Disclaimer: See previous chapters and stories.

AN: So many mixed reviews on this story! Okay, I've decided to do a "loving" chapter. Wait, don't leave yet! I'll write the chapter, but I'll also write a chapter after it so you won't have to read it if you don't want to, savvy? I'll post a warning on the "loving" chapter so those who want to skip it can do so without worry. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 11: Proof of Love:

The next day, after getting thoroughly drunk at the tavern, Jack headed back to the Turners' house, his head feeling like it was getting ready to explode. Although he was a constant drinker, Jack had consumed more rum in that one night than he normally drank in a week. This morning he had woken up with the worst hangover he had ever experienced in his life, but was thankful for two things: one, he had woken up in a room all alone, with no female company, and two, the tavern owner had kindly given him a hangover remedy. However, as Jack staggered through the back streets of Port Royal, clutching his head in pain, that remedy had yet to fully kick in. So, still feeling a bit off, Jack decided to head back to the Turners' home and sleep off his hangover.

Unfortunately, since he was still suffering from his hangover, Jack hadn't yet noticed the red-coats heading towards him from the opposite end of the street. As he shook his head to clear it, their bright red uniforms caught his eye, causing the pirate captain to curse as he took off in the opposite direction, trying not to attract attention. Once around the corner, Jack started looking around for a place to hide, spotting a closely bunched clump of bushes. Thanking whatever powers were looking out for him, Jack dove into them just as the soldiers came around the corner. Completely out of sight and holding his breath, Jack watched as they searched the street, but found no sign of their quarry.

'Bloody hell, don't those people ever give up?' Jack thought as he watched the soldiers search the street again, praying that they wouldn't look in his bushes. Thankfully they didn't, and soon headed up the street and out of sight. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, then started checking for witnesses before getting out of the bushes. Once out, he brushed himself off, straightened up his hat and headed towards the Turner home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After avoiding two more clusters of soldiers, Jack staggered up the back steps of the Turner cottage, testing the door to see if it had been kept open for him. It was, so Jack slipped quietly inside, listening for any sounds. He smiled as he heard Elena talking to Elizabeth in the parlor, and snuck over to eavesdrop through the closed door. As he knelt near the keyhole to listen in, he was surprised to hear the woman he cared for sound as though she were in tears.

"Oh, Elizabeth, it was horrible!" Elena's muffled voice said, seemingly on the verge of tears. "He was sitting there with all of those women around him, and he was hugging and kissing them! I thought I would die of shock right there!"

Jack felt his heart speed up in panic. Elena had seen him in the tavern? She wasn't even supposed to know he was here! He frowned in thought; it was likely that Will or Elizabeth had told her about his arrival and departure from the house. Jack frowned again before focusing on the conversation coming through the keyhole.

"Now Elena, please slow down!" Elizabeth was saying, sounding thoroughly confused. "I'm still trying to sort out what you've told me. You were a barmaid in Tortuga after losing your family and fortunes in a pirate attack, and were then hired as a cook by Jack for the Black Pearl. You were then kidnapped by another pirate captain and left here in Port Royal to make another life for yourself, soon becoming a chef in my home. And now you're telling me that, after spending months on the Black Pearl and getting to know Jack personally, you have developed feelings for him, and have just last night seen him associating with prostitutes?"

"That would be correct," Elena softly confirmed to her employer, her voice sounding muffled, as though her nose were stuffed up. A brief moment of silence followed, as though Elizabeth were trying to absorb this new information quickly.

Suddenly, a sigh sounded. "Alright, I think I understand the situation," Elizabeth said, sounding worn out. "But Elena, were you serious when you said that you have feelings for Jack? I mean, he is very popular with women. Perhaps you are just experiencing a bit of fascination in him?"

