Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.

AN: I've decided that Will and Elizabeth showing up in this fic might be a good thing. However, it'll be a bit of a wait, since I have a few other surprises due for all of my dear readers. For example, in this chapter, there's a little something steamy involving our favorite pirate captain and his lady! Nothing rated R, but still hot. Please enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review! Thanks!

Chapter 5: Explanations Can Lead to Planning:

After the Storm Chaser was out of view, I turned towards Jack, a frustrated and annoyed look beginning to form on my face. Thankfully, he recognized it for what it was and immediately grabbed my hand, dragging me into our cabin and shutting the door. The click of the lock assured us both that we would not be disturbed, but that was of little comfort, given that I could hear the crewmen gathering outside the door, hoping to listen in on what we had to say.

However, I was too upset with what had happened today to really care if the men heard us screaming or arguing with each other. Let them have their entertainment of hearing their Captain and his fiancée bickering, because it didn't matter to me. We were on a ship at sea, after all, and since I really wanted to talk to Jack, that was just what was going to happen.

"Explain," I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest while I waited for a reply.

Jack gulped almost audibly. "Explain what, luv?" he said, avoiding my gaze.

I huffed. "I mean explain the debt that you owe Hastings!" My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why do I have the sudden feeling that you owe him more than you can pay back?"

I watched as Jack began pacing the floor, his eyes darting between me and the floorboards of the cabin as he tried to think. His lips moved, forming silent words as he began waving his arms and hands around, his pacing turning into a rather odd sway/sashay. If I hadn't been so annoyed with him, the situation with Hastings, and the fact that the Scotsman had tried to steal me from Jack, I would have been amused at the sight. As it was, I was barely holding back from slapping the answers out of him.

Finally, Jack stopped pacing and muttering, his attention turning towards me, though I could tell that he didn't want to explain himself or his past actions to me. I watched several emotions cross his face, and even though I couldn't name some of them, his love for me won out. Sighing, Jack came up to me and reached for my shoulders, his hands drifting down to uncross my arms and wrap my fingers in his jeweled ones.

"You're right, luv," he said, looking into my eyes. "You deserve to know, since it indirectly concerns you, too…so here it is."

It had been an accident, really, a small situation that had happened and was now beyond his control. Just before the mutiny on the Pearl, Jack had found himself involved in a trading session with Gerard Hastings at one of Scotsman's trading houses in Jamaica. A few weeks prior, the Pearl had raided an Italian ship in the Atlantic, and Jack needed to trade most of the goods for coinage. Thinking of his old friend, Jack had immediately set sail for the Caribbean.

During the bargaining session, stacks of coins had been lined up along the center of the table, all of which would be shuffled around according to how much Gerard was willing to pay for the purloined goods. However, some of Jack's men had decided that they wanted a "pretty bauble" or two instead of money, and since a gold earring or a ring was good for a pirate's vanity, Gerry had ordered a small case full of treasures to be brought out. The selection had included rings, bracelets, and earrings, all of them made of silver, gold, or a mixture of both; some even had gemstones in them, a few of which caught even Jack's eye.

Finally, after hours of bargaining, both men were happy with the results. Gerard had his goods, and Jack had enough to pay his crew and give "baubles" to those who wanted them. To celebrate the event, Gerard had sent a man off to fetch a good bottle of whiskey while he settled a business difficulty. This left Jack alone with the case full of treasures that he had just traded for, and since he was Captain of the Black Pearl, he decided to use his higher rank and look through what he'd gotten in order to have a first choice out of it.

Clicking open the box, Jack stirred his fingers through the numerous pieces of jewelry, picking out one or two things every few moments. A blue gem caught his eye, and since it looked to be worth quite a bit more than he expected, Jack decided to keep it to add to his personal collection of gems. A thick, solid gold ring also caught his fancy, and that quickly went on his right hand and onto the first finger. Some glass beads that looked to have been made in Venice, and were bound to be expensive, also found their way into Jack's pockets.

