. Disclaimer: Right, this is the second-from-last chapter and I'm very proud of it, it does have sexual content in it so don't say I didn't warn you. It's also my first attempt at fusing story and a song together: The first time by U2 as it's a Parallel to Jack's Story - Love being Olivia, father being Caleb, brother being Gibbs etc. Hope you enjoy it and please review as I worked very hard on it :0) Edit: Just a few changes people, nothing to worry about...Enjoy!

Ruby-Rose woke suddenly as Jack shifted his body too quickly beneath her, it took her a while to realise she was curled up in his lap; the candle was burning through it's last inch of wax and the room was turning all the gloomier. The young pirate felt vulnerable and weak her injury still sapping her strength after nearly two hours of sleep but all the fear melted away once she took a glimpse of Jack: His hazel eyes shining in the candlelight and a smile that foretold of relief and humble satisfaction – She found it odd that only then she had decided that it was safe and that the worst was over, it worried her how easily she fell back into being so dependent on him. Too many years without an equal, someone to run to when luck would turn against her and the world caved in. Anthony Roivas was quite an illustrious distraction she could never say she regretted the relationship but she had always known that the fires of passion, desire and love lay with Jack Sparrow. Yet still it was too high a price to pay; her reputation would never recover if she let her heart rule her head for she would be just another mistress.

"Feeling any better Liv?" Jack quizzed in a whisper as he clasped his hand around her shoulder and drew her nearer to him, she hesitated at first but any honest intimacy was hard to come by in her profession and she just wanted to forget the world for a while.

"A little…I'm starting to wish I stayed at home - how did you get past stockade anyway" She croaked

"A lot of Sparrow showmanship and a lot of booty that's how…Dad had to use that gold you won from your quartermaster"

"Ah looks like another re-match is imminent then….I knew I should have hid that somewhere"

"Ruby-Rose we used it to save you, we thought about leaving you alone to sort out your own mess but I'm glad we came" Jack replied, astounded by the young woman's complaints but at least she was slipping back to her old self.

The Pirate princess repented the crude comment by stroking her guardian's face and smiled apologetically before she had time to think about it she continued to prove her regret by placing a chaste by tender kiss upon Jack's lips. She leaned away from him and instead of burdening him with an undeserving glance of guilt she nestled her head under his neck and muddled through her feelings on her own.

"Not this time Olivia, soldiers are probably combing the place for us right now…it's only a matter of time before we head back to where we sprung you" Jack explained, grazing his lips against her forehead and stroking her hair in a bid to steady Ruby-Rose's shattered nerves.

"You want us to wait for them, to admit defeat? That's not like you – why is it so quiet what have you done with my crew Jack?" Ruby-Rose demanded as she sat up from his embrace and stared at him with stern eyes…Jack laughed under his breath as he noted that no better trait to get a person moving again than stubbornness.

"See that's not really true, Dad took command when we realised how sick you were…our crew did their best for this ship and are hiding out on the Pearl until we're re-captured"

"WHAT? Jacoby Sparrow that is the most hare-brained scheme I've ever bared witness to…have you and the old man lost your mind? What pirate would give himself up!" Ruby-Rose bellowed, exasperated at such a reckless idea – it comforted her somewhat for at least she knew where her own devil-may-care attitude came from.

"Hear me out Liv you know you are far too impulsive for your own good" Jack groaned impatiently.

Poseidon's flower scowled at him with a look of disdain for his intentional hypocrisy, over the course of his absence he had missed the amusement of riling her; of ruffling her feathers then marvelling at her passionate reactions whether spoken or silent it didn't matter…it was something that fascinated him and made him love her all the more.

"Dad took The Black Pearl and is hiding out at the other end of the coast in a bid to fool Arlington and his men that we've been left behind…He'll track us down and just storm another prison"

"Well let's hope they don't leave it too late" She added nervously

They sat in silence and Ruby-Rose preoccupied herself by fumbling with Jack's shirt, absent-mindedly teasing him as her fingers danced over his exposed chest

"I'm sorry I dragged you and your crew into this Jack, things went pear-shaped rather quickly I did not expect it to escalate so damn quickly"

"We've been through this, what's done is done we just have to get through this and see what happens"

"Well that's ridiculously complacent of you, anybody would think it was you that was ill" The young captain grinned

"Well perhaps your wild misadventures had forced me to take stock of my own"

"Now you're starting to worry me, you are not cut out for nursemaid duties are you?"

