Disclaimer: (Looks around) Shh! I'm hunting for Jack Sparrow! This means he's not mine…yet.

AN: Yes, it is time for (trumpets sound)….Jack and Rose's wedding! Well, technically the wedding is at the end of the chapter, but it's still there! The beginning is sappy, but that's okay, right? Here's the outfit for the first half of the chapter: www (dot) hinab (dot) com (slash) sarees (slash) s17.htm Finally, the link to the wedding gown that I chose is on my bio page; I hope you all like it. Don't forget to review!

Chapter 10: Romance and Weddings:

Yawning, Jack stretched out on the bed and rolled onto his left shoulder. Beside him, Rose slept peacefully on her stomach, her lovely face turned towards him, blissfully calm as a small smile pulled at her lips. Even though there was a great deal about his fiancée that Jack Sparrow loved and admired, the one thing he prized above all others was watching her sleep.

'It's like watching either an angel or a goddess during her rest,' he thought, grinning as he carefully slipped his right arm around her waist. Rose sighed in contentment as she responded to his touch, snuggling closer to place her head upon his bare chest as he rolled onto his back.

Jack couldn't keep the grin off of his face. In all his life, he never thought that he would be happy with merely snuggling with a woman. While he would dearly love to do more to her, the fact that Rose was so adamant about staying pure for their honeymoon had to be admired. Therefore, Jack respected her wish, keeping his advances to nothing more than heated kisses, passionate caresses, and the occasional tease or naughty look.

He closed his eyes as a breath burst from Rose's lips, warming the skin of his chest and soothing him back towards sleep. An image of their day on the beach flashed through his mind, and he made a quick oath to repeat the event today. It had been over two weeks since that picnic, and in between the frantic plans coming together, Jack had once again seen little of the woman he loved. It was driving him to the point of insanity, though he had to give both Jan and the Whelp credit for doing their best to keep him distracted.

'I never thought I'd see the day where even the Pearl couldn't keep me occupied,' he thought, glancing down at Rose's face.

No, even the beauty of the Pearl couldn't distract him from Rose for very long. Once the Pearl's hull had been cleaned of barnacles, Jack had taken to checking every inch of the ship in an effort to keep busy. He had even looked in on Rose's cat, Ivory, who had decided to stay on the Pearl and keep watch for any vermin that might try to sneak onboard. He had already found a few of the dead critters around the deck, and had had to dump them into the nearest trash heap.

Again Rose sighed, and again Jack savored the feel of her breath against his skin. 'Definitely have to plan another picnic,' he thought, bringing a hand up to caress her hair.

But first, a little more sleep…

I awoke to the feeling of something tickling my nose. Raising a hand, I brushed the thing away before letting myself relax back into my pillows. The sensation happened once more, this time causing me to sneeze just the tiniest bit. My eyes flew open as I tried to find the culprit, only to discover a well-dressed Jack Sparrow standing beside the bed. I gave him my best glare even as I looked over his outfit; today he was clad in a red shirt, brown pants, and brown boots. As usual, his hair was covered by a red bandana that matched his shirt. Handsome as he was, I was still angry at being woken up.

"What do you think you're doing?" I huffed, pulling some stray hair out of my eyes.

He grinned. "Why, waking a lovely sleeping goddess, of course," Jack replied, tossing something aside as he leaned down to kiss me.

I accepted the kiss, but quickly rolled onto my side, facing away from him. "I hate to disappoint you, Captain Sparrow, but this particular goddess is going back to sleep," I said, closing my eyes. I could almost hear him pouting. "Besides, I was up forever last night getting my wedding dress fitted for the ceremony; I think I deserve a bit more rest!"

Jack chuckled as he climbed onto the bed, one arm wrapping around my waist as he pressed his lips to my ear. "Well, then, it's a good thing I managed to arrange another picnic on the beach for us, now, isn't it?" he whispered, giving my neck a swift kiss.

My eyes flew open. "Picnic?" I asked, feeling more alert and cheerful. "As in, just the two of us?"

"Aye," he whispered while giving my neck another kiss. "Now, what do you say?"

I didn't reply, just threw the sheets aside and practically leaped from the bed to get to the wardrobe. As I was rummaging through the piles of silk, embroidery, and beads, I could hear Jack laughing behind me. Turning around to face him, I saw him holding out a beautiful outfit dyed several hues. Looking at it carefully, I took it from him and spread it out on the bed.

