Author's Note: Okay everyone! I like Cliff hangers! So get used to it, because these next few chapters…well their ALL gunna be cliffhangers…I think. I'm not sure. Oh! And btw- yes, Jack did tell Dinah that he treasured her, but technically that's not love….something to think about!
When Dinah finally woke up it was morning again. She had woken up sometime yesterday, but just long enough to see where she was. She sighed and closed her eyes again and rolled over. She pumped into Milton and woke up him up, immediately he started whining. Oh…he didn't have any dinner last night…poor guy. She got up and went downstairs to get a bottle from the kitchen. But on the way back to her room she saw James.
"How's it going, are you feeling okay?"
"Yea, I'm feeling better, but I really have to go feed-"
"Does that mean you're still going to go through with it?" He asked, cutting her off.
"Go through with what?"
"Marrying Douglas."
Dinah narrowed her eyes at her brother, "What do you know…?"
"Just what Ana told me…and Jack told her so…"
Dinah felt a headache coming on, "Does Douglas know what you know?"
James shook his head.
"Good. The less he knows about this, the better." And with that said, she went upstairs to feed her hungry pig.
Back in room and her pig decently fed, Dinah thought about yesterday. What caused me to even ask him such a ridiculous question? I mean, I went over this and there was no reason for him to lie to me, so why did I ask him if he did? And of course the fact that he did, is an entirely different thing! Why did he lie to me, and if he did, does that mean he loves me?
Yes, I know the whole 'treasure' thing, but all he basically said was that I was important to him! Yes, I know that! He told me that he cared for me when we were on Barbados! This is just a different way of putting it! Did he just want to make sure that I knew? That I understood? Was he saying that because that's all he feels about me…so it wouldn't technically be lying to me…but it kinda would be…?
"Oh I'm so confused!" Dinah said, going back under the covers and intending on sleeping until lunch.
Ana sighed again and fell deeper into the plush chair. Across the room from her Jack was pacing. The two had snuck into one of the many rooms and shut and locked the doors. They had been in here for nearly two hours, doing nothing in particular except for waiting for each other to talk.
Ana found it somewhat humorous that Dinah had fainted. She had fainted only once, that Ana had ever known of. They were playing in the garden and Ana, determined to do whatever she pleased even though she was in a dress, had gone into the brush. But when she came out, she came out with a snake. She showed Dinah and she just fainted right there. She had found it quite funny but Beatrice didn't. She had ordered Ana to put the snake back and to never touch one again.
"Jack, why did you tell her what you did?" Ana said finally annoyed.
Jack paused from the sudden question, and then answered, "It wasn't what I said that made her faint, it was when I answered her question."
"Well what was the question?"
Jack sighed, "She asked if I lied to her on the Pearl."
Ana's eyes widened and she straighten in her chair. "And you told her you did?"
Jack nodded, Ana smiled and dashed out of the room quickly before Jack had a chance to do anything. She ran up the stairs and burst into Dinah's room. Dinah woke up immediately, and sat up. "What's wrong?" Dinah asked.
"We need to talk…" Ana smiled and shut the door.
"You scared me to death, Ana! What's so important that we need to talk now?"
"Well I didn't think you were sleeping…I just thought you were hiding from everyone." She said, sitting on the bed, crossing her legs.
"Well…I kinda was. Now what is it?!"
"You asked Jack-"
"Oh jeez…I should've known it was going to be about him!"
"Anyway…you asked him if he lied to you…"
Dinah covered her face with her hands and then put them down. "Yes, and he did."
"Well that means…"
"Yes Ana, I've already gone over this! Don't you think I have?"
"Well yea…but doesn't that make you…happy?"
"Why would that news make me anything but irritated?! He lied to me about something that was important to me! And he didn't even give me a reason!"
"Well he might've…but you kinda fainted…"
"I don't care. The man is intolerable. I can't stand the fact that he's a pirate." She said crossing her arms.
"Ha! Now there's a lie if I've ever heard one!"
"What?"
"You love the fact that he's a pirate, you just don't like the fact that he's undependable."
"And a lying… Oh never mind. Was there anything else, Ana?"
"No…that was it…" She got up and walked out quietly. Dinah sighed when she left, this whole thing was stupid. An emotional storm, that's all. Undependable… Dinah thought.
That afternoon Jack went to get some fresh air and saw someone with a big straw sun hat and a plain dress, picking flowers. Figuring it was Isabelle, he went over and asked, "Could you pick 'bout six flowers for me? I want to deliver them to Ms. Milton…" The woman straightened up and turned around. "Dinah?"
"Am I supposed to pass that on to Isabelle?" She asked.