The last thing that caught his eye, the thing that would later cause problems for him, was a silver medallion carved in the shape of a Celtic knot and hung on a necklace. Fancying the thing, Jack had put the necklace into his pocket for safe keeping and promptly forgot about it for quite some time. He then quickly checked to make sure his treasures were tucked away, and had just finished doing so when Gerard returned with his serving man bearing the promised whiskey. After the two had indulged a great deal in drink, they separated with a handshake and the promise to do business together soon. Jack sailed off in the Pearl, and Gerard went back to his business.

Three days later, Jack found himself stranded on a deserted spit of land, his mutinous crew sailing off into the distance with his ship. Fortunately, he still had a few of his effects with him, including the treasures he'd gotten in his bargaining session with Gerard. When the rum-runners came for their cache of alcohol, Jack bartered passage off the island; he gave the necklace, the blue gem, and most of the Venetian glass beads to the rum-runner leader as a "pre-payment" for getting him off the island. A bargain was struck, Jack escaped his prison, and he was soon on his way to get the Black Pearl back.

During his adventures in trying to regain the Pearl, Jack found himself cornered in an alley in Tortuga by a group of Gerard's men. Being the pirate port that it was, there could be no question about Gerry having an office there to do business in. For Jack, though, it was still a shock to be dragged through the streets and tossed onto the floor at Gerry's feet, the Scotsman glaring down at him with furious green eyes all because of a Celtic necklace.

In the end, it wasn't just the necklace itself that caused later problems for Jack; it was the sentimental value that it had for a certain Mr. Hastings. True, the necklace was made of silver, but it wasn't exactly worth a great deal, though it was very well-crafted and quite beautiful. However, the piece had belonged to Gerard's deceased mother, a woman who he had loved very dearly, and who had asked him to keep it close to him to remember her by after she was gone.

How the thing had ended up in the traded treasure box, no one knew, but what Jack did know was that the rum-runner captain he'd given it to was dead, his corpse sinking in the Caribbean waters and the necklace with him. Gerry, of course, was furious as to its loss, and had been about to shoot Jack over it when a bargain was made. In exchange for his life, Jack promised his friend something that was more than enough to help ease the painful loss of the necklace.

He promised a share of the treasure of the Isla de Muerta.

"You promised him what?" I cried, not sure I'd heard him correctly.

Jack winced. "Aye, I promised him a share of the treasure after I got the Pearl back from Barbossa," he said as his fingers gripped my own.

"But…the treasure…it doesn't exist, does it?" I asked, looking at him closely. "I mean, if you did have it, I'm sure you and the crew would be in Tortuga, all of you up to your necks in rum, women, and money if you did get it."

"Well, you see, luv," Jack said hesitatingly. "The Isla de Muerta sort of…got swallowed up by the sea not long after I got the Pearl back."

I groaned. "So you still owe him for the necklace," I said, hanging my head. "Wonderful."

"Aye, so now I owe dear Gerry one of three things: a large sum of money, a big favor, or some other way to make it up to him." I watched as Jack's hands released mine to hang by his sides, his head and shoulder slumped forwards. "And I think that he wants to try and take you from me as that payment. Either that or he wants to try and rip my heart out by trying to win you over right in front of me."

Though I wanted to be mad at him, I couldn't stop the surge of pity inside of me. Looking up at him, I stepped forwards and gave Jack a hug, my arms sliding around his neck to pull him close. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and heard him sigh into my hair, his nose buried in the crook of my neck as he inhaled. Warmth shot through me as I remembered that Jack drew the most comfort when he was hugging me and smelling my hair and skin.

"I love you, Rose," he whispered. "It'd kill me to see you won over by somebody else, and I've no doubt that that's exactly what Gerry has in mind when it comes to his attempts at wooing you."

"Well, then," I said, pulling my head back so that I could look him in the eye. "It's a good thing he's not going to win me over, now, isn't it?"

Jack gave me a small, sad smile. "He's a good man, luv," he said, pulling me closer so that I could feel every line of his body against mine.

"And you're not?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow while giving him a smile. "I know you're a good man, Jack Sparrow. I know this because if you weren't, you wouldn't have saved me from a horrible marriage, brought me onto the Pearl as a crewmember, tended my very first hangover, and nursed me back to health after I was wounded."

He winced at the memory of my being shot. "If I were a good man, I wouldn't have put you into that damned situation in the first place," Jack muttered, pressing his forehead against my own. "I would have kept you in the cabin instead of making you take part in the bloody raid."

