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Title: The Meaning Of Life
Author: elaborationlove
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Pairing: James/Elizabeth
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Summary: Elizabeth goes to take a moment alone on the deck and finds she's not alone.
Author's Notes: None.
Beta Credit: None.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 673
He needed some time alone. There was nothing remotely amusing about his situation, despite the fact that Jack seemed to be having a fun time with it. It was embarrassing, to say the least. He had given the man a chance to get away-for reasons he couldn’t even remember now-and it had cost him his job in a way he never would have suspected. And of course it didn’t help that the love of his life was off not just following pirates around for a good time but was now one herself.
“Oh, James, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here.”
Elizabeth appeared with her eyes wide, adjusting to the dark sky. James turned back to see the ocean in front of him, indicating he didn’t care if she stayed or went, even though part of him was begging him to beg her to stay and another part was bitterly cursing her and demanding she go away.
She seemed to hesitate, and James didn’t hear her move. He looked over his shoulder again to see if perhaps she left, but she stood there, still, seeming to be debating on whether or not she should go. Her mouth was slightly parted and she hadn’t noticed James acknowledge she was still here. He turned his body fully around to face her and sighed.
“You might as well join me.”
“In what?”
He was tempted to say, “marriage” as a joke, but he refrained and bit his lip. Instead, he offered with a shrug, “The search for the meaning of life.”
“Why?” she grinned with somewhat of a teasing look. “Is that what you’re pondering at the moment? Because I have the answer.”
“I’d be curious to hear it.”
Elizabeth sauntered up to the man in a manner he never would have expected only a year or so ago. Now, he found it didn’t shock him so much. She brought her lips to his ear-which he flinched at slightly-and whispered her answer.
“There is no meaning.”
“And what brought you to that conclusion?”
Elizabeth brought herself away from James and leaned against the ship’s wall like he was. She crossed her arms and sighed.
“I feel old.”
James didn’t answer, didn’t look at her. He left it open for her to continue.
“I’ve been through a lot in the past year…and so’ve you. We’ve both had it rough. Mother had told me when I was younger that my biggest trial would be planning my wedding. I hardly even got around to that before all of this…mess happened.” She looked at him with a feeling of nostalgia, remembering the days before they even came to Port Royal and she only dreamed of romantic scenarios involving pirates and, though he wasn’t aware of it, James, too, occasionally.
“I wish I had the answers, Elizabeth. For you.”
Her mouth twitched, getting the nearest to a smile as she had in months. “I just gave them to you. There are none.”
“I don’t believe that. There are reasons, somewhere-they’re just not obvious. There are reasons though.”
She sighed, still disagreeing. Elizabeth adjusted her arms, still crossed tightly across her chest. James looked over at her and then back to the ocean before him. Timidly, he turned fully to her again and lifted his hand to her jaw. Elizabeth looked up at him with wide eyes, too tired to give a full startled reaction.
He lowered his mouth to hers slowly and hesitantly, wanting to kiss her, but unsure if it was what he wanted. By now, he didn’t care what was right and wrong. Religion was a thing of the past. At last, his lips brushed against hers and he went in for the whole of it. If he was going to kiss her for the first time and what also may be the last, he might as well go for it. Elizabeth cupped his stubble-covered jaw line, pressing her mouth to his as hard as she could. This was comfort. This was home.
***
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Author: elaborationlove
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Pairing: James/Elizabeth
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Summary: Elizabeth goes to take a moment alone on the deck and finds she's not alone.
Author's Notes: None.
Beta Credit: None.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 673
He needed some time alone. There was nothing remotely amusing about his situation, despite the fact that Jack seemed to be having a fun time with it. It was embarrassing, to say the least. He had given the man a chance to get away-for reasons he couldn’t even remember now-and it had cost him his job in a way he never would have suspected. And of course it didn’t help that the love of his life was off not just following pirates around for a good time but was now one herself.
“Oh, James, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here.”
Elizabeth appeared with her eyes wide, adjusting to the dark sky. James turned back to see the ocean in front of him, indicating he didn’t care if she stayed or went, even though part of him was begging him to beg her to stay and another part was bitterly cursing her and demanding she go away.
She seemed to hesitate, and James didn’t hear her move. He looked over his shoulder again to see if perhaps she left, but she stood there, still, seeming to be debating on whether or not she should go. Her mouth was slightly parted and she hadn’t noticed James acknowledge she was still here. He turned his body fully around to face her and sighed.
“You might as well join me.”
“In what?”
He was tempted to say, “marriage” as a joke, but he refrained and bit his lip. Instead, he offered with a shrug, “The search for the meaning of life.”
“Why?” she grinned with somewhat of a teasing look. “Is that what you’re pondering at the moment? Because I have the answer.”
“I’d be curious to hear it.”
Elizabeth sauntered up to the man in a manner he never would have expected only a year or so ago. Now, he found it didn’t shock him so much. She brought her lips to his ear-which he flinched at slightly-and whispered her answer.
“There is no meaning.”
“And what brought you to that conclusion?”
Elizabeth brought herself away from James and leaned against the ship’s wall like he was. She crossed her arms and sighed.
“I feel old.”
James didn’t answer, didn’t look at her. He left it open for her to continue.
“I’ve been through a lot in the past year…and so’ve you. We’ve both had it rough. Mother had told me when I was younger that my biggest trial would be planning my wedding. I hardly even got around to that before all of this…mess happened.” She looked at him with a feeling of nostalgia, remembering the days before they even came to Port Royal and she only dreamed of romantic scenarios involving pirates and, though he wasn’t aware of it, James, too, occasionally.
“I wish I had the answers, Elizabeth. For you.”
Her mouth twitched, getting the nearest to a smile as she had in months. “I just gave them to you. There are none.”
“I don’t believe that. There are reasons, somewhere-they’re just not obvious. There are reasons though.”
She sighed, still disagreeing. Elizabeth adjusted her arms, still crossed tightly across her chest. James looked over at her and then back to the ocean before him. Timidly, he turned fully to her again and lifted his hand to her jaw. Elizabeth looked up at him with wide eyes, too tired to give a full startled reaction.
He lowered his mouth to hers slowly and hesitantly, wanting to kiss her, but unsure if it was what he wanted. By now, he didn’t care what was right and wrong. Religion was a thing of the past. At last, his lips brushed against hers and he went in for the whole of it. If he was going to kiss her for the first time and what also may be the last, he might as well go for it. Elizabeth cupped his stubble-covered jaw line, pressing her mouth to his as hard as she could. This was comfort. This was home.
***
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