"Lizzie!"

Elizabeth jumped as Jack burst into her room, eyes wide with terror.

"What is it now?" she asked.

"It's horrible. I won't stand for it!" he exclaimed, waving his hand around as if trying to emphasize his point.

"Won't stand for what?" she asked a little more anxiously.

"Your girl worker people…," he struggled.

"Maids?"

"Aha! Yes, them!" he said triumphantly.

"What did they do to you?"

"Oh, it's terrible! They're trying to get me into a bath!"

She raised her eyebrows. "And what's so terrible about that?"

"Everything!"

She sighed and smacked one of her hands to her forehead rather roughtly. It had only been a few hours, but she could tell that letting Jack stay at the mansion had been a big mistake on her part. He was everything the societal life was not. He was entertaining yes, and wonderful company, but every little detail of her life now seemed to cause a problem with him.

"Jack, there is nothing wrong with being clean every now and then."

"Me? I'm fine," he attempted. "I smell fine."

"I'm sure you don't, but I've just grown so used to it that I can't tell."

"Exactly! Then I see no point."

"But that's just me, and not the rest of the world."

"The world's a big place Lizzie."

"Do it or I'll kick you out," she said through partially gritted teeth.

"I would happily go, love, but I have certain affairs that I need to discuss with you before I can do so."

"You can tell me over dinner," she replied, "after you've bathed."

"No." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "I refuse."

"Jack," she said in a threateningly low voice.

"No. You can't make me."

She sighed. "I probably could, but I really don't want to." She paused for a minute, and then a smile suddenly formed on her lips. "But then again, I suppose this is rather good practice for when I have a child to look after."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She sighed again. "It means you're acting rather childish. Honestly Jack, grow up."

"I am grown up. I'm older than you."

"Well you certainly don't act like it."

"Pirate, love."

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as well. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with anything."

"Fine Jack, like I said before, I give up." She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Just go."

"Go where?" He looked around the room.

"Just go."

"Oh, right. Much thanks, Lizzie love."

He left the room and closed the door behind him. Once she was sure he was gone, she groaned and flopped back on her bed. Why did she still have to work when she just got home? Jack could be much more work than she needed, let alone wanted.

She looked up when there was a quiet knock at her door and mumbled, "Come in."

The door was slowly opened and a rather shy Emily peered inside. She hesitated for a minute, but then said, "Begging your pardon Miss Elizabeth."

She looked up again, but this time her face brightened. "Hello Emily."

The young maid smiled meekly back. "Sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"No, not at all. I was just…" she fell back again and sighed. "I was just pondering on a rather impossible situation I have been shoved into."

Emily blinked. "Excuse me?"

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. I suppose it is of little or no importance. Now, what was it that you needed?"

"Oh, it was just that your bath is ready."

She sighed. "Thank you. I'll be there in a minute."

"Aye Miss." Emily curtsied and exited the room, leaving Elizabeth alone once again.

She rose to her feet and walked over to her vanity and mirror. She frowned at what she saw. She looked dead, or at least on the way to it. Her skin wasn't as glossy as normal, and she had dark circles under her once bright youthful eyes. She was still just twenty-one, but it seemed that all her tiresome work was finally catching up with her.

With a yawn, she shuffled out of her room and down the hallway to the bathroom where a warm soak awaited her, having no idea of the infuriating events that would take place as she resided in that room.

Elizabeth sighed as Emily added another bucket of warm water to her bath. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the frame of the bath which worked as a perfect rest. I have no idea why Jack is so against this, she thought with a slight smile, but he has no idea what he's missing.

Emily hummed as she worked, darting around the bathroom, straightening things up as well as attending to Elizabeth. Once the counters were well organized and spotless, she sauntered over to her mistress and sat on a little bench directly behind her. She was humming a waltz that Elizabeth didn't recognize, but it was still very beautiful.

