Author: MiRoRmInX

Hey guys..yay chapter ten!! Well I'll make this short……….and now I can't think of anything to say except… "If God accidentally spilt acid, would he see people?"

Anyway yea..sooo I'll get onto it shall I?...

Dangerous Temptations: Chapter Ten

Tattered Secrets (if that ain't a stupid name I don't know what is!!)

Will's head throbbed as he awoke, the shoulder he was riding on was not the most comfortable form of transport in this terrain. For a second, Will thought he had been taken back in time.

The shoulder was the same, the stony faces the same, and the bush…well the bush always looked the same.

The only thing that brought realization of his peril was the tight, constricting rag in his mouth, along the rather out-of-place rope around his ankles and wrists.

Before, Will had felt vaguely like a sack of potatoes. Now he was a flipping bag of potatoes.

As he lay on Jiad's shoulder (not that he had much choice), Will cast his mind back to remind himself how he had ended up on the dreaded shoulder again.

I had really hoped not to find myself in this predicament again! I mean really, what is the man's obsession with chucking me across his shoulder? Thought Will sarcastically. A thought flashed through his head and he almost laughed at the absurdity.

What if he's gay? Yes…it all fits. His obsession with me and his shoulder, the frequent slaps on the arse I get whenever I'm on aforementioned shoulder, and why else would he drug me and take me into the high country?

A shudder passed through Will as he imagined what horrible sodomite this sort of man was. And to think he had trusted him. Well, his trust was not founded on lies. The man had saved his life after all. Or had he?

Maybe he planned it all. Yes!! He must have made an alliance with Welling and planned the whole heist! I wonder how much he paid Welling! Or maybe Welling paid him. Why the cheek of the man! He would go so far as to have me falsely arrested just to get me away from Elizabeth. Elizabeth.

Will's restless mind quietened at the thought of his wife.

Memories of her smile, her scent, her dresses, and most of all her eyes. Those chocolate brown eyes were what had captured his heart from the beginning, all those years ago. All those years ago. When she had saved his life.

What I would give to have my Lizzy come and save me again. I don't care what else happens, I just want to see her again. Hold her in my arms.

And with that thought, Will fell unconscious again as the last poison of the soup went through his system.

The body across Jiad's shoulder went limp and he sighed in relief. Finally, he's dead. It took him long enough. It must have been the old soup, too dilute for it to kill old bill outright.

Little did he know what lay instore for him at the end of this day's journey.

Elizabeth gasped as she struggled up the hill into the forest. Kicking herself for not listening to Nessy, Elizabeth did all she could to remember Nessy's hurried advice she had given her about childbirth in one of her nightly visits to her maid.

Elizabeth also wished the elderly man she had passed not a hundred meters back had not accepted her refusal of assistance. I mean, I am obviously of good breeding, surely he was not so ignorant of the laws of chivalry to allow a well-born lady alone into the isolated country.

She was now sorely regretting not grabbing her winter jacket as she had rushed out of the manor. But, she had had no inclination as to the frost that could descend out in the wilderness, in the middle of the night.

Not only Elizabeth not have a jacket, but she had nothing to direct her except for her head and her heart and god knows they'd done enough damage already to be trusted with such an important mission.

Not to mention the fact that she had no plan, then again, Elizabeth rarely thought far ahead enough to organize a plan of attack.

Her lungs burned constantly as she climbed hill after hill. Her fingers were frozen to the tips and felt as though they were about to fall off, as well as her toes.

Cursing her damned bravery, and stupidity, Elizabeth ploughed on through the damp trees, pushing branch after branch away from her numb face. Pulling back another branch, Elizabeth was about to step through the gap into another clearing when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

Before the scream left Elizabeth's mouth, a matching firm hand covered it. Elizabeth shivered as one hand left her shoulder and came up to stroke her cheek. Another scream was muffled by the hand on her mouth. The stroking hand passed down to her chest, a brief flick over her right breast and it moved down again. It landed softly on her hip.

One squeeze, two and Elizabeth was spun around to be brought up sharply against her attacker's body. A lithe hand swung out to strike but was smoothly blocked by a tanned hand. The tanned hand that had been on her mouth. The familiar tanned hand of the very man she was hoping to see right now.

"Jack." Sighed Elizabeth. "I thought you were going to kill me! How dare you scare me like that! I mean, coming up be-"

Elizabeth was brought up short by the look in Jack's eyes. A look she had never imagined would be found in those eyes. It was a look of..of compassion. Of sadness. And most predominantly of love. Jack's eyes were full of love.

