Fate Intervenes

Title: Fate Intervenes 3/?
by GylzGirl
Rating: PG-13 this part, NC-17 overall.
Warnings: Sparrabeth. Spoilers for DMC.
Summary: Elizabeth is in trouble and it seems Jack, and something he asked her a long time ago, are her only hope..
Other headers attached to chapter one.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the lovely feedback. It's really moving the writing along for me. For some reason, when you know there are folks wanting that next chapter, it seems to make that chapter want to come out! Thank you all again!

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CHAPTER THREE: Vows


Madame Larrouse walked Elizabeth outside. They stood on the steps in front of the bathhouse. The sky was lavender with the recently set sun. The moon was bright and round if not completely overhead yet. Stars began to blink into their appointed patterns. A warm Caribbean breeze blew in from the north, ruffling the stray locks which didn't have the length to stay fastened by the combs in Elizabeth's hair. She smoothed down her dress and looked to her companion. "Where's Jack? I thought you said he was waiting outside for me?"

"Oy! Out of me garden, ye pirate filth!" A woman's voice cried out in the distance. Elizabeth turned toward the sound just in time to see her fiancée round the corner of the building at a slight run. Upon seeing her, he slowed to a walk and smiled, quickly putting his hands behind his back.

Jack wore a brand new shirt and waistcoat, as well as new breeches. He had newly applied kohl around his eyes and the rest of him was the cleanest she'd ever seen him. He looked dashing. But, she had to admit, he always did. What touched her most was that he'd gone to this effort all for her. She turned her head from his direction and sniffed back the emotion.

When she looked up, Sarah Larrouse was smiling at her. "Don't be embarrassed, Elizabeth. I was a blubbering mess on me own wedding day. And he was an idiot. God rest 'im."

Footsteps on the stairs let her know that Jack had arrived before her. She turned to find dark eyes even with hers. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Ye look beautiful, Love." She smiled and he brought his arms forward. In his hand, he had clutched several red poppies. He quickly twisted their stems together and tilted it towards her. When she took them, he offered his arm.

Elizabeth smiled. "You're being such a gentleman, I can scarce believe it's you, Jack."

"You'll not be having the grandness of wedding that your father could have afforded ye, that's true. But I see no reason why a wife of mine should not have the most pleasant memory that I can arrange." She took his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Elizabeth turned to Sarah quickly. "If you're not busy, I'm sure we'll need a witness."

Sarah grinned. "Just try and stop me."

They proceeded down the street with Sarah following behind. As they passed the rows of shops, the tiny chapel on the hill came into view. They could see candlelight through the windows. As they approached the steps, Sarah moved ahead of them.

"Best let me go in first, dears. Vicar Moore is quite a good chap but he sometimes forgets to pick up a bit. Wait here, I'll come back for ye." She traveled the rest of the stairs alone and disappeared inside.

Jack and Elizabeth stood on the step, avoiding each others eyes a moment. When they finally did look at each other, he smiled. "Nervous?"

"A little," she admitted. "You?"

"Pirates don't get nervous."

She laughed at him, possibly a little too much judging by his disapproving look. "Oh, Jack," she said, still smiling. She moved forward and hugged him. He returned it and leant his head against her own. Each had the urge to talk; their familiar way to fill the uncomfortable silence. But if anything, this was as comfortable a silence as the two had ever shared. More than comfortable actually; it was nice.

All too soon, Sarah returned. "Come on in, dears. It looks to be as good as it's going to get."

Hand in hand, they walked up the remaining stairs and through the door that Sarah held open for them. It was indeed quite small. Ten rows of pews with an aisle between them. There were white candles lit all around which bathed the dark little space in golden flickering light. A simple pulpit stood at the head of the room with the Vicar standing behind it. The man was short, plump and ruddy-complected. His once-red hair now almost fully turned to gray. He was also very clearly two sheets to the wind and well on his way to the third. Jack and Elizabeth walked over and stood before him.

"Your names, please?" The Vicar asked.

"Jack Sparrow."

"Elizabeth Swann."

