Hello ... here we have Chapter 25. A day earlier that expected. I just REALLY wanted to update! I couldn't leave you hanging any longer! What do you all think about the new Image Manager? What do you think about my story cover for this? Made it myself ... it's not world-class, but I think I did all right.

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Ash42M - I'm glad you liked it! I liked the way you described that "Erik appeared with a poof", great way of describing it! Well, you're about to find out what is going to happen. Hope you like the new chapter!

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This was beta'd by the awesome and lovely Tiana, or Why Fireflies Flash.

Disclaimer - Nope, don't own Pirates of the Caribbean ... =(

Oh, and also, I'm thinking about taking chapter 1 to chapter 18 and editing them. Filling them out a bit, making them better, getting punctuation and everything good. Of course, they won't be taken down. But if you click on this and notice some changes ... then that's the reason. I'll let you know when I'm finished, so maybe you read them again, as there will be things in there that weren't there before.

Okay, on to the story.

Chapter XXV.

Having A Good Reason.

With the shock of having seen her supposedly dead ex-fiancé, still alive, on the ship she found refugee on, slowly subsiding, she pulled her hand free from Jack's.

How?

How?

How was he still alive?

How was he still alive and on the ship?

How?

Her eyes raked over him, the lines on her forehead deep as she tried to look for a sign; any sign that it wasn't him. A sign that it wasn't her ex-fiancé.

She looked at his hair first, it was longer than it used to be, but it was the same colour, it was inky black. But hundreds of people had that colour of hair, for crying out loud!

She moved over the rest of his face, purposely ignoring his eyes, she was saving them for last. She'd remember them anywhere. His facial features could pass as being Erik's. That same nose, lips, those high cheekbones, that dimple in his chin.

His frame was thinner than it used to be, if it was him anyway. He was thin before, but she had the distinct impression that if he removed his shirt she could see all his ribs. Whereas before, she couldn't. She had seem him without a shirt on a few times, maybe it was improper of her but she didn't care back then, though they weren't married she'd help pick out his shirt and usually stayed in the same room whilst he changed into it.

Then, at last, she looked into his eyes. Those mysterious blue eyes, that were wide and kind. She had spent hours of her previous life looking into those eyes, daydreaming about them. They captivated her from the moment she saw them.

There was no doubt about it.

It was Erik.

It was her ex-fiancé.

There was silence on the deck, everyone knew about her ex-fiancé. Everyone knew he was dead. Well, supposed to be dead anyway. They didn't dare speak. They knew that if anyone broke the silence, it ought to be Grace or Erik or even their captain, seeing as he had apparently developed feelings for her and this might just not end well for him.

However for a good few minutes, no one said anything.

Grace was too busy in shock, still trying to figure out how he could be alive?

Erik, was in shock as well. The last person he expected to see was his love, his Grace. Why was she even on a pirate ship? It didn't look like she was being held hostage, surely if she was, she'd have been yanked back by now, told not to interfere. Not to mention the captain, Captain Jack Sparrow, as he had introduced himself had his eyes trained on her. Apparently, completely concerned for how she was feeling.

And he was. Jack couldn't even start to comprehend what she was going through. She had loved him so much, she had said so much but she had started to let him go. Otherwise she wouldn't have been kissing him passionately, only a few hours ago. But how would she feel after this revelation?

Soon though, the silence was broken. And it was Erik who broke it.

'You still have the dress I bought you.' He whispered softly, as he realised this.

Grace blinked.

What?

She looked down and silently cursed. Why did she have to wear that dress today? She kept it as a token of his love. She kept it as something to remember him by, as she loved him dear and didn't want to let him go, especially when he died before his time, before he should have.

She wished she had let Cathy burn it now.

In fact, after this, she may just burn it herself.

She decided to play this safe.

She smiled at him, softly.

