I would LOVE to own Pirates of the Caribbean, but I don't. And I would most definitely love to own Jack Sparrow. . .but I don't own him either. . .damn. . .

Chapter Twelve

They had been sailing for two days, and now Ariana felt they should be nearing the port soon. She wasn't quite sure how far they were from the island, but she had a sense that it would not take more than two or three days to travel there from the cave. She could remember without doubt the conversation between her and Jack when they had returned to the Black Pearl.

Flashback

"So, why are we going to Port Royal again?" Ariana asked Jack, knowing that he was planning an ambush, but also being aware of the fact that that was the only knowledge she had, and she wanted more. It wasn't that she wasn't excited about meeting Will and Elizabeth; she undoubtedly was. But she wished to know exactly what was going on; what scheme Jack was plotting in that head of his. She hated being uncertain.
"Because, love, like I told you, we're planning an ambush." He knew that she desired more than just that, but he decided to wait until she asked him.
"Yeah, besides that." Her tone told him she craved to know; she wouldn't stop until she had all the facts.
"Well, I'm thinking that you and your friends can get all dressed up to fit in, then go an' ask Will ta have the Navy on alert for a pirate ship by the name of The Fearless. They'll get their little ships with their little cannons and blast the bajeesus out of it, then capture Shallows and his crew." He tried not to grin at the notion of Ariana in a dress; a very pleasant thought he rather fancied, easily picturing it in his head.
Blast the bajeesus out of it, Ariana repeated in her head. Same thing he said in the movie. She had a knack for noticing these types of things. She felt the corners of her mouth twitching, and she realized she was trying not to grin at the identical phrasing of the captain. Then she switched her thoughts. "Well how exactly are we going to get Will to trust us? I doubt he's going to listen to three teenagers who march into his house and tell him to order the Navy to blow up a ship." She waved her hand around in the air for emphasis.
"Just tell him you're friends of Jack," he replied, raising his eyebrows. "Everyone loves me," he couldn't help but add with a playful grin.
That could work, she thought. But that means I have to wear a dress. I HATE dresses. "Only one problem," she told him, then repeated aloud the three words she was speaking continually in her head. "I hate dresses."
He smirked. "Well that's just too bad, love, because unless you wear one, the plain won't work." He knew very well that the plan would work, even if she didn't go into Port Royal at all, but he craved so greatly to see her in a dress that he had no care. Maybe he could convince her that the plan would not succeed without her.
She signed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I don't want to wear one." Her tone was so defiant that he raised his eyebrows in surprise for just a second before lowering them back to their normal position. Is this what her parents had to put up with?
"You have to. Othawise it won't work."
"How do you know?"
It was his turn to sigh, but this was from aggravation. "Because – because I just do, all right? He could think of no plausible reason quick enough; he hoped he wasn't letting on the actual grounds for why he wished for her to wear it. If he was, and she caught on, she would never get into one.
She looked at him without replying for a few moments, then said sarcastically, "Because you just do. Well that's original." Her defensive side was showing again.
"Are you going to wear a dress or not? It's the only way you'll fit in, an' therefore the only way the plan will work."
Now when she eyed him, she looked suspicious. She leaned in towards him, and it was all he could do not to grab her right then and kiss her as he had just days ago. He smiled inwardly at the memory.
"What's the real reason you want me to wear a dress?" she asked, her eyes slightly narrowed. She was almost positive at this point that he only desired her in a dress for his own viewing pleasure. What other explanation could there be? He could come up with no credible reasons. If that was indeed the case, she wasn't entirely sure whether she wanted to wear the dress or not. That would be so like a man, she thought cynically. She was hoping that she was wrong.
It was several moments before he answered, and she wasn't fully certain that she believed he wasn't thinking up an excuse to cover up his real motive.
"The real reason," he said finally, "is that you'd be safa in Port Royal if the pirates attack. If you don't go, and they attack while your friends are there, you'd be in danga. Lots more than if you were to be in Port Royal, at the governor's house no less, which is the safest, most guarded place there." Good reason! he thought proudly, mentally patting himself on the back for coming up with it as quickly as he had. And, now that he thought about it, that was actually another, probably better, reason. He did care about her and wanted her to be safe.
"How do you know he'll be at the governor's house?" She wanted to use anything she could think of that would get her out of having to wear that dreadful thing. It wasn't just that she didn't prefer to be eye candy – it was more that she just didn't wish to wear one, period. She had been a tomboy up until just a short while ago and couldn't remember the last time she had worn one.
"Because I've received word of his wedding that shall be happening in just some time, an' if I know him, he and Elizabeth are already living togetha."
"Why do we have to get them captured by the Navy? Why can't we just battle them on the water?" Wouldn't it be easier that way?
He gazed at her for a moment. His tone was serious when he spoke. "I'm not letting them get a chance to take you." He knew just what would occur if Shallows managed to get the girls back on his ship, particularly now having knowledge of how much Jack cared about Ariana. He would not let them near her.
She hadn't expected that response. He sounded as if he truly cared for her. How could she say no to him if he did?
"Fine." She finally gave in. "I'll wear a damn dress. What do you want me to say to Will?"
She really must enjoy swearing, Jack thought playfully, trying hard to keep a grin from his face as he answered, "Tell him that you're friends of Jack's, an' that he said ta have the British Navy out an' ready for a pirate ship, The Fearless, that shall be coming within the next hour or so. Tell him that they must have their cannons an' all otha weapons at the ready and must capture the entire crew, an' the captain, an' they can have the choice whetha ta hang them or leave them ta rot in a cell." He received a satisfying image of Shallows hanging from a noose.
She nodded in understanding as she tried to memorize all that he was telling her. Then she realized something. "How do you know they're following us?" she asked him curiously.
He gave a smirk. "Rememba back in the cave, when I first told you we were going ta Port Royal? Well, there was a pirate from Shallow's crew behind you an' he was listening to me."
So that explained why she had seen him glance over her shoulder. She had been wondering about that some since they had left. "Smart thinking, Jack," she told him, receiving a grin. "Is that it?"
He nodded. "Pretty much."
She walked away from him and into his quarters to tell her friends everything she had just been told.

