Disclaimer: I own Scarlett and Charles and that's about it.

The Debt to be Repaid
Chapter Twenty-Four

"So...what have ye decided?"

"I'm...going to stay with Charles."

He nodded evenly, betraying no emotion in that single movement. "I knew ye would."

"Don't be upset." She reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked it away. She similarly withdrew her hand, though there was a palpable air of sadness in the slow gesture. She didn't know what to say to make it better; she could not quite remember him ever having been angry at her, at least not in this cold, cutting way. She didn't know what to say.

He went to the window and surveyed the sunrise, stroking Jack the monkey as he stood. She stared at his bare back, wanting nothing more than to go to him and hold him. Instead the two of them simply subsisted in silence. Finally he grew tired of the lack of action, so he asked, "Are ye still here? Yer husband will be wonderin' what's become of ye."

She narrowed her eyes at him, not caring that he couldn't see it. "He's not my husband. And I've got time to waste. We'll not be setting sail until tomorrow morning. As per my request," she added, which caused him to turn and raise one eyebrow in askance, though he said nothing. "Yes," she continued, cautiously coming nearer, "I wanted to spend one last night with you, even if you're more than ready to be rid of me. One more night of romance and passion, and then we'll never see one another again. At least grant me that one final kindness."

And of course he would, because she could ask anything of him and he would do it without question, so he turned away from the window, away from Jack, and came to stand in front of her. She thought he would kiss her, but he only took her hand and pressed it to his lips, whispering to her, "Yer wish is my command."

She was summoned after sunset, escorted from the little room Charles had rented in one of the more respectable establishments in Tortuga (if one could really call any establishment in Tortuga "respectable") to the Captain's cabin of the Black Pearl. She was left alone outside the double doors, which seemed, oddly enough, to have been polished since she'd last seen them, and correctly assumed that it would be her duty to knock upon them. When she did she heard his voice from within call out, "Enter."

She did just that, but was wholly unprepared for the sight that awaited her eyes. It was enough to make her gasp. The entire anteroom was lit with nothing but candles, giving everything a soft, almost angelic glow. A simple meal was laid out on the table, though it looked and smelled exquisite. There was even a vase of rich red roses in the center of the table, and other such garlands were hidden all about the room.

But perhaps the crowning piece was the man who had put it all together. He stood by the table, his little monkey on his shoulder, and looked at her in askance, as if seeking her approval. But she was too busy staring at him to give anything. He had combed his hair and cleaned his nails and generally looked as though he'd bathed himself. His tattered blue hat remained, but in place of his usual blue overcoat was the green velvet one she'd spotted in his armoire. His shirt, too, was one she'd found while raiding his stash of clothing: the silk one with the lace cuffs. He also had a pair of trousers to match his overcoat, and where he'd hidden them she didn't know, for they were not among the things she'd found in his armoire. His waistcoat was predictably green, but it was a fine brocaded thing, with little silver embroidery sewn in. He was truly a sight to behold.

Not that she wasn't. She'd spent the entire day cleaning everything from her hair to her dress, the indigo one she'd received as a gift from the Governor of Nevis; she'd decided the color suited her, and so had worn it on the night she was rescued from the monotony of upper class living. She'd had to take her hair out of its braids to wash it, but she'd been fortunate enough to find a woman who knew how to style it properly, so it was up in its intricate curls again. All in all the two made a splendid couple, and one would never guess that they were but a pirate and his paramour.

He woke her from her dazed state when he finally asked, "Well, what do ye think?"

"I think...I think it's incredible. But especially you. You look incredible."

"Ye don't look too shoddy yerself," he replied. "That color suits ye."

"Yes, well, I've always heard that red and some shade of violet make a good match." She smiled, almost nervously, and inwardly berated herself for acting like a silly, lovestruck little girl. But the entire situation was a little overwhelming, so she supposed some of her behavior was to be expected. "Green looks good on you," she suddenly continued. "But I think I prefer you in blue. It matches your eyes." Her smile came easily now.

