Just my take on that goodbye scene in AWE. It's from Jack's point of view… in a way. I've always loved sparrabeth!

Disclaimer: All I've got to say is 'I wish'.

The Way They Should've

"Where there is time, there is tomorrow. Somewhere in time, all sorrows pass to memory. And so the end is the beginning. Somewhere in time, we are as we're meant to be."

Ine Braat

"Your chariot awaits, my liege," he heard Gibbs joke.

"Mrs. Turner." That would be Barbossa, of course.

Then, Jack heard something that sounded like 'Poppet', which would be Pintel and Ragetti, but his mind was too elsewhere to register the details.

Make her stay!

No, she belongs to Turner!

At least ask her! I know she'll say 'yes'.

I wish I could.

You love her.

Ah… The question and statement that were as old as the beautiful word 'amour' itself.

…Maybe

It was the angel and devil at it again. Unfortunately, this time he didn't know which one was the devil and which was the angel. "Jack…" the bane of his existence called softly. He turned to her, ready to make an incredibly smart remark when, all of the sudden, he felt her body against his, her face buried in his chest, and her arms twine around his neck. His breath caught in his throat, and that apparently never happens to Captain Jack Sparrow.

'Maybe in a different world, a different time, we could've been together. The way we should've,' Jack thought –almost reluctantly - as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against him.

Mrs. Elizabeth Turner was gone for the moment. And his Lizzy, Pirate King, was here holding him. This was the woman who sent him to his death with tears, and then brought him back. This was the woman who led a war, and won. Jack could only dream what would've happened if this woman, this side of his Lizzie, had come out before she stupidly married the eunuch. He very much wondered if she regretted it and almost wanted to show her what it would've been like if she had just yelled 'no' instead of those absolutely, positively horrible words 'I do'.

Elizabeth looked up at him with teary eyes. He wanted to kiss her –so badly. He was mad for her. If only he could just reach down and take those soft, rosy lips between his… "This isn't good-bye, is it Jack?" she asked him, completely vulnerable for once in her twenty-two years.

How odd it would end up being him she opened up slightly towards.

And in a particularly soft and whelpish moment, he whispered, "Never." That 'never' would probably come back to haunt him, but right then he didn't care; all he knew was that he was holding his Lizzy close to him, and he never wanted to let her go. But he knew he would have to.

Almost as though they had made a mutual decision, or perhaps they actually were that alike, they slowly released each other. 'Different world, different time.'

The way we should've.

All of these words echoed through the Captain's head, whether he wanted them to or not.

"It would have never worked out between us," Lizzie said, smiling.

But there was something deeper in her eyes, something that said it would've worked out between them, yet she looked afraid. He had no idea what she could be afraid of. Betraying Will? Becoming a pirate? No, that wouldn't be possible. His Lizzie had always been a pirate. She had gone up against the East India Trading Company and won! Hell, she was so much better of a pirate than the whelp, and he actually had the blood! Talk about a dainty, delicate governor's daughter.

Then Jack realized she had been waiting for an answer, and he gave her the best one he could. One to let her he… um… really liked her, and something to let her know she would, no matter how hard he would try to shake her off, she would always have him to lean on.

"Keep telling yourself that, darling," Jack told her, completely solemn, until he realized he probably came off as quite upset. He added that incredibly good looking, crooked little smile of his that made women faint just by looking at him. She almost looked like she was about to jump him –at least he'd like to think she was – but reined herself in at the last moment and just smiled –a beautiful, genuine smile- at him.

"Thank you Jack," Lizzy said, quite seriously to him. He wasn't sure what she was thanking him for: the hug, saving Will, saving her, coming back, forgiving her… He just nodded, too scared to open his mouth in fear of what would come out.

That's a first.

That one, he was quite sure, was the devil.

As the Pirate king climbed into the longboat, he felt an odd tightening in his chest. And though he didn't know it now, that tightening would happen again when he was older, and finally knew what it meant. From the looks on most of the crews' faces, they were about to yell and beg her to stay. 'I wouldn't do that,' he thought, the voice probably being his pride. Though, a tiny voice in the back of his head was insecure.

Would I?

As he turned away from the starboard side, he saw Mr. Gibbs give him a sympathetic look. 'Should've asked her to stay, Captain,' he seemed to say. 'Damn old man notices everything,' Jack thought irritably. He began to saunter towards his first mate, and that look on Gibbs face just grew more pronounced.

"Wherever you want, Mr. Gibbs, just a place with lots of… stuff" Jack mumbled, before nearly sprinting to his cabin, leaving Gibbs behind him quite stunned. He needed lots of rum, fast.

The problem was, he was already quite drunk… on love.

Hope you liked! I just love Jack's thought processes, don't you? Constructive criticisms welcome… no flames please. –lalala777