"Right then. Dearly beloved friends, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable state, instituted of God in Paradise…uh… in Paradise…uh…'old on…" The Vicar opened his book and flipped through the pages. After quite awhile, he looked up to see everyone patiently waiting for him to continue.

"Forgive me, I seem to have misplaced the page with the vows." He shook his Book of Common Prayer at them and a few loose pages fluttered to the floor. "It's a bit like Obadiah in the Bible. Tends to vanish from the book every now and then." He laughed uproariously.

Jack turned to Elizabeth, expecting her to be somewhat upset by this turn of events. To his delight, she was smiling. "There's always the Pearl still, Love."

She shook her head. "Perhaps, this is an opportunity?"

"In what way?"

"Perhaps an unusual union…"

"Unique, Love. I prefer unique," Jack said.

She smiled again. "Unique then. Perhaps a unique union should have a unique ceremony?" At his questioning look, she continued. "If we are to bind ourselves to each other, we should properly negotiate the terms."

His grin flashed gold teeth in the candlelight of the chapel. "I'm game if you are, Love." He turned to the clergyman. "That all right by you, Mate?" The Vicar nodded looking somewhat relieved. He leaned back against the pulpit and took a swig from his hip-flask.

Jack turned back to Elizabeth. "You start."

She reached for his hand and he took hers. Their eyes met and she began. "I've been considering this very thoroughly. I'm marrying Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Yes?"

"Therefore, I do not expect him to stop being Captain Jack Sparrow. So if your…thirst strays from… rum… from time to time…" She took a deep breath. "I understand."

Jack arched an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "You do?"

"I do. Just I'd…I'd rather not know about it."

"Agreed." His mouth tightened as he thought. "Course, I suppose that means that you should also have the freedom to partake of something other than… rum… from time to time."

"Oh." Elizabeth blinked. "I hadn't thought."

"'Tis only fair, Love." He considered this a moment. "However, I would want to know."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You would?" He nodded. "May I ask why?"

His hold on her hand tightened just a little. "To let the… beverage know what would happen to it should it mistreat you in any way." A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Do we have an accord?"

"We have. Your turn."

"Do you agree not to slap me face unless I ask ye to, or there be some sort of emergency or suchlike?"

"Just your face?"

Jack smiled. "I can be somewhat more easily swayed to other things being slapped but you'll find out more about that tonight."

Elizabeth blushed. "I agree." Her eyes looked to the floor. "Do you promise not to die for me?"

He smiled. "Of course I can. I already did that for ye once and I didn't much care for it the first time." Her eyes shot up to his. Her stricken look made him wince. He could see unshed tears threatening. She loosened her hand in his. It was a careless comment but it had found its mark. He hadn't meant to throw more guilt at her, not when she was only asking it of him because she felt responsible for the deaths of Will, Norrington and her own father. He firmly gripped her hand and gently brushed her cheek with his other hand's fingertips. "I wouldn't have gone smiling to me fate for just any kiss, Lizzie. Savvy? I promise to try to keep meself as unharmed as being the most fearsome pirate in all the world will allow."

She blinked her tears away but turned her eyes downward. He sighed. Not for the first time that day, he was glad he hadn't thought to invite Gibbs or any of the others of his crew along. He was about to do something he was sure to regret. He took a deep breath.

"Those pretty wrongs that liberty commits,
When I am sometime absent from thy heart,
Thy beauty, and thy years full well befits,
For still temptation follows where thou art."

Elizabeth looked up at him in amazement. Jack couldn't help but grin. The poor lass probably figured he only thought of books as ballast. There was that impressed expression he so loved receiving from her.

"Gentle thou art, and therefore to be won,
Beauteous thou art, therefore to be assail'd;
And when a woman woos, what woman's son
Will sourly leave her till she have prevail'd?"

Elizabeth inhaled shakily and then spoke.

"Gallant captain, show some mercy
To a lady in distress,
Leave me not within this city,
I shall die of heaviness;
'Tis an empty mockery to set me free
While my heart in prison still remains with thee.
Well in troth, will I endure extremity,
I could find in heart to lose my life for thee."

