Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean and no infringement is intended. Please don't sue me. If you do, all I can give you is my toothbrush. That's all I own. And why on earth would you want to take away someone's toothbrush? That's cruel and unusual punishment. Really.

Note: Good heavens! I got so many reviews in only two days! Nearly 20! You guys have no idea how much I love it when you give me reviews; that only makes me update faster, you know. Also, this chapter is mainly dialogue between Elizabeth and Jack. May be boring to some, but mushy to others, and I rather like mushy myself. And they needed some time to "talk things over." So take it as you will.

SHOUT OUTS: Erin McKinley, Sparrow's Swann, ITALIAN BELLA, Lady Kaceemort, gonekrazy3000, Liz Sparrow, Kute Anime Kitty, thecutiedisease, Nyoko Iso, Amanda Michelle, san01, Illicit Ivory, Sugarhighbob, Shay Bo Bay, and an enormous thanks to Lexapower, who still continues to give me helpful reviews. Thanks to ALL of you!

Chapter 6, If I'd Known You First

I'd never really been one to dwell on the future. As a matter of fact, the future had always frightened me. When I was a child, I hated to talk about where I thought I'd be in ten or twenty years, who I thought I'd marry, how many kids I'd have, where I'd live, and how I thought I'd die. But suddenly, sitting beside the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow on some forgotten beach, basking in the glory of the sun, the thought of having a future with him far from frightened me.

I was only afraid of the point in the future where I'd have to tell Will.

"Elizabeth," Jack whispered in the fleeting moment that his lips were separated from mine, "will you regret this later?"

I didn't even have to think about it.

"No. I've never regretted a moment spent with you. Except one."

"And what moment might that be?" Jack asked huskily.

"When I chained you to the ship…" I said quietly, hoping he'd not stop kissing me at reliving the memory.

"Ah, but that is my favorite memory of you and I, Elizabeth. Because then you proved, once and for all, that I did have an effect on you. I'd turned you into a pirate."

"Don't take all the credit! Will had a fair hand in it, Jack," I said with hardly a trace of anger. My voice, to me, sounded foreign; it was full of lust and desire. But at the mention of Will's name, Jack stopped. His fingers no longer ran through my hair; his lips no longer moved hungrily against mine. He backed away from me, looking into my eyes. I saw, hardly believing the sudden turn of events, that there was a great amount of hurt present on his face; it plagued his features, and I felt my heart breaking at the sight of his saddened eyes.

"Will did teach you a lot, eh? How to…handle a sword…take care of yourself…useful things. I've never taught you anything of value, have I, Lizbeth?"

I couldn't believe it. He was jealous of William. The thought was absolutely comical. I began to laugh, not able to stop myself. But when I glanced up at his face again, he was entirely serious. My laughter died away; guilt weighed heavy on my heart. He turned again to look out at the ocean; I thought I saw a mist in his eyes. Then he blinked and it was gone.

"Of course you've taught me things Jack!" I said, taking his face in my hands and turning it toward me. His eyes would not meet mine.

"You fail to realize that the things I've taught you would get you killed."

"You never taught me anything that would me killed!"

"I made you into a pirate. A fine pirate, if I do say so myself, but nonetheless…it's a hanging offense." Jack squinted, and I was sure then that I saw tears in his eyes.

"Jack…are you crying?" I asked.

"What? Of course I'm not crying. What do you take me for, a…eunuch? Sorry, only one eunuch per island, and your precious Will has graciously taken up the part--"

"Oh would you stop calling him 'your precious Will' or 'dear William?' You sound like a whining schoolboy!" I dropped my hands from his face, and he finally looked up at me.

"I don't whine…why would you say that? I've never whined…" Jack said, furrowing his brow. I burst into laughter again. "What's so funny?" I couldn't look at him. Tears were coming out of my eyes. "Elizabeth, what are you going on about?" I covered my mouth with my hands, the image of Jack pouting still burning into my brain. "Tell me!" Every time he spoke, it made me laugh harder. Finally, he turned his body towards me and put his hands on my waist. He moved his fingers around my stomach, tickling me. I only laughed harder, and he continued to torture me, begging me to tell him what was so funny.

"You—you! Oh God I can't breathe! You should've seen your face, Jack!"

