Hey, sorry everyone, I tried so hard to get this chapter out earlier, but something always came up, I'm deeply sorry for leaving everyone off last chapter, even though... I partly enjoyed it. Muahahaha, yes, I'm an evil person, so I hope I can post sometime next week. I drafted this chapter so many times, but I decided on this. Enjoy!

Review Replies:

Archer117: Thank you :) Aw, she is? I think you may enjoy this chapter then ;)

88dragon06: Ah, the mutt exchange, lol, I think that was the best part of last chapter also. And I would do that, too, I can't even count the times that I had fell while talking, I did it the day I updated! Lol! Sorry for the cliffhanger, I know, I can be mean like that ;). Hope you enjoy!

improbablelove317: Love you, too :) Lol, enjoy!

Shattered Glass Memories: Someone really should! Thank you :) Enjoy!

ArthursCamelot: Hey, I never said it's Jack! But hey, you will never know :) Enjoy!

Hufflepuff-Princess 4ever: I hope you forgive me now :) Enjoy!

Autumn O'Shea Swan: Thank you :) I'm glad that you liked it, I sometimes do, too, when people end it on a cliff it keeps me interested. Enjoy!

Masters of Mischief-Muahaha: Thanks for letting me know :) You guys have very cute nicknames and your penname is just adorable, lol!

WWE-Little-Angel: Well then, let's hope she doesn't lol. Enjoy!

ilovecaptainsparrow: Thank you so much! I'm glad I'm doing a great job :) I hope you enjoy!


Chapter Eleven: Jack's Conflict

The rough rag that was binding his hands was slowly loosening, but his hands were preventing him doing the rescue mission he was on. There was no time Jack could waste though, up above; he didn't realize that a body was floating down to the bottom of the sea. The original mission was to retrieve his effects that Barbossa had thrown, but now plans had changed, since it was Nicolette who was falling down into the blue abyss. He dove down deeper and the rag around his wrists was loosening and dampening onto his tanned skin.

Sooner or later, with the pressure from the water the rag that had kept his hands bound had slipped off letting him fully use his arms to stroke down. Before she had hit the ground, he wrapped his arms around her waist, taking his effects that had fell next to her in his hand. He didn't know who was heavier, her or Elizabeth. He tried his best to break the surface and he longed to be under the sun's rays above to somewhat start drying him, but Nicky was making that awfully difficult for him.

Jack gasped for air once oxygen came his way and he started to use his free arm to swim over to the island that was closer than it had seemed before.

Elizabeth was sitting on the beach with her wet shift grazing onto the sand. She was looking down at it, making a pattern with a stick she had found by the shoreline. She was worried, Nicolette was supposed to be here with her, but she hadn't broke the surface, maybe she jumped after Jack, but Jack was no where in sight. She wasn't only worried about them; they were the least of her worries. It was Will who was taking up most of her thoughts.

She heard a splash of a wave along the shore, but it wasn't a wave, she looked up to see Jack struggling with Nicolette to get onto shore. "Nic!" She called before running over to help Jack. He had his effects in his hand. He was lucky that they didn't fall once again in the water while trying to help Nicky, he didn't want to go back in after saving her… if she was saved, she wasn't breathing, he couldn't even restrain the worried look that was forming on his face. He was worried for her, yes, very worried for her.

Elizabeth swung Nic's arm on her shoulder and Nic's feet dragged helplessly as Elizabeth and Jack brought her onto the beach. Jack was getting tired and he knelt onto the sand, indenting it with his knees and brought Nicolette along with him. Elizabeth staggered down as well and she turned Nicolette to face the bright blue sky. It was almost like the life was sucked out of her, she was so… up in the hype before, and yet now, well... now, it was odd to not hear a word from her.

Her chest wasn't heaving up and down. Worried, Elizabeth put her ear close to her mouth, close only enough to feel even the slightest breath. None. She looked up in shock and gazed at Jack with a look of despair beginning to form. He was trying to catch his breath… the island wasn't close to them like he had imagined it. He watched his ship once again sail away from him, but he could barely muster a comment for it.

Elizabeth's voice was urgent, but low at the same time, "She's not breathing…" Jack looked back at her worried gaze and he shook his head in denial.

With water still dripping from him, Jack went to pick up her wrist and placed two of his fingers onto where her pulse should be, it was still beating strongly, strongly but weakly at the same time. He stated, his tone hinted the same urgency, "She may not be breathing but her heart is still beating. She's a fighter." He couldn't help but smile, there was still a chance she could live, but he quickly wiped it off feeling Elizabeth's gaze still on him. "Go."

