This was one of the first chapters I wrote. You have no idea how exciting it is to finally post it! :D

35. Proposal

All Jack needed to do now was to prove it to Lizzie.

Jack left his cabin and walked out onto the moonlit deck. Apart from three other people, it was empty. Cotton was at the helm and one other man was in sight, but he had dozed off against the mast, while on watch. The third person on deck was Elizabeth, leaning on the rail looking up at the stars. Jack walked over to her and leaned on the rail next to her.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' he said.

'Yes,' she said.

'Much like my company right now,' added Jack.

Elizabeth turned to face him and narrowed her eyes.

'What do you want from me?' she asked. 'And if it's what the answer to that question normally is, then it's still a no.'

'I was only saying how beautiful yer looking!' protested Jack. 'I don't want anything off yer, though if yer offering, I wouldn't say no!'

Elizabeth shook her head and turned back to looking out to sea.

'You're such a pigheaded bastard sometimes Jack,' she said.

'And you're just maddeningly stubborn,' replied Jack. 'Though I'd be lying if I said it wasn't one of your most attractive qualities.'

'If you're trying to persuade me to join you in bed, then your efforts really aren't working,' she scoffed. 'Telling me I'm attractive when I'm stubborn.'

'You are!' said Jack. 'If I was trying to seduce you into bed I'd use one of my many other charming ways. I'm just telling ye that when yer angry, ye get all feisty and determined. It's a remarkable difference from the weak little governor's daughter who needed rescuing every other week that you used to be.'

Elizabeth turned to Jack, her hands on her hips and opened her mouth to protest, but Jack cut in first.

'Yer doing it now, love,' he said with a smile. 'It makes it worth winding you up, just to see ye like this.'

'Jack Sparrow!' she said angrily.

'Ye shouldn't let me get to you so easily if ye don't like me offering to share me bed with ye,' said Jack. 'The angrier you get, the more ye do to me.'

Elizabeth slapped Jack's chest angrily, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him.

'Jack Sparrow! Let go of…'

Jack interrupted her by kissing her. She made a tiny little gasp of surprise against his mouth. He licked and nibbled her bottom lip, and then she opened her mouth to allow him in. Their tongues met and sparks flew, making Jack's whole body tingle. He placed his hands on her delicate waist to pull her closer to him, pushing her against the railing with his body at the same time.

'If you're going to chain me to the ship again, then…'

'Shush, love.'

He pressed his mouth back to hers. Their tongues swirled together as they explored each other's mouth. Elizabeth put one hand into Jack's hair, playing with the dreadlocks. Jack moved his lips to kiss her cheek, then her neck. He planted little kisses all the way along her jawline, reaching the sensitive spot just below her ear, then he kissed it and sucked it, enjoying the tiny little groan that escaped her lips. He nibbled gently on her earlobe.

'Marry me, Lizzie,' he whispered into her ear.

She pushed him away, a look of confusement on her face. 'Pardon?'

'Marry me,' he repeated, looking into her beautiful eyes.

'Don't you ever give up?' she asked, rolling her eyes. 'I've said no before. What makes this time any different?'

'Because this time, I actually mean it,' said Jack.

He fiddled in his pocket and pulled out a gold ring with a sparkling ruby on the top, one of the two from the treasure chest, then knelt on his left knee. He looked up at her.

'Elizabeth, will you marry me?'

She looked down at him, a curious expression on her face, as if working something out.

'You actually do mean it, don't you?'

'Yes love,' he said. 'I never thought I'd say this to a woman, but…'

He paused and Elizabeth waited. He took a deep breath.

'You mean a hell of a lot to me,' he said, avoiding her gaze as he was nervous and embarrassed at his admission. 'You're the most important thing in me life. If the Pearl sunk…' He gulped, hating to think of that possibility. 'If the Pearl sunk, I'd get over it. Eventually. She's just a ship. But if I lost you, it'd be the end of everything. Ever since that night in the crow's nest, I haven't drunk a drop of rum, and I'd give up rum for the rest of me life if it meant I could spend that time with you instead.'