"What's wrong with my face?" he asked, putting his hands up to feel it. Eventually, the look of confusion on his face turned to sympathy; he obviously thought I'd gone out of my mind. "Such a perfect body, Lizbeth. Shame that the mind's not all there."

"OH--" I screeched, slapping him hard on the thigh. I began to draw my hand back, but he caught my wrist and pulled it to his face. With his other hand, he uncurled my fingers, which had balled into a fist, and put my palm against his cheek. Once again, my laughter ceased abruptly. He moved my hand up and down against his cheek, and he closed his eyes, his lips in a straight, emotionless line.

"Elizabeth…why do you love William?" he asked softly, still using my hand to caress his cheek, his eyes still tightly closed. The question startled me, and it took me a moment to come up with a reply.

"Uh…because…I've known him forever…and I know his good character."

"So…if you'd found me with that cursed piece of gold around my neck all those years ago…you'd be in love with me instead?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Jack…how am I supposed to know things like that? What kind of question--"

"The kind with enough merit to deserve an answer," he said, taking my hand away from his face, but still holding onto my wrist. He finally opened his eyes and stared into mine; they were urging me to answer his question. "So tell me, Miss Swann…would you be engaged to me instead of William if you'd known me first?"

"Jack…I love you…regardless of how long I've known Will. You know that."

"What did you say? I didn't catch that, love." He wanted to embarrass me as much as possible. I bit my lip and silently cursed him.

"I said I love you. Not like—like a sister loves her brother or a daughter loves her father. As a woman loves a man, Jack. I love you like that." He was completely silent. His grip on my wrist loosened considerably. I still stared down into the sand, turning over handfuls of it with my free hand. Then I felt Jack move in front of me; I looked up and caught him staring at me, his face only inches from mine. We only stared at one another, completely still; the only sounds were that of the ocean, and my heart beating raucously in my chest.

"Elizabeth…do you remember, before, on the Black Pearl, when you chained me to the mast, and you said you weren't sorry?"

I nodded.

"Well…be honest, love…did you mean it?" His eyes were full of curiosity.

"Yes, I did. I wasn't sorry. But I wasn't talking about chaining you to the ship. I was talking about…about…"

"What, Elizabeth?"

"You…when you kissed me. And I kissed you back. I meant that I wasn't sorry about kissing you." Jack's eyes grew wide with realization, and then they were full of humor.

"Oh! So you weren't sorry that you left me to die, then?" he asked, laughter bringing him to life again.

"Of course I was!" I gasped, astonished that he'd even joke about such a thing.

"But you just said--"

"Well I thought you knew what I meant!"

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Lizzie, but I don't read minds!"

"Well then what do you read, Jack?"

"Lips." In an instant, his mouth was on mine again in a passionate kiss. It caught me off guard, and I didn't respond immediately. But when I did, my reply was full of welcome.

His tongue gently stroked my mouth, and I parted my lips slightly to let it in. His tongue explored my mouth, and mine, in turn, wasted no time returning the favor. His kiss was fiery and full of selfish desire, but I liked it. I couldn't get enough of it. But much too soon, he pulled away, gasping for air.

"Lizbeth," he said quietly, "I'd like to teach you something…useful. If you'll let me."

"What is it you want me to learn?" I asked, feeling I already knew the answer to this. And finding I didn't dread it.

"How to make love." Jack winked at me devilishly. I smiled at him as he stood up, took my hand, and pulled me up to my feet. I looked at him strangely.

"But…Jack…surely you don't intend for us to do it while standing?" I asked, confused. Jack raised his eyebrows and smiled at me again.

"How else can you do it?" Jack asked, leading me farther out on the shore, until our feet were very nearly in the ocean. The sun had set by now, the breeze was cool and calming, the perfume of the ocean carried to us on the waves, and the moonlight shimmering down upon us. It was the kind of thing one dreams of, but rarely ever sees.

Finally, he stopped walking, and turned to look at the moon, my hand in his.

"It's beautiful, isn't it Miss Swann?"

"Very much so, Mr. Sparrow." He turned to look at me and leaned towards me. I closed my eyes, expecting to feel his lips on mine. But instead, I felt his head resting on my shoulder, his chin nestled in the crook of my neck.

"Jack…?" He slid one hand around my waist, and the other, still holding my own hand, held it up and out to the side. He lifted his head from my shoulder and grinned.