Tilting her head, Elizabeth could almost make out a figure behind Jack. The figure was definitely feminine. Hah, just like him, I knew we would never get the woman-loving part out of him, thought Elizabeth proudly. Her mind went blank when the female figure stepped into the moonlight, clutching half a top and a brassiere to her chest.

"AnaMaria?!"

"Elizabeth. It's lovely to see you again."

"Is it? Am I disturbing something here? I mean, were you, uh, busy? I mean, if you want me to go, I can , uh, leave and maybe come back later?"

A gruff laugh echoed round the silent clearing. Jack's arm almost knocked Elizabeth over and AnaMaria rushed to catch her. As Elizabeth recovered her composure, she caught a look between Ana and Jack that she instinctively knew was not meant to be seen.

"Nay, Lizzy, love, ye'll not need to do that, we weren't in the middle of ah, anything, ah, important were we Ana?"

Ana grinned seductively and winked at Elizabeth. Elizabeth had to stifle another scream by covering her mouth.

A feeling of immense happiness filled her up and she felt her spirit lifting, much as it had done when she found Will in her dream. Will. We must save Will.

"We must save Will," blurted Elizabeth. She gasped in embarrassment and smacked her hand in front of her mouth, again.

"Well, no we don't, I mean, not right away. You know, it can wait, well it can't but, I can go on alone and you can finish your, ah, business." Elizabeth blushed as she realized how foolish she was sounding. Taking a deep breath, she collected her thoughts, come now Elizabeth, calm yourself. There is no need, absolutely no need to get so excited over such a little thing. How immature, losing all your composure at the sight of two people in love.

A smile, unbidden, lit up Elizabeth's face as she contemplated, first the courting, and then, the wedding, and then children. Imagine, Jack and Ana having children! Will and I could become godparents! Our children will grow up together.

Focusing her eyes on the couple in front of her, Elizabeth found her giddy feeling reflected on the faces in front of her.

"Nay. Lizzy," Ana grasped her hands, "We hadn't hoped you'd find out about, er, us, like this you see. But now that you know, we'll gladly finish our business, as ye called it. As ye said yerself, we must save Will. Mustn't we Jack? Jack?"

A sharp elbow caught Jack just below the ribs and he coughed for a few seconds before a stuttering 'yes' escaped his lips.

Ana smiled sarcastically at Elizabeth and she felt yet another wave of laughter rising up. Trying to maintain her regality, Elizabeth allowed herself a slight chuckle, meanwhile marveling at her control.

When Ana began to giggle sheepishly also (imagine Ana giggling?!!), all self control flew out the non existent window. Elizabeth collapsed on the soggy ground in a fit of laughter. Soon, Ana joined her, hysterically cackling. She shamelessly allowed her tattered top to fall away, revealing a hefty portion of brown skin and bosom to Jack's eye.

Jack had to turn away to control his emotions. Turning back, he found the women still in their wild positions, one grappling a tree, attempting to pull herself off the ground, the other slapping the aforementioned ground, right next to Jack's boot. A few spatters of mud landed on the well-polished toes and Jack moved away, into the corner of the clearing, to allow his woman breathing space.

In a few more minutes, both women were once again standing, rather shocking appearances to the both of them. Brushing themselves subconsciously, they looked at Jack simultaneously and he felt a flutter in his chest. Ah Jack, ye naughty bugger, ye and ye women! Never could get away from the women could ye, ye old tiger.

With a chuckle, Jack met Ana's gaze and then Elizabeth's. With a wide smile Jack clapped twice and said, "Right then. I'm glad that's sorted, we'll be off in the mornin'."

With a childish smile, and a quick wave, he strode off into the bush, leaving two perplexed woman to organize their 'camp' for the night.

There we go! Yay Jack and Ana! Go the happy couple!

Anyway, all serious now, no just joking, but yeah, if you guys pic out any facts that don't match up with previous chapters…ignore them! LOL! I didn't do my traditional read-back see, so I seeing as I can barely remember what I bloody well wrote at the beginning of the chapter let alone three chapters back..ye can't expect me to attempt such a feat can ye? For chrissake! I'm not superwoman here and I think we're all very well aware of that so I'll shut up now…

Big ups to: FalconWing (as always LOL ur a freak of nature), dart, Williz, Lizzy and all other reviewers (that's another episode of my bad memory rearing its ugly head LOL I can't even remember who's reviewed faithfully and who's new and who's just random..so yeah..telling my other self to shut up now…

By the way, does anyone (apart from you hel) actually read these author's notes. Cos dammit I try so hard to make them just as cool as the chapter but I'm thinking they jus don't stack up do they? Anyway, going now..thanks for reading…the other one will be up soon.

lOtSa LuV, MiRoRmInX