Title: Never Forget
Summary: Their one night together was perfect; the perfect way to say goodbye. He said they'd never forget each other, and now there's no way she will. JE. OneShot.
Rating: PG-13
Rated for: Implied sex, minor angst.
Never Forget
Elizabeth felt her eyes flutter open against Jack's perfectly sculpted chest. His arm was wrapped protectively around her bare waist. She smiled; he looked so peaceful when he slept...almost like an angel.
My angel, she thought happily.
A rush of memorable recollections from the past night came flooding back to her as they lay there together in the sand; their clothes discarded, and Jack's hat not far off. She traced one of Jack's near-fatal bullet wounds in his chest lazily with her fingers.
She gently turned her head to gaze at the shoreline. There was Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, standing tall, proud, and majestic on the Caribbean ocean.
She sighed sadly; the time to leave was drawing sooner. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes, and buried her head into Jack's shoulder. She didn't want him to leave, but she knew he needed the sea, but he'd insisted miserably that it wasn't safe for Elizabeth to be out there with them.
And so, they had agreed to compromise. He would give her one night of passion, and then they would part.
Of course, the first time they'd laid eyes on each other hadn't been the best way to meet each other, and they certainly hadn't counted on falling in love, but, in this life, anything was possible, and they had.
And Jack had told her that.
"'Lizabeth," he'd smiled faintly, as he rowed himself and Elizabeth to the beach in the little rowboat. She turned to look at him, having been gazing down into the crystal depths not a moment ago.
"Yes?" she'd asked quietly.
His smile was affectionate and caring. She almost felt like she knew what he was going to say, but it still surprised her a little bit.
"I love you, you know," he'd told her truthfully. She'd hidden her minor shock and made it look as though she'd known this all along.
"I love you, too, Jack," she'd replied earnestly. Jack let the oars go slack in his hands for a moment, and he leaned towards her and gave her a tender kiss, filled with love and affection.
They'd pulled apart, and Jack started rowing again, obviously trying to get to the island as fast as he could, so they had as much time to spend together as possible.
And, when they'd arrived on the shore, they'd wasted no time in stripping each other of their clothes and making love in the sand, Jack whispering in Elizabeth's ear all the while that he loved her, and that he'd never get tired of saying it.
Jack woke up silently, and felt more than heard, Elizabeth crying into his shoulder, sobbing and whimpering. Although she wasn't looking at him, he gave her a rather puzzled look.
His confused frown disappeared, however, when he heard her whispering softly, "Don't go..."
He noticed that his arm was still around her waist, as that was how they'd fallen asleep the night before, and tugged her gently closer. She didn't seem to mind, or even notice, and just let herself be pulled towards him, wrapping her own arm around him tightly.
Realization dawned on Jack face that she really did love him. In all honesty, when she'd told him she loved him in the rowboat, he'd half-thought it was just a plan to get him out of his pants.
"Elizabeth?" he whispered quietly.
"What?" she choked out sadly.
"Don't cry," he told her, giving her a comforting squeeze with his arm.
"Stay with me," she pleaded desperately. "Or take me with you."
"I can't," he replied simply. This was tearing him apart. "It's too dangerous for you, and the crew need me."
He felt her nod regretfully against him.
The silence fell amongst them once more, but their closeness and touching was comforting.
A million and one eternities seemed to pass before Jack finally decided to move for his clothes. He gently moved Elizabeth from his side, and she fell to the floor rather limply. She sighed miserably before she, too, got up and began to get dressed.
After being ready for a good five minutes, Elizabeth watched as Jack put on his jacket and hat, and gathered up his effects with his back to her, almost shamefully.
She felt the tears begin to well up again as he turned to face her, a truly sorrowful look upon his handsome face.
He approached her slowly, his arms raising as she hurled herself forward into them, her arms winding their way around his strong frame as he cradled her in his arms, stroking her hair gently.
"I can promise you that we'll never forget each other," he whispered gently, his voice cracking from his own painful tears.
She bawled and cried into his chest as she heard him. She lifted her face from his chest and he leaned down and kissed her lightly on her forehead.
"I love you," he whispered, a single tear falling from his brown eye.
"I love you," she spluttered back to him, as rivers fell from both of her eyes.
He leaned down and placed a passionate kiss on her lips that she responded to immediately. He felt longing there, and it made him more reluctant than ever to pull away from her.
