This is a very short chapter but the next one will be coming very soon. I have the rest of this story finally worked out. It just hit me and now I know where this is going. So it pleases me to say, Jack will most certainly be returning.

Thank you to SirenoftheStorm, KissOfDeathJE, MsAurora, Cabbage_Merchant and sweetness328 for all of your reviews thus far.

Cabbage_Merchant: Well I'm glad that doesn't faze you too much! I'm actually not too sure how long this story will be. Now that I have the plot figured out almost entirely, it will depend on the length of my chapters and where I need to break them. There is still quite a bit to be told and resolved so we'll see. Thanks for the review!

Deceit

The next morning I awake with the shivering lights of the dawn streaming through the portholes of the cabin. The floor is cold and solid under my bare feet.

The armoire waits for me to open it and when the line of skirts once again reaches out to me, I look at them all in closer scrutiny than I had before.

If trust is what this is going to take, I will have to trust Dorian. I will have to lie to get what I want. Jack isn't coming for me. If he was he would be here by now, I would be home by now. No, not home. There was little acceptance of me on The Black Pearl.

Now I live for the lie of The Enigma. I know that deep down beneath Dorian's charming smile, generous hands and innocent intelligence; there is a great room for deceit and trickery. If there is one thing I can trust him to be, it is untrustworthy. And so I shall bring out that same part of my own being and mask it with a false trust.

Behind his deceit, I know there is a weak part of him. The part that gave in to abducting me from the streets of Tortuga when he was planning on bringing me back, the part of him that lost the argument about how long it would take to get to the island. That part of him, the part that gives up, is weak.

I take an elegant blue gown from the armoire and drop my nightgown to the cabin floor. I take my lie from the core of my being and drop the shaky fear and uncertainty from my body. I slip the silk folds of the rich fabric over my shoulders and rid myself of the rough edges of a pirate's form. I slip on the mask of lady-like innocence and intentions and embrace my pirate's heart.

I look in the mirror behind the desk and smile.

The knock on the door announces the entrance of Dorian Long, just the man I want to see.

"Good morning," he says cheerily. "What have you been up to this morning? I didn't expect you to rise so early."

"I've just been dressing," I reply nonchalantly. Dressing, planning and changing my plans is what I do not say.

"It seems you were right yesterday," he says casually, walking further into the cabin and plopping himself down in my favourite chair. Mm, the memories of those wonderful drugged days...

"Whatever about?" I ask with genuine curiosity.

"We are only three weeks from port, as you said. Or argued, the point is you were right."

I smile and turn to the mirror to fix my hair. The action is only for something to do. I could care less about a few stray strands.

"Hm, maybe you should have looked at your charts closer," I say easily. Deep down, I have the happy feeling I first got when I won the argument. I try not to show that much interest and keep my eyes on my reflection. I haven't looked at myself for so long.

"There is something on your mind," he says suddenly.

"Yes, there are quite a few things on my mind," I reply and turn back to look at him.

"What are you thinking of?"

"Well, last night... I was going over some of the things that have been happening since I left Tortuga. And I realized... that you were right."

"Yes, I was right," he says, but he is confused. I nearly smirk. He has no idea what I'm talking about but he will not ask.

"And I see that you are trying to help, really," I throw in a smile. "What you are doing for these women is what is right."

He smiles once it all sinks in. "I knew you would see it eventually."

"I've stopped waiting for a rescue. I know that now, this is my rescue." I walk towards him.

"Of course it is."

"And I want to thank you," I say and stop a mere foot away from him.

He smiles again. "Then you are welcome."

I smile.

Beneath it, there are words of disgust waiting to be thrown in his face. There is a calm hatred clinging to them, ready to bite once released. Behind the easy expression of my lips, there are words that I should never think of. There is anger. And behind it all, there is contempt because he is falling right into it all.

I show none of it.

I simply smile.

Reviews are always welcome and I've been getting some guesses about where the plot is going lately. I love to read them, so if you think you're on to something let me know. It doesn't mean I'll give anything away but I love to hear what you think! Thank you for reading.