Thanks guys, I can promise this chapter will be longer...
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Jack normally found relief in his bottle of rum. But tonight, it just gleamed menacingly from the table, daring him to drink it.
"I'm not going to drink ye," said Jack to it coldly. "Ye always get me into trouble and I'm not saying anything I might regret to Tara."
"It's always about a lass," replied the rum huffily.
It was not uncommon for the rum to talk back to Jack; it normally signified he was already partially drunk. Right now he was a little tipsy from draining the last bottle.
"Tara isn't only a lass," said Jack. "Ye just don't like her because she threw yer family into the sea."
"You said nothing would come between us," said the rum darkly.
"Listen," said Jack. "Some things are worth staying sober for."
"You! Sober!" laughed the rum.
Jack grabbed it and took a deep swig which left him considerably drunker.
"There!" he snapped. "Happy?"
The rum had fallen silent. Typical. Jack walked out onto deck, and sat in the shadows beneath the wheel. If someone walked out now they would not see him, though it was unlikely anyone would come out. He sipped the rum thoughtfully, his mind on Muse. Surely he was only a mile or so behind them. It was a wonder his ship wasn't in sight. Jack did not much fancy their chances of beating Muse in a fight. But they had to, for Tara's sake.
His mind swerved back to Tara. Great, the one topic he had tried to keep off all night, ever since she had said she didn't love him. Did he believe that? It hardly seemed possible, and yet she had said it...
"Women are so confusing," he muttered.
"Unlike rum," said the rum.
"You aren't helping, you know."
"Rum eases the pain, Jack."
Jack looked at the bottle. "And stops you from facing facts. I think I've had enough of you."
He tossed the bottle over the side.
"Jack!" screamed the rum as it splashed into the sea.
Jack snorted and leaned back against the wheel, enjoying the warm air and the stars twinkling above. He thought about the night he and Tara had spent out here.
As if on cue, a figure walked past him, not seeing him. It was Tara, dressed in her shirt and trousers and boots, her long hair flowing behind her as she moved towards the tall mast which held the crow's nest. Surely she wasn't going up there? Hadn't Jack heard her say she was afraid of heights?
She stood at the bottom, looking up. Jack watched her in silence. She placed her hands on the rope ladder which led up, and heaved herself up, going slowly and carefully. Jack was amazed. What was she doing?
She reached the top, and looked straight ahead, away from Jack. Jack remembered her last suicide attempt with a jolt, and assuming that that was what she was going to do, he ran forward and climbed silently up the rope ladder.
*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0
Tara looked at the waves. Yes, suicide was on her mind. She knew that it wouldn't make any difference to the ransom. Jack or Muse could still claim it. But maybe it would be better for her to end it. How many more days of mental torture could she take? Jack was always playing with her head, and it was driving her insane.
And then there was Muse. If he got her, she would be dead anyway, and it certainly would be worse than drowning.
Yes, maybe it was worth it. Life was one problem after another.
She leaned forward, slipping slowly over.
"Tara, no!"
Strong arms grabbed her waist and tugged her back over. She was spun around, and found herself facing Jack.
"What the hell do you care?" she asked, anger running through her veins.
"I care a lot," he said.
The anger melted at the sight of his sweet brown eyes. Tears filled her hazel ones, and she sobbed quietly. Jack slipped his arms around her, and held her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.
"Jack, I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up into his face.
"Not half as sorry as me."
"You should be sorry," said Tara fairly. "I mean, you're so cocky."
"I know. I am sorry. But I did stick up for you."
"To who?"
"The rum," said Jack without thinking.
Tara laughed through her tears. "You stood up for me in front of your best friend?"
He kissed her softly. Her heart pounded, she melted into his arms, kissing him back, free, floating...
"Go on then," she said as they pulled apart.
"You're saying it first," said Jack.
"Uh-uh, you are."
"Ladies first."
"Well that's you then."
"Just say it, Tara."
"No, you."
"Please?"
"Say it, Jack."
"Fine," said Jack. "I love you, Tara Waller."
"And I love you too, Jack Sparrow."
"Captain Jack Sparrow, luv."
He kissed her more passionately then, and she tingled wonderfully.
"TARA WALLER LOVES ME!" he shouted loudly, and crewmembers popped their heads out of their cabins to cheer and clap, even Will.
Jack lifted Tara into his arms, and swung from the crow's nest on a long rope. Tara's hair blew into his face, and they landed on the deck a heap of giggles. Jack took Tara's hand and walked her to her cabin door, then he turned to face her.
"Goodnight," he said.
Tara squeezed his hand. "Goodnight."
He kissed her cheek. Somehow she managed to take off her shoes, climb into bed and tingle to sleep.
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Come on, that was nearly 1000 words, and I'm tired and hungry, so I'll leave it there. So they do love each other... aw. This isn't the end, Muse is coming. And Jack has a terrible secret to tell Tara.