"I'm being serious Ruby-Rose, I can only do this for so long and then what – there is not much I own; just the pearl and my reputation and the great sea but the last is a little pointless as the sea belongs to everyone"

Ruby-Rose looked up at Jack with a solemn expression on her face; her heart was starting to beat faster as she was not sure what to make of Jack's morbid philosophy. It was not like him to be so deep and reflective unless there was a real weight on his shoulders, it had unnerved her for it made her curious but the result was far from what she was expecting.

"Dad is right fate has not been very kind to us but as with everything else you make the best of things and for my part I have not, point of fact I've been an ungracious swine" Jack confessed, briefly biting his lip and revealing the rarity of his vulnerability exposed.

"What are you talking about Jack, you're not making any sense…perhaps you should rest I'm well enough to-"

"I'm saying I love you Olivia…there I said it; A man gets to a certain point in his life where pride and decorum are not everything; I love you Olivia, for your courage, for you spirit, for the absolute madness you seem to relish in but for the integrity to see it through"

The young girl was frozen to the spot, her eyes widened with surprise and well as the hint of fear and for a moment Jack thought he had committed one of the worst mistakes of his life. He turned away from her in shame and had started to raise her up so he could make a cowardly exit but Olivia's hand came up to his cheek and she gently coaxed him back into her gaze. She began stroking his face until the self –disgust went away and she could see Jack understand that the declaration was welcome.

Ruby-Rose just sat there with a smile that Jack was captivated by; he could not stop wondering if such a blissful moment would go awry so he waited for luck to bring him confirmation that it would not be stolen from him. Olivia traced her finger over the corner of his mouth and slowly leaned her own mouth closer to his before succumbing to the passion that had been held back for so long. Jack sat up and snaked his arm around her waist, intentionally brushing his hand under her breast. Relieved to find that Olivia did not flinch' he quickly asserted his dominance as he grasped her by the neck and pulled her deeper into his embrace, deeper into the kiss – it was only then he took notice of how much he desired her. He was a man who knew many sins of the flesh but he also was a captain with engagements and responsibilities to his ship and crew, it was only now that he had her in his arms that he acknowledged how suppressed his emotions really were.

The two of them frowned as they heard angry voices in the distance they heard the rumble of marching soldiers and knew that they were to face a showdown…possibly their last.

"Any regrets?" Ruby-Rose whispered while gazing at the cabin door before looking into Jack's eyes, she attempted to make the comment playful and unassuming but Jack knew better than that.

"Any man whether he be ruthless or benevolent always has regrets at some point in his life…and I am no exception"

Jack turned his hand under the young captain's chin and cast out her fears by meeting her gaze with eyes of love and humility.

"But with you I do harbour a regret with you, with us…never" He answered softly and with that he kissed her and felt an overwhelming sense of peace and belonging as Ruby-Rose clasped her hand around his wrist.

A thunderous noise broke them apart their heads snapping to attention as Arthur Arlington and a band of zealous officers burst into the room.

"Good Morrow Mister Sparrow, you and your kin have an awful habit of causing as much disruption as possible would you not agree?" Arlington sneered.

"Well I do my best to accommodate my Lord; living up to expectations, having a reputation to perfect – you know how it is" He aired sarcastically, feeling Ruby-Rose tense up in his arms he knew instantly who he was confronting.

"Tell me Lord Arlington was your niece the only child that was put in your charge, see I'd hate to be picky but you left a lot to be desired as far as responsibility goes – You're not a financier are you?" Jack taunted

"Your remarks are of little consequence to me Captain – Search him"

"I'm unarmed, how pray tell do you expect me to handle a weapon when there's a load to carry hmm?"

Ruby-Rose glared at him as the comment stung a little deeper than he actually intended, his raised his left eyebrow to assert that his playful manner was still on display. Ruby-Rose shook her head but Jack still managed to find the faintest of smiles on her face.

"Really Jack, you cannot expect a man of my standing to take the word of a pirate; my misguided lieutenant is proof of that" Arthur stated haughtily, nodded to the guard that stood rigidly at the door and promptly escorted the disorientated Anthony Roivas into the cabin.

"No influence is more dangerous than an undisclosed love affair" Arthur groaned while Roivas kept his hand to his scalp where Gibbs had pistol whipped him a few hours before.

Ruby-Rose's eye widened as her contemptuous uncle held a truth in his had that could cause not only two deaths but a court-martial and perhaps death by firing squad.