"Go?" Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief, "And what do you suppose I should do?"

"Go look for some firewood!" He stood up and stepped over Nicolette to shoo her off, "See how big the island is for yourself, to be honest, I don't really care what you do with yourself just go!" Elizabeth stood up in front of him, appalled by what she was hearing. She couldn't go! She was worried! What if Nic dies? What if Jack takes advantage of her being unconscious? He was a pirate! He couldn't be trusted!

"I cannot leave! I'm worried! What if she—?"

Jack just hushed her immediately and ignored her, pointing to the distance to where she should go, "She is not going to die, trust me, and I recall people thought the same about you Miss. Swann. Now, go! Before I carry you away!" He threatened to do so and he really would. Elizabeth still looked at him in disbelief. "Miss. Swann, I'm going to close my eyes and if you're not gone when I open them, I'm going to throw you over my shoulder no matter your shameless protests and take you far away as possible, savvy?"

Elizabeth only glared at him before turning away from him and start walk around the island making him sigh with relief, "Finally," he muttered, "that woman is as stubborn as…" he trailed off, he couldn't believe that he almost had forgotten about Nicky who was lying down in the sand. He quickly hurried over to feel if she had a pulse, so he bent over and took her wrist. "Thank God."

He looked down at her; she wasn't wearing a corset at all, so that won't help her. Oh, please, she didn't bind her breasts now did she? If she did, she would surely kill him for taking them off, but on the other hand she might praise him for resisting to touching, well uh, said bosoms and save her life, and she would say 'Oh Jack, you are my hero! Kiss me you bloody idiot!' His eyes lit up with the fantasy showing in front of his eyes, but there was more to the fantasy instead of a kiss, no time to lose.

He sat her up and unbuttoned her brown vest that was tightly over her shirt. He swiftly took it off and threw it onto the sand. Jack quickly took her shirt that was tucked inside her breeches and pulled it off. Behold. Her chest bound by several pieces of gauze wrapped around, it was a mystery to him why some women do this to themselves to get onto ships. They didn't have to be self conscience about it... Jack knew plenty of men that wouldn't mind them bind up at all.

He took out his small knife and slid it underneath the binding touching her skin with his rough knuckles. In a quick second, he cut the tightly tied binding and immediately Nicky's eyes opened up and she started to cough up water and gasp for air.

Jack laid her back down and turned her on her side, patting her bare back lightly so she could choke up more water, "Works every time." Nicolette's eyes were watering as she continued to cough up water, her vision was blurry, and she inhaled as much oxygen she could to regain energy that the water had taken. "There, there, you're safe now and not dead."

"Oh, gee, how observant you—." She coughed up some more and inhaled more oxygen, she finished, "are." Jack chuckled still rubbing her back, his eyes somehow trailed down to her skin, how it was so smooth under his skin brought a tempting smile to his face. He was so tempted, his hand slowly stopped rubbing her and a second or two later, Nicolette's eyes widened.

She looked down to see herself half nude, her breasts partly covered by the binding that was cut with a knife. She gasped and in a flash she got up and Jack in shock had retreated his hand from her. She clutched the gauze over her breasts and looked down at Jack in horror. Nicolette looked around and saw his pistol lying on the ground calmly. She quickly picked it up with her free hand while still gripping at the gauze that were slightly holding her breasts away from his view.

Nicolette's arm started to hurt though, she forgot this was her right arm, she seethed, which made Jack's eyes suddenly look at her in concern. She tried to spit out through her pain and gritted teeth, "If you move a single inch from that spot, I swear to God, I won't hesitate in killing you." She cocked the gun ready, her arm was preventing her, she looked down to see it suddenly red, it was cleaned from the salt water, but it stung her, however it probably would've stung her sooner if she didn't only start feeling something again. She would have to cover it with the gauze Jack had cut off her, that's going to be hard... she thought.

"Love, before you pull that trigger and kill your savior," Nicolette let her eyebrow raise curiously and almost let the pistol go down, but when he got up she wiped her curious face off and pointed the pistol once again. He looked pointedly at it and then looked back into her hazel eyes seemingly unfazed, although he wished his fantasy would come true. He continued, "you should consider that those don't need to be hidden," he smirked devilishly and tried so hard not to look at her chest, "I mean really you shouldn't be ashamed of them, they compliment you very nicely."

