Greetings, friends! Sorry once again for the long delay in posting, but I just haven't had much time to write here lately. I will do my best to update at least once, hopefully twice a week until this story is completed. I have two others that I am writing as well---thank you for your patience!

I was going to introduce the main villain of the story in this chapter, but decided it was time to bring a little more spice into the story instead...that being said, this chapter will include Jack and Linnet's first romantic moment, (delicious!) and also their first major fight, all within moments of each other...so Ye Be Warned! Rough Waters Ahead! A/N Jack may seem a bit OOC during the fight, but I kind of had to write him that way in order for the fight to come out the way it does. And fear not...Bartholomew Leighton will make his appearance soon! (hiss...boo...hiss)

Also, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this work in progress……It's comments and suggestions from people like you that keep amateur writers like me going!

As always, I do not own any of the characters of Disney's POTC; just the characters and the plot line which seep out of my poor widdle brain!

Now, back to the story!

Chapter 10: Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered…..

The next morning……

Linnet came awake slowly, her sleeping mind sending tendrils of alarm down her spine as her body became aware that the bed beneath her wasn't rocking. As her memory returned, she turned her face away from the bright sunlight which was streaming through the sheer lace curtains and buried her face in the lavender-scented pillows with a deep sigh. She didn't want to move….she wanted nothing more than to stay in this warm, comfortable nest and dream again about a certain pirate captain….

The gentle rapping on her chamber entrance brought her back to reality. The door opened to reveal a rosy-cheeked maid carrying a breakfast tray from which wafted delicious smells that made Linnet's stomach rumble. Smiling shyly, the maid set the tray on a small table and lifted the lid before pouring Linnet a steaming cup of tea. With a deep sigh, Linnet left her warm featherbed and donned a robe and slippers before breaking her fast. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she was surprised to see that it was nearly 10 am.

She answered the maid's inquiry as to whether she would like to bathe with a hearty "T'would be heavenly!". She savored her breakfast of smoked ham, eggs, toast and tea while the maid and two other young girls filled a large copper tub with steaming water. An hour later, Linnet emerged from her room, feeling supremely refreshed after finishing the first leisurely bath she had enjoyed in nearly two months. Her freshly washed chestnut brown hair had been parted in the middle and swept up into a large bun high on her head, with several fat sausage curls falling down to rest on her delicate neck. She had noticed that while the wound in her side was still pink it was much better, and she had actually been able have the maid lace and draw in her corset without pain. She had selected her favorite day gown in which to meet her niece's potential husband, and felt her confidence rise with the knowledge that she looked presentable. The gown was of cranberry colored silk, with elbow length sleeves trimmed with lace and a modest lace fichu tucked into the bosom. Linnet would have been shocked if she knew that the creator of that delicate piece of lace and others like it had done so with the intent of actually drawing the eye toward the assets they so prettily concealed.

Linnet had made her way partly down the first set of stairs when the sound of heavy footsteps in the hall drew her attention. Stepping onto the landing halfway down, her eyes met those of Captain Jack Sparrow, and she was secretly pleased when his startled gaze swept over her with appreciation. The late morning sun was shining through the windows behind her, the shimmering light making her hair appear auburn as it surrounded her. She glided down the remaining stairs, accepting his hand and blushing faintly when he touched his lips to her knuckles as gallantly as any elegant London courtier and sighed.

"Aaahhhhh….it's pretty as a picture you are this morning, Miss Bryce……I'm right tempted to sweep you up and carry you back to The Pearl, willing or not."

Linnet laughed softly and smirked at her charming swain, her green eyes shining with amusement even as her heart fluttered at his words. "I'd wager that I'm not the first unwed female you've said that particular phrase to, and there's probably more than a few married ones you've no doubt charmed as well,...am I correct, Captain?" Jack grinned wickedly and spread his hands in a gesture which silently said 'guilty as charged', before his hands swiftly caught both of hers and pulled her close to her. His actions startled her, and her green eyes flew up to find him looking down at her, his kohl lined eyes strangely tender.

"I'll not deny that I've spent a fair bit o'time in pursuit of pleasurable feminine company, love, but I'm not in the habit of invoking the wrath of Mr. Gibbs and the crew by inviting them aboard me Pearl."

Linnet sighed and shook her head wistfully. "Trust me, Jack Sparrow, I hardly fall into the category of what a pirate like yourself would consider pleasurable feminine company. You'd best save your pretty words for someone who is able to appreciate and act on them." She smiled gently and tried to back away, only to find that he had laced his fingers behind her back and was refusing to release her. Meeting his eyes once more, she found that his expression had gone from tender to serious.

"You think that I'm jesting, sweetheart? What makes you think that I don't have it in my mind to solve this dilemma you and Miranda find yourself in by simply throwing you over my shoulder and sweeping you out to sea? And as far as you not filling my qualifications as pleasurable company…" his left arm came up to brush a stray wisp of hair from her forehead. "Why not let me be the judge of that, hmmmm?" he murmured, and before she could reply he pulled her even closer and kissed her deeply in the middle of the hallway.

