(SEVEN)

"I love her."...those words kept playing over and over in Gibbs' head as he stared at Jack.

"What about her?...Does she..."

"I don't know...everything is just happenin so fast. I wasn't planning on sleeping with her again..."

"Again..?"

"Yeah. Look I'll tell you somethin but it cannot leave this room. Got it?"

Gibbs nodded his head and Jack sat down on the bed and motioned for Gibbs to sit on the chair.

"Do ya' remember when Barbossa marooned me and her on that island?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, me and Lizzy got a bit drunk and one thing led to another."

"Drunk? On a deserted island? How...?"

"The rum-runners used to use that island for a cache. That's how I got off the last time. I bartered passage with them...Anyway..."

Elizabeth paced back and forth inside the cabin. She was worried that Gibbs would tell Will what happened. ' Wait...

why am I worried about him telling Will. I'm gonna call off the engagement anyway...'

She sat down on the bed and curled up on her side and closed her eyes...

"How could you?" Will asked, "How could you sleep with...with him? Do I mean nothing to you?'

'"Will it's not like that...It just happened...He...I...We..."

" What...? Look at yourself...? Do you think he'll marry you...Come on Elizabeth...He's a pirate. He doesn't care about

anything but himself."

Elizabeth looked down at her round stomach and felt tears fill her eyes.

"I don't care...I..."

"You don't care?...God you are so naive...think about your father...he's gonna be heartbroken..."

She put her hands over her head and shook her head.

"Shut up...Shut up...Shut up...Shut up...I love him!"

Elizabeth sat up with a gasp her heart pounding in her ears. She looked down to her stomach and began panicking.

' Oh god...what if I...why did we...' she groaned and put her face in her hands.

Her head snapped up as she remembered the last part of the dream. ' It can't be true...There's no way...I don't...'

her thoughts were interuppted when the door opened and Jack stepped through closing it behind him. '...love him...'

Jack looked at the expression on Elizabeth's face as she looked up at him and felt a slight pang in his chest.

"We need ta talk luv..."

She nooded and he sat down at the desk.

"You...you told Gibbs?"

"Yeah...I explained everything to him..."she nodded and opened her mouth to speak...but he cut her off."I need to say

somethin before you speak up luv...I...I love you..."

Elizabeth looked at him carefully and flashed to her dream.' It is true...oh god...I love him.' She opened her mouth to

tell him but he shook his head.

"I don't need you to say anything...I know you don't love me...probably think I'm lying...that my only love is the sea and the pearl...but..." he stopped short as Elizabeth got up and walked towards him with an expression he couldn't read on her

face.

" I don't think your lying...I've heard you say it a couple times, but I didn't say anything...I thought I was dreaming...

I want to tell you...that...I love you too..."She watched his eyes flash and his mouth open but she put her fingers to it and

continued. "But...I think we should slow things down until we get Will back and I can break off our engagement...I'm not stupid...I know that you are not the marrying type...but if it's alright with you I'd like to stay with you on this ship once everything is finished."

Jack smiled and said in a slighlty breathless voice, "Course you can stay luv..." she smiled and pressed her lips against his

cheek.