Rosaline and Jack walked in the moonlight in silence for a while, being cautious not to get too close to the edge of the woods. Eventually they ended up leant against the rocky side of the mountain. Jack felt awkward, and had a sinking sense of foreboding that he wasn't going to be able to get out of this. Rosaline stared at him intently, but his eyes did not return the favour.

"I was right, wasn't I?" She said, quietly, even though there was no one there to hear them anymore.

"Aye." Jack muttered.

"I don't think you should make a joke of your problems Jack. I don't think you should always have to hide, to put on an act." She paused, "And I don't think you have to any more."

"Is that right?"

"You aren't making this very easy for me." Rosaline admitted.

"It's not something I tend to make a habit of luv."

"And having deep and meaningfuls with pirates isn't in my general routine. But things change." Rosaline's hand rested on his knee. It was like the roles had been reversed. Jack was the one who didn't want to talk, and Rosaline was the one who just wanted to understand why he was feeling this way.

"You really don't want to get involved here." Jack told her seriously, "I'm the ideal bloke for an impulsive fling, based entirely on lust. I'm not the relationship type, savvy?" Rosaline raised her eyebrow,

"Neither am I." She whispered. "How's that worked for you so far?" Jack didn't say anything, and the two of the sat in silence for a while longer.

"Do you want to know something?" Jack asked her, breaking the silence,

"You're going to tell me anyway."

"This voyage has been one of the most difficult of me entire career."

"Because of me?"

"It has something to do with you." Jack admitted, "On one hand, you've been a distraction, a nuisance and a general pain in the neck," Rosaline gave him a look that told him to get on with 'the other hand' part, "But," Jack obliged, "I don't think I would have made it this far without you. And I don't mean when I got shot." Rosaline felt her heart melt. Oh god, I can't help it, I'm going to be in love with this man by the end of this conversation.

"Thank you." She whispered. She didn't know what else to say. She felt more important than the other women, she wasn't jealous because she knew for a fact that Jack was choosing to tell her this instead of speaking to anyone else.

Jack looked up at her, deep into her eyes. Rosaline could no longer see the mask Jack had thrown up in front of himself. All she could see in his eyes genuine truth. And she believed it. For once. Jack reached out his hand, and swept a stray lock of hair out of her face. Rosaline held out her own hand, and wrapped it round the back of his neck.

Jack leant into her, and they held each other tightly, knowing for the first time that all they wanted to do at that moment was hold each other forever.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you, I didn't believe you," Rosaline whispered, "I was so stupidly jealous of what turned out to be nothing."

"It's actually not such a bad thing to hear," Jack said back, "But I do have women practically falling at me feet, y' should be jealous luv."

Rosaline laughed. She knew Jack was trying to lighten the mood, but they needed to sort through everything. If he put up his screen again, and laughed everything off, Rosaline would still not know what she needed to know, and Jack wouldn't have shared what he needed to share.

Rosaline rubbed her hand over his back, and stroked his hair with her other hand.

"Do you want to talk about Marti?"

"Not really."

"But you know that if you do…" Rosaline left the statement open, hoping against hope that Jack would take the bait.

"If I do, I know you'll be here to listen." Jack pulled away slightly, so they were facing each other, still close enough to be able to feel each other's breath on their faces.

"I always will be." She told him. Jack frowned,

"Always?"

"If that's what you want." Rosaline was suddenly hit by the thought that what she wanted might not be the same for him. Jack looked down, and then back at her, his eyes searching in hers for some hint that what he was about to say was the right thing.

"I… I don't like this…" He indicated their situation, and Rosaline knew he meant the awkward conversation, "But for some reason… this is what I want."

"This is what you need." Rosaline said, tears pricking her eyes, "You can't spend your life keeping your thoughts locked away like this. Look at Savannah. That's what she did, isn't it? She didn't talk about her husband's death, and look at what she's been driven to." Jack nodded, "What is it Jack? What have you been hiding all these years? What have you never been able to talk about?"

"Betrayal, right? That was the thing you felt when you found out about Clay's bloody wager." Rosaline nodded. "That's the story of my bloody life. Never seem to learn though, never saw it coming. Every time it happened."

"Barbosa." Rosaline offered,

"Him," Jack agreed, but Rosaline got the feeling there was more to it.

"Who else?"

"Me crew." Jack pointed out, "Turned on me just like that."

"That's not it."

"It is."

"No it's not."

"Well it's all I'm going to say."

"Jack,"

"What?"

"Tell me what it is. Please." Jack sighed. This woman was as stubborn as he was.

"Fine. If y' really want to know, and it'll completely change yer opinion of me, and I might have to kill y' to stop y' telling any one else."

"Shut up and tell me."

"I told y' that the last time I cried I were only a boy. I was nine years old, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Me mother left a note on the table, sayin' she'd run off with some bloke. That was it. No goodbye, no this is where I'm going. No nothing."

"Oh Jack…" Rosaline didn't know what to say. She had a mother and a father, who had always been happily married, as long as she could remember.

"Maybe it wouldn' have been so bad if she hadn' promised not to. No matter how bad things got with 'er and me old man, she would never leave." Jack's voice shook, and Rosaline pulled him close to her and wrapped her arms around him so tightly she thought she would never be able to let go.

"You almost put a black mark on me record," Jack muttered his voice muffled in her hair,

"Why?"

"I haven't shed one pathetic tear even in me own cabin, for all the years I've been at sea. But when I thought I'd lost you… I thought you'd hate me…"

"I did hate you." Rosaline said, "or rather, I hated the idea that you'd lied to me. But I can see now. I can see what my heart has been yelling at me for the last few days,"

"What as that?"

"That I don't hate you."

"I'd hoped that you didn't by now, actually,"

"My feelings since then have become quite the opposite." Jack's eyes narrowed, and he regarded her closely,

"What are you saying luv?"

"That's what I'm saying." Rosaline said, letting out a nervous giggle, "I've gone and done the one thing I never thought I would do. I've fallen in love with a pirate." Jack spluttered and coughed,

"What?"

"You heard me." Jack's eyes scanned their surrounding, his mind trying to process this unexpected information.

"Bloody hell," Jack let out a low whistle,

"What?"

"I just realised something."

"What?"

"I've never told any one what I just told you. Not even Ana, and I tell her everything. And I…" Jack searched for the words, "I…" Rosaline grabbed his shoulders and kissed him.

Jack hadn't been expecting this at all, but wasn't complaining. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leant backward so they ended up laid in the grass. Rosaline pulled away after quite a while, and Jack stared breathlessly into her eyes.

"I love you." He whispered. Rosaline looked down at him,

"I love you too."

"I can see right up yer nose." Jack grinned. Rosaline smacked his chest but Jack dragged her back down before she could retaliate.            

BrendaC, dude, I'm so glad you like the story, and I'm really sorry for leaving you hanging there like that! I've not been able to connect to the internet for days, something wrong with my modem or something! Keep reading! I promise there'll be another chapter up tomorrow as well, if I have to buy a new computer to get it there!

Love you all,

Savvy Z!