'Anthony would not be that careless would he; to forsake his career, his own life…for a worthless vendetta' she thought to herself

"You are mad to think that I would liaise with an officer of the navy? To risk my freedom, my people my life for what, love? Ha!" Ruby-Rose chided, she caught the hurt and bitter disappointment in Anthony's face but she could do nothing to comfort him, for she was undergoing a very theatrical bluff and the stakes were far too high to forsake it.

"Ah what better way to stab a beating heart than with raw cynicism and cruelty…I'm impressed young one I was beginning to think you were too kind!"

"Cruelty is a far better tool for manipulation…you yourself taught me that dear uncle" She retorted furiously, all the while she had the will to defy her uncle but it was only when she stood up did she realise that body and mind had not re-connected as quickly as she had hoped. Jack stood up just in time to catch her; roping a protective arm around her waist they stood there together, side by side; fearless and defiant.

"Enough with this meaningless folly take them away!" Arlington ordered, the guards closed in on the couple but Jack threw a satchel of clothes into one officer's direction to create some space between them. He hushed one last murmur of comfort to his pirate princess before picking her up again, Ruby-Rose could see through the window that dawn was breaking and her appointment with the gallows wasn't too long now. She curled her arms under the nape of his neck and drew herself closer to him comforted by the fact that if the wound has sapped her strength and courage then perhaps Jack's own would aid her recovery. Smiling dreamily as she felt his hand protectively curl around her shoulder once more, being in the presence of safety and love eased her anxiety and before she knew it she had fallen asleep again.

When her eyes opened again she found herself lying on her stomach, her bandaged arm resting inches away from her with a blotch of pink and red being the remaining evidence that any harm had befallen her. She was slow to grasp her surroundings; instead of a grotty mattress she felt warmth beneath her and she realised her cheek was lying against Jack's warm flesh. Ruby-Rose raised her head and was met with two potholes along his waist.

"Who did this to you?" She asked groggily

"It's an old war wound Liv, it's nothing to worry about – That's the only way they caught me; by shooting me with a rifle how else did you think I got my mark?" Jack explained matter-of-factly.

Ruby-Rose sat back against Jack's legs and assessed his battered and bruised body; the bullet wounds, the scars, the brand of the East India trade company and a band of red flesh across his forearm; it was this wound that she was most alarmed by.

"Courtesy of a fellow soldier of fortune that had the upper hand of our disagreement in the shape of fire, hot coals and a piece of lead" Jack continued almost embarrassed by the fuss and watched her lustfully as she pawed the arm and kissed the injury. She smoothed her hands over the potholes that sent a shiver down his spine, it was only then that she noticed that her bodice has gone and she was now dressed in Jack's shirt and coat.

"It appears you have some battle wounds of your own…and I'm guessing Dad does not know about the delightful little tattoo on you back"

"Well I guess I should be relieved that you're the one that stripped me and not the idiots guarding this place – and no he does not and I would appreciate it if he never did"

"Does that include the lashes as well?"

"Of course, why would you ask such a question?" She snapped, being intentionally rhetorical which never failed to irritate him

"You're going to tell me about it then?"

"I don't have to tell you everything Jack"

Ruby-Rose turned her face away and moved to the edge of the bed, turning her back against him. Unfazed by her rejection he shifted himself further along the mattress and slipped his coat off her shoulders all the while it never occurred to Olivia to protest but that was until he raised the shirt high above her shoulders. The cold air coaxing out the goose pimples on her skin, he brushed the back of his fingers along the broken lines of tissue, Olivia flinched as she felt the cold metal of his signet ring creep along the wounds.

"Jack d-don't" She gasped, it was a weak protest and Jack was experienced enough to know the different shades of desire and it was not always as heated and obvious as most would expect; he wanted her and she wanted him all he had to do was to destroy the emotional barrier that Ruby-Rose hid behind.

"About a year ago my crew and I were in the city of Carthage; we fell into bad company and a violently proud mercenary accused me of double-crossing him with some gold bullion he had…seven licks from the old cat was my punishment" Ruby-Rose continued, desperately trying to thwart Jack's advances by recollecting a day she would rather forget.

Jack momentarily halted his serious display of love and affection only to ask one question.

"Did you get even with the brute?

Ruby-Rose chuckled then flinched again as Jack's mischief-making lead him to trail his hands underneath her breast.

"…Well I wanted to right a wrong; get to the bottom of whoever cheated me but I was running out of time so we fought I won and left him in some stocks"

Ruby-Rose felt a tingle as Jack smiled and sighed at the ferocity of Olivia's wild yet weary spirit.