The veil itself was made up of several colors shading from dark blue, to purple, then to a light sky-blue. Meanwhile, the outfit itself was in two parts: a pale blue top that revealed my stomach area, and the skirt that went from light blue darkening into a deep purple. The entire thing was covered in flowered embroidery, and I couldn't help but blush when holding up the top for inspection, pressing it against me to see if it would fit.

"Captain Sparrow! I do believe that you like seeing me in such inappropriate dresses!" I said, turning my head and fluttering my eyelashes at him.

Jack's eyes darkened as he gave me a suggestive look. "I'd have to be dead not to want to see you that way, luv," he said huskily. "Now, why don't you change while I retrieve our meals for the day?"

Giving me a quick kiss on the lips, he was soon out the door, leaving me to my own devices. Shaking my head with a smile, I quickly stepped behind the changing screen and slipped out of my nightgown.

The outfit was of silk and would have been practically weightless had it not been for the embroidery. As it was, it was perfectly light and thin, allowing me to feel the cool breezes coming off of the sea without fear of growing too warm in the heat of the day. I was more than ready for the beach.

Jack had soon returned to our rooms, arriving just as I had finished dressing and braiding my hair behind my head. He wanted me to wear some jewelry, but I refused; I didn't want to risk losing it in the sands, and I feared Nidhi's wrath if that were to happen. Instead, I put my veil over my head and around my face to ward off the sun, taking Jack's arm as he led me towards our destination.

We arrived at the same exact beach that we had been at two weeks before. Again Jack spread a large blanket on the sand and the two of us sat down for a light breakfast. Bread, fruit, and tea filled our stomachs as Jack and I carefully fed each other. I felt a bit silly, as this was the first time we had finger-fed one another, but Jack clearly enjoyed it, so I indulged him. Besides, Jack had developed the wonderful habit of kissing me immediately after putting a bit of fruit in my mouth, which, in my point of view, only made the meal more pleasurable.

After we'd eaten, Jack stretched out on the blanket, his head in my lap so that he could gaze up at me. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair, avoiding his dreadlocks and bangles. I had never really touched his hair in such an intimate manner before, and it surprised me at how soft his brown hair was. Even though I had never seen him actually wash his hair, that didn't mean he didn't do it when I wasn't watching him.

Beneath my hand, Jack sighed and closed his eyes. "Perfect," he muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

I laughed. "Yes, it most certainly is," I said, fingers burrowing deeper into his hair. I swear I could feel him purr beneath my touch.

One of his eyes cracked open to look up at me. "So…care to tell me what your wedding dress looks like?" Jack asked with a grin.

Huffing, I used my free hand to slap him gently on the chest. "You know the groom isn't supposed to know anything about the bride's dress!" I said, pouting slightly. "It's a secret. All you have to do is put on your proper attire, go down to the gardens and wait for the ceremony to start!"

Jack snorted as he shut his eyes again. "Alright, luv, I won't ask about the dress," he conceded. "I won't argue with you, especially since we won't be able to see each other tomorrow."

I sighed and began running my fingers through his hair again. Jack was obviously upset over the fact that we wouldn't be seeing one another until the actual wedding ceremony. It had to be done, however; there was still much to be finished, and both of us needed to be briefed on our roles in the ceremony. After supper, I would be sleeping tonight and tomorrow night in Padma's room, following the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the ceremony.

"I know it will be hard," I whispered to him. A twitch of his lips told me he was listening. "But we've made it this long without seeing much of one another…"

Jack opened his eyes, focusing those deep, chocolate-brown orbs on me as he gave me a smile. "I know, darling," he said, reaching up to take my free hand and place it over his heart. "It just hits me right here knowing that I can't see you until the wedding day itself."

Touched, I bent down and kissed him softly on the lips. Jack eagerly returned my kiss, his free hand reaching up to keep us connected until the need for air overpowered us. He released me then, the two of us breathing hard as he sat up. One of his arms slid around my waist and pulled me to him, rolling me on top of him as he fell back onto the blanket. I squealed as he did this, causing him to laugh.

"No worries, luv," he said as we settled down, my head on top of his chest as his fingers began to undo my braid. Once my hair was loose, he returned the gentle combing caresses that I had given him earlier. "No worries at all. We'll make it, and the next time I see you will be when you're walking up the aisle to me, dressed as my bride."

