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As the sails of The Revenge flared, she caught the breeze and slowly rounded a little jut in the island speckled with trees. They wanted to be close enough to land to make out the details, while not running aground before they reached their destination. The waves were rough at this proximity to the shore, tall enough to smack into the headless, legless figurehead of the ship that had once been a unicorn.
Shaking his head as he tied down a rope, Black Pete said, "They're not going to be there."
Lucius, who was standing on the deck looking into the distance, just sighed.
"And if they're there, they are going to remember," Pete said, not for the first time. This had been his whole refrain on the ride over here, and it had gotten tiresome after the first few hours.
Lucius sighed again and looked away from the shoreline. He said, "I know that's what you think, but I feel like they will be. I know you think this is a waste of time, but now that we're here, can't we at least go check? Now that we're here?'
"Of course, Babe," Pete said, and his eyebrows drew together as he looked at Lucius. "It's not that I think this is a waste of time. I just don't want you to get your expectations too high, and then get crushed if things don't work out."
Smiling as he walked across the deck, Lucius hugged his husband, who seemed surprised by the sudden affection. But then Black Pete happily returned the hug. Lucius kissed the side of Pete's neck, then his check, and lastly his lips. He whispered, "You're sweet."
"Land!" Wee John shouted loud enough for all on the boat to hear. "Land ho!"
They'd been sailing beside land for hours, so this wasn't a revelation, but as Lucius turned in the circle of his husband's arms, he saw what had Wee John shouting. The boat wasn't just nearing land -- it was land with a familiar house beside the trees, with a little path leading down to the beach. Lucius noted the fresh dried palm patching on the roof, where previously there had been several holes. He said, "They patched up the roof of the inn."
"Or someone did," Black Pete added, ignoring when Lucius rolled his eyes at the addition.
"Who else would want to fix up that dump? Besides, we'll see soon enough who is living there," Lucius said, still sure that Ed and Stede would be there. And that they would be expecting company today, of all days.
"Guys!" Stede cried in delight as he threw open the doors of the inn, seeing his old crew gathered outside. "What a wonderful surprise! I can't wait to show you around the place. We got it fixed up so nicely."
Lucius bit the inside of his cheek lightly at the mention of the word surprise. At least Pete wasn't the sort of guy to say 'I told you so'. At least, not when he knew it would hurt.
"He means it when he says we fixed it up," Ed added, appearing behind Stede. They were both dressed casually in cotton, comfortable without silk or leathers in their retirement. "I helped. I know how to fix things."
"Yes, he repaired this door!" Stede gushed, opening it and closing it, though they were all inside now, so that they could admire Ed's handiwork.
"The inn is going well then?" Wee John asked, as he settled in a chair beside a gilded antique table that was very out of place in the room.
"Oh, yes," Stede said with a wide smile. "It's so nice of you to all just stop in randomly, on no particularly important day to see how we are doing. We haven't had many guests yet, but when we do, we'll be ready for them."
"I've even set up a gift shop out the back, for guests to buy things if they enjoy their stay," Ed said, with a small shrug of his shoulders. He was shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, like he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk with his hands or clasp his hands behind his back. "Like, little souvenirs, so they can show their friends. Spread the word."
"That's a good idea," Lucius said. He was curious what these souvenirs were... with Ed and Stede's combined eclectic tastes, they could be anything.
"Would you like to see?" Ed offered, his eyes on the floor. At his side, Stede was now squirming too, and both seemed so unlike the confident captains they once were. Something was going on.
Lucius and Black Pete exchanged a look, having both picked up on the vibe. But they nodded in answer to Ed's question and followed them through the inn in the direction of the back door.
As they stepped through the door and blinked into the sunlight, they were dazed by shouts greeting them. Pete started to reach for the knife at his belt, but Lucius paused his husband's hand with a touch to his wrist, recognizing the voices greeting them a second before Pete did. Lucius said, "What the hell are you guys doing here?"
"You're late! We were beginning to think you weren't going to show up," Jim said, offering them copper cups of rum in greeting. They hadn't seen Jim since they left with Archie and Olu, joining Zheng's crew. Now all of them were here. Even Auntie.
"Swede?" Black Pete said in shock, seeing his old crew mate rubbing Jackie's shoulders. Swede gave him a grin that was more gaps than teeth, but all delight.
"Everyone is here..." Lucius said, not hoping in his wildest dreams to receive such a reception. There were colored paper lanterns hanging from the trees, already starting to glow as the sun started to set. There was a bathtub on the lawn, filled with booze and little copper cups stacked neatly on a table beside it. Meat was smoking in a stone pit, making his mouth water. People were drinking, laughing, humming, and the atmosphere was filled with the promise of songs that would be sung.
"Like Jim said, we were expecting you," Stede said. He was watching Lucius' face for signs of approval, hoping that he was pleased by the party.
When Lucius didn't respond, Ed said, "I think they thought we'd forgotten Calypso's birthday."
"Well..." Lucius still couldn't quite believe they had remembered, despite having insisted to Pete on the whole voyage here that they would remember. It was like he had actually been trying to convince himself, and now that they were here it was like a dream. That night a year ago, when they'd sung and danced and been a family, it had felt like one of those moments that wasn't quite real... like it was too pure and could never be recreated. He'd hoped that wasn't true, but never actually believed they could have it again. Yet Ed and Stede remembered, and they'd made it real again.
"You're not exactly known for your good memory," Black Pete quipped. "You didn't even remember what you said to Lucius when you pushed him off the boat."
"Did I do that?" Ed asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Even if you didn't expect him to remember the date of Calypso's birthday..." Izzy rasped, as he joined the two couples stood by the back door. Lucius hadn't seen him lurking nearby, though he must have been listening in. "There's another thing they can't forget about this date. It happens to be the anniversary of not just Calypso's birth, but the day their ships first... docked."
Ed looked away while Stede took a long sip of his rum, both with cheeks that were visibly pink despite the darkening night.
"Oh right," Black Pete said, a bit louder than necessary. He looked at Lucius. "If I'd remembered that, I wouldn't have doubted you that they'd remember to celebrate today."
"Even if it were a date I'd not remember, with my memory," Ed said, pulling Stede close to his side and staring to sway to the music as he eyed the dance floor. "This one would never forget... my boyfriend is sentimental like that."
Lucius just smiled, also feeling sentimental. Whatever the reason that had caused them to all remember and gather here today, he was happy that this was happening. Several people had started singing as the rum went to their heads. Jim was singing a mournful tune in Spanish, Swede was warming up an opera, Frenchie was strumming his lute, and Izzy was masterfully switching between English and French, yet somehow all of the music blended together into a song that sounded like them. Like their family.