Then as quick as she could, before he could react, she lifted her arm and jabbed it forward. Her small hand connecting with his nose, as hard as she could. She pulled it back again and slammed it against his face again, smiling in pleasure when she saw blood drip down his face and that was when she stopped.

Maybe, it also had something to do with the fact Jack had grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back to his chest, restraining her from doing anything else she may regret.

'You need to calm down, love.' He whispered in her ear and she stilled.

Maybe not calming down, she took a lot of effort to calm down. So despite the fact she stilled, the storm was still brewing inside her.

'Well, I don't think I do.' She replied shortly, as she watched his lift his shirt to his nose, to help stop the blood. His eyes wide in shock at what she had done. 'He let me believe for near enough four years that he was dead. Now, he thinks he can come back and say, "hey, I'm not dead, but oh, how lovely, you still have that dress I bought you", yeah bloody right. He deserves everything he gets.'

The crew of the Black Pearl were less than sympathetic. They actually laughed at him, joining in with Grace.

Ellen, who had stood at the back of the crowd, watching this unfold from a distance, only came to the front after her friend had done the damage.

She never thought she would react like that. She always thought that if Erik was still alive, that she wouldn't hit him. She always thought that if Erik appeared again that she would be sad at first, but that would soon turn into forgiveness and, then they'd end up falling in love again.

Mind you, that was before she met and fell in love with Jack. She changed her mind when Grace told her that she was in love with Jack, she knew that her and Erik wouldn't fall in love again and get married, but she at least thought that they'd get on well.

She never ever thought that she would hit him.

But truthfully, what else had she expected?

'As annoyed with him as you are, Grace, I say I take him down to the galley and tidy his nose up. I think it's the right thing to do.' Ellen declared, placing a hand on Grace's shoulder, who was still in Jack's embrace.

'Why? Why would that be the right thing to do?' Grace snapped, shrugging out of her grasp.

'Are you seriously considering leaving him bleeding on the deck?'

Grace shrugged. 'It'll stop eventually.'

Ellen took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself. 'It's hardly fair! Don't you think that whatever ends up happening to him, it's better if he hasn't got dried blood all over his face?'

Grace turned from Ellen and then looked towards Erik, who's nose was still bleeding, though maybe not as heavily as it was before.

Ellen was right, she couldn't do that to him. To be honest, there was once a time when she loved him, she couldn't treat him this badly. Even though she believed he deserved it, she hadn't even heard his side of the story. Maybe, just maybe he had a good reason.

Though she doubted it.

She turned back to Ellen. 'Fine. Go ahead.'

She placed her hand on top of Jack's, which, she noted, was still fastened around her waist.

Erik noticed this as he walked by them, to follow Ellen to the galley to get his nose seen to. But he couldn't understand why this man still had his arms around her, and why Grace wasn't trying to get out from his grasp, but instead placed a hand on top of his, almost encouraging the embrace.

When Erik disappeared from her eyesight she finally stepped out of Jack's embrace. Truthfully, it was one of the main reason that she had stayed in it, just to spite Erik. The second reason was sweeter and rather better, she actually found it comforting and reassuring.

'I can't believe it. I can't believe he is still alive.' She spoke slowly, sadly, disappointed.

'Truthfully, love, I never saw that coming, either.' Jack responded, also apparently thawing out from his state of shock. 'But,' he started again, turning to her with a grin on his handsome face. 'That punch was amazing.'

The rest of the crew muttered in agreement.

'It really was.' Gibbs chirped in from the side and she turned and grinned at him.

'It was, wasn't it? I'm quite proud of that.'

'And so you should be.' Jack grinned at her and she had to grin back at him.

'But why?' She asked, as that small amount of humour she just had, vanished.

'You know something, I haven't got a clue why he would do such a thing.'

She turned to him and smiled softly.

'I guess only he can answer that.'

After Ellen had attended to his nose, Grace came down to visit him. Her arms crossed firmly over her chest, she promised herself that she wouldn't feel sympathy for him. And she didn't. She was pleased to see she had caused him that much pain, pleased to see that she had made him bleed. He deserved it, after he had made her feel that much pain.