"Silly pirate," I whispered, playfully rubbing my nose against his. "I'd have to take part in one raid or another; you couldn't keep me locked up forever without the men thinking me a useless noblewoman, nor taken the risk of them calling you out for your poor judgment in taking me onboard as a crewmember." I gave the tip of his nose a quick kiss. "Besides, how else will I learn to deal with living the life of a pirate without experiencing it firsthand?"

Jack sighed. "Well, Gerry is also tall, dark and handsome," he muttered to me.

"Aye, and so are you," I said with a broad smile. "Well, not tall, but you are taller than me, and you are a very attractive man, Captain Sparrow."

He grinned broadly. "I love it when you call me Captain," he said as he leaned closer, his lips hovering just above mine. "It makes me feel like you're at my command."

"Oh, really?" I said, giggling and his fingers gripped a bit tighter.

"Hmm," was his only reply before he kissed me.

A gentle sigh escaped me as Jack proceeded to kiss and cuddle me. I could feel the heat coming from his body, seeping through his shirt and even his coat to reach me. Gentle, bejeweled hands drifted up and down my back as he held me, and suddenly, I felt myself being lowered onto the bed. A small part of my fogged brain asked how we had gotten here, but another part said that this was Captain Jack Sparrow I was kissing, and that when he was kissing me, anything was possible.

Just then, I felt rough fingers slide underneath my shirt, caressing the skin of my back and sides as they began their exploration of my body. The feel of Jack's talented fingers dancing across my skin was incredible, and before I could stop myself, my back arched, pressing me closer to him while leaving my back open to more of his attention.

Above me, Jack grunted as our bodies met, but I could feel him moan softly in pleasure at how responsive I was being to his touch. His fingers began to stroke slightly higher, brushing against thick black material, the one used to wrap around my chest so that certain "assets" didn't show when my clothes got wet. A slight tug on the wrappings snapped me back to reality and to what could likely happen if this went any further than it already had. Reluctantly, I pulled myself back, away from Jack's intoxicating kiss and from the temptations that it had to offer.

"Jack," I said, trying to sound stern though my voice was breathy.

He sighed, his body sagging over mine, though his hands had stopped their advancement on my body. "I know, luv, I know. I'll stop, though it's killing me to do so."

I merely smiled up at him. "See? You are a good man."

Jack rolled himself off of me as a groan escaped his lips. "Aye, though in this case, it happens to be a bad thing!"

Laughter erupted from Rose's lips, filling the entire the cabin with joy. Staring at his fiancée, Jack grinned. He loved making her smile, but when she laughed…well, he couldn't describe it. What was interesting was that each of her laughs was different, too; her giggle was bubbly and light, her snicker was playful, and best of all, her full-blown laugh just made everyone want to join in with it.

'I really do love this woman,' he thought, looking down from a propped-up elbow as Rose calmed herself down. 'So help me, if Gerry lays one hand on her, I'll rip his fingers off, one by one!'

"Well, what do you say we go visit the crew and let them know we're done killing each other, hmm?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"Oh, yes, that would be wise," Jack declared as he rolled off the bed. "We wouldn't want Gibbs to think it was his time to inherit the Pearl! The crew would never forgive me for a punishment such as that!"

From his standing position, Jack reached down, offering his love a little help up. As Rose slipped her palm into his, Jack couldn't help noticing how well their hands fit together. Was she made for him? Had they been intended for one another since the moment she was born? It was obvious that Rose was younger than him, probably by as much as a decade or more, so was it possible that she was placed here just for him, Captain Jack Sparrow?

'Could I be that lucky?' he thought as he helped her up off the bed. His eyes didn't leave Rose's form, not even as he released his grip on her so she could straighten herself up. 'Could I have such a high standing with the Lord or Whoever is up there that they did this just for me?'

Nah, it couldn't be. After all, Jack had probably committed more than enough acts in his life that would count as sins, probably one for every single culture in the world. There was no way a god, goddess, or Whoever would think highly enough of him to create his soulmate and send her to him like this. True, Jack Sparrow was a lucky man, but not that lucky!

"Jack, are you alright?"

