Crossing Paths

[hereswith]

Title: Crossing Paths
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Disney's. I don't own it. No infringement is intended and no profit is made.
Summary: One version of a post-AWE encounter.
Author's note: Real life got in the way, but here's the fic I was originally going to write for geekmama's birthday. She requested Jack and Elizabeth meeting for the first time post-AWE and/

Comments

[erinya]

He stops, stills at the sight of her, one hand on the door, a bottle dangling in the other, and her stomach clenches with an emotion she cannot name, it’s too tangled, it’s broadsheets and firelight, shackles and flight, clinging to him as they soared, when the taste in her mouth was ash and bitter tears.

So beautiful! And so tangled. I can't help it, I love it when it's tangled between them.

“I have his heart, Jack. His heart. In a chest. It’s madness.”

“I know, love.”

It is madness...do you know, I've never read a fic in which somebody pointed that out? This exchange is so understated, but there's so much in it. That's craft, that is. Yours.

...But I have a life, I’m making a life, without them.” She looks over at him, by the table, watching her, and her chin comes up. “What I won might have been by circumstance, but what I hold, I’ve earned.”

Love that. Her pride in the life she's made.

Gorgeous, gorgeous work.

[hereswith]

Thanks so much for the quick and detailed feedback! It's ages since I wrote anything longer about these two, as you know, not to mention it's the first time I've more than vaguely hinted at the events in AWE, so it's especially wonderful to hear you enjoyed it :-)

I love it when it's tangled between them. *nods* I'm with you there, it's fascinating.

Cursed pirates and sea monsters, that's strange enough, but having the heart of someone you know and care about in a chest must feel completely crazy and surreal. Thank you for your kind words regarding that particular exchange, and I'm also glad you loved the lines about the life she's made for herself. ♥

[this_weirdness]

So beautiful. I love Lizzie's fragility and vulnerability, and I love that Jack seems sensitive to that. They step around each other for a bit, but let their guard down in the end. Great. Your prose is so swift and clean that I feel as if I am floating while I read it.

My favourite lines:

...proving to be her father’s daughter in ways Weatherby Swann could not have envisioned. So true.

He stops, stills at the sight of her, one hand on the door, a bottle dangling in the other... So vivid.

“Ah.” He grins, but the mirth is fleeting, it doesn’t light his eyes. “Misplaced, actually. But I got her back.” So Jack.

And there is so much more...

My favouritest line of them all:

“I have his heart, Jack. His heart. In a chest. It’s madness.”

That's just so heart-wrenching. Sums it all up really. Poor Lizzie.

I love this!

[hereswith]

We're e-mailing back and forth a lot today. *g* I, too, really appreciate you taking the time to quote favourite bits and lines, and I'm so happy you enjoyed reading! Everything isn't resolved at the end here, but it's an opening, a beginning. And thanks for letting me know how the prose comes across, that's great to know :-)

[geekmama]

So wonderful, as only you know how to do it. Thank you again (and again, and again) for this gift. I know that AWE wasn't at all your cup of tea (to say the least), and that you've been able to get past that somewhat and shine your own unique light upon it makes me happier than you'll ever know!

It's madness

Yes, it is.

*hugs you*

[hereswith]

You're making me blush, saying such nice things, both here and privately :-) I admit that when you first suggested it, I wasn't quite sure I would be able to write something like this, but I wanted to give it a try, for you, and I'm thrilled and so glad you thought it all worked!

*many hugs back*

[torn_eledhwen]

Just gorgeous, Hereswith.

[hereswith]

Thank you very much!

[jenthegypsy]

I'm with the Birthday Girl - not only is this a beautifully crafted work (as always) but it is a personal triumph of yours, beating back your intense feelings about AWE to write something so wonderful for dear geekmama's birthday. Your strength and dedication to a dear friend resulted in an unexpected windfall for your loyal readers. Thanks darlin'!

[hereswith]

Hey you! Thanks for helping me out again and for commenting over here, as well. Your kind words mean a lot. ♥