A/N: A one-shot written for a challenge at LiveJournal: "Jack and Elizabeth have found the Fountain of Youth, and made a choice to sail through the ages." I have never written a future fic before, so please be understanding ;)

Summary: 21st century. Jack and Elizabeth visit a museum ship...

Disclaimer: Jack, Elizabeth, etc. belong to Disney.

Homecoming

It was the unchangeability of the ocean that kept their thoughts bright, despite the dark storms that were repeatedly dragging the world from one edge of existence to the other in front of their eyes. The rays of the sun and the glow of the moon were as mysterious as thousands of sunsets ago, and they could still feel the familiar mystery in each other's arms, even if the mysteries of the world were becoming more confusing with each passing decade.

They collected stories, dreams, and seashells - trying to retain the taste of old rum at midnight hours when everything was new, remained new, against the time and remorse that framed each memory like an invisible mirror.

She found it surprising he hardly ever tried to escape. He rarely asked for a moment to be alone. He did not take evening walks and did not lie about his phone calls. She had access to everything that required a password, because he always used the same word as his password everywhere: lizzie. When she pointed out it was too simple and therefore not safe, he smirked, and promptly changed it to lizzie4ever.

They parted with their swords and pistols with little regret. Strange, twisted shadows turned those weapons into symbols that no longer carried any meaning – only pain. Maps, clothes, trinkets, books... they were leaving more and more of their memories behind, and sometimes it seemed that the entire world was a museum of their lives, and they could do little more than look at what had been, because it was no longer possible to feel, to touch the past.

But to live they had to breathe, and the only way to breathe was to travel, and to travel they had to leave behind as much of what they had as possible – break the past into pieces that they could carry with them.

They learned to live with losses, but they missed places and they missed words. They missed Captain and King that had clandestinely dwindled into Mr. and Mrs..

And they missed those who could have understood the difference.

The water was blue and wonderfully near, but she turned away from the view of the coast to look at him as he drove, his head resting on his elbow, each turn taken with only one hand on the steering wheel despite the endless number of times she had asked him to drive with both hands on the wheel. She suspected it was a form of protest. He could hold the helm with both hands, but he would never give that much attention to a car.

The trinkets in his hair jingled in the wind, and she could not see the expression in his eyes behind the dark glasses.

"It's a beautiful day," she said softly, tapping her fingers against the back of her cell phone.

"It's California, luv."

Elizabeth looked away, squinting into the sun. "It's almost as if you didn't like coming here every year."

"I don't," he retorted blankly.

"Liar. Do you know it's 190th time we come here?" she asked half-playfully, trying to change the mood. She knew that heavy kind of exhilaration mixed with gloom that always enveloped him on those annual visits, and she was still in the process of coming up with a prefect way to cure that last, inevitable, persistent gash of longing that still very often kept him awake during stormy nights, no matter where they were.

"You've actually been counting? I'm impressed," he said with a small smile, taking a sharp turn.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you referring to something specific?"

Jack glanced over his shoulder at the two rows of shopping bags (the ones that did not fit into the trunk) filling the entire backseat, and then shifted his eyes back to her. "No. Why?" he asked seriously, but it was easy to imagine the laughter in his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes with a huff.

"I'm sorry but this ship is no longer open to visitors." The young man smiled politely, stepping in front of Jack and Elizabeth.

"We come here every year-" started Elizabeth, but the man interrupted her.

"The ship is being redecorated, and that's why-"

"Redecorated?" asked Jack in a slightly strained voice, pushing his sunglasses over his forehead.

Elizabeth laced her hand through Jack's arm to keep him from shouting, like he had done fifty years ago when somebody had informed them in a similar manner that the ship was being painted.

"Yes. There will be an attraction for kids inside," said the man cheerfully.

"Below deck," muttered Jack, and Elizabeth squeezed his arm again.

"Yes," agreed the young man with a smile. "It will be reopened in a few weeks."

"We won't be here in a few weeks," said Elizabeth with a small pout. "Is there really no way to get on board just for a little while?" she asked sweetly.

