"Jack?" He called out.

'I've already lost you once, I can't go through it again...'

He rose quickly and ran through the house only to return to his room empty handed. No piratical being tagging along. James fell into the blankets, hot, wet anger streaming down his cheeks. His hands turned yellow as he gripped the sheets for comfort.

"Don't cry Jamie love."

He looked around, "Jack?"

"Aye?"

Looking the room over again his brows furrowed, "I can't see you..."

"S'because I'm no really here."

"I'm imagining this then?" He pulled the blankets around himself.

"No, I came to visit ye'. Ye'll see me soon enough though James, don't ye worry about it."

James sighed, "Oh?" He wiped at his face angrily.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth hurried up the cobbled ground to James' home. It had been days since anyone had seen him or heard of him. Knocking lightly she smiled politely at one of the servants who had let her in.

"James?" Her voice echoed through the home as she traveled up the stairs to his bedroom.

She cracked the door open, peeking her head inside. "James..." She saw him huddled in the corner, toying with something, "James what-" She ran over to him, grabbing the object out of his reach and tossed it to the other side of the room. "James, no!" She fell to the floor, cradling him in her arms.

James reached after the razor and crumpled in her embrace, "I just want to die..." Tears flowed down his beautiful aristocratic face, dark, black hair framing his jaw line. "Just let me die alone. I'm so tired... Let me finally be quiet."

Elizabeth moved, examining the arm he held cradled to his chest, "Oh James, no, what have you done?" The loose, stained shirt was stained with crimson as she pulled up the sleeve. Lightly she ran a finger over the cuts, "What did you do?" Her heart fluttered at the thought of loosing him, "Answer me James!"

He took a deep breath, "I had to practice..."

Elizabeth kicked her shoes off and ripped the bottom of her dress off so she could better move about. She stood, pulling him to his feet and dragged him to the bed. "Oh James..." A few frightened tears traveled down her cheek, only to be wiped away by a much paler, softer, crimson splattered hand. She sniffled, placing a kiss on his hand.

James smiled, "Why are you doing this?" He asked as she tore his shirt from his torso to tie the sleeves above his massacred arm.

"Because I care." She frowned, pulling as hard as she could to tightened the makeshift tourniquet. "Because... because your beautiful James. You don't deserve this." He hand traveled to his jaw line, caressing it gently. "Promise me you'll never do this again."

James remained silent, closing his eyes at the touch.

"Promise me."

His eyes snapped open and he warmly smiled, "I promise you." He paused, taking in all of the information, "You care for me?"

She sighed, "Yes, I do. No matter how snide you can be in denying my obvious advances, some foolish part of m really loves you James."

He slowly took her in, "If I make it through this, we're going to start over again."

She grasped his hand in hers, "As long as you promise me, it's a deal." She paused, a devilish smirk crossing her face, "Are you sure you'd be able to accept a former blacksmith's wife?"

"Former?" He watched her as she rose to grab a bottle of brandy off of the bureau.

Elizabeth brought the brandy back to the bedside, pouring it generously on a rag from his shirt to clean his wounds. "Yes, former." She cleaned his arm up as best she could, "Promise me you'll make it through this James."

"For you?" His brows raised.

"Yes, James, for me."

James smiled, "Of course."