Sniffles were heard. "I'm sure, Elizabeth," Elena's muffled voice said. The sound of sniffling was heard again, followed by the sound of her blowing her nose. "And now I've finally realized that Jack could never care for me the same way. I'd heard from other women in Tortuga what he was like, but after meeting and talking with him, I couldn't believe it. I had always though of their comments as something said by prostitutes to compare their customers, or brag about who they had managed to sleep with the night before. Until last night, I had thought that Jack was a decent, courteous, generous man who actually cared about me and my wellbeing. Now I realize that he's just like every other pirate in the sea." More sniffles were heard.

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. Elena returned his feelings, but now sounded as though she were giving up on him! He couldn't let that happen. He had just won her over before she was taken from Tortuga, and had just found her again, only to lose her while getting drunk in a tavern and making a little mistake (well, maybe more than a little mistake, but it was an honest mistake)! It wasn't as though he had wanted female attention that night; it just seemed to happen whenever he walked into a tavern! Jack knew that he had to stop her before it was too late to change her mind.

He stood up straight, neatening up his clothes, silently thankful that the hangover remedy had just now fully kicked in, and walked into the room. There sat Elena, her back to the door, with Elizabeth next to her on the couch, her hand clutching Elena's in a comforting way. Before Jack could so much as open his mouth, Elizabeth stood up and walked over to him.

A slap echoed within the confines of the room.

Jack stood there, his head turned to the side in response to the slap. Blinking in surprise, he tried to figure out what had happened. As he slowly turned his head back around, he saw Elizabeth glaring furiously at him, steam practically coming out of her ears. Just behind her left shoulder stood Elena, looking at Elizabeth in surprise before her light- brown eyes met Jack's. As the two stared at each other, Elena's eyes once again filled with tears. A split second later, Elena raced out of the room, Jack's gaze following her. A moment passed before a door slammed and Jack was jolted out of his shocked state of mind.

"I may have deserved that," Jack whispered to himself, rubbing his face in pain and emotional hurt.

"Of course you deserved that!" cried a furious Elizabeth, her eyes boring holes into Jack's skull in anger.

Jack backed up a step; he had seen Elizabeth upset before, but had never had to brave the full impact of her anger. "Now, Elizabeth, let me explain," he began; he wasn't allowed to finish.

"There's nothing for you to explain, Jack Sparrow!" Elizabeth snapped as she took one step forward, causing Jack to back up another step.

Jack gulped, suddenly feeling panic swell up within him as Elizabeth kept stepping forward, forcing Jack to retreat backwards until he was met with the sudden impact of his back colliding with the wall. Now he was trapped, and Jack definitely did not like the feeling of being trapped between a wall and Elizabeth's fury.

Elizabeth's eyes iced over as she stood toe to toe with Jack. "There's nothing for you to explain," she repeated as she glared up into his eyes, "because you are a worthless coward. You have unknowingly won the heart of a good and decent woman, only to have unknowingly torn it apart with your womanizing ways! She was willing to give you her heart, and it was a terrible thing that she saw you with those women before she told you of her feelings for her. Now she knows what a worthless pirate you really are!" Elizabeth then turned and left a speechless Jack standing there in the parlor, contemplating her harsh words.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that night, Jack lay in his cabin aboard the Black Pearl. He couldn't stay in the Turner house after what he had done to Elena, and he couldn't bear to face Elizabeth's temper. In the end, Jack had gone to Will's shop and told him what had happened the night before. Needless to say, Will was angry at the trouble and pain his friend had caused, but when Jack had told Will of his feelings for Elena, and that neither woman had stayed around long enough to listen to Jack's side of the story, Will had become more sympathetic. Will told his pirate friend that he would try and talk with the two women that night, and suggested that Jack go and spend the night on the Pearl to allow tempers to cool down.

Now Jack lay in his bed, thinking over Elizabeth's cruel words. It was true that Jack enjoyed the pleasures of women, and that he had many broken hearts trailing behind him. However, Elena was different. She had captured his attention the moment he had seen her in Tortuga, serving drinks to drunken men from behind the bar. For some reason, Jack had felt compelled to hire her for the Pearl, even though there must have been several dozen other people in the town who could cook somewhat decent food. For some reason, Jack felt that this woman would be the answer to a lot of his problems, most of them having nothing to do with searching for a ship's cook. He had been looking for a girl to permanently call his own, but had never been able to find her. Until that time, Jack had tried to stall his search by sleeping with different women in every port, and it had worked fairly well...until that night.