The boy shook his head. "But there are other ships to visit," he said convincingly, gesturing toward a ship anchored next to the Black Pearl. "That one there for example is even bigger and more interesting than this one here."

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly, and she held on to Jack as tightly as possible to keep him from doing a physical damage to the boy.

"Oh yes, I'm sure... but you see..." she glanced at Jack and then smiled at the boy. "My husband and I come here every year, " Jack's nose twitched. "It's a very special place for us. My husband asked me to marry him on board this ship. And this year it's our 10th anniversary..."

"It's really not up to me, I'm sorry."

"Thank you for your most helpful assistance," cut in Jack dryly, before Elizabeth managed to speak again.

The young man smiled briefly and excused himself.

"Jack-"

"We'll sneak aboard," he said turning around, and taking her by the hand.

"Jack, we can't!"

"It's my ship and I can sneak on it whenever I like," snapped Jack, not letting her snatch her hand out of his grasp.

"Of course. Don't forget to say that in court."

"Could you remind me in which decade you became so law-abiding, luv? I can't quite remember."

"I've always been law-abiding. It's you who corrupted me."

Jack snorted under his breath.

"I heard that," said Elizabeth grumpily, smiling to herself.

"I really think we should be going," said Elizabeth, alarmed by the gradually increasing noises coming from above.

"Stores close at ten, luv," countered Jack with a smirk, pulling her back onto the bed.

She hit him half-heartedly on the shoulder. "Stop making a shopaholic out of me. It's you who spent all of our savings on an airplane."

He rolled her over onto her back and brushed a lock of hair off her eyes with his forefinger. "Our savings? Your choice of expressions is most puzzling, as of late, Lizzie," he said amusedly, but with certain wariness in his eyes.

Elizabeth looked away, snuggling her cheek into the pillow. "I don't know what you mean."

"'My husband and I come here every year'," Jack echoed her words with a smile.

"I was simply trying to convince him to let us on board," she shrugged.

"Of course." He leaned down, trailing small kisses across her throat.

She closed her eyes, and slowly wrapped her arms around him.

He drew back a little to look at her, and then suddenly pressed his cheek to hers, causing her eyes to flutter open.

"We could find a lavish dress, water lilies, and get married," he said casually, quickly, unconsciously holding his breath for several seconds.

"I'd love water lilies," she said quietly, after a pause.

He raised his hand to her face, and brushed his thumb over her lips.

"And a dress," she said, biting back a smile, and feeling him smile as well.

They were silent for a while, before Elizabeth turned her head, Jack lifted his, and they looked at each other. "And a marr-i-age."

A lop-sided smile appeared on Jack's face, and he leaned down to kiss her, but before they lips met, a loud collection of voices and footsteps coming from somewhere in the corridor caused them to jump to their feet in a hurry.

"Next time we'll kidnap the Pearl", muttered Jack, catching his jeans that Elizabeth had thrown at him.

"You know this is not a good idea," said Elizabeth, slipping her feet into the silver flip-flops.

"I'm beginning to think this is a very good idea, actually," retorted Jack, grabbing his sunglasses from the cabinet.

They left the cabin, and Elizabeth smiled to herself a bit sadly at Jack clandestinely brushing his open palm over the closed door, over the wood of the Pearl, over the past.

"You know she's safe here," she whispered, propping her chin on his shoulder.

"Hey you! What are you doing here?!"

Jack and Elizabeth froze, exchanged a long look, and slowly turned around.

"This ship is off limits to visitors," said a tall man, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Son," Jack narrowed his eyes in a smile, "do you know who we are?"

The man raised his eyebrows while Elizabeth glanced at Jack uncertainly, gently but firmly squeezing his hand.

"We are the people who have every right to be here, and who, in fact, can or even should be here, because if we weren't here it would mean that we are not who we are, and we most certainly are who we are, even if you don't know who we are which doesn't justify your suspicion as to our reason to be here, because being who we are we have every reason to be here without being suspected of being here without a reason, and the fact that you are unreasonably suspicious doesn't make our presence here any less reasonable." The man blinked. Jack pushed his sunglasses over his eyes and smiled. "Savvy?"