She tilted her head back even further as Emily began to run a brush through her still-dry hair. After a minute, she was instructed to dunk her head in the water, being careful not to get any of the soap-bubbled surface in her eyes. Elizabeth obliged to her maid's commands, too relaxed to ponder on the fact that she was perfectly capable of doing this all herself. But she was so lazy, it felt nice to not have to lift a finger after all the work she had done. And Emily was so thorough and gentle, almost impossibly perfect. Oh how she loved the quirks that came with being Governor.

"Lean back please," called Emily's soft songbird voice.

Elizabeth leaned her head back against the edge again, this time so that Emily could shampoo her hair. The rich luscious smell of lavender and jasmine soon filled her nostrils, making her breathe in deeply and smile.

"You like that smell, Miss?" Emily herself had the same content and sleepy look on her face, no doubt due to the many things found in the bathroom that greatly appealed to the senses. Besides the delicious smell of the floral shampoo, the steam that filled the room also helped to turn the atmosphere into a calming and quiet haven.

Elizabeth allowed her eyes to slip closed as Emily continued to thoroughly lather her hair. She was so relaxed that she was completely unaware of the heavy and swift footsteps outside in the hallway. The next moment, the door was thrown open, instantly snapping her from her trance. She didn't know whose scream was louder, hers, Emily's, or Jack's. He had rushed into the room, and his reaction showed that he had no idea where he was going. His eyes were wide, wide with the same terror that he had showed Elizabeth not thirty minutes ago.

Elizabeth clamped her hand over her mouth to stop her screaming. She flushed bright scarlet and forced herself to look directly at Jack. She was unbelievably thankful for all the bubbles and soap filling her bath, dying the water a milky color almost impossible to see through. Still, she fought the urge to curl herself up into a ball and wrap her arms across her chest.

"Jack…" she started, trying her hardest to sound threatening.

"I'm sorry love! I didn't know you were in here." His words came out a rapid speed that made it hard for her to understand him. "I was just…"

He instantly froze and his eyes widened even further, if possible. Elizabeth watched him stand as still as a rock and raised one of her eyebrows. "Jack, what is going on?"

He remained unmoving for a minute, but then he brought a finger up to his lips and motioned for her to be quiet. She growled in annoyance, wanting very much to just hurl him out of the room and slam the door. But she knew she was currently in no position to do that.

"Jack."

"Shhhhh!"

She opened her mouth to retort, but closed it as the sound of something heavy and quite possibly metal hitting a wall boomed from downstairs. Jack jumped slightly in terror as a loud and frustrated scream followed. Soon a pair of feet could be heard bounding up the stairs. Elizabeth could tell that whoever they belonged to was angry, and she had a pretty good idea of who that person was.

Jack ran to the back corner of the bathroom, where a large cupboard was. Without hesitation he yanked the doors open and forced himself inside. The doors quickly shut just as Mary came bursting into the room, eyes wild with rage.

Elizabeth groaned and let her head fall back against the rim rather hard. She was never going to be able to finish her bath. But what annoyed her most was the fact that her privacy had been intruded upon, which was huge hit to her pride. That was entirely Jack's fault.

"Where is that bastard?!" Mary screeched, looking from Elizabeth to Emily, who still hadn't moved since Jack's appearance. "Where is he!?"

Elizabeth sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead. Good Lord…what has he done now?

Mary tightened her grip on the metal pan that she had brought with her from the kitchen as she continued her ranting. "I'll rip him limb from limb! Just wait until I get my hands on him!"

Oh dear…Elizabeth thought. She knew Mary could have quite a temper, but she had never seen her blow up like this before. Jack really must have done something, and she wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"Mary, I…" she started, but was interrupted by the furious young cook.

"I know he came in here!" she yelled. "I know it! And just you wait…"

"Mary!" Elizabeth growled, her patience wearing thin. "Will you please just tell me what the hell is going on and then get the hell out!"