Nicolette gritted her teeth even more and moved closer pressing the pistol to his chest, hard enough to cause a bruise. As she spoke her breath hit his lips harshly, but he felt also a bit of seductive tone in her voice, she wasn't trying to be though. "If you want me to not shoot you right now, you have to try better than that."

Jack still wasn't fazed and he kept the same smirk, "Well then, how about this, if it weren't for me you would still be at the bottom of the sea… dead. No chance at survival. Gone. And you wouldn't be able to see my 'handsome' face once more." Personal blow. She looked down taking it hardly and to look away from those eyes. They were putting her in a deep trance; it was hard for her to look away though. This only made Jack's smirk widen. The tight grip loosened a bit and she almost pulled it away, but she snapped out of it and went back to her original stance, she wasn't going to hesitate... well she would barely hesitate.

His eyes were persuading her, almost putting her in her own little spell that she had put him, "That's what you had called me before, ain't it? Handsome? And you didn't seem to be lying back there either or is my conception of you wrong?" Nicolette looked at him puzzled, he was right, his devilishly handsome face actually stopped her.

Even though it stopped her, she still didn't want her stance go down easily, "Why did you leave me half bare just now?"

"You couldn't breathe, what was I supposed to?" He tried chuckling though it was hard to chuckle even for him being under gunpoint. "Leave you to die on the beach, no thanks, love, I don't think I can bare to watch you die."

Her face softened, bringing her back to her last few thoughts, there were all of him, partly, but he had took up most of them. The poker face that had softened only a little, dropped.

The pistol slowly descended and she said mockingly letting her face soften, "This shot's not meant for you." Jack looked at her questionably as she walked away by from him still holding his pistol in her hand. She calmly set it down onto the sand and picked up her wet shirt and vest. With her back turned to him, she dropped the gauze she was once clutching on tightly. Jack just stared at her in disbelief as she slipped on her shirt. He partly wished that it stayed off for a little longer so he could take it all in.

It was now see through, great, she thought, she covered it with her brown, leather vest, it was dark and the fabric wasn't thin at all. It would be good to not have wandering eyes, or rather Jack's wandering eyes looking at her with lust. She didn't think that Elizabeth would be looking at her like that... Where was she anyway? She tucked in her shirt and had let her hair fall onto her shoulders. She picked up the pistol and held it out to Jack, "I suggest you use it for someone who deserves it more than you do."

Jack walked over with his eyebrow raised and took it hesitantly from her, "T-Thank you?" He was unsure of that thank you.

"No need to say thanks, I should be thanking you." Nicolette stated walking past him to sit in the sand and stared hopelessly at the horizon, which still had the sun shining onto the water, the beautiful sight she'd thought she might never see again. "Thanks."

"You don't have to be thanking me either." Jack stated sitting next to her while leaning back using his hands as support. Nicolette looked at him confused and he added, "I was only doing my civic duty in saving you. You are quite heavy though, love."

She scoffed and extended her legs. "Oh, what a great compliment you leave me with. You're just as good as Barbossa in flattery." Her tone was sarcastic as ever and she was slightly taken back by that, but Jack quickly waved off her look.

"If it's any consolation, it's all muscle, love, not chubbiness. If I were you, I would take that as a compliment." Nicolette smiled sheepishly; she never thought she really had any muscle. "And if I'm as good as Barbossa, you might be coming down with a head cold, do you have a fever?" He put a hand on her forehead and she rolled her eyes with the same smile plastered, "Love, you're burning up!"

"Jack!" She took his hand off her forehead playfully and laughed while stating, "You're mad."

He smirked, "Thank goodness for that, because if I weren't half the things I do probably would never work." They stayed in a comfortable silence and stared out onto the sea wondering what would become of them. Nicolette more than Jack though, sure, she was thankful that she had survived drowning, but she decided she might actually like it better if she died then instead of suffering on this island, she would probably die in a month or two, if she were lucky, there didn't seem to be any fruit trees around her, water, probably wouldn't be a problem since they were surrounded by it. Maybe they could escape using 'sea turtles' she wish it were true, it would definitely help her in the long run.

