"Jack!' Else gasped, as the pirate stumbled into the flat. She picked up her skirts and rushed to him, about to hug and pummel him at the same time for being gone so long. It was on her lips to tell him about Bill, when she noticed a sheen of sweat on his brow, and his mouth set in a grimace. He closed the door and fell into the nearest chair. Else looked Jack up and down, then frowned on seeing his left(?) arm bandaged, but something yellow had crept through the thick gauze and stained it. There was a tinge of something pink in the middle as well.

"What did you get yourself into?" Else asked, with a hint of anxiety in her voice. She grabbed her bag and set it on the small coffee table besides the pirate.

"Nothing I can't handle," was his cheeky reply. The worst patient like ever. Her mind suddenly rased back to the time when he had been hurt by Bill, who was merely trying to prove himself. He had taken to a fever and she had to stay up with him. She remembered a particular night when she all but manhandled him back into bed, which was saying something as she was quite small compared to him.

"Very well. Here," Else shoved a fresh bottle of rum into his hands. "It was supposed to be for celebration, but you will need it now," She sighed. Jack looked at the label, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, popping off the cork and taking a large gulp.

"Patient. I got a bolt of silk and they gave me that, for you,"

"Pirate?"

"Yup," Else kneeled down besides Jack and slowly started to unwrap his bandages.

Jack sighed, took another sip, and closed his eyes, feeling a lot more secure in having Else handle his wounds. Her touch was light and quick, leaving no pain, but only cures. He marveled on how he had gotten her; this no nonsense sort of pirate taking him in.

It was a bolster of courage for him when she stayed by his side. It shell-shocked him to see her climbing up to the beach, her clothes soaking wet, clinging to her ample body and toting along a bag of her most precious medicines. She had jumped off the ship after him. That was when he really saw that he loved her. Then, that while when they were almost destitute. She would have sold herself for him, but he finally managed to get a pocketful of money. He wouldn't have let her otherwise. She was his perfect woman.

"Jack!" Else moaned, when she finally got the last bandage off and discarded it behind her. She closed her eyes in quiet sympathy.

On his left forearm were the bearings of jellyfish. He would have scars forever, but she might be able to make them less faint. They wrapped around most of his forearm and looked angry and infected.

"I didn't know there was jelly-fish in England," Else sighed. She plucked a pot of slave from her bag and opened it up with quick fingers.

"I had to make a detour," Jack evaded. Else wiped a few strands of hair from her face with her wrist and dabbed two fingers into the pot, gently spreading the salve over the burns.

"Please don't tell me that you went after,"

"I didn't," Jack snapped. Else grew quiet, and continued with her ministrations. She could never turn down a patient, even if it was a grumpy pirate with a bad attitude and a score of vengeance to settle.

Jack looked down at her, grey eyes more smoky in anger, frustration and love. Her blonde hair was up in it's usual braids and pins, out of her way. Only at night did he see it down, and around her waist. Her head was bent as she applied a different cream, this time rubbing it into his skin. He noticed how they all smelled nice. She was wearing a grey gown, almost identical to the color of her eyes. It was plain, with a large sort of gypsy skirt, and black trim. She wore no jewelry on her long fingers except for a delicate ruby on her left ring finger. She never took it off either. He saw her feet poking out from beneath her bottom(she was sitting cross legged) and saw that she had new black boots on. The soft leather feminine but practical.

"I missed you," He offered. Else looked up at him, grey eyes narrowing.

"I missed you too," she finally said, after looking at him a moment. She grabbed two rolled up bandages from her bag and finished up with his arm.

"You mind telling me what happened?" She asked, standing up and brushing off dirt from her skirt. She went over to the kerosene lamp and turned it up, as it was starting to get dark. She went over to the curtains on the large and only window and twitched them shut.

A warm glow went about the flat, and Jack closed his eyes, taking another gulp of rum. Else walked back over to him, grabbed the bottle, and took a decent sized chug herself.

"Tomorrow," Jack promised, having every intention to actually tell her.

"Fine," Else sat down on his lap, careful to lean on his right side.

"You'll never guess who I ran into," Jack said after a moment.

"Who?" Else's mind prodded at her, trying to make her remember something important she needed to say. But Jack spoke and she put it out of thought.

"Brandy," Immediately the woman sat up and twisted to look at Jack, her eyes wide.

She vividly remembered Brandy. Jack's sister who had kidnaped him in a fit of sibling rivalry. Else had to go to her ship and offer part of the treasure just to get Jack out. She admitted that her mind sometimes wandered to her mate's sister, and often wondered what had become of her.

"How is she?" Else asked after a moment.

"Sore."

"What?"

"Well, she was plopped off in New Providence(a/n: real quick like, just so you know, Nassau Port was called New Providence back then...something PotC didn't catch, obviously) and Barbossa took her ship and crew. No one has seen them since. She is staying at the Tale End Inn," Jack added.

"What? The inn down the road? Jack! Why didn't you have her stay here?"

"Because!" Jack cried, taking the rum back from Else. "We hardly have enough room here as it is. And I should like to point out that me and me sister don't exactly get along well. She did try to kidnap me."

"So? She is going through the same thing as you. She should at least stay with family. Honestly, Jack," Else stood up and put her hands on her hips in a very matronly way. Jack chuckled, trying not to show hurt at her mentioning what had happened. It was still a very sore subject for him.

"Well why don't you two ladies have tea tomorrow?" Jack suggested, standing up and pulling off his tunic with a grimace.

"Because you are going to tell me what happened with this tomorrow," Else pointed to Jack's arm, and helped him unlace his trousers. Free of his clothes, he stumbled into bed, his head thick with weariness, apriciation and love for Else.

Else unlaced her gown with little difficulty and stripped down to her snow white soft cotton shift, relishing at the nice cloth for once. She was making ample money in this pirate town. She pulled off her boots and rolled off her stockings, and joined Jack in bed, tired as well. She had been out and around all day, then had to deliver a rather difficult baby; breech.

"I love ya," Jack mumbled half asleep as Else curled up besides him. That surprised her, as he rarely spoke his affection aloud.

"If getting stung by jelly-fish means you say I love you all the time, I think I shall go get a large vat," Else joked, somewhat uncomfortable.

"Else..." Jack moaned, his voice faint.

"I love you too, Jack," Else whispered, and closed her eyes.