Final Chapter:
Two Paths Combined
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emma was by no means a sailing type of woman, only because she'd forgotten so much of it. She found a guilty, deep seeded love for the ocean when she was younger, but she hid it so well from her mother that she almost lost it completely. When she sailed with her father as a child, she often sat where the food was being served. The cook would sneak her deserts and let her come back and help him prepare a few dishes. It wasn't until she was much older that she was scolded for such behavior and was taken from sailing almost completely.
"Until the voyage where I met Jack…" She thought to herself with a wry smile. " There's so much I don't know about the man… But here I am… waiting for him."
She glanced up at the captain. During the past few days, Jack Sparrow had managed to use a crutch to get around the ship. His one hand grasping a rum bottle, the other supporting him on his crutch. He would bark orders on occasion from the helm, but most strangely, he kept completely to himself.
Emma Wickerson didn't even bother to fret over it. She knew in her heart that she had chosen the right path. She just had to wait until Jack realized his.
" I have to speak with him…tonight…"
She carefully walked across the ship to the man she had met earlier. He was sitting in a peculiar position, trying to write what looked to be a letter.
" Mr. Turner?" she asked politely.
His head turned upwards in reply and he squinted at the sunlight directly behind her.
" I was wondering if you had any spare paper I might use?"
"Paper? Of course," he answered, reaching behind him for a spare piece. "Here."
"Thank you…" She wanted to turn and leave, but thought of something else. " William… I know we've only spoken briefly… but can I ask you a question?"
Will sighed, obviously trying to finish whatever it was he was writing. " Of course," he said.
" How well do you know Jack?"
A silence fell over the both of them for a few moments. Will's gaze was distant, almost unsure, as he stared behind her.
" Miss Wickerson…"
"---Emma, please."
He smiled and continued. "Emma, I know Jack very well… In fact, I know him almost too well…But I think you know him in ways that no one else has ever known him."
Emma's gaze drifted to the side, hoping desperately that the threatening tears would not rise. " Yes, I suppose so," she replied softly. " I just… think that there's been too much time between us that I don't know him at all anymore."
Will watched her face sadden. He knew something was going on between them, but he didn't know how to help. Emma reached for the pen he held and quickly scribbled a note on her piece of parchment. "Here," She said, handing him the paper. "Please give this to Jack?"
He smiled. "I will."
The sun slowly sank over the horizon, painting the vast sky a fiery hue. Jack stood at the helm, thinking solemnly to himself. He'd been standing at that post all day, erasing the pain in his leg with a mere swig of rum. His eyes were set on a destination, but his heart could not settle on any thing. It was all because of her.
Her very image had haunted him for years. Her laugh, her smile, even her bloody hair! And now he knew he would be forever cursed with the feel of those soft lips on his… those curves pressed against him in the heat of passion…
He took another swig.
" Bloody 'ell, mate…" he cursed himself.
He made an adjustment to his steering before looking down at his crew. Emma was nowhere to be seen among them, much to his heart's displeasure. The few days he'd been at the helm, he'd enjoyed seeing her stand by the side of his Pearl, watching the ocean with lust-filled features as she had done so very long ago. Of course, when she wasn't looking at the ocean, her face was filled with a sudden loneliness. That was usually the time he decided to keep his eyes elsewhere.
"Bloody coward…" His mind told him.
" Am not!" he retorted.
" Ya spend all this bloody time mopin' over 'er, ya get 'er back, and now ya won't 'ave her?"
There was a pause in his thoughts.
" Yer right… I am a coward."
Jack rolled his eyes and limped over to the side where Cotton was standing and gave the man orders to take the helm. Jack carefully made his way down to the kitchen. He half expected to find her there but wasn't really surprised when she wasn't.
" Jack!" Will called, standing from a table. " I have something for you."
The captain would have preferred avoiding any detours, but he figured Will might actually have something interesting to show him.
"Alright, mate. What is it?" He asked half-heartedly, limping over to the table.
Turner gave a sly smile and held up a folded piece of paper. "Emma wanted me to give it to you."
Jack's eyebrows arched. " Did she? She mention what it might say?"
Will laughed and shook his head. " Just read it, Jack. It's about time you two had a few words, anyways…"
Sparrow's eyes narrowed and he frowned. " That's none of yer business, mate," he said. " And that's Captain Jack to you…"
Will rolled his eyes as Jack turned around and headed back up the stairs. As soon as he reached his cabin, his heart began to race. What could possibly be written on the piece of paper? He was hoping beyond all hope that it wasn't equivalent to a slap on the face.
Captain Sparrow,
Meet me on the deck tonight when the others have gone to sleep. I want to speak with you.
Emma
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing too harsh… yet.
" I deserve harsh…" he told himself begrudgingly, limping to his bed where he sat down. Jack studied the bottle in his hand and decided it would look better empty. Without a second thought, he drained it.