"I still can't believe he had called me a dog." Nicky stated looking aimlessly ahead still, she didn't like being in silence, no matter how comfortable it could be. "That man has some nerve, I barely know him and I hate him already." Nicolette, for some reason was very good at judging someone's character for exchanging only a few kind (or not so kind in Barbossa's case) sentences between themselves. And when Barbossa basically called her a dog, which was her deal breaker of what list that he had been put one.

"You're quick to judge one's character, eh?" Jack inquired looking over at her with a smirk starting to develop.

She nodded, "Have to be for when I know whether or not to put them on my good or bad list. He just so happens to be on my bad list. In the top ten."

"And who's number one, I wonder?"

Nicolette shrugged and looked over at him, "Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out." She didn't realize how flirty her tone was and Jack's smirk only grew wider, but why did he have a feeling that he was number one? Why? He had no idea, but the mischievous look in her eyes hinted that he was, would she admit that? No. Maybe under circumstances that might cause her to spill would maybe.

Why was he? She had a lot of traits she listed him as in her mind. Arrogant, perverted, untrustworthy, annoyingly wordy, egotistic, manipulative, and even deceiving. But not only were they're so many flaws of him, (when she means so many, she means that she would've listed a lot more than she already had) he also had a lot of good points, but those good points seemed to be most of the reason that he was on it. He was charming, attractive, strange... in a good way, dashing, suave, rogue, witty, smart, caring and sweet (when he wants to be), and even persuasive. Sure, he maybe, okay, definitely had more pros than cons, she still had a feeling that if she pursued she would end up brokenhearted... something that could be caused by his reputation.

The drunk back in Tortuga somehow gotten to her head, no matter how much he was scum that belonged in Davy Jones' locker or a piece of dirt that wasn't swept up by a single maiden, his voice still sounded through her head, "Can't a man be a gentleman and inform a lass about another's reputation?"

"Oh, well that doesn't seem to be helpful at all." Jack stated cutting through her thoughts and looking away from her.

"Really?" Nicolette asked knowingly, "Maybe if you use that brain of yours that is even more cunning and devious than mine to figure out how to get me to spill." She chuckled and gotten up walking over to her gauze that she had taken off earlier. "Until then," she started while walking back to where she was sitting once again. She plopped down getting ready to wrap her arm tightly, "I'll just start to try and wrap each piece around my arms, since someone I know cut them in half in order to save my life."

"Love, I'll do it." Jack said quickly, taking them out of her hand. She hesitantly gave them to him and she looked ahead feeling his rough hands do their work on her arm. She winced slightly feeling how tight he was wrapping, he stopped hesitantly, "Love, if you want to do it you can just—."

"No," she said quickly raising her left hand up, "don't stop, you'll probably do a better job than I would." She admitted and Jack slowly nodded and continued on. Nicolette fixated her gaze on the horizon, hoping that the Black Pearl would actually come back for them, maybe Will convinced them to, but even she knew that he wasn't exactly the most persuasive person she'd ever met. She was worried, what if that was the last moment they would see each other? He was like her long-lost brother from a different family, they knew everything about each other, their weaknesses, their strengths, and even their pet peeves. She wouldn't know how she survived in Port Royal if she was lacking him, she'd probably die within seconds.

"My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled, Nicky."

She scoffed and snickered, "I wonder how you acquired such abilities like that, Sparrow."

"Shut it." Nicolette rolled her eyes and looked over at him as he finished her wrap, "You can't blame me for seeing you're distressing issue that is taking place inside that stubborn interior that lies inside of you. What's wrong?"

Nicky looked forward and sighed, "He's going to die... he's like my brother Jack, you cannot blame me for being worried."

"I can't, but we wouldn't be on this damn island if Will wasn't being stupid" She glared and Jack quickly recovered, "You have nothing to worry about, love. Trust me."

"And somehow your words still don't soothe my mind at all." Nicolette stated, she didn't feel right trusting Jack right now, he was a pirate, but he was a pirate that hadn't showed her (when she means her, she means her only) disloyalty in their time together, that couldn't overshadow it though, could it?

Jack looked at her in disbelief, "Love, look at me." Nicolette only looked forward, she wouldn't look over at him. "Nicky," Jack started no matter where she was looking, he was going to say what was on his mind at the moment. Somehow, Jack had a feeling that he had known that Nicolette didn't trust him, "I'm not going to promise that he'll be safe or that you'll see him again. So 'trust me' might have not been in the correct form to use, but—."

"Oh, so now there's a but?" Nicolette inquired adding a sad laugh.