End flashback

She remembered that. She could also remember what took place the night before. Not the first night they had been sailing after leaving the island, but last night. Nothing had happened on the first night. But last night. . .that was still fresh in her mind. It was all she could think about.

Flashback

Ariana, Kelsey, and Julie had chosen to eat dinner with Jack and the crew. The three of them had no idea why they had; the only reason they could come up with was because Jack was there. They would dine with him any night.
Ariana wasn't feeling incredibly hungry; she ate a bit of fruit and that was it. She chose to head back to Jack's cabin and get the bed before her friends could do the coin toss.
Jack noticed her departure and knew that this was his chance, his only chance. His only chance to do something. He didn't know exactly what it was he planned on doing, but it had to be something. He had enjoyed the kiss they had shared too much to just ignore it and let it go.
So he excused himself and left, following her. Kelsey and Julie were not blind to what was happening, and made the choice to stay at the dinner table longer than they had originally intended, even if they didn't want to; after all, who would, with a disgusting group of men such as this? But they knew that Jack wished for some alone time with Ariana, and that was in all probability what she wanted as well. Though they were jealous, she was their friend, and they weren't going to let envy get in the way of that.

Ariana flopped down onto the big bed and buried her face in her pillow, her mind becoming lost to thoughts of what it would be like to meet Will and Elizabeth. They were such kind, good people; she was sure she would like them. She just hoped that they liked her.
She heard the door open and snapped her head up, looking around. It was Jack. She felt a surge of happiness and turned, sitting up. "Hi," she said. At first she couldn't think of much else to say, then found her voice. "What brings you here?"
"You," he answered, a bit too quickly.
She could feel heat rush up to her cheeks and she tried not to smile at his response. But what was wrong with smiling about it? She knew she had to be turning pink.
He walked over and sat down next to her. God did she love being near him. . .
"Really?" she managed to get out.
"Yes really." He was gazing straight into her eyes, and she found it difficult to look away; because she didn't want to look away. She just wished to get lost in those luxurious pools of brown forever.
She took a deep, silent breath and wasn't sure of what to say except, "Kelsey and Julie are going to be coming soon."
"No they're not." He seemed so sure that she believed him. "I've been thinking about that kiss."
Her heart began hammering against her ribcage and her cheeks felt as if they'd been set aflame. "You have?"
"Yes." He was still staring into her eyes as if he could see right through to the wall behind her; see right inside her. He didn't blink, not once.
"So have I." As soon as the words had left her lips, she wanted to take them back. Who knew what kind of thoughts she had put into his head now.
There was a few moments of silence, and then she slightly leaned in towards him. She stopped, uncertain. She didn't quite know why, though. . .she wanted to kiss him again, she knew that she did, and she knew that he wanted to kiss her, so why was she hesitating?
He closed the distance between their mouths and her eyes closed as she once again felt as if she were floating on a cloud of pure contentment. It was the greatest feeling she had ever experiences, and she wished it never ending. She was no longer sitting on a bed inside a ship; she was in the sky. Nothing else mattered except her, him, and what was happening right then. She had been kissed plenty of times before, but never had it felt like this. Not once did she feel this electricity, this passion, this pleasure, not on such a grand scale. Everything around her faded and she was lost to her own world she seemed to have suddenly created; a world that contained only the two of them.
Their lips were still locked as she lay down, and she could feel him on top of her. He ran a hand through her hair and his lips left hers, but her disappointment at this quickly faded as they moved to her neck. She still had her eyes shut, she was still in her world; in their world. She could feel his lips traveling from her neck down over her chest, her stomach, and then they reached the top of her pants. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was looking back at her, questioning with his eyes, requesting permission. She could see how much he wanted this to happen – but she didn't. Not just yet. She wasn't ready; she couldn't count how many times she had had to say that in past relationships. She shook her head and he nodded, seeming to understand. She hadn't thought that he would, but she was obviously wrong.
He moved back up to her face and once again pressed his lips to hers. She let her eyes close and was once more lost in him.
He didn't leave until at least fifteen or twenty minutes later, with a bulge in his trousers that he was careful not to let her see. He hadn't gotten exactly what he wanted, but he had certainly gotten enough. Another night, hopefully, he thought. She stayed on the bed with her eyes closed, not willing to let him leave but knowing that they possessed only so much time alone.
A few minutes later, Kelsey and Julie came bounding in, making her tell them everything that had happened, pressing her for details, and she re- lived it through her words.

End flashback

She smiled as she remembered that night; nothing serious had occurred, but what had happened was sufficient for her. She was elated that he had chosen her, rather than Kelsey or Julie or some whore from Tortuga. She wasn't going to let him go. She would never let him go.
She was standing at the side of the ship, gazing out at the ocean as she always did when she was deep in thought. She was brought back to reality by Jack coming and putting his arm around her. She looked up at him and smiled again. She loved him this close to her. . .
"Hi," she said, the smile still lighting up her face.
He smiled back. "Hi. Just wanted ta tell you that we're almost there. Time ta get dressed up."

A/N: For those of you that were waiting for SOMETHING to happen between Ariana and Jack, there ya go. Not much, but something. Next chapter up soon! Reviews please!