Chapter 25 – Weakness

Disclaimer:

Don't belong to me… wait… ye know them.

A/N:

Like I said, I'm sorry it always takes so long… Please review. The parts written in italics are on the Flying Dutchman or somewhere around it.

"I know exactly why ye did it…"

When she saw Jack's grin and heard his words, Elizabeth knew she had lost. That pirate could read her like nobody else. With him, one look, a single expression gave her away.

Sighing, Elizabeth looked at their Captain.

"Are you asking the reason for… shall we say unusual behaviour, Captain Sparrow?" she asked, part playful, part annoyed.

Jack twirled his beard, watching her intently.

"Ye…" he began, taking a step towards her so she backed away towards the rail. "…did it…" – another step towards her – "'cause ye…" He smiled and took the last step that was needed to bring them as close together as they had been that day on the Pearl when he had discovered the black mark had reappeared. His rough and admittedly dirty hand cupped her cheek like he had done then and his eyes remained locked with hers. "…'cause ye like ta explore the unknown…" he finished, his voice low and persuasive.

"You think so?" she whispered softly. He grinned once more – apparently it was one of his hobbies – then, before she got a single chance to react somehow, his lips brushed over hers. Even though it had only been the slightest contact, it caught her totally off guard.

"Well, Lizzy…" Jack began once more, forcing her to focus her attention back to him. "Sev'ral weeks ago ye've explored the so called unknown… it's been a long time since that… an' I s'ppose ye liked what ye found out…" he explained slowly, never breaking their eye contact while his index finger gently caressed her cheek.

"Did I?" she asked, intoxicated by his closeness.

"O'course ye did… and ye still do… I know exactly what ye want, Lizzy… Ye want to explore 'the unknown' a little bit further…"

With those words, Jack's hand trailed down to her neck, then his lips met hers again, only this time it wasn't a slight contact, but much like the kiss they had shared before the Kraken had appeared…

It had been hours since Tia had left the Flying Dutchman to get a few things from her home and Davy Jones had begun to worry about her. The way to her little house didn't take longer than about an hour there and back. Even if packing her things had taken longer than expected, she should have returned quite awhile ago.

Jones knew that his restless pacing on the ships deck was, to say the least, bothering his men, but he couldn't stop it. For the first time in ages he was really concerned about someone.

What if something had happened to her during the trip, if a few bloody pirates had taken her as their hostage to blackmail him, the Master of the Sea? Or, even worse, what if she had somehow gotten rid of his men and had decided to escape his world? Sighing, Jones told himself that Tia wasn't that stupid She was indeed a clever woman,she knew he would hunt Sparrow down and kill him if she left him.

Defeated by such a simple thing as worry, Jones turned to meet his men's confused gazes. Looking for the silliest expressions, he watched each man closely. Finally, he found what he was searching for. William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner's face wasn't confused but annoyed, something that wasn't to his liking and Miller, another member of his crew looked as if he had seen a ghost or something. Joseph Miller hadn't had much luck in his life. When his – Navy – Crew had left him to die, he had joined a pirate ship. That ship, Jones remembered, was called Doubloon. Jones had sent the Kraken to kill the ship's Captain because that man annoyed him, but unfortunately, Hector Barbossa had managed to escape. The only other man alive on that ship had been Miller. The man had tried to convince Jones that he didn't belong to the crew, that he had just tried to get a passage to England, but he hadn't succeeded.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Davy Jones turned his attention back to the two men he had chosen.

"I s'ppose something might 'ave happened to Miss Dalma. I goin' ta look for her. Turner, Miller, ye're comin' wit' me." Despite the fact he himself couldn't go ashore, he decided that he would at least feel better being as close to her hut as a boat on the river… and he could direct his men if it became necessary to step on the land.

But just as Jones was about to climb into the boat, joining his unenthusiastic men, he was stopped by a strange feeling. An instant later, he heard a voice.

"'Tis not da time for you to step on da shore, Davy. I'll be right back."

Looking around his ship, Jones searched for Tia, the voice's owner. But to his surprise and slight horror, he found nothing. Although he had heard Tia's voice loud and clear, apparently his men hadn't heard her, nor was she anywhere near him. Confused, Jones promised himself to ask Tia about that strange thing later, but for the moment, he chose to believe the voice.

"Alright… As ye were. We don't need to search for her, she's okay. Back on the ship, Turner, Miller!" he commanded his confused crew. When both men were back on the Flying Dutchman, Jones stomped off to his cabin without another word.

It was late at night when Elizabeth finally returned below deck. Since the late afternoon, when Jack had kissed her the first time since his "death", they had both been in his cabin. They had talked a lot and done… other things. Of course Jack had invited her to spend the night in the cabin, doing a few more of those… other things, but she had refused. With so much going on and so much at stake, it was definitely not the time or the place to take such a… big step forward.

Tired, Elizabeth went to her hammock and took off her shoes and hat. Fortunately, she had managed to take her pirate clothes with her. She wouldn't have liked to wear the dress Beckett had given her, it was far too expensive-looking for a pirate ship…

To be continued

So… now press that cute little, blue button down there… you know what I mean?