"It's not nice to interrupt, darling." She glared at him as he continued, "Anyway, technically he's doing what he had promised, so it's not like he's not going to die unwillingly, he's being a man of his word and dying for honor to Elizabeth."

"Is this a way to make me not worried because he's going to die— if he dies— for honor?" She continued her steady glare and shook her head, "Once again, that doesn't settle my thoughts at all." A tear cascaded down her cheek and she wiped it quickly, examining it, she didn't like how she was crying lately, she liked it better when she had thought the water in her eyes had dried out from when her mother died. She stared back to where the Black Pearl once was.

"Love, are you crying?" Jack asked, studying her carefully.

Nicolette shook her head no and wiped yet another tear. She sarcastically said to him, "No, Jack, the drops of rain that are coming from the cloudless sky above is falling onto my cheeks and is not getting you wet at all." She looked over at him and tears were starting to pour out of her eyes, "Of course I'm crying, you bloody fool." She wiped more tears and before she had known it, Jack wrapped an arm around her waist and she buried her head in his chest.

Jack dealt with crying women before, but he had always ran away to the nearest port before they could start a tantrum of not receiving any comfort at all from him. That was why he would never come back for the risk of getting stuff thrown at him, being slapped at, or even yelled at in a vigorous way that no man would ever want to be yelled at.

Somehow though, Nicolette was a different case. She shouldn't have been an exception, she was as much woman as the next one. Actually... no, he did in fact believed her to be more than that, this was actually a woman he would try for, there was very few though that could actually make him do such a thing, if not few, she was the only one.

What was he supposed to do other than provide a shoulder? He was, believe it or not, very successful to avoid things like this, so he didn't have experience in this department at all. His hand only moved up and down her back, he repeated phrases like, 'It's going to turn out okay', 'It's going to be okay', and even the occasional, 'I know I'm a idiot', (even though he wasn't a part of the tears at all and he knew that) and 'Stop crying' (but that phrase only came out as a muttering whine that she would happen to hear time to time and slap his chest, which indicated that he was doing a bad job).

They stood like that for a while and Nicolette looked forward at the horizon, looking for any sign of sails passing, it was highly doubted. Her tear strained face was getting dry and so were her clothes. Jack looked down at her and smiled that he didn't do that bad of a job comforting her, she seemed better than before and how they were sitting with her head in the crook of his neck seemed to be a comfortable thing for him.

Although he seemed comfortable and half of his mind was telling him that he was, his other side kicked in, giving him conflicting thoughts.

Jack, look at what you're becoming. You're starting to get attached and you like it! What in the bloody hell is wrong with you? One side informed him, Jack had a questionable look on his face.

What is wrong with you? His other side kicked in, starting a debate, this side was his logical one, the one he usually listened to, not that he didn't listen to both, he just trusted this side more. Even though it got him into so many scratches in the past. He obviously is quite fond of her, he fancies her and she does back, isn't it obvious? He's probably tired of those prostitutes and salty wenches in Tor—.

No, no, no, no, Jack, don't listen to this fool, he was the side that told you to trust that mutinous coward you used to call first mate, he doesn't know what he's talking about! You listen to me, alright? She could be a she-devil for all you—.

She-devil? She is not!

Yes, she is! I feel the hex she'd probably cast on him already. She might be planning to make him a eunuch for all we know! Look at her, that hazel pair that she calls eyes could put you in a spell! Now what was that word you described her as many a time? Oh, that's right, enchantress!

Shut it! Shut it! Shut it! Look how happy he is, he was smiling a moment ago in a comfortable sense until you intruded and telling him pure… pure, nonsense!

Yeah, coming from the one who told him to trust Barbossa in the first place.

Well, you were the one who decided to fill his mind with greed and tell him to go to the Isla de Muerta, which was how he—.

"Stow it!" Jack yelled out loud, trying to put his mind at ease, Nicolette looked at him questionably and Jack nervously chuckled, now look what we've done, we've made him crazy, now Nicky thinks he has gone mad! Jack had to quickly recover, think, think, think, "A bug..." A bug? There were no bugs on this island? Well, she didn't know that, "A bug keeps going in my face... pesky things, really, can't seem to give a man a break, eh?" Great recover, just great. But she didn't seem to notice his lie to her, but she still kept that strange gaze on him... he was really acting strange... even for him.

"Oh okay, don't let him... bite you then." She trailed off trying to figure out what had just happen.


*Revised*