She recited the words from that old tune of the sea. Her knowledge of chanteys seemed to surpass even his. It was Jack's turn to be impressed, though truly not surprised. Elizabeth had already proved to him more than once that she was capable of putting her secret study of piracy into practical use as a competent sailor in her own right. It delighted him to wonder what she still had left to teach him. What secrets would be his for the plundering in the mystery that was about to become his wife?

The Vicar cleared his throat. They turned their attention back to him. "Have ye both said all you wish to say?" They nodded. "Right then, exchange your rings."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Oh, no," she said quietly.

Jack just smiled. He moved his hand to his hip, out of sight of the Vicar, and slipped the emerald and silver skull ring from his finger. Taking her hand quickly, he deposited it in her palm. He then put his hand before her and wiggled the now naked finger. She smiled and replaced the ring. Jack then reached into the pocket of his new waistcoat and retrieved a silver ring of delicate-looking Celtic knot-work with an emerald stone. She blinked, stunned. Jack took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. He kept hold of her hand.

The Vicar rolled his eyes up as though the words were written on the beams of the roof. "For as much as Jack and Elizabeth have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God, and this company, and thereto have given and pledged, their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands I pronounce that they be man and wife together. In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Jack and Elizabeth smiled at each other. "Husband, you may kiss your wife." The Vicar said.

Jack used his hold on Elizabeth's hand to tug her towards him. When her chest met his, his arms slipped around her waist and he pressed his lips to her own. When they finally broke apart, they found the Vicar smiling at them. "Now, let's sign the register and the certificate and it will all be official."

Elizabeth went first, scribbling her maiden name and parentage in both the register book and on the certificate. She then moved back to allow Jack to do the same. When he did so, he cupped his other hand around what he wrote. When Elizabeth tried to look, he quickly shut the register book and rolled the certificate up, tucking it inside his waistcoat. He turned and smiled at her. She arched an eyebrow at him.

"That's not fair, Jack."

"Pirate," he reminded her. "I promise you that I signed me true name and ancestry and can't we just leave it be at that for now, Wife?"

She nodded. "That is acceptable, for now, Husband."

Jack placed a coin in the Vicar's hand. He then turned and wiggled his fingers at Elizabeth. She smiled and clasped his hand. Quietly, they exited the chapel with Sarah, again, following behind.

They made there way down to the docks. "Michael?" Sarah called out in the dark.

"Here, Ma'am," came the voice of a young boy. They followed that voice to find a child of about 12 sitting in Jack's longboat with a pistol.

"Have you stocked the boat as I told you?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Michael answered.

"Good lad. Alright then, out with you." The boy climbed out of the boat and onto the dock beside them.

Jack jumped down into the boat, checking over the supplies there. He then turned back to the dock and reached his hands out to Elizabeth. She hugged Sarah quickly, then went to the edge of the dock and placed her hands on her husband's shoulders. His hands went to her waist and he lifted her down into the longboat. She made herself a seat amongst the supplies, which now that she was closer to them she could read in the moonlight. There was a bushel of apples, a crate of rum and several unmarked bundles.

Jack sat and took up the oars. He turned where he sat and shouted back up at Sarah. "I'll tell Gibbs you send him all your love."

Her laugh rang out in the dark. "Love's got nothing to do with it, dear. You just tell that edible creature that there's always a warm bath and a bed big enough for two at Madam Larrouse's."

"Right you are, pet." Jack laughed. "Wouldn't want to scare him off for ye."

"Wicked Jack! Off with you now! You take care of your pretty bride."

As he began to row them back to the Pearl, he heard Elizabeth sigh. "Relax Love, soon be home."

Elizabeth looked out over the water, realizing that what he meant by home was the Black Pearl. In the next moment, she also realized that, in a way, she had already come to feel that way about the blasted ship herself.

"Lizzie?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Sing me our song."

She was confused for only a moment, then leaned back against the rum crate and stared up at the moon and stars.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…"


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Excerpts included from The Book of Common Prayer by Archbishop Thomas Cramner, Sonnet 41 by William Shakespeare, Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) by Bruns and Atencio and The Spanish Lady which is a traditional sea chantey.


TBC: CHAPTER FOUR: Marr-i-age