"Elizabeth Swann, would you do me the honor?"

"Excuse me?"

"Dance with me." Jack began swaying to the side, moving my body with his.

"I thought you were going to teach me how to make love, Jack."

"But there are many different kinds of love, Lizbeth, as I'm sure you've found out for yourself." A moment passed in silence as I absorbed the incredible romantic setting of the moment. Jack had never been so free with me. I felt sure that he'd gotten his hands on some rum.

"But Jack…we've no music! How--"

"Music is merely someone banging a stick on a pan and calling it a beat. Do you really want music…now?" Jack began to move more quickly, and I felt wet sand under my bare feet.

"You have no idea how strange you are, Jack Sparrow."

"I've always been 'strange,' lass."

"But even more so now…" Finally, I'd decided to help him out a bit. I put one hand on his shoulder and began to move with him, allowing him to lead.

"Jack, do you really think I don't know how to dance?"

"Never doubted it, but you wouldn't be so eager to dance if I'd told you that's what we were doing."

"I might have…you can't know that…" I said, feeling once again a pouting girl.

"Just like you can't know if you love me or your William more? Forgive me, but I sense a hint of familiarity, and can't help but to point it out."

I felt my jaw drop at this undeserved statement. I didn't stop dancing, but I did slow down, and purposely stepped—heavily—on his foot. He grunted in pain.

"How dare you! You don't know how I feel! Why I should love you at all is beyond me!" Jack looked at me with amusement in his eyes.

"Let's count the number of reasons why you should, then. First of all, the first time I met you I saved your life. Remember that, Lizzie? Then I saved it again…and again…and you've hardly ever given me a heartfelt 'thank you,' now have you? And I can't recall a time when you ever saved my life. So the real question is, 'why should I love you,' Lizzie dear."

"I've said thank you many times before, I'm sure of it. And I've told you countless times that I love you! What more do you want from me? How shall I prove it?"

Jack stopped moving. I didn't, though, and I tripped over his leg. I fell into the sand face-down, and Jack laughed at me. I wiped the sand off my face and looked up at him.

"Oh, don't put yourself out trying to help me up!" I growled angrily. Jack bent to help me, still laughing. Then a terrible thing happened. He straightened up, his eyes wide, as his hand flew to his back. He screamed in pain and fell to the sand beside me; he was breathing hard and staring off into space.

"Jack! What happened? What's wrong?"

"You…you make me forget myself, Elizabeth." He spoke in gasps, biting his lip to get his mind off the pain. I sat up and crawled over to him; I reached out and gripped his hand, tears in my eyes.

"You shouldn't have done it, Jack."

"It's only right for a gent to help a lady up, is it not?"

"I meant…your back. You shouldn't have…" I couldn't say it. I looked away, and he squeezed my hand. I glanced at him again, and he was staring at me, a weak smile on his face. "You will get well, as surely as I sit here."

"Ah…but do you really sit there? It's taken all of me to convince myself it's not a dream." Jack smiled more widely, and so help me, I couldn't stop myself from leaning down and kissing his perfect lips.

They were as soft as ever, but his kiss was weak instead of passionate. I wished I could curb his pain somehow, but I couldn't think of any way. I slipped a hand to his face and leaned farther into the kiss. Jack had picked his head up slightly; he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me down into him. I felt his tongue enter my mouth and let my hands caress his chest.

Then his lips slipped away from my mouth and began sucking at my neck while his hands toyed with my buttons, teasing me. I rested my face on the side of his head as he continued to kiss me.

"Oh my God!"

"That good, eh?" Jack said between wet kisses.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You just said, "Oh my God," Jack said, backing away, looking up into my eyes. "Didn't you?"

I shook my head. "I thought you said it." We looked at one another, and I was sure he was playing a prank on me. Then I heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked.

I looked up, expecting to see Davy Jones, or Barbossa, or anyone other than the man before me. Adrenaline pulsed rapidly through me as I fought to speak.

"Will!" I screamed, but he didn't respond; his face was full of hate and pain. Then, to my horror, Will pulled the trigger, and I heard the gunshot echoing in the night.

End Chapter

Oh how I love this chapter! I do believe it is my favorite! But tell me what you think…in a review! And by the way, thanks SO much to all of you who've added this story to your favorites and/or me to your favorites. I feel all warm and fuzzy!