Jack, smiling at Teague politely. "If it would be possible to postpone the departure until tomorrow afternoon-"
"After tomorrow afternoon", broke in Jack.
Elizabeth shot him an exasperated look.
"Wedding?", Teague prevented them from going into an argument. "You are going to actually marry him?", he asked amused.
"Yes, she is", retorted Jack irritably.
"You will have to put up with him on a daily basis, you know", he said with a smile flickering across his face. He looked at Elizabeth with a warm glow in his eyes, to which Jack seemed oblivious.
"Yes, she knows it", snapped Jack, trying to sound patient.
Elizabeth ignored him, and smiled at Teague. "Yes, I know", she said cheerfully.
"Good", Teague smiled at her with a pensive look in his eyes. "I think we can leave after the wedding, then", he added after a pause.
Elizabeth slept for three hours, and she considered it quite a success, regarding all what had happened at night. Jack's visit, and then Teague's visit, and then her father's inquiries as to what the Brethren Court was...
She has never been that nervous, and that happy at the same time before. She stood in her wedding dress in front of a tall mirror, and sighed. Her heart was beating frantically. She did not expect to be that much affected by the atmosphere, by the mood of this special day. She thought that she was prepared for it, but now she was not sure whether it was at all possible to be prepared for such an event. The most important event of her life.
She spun herself around, looking contentedly at how the laces fluttered in the air. She glanced at the clock. Time to go. Time to go. She laughed to herself, and shook her head in disbelief. Time to go!
Jack stood by the altar, in a beautiful church in Port Royal, feeling odd. He did not have his usual clothes on (which was obviously odd). Instead, he wore a new (how odd was that?) white shirt, black breeches, and black... yes, as odd as it may seem, a black suit. Gibbs had insisted that there was nothing else that could be possibly worn for one's wedding but a black suit. He had said that if Jack will not wear a suit, all the guests will be staring at him, and laughing at him, and it will most definitely will not make Elizabeth happy.
Although Jack had had a sneaky suspicion that Gibbs was exaggerating, he had agreed to wear this ridiculous piece of clothing nevertheless.
However, even though he wore it, he had the impression that the wedding guests were staring at him all the same, not only as if he was not wearing a suit; but he was positively convinced that they could not be possibly staring at him any harder even if he would be actually wearing nothing at all.
The minister stood before the altar, waiting, and glancing at Jack from time to time. Maybe he was panicking, but he felt as if there was an expression in the minister's eyes saying: "You don't think she will come, do you?"
Jack sighed. He has never thought that such a day would come. His wedding day. Elizabeth's wedding day. Their wedding days being one and the same wedding day. Their wedding day.
The organ music shook him off his thoughts. He turned his head, and saw her. The most beautiful bride imaginable. His beautiful bride. His piratess. Lizzie. His Lizzie. His wife.
"Dearly beloved", began the minister in a solemn tone of voice, when both Jack and Elizabeth stood next to each other before him. "We are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man, and this woman in holy matrimony."
Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw Jack looking at her intently. She looked at him, and smiled. He smiled back at her, but his smile was unlike any of his usual smirking grins, and grinning smirks. It was the most serious smile that she has ever seen. But a fascinating one, too. It crossed her mind that he was remembering this moment, he was writing it down in his heart, and she did the same, trying to remember every detail, every detail of his face, every sparkle in his eyes, every movement of his hands, every look, every smile, every moment, from now on, until forever...
"Not to be entered into lightly," the minister continued, "holy matrimony should be entered into solemnly and with reverence and honor. This joyous day celebrates the commitment and love with which Jack Sparrow-", the minister trailed off, hearing somebody mumbling something near him. He looked around confused, until she noticed that it was Jack, who with a slight wave of his hand, aiming, no doubt, at attracting the minister's attention, repeated once again in not so inaudible a whisper: "Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow."
The minister blinked, and glanced at Elizabeth, who bit her lower lip, staring at the floor, and chuckling.
"...the commitment and love with which Captain Jack Sparrow", the minister repeated the phrase, emphasising the previously missing word, "and Elizabeth Swann start their lives together. If any person here can show cause why these two people should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."
For some reason both Jack and Elizabeth held their breaths. But no one spoke. The church was perfectly silent. Elizabeth sighed softly. Jack gave her a knowing smile.
"Do you, Jack-", the minister coughed. "Do you, Captain Jack Sparrow", he corrected himself with a frown, "take this Elizabeth Swann, to be your lawfully wedded wife, and live together forever in the estate of holy matrimony? Do you love, comfort, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do", said Jack, with a glimpse of something undecipherable in his eyes. He has never thought that saying two simple words may make a person feel that unbelievably complete, calm, and happy.
"Do you, Elizabeth Swann, take this Captain Jack Sparrow", the minister stressed the word again, as if it was bothering him, for some reason. Maybe the only reason being that he did not like being corrected, "to be your lawfully wedded husband, and live together forever in the estate of holy matrimony? Do you love, comfort, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do", said Elizabeth with a smile, having the impression that with these two short words she has just stepped into a totally different, stunningly beautiful, and mysteriously new world.
The minister was handed a silver tray with the gold wedding rings, which he held in his hands, while saying: "The wedding ring is an unbroken symbol of the everlasting love and commitment between man and wife." He handed one of the wedding rings to Jack. "Repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."
Jack turned to Elizabeth, and gently took her hand in his. "With this ring, I thee wed." He smiled at her, and now his smile was more recognizable. It was his roguish smile, the smile that she fell in love with, the smile that haunted her, the smile that saved her, the smile more precious that all the world's silver and gold. His smile.
Jack carefully placed the ring on her finger.
Elizabeth smiled at him, and now she repeated after the minister: "With this ring, I thee wed." She placed the ring on Jack's finger, and with astonishment noticed, that he had removed all his other rings, and the wedding ring was now the only one that he was wearing. She looked at him curiously. He squeezed her hand, and smiled amusedly at her astonished facial expression.
"What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. With the power vested in me by God and the state of England I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss-"
Jack pulled Elizabeth towards him, and pressed his lips against hers with passion, that inevitably inspired some comments among the wedding guests.
"...the bride", the minister finished the phrase with a sigh. Whoever wrote this, should not put "kiss" before the "bride". It confuses people.