He had stepped into the Ragged Dog Inn, intending to get drunk, and had spotted the red-headed barmaid with the lovely soft-brown eyes behind the bar. That was when something clicked; he didn't know how, but he knew that that woman was the one for him, and that he had to win her over no matter what. From her well-spoken manner, he knew she didn't belong in Tortuga, or to its rough ways. Jack had then decided to appeal to her by using his charms and his knowledge of books. From the moment she has set eyes on his vast book collection and heard of his literary interests, he knew that he had hooked her attention and could almost feel her attraction to him. On her birthday, his gift to her had been more than a means of marking her as a member of the Pearl; it was Jack's personal claim on her, one that told others to keep their grimy hands off of Captain Jack Sparrow's bonny lass.

Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously at that last thought. Elena was his bonny lass, no matter what anyone else thought. They were meant for each other, even though neither one had openly acknowledged the fact, nor admitted their feelings. Despite what Elizabeth thought, Jack did love Elena, he just had to tell his lass his feelings and get her to admit her feelings as well. But how was he going to do that? Elena was angry and hurt by his actions, and he sincerely doubted that Elizabeth would allow him back into her house after what he had done. So what could he possibly do to remedy the situation between him and his lass?

It would be several hours before an idea came to him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Late that night, after her employers had gone upstairs to bed, Elena sat in her room in the Turner home, feeling thoroughly depressed. She had only come out long enough to prepare a thick oyster chowder for the Turners' dinner and to leave them a note, telling them when it would be ready to eat. She had also mentioned that she would not be joining them, but would be there to wash up the dishes. Instead of eating with her friends, Elena had taken a pitcher of water, a glass, half a loaf of bread, some cheese, and some cold sliced meat to her room as her dinner. She had then shut her door, knowing that Will and Elizabeth would leave her alone with her thoughts.

Elena glanced around and spied the dress she and Elizabeth had been working on that week lying draped over a chair. The dress was made from the crème cloth that Annamaria had given her on her birthday, and was decorated with most of the ribbons and lace that she had bought in Tortuga. The previous night, as she had walked around the slums of Port Royal before spotting Jack and his hussies in the tavern, Elena had held high hopes of showing the newly completed gown off to him, as she had promised before her kidnapping in Tortuga. Now there was no need to hold such a promise, and she could wear the gown whenever she wished. Jack held no such special place in her heart now.

'That's a bloody lie,' a small part of her snapped in dismay. 'You still love that pirate no matter what you say. And do you remember what Will said earlier this evening?'

Sighing, Elena stroked the beautiful dress. That small voice was right; she did still care for Jack, and that was what confused her. He had never spoken of his feelings for her, so why did she still feel as though he was meant for her? Earlier, when she had gone to the kitchen to wash the dinner dishes, Will had asked to speak with her.

***Flashback***

"I really wish you would give Jack another chance, Elena," Will said, leaning against the counter. "He really is a good man."

"He may be a good man, Will, but he's still a pirate," Elena replied, wiping her last dish with the drying rag. "Besides, pirates are a cruel batch of people with no emotions whatsoever."

"How can you say that after living on the Black Pearl for six months?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Didn't they treat you well there? I know Jack only picks the best of the best for his crewmembers." After waiting a moment to let his words sink in, Will patted her on the shoulder. "At least try to hear his side of the story. He deserves that much, at least." He then turned and left the kitchen, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

