James had never been happier in all his life. Of course, he felt this way every morning that he awoke next to Jacqueline; but that did not lessen the emotion. Though being a pirate was once against his nature, he had taken to it beautifully, unlike the disaster of when he had lost his commission.

The crew listened to him, because they knew of his extremely close relationship to their Captain. They wouldn't dare disregard orders. The time when Jacqueline was away, he merely spent his free hours looking forward to seeing her again. And seeing her again was so wonderful…

Jacqueline was a goddess. Though not literally he often thought with a slight chuckle. But she might as well have been. Simply being within the same room with her energized him, not to mention how he felt when they were much closer than that…

Sighing, James rolled over and studied Jacqueline's sleeping form. He ran a finger along her body before he leaned over to kiss Jacqueline's bare shoulder and then her neck. Jacqueline moaned and her eyes fluttered as she turned toward him and met his lips with hers. "Mmm…morning," she greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning, my love," James said, kissing her deeply.

Jacqueline groaned and pulled James closer, kissing him fervently as she ran a hand through his dark hair. James closed his eyes, losing himself in the kiss as he moved on top of her.

The spell was suddenly broken as Jacqueline turned away. "Damn," she breathed. James quickly moved off of her, his cheeks darkening. "It's not you," Jacqueline said with an amused grin. The grin faded almost instantly. "I just remembered that we'll be reaching port today…" She propped herself up on her elbows. "Nothing like going home to Cutler to ruin a mood."

Jacqueline sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She was about to stand when James trapped her by placing a hand on each side of the bed and standing before her. "I'm going to free you, Jacqueline." She stared at him in surprise. "I swear it. I will kill Lord Beckett, and you will be free."

"Oh, James…" Jacqueline said with a sad smile and shake of her head.

"I will. One day I will." James pressed his lips to her forehead. "I can't bear to see you living like this." Jacqueline smiled weakly as James kissed her again. "For now, just forget about him."

As she deepened the kiss, Jacqueline ran her fingers along James' chest, causing his skin to tingle. She pulled away slightly. "I already have."

O O O

Lord Beckett tried to keep himself from smiling as his wife's lover was brought in. "Ah, Peter, is it?" he said pleasantly as a pirate was shoved into his office. The man said nothing.

As Beckett looked the man over, he was momentarily offended. The man was tall—very tall. It almost seemed like a direct insult for Jacqueline to have been with him. He probably was not even good-looking. Beckett was unable to tell, given that the man's facial features were covered by a strange mask, but if he was hiding his face he was likely not very handsome. "A drink?" Beckett offered. He was not surprised when Peter turned it down.

"Why am I here?" Peter asked, his voice slightly distorted by the cloth. Beckett's brow furrowed. That voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"To talk about a mutual acquaintance," Beckett replied smoothly. And for me to kill you.

"I have many acquaintances, sir, but none in your level of society, I'm sure."

Beckett arched an eyebrow. A polite pirate who knew his place. That was a new one. "Oh, but we do." Beckett poured himself a glass of wine. "I believe that you serve the pirate Captain Robin Sparrow?"

The man shifted his weight ever so slightly. The movement was so small it almost went unnoticed—almost. "I do. Do you know her?"

Chuckling, Beckett said, "You could say that." He drank a sip of wine. "We are quite close, actually." Peter said nothing. "As are you and she, I gather."

"We're old friends, yes."

"'Old friends,'" Beckett repeated disbelievingly. "And how long have you known Captain Sparrow?"

"About a decade, I believe."

"Ah…and you've been her whore this entire time?" Beckett commented. He knew that certainly was not true, given that he had never seen this "Peter" before, but he was aiming to get a reaction.

And he did.

"I'm not her whore!" Peter exclaimed in shock. "We're—it's not like that."

"Of course not," Beckett said, sipping his wine. "You're her lover." The part of the man's face that Beckett could see paled. "Are you aware of her relationship with me?"

"Her, with…what?"

"Forgive me. Lieutenant!" The door to his office opened. "I'll see her now, if you would please show her in."

Any doubt that Peter was Jacqueline's lover vanished from Beckett's mind as he saw way the man's visible eye widened as Jacqueline walked into the room—though that was nothing compared to the clear look of horror on Jacqueline's face.

"Peter!" she exclaimed. "What are—?" She turned to Beckett, her eyes calculating. "You are not supposed to meddle in the affairs of my crew! You'll kindly let this man go on his way."

"Not until I'm through with him," Beckett said coldly. "Do you deny letting him have you?"

"Cutler!" Jacqueline exclaimed. She gasped as Beckett roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look directly at him.

"Deny it," he snarled, his eyes boring into hers. She swallowed hard, looking from one eye to the other, and she seemed to suddenly realize that she could not lie without him knowing. She turned her eyes away and said nothing. "I thought so," Beckett spat. A brief scream of shock escaped Jacqueline's mouth as Beckett struck her.

"Don't touch her!"

Beckett turned to Peter, his eyebrows raised. "And who are you to tell me what I can or cannot do with my wife?" Beckett raised his hand and made to strike Jacqueline again, although he stopped just short of actually hitting her. He smirked as Jacqueline winced at the motion. "You're mine, Jacqueline," he said in a deathly low voice. "You should already know that."

Turning his glare back toward Peter, Beckett drew and cocked his pistol, aiming it at Peter's heart. The pirate inhaled sharply, his revealed eye widening in fear. "Go ahead," Beckett heard Jacqueline hiss. Confused, he turned to her and found himself staring into the barrel of a gun. "But know what the consequence will be."

Beckett looked from the weapon in his face to Jacqueline's eyes. "Oh, Jackie…" He chuckled. "You wouldn't be so foolish." Jacqueline said nothing, her eyes hard and cold as she glared at him, still holding the gun to his head.

"Let him go, Cutler."

"I can't allow him to get away with touching you," Beckett said coldly, keeping his weapon trained on Peter. He wished Jacqueline had not complicated things by drawing a gun on him. "You will understand me not allowing you the same freedoms I granted you before."

"What?" Jacqueline exclaimed.

"Did you really believe I would allow you to get away with such…activities?"

"I'm not your wife for those few months—I can do whatever I please."

Beckett was about to snap back when he realized that was the second time someone had referred to Jacqueline at Beckett's wife. Beckett glanced at Peter, who had not reacted to the news either time, despite the fact that Peter had seemed to be unaware of their relationship before Jacqueline entered the room.

Which meant that he had known…he had merely feigned ignorance. But Jacqueline had strictly agreed with Beckett that she would tell no one of their relationship while she was a privateer, for obvious reasons.

So Peter was someone who had known about Jacqueline's marriage to Lord Beckett without being told…

He was likely from the Caribbean and had heard of their marriage.

Or seen it.

Beckett's blood thundered in his ears. That was why he knew Peter's voice. That was why Jacqueline was so protective of him.

His name was not Peter.

"Your mask," Beckett said, trying to keep his voice even. "Why do you wear it?"

Peter seemed surprised and flustered by the question. "He was wounded in a fight," Jacqueline answered for him. "The scars never really healed."

Beckett nodded slowly. "Does he also wear the mask in bed?" Jacqueline flushed angrily. "Remove it," he ordered.

For a minute, no one spoke.

"Did you hear me, Peter?"

"Yes, Lord Beckett…but…"

Beckett's finger twitched; he was itching to pull the trigger. He knew that voice. Jacqueline stepped closer to Beckett, the gun now only inches away from his ear. "He doesn't have to show you his scars."

"Remove your mask, Peter," Beckett said in a deathly low voice. The man nervously eyed the gun aimed at him and then glanced at Jacqueline. "Remove the mask now."