'So, you're not dead.' She opened, leaning against the door frame of the galley, looking at him with her eyebrows furrowed, her green eyes holding so much disappointment.

'No.' That was all he said, he didn't look up at her, he didn't make eye contact with her. His eyes remained on the table, tracing the patterns of the wood.

'How have you been?' Grace asked after a moment of silence, it was the only question that she could think of, that wouldn't get her angry, or make her feel worthless. She thought.

'Fine. Mostly.' He answered, then after a few minutes of hesitation. 'I've missed you.'

Grace closed her eyes and inhaled sharply at that.

Trying to change the atmosphere, Erik said. 'How have you been?'

Grace's eyes whipped open, her eyes narrowing and she tried not to kill him.

'Fine.' She said, her voice thick with sarcasm. 'Just dandy. We've got a lot to catch up on. When you "died", your family threw me out of the house you bought me, I didn't have any money nor anywhere to live, I went to the only place that had free passage, which was Tortuga. When I got there, I spent three or four days wandering around that Godforsaken island, before I had to make a terrifying decision. I had to become a whore. Yep. My first time was with a man named Bob, who didn't know me, he actually thought my name was Kate. I had several men every night, giving me money for sex. Eventually, I met Jack, who allowed me to come on this ship in order to get away from that fucking island, and do you know what I have to do? Cook and clean! That is all. So, that is my life since you "died", you lying, conniving, lowlife bastard!'

He was completely silent as she raved at him and he listened intently. Yet, he couldn't believe everything she said. How could he?

'You-you became a-a-'

'A whore? A prostitute? A hooker? Take your pick, they're all correct.'

He was stunned into silence. Before, she would never had said the polite term for this, nor would she have swore, now, now she was being brash and... improper.

'Do not say those words, Grace, you are better than that.'

She laughed harshly at him. 'Do NOT tell me what I can and cannot say! You lost that right YEARS ago! And if you had never left, I wouldn't have changed, I would never have became one.'

She took a breath.

But then you'd never have met Jack. A voice whispered in the back of her head and she shook her head, running a hand through her hair.

'Speaking of which, will you ever tell me why you left me?'

He looked away from her then, looking back to the table.

'Oh, very mature. Just look away and don't tell me.' She sneered as she regarded him with distaste. Why did she ever love him?

'I'm sorry, Grace.'

'Tell me.' She pleaded, her voice strained as she watched him. Sure, maybe she was just questioning why she loved him only a minute ago, but he seemed to break her with the apology. Not that she forgave him, but it just did something to her and soon enough, she was fighting back tears.

'I did get shot. And I was washed overboard, that was true. But, the only difference was they pulled me back up - the pirates that shot me - and they treated me and made me work for them in return. Because I was just a crew member I couldn't exactly tell them "take me back to London", so I had to put up with them. Then we docked in a island, a horrible place, what was it called, Tornuta?'

'Tortuga. It's Tortuga and it starts to grow on you after a while.' Grace informed, and while she knew he was right, it was a horrible place, she wasn't about to let him know that.

'Really?' He asked, scepticism layered in his voice. 'Anyway, I jumped ship there, found passage back to London and my family told me you died.'

'How lovely.' She spat. 'Seeing as we are no longer engaged, I have no qualms telling you this, I HATE your family. They're condescending. They're vile. And despite being rich, I would classify them as low-life scum.'

Despite the fact this was the woman he once loved. The woman he still loved, he couldn't let her talk about his family like that.

His eyes flashed and he stood up.

'You can't talk about my family like that!'

She laughed humourlessly, it sounded so strange coming from her. Even she couldn't get away with the noise.

'I can and I will. You can't stop me. And why are you defending them? They told you that I had died, when actually they had kicked me out of my house!'

'I bought that house for you!' He countered immediately.