***End Flashback***

Elena sighed again before folding the gown up carefully and storing it in her closet. She had barely closed the wardrobe door before a muffled 'thud' behind her attracted her attention, causing her to momentarily stiffen in surprise. Whirling around, she was suddenly met with a cloth rag loosely covering her eyes, nose, and mouth. A few breaths later, Elena felt the world darken around her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was after midnight that Jack decided to carry out his carefully formulated his plan. As soon as the moon rose, Jack and six crewmates rowed their rowboat towards the docks of Port Royal. Jack had chosen six of his best crewmates: Mr. Gibbs, Annamaria, and the four Black brothers, Jacob, Flint, Marcus, and Richard. Although Annamaria didn't particularly agree with his plan, Jack knew that she wanted Elena back on the Pearl as much as he did. The two women had grown close over the months, and Annamaria had nearly beheaded Sally after finding out that the blond had lied about not knowing Elena's whereabouts. The others went along because they wanted their crewmember back on the Pearl, and to make sure that Jack's plan would succeed in getting their favorite red-head back. Jack's plan was simple and fairly harmless. If all went rights, no one would be hurt, and everyone would end up happy in the end.

Once they had safely landed and hidden the small boat, the seven then headed towards the Turner home. They then snuck through the streets of Port Royal, silent as fog, slipping past the naval soldiers unnoticed. Finally, they arrived at the Turner home. The bottom section of the house was almost completely dark. There was one bedroom at the back of the house, which was dimly lit. Jack knew that this room was Elena's, and he could see her figure walking around the room. There was one room upstairs that was also dimly lit, but it was quite out of Jack's mind. That was Will and Elizabeth's room, and if things went right, the two wouldn't even notice what had happened until it was too late.

Jack signaled to his crewmates, and the seven of them snuck up to the back door. Jack then reached between two loose bricks and plucked out the spare key. Will had told him about it earlier, thinking that Jack might want to visit the house at a later time when no one was home. Jack hated having to break into his friend's house, but he had no choice. He left the four Black brothers outside to keep watch, signaling for Annamaria and Gibbs to follow him.

Two minutes later, the three pirates stood outside Elena's room. Annamaria quietly cracked the door open and peaked inside, signaling to the others to move quickly. The Jack and Gibbs moved inside and saw that Elena's back was turned towards them. As they moved into position, the door opened all the way, softly colliding with the wall, making a dull 'thud.' Elena's figure froze for a moment, which gave Jack enough time to draw out his cloth handkerchief. As Elena turned around, Jack covered her face, letting the sleeping potion do its work. A few seconds later, Elena collapsed into Jack's waiting arms. The pirate captain signaled to Annamaria and Mr. Gibbs, who began searching the room and began packing her belongings into some cloth sacks they had found under the bed, as well as ones they had brought.

Once they were finished packing, Annamaria reached into her belt, pulling out a bag of money and a note, which she set on the desk, clearly addressed to their two friends. The note explained Jack's actions, and the money was for Will and Elizabeth to hire a new maid and cook. Jack felt terrible about depriving his two friends of such a fine employee, but it couldn't be helped; he needed Elena more than Will and Elizabeth did, and if things worked out, Jack would bring Elena back to train up a new cook. Until then, Elena was his.

Another signal gathered Annamaria and Gibbs to Jack's side as he swung Elena into his arms, carrying her bridal style, her head resting on his right shoulder, near his neck. Jack could feel her breath falling hot on his neck. He nearly fell over from the erotic sensation, but managed to keep his head (barely). As they left through the back door, Jack signaled to Flint Black to lock up the door, which he did. The three other Blacks offered to carry Elena for him, but one look from Jack made them hold their hands up in surrender; there was obviously no way to separate the woman from her captor while he was still alive. The seven pirates once again stole through the streets of Port Royal and slipped into their hidden rowboat, heading back to the Pearl.

An hour later, with Elena safely in his arms, Jack and his crew were pulled onboard. Once on deck, the Captain yelled orders for them to weigh anchor as Annamaria and Gibbs left Elena's things in the Captain's cabin before setting off to work.

After giving his orders and feeling fully content for the first time in his life, Jack headed down below to his cabin, his bonny lass in his arms.

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AN: Long chapter this time! I put a lot of work into this, and it might be my best chapter yet! Anyway, finals are over, and Spring Break is coming up, so updates will be more frequent. Please show your love and support by leaving a review! Thank you!