I smiled and placed a hand over his chest, one finger slipping beneath the collar of his shirt to tickle his skin. Jack grunted, his hand moving from my hair to my hand. "Stop that, luv."

I giggled, but stopped. "Is the big, bad pirate ticklish?" I teased, grinning as I looked at him.

He snorted. "The big, bad pirate most certainly is not," Jack retorted, though his lips were twitching. "I just prefer that your hands be busy elsewhere."

I was about to reply when he rolled me onto my back, his body following, and I soon found myself pinned beneath him, his lips hovering just above mine as his brown eyes sparkled. Pouting, I looked up at him through my eyelashes; Jack merely grinned at me.

"Now, now," he gently chided me. "None of that…"

And then he kissed me.

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and clear. Jack, however, woke in his own room feeling rather moody. He hadn't seen his fiancée for more than a day, and he was ready to strangle someone because of it. Ever since they'd returned from their all-day picnic on the beach, Jack hadn't seen a single glimpse of his bride-to-be; Padma, Nidhi and Elizabeth had all made sure of that! Even the Whelp was against him!

'Bloody William won't even help me sneak in to see her,' Jack thought to himself as he rolled out of bed. 'The lad's probably afraid of what Elizabeth will do to him if he tries!'

Still, he had to give Will some credit; the poor man had done everything in his power to distract Jack from missing Rose, and had suffered from the pirate captain's moods as payment for it. Even Jan had been at the end of his ropes, trying to teach Jack how to dress for the ceremony and constantly asking if Jack wanted any rum to calm his nerves.

Running a hand over his head, Jack had to smile. 'I owe them a great deal for putting up with me,' he thought as he headed for the bathroom. Putting a towel around his neck, he began trimming his beard for the ceremony. 'I'll have to give Will something nice to give to Lizzie…Lord knows that the boy's happiest when he's trying to make his wife happy!'

The same could actually be said for Jack himself; whenever he was making Rose happy was a time when Captain Jack Sparrow was a contented and pleased man. After today, he would be doing everything in his power to keep a smile on Rose's lovely face.

Once his beard was trimmed, Jack looked himself over. Should he clean up his hair as well? Unlike most pirates, Jack took care to wash his hair as often as possible; the thought of fleas and biting insects was not a pleasant one, so he did his best to rub soap and special herbal mixes into his hair at least twice a week. His hair was clean now, in fact, having washed it last night before bed. But should he trim out his beads and bangles?

'No, Rose would never forgive me,' Jack thought, pushing the idea aside. 'Just keep it neat and clean, Jack.' In the end, he merely smoothed out any knots that had formed while he had slept.

Sighing, Jack looked at the clothes lying on a chair nearby. Since the outfit had been with the seamstresses and the seamstresses had been helping Rose with her dress, Will had gone to fetch it from them the previous night. The shimmering white shirt was made of silk and had gold designs and embroidery all over it. A white bandana, a gold sash, a pair of white pants, and white slipper-shoes with more gold embroidery completed the outfit.

'I hate dressing in white,' he thought with a frown. 'It always gets dirty. Plus, I look bad in it.'

Well, it was his wedding day, and if it meant that much to his girl, he'd do it. Pulling himself together, Jack reached for the outfit and got dressed.

I was so nervous, I thought I was going to be sick. I had taken one look at the breakfast tray and had promptly put it into Padma's hands, begging her to take it away. Nidhi had merely taken the tray instead, insisting that I eat or else I would faint during the ceremony. Reluctantly, I ate a bit of bread, fruit, and some cheese, though I could barely taste any of it. Once I had eaten enough to satisfy my friends, they began helping me into my wedding gown and jewelry...or, at least, Lizzie tried to help.

"Ouch!" I cried, my hands going to protect my scalp, my numerous gold bracelets jingling as I did so.

"Sorry!" Elizabeth cried as she attempted to weave the hairpiece in place with strands of my hair. "I'm just not sure how to do this!"

Padma sighed. "I'll do it," she said, gently pushing Lizzie aside. "You can help arrange the dress around Rose's body when I am finished and she can stand."

Elizabeth danced in place, apparently very pleased with the switch. I breathed a sigh of relief; instead of tugging at my hair, Lizzie was going to be tugging at the red silk of my dress, which would be far less painful. Besides, I would rather have Padma doing my hair, since it was an Indian headpiece anyway. Glancing down into my lap, I twisted my bracelets nervously. Going against tradition, I had chosen a red gown instead of the usual white; since white was what I had been about to marry the English lord in back home, I had decided that red would be the one I would use for this wedding.