"Keep a weather eye on the horizon," he told her shakily, letting all his emotions run wild as he started walking to the small rowboat. Elizabeth stood on the sand with heavily leaking eyes and shaky sobs as she watched him row away from her.
She watched him until he had boarded the ship and even after the Black Pearl had long since sailed away past her vision, she stood there, his whispered promise ringing loudly in her ears.
She cast a glance back to the sandy bed she and Jack had shared for that one magical night, before she started walking, the sand crunching beneath her feet as she headed further and further away from 'their spot'.
-----
Meanwhile, on the Black Pearl, Jack was contemplating what he'd just done, when Gibbs approached him slowly.
"Ye alright, Cap'n?" he asked cautiously.
It wasn't in reply to that question that Jack said, "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
Gibbs, sensing that his sure-fire Captain needed some time alone with his thoughts, left Jack standing there, gazing back at the island until it disappeared slowly from view.
-----
One year after Jack had left Elizabeth upon that godforsaken island, he still thought of her everyday, and there was always something that kept reminding Elizabeth of the infamous pirate of the Caribbean; something that made sure she'd never forget him.
Elizabeth had a three month old son, whom she'd named Daniel...Daniel Sparrow. She'd also adopted the name Sparrow; it seemed to fit her quite well...Elizabeth Sparrow.
There was no doubt that Daniel was Jack's. He had Jack's eyes. Not to mention, Jack was her first and only time.
Unbeknownst to Elizabeth and Daniel, Jack was sailing rapidly towards the island; Isla de Amor. He had waited as long as he possibly could before he physically couldn't stand not to see the woman he loved again, and he had finally resigned himself to the fact that he had to see her again, so he'd made sail for Isla de Amor with all haste.
He smiled as Gibbs told him they weren't far off.
And when he finally set foot back on the sandy shore he and Elizabeth had made love on all that time ago, his euphoria could only grow. He headed straight towards the house he had heard she'd settled in.
Her shock when she opened the door could be read in every inch of her face as she shakily and slowly raised her hand to her open mouth.
He smiled at her in the cheeky way he always used to.
"Surprised to see me, love?" he asked, still smiling.
After getting over the initial shock Elizabeth threw her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. They pulled apart, and Elizabeth pulled Jack into her living room. He shut the door behind them.
He looked around curiously, and his eyes rested on something most peculiar on the couch. It was a baby, no doubt a baby boy.
Even as he tried to convince himself that of course Elizabeth was bound to have moved on, the disappointment building up inside him as he realised that the child was not his own was difficult to disguise.
Elizabeth followed his eye path with hers and she smiled as she looked upon her son. She moved and picked him up, handing him to Jack.
There was definitely more than a trace of hurt and sadness in his tone as Jack asked, "So ya moved on from me, then?"
Confusion knitted Elizabeth's brow for a moment before it dawned on her what Jack was implying.
"Of course not," she smiled. She moved closer and placed her hand gently on Jack's arm as he cradled the baby. "He's yours, Jack."
Jack's eyes widened in surprise and he turned to face her.
"Mine?" he asked quietly, yet happily.
Elizabeth nodded. "You were my first and only, and this is who became of it."
Jack smiled again, and looked down at his son. "What's he called?"
"Daniel Sparrow," Elizabeth replied. "And I have been living under the name Elizabeth Sparrow, also."
Jack smiled with great pride.
"I wanna ask you a question, Lizzie," Jack smiled, not taking his eyes off his son. "Would you and Daniel do me the great honour of sailing away with me into the sunset?"
Elizabeth laughed as she nodded eagerly. "I want to more than anything!"
"And, will you, Elizabeth, accept my proposal for your hand in marriage?" he went on. Elizabeth only smiled wider as she nodded again.
They kissed again, before Elizabeth went and hurriedly packed hers and Daniel's things.
-----
Within about half an hour, Jack, Elizabeth and Daniel were all aboard the Black Pearl and were cruising along steadily, Daniel sleeping on Jack and Elizabeth's now-shared bed. Elizabeth was back in her pirate's clothes, and she stood with Jack at the helm of the ship.
"I love you, Lizzie," Jack said happily, glad that he'd gone back for her.
"I love you, too, Jack," Elizabeth replied, kissing him passionately as they sailed away...into the sunset.
Well, what did you think? Also, look up 'Isla de Amor' and see what comes up. It's Spanish by the way. ;P
Review please!
QueenSerenity818 out.