OK, I thought that this was going to be the last chapter, but then I realized it would probably be best to throw the last part of the story in as a separate chapter, sort of an epilogue but not really... yeah. At any rate, please read and review! Disney owns all (mleh).

23. Choices

Jamie talked animatedly about the Navy throughout dinner that night, obviously quite at ease around James at this point. They had fenced through most of the afternoon before returning to the cottage, exhausted, and James had to admit that the boy showed a remarkable aptitude for the art. As he listened to Jamie tell his mother about the various feints and riposte techniques he had learned from James that afternoon, James could not help wonder if he had done the right thing in telling Jamie about Jack and Beckett – the boy's determination to become an admiral did not seem to have lessened, but James had a feeling that Elizabeth would never forgive him if his story propelled Jamie into a life of piracy at some later date.

By the time dinner was over, Jamie was trying his hardest not to yawn widely every few minutes, and even James felt as if a large amount of his energy had been leeched out by the hot Caribbean sun.

'Jamie,' said Elizabeth sternly as Jamie clapped his hand over his mouth once again to stifle a yawn, 'you're exhausted. You should go to bed so you're not tired for your lessons tomorrow.'

'But Mum,' whined Jamie, 'James is leaving tonight, isn't he? And I want to be able to say goodbye.'

Elizabeth glanced up at James, something akin to pain glinting in her eyes. 'Well then, say goodbye now, and then go to bed,' she said softly, looking down at her son. Pouting, Jamie slid off the end of the bench he was sitting on and walked around the table to where James sat, serenely watching.

'Goodbye, James,' said Jamie, holding out a small hand for James to shake. 'Thank you for everything.' After a moment's hesitation, he leaned forward and whispered in James's ear. 'I-I want you to know that I won't forget what you told me either, as long as I live. I promise. And, also, I'm proud to be named after you.'

For some odd reason, James felt tears spring into his eyes. He had grown quite fond of Jamie in the few hours he had spent with him – James could have reasoned with himself that it was because the boy was Elizabeth's son, and he therefore felt he had to like him, but he also knew that the boy reminded him so much of himself. He thought back on Jamie's question earlier, about whether or not James was his father, and found himself wishing that he could have said yes truthfully. With a slight smile, James pulled the boy into his arms, embracing him as though he was his own son, and not Will Turner's.

'It's been a true pleasure getting to know you, Jamie,' said James, pulling away and looking at the boy. 'I can tell you will grow up to be just as honorable as your parents, and you will make a fine admiral one day, if your fencing ability says anything about you.'

Jamie glowed with pride and looked as if he was about to reply, when suddenly Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder.

'Bed,' she said in an oddly constricted voice, and ignoring the sour looks Jamie threw at her, she steered her son to his bedroom and, giving him a kiss, shut the door. For a moment she slumped against the door, her eyes closed, looking as weary as if the whole world had just dropped onto her shoulders – then, with a great sigh, she began to clean the dishes.

James too sighed, and stood up, crossing over to the mantle piece and leaning his arm on it, staring broodingly into the flames. He felt his hand brush something cold and metallic…

'Do you really have to leave tonight?' Elizabeth asked abruptly, not looking at James.

He sighed, turning away from the fireplace. 'You know I have no choice, Elizabeth,' he said gently.

She turned to him, her eyes filled with tears. 'You fit in too well here,' she said accusingly, throwing down the rag she had been drying the plates with and storming out the door. James, bewildered, followed her a few moments later.

Elizabeth stopped in a clearing in the woods surrounding her home, brushing tears impatiently from her cheeks as she did so. James stopped behind her and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

'Elizabeth…'

'James, why?!' she asked, turning towards him. 'Why do you have to walk in and make it seem like everything will be all right? You and Jamie, you get along so well, I… I almost wished that you were his father, and that you could stay and…' She paused, and then continued on in a low voice. 'James, I don't want tomorrow to come.'

James looked at her face, shadowy in the light of the full moon. 'But… Will…?'

Elizabeth gave a shaky laugh that carried no mirth within it. 'Yes, Will,' she said bitterly. 'Will whom I haven't seen in ten years, Will who always cared more about being a pirate than he did about me, Will who won't be able to understand what I've been through without him. Can't you see, James, you're the only one who understands me, who knows everything about me and still loves me for who I am?' There was something like a touch of desperation in her voice. 'If you still love me, that is?' she added quietly, the vulnerable tone of her voice nearly breaking his heart.