'Great Gertrude's garters, he tastes as good as he smells…' Linnet's eyes drifted shut and her brain ceased to function as a tingling sensation swept through her. She instinctively swayed even closer to him, her hands coming to rest on his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat beneath her suddenly too warm palms. He nipped at her bottom lip, and when she gasped in protest, he took the opportune moment to press onward with his sweet assault on her mouth.

'Oh, my…..' Her head spun dizzily as a hundred different sensations ran through her, and she suddenly realized why her roommates at boarding school found kissing so very delightful.Seemingly of their own violation, her hands slipped up and into the hair at the back of Jack's neck as his tongue danced with hers. A strange sound…. 'heavens, am I purring?…' was issuing from deep in her throat, and she felt close to fainting at the strange new sensations. A growl rumbled through his chest as he in turn buried his left hand into her soft curls at the nape of her neck while his other slipped down to the curve of her backside, pressing her even closer.

This sudden action by him upon her person was like suddenly being splashed with a bucket of cold water. She came to the sudden realization that she had lost all sense of propriety, and that she was in danger of melting into a puddle at his feet...all from the power of his devastating kiss. Her eyes flew open and she tore away from his kiss with an outraged gasp, panting as she stepped back to try and catch her breath. "You forget yourself, Captain Sparrow. I'm not some simple maid whose head you can turn with your pretty words and your handsome face. I'm back on dry land, and it's on dry land that I intend to stay."

She noticed that Jack too seemed affected by their romantic interlude, as he was breathing hard and rubbing the back of his neck. He met her furious glare and matched it with one of his own. "And if young Mr. Leighton refuses to wed Miranda and presses his claim against your family, what then? I don't think you realize the danger you're in, Linnet….much more danger than you'd be in aboard the Pearl." He crossed his arms and met her gaze evenly as he pressed his point home. "A young beauty like yourself wouldn't lack for bidders if you end up going to the block, not to mention an angel like Miranda. I'm also just as certain you'd end up spending more time on your back under your new master than on your knees scrubbing floors or polishing silver. There's also no guarantee that you would be sold together….who will protect Miranda then?"

Linnets eyes filled with tears, but she met his harsh questions with angry ones of her own as she glared at him. "You don't think I haven't thought about that possibility? And what of the alternative? You think the solution is that I should just cast aside all my moral upbringing and throw caution to the wind...become the mistress of a pirate captain and sail off to who knows where?" Her green eyes flashed with fury as she shoved him roughly as he moved closer, trying to reassure her. "And what would become of Miranda and I when you tire of me, hmmmm? What would prevent you from tossing us ashore in Tortuga with a bag of gold and your best wishes, Capain? Forgive me for not wanting to take that risk."

Jack was now just as furious as she was and grasping her arms in a bruising grip, he shook her roughly. "Do you really think so little of me, Linnie? Here I've risked not only my life but also the lives of my crew to bring you here, and yet you think I'd abandon you after we've had a bit of slap and tickle? I think you're just afraid to admit that you have feelings for me, luv and that's what's got you running scared."

Linnet pulled free from his grasp and turned her back on him, her voice shaking as she replied. "No, Captain……I don't think you'd intentionally do anything to hurt either myself or my niece---it's not in your nature to be deliberately cruel to anyone as innocent as Miranda." She turned back to face him once more. "And it may please you to know that for once you are right…..I am afraid. In fact, I'm scared half to death of what the future holds for Miranda and myself. To be completely honest, I am afraid of what I feel when I'm around you. I'm afraid to get close to you because I know I'd wake up one day and you'll be gone. Your first love is the sea, Jack, and I can't compete with that….I want all or nothing. I'm half in love with you, Jack, but I won't become anyone's whore, not even yours."

Her superior attitude seemed to irk Jack even more. He released her and stepped back, cocking his head to one side as he stretched out one arm and propped his leaning body against the wall before replying. "So you feel that entering in a mutually satisfying relationship with someone like me would make you a whore, ay? Since you're so keen on being honest with me, allow me to return the favor. It is a known fact that whores do what they have to in order to survive…..and I can't help but notice that you seem content, if not eager, to see young Miranda sold into marriage to ensure your own security….so what does that make you?"

CRACK! (Insert the echo of the slap heard round the world here, mate!)

"You BASTARD!" Linnet sobbed before turning and fleeing back up the stairs, leaving Jack reeling from her powerful blow. While expecting to be hit, he hadn't expected it to be quite so hard, and his head ached from where it had struck the paneled wall. Hearing a shoe scrape nearby, he noticed Will standing in the doorway to the library. Will had a pained expression on his face, and shook his head slowly as he looked at Jack sadly. "I never thought I'd say this, Jack, but for once I really think you deserved that one….and then some!"

Jack stopped rubbing his face and sighed deeply, and for a change he wasn't grinning when he replied.

"For what it's worth, mate, for once I agree with you….."