'Only because my mum and dad had died and their house - which was left to me in my mum's will - was sold out from underneath me!'

'You didn't have any money to pay for it, that's what happens in the real world.'

She growled, lounging at him, grabbing his shirt and pushing him up against the wall. He was so surprised that he didn't fight it.

'You want to talk to me about the real world.' She sneered, her face only a few inches away from his, her eyes narrowed and holding so much hatred. 'I'll tell you what happens in the real world. Women sell their bodies for money because they can't do anything else. Men are forced into piracy because the law has itself become corrupt. You're forced to choose between following the law and going against it, and no matter which side you choose, you'll still get persecuted. Don't you dare talk to me about "what happens in the real world" because I know better than anyone else what happens in the real world. It may be shocking to you, you and your wealthy family, your petty views and your little protective bubble your family has set up for you, but life isn't fair.'

She released him with a shove and then stormed away, back up to the deck, wiping furiously at the tears that split down her face. They weren't tears of sadness, but of anger. Who was he to say those things to her? He was accusing her of not living in the real world!

'Grace, there you are love - what's wrong?' Jack greeted, his tone quickly changing when he saw that he eyes were red and puffy.

'Nothing. Nothing.' She murmured. 'What's the matter? What were you going to say?'

'I was just wondering where that git was, we're planning of leaving him and his crew in a longboat in the middle of the ocean.' He informed, moving past her to talk to a member of his crew, telling him to go and get Erik from the galley.

'What?' Grace whispered as he barged past her. She turned to him, catching his hand in hers. 'What? Why? You can't do that Jack!'

'Why not?' He asked, confused, completely ignoring the fact that Erik was now on the deck, two men holding him, preventing him from moving anywhere.

'Because you're not that kind of man. You're not that kind of pirate. I don't think you should leave him in the middle of the sea, where he could possibly die. I know you, you'd never kill anyone in cold-blood.'

'You're serious.' He declared as he looked into her green eyes; complete honesty was all her saw in her eyes. 'After everything he did to you, you're trying to save him.'

She laughed once, looking away from him and releasing his hand but only to bring it back up to his cheek. 'I'm not doing it for him, trust me, I don't want you doing something as stupid as this.'

She brushed her finger across his high cheekbone, ignoring the confused look from Erik. She moved in closer, brushing her lips across his, not exactly kissing him.

'Persuasive little minx.' He muttered against her lips and then pulled back. 'They stay on the ship!' He ordered, placing a hand on Grace's waist for a second time, before moving to talk to Gibbs, who was looking at him in confusion.

She merely grinned at his comment and then stepped aside when he moved away however, her smile dropped off her face when her eyes landed on Erik. He had been let go and was walking towards her.

'What was that about? What are you doing Grace? He's a pirate! A scallywag! A murderer-'

She cut him off with a harsh slap across his cheek, it already starting to turn red. His head flew to the side and he brought a hand up to cup it.

'Fuck off.' She growled at him. 'I didn't do it for you. I don't care about you. You could rot in hell for all I care. He is no murderer. He was there when I needed someone and will continue to be there when I need someone, so just you shut up and stay away from me. You won't be staying on this ship anyway, I'm sure Jack wouldn't mind taking you back to the island we were just at and leaving you there.'

She turned away from him and walked back down to the galley. She just needed to get away from him. She was glad they were only at sea for a few hours, meaning it wouldn't take too long for them to get back and she could dump him off this ship and never see him again.

She hated the fact she actually grieved for him.

She hated that fact.

And she hated him.

Don't forget to review, like my Facebook page, check out "If Only It Were Easy" and vote in my poll.

And don't worry, my next Author's note won't be that long at the beginning, trust me!

Is it weird that in the later chapters my authors note have gotten bigger and bigger? At the beginning they were like ONE sentence, but now they're about a million paragraphs long =p Maybe not exactly, but they've gotten longer, just something I noticed when downloading the old chapters.

Thank you!

~Charlotte.x