"𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘," jack sighed, pulling bella off the black pearl.

"what?" she asked, turning to see tortuga in front of her.

"i just want you to myself," he answered, lacing their fingers together as they walked down the dirt road.

"lucky you," bella grinned. she spun around to pull him in for an affectionate kiss. they swayed on the spot, and when she pulled away, jack was smiling wide.

"i just need you, the sea, and some sunsets," he whispered. the rest of the crew was beginning to climb off the pearl.

"captain!" gibbs interrupted them. jack looked at him, annoyed. "looks like a storm's coming!" he pointed to the dark clouds rolling in.

"how unfortunate!" he replied, then turned around with bella again. "i don't care," he added under his breath so only she could hear.

from the corner of her eye, bella saw an interesting storefront. she swiveled back around, reading the sign. instantly, she had one of her best ideas.

"a tattoo parlor?" jack questioned as she tugged him into the building.

bella gazed up into his eyes. "i'm a sparrow now," she reminded him.

jack's face lit up in understanding.

* * *

the next day, jack and bella walked back in the direction of the pearl.

"let me see again," jack said, holding her around the shoulder.

bella pulled the right sleeve of her coat back, revealing a still-healing tattoo.

on her forearm was a sparrow flying across a setting sun over the sea.

jack held up his own arm next to hers. "it looks perfect," he repeated for the seventeenth time that morning.

"it does," bella agreed, before a shrill voice echoed behind them.

"jack sparrow?!" jack and bella turned around to see giselle and scarlett waltzing towards them.

jack's smile instantly vanished as bella wriggled out from under his arm and lightly pushed him in their direction. she smirked evilly.

"bella, i must ask why—"

"oh, don't mention it," she brushed him off. "ladies," bella nodded to the girls, then quickly turned around in the direction of the black pearl.

on the dock nearby, gibbs was sleeping, curled up with his teddy bear.

she climbed on board and saw most of the crew on the main deck. "let go the halyard, sheets, and braces!" she commanded.

"aye-aye, mrs. captain!" pintel and ragetti saluted.

bella chuckled and rolled her eyes. "mrs. captain" would never get old.

in a few minutes, she saw jack approaching the ship on the dock. giselle and scarlett were shoving themselves under his arms. bella dropped down from the pearl to meet them.

"your ship is ready," she stated with a grin.

"our ship," jack's eyes twinkled with his response.

"her ship?" giselle asked in jealousy.

"is that it, there?" scarlett pointed to a small dinghy floating nearby.

"love, that is a dinghy," jack answered, face full of irritation.

"where is it? i want to go for a ride!" whined giselle.

"no, i will given the first ride!" argued scarlett.

"what?! you?!" giselle exclaimed.

bella raised her eyebrows at jack. he looked at her knowingly, then walked over to where gibbs was fast asleep as the girls kept fighting. by dumping his cup of rum on him, he was able to wake him up.

"mr. gibbs?" jack asked.

"jack, bella," he acknowledged them tiredly.

"we're leaving in a few minutes if you wish to join us," bella informed him.

gibbs began to drift off to sleep again, but jack nudged him forcefully with his foot. "are you coming?" he spoke.

after that, gibbs awoke and jumped to his feet. "mother's love, jack," he answered. "leaving already?"

"aye," bella smiled, glancing at jack mischievously. she grabbed his hand to start heading back towards the ship.

however, scarlett and giselle were still having a cat fight.

jack was finally fed up, and bella stifled her laughter as he lectured them.

"ladies, will you please shut it!" he shouted over their bickering. "listen to me. yes, i lied to you. no, i don't love you. of course it makes you look fat. i've never been to brussels. it is pronounced e—gree—gious. and by the way, no, i've never actually met pisaro, but i love his pies. and all of this is completely irrelevant in light of the fact that i am now happily married and therefore unwilling to buy either of you a drink ever again!"

bella looked up at him appreciatively. 

giselle and scarlett glanced at each other, then walked up to him. giselle slapped him straight across the face, and scarlett followed suit.

jack turned around and slapped gibbs. he gave jack a look of vexation, but recovered.

"take what you can," gibbs offered his fist.

"give nothing back," jack replied with a smile.

jack and bella took one glance at each other, then made a beeline for the black pearl. they could see marty hoisting the colors already.

"captain!" gibbs shouted, struggling to catch back up with them.

"what do you need, sir?" jack glanced over his shoulder.

"what about barbossa? what should we tell him?" gibbs asked worriedly.

"pirates will be pirates," bella shrugged, hand already in jack's as they ran onto the pearl, smiling and laughing.

gibbs shrugged and followed after them. the crew quickly made sail, and soon tortuga was shrinking into the distance.

onboard, bella brought jack up to the quarterdeck.

"how many times are you going to surprise me, love?" jack asked.

bella chuckled. "if i told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

"fair enough," jack replied. he looked down to where she was pointing.

it was the center of the navigational charts.

jack raised his eyes to hers, smiling.

"barbossa really has nothing left," she grinned. "i told him he'd pay for marooning us all those months ago. consider this my final revenge."

"i hope i never end up on your bad side," jack said, placing his arm around her as they began to twist the charts and find new directions.

* * *

at the closing of day, jack joined bella at the helm, who was staring out at the sunset happily. "our beloved horizon," he murmured. "excitement awaits."

she looked up at him adoringly. "that's why i married you," bella wrapped her arms around his neck and he smiled, holding her softly by the waist.

"i'll never finish falling in love," he breathed, looking deep into her eyes.

they leaned in and kissed contentedly, a sensation of passion, devotion, and warmth. jack and bella wanted each other, every perfection, every flaw, every strength, every weakness, for better or for worse.

they slowly pulled apart, both enamored.

bella looked back into his beautiful, brilliant brown eyes.

she spoke, feeling his gentle stare. "we've set fire to the world around us, haven't we?"

"true enough," he replied, laughing softly. "pirate's life."

jack and bella stood, hand in hand, staring out at the sunset, every piece of each other aligning perfectly. every moment, every look, every touch.

this was love.

the flames around them had settled.

and there might have been danger in their fire, but there was certainly beauty in the ashes.