""That's my girl…" He concluded before returning to the matter at hand; continuing to kiss the scars as if wanting to cast them out and return her porcelain skin back to it's former glory.

Ruby-Rose began to murmur another pointless protest when he took hold of her neck and pulled down her body back into his embrace, Ruby-Rose could have broke away and remain as diligent as she always was but rationality was quickly waning: The need for an enduring fire of passion to be quenched now held the lion's share of the young captain's focus.

'If I face death on this day,' tis better to die with a heart that's full than a heart that's hollow' She thought

Olivia discarded the last of her fears and reached out to Jack initially alarmed by the sudden rush of enthusiasm he quickly matched her ardent fervour with his, hungrily seeking her lips with his own before calming her down cupping her face. Ruby-Rose manoeuvred herself back to the centre of the mattress once she did Jack caged her body with his own, placing his arms on either side of the pillow.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Jack asked, a strong yet wistful comment cementing a fact Olivia knew all along – Nobility was a gift to all men, whether they wore silks or rags.

"There are many things in life Jack Sparrow that are uncertain…but this, this is certain, this is sure" She replied huskily and rewarded his consideration with a kiss that was both tender yet coaxing. Jack clasped his hands over his lover's head and gladly gave in to the taunting, briefly breaking away from her as he could not stop the smile that lingered on his lips.

I have a lover, a lover like no other
she got soul, soul, soul, sweet soul
And she teach me how to sing.

Shows me colours when there's none to see
gives me hope when I can't believe
that for the first time I feel love.

Ruby-Rose pulled him further down with her until she could feel his muscles relax, he slid his forearms along the mattress until his knuckles were pressed against the wall, tending to Olivia's neck with butterfly kisses before flicking his tongue along her collarbone and drifting to the softness of her bosom, kissing the beautiful mound of flesh with his mouth and cold nimble, fingers. Olivia groaned quietly for she knew despite the maximum security cell for high walls and a thick iron door the guards were not too far away and she was adamant that this hour would be hers and Jack's alone. Digging her nails into his long jet black hair while the pirate ventured further and further down her curvaceous frame and discarding her pantalets with one strong tug. Fervour and tremendous mirth ripped through her soul as Jack started to tease the most sensitive of flesh with his lips towering over her once the body relented to the most joyous of games. Out of nowhere Jack's lust suddenly became carnivorous; kissing Olivia suddenly became as sudden need as if there was nothing else, his fear of losing such a beautiful moment to bitter reality had provoked his carnal instincts. For one lonesome, shallow instant he had the same insatiable need as the harlots that pleased him back in Tortuga

I have a brother, when I'm a brother in need
I spend my whole time running
He spends his running after me.

When I feel myself going down
I just call and he comes around.
But for the first time I feel love.

"Jack – Jack stop, I'm not going anywhere….I'm not going anywhere" Olivia soothed as her sweated palm settled against his cheek, it astounded him how quickly the anguish had faded after hearing her sweet words. He decided there and to be sincere and as honest as he made love to her for it would be the nearest to those traits Jack Sparrow would ever be. He gasped loudly as Olivia's teasing brought him out of his thoughts; tucking her fingers under his breeches she slipped them off one tantalisingly slow inch after another

He kissed her chastely as a surreal sense of guilt washed over him but in keeping with the promise soon laid it to rest as he slowly entered her: Agonisingly careful thrusts at first but his worry soon evaporated as their internal heat intensified. Olivia grabbed at his broad shoulders and pressed her face against Jack's chest while a deep groan escaped her lips, the tickle of her warm breath against his skin lured him further to the edge adding a little more vigour with every thrust. With their senses stretched as far as they would go, Jack nestled his head beside Ruby-Rose's and panted heavily. A faint smile spread across his face as he finally found what his spent most of his life searching for…his equal

My father is a rich man, he wears a rich man's cloak.
He gave me the keys to his kingdom (coming)
Gave me a cup of gold.

He said "I have many mansions
And there are many rooms to see."

But I left by the back door
And I threw away the key.
And I threw away the key.

Jack sat up to retrieve his breeches and pulled them back on, without a word he slipped down to the floor and sat on his knees, for one horrendous moment Olivia had thought had regretted what had just happened: Covering herself with his jacket in a bid to hold unto something if her fear was to become a reality.

"What's the matter Jack…are you s-sorry?" She stammered, taking a deep breath as she waited for his reply.