"Yers, too." He returned her grin with one that made her knees weak. He seemed to pick up on this immediately, and appropriately responded by walking toward the chair where she was obviously meant to sit, pulling it out for her as he gave a flourish of his hand.

She finally convinced herself to move, sitting down in her seat as she quietly thanked him. He pushed her seat in, then took her hand and pressed it to his lips before going to sit at his own place at the opposite end of the table. As the Captain sat his pet popped over to his perch. And with everyone seated, they began to eat.

"Oh, Hector, it's beautiful."

This was the first time she'd said his first name, but he ignored that in favor of seducing her. "Not so beautiful as ye," he whispered in her ear as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He then began to slowly suck the tender flesh of her neck.

Scarlett stared once more at his bed, the sheets sprinkled with rose petals. Candles lit his bedroom in much the same way they illuminated the anteroom, but they were now all crowded around the bed, obscuring the remainder of the room in relative darkness. It was as if the bed were their safe haven, and the candles a ring of light and love that would protect them from all harm. Oh, how she wished it could remain that way forever...

He woke her once more from her thoughts by scooping her into his arms in one swift, smooth motion and carrying her over to the bed, onto which he gently deposited her. He stared down at her for a moment, his hand on her neck as he stroked it with his thumb. Then he leaned down and kissed her deeply, passionately, as they began to undress one another.

She first removed his hat and set it somewhere on the pillow behind her. He slipped the dress down her shoulders. She peeled his over coat away. He pulled her chemise over her head. And so it continued in this manner, until they were both quite nude. Then he crawled into bed with her, and they made love all through the night, atop the rich red rose petals.

Morning arrived too soon, and Scarlett was forced to gather the clothes she'd been wearing when she'd first arrived on the Black Pearl and any weapons that had been confiscated from her. When she had dressed and armed herself Barbossa took her down to the docks of Tortuga to see her off. The pair spoke briefly with Charles, who Barbossa noticed bore a slight resemblance to Victor, before the new Captain of the ship the Scarlett Fever made one last round of his new brigantine to be sure everything was in order. This allowed Scarlett and Barbossa a chance to say their final good byes.

But when the time came to say something moving and memorable, both of them were speechless. They merely stared silently at one another, unaware of the fact that they had their fingers twined so tightly together that it would be difficult to break the bond. Finally, however, she spoke. "I did love you," she quietly told him. "I do love you still, and I believe I always will. You will never mean nothing to me, and I certainly won't ever forget you. I won't bear a grudge, though, if you forget me." But her heart would break, this much was clear from her tone of voice and the way she cast her beautiful blue eyes at the ground.

He removed one hand from hers, though she desperately clung to it, and placed it instead on her chin, lifting her head so that she would be forced to meet his gaze. He then discovered that there were tears in her eyes, a sight which sparked a similar (though much less intense) reaction in him. He wished to say something that would comfort her completely, but once again she left him without words. Instead, he removed a ring from his finger and slipped it onto her thumb, for that was the only place it would fit. Then he said to her, giving a small, sad smile, "I'll think of ye every time I look down at that one empty finger."

It was hardly romantic and poetic, but it seemed to satisfy her. She gave a little laugh and stared at it a moment, passing one of her fingers over the simple smooth, dark jewel surrounded by sullied silver. Then she looked up at him, and she was still crying, but she didn't seem to care as she threw her arms about him and kissed him with as much force as she'd ever done. He responded similarly, squeezing her tightly about the waist and lifting her feet off the ground. And there they stood, osculating out in the open, and they didn't care who saw them.

But all good things must come to an end, which they had both understood from the beginning (if the beginning of their relationship could really be called "good"), and so finally they broke free from one another's embrace. However, he kissed her hand one last time before she turned away and headed toward the ship. Moments later she was on board and sailing away, and she disappeared from his sight, her slight form obscured by the brilliance of the rising sun.

He would not see her again for a very long time.

Just so you're all aware, that isn't a typo in the name of Charles' ship. It's a decently clever and probably pretty obvious play on words, lol. And another little note: This isn't the last chapter; there's still an epilogue to come. So look forward to that. The blood is the life, Lady Sikerra.