Jack smiled, "No…I just thought you were her…"
Dinah nodded and then turned back around to continue picking. She could feel Jack standing there, watching her and she was a little unnerved about that so she turned back around. "Is there something else I could get you?"
"Well luv, I was wondering if we could sit and talk…"
"No."
"Oh…why not?" He said starting to pout.
"I'm not exactly in best moods when it comes to you, that's why."
"Oh! 'bout yesterday, luv?"
Dinah drew her hand back to slap him, but he caught it and held it, "Still tender about the 'luv' thing?"
She got her arm out of his hold and backed up, "Still? I've been 'tender' about it since you first kidnapped me!"
"Not necessarily…I've snuck it in there a couple of times…"
"Let me guess, when Wilbur died and when I was drunk?"
"That sounds right."
"Well why do you think you can still say it when I don't want you to?!"
"Because you said that's what you call someone you care for…"
"You don't care about me." Dinah said in a low, harsh tone.
"What makes you say that, lass?"
"If you cared about me, then why did you lie to me?"
Jack cocked an eyebrow and paused. He wasn't sure how he was going to answer that. Well he knew the answer, but didn't want to say it.
"Exactly." Dinah said, as far as she was concerned, this conversation was over. She picked of the flowers she had picked and whistled to Milton, who came out of no where and ran to her, and together they walked into the house.
Why does that woman always give me only one minute to answer important answers?! Jack thought. Well he was determined to talk to Dinah, so he left his spot and marched back into the house. She was rearranging the flowers in a vase.
"Dinah, just believe me when I say that it was for your own good." He said, answering her question. She snorted, but made no eye contact.
"What, that's not a good enough answer for you?" Jack asked, with an edge to it.
She turned around, "No Jack, nothing you will do will ever be good enough for me." She said, maybe too seriously. She had really intended on saying that, but it came out. They stood their in silence and Dinah saw a little hurt in Jack's eyes. He nodded and said, "My point exactly," turned, and left.
Through dinner Dinah had thought about what she had told Jack and had wondered why he took it the way he did. And what did he mean, 'my point exactly'? He didn't even try to make a point in the first place! But I guess I was a little hard on him…wait, what am I talking about? He's a pirate!
She had told Ana about it and all Ana said was, "Which one do you love? Jack or Douglas?" which was absolutely no help and didn't make any sense anyway. But in a small way it did, Dinah figured if he loved Jack, then what she said to him was totally out of line and rude and she needed to apologize. But if she loved Douglas…well then it didn't matter what she said to Jack. Well she knew she didn't love Douglas. Like him? Yes, Love him? No. But she wasn't sure if she still loved Jack… Well do I really think those kind of feelings just disappear? Great. So now I have to go apologize!
"Dinah darling, what do you think?" Beatrice asked.
"Huh?"
"About Ana being in the wedding!" Dinah smiled and looked at Ana who was across from her. Ana looked angry.
"Mother, Ana's not that crazy about dresses…or weddings to be exact…and I've already picked all my attendants…and it would be a pain to go get another dress…she can just go…"
"Well okay. Whatever you want dear," Beatrice replied.
After dinner Dinah put on a coat and went straight to the harbor to find Jack. What she found was him, the only one on his ship and what looked like, getting ready to shove off. She walked up the plank and smiled, "Leaving so soon?" Jack didn't answer. He was wrapping up some rope from somewhere.
"Where's your crew?"
"Out enjoying themselves, like you should be…"
"I can't enjoy myself when something's hanging over my head…"
Jack looked at her and wrapped up the rest of his rope. When he was done he walked over to her, his boots matching the beats of her heart, but the closer he got, the faster the beats went. What am I doing here? He'll never listen to me… She thought. She was just about to turn around and excuse herself but he spoke up.
"What'd be hangin' over you're head, lass?"
"Jack, I'm sorry I said that to you, I had no right…but I was just so frustrated with everything!"
"Like what? Maybe I could help yah."
"Could you tell me why you lied to me…please? If I really mean that much to you, then you wouldn't leave me out…"
Jack paused, thinking that was a good argument, "You already figured it out, lass!"
"Huh?"
"I can't give you everything you need Dinah, I can't give you things Douglas said…and as you brilliantly pointed out today, nothing I will ever do will be good enough for you…"
Dinah walked to him and put her arms around him. She was going to cry if she didn't. She needed to hear that from him, yes that proved that he loved her, but there was still the question of how he really felt about her.
As he wrapped his arms around her and she dared to ask the question again. "So…does this mean that you…uh…that you love me?" She could feel his muscles tighten. Jack wasn't the really kind of guy that shared his feelings, that's probably one of the reasons he didn't tell her the truth. He had given her an awful lot of his soul, but she wanted more. Jack sighed and tried to force the words out.
"Well…uh…Yes…that's what it means Dinah, I…love…you…"