Shaking his head, Jack snapped back to the present. 'Too deep of thoughts,' he chided himself. 'Never get involved in thoughts that deep, or you might never think rightly ever again!'

"Jack, are you listening to me?"

He blinked. "Sorry, luv, what were you saying?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "I said that there's something scratching at the door."

Confused, Jack tilted his head and listened. There was indeed something scratching at the door of the cabin. Walking over, he unlocked it and pulled it open a crack, trying to see what was out there. Something white streaked into the room and jumped onto the bed.

To my surprise and delight, my precious cat leaped onto the bed with a loud 'meow' of displeasure, her green eyes glaring at both myself and at Jack.

"Oh, I'm sorry, precious," I cooed to her. "Have we been ignoring you?"

"Now don't start treating her like she's people, Rose," Jack huffed. "Besides, Gibbs has told me that she's been busy patrolling the galley and the rest of the ship for vermin. Those bloody things can be a right pain to find, and the Pearl is a big place to hide."

I moved over to the bed and scooped up my cat, who amazingly didn't protest. "Still, we shouldn't be ignoring her, Jack," I said. "And she is 'people,' since she does such wonderful work around here." I looked over at him. "Unless you want to demote one of the men to 'rodent duty?'"

Jack snorted. "I don't think the men would appreciate you saying that, luv," he said while glaring in my direction. However, I couldn't tell if he was glaring at me or Ivory, so I decided to ignore it.

"Well, then, she's people," I said, smiling down at my cat, which was now purring contentedly in my arms. "Now, why don't you go talk to the crew while I go down to the galley to prepare dinner?"

Jack sighed before throwing his hands up into the air in surrender. "Alright, alright," he said as he moved towards the door, pulling it open and stepping aside to let me go through first. "Off the two of you go, then."

As I walked past him, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading down below.

Watching her leave, Jack noticed that a few of the men were giving him knowing looks. In return, he glared at them, telling them to get back to work without actually saying anything. The men took the hint and immediately began rushing around the deck and performing their duties. Sighing, Jack closed the door behind him and headed up to the helm, nodding a greeting to Mr. Gibbs, who had taken up the post.

"Cap'n," he said, stepping out of the way so that Jack could take his place. "How goes things between you and Rosie?"

"Everything's fine, Mr. Gibbs," Jack replied. "Just had to…explain certain things about the past that needed to be brought up."

"Aye," Gibbs said, turning to look at the sea as he pulled out his flask. "So, where are we off to next?"

Jack cast a look around the deck, checking to be sure that no one was listening. After being sure that all the men were busy with their chores, he looked back towards his first mate. "We're going to India, Gibbs."

The older man choked on his rum. "India, sir?" he gasped as he tried to regain himself. "Why?"

"Because it's one of the few places that Rose will be safe from Hastings," Jack explained, whipping out his compass and flicking it open. "Gerry doesn't have a base of operations there; it's too overrun by the British Empire, not to mention that he's already tried and failed to do business there."

"Oh, aye, the English don't take too kindly to the Scottish," Gibbs said, nodding as he tucked his flask away. "Besides, I know that Jan, Nidhi and Padma will be happy to see you again, especially since you've finally gotten engaged and all." Nodding his respects, he wondered off to the main deck.

Meanwhile, Jack found himself staring at the ocean, steering the Pearl towards his destination. It would be nice to see Jan again, and he could only imagine the chatter that would go on after Rose told everyone about their engagement! Hell, they might even start planning the wedding right then and there! There would probably be talk about flower arrangements, clothing, jewelry, and gifts flying across the place, boring both him and the crewmen to death.

Not that it would be a bad thing to be married in India, of course. Their outfits for the bride and groom were much better-looking than the English, since they had more colors than just black and white. Jack could easily recall how lovely Rose was in her Indian outfits, the colors ranging from violet, blue, green, and red silk, all of them trimmed in embroideries and/or ribbons of either silver or gold. He couldn't wait to see her in more of those outfits!

'One thing at a time,' he thought to himself. 'First, get Rose safely out of Gerry's reach by getting her to India. After that…well, we'll just have to wait and see!'

AN: Yay, they're heading back to India! Should they marry in India? What do you think? Review!