Never in my life had I seen such a wonderful shade of red. The silk was richer than any ruby could hope to be, and it shimmered so that I felt I could swim in it. Best of all was the incredible gold and silver embroidery that decorated the edges of the gown. It wasn't just the edges, though; silver and gold starbursts, flower designs, and sparkling beads and crystals covered the entire thing, all of which had taken the seamstresses weeks to finish.

"You look beautiful," Nidhi said as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Now, Padma is finished with your hair; it is time to fully arrange the dress so we may go down to the gardens."

Nervously, I stood up, letting my friends fuss around me while thoughts of Jack filled my head.

"For goodness sakes, Jack, stop fussing!" Will hissed through his teeth. "You'll rip the fabric!"

Jack turned and glared at him. "I have a right to be nervous!" he quietly snapped so that the guests couldn't hear. "And why are you performing this ceremony, anyway? I could do it myself!"

"Rose asked me to," Will replied calmly, his eyes looking over the attendants, mostly formed of Jack's crew, Will's own crew, and Jan's immediate family. "Since I'm a ship's captain, she thought it best; she also didn't want a Hindu ceremony, so she asked me."

Trying not to curse, Jack bit his tongue and waited. A large flowered arch stood over him, covered in white and red exotic blossoms that filled the air with their spicy perfume. The mid-morning sun was hidden behind tall trees so that it was cooler and more pleasant to stand outside. However, none of this managed to ease the nerves of the poor groom, who stood nervously pulling at his collar. He finally stopped when the small orchestra of Indian musicians began playing a Hindu wedding march.

Turning around, Jack felt as though he should fall to his knees in worship. There, standing at the end of the aisle, stood Rose, her entire body covered in shimmering red silk; gold and silver threads, beads, and crystals made her into the vibrant goddess he had always known her to be beneath her mortal form. A beautiful, intricate hairpiece of rubies in gold and silver wires was woven down the center of her hairline, and her veil was delicately perched just under it, the cloth flowing over her arms like a red-gold-and-silver cloud. As she walked towards him, Jack could swear she was glowing.

'Oh, bugger,' he thought, trying to prevent himself from genuflecting before her. 'Me, an outlaw and a pirate, am marrying the most divine woman on Earth! What did I ever do to deserve this honor?'

As Rose glided up to join him, Jack swallowed hard. When she smiled, he felt himself smiling back.

I couldn't remember much of the ceremony after that. The moment I had seen Jack standing there, completely dressed in white silks and glowing a golden yellow from the sun's rays, I couldn't remember a thing. I remembered taking his hands in mine and William beginning the short wedding sermon that all captains knew. All I had wanted was a short ceremony, though Padma had wanted otherwise; I had refused her ideas, saying she would have to be happy with designing my wedding gown and helping with the rest. She had agreed, though I could tell she was disappointed.

Looking up at my fiancé's face, I could tell he was in awe of me. I could see the love he had for me glowing in his brown eyes, a love that was only overshadowed by the joy he felt in marrying me. Inside my heart and soul, I felt a warmth I had never felt before, along with a sense of completion that I thought I would never have in my life.

I absently heard Will ask me a question, to which I replied, "I do," as a ring slipped over my finger.

Silently, I sent a thankful prayer up to the Higher Powers, thanking them for sending me Jack and for us meeting at that tavern.

Staring at the wonderful woman before him, Jack felt his heart race. He was here, getting married, and as she stared up at him with glowing eyes, he was sure that he must have done something good in his life to deserve her. He didn't know what or when that had been, but someone upstairs must have liked what they had seen him do!

Swallowing hard, he answered William's question. "I do." A ring slipped over his left ringfinger.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," William declared. From the tone of his voice, he was smiling.

Fearing that the vision before him would vanish, Jack reached out and grabbed her, pulling Rose into the one kiss that would seal them together forever. All around them, the crowd cheered, though he ignored it in favor of the woman so passionately pressed against him. When they separated for air, he looked down at her.

"I love you," they both whispered at once.

Grinning, Jack kissed her again, just as the sun peaked up over the tops of the trees to wrap them in light and warmth.

AN: That's the wedding! The reception is in the next chapter. Review!