She watched as Mary stared at her with wide eyes and lowered her raised pan, and knew it had been a bad decision to yell at her. Mary was a very sensitive girl and could easily have her confidence struck down. And Elizabeth knew that she looked to her for leadership and guidance…but also for comfort. And now she felt terrible for momentarily letting her anger control her actions.

She dunked her head in the bath to rid her hair of the thick shampoo, and then she jumped out and grabbed her robe from where it hung by the counter. Slowly, she walked over to Mary and pulled her into a tight embrace as the young girl began to cry.

"Lizzie," she sobbed into Elizabeth's chest.

"Shhh," Elizabeth soothed, lightly running her fingers along Mary's thick black hair. While it was true that the girls were only five years apart, Elizabeth seemed so much older in so many ways. She was definitely the dominatrix of the household; there was no doubt about that.

"Oh, what's wrong with me!?" she cried.

"There's nothing wrong with you Mary," she said lightly. "You're just sensitive. I'm sorry, it was terrible of me to yell at you like that."

"How do you do it?" she asked, pulling away so she could look up into her mistress' face.

She looked slightly confused. "Do what?"

"How are you so strong?"

Elizabeth let out a short laugh. "You really think I'm strong?"

Mary nodded as she began to wipe away her tears. Elizabeth let go of her and crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep warm, as the air was colder out of the water, despite the steam.

"Well…I suppose I've gotten stronger. Last year I was a mess; I wish you could have seen me. I was so lost and confused. But then I met Jack, and he brought out a newer, tougher side of me. He and Will both helped me drastically." She smirked. "Maybe I just need to throw you out on a pirate ship for a few weeks. That'll work."

"Only if you're with me," she said, her voice still shaky.

Elizabeth laughed. "Then there'd be no point."

"But I can't let you out of my sight," she whispered. "I'm too afraid."

She sighed. "Oh Mary, there's no need to be scared. The world is safer than it was before, you know that."

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I do. Thanks to you."

"Not only me."

Mary gave a small smile. "Yes, you had some help."

"Or rather, I helped someone else." Suddenly, her posture tensed a bit and she narrowed her eyes. "Speaking of that particular person reminds me; what did he do to you?"

Mary sighed. "Well…I guess I overreacted a bit. I really didn't need to-"

Elizabeth put up a hand to stop her. She shook her head and looked straight into the girl's eyes. "We're talking about Jack here. I don't think there's a way not to overreact." She sighed. "But that's not the point. The point is he did something, and I've never seen you react that way. What did he do? Oh, and by the way," she said, glancing back over her shoulder at Emily, who hadn't moved throughout the whole ordeal. "You can leave if you want Emily. I don't think I'll be finishing my bath until tonight. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Miss Elizabeth," she said quietly. She curtsied to her and then walked out the door, a slight fault in her steps.

"Now tell me," Elizabeth demanded, reaching out and putting her hand under Mary's chin, forcing her to meet her eyes.

She sighed. "Well, I was down in the kitchen making lunch for you and myself, when he sauntered in. He really startled me; I didn't hear him come in. He got up behind me and asked what I was doing, and I jumped and almost hit him in the head with the ladle." She paused. "I really should have. Then nothing would have happened."

Elizabeth smiled and dropped her hand. "Yes, you should have, but you didn't. Next time don't think better of it."

She nodded. "I won't. So then, he apologized for scaring me and asked me again what I was doing. I told him I was making your lunch, and he asked if he could help. I didn't trust him, so I said no." She sighed. "But I did have to go get a few herbs down from the storage cellar, so I told him to watch and make sure that nothing burned. I doubted he'd be able to actually do that, but I let it go. Another stupid mistake."

Elizabeth laughed. "Let me guess…"

"Everything was a burned black when I got back. I'd instructed him to stir the pasta if it started to stick or burn. Of course, he didn't follow instructions." She shook her head. "He's exactly like you described him in all your stories, but I was really hoping that he wouldn't actually be like that."