"No, never – It's just I have something to show you, I never thought it was in me to do this but it's at our father's request" He explained as he fumbled with the velvet pouch that weighed lighter since all the jewels and nuggets were put to good blackmailing use.

"Request what kind of request?" Olivia sighed as she knelt in front of him; Jack took one last dreamy glance at her before he took the ring out and placed it in his open palm

She gasped as the topaz gleamed in the morning light, hypnotized by the jewel before logic prevailed as she looked back at her lover – a dozen questions swimming in her head

"…To make an honest woman out of you Ruby-Rose, well as honest as our kind will ever get" He replied, attempting to add his renowned theatrical humour to what really was a double-edged scene.

"Why; because of what just happened, or because we are about to die?"

"This is not a simple task to perform for anyone my girl, let alone the likes of me" He grumbled.

"Why do it then, I know you too well Jack Sparrow to believe that you have suddenly turned monogamous…Why are you doing this?"

"Do not accuse me of admitting defeat young miss for I have experienced many a noose around my neck but I think I'm really going to swing this time" Jack implored earnestly

"So you do it out of desperation; to make amends to the world and all it's woes or more importantly to your woes" She chided

Jack's eyes flicked with hurt and he coughed out his nervousness and disappointment of laying bare his soul only for it to be rejected, yet with it all he persisted:

"I do this for you, I do this for us and yes perhaps with some selfishness I do it for myself…Everyone always goes on about finding peace or contentment well what's so wrong about a pirate wanting those things?"

"We do not live like that Jack's that's why"

"Well maybe we should start to, look at my parents they were happy"

"They began new lives Jack, if they stayed in that ridiculous classed society they never would have known each other"

"They gave it up to find happiness elsewhere and they did – don't you get it? It's why I want to take the chance Olivia because they do happen"

Olivia bit her lower lip in quiet contemplation before a cautious smile crept on her face and she raised her left hand out.

"Very well Jacoby I will marry you" She playfully accepted, although her sarcasm would not let it go so easily: The gallows is not the best place for an engagement is it?

She was expecting Jack to help her stand up and became puzzled when her took her hands and shifted himself closer to her.

"I Jacoby Isaiah Sparrow; Patron of Poseidon, Master and Commander of The Black Pearl take thee Olivia Rose Arlington-Fletcher to be my wedded wife, to love, honour as much as I can and cherish. To be my shelter when dark days surround me, to be my salvation when enemies hound me and to catch horizons with for the rest of my days"

Olivia was stunned yet captivated by the beauty of the pirate's pledge; a version announcing their own sanctity of marriage only without law or religion. It was bound by nothing but faith and mutual love between a man and woman, oddly enough despite all the obvious drawbacks of a seemingly weak vow it lasted almost as long as piracy itself.

Olivia took her adoptive father's wedding ring and with trembling fingers slipped it along her lover's. Jack then took her left hand, kissed her knuckles then slipped his mother's ring along her thin finger, relieved to find that it were around the same size as the ring's previous owner.

"I Olivia Rose Arlington-Fletcher; Patron of Poseidon, Mistress and Commander of The Oracle take thee Jacoby Isaiah Sparrow to be my wedded husband to love, honour and cherish, to seek thy sanctuary in you to find loyalty that's earnest and true and to gaze on as many starlit skies with for the rest of my days"

Their bodies fell together and Jack could feel her raise up in his arms as she cupped his face, somehow they used each other as support and picked themselves off the floor and Jack ripped off his breeches once more: For he was a man with confidence now, a man that finally had something precious to his name other than a weary vessel he spent ten years of his life pursuing. Smiling shyly as they fell on the bed Jack resumed his worship of Olivia's ivory skin as it moved with the battered Olive texture of his own. Jack gently turned his bride on her back tucking her arm beneath her abdomen as he wanted too much to take the scars away but at least he would be there to chase the memories away. He lay beside her and pulled her on her side, clasping at her hip his hand slithered down to her core and Olivia instinctively moulded their bodies together. Placing his teeth against the tattoo Jack marvelled at the wonderment at the view of a small and delightful rose tattoo that lay on a porcelain shoulder blade was all his. He cupped her breast as she reached for him with a kiss of longing and fury, grinding herself back and fourth, Jack nestled his face against her neck to stifle his groans until finally a primal moan ushered his climax and he slipped back down on the bed, roping his arms around Olivia he weaved his fingers through hers and feel asleep in a tight but blissful embrace.

For the first time, for the first time
For the first time, I feel love.