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@
Jack normally found relief in his bottle of rum. But tonight, it just gleamed menacingly from the table, daring him to drink it.
"I'm not going to drink ye," said Jack to it coldly. "Ye always get me into trouble and I'm not saying anything I might regret to Tara."
"It's always about a lass," replied the rum huffily.
It was not uncommon for the rum to talk back to Jack; it normally signified he was already partially drunk. Right now he was a little tipsy from draining the last bottle.
"Tara isn't only a lass," said Jack. "Ye just don't like her because she threw yer family into the sea."
"You said nothing would come between us," said the rum darkly.
"Listen," said Jack. "Some things are worth staying sober for."
"You! Sober!" laughed the rum.
Jack grabbed it and took a deep swig which left him considerably drunker.
"There!" he snapped. "Happy?"
The rum had fallen silent. Typical. Jack walked out onto deck, and sat in the shadows beneath the wheel. If someone walked out now they would not see him, though it was unlikely anyone would come out. He sipped the rum thoughtfully, his mind on Muse. Surely he was only a mile or so behind them. It was a wonder his ship wasn't in sight. Jack did not much fancy their chances of beating Muse in a fight. But they had to, for Tara's sake.
His mind swerved back to Tara. Great, the one topic he had tried to keep off all night, ever since she had said she didn't love him. Did he believe that? It hardly seemed possible, and yet she had said it...
"Women are so confusing," he muttered.
"Unlike rum," said the rum.
"You aren't helping, you know."
"Rum eases the pain, Jack."
Jack looked at the bottle. "And stops you from facing facts. I think I've had enough of you."
He tossed the bottle over the side.
"Jack!" screamed the rum as it splashed into the sea.
Jack snorted and leaned back against the wheel, enjoying the warm air and the stars twinkling above. He thought about the night he and Tara had spent out here.
As if on cue, a figure walked past him, not seeing him. It was Tara, dressed in her shirt and trousers and boots, her long hair flowing behind her as she moved towards the tall mast which held the crow's nest. Surely she wasn't going up there? Hadn't Jack heard her say she was afraid of heights?
She stood at the bottom, looking up. Jack watched her in silence. She placed her hands on the rope ladder which led up, and heaved herself up, going slowly and carefully. Jack was amazed. What was she doing?
She reached the top, and looked straight ahead, away from Jack. Jack remembered her last suicide attempt with a jolt, and assuming that that was what she was going to do, he ran forward and climbed silently up the rope ladder.
*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0
Tara looked at the waves. Yes, suicide was on her mind. She knew that it wouldn't make any difference to the ransom. Jack or Muse could still claim it. But maybe it would be better for her to end it. How many more days of mental torture could she take? Jack was always playing with her head, and it was driving her insane.
And then there was Muse. If he got her, she would be dead anyway, and it certainly would be worse than drowning.
Yes, maybe it was worth it. Life was one problem after another.
She leaned forward, slipping slowly over.
"Tara, no!"
Strong arms grabbed her waist and tugged her back over. She was spun around, and found herself facing Jack.
"What the hell do you care?" she asked, anger running through her veins.
"I care a lot," he said.
The anger melted at the sight of his sweet brown eyes. Tears filled her hazel ones, and she sobbed quietly. Jack slipped his arms around her, and held her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.
"Jack, I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up into his face.
"Not half as sorry as me."
"You should be sorry," said Tara fairly. "I mean, you're so cocky."
"I know. I am sorry. But I did stick up for you."
"To who?"
"The rum," said Jack without thinking.
Tara laughed through her tears. "You stood up for me in front of your best friend?"
He kissed her softly. Her heart pounded, she melted into his arms, kissing him back, free, floating...
"Go on then," she said as they pulled apart.
"You're saying it first," said Jack.
"Uh-uh, you are."
"Ladies first."
"Well that's you then."
"Just say it, Tara."
"No, you."
"Please?"
"Say it, Jack."
"Fine," said Jack. "I love you, Tara Waller."
"And I love you too, Jack Sparrow."
"Captain Jack Sparrow, luv."
He kissed her more passionately then, and she tingled wonderfully.
"TARA WALLER LOVES ME!" he shouted loudly, and crewmembers popped their heads out of their cabins to cheer and clap, even Will.
Jack lifted Tara into his arms, and swung from the crow's nest on a long rope. Tara's hair blew into his face, and they landed on the deck a heap of giggles. Jack took Tara's hand and walked her to her cabin door, then he turned to face her.
"Goodnight," he said.
Tara squeezed his hand. "Goodnight."
He kissed her cheek. Somehow she managed to take off her shoes, climb into bed and tingle to sleep.
:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~:@~
Come on, that was nearly 1000 words, and I'm tired and hungry, so I'll leave it there. So they do love each other... aw. This isn't the end, Muse is coming. And Jack has a terrible secret to tell Tara.