Heya!

I have left you hanging, I know that and I'm very, very sorry, but I'm here now so PUT YOUR PITCHFORKS DOWN! Honestly...

Chelsea: Deep breaths and stay away from pitchforks/ other sharp things that could do me harm!

Anna: You read it ALL? In one go?! Jeeze... you should get a prize or something!

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WHAT?

Had he really just said that? I stared at him. He stared back, looking as shocked by what he had said as I was. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. There were several things I wanted to say, but I couldn't get them out. They all rushed up at once trying to get out, but they got stuck and tangled up in my throat, sticking there and stopping me from breathing. They fought with each other to squeeze themselves out, but I knew there was no chance of them coming out in any sort of order. My brain wasn't helping. It had stopped functioning, frozen with shock. Just as it started to thaw out Jack crossed the floor in a few quick strides and it froze right back again. It couldn't even pull itself together enough to stop my mouth hanging open in what was probably a highly unattractive manner.

All I could see were his eyes. When I saw how he was looking at me it made my heart stop. It was a look I had seen many a time in the eyes of Will and Elizabeth when they looked at each other. It was deeper than the ocean and higher than the sky. Love. And it was for me.

Me!

As I fell into Jack's dark eyes I felt like I was flying. Then suddenly he was kissing me. The second he was close enough his arms wrapped around me and his warm lips pressed against mine and caught them in a desperately fierce kiss. I don't know what came first- his kiss or his embrace. I didn't care. It sent my heart pounding back into life. His kiss pushed all thoughts from my brain. I thought I was about to fall over, but I couldn't even if I wanted to because his arms were tightly wrapped around me, holding me upright. Just as the mechanisms in my brain began to start up again and I was about to put my arms around him and kiss him back he stopped suddenly and sprang away from me. He looked really stressed and as if he was regretting it already.

"Sorry," he said quietly. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "God, Belle, I'm so sorry!"

"What?" I said. . I'd managed to say an actual word. My lips tingled and I raised a finger to them to check that it had all been real.

"I know you said that this couldn't go anywhere, but… I had to… I…" he broke off and looked away. He bit his lip, "… no hard feelings, eh?"

I frowned. "When did I say that?"

He glanced at me. "When I said I was regretting promising to stab the heart…"

"I though you were talking about Elizabeth!" I said. He looked completely bewildered by that.

"Elizabeth? Why would you think that?"

"Your reason wasn't 'dissimilar to Will's'," I quoted. My heart thrummed away to itself its happiness taking on an edge. "You kissed her. You acted like… I thought you…"

I trailed off. The memories of it all were sending doubts streaming back into my head where they stayed screaming at me not to trust him. I looked at him, searching for that look in his eyes to help reassure me that he wasn't lying, but they were closed. He sighed and then they opened.

"Belle…" he muttered, shaking his head. He was starting to smile. "Belle, love, I wasn't talking about her! My reason was similar to Will's in that I'm in love. Dissimilar in that it's not with the same girl. I didn't kiss her, she kissed me. And in case you've forgotten that was to kill me. How does that in anyway represent love?"

"I… I just…" It was too hard to speak now. I was too confused and too overwhelmed by Jack and his kiss. The tingle was fading from my lips, but spreading through the rest of body as he smiled at me. His eyes were laughing at me, but not in a hurtful way. He moved closer.

"Isabel…" he sighed, shaking his head. "Love… you can be so stupid… We are both such idiots…" He laughed softly. Somehow I wasn't offended by being called an idiot. His arms pulled me towards him again, his warm breath tickling my face.

"Jack…" I murmured reaching up to touch his face. "Port Royale-"

His eyes widened and his arms stiffened around me. His eyes became suddenly intense, holding me where I was with more strength than his arms were. His mouth opened and he stumbled over his words a little, "No… don't… don't go Belle… please. Please…"

"I have to," I said, putting my finger on his lips to quieten him so I could explain. "I have to know what happened to James. I need to know for sure that he really is…"

I couldn't finish my sentence, but I didn't need to, he knew what I meant and he nodded. "I get it, love… but afterwards do you want to come back?"

For a moment I could only nod, "More than anything." I touched his face as gently as I could. I took a deep breath and found courage in his eyes. "I love you."

His smile could have split the sun. "Why couldn't we have said this earlier?"

"I already told you I thought…" his smile stopped me.

"It's always been you, Belle." He leant down as I reached up and our lips met in the middle. This time it was more gentle and relaxed than the last. His lips were warm and moved tenderly on mine. I smiled through the kiss and I felt him do the same. There was no need to hurry; we had all the time in the world. We had the rest of our lives.

Or so I thought…

There ya go. Three chapters left...