'You would?' she asked.

Jack ran off back to his cabin, ignoring Elizabeth calling after him. He opened his rum cupboard and grabbed all six bottles that were in there before running back out onto the deck, almost knocking Gibbs over in the process.

'Are we having a drink, cap'n?' he asked excitedly, following Jack.

Jack ignored him and went back over to Elizabeth.

'Lizzie,' he said, staggering as he struggled to hold five bottles in one arm and took the sixth in the other hand, uncorking it. 'This is how much you mean to me.'

He emptied the rum over the side of the ship before throwing the bottle out to sea.

'Jack! The rum!' exclaimed Gibbs, looking between Jack and the bottle which was slowly floating away from the ship with a look of horror on his face.

'What about it?' asked Jack, uncorking a second bottle and giving it the same treatment as the first.

Gibbs flinched at the sight of more rum going to waste. Jack was about to pour the third bottle away when Elizabeth put a hand on his arm.

'I don't think you should do that,' she said.

'Why not?' asked Jack, pouring it away, ignoring Gibbs who groaned.

'We might need it,' said Elizabeth. 'To celebrate.'

'Celebrate what?'

'Our engagement,' said Elizabeth, smiling at Jack.

'You're saying yes?' asked Jack excitedly.

Elizabeth nodded.

Jack quickly thrust the remaining three bottles into Gibbs's arms and turned back to Elizabeth, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, moving her mouth against his. Their tongues met once more, and it was no less exciting than before, the contact between them fiery and intense.

'Er, captain?'

Jack pulled away from Elizabeth impatiently, her arms still draped around his neck.

'What?' he asked angrily. 'Is the ship sinking? No. So bugger off.'

'But…'

'Isn't it your duty at the helm?'

'Yes cap'n,' said Gibbs. 'That's why I came out here. But what do ye want me to do with these?'

He nodded to the bottles in his arms.

'Oh yes,' said Jack. 'Put them back in me cabin. Then ye can relieve Cotton from the helm.'

'Aye sir,' he replied, turning away.

'And Mr Gibbs?' Jack called after him.

'Aye?'

'Make sure the whole crew is up nice and early tomorrow,' he said.

'Fer what?'

'I'm getting married,' Jack said, smiling and kissing Elizabeth's forehead. Gibbs looked between them, raised his eyebrows and smiled.

'Of course captain,' he said, walking away.

'Tomorrow?' asked Elizabeth. 'We're getting married tomorrow?'

'Why not?' shrugged Jack.

'It's a bit soon isn't it?' she replied.

'Is there someone you want to invite, or something?' asked Jack.

'Like who?' laughed Elizabeth, absentmindedly running a hand across his cheek.

'I don't know. Friends, family?'

'If you want to sail all the way to England to meet my Great Aunt Phyllis, you're welcome to,' joked Elizabeth. 'But I have to warn you, she's almost deaf, a frightful bore and smells fusty.'

'I'll pass on that one,' said Jack, smirking at her.

'And what friends do I have other than those on this ship?'

'I could always kill one of the crew to bring your darling William here,' suggested Jack.

Elizabeth turned her nose up.

'I'm not sure he'd want to watch me marry you,' she said. 'And he's not 'my darling'. You are now.'

'Your darling Jack,' he said, smiling. 'I like it.'

They sat in each other's arms leaning against the mast until the early hours of the morning. They just talked and discussed what would happen the following day. They decided to go to sleep for they were both tired, and it was agreed that Elizabeth would take Jack's cabin for the night so that she could have some privacy as she got ready in the morning. Jack would spend the night sleeping in her hammock in her small private area below deck.

More exciting chapters to come! Please review and I promise to update soon! :)

Thank you to my regular reviewers: Evangeline Crystal, Shealey the Just, darkmm13, pencil37, annependragon, PiratequeenOftheNorthernSea (sorry if I've missed anyone!)

and to every single person who has reviewed/favourited/alerted this story!