"Is that what happened then?"

"Well…that was part of it. That's what got me really frustrated. But what got me completely livid was something else entirely." She paused for a minute until Elizabeth willed her on.

"Well…you know how my mum gave me her diamond engagement ring before she died?"

She nodded. "Yes…"

"Well, I always take it off when I'm cooking, just in case something could happen to it."

Elizabeth let out a low groan. "I know where this is going." She pressed her hand to her forehead and mumbled something incoherent.

"I'd left it on the counter when I went to get the herbs. I'd forgotten to take it; I would never leave it there with a pirate in the house, no matter how good a man you claim him to be. But I guess I was distracted." She shook her head. "When I got back up, he had it. I don't think he was going to steal it or anything, he honestly did look curious, but I didn't care. No one can touch that ring. It's the most valuable thing I own. You're the only one I would ever trust to handle it." She let out a deep sigh. "Of course I was furious; I grabbed a pan and hurled it at him. He's quick though, I'll give him that. He dropped my ring and ran for it. I tried to hit him again, but missed and gave the wall quite a beating. I wasn't going to let him get away though; not for the life of me."

By the time she finished, her hands were balled up into fists and her teeth were gritted together. Elizabeth gently took her hands and straightened them, and then she laid a gentle hand on Mary's cheek. She instantly relaxed, and looked as if she were about to burst into tears again.

"Mary," she said soothingly. "Calm down. There's no need for tears. You have your ring back, right?"

She slowly nodded and held up her hand for Elizabeth to see. The beautiful diamonds sparkled in the few rays of sunlight trickling through the glass window.

"Good. So now everything's alright."

Mary nodded again and relaxed. "I'm sorry."

She smiled. "It's alright. I don't mind."

"I'm sorry for interrupting your bath too…" she said meekly.

Elizabeth shook her head. "You didn't."

She looked at her questionably. "What?"

"I'm afraid someone beat you to it."

Mary flushed and her eyes grew wide. "Oh god, Lizzie! I'm so sorry!"

She just laughed. "Oh well, its fine. What's done is done." She paused and pressed a finger under her jaw. "Which reminds me…"

She tightened the belt of her robe and walked to the back corner cabinet. She gently rapped on the wooden doors. "Jack, I think its time you came out."

When there was no response, she knocked again, only a little harder.

"Jack! Get out!"

"I'm quite happy in here, thank you very much," he called from inside.

"I don't think so, Captain Sparrow." She pulled the doors open and he fell out and hit the floor with a jolt. When he got back on his feet, he was shaking slightly. His eyes were still wide as he glanced from Elizabeth to Mary, whose expression had quickly turned from shocked to infuriated.

"I'm just going to…" He started for the door, but Elizabeth grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to her.

"Oh no; you're not going anywhere. You owe both of us an apology."

"I already apologized to you!" He gave her his signature grin. "Besides, it's not like I got to see anything."

She growled and pushed him away. "Jack!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry I ruined bath time for you, love."

She let out another growl.

"What?"

She sighed in frustration. "Never mind, just apologize to Mary."

"For what?! She tried to kill me with a bloody pot!"

"It was a pan," Mary hissed, raising the pan for emphasis.

Jack waved his hands at her in dismissal. "Whatever."

"Jack, you need to apologize."

"What are you, my mother?"

The muscles in her jaw tightened. "Jack, just do it."

He crossed his arms. "Make me."

"As Pirate King of the Brethren Court, I demand it of you."

He scowled. "I hate it when you use that against me."

She shrugged.

"Don't forget that you became king under my doing."

"I haven't forgotten, but that doesn't change anything."

Jack scowled again, but he turned towards Mary anyway. "I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did."

"You burned my cooking!" she screeched.

"I did not! That was your own fault."

"It was not. And you took my mother's engagement ring!"

"No I didn't. It's right there on your hand!"

