Is there really an escape velocity?

This has been in the back of my skull for some time, and I want some other viewpoints, because I cant tell if escape velocity is a myth or not. Entertain my paradigm; There is a universe in which there are two bodies that have m, act gravitationally on eachother, and can be tracked by speed relative to eachother. One is a planet, and the other a spaceship. It is my understanding that gravity acts across great astronomical distances, despite it's fairly weak pull. If the spaceship reaches 'escape velocity' and thrusts away from the planet, I cannot conceive a speed at which it can start that will not keep it bound by the pull of gravity, and the eventual deceleration and stop of the spaceship or mortar shell or whatever. If the two bodies are the only two in the universe, will gravity not eventually pull them back together? If this is true then there can be no escape velocity am I wrong? In our universe there are a lot of net forces pulling from all directions, plus the spaceships and probes we use have thrusters to keep them going, but a one time blast into the abyss of a dark universe would always return to it's origin, would it not? might it just orbit on the outer fringes of space? maybe I am not thinking in three dimensions but I still dont see how gravity can be avoided when you have a limited fuel source. any insights?