Before James knew what he was doing, his arms were around her, and he was kissing her with a fiery passion unlike any he had ever allowed himself to express before. Her lips were soft, moldable, yielded to his fierce but gentle mouth; his hand was in the curve of her back, grasping the silky hair that cascaded down nearly to her waist; his other hand fumbled at the lacings of her dress…

'No!' said James, wrenching himself away and staggering a few steps backwards, panting slightly. He closed his eyes, every muscle in his body tensed, suspended between his conscience and his wild desire.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him, seemingly completely unfazed by what had just happened. 'And that's where you always stop, James,' she sighed sadly, 'always too much the gentleman to go any further.'

'It wouldn't be proper,' muttered James in a hollow voice, staring at the ground. 'You're married, and your husband's coming back tomorrow – why should you want me, then?'

Elizabeth gently tilted his chin so that his gaze met hers. 'Because I love you, James,' she whispered. 'I never realized it until it was too late, but I have always loved you, and I always will.'

So that was it. James flinched, backing away. 'I will not allow you to foolishly squander your fidelity to make me feel better about things that are best forgotten,' he snapped.

'But I won't ever be able to forget, James,' she countered, breathing hard. 'I know I've caused you pain, more pain than you have ever deserved – I could see it in your eyes when I accepted your proposal and you knew it was not because I loved you, and again when I chose Will over you, and again and again when we sailed out of Tortuga together. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to me.' She took a deep breath. 'I made my choice a long time ago, and I now regret it. James, show me that you really do love me, let me have some of the happiness that I so foolishly turned down so many years ago.' Her face was so close to his that James could feel her soft breaths tickle his skin. 'I promise I won't hurt you again,' she whispered.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered what Sparrow had whispered to him only that morning… Word of advice, mate, keep in mind that even for an outstanding gentleman such as yourself, it is occasionally all right to allow yourself a bit of freedom…

With a shy grin, James gently pulled Elizabeth towards him and gave her a long, slow, passionate kiss. When they finally broke apart, Elizabeth smiled and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck.

'Pirate,' she whispered in his ear, and, just to make her stop teasing him, he found it quite necessary to kiss her again.

The sky was on the verge of beginning to brighten when James finally came to his senses in a moment that struck like a bolt of lightning.

'I have to go,' he said suddenly, breaking away from Elizabeth's embrace.

'Yes, I thought so,' said Elizabeth with a heavy sigh. 'Will I see you again?'

He glanced at her – her eyes were steady but he could see the fear flickering in their midst. 'No,' he said, the truth piercing him worse than any sword could. Tears sprang to Elizabeth's eyes, and once more she buried herself in James's arms for a moment that felt like eternity.

'I love you,' she said in a barely audible voice. In reply, he gave her one last kiss, bittersweet and soft.

'I'll walk you back home,' he whispered. She nodded and, without looking at him, slowly turned and headed back through the trees.

At Elizabeth's door, they said their final goodbyes, James brushing his lips briefly on Elizabeth's hand (when not shielded by the woods, he could not bring himself to do anything more). Smiling sadly, Elizabeth quickly patted her hair back into place, and with a last look at James, went inside, closing the door behind her. James stood for a long moment looking at the place where she had disappeared; then, with a great effort, he bent down and pulled from within a bucket under the windowsill the heart that he had taken from its chest and hidden there on his way out the door. He too had made his choice, and whatever scrap of honor he had left would not let him turn away from it.

Half an hour later, James stood on the beach, gazing out at the horizon. He could almost imagine he had seen Elizabeth and Jamie standing up on the cliffs above him, their eyes also trained on the spot where the sun was about to rise. A sudden flash blinding green light accompanied the rising sun as it finally began to slide over the edge of the sea, but James's attention was fixed on the towering ship that had appeared out of nowhere and was sailing towards him, silhouetted dramatically against the blood-red sun.

He could hear the shouts of the men as they dropped the anchor by the shore, could almost make out the excited chattering of the sailors as they discussed what they wanted to do with their one day of freedom. The sea air whipped through James's hair, and he found himself wondering if it was really so bad, sailing the seas forever, surrounded by the caws of seagulls and the slap of the waves against the hull of the ship. It was past time for speculation, though. Many of the sailors had already jumped joyously onto the beach, and Will Turner himself had just stepped onto the shore, bandanna still wrapped about his forehead, the sword he had made for James hanging at his side.

'Turner,' said James, stepping forward.

'Norrington,' stammered Will after a moment of shocked silence. 'What did… how…?'

'I have no time to explain, Turner, and even if I did, you're too honorable of a man to accept what I am about to do.' Behind Will, James could just see Calypso smiling eerily in the pale morning light.

'What are you talking about?' said Will warily.

James leaned forward. 'Take care of Elizabeth,' he murmured so that only Will could hear him, and, before Will could react, James pulled his sword from where it hung at Will's side, threw Will's heart onto the sand, and stabbed it.

Ooh, cliffhanger! What the heck is going on?! (OK, yeah, most of you have probably figured it out already, but for those of you who haven't... keep reading!)