Emma felt much like she did that night many years ago. The butterflies were building, and her nerves were buzzing. The knots in her stomach threatened to erase her memory of all she wanted to speak of with the captain.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her dress as best she could, trying to ignore the ugly stains, and left her tiny room. She quietly walked up the stairs to the main deck where she found two crewmen getting ready to turn-in for the night. She ignored them as they went about their final chores. Emma found herself being drawn to the side of the Black Pearl where she had stood before. Her gaze found the cold majestic waters, and her lips twisted in a smile. " How I've missed you…" She told the waves, knowing full well they symbolized freedom.
" Ya might want to be careful, luv," a voice sounded beside her. " People might think yer crazy… talking to water and all…"
Emma grinned and turned to find Jack leaning on his crutch beside her. There was an air about him that night. It seemed darker than usual. Emma noticed his eyes were distant as well.
" Jack," she started, lowering her gaze to his shoulder. " I have to ask you something…"
" And what would that be, I wonder?"
Emma's breath caught in her throat when he closed the distance between them. He stood toe-to-toe with her, a smug look on his face.
Her heart sank suddenly. This was not her Jack. This was not the man she knew and loved. Fear struck her, and the question on her lips vanished. Her eyes shut tight and she turned away.
" Jack…" she started. " All I really wanted to say was… that I love you."
She held her breath. There was no movement behind her and no reply, so she turned around to make sure he'd actually heard her. When she looked at him, his head was down, almost as though he were in thought.
" Did you hear me?" she asked.
As he looked up, she noticed something very peculiar. The distant grin on his face did not match the tumult of emotion she found in his dark brown eyes. " Aye, luv… And I'm flattered, really.Not really suprised though...I mean, what's not to love about Captain Jack Sparr---"
"Stop it!" She demanded. His mouth snapped shut and his eyes met hers instantly. " Just stop it, Jack!" It was Emma's turn to close the distance between them. She grabbed his hand and continued, " I don't know what the hell you're trying to do, but stop it!"
He made an attempt to deny what she was accusing, but was silenced when she inserted an object in his hand. Jack looked down and his heart froze when he saw what it was. A ring. The ring he gave her all those years ago. She'd kept it.
" I've been wearing it since that night we stood here, Jack. I never took it off my finger… just like I said I wouldn't." The tears were flowing freely from her eyes as she stood before him. His hand almost began to shake, but he clasped it shut and looked up at Emma.
" You… kept it?" he asked.
She nodded, not breaking her gaze. " Of course, Jack! I loved you then! I love you now! It never changed!"
He dropped his eyes to the floor. How could he say anything to that? He was a pirate! Abloody pirate! Love wasn't allowed, unless it belonged to the damn sea! Jack cleared his throat and said the first thing he could think of, " That's… nice…"
Emma felt like she had been slapped. So many emotions were twisting inside of her, and at that very moment she felt rage. " I don't understand you, Jack!" she spat. " You show up at my home in Dover, hug me, tell me you want me to come back with you, and then risk your life for me, and now THIS! Why? Why Jack?" She grabbed his arm before he could turn away. "Why?" She repeated in a sob.
The captain jerked his arm free, furry rising to his eyes. Heslammed his rum bottle to the floor, shattering it into a hundred tiny pieces. " Because, dammit!" He hollered, shocking her back a few paces. " I'm a bloody pirate!" Emma looked up at him through confused and tear-filled eyes. Those eyes held so much hurt in them that Jack had to look away, but not before tears began to rise in his own. " I can't lose ya again, Emma. The first time was hell, luv… But a second… if you died… I'd never---"
His words were silenced by her lips on his. He stumbled a little from shock, but quickly regained his composure and returned the kiss. She pulled away a moment later, eyes heavy with desire. Just seeing her in that instant made the scab on his heart come loose. The love he had for her could now flow without restraint. It was in that moment where only she existed.
" Ya didn't quite get what I was saying, luv," Jack said softly with a grin.
" No, I think I did, Jack. You're the captain of the Black Pearl," she replied. " If you don't want anything bad to happen to me… then nothing will."
A dark smile curled his lips as he pulled her evencloser to him. " Yer right... Yer bloody right." His good hand brushed a strand of hair from her face, and he returned his eyes to hers. " Emma, luv… can ya forgive this pirate? He's a bit of a mess, ya know…"
She smiled, sliding her arms around him as an answer. A calmness settled over Jack, a kind of calmness that he'd never known. It was almost as though his heart was finally content. Maybe he, Captain Jack Sparrow, was no ordinary man. Maybe he could love two things at once.
" You know, luv…" he said, feeling her fingers softly scratch up and down his back. " I think I'm beginning to like this whole 'love' thing."
She laughed into his shirt, "Well good, Jack, I'm glad." If he could see her, he would have caught her rolling her eyes.
" But you know I… I do love you, Emma…" The captain said softly, sounding completely sober. Emma raised her head to look at him.
" I know, Jack." She whispered. If she weren't so thrilled at that moment, she might have cried. " I know…"
"Good…" he replied, pushing her head back down against his chest. "And by the way, luv… I'm not going to be giving ya an option of going home this time…"
Emma felt a laugh bubble up inside of her and pour out of her lips. Jack could only grin at the feeling of her vibrating beneath him.
"Oh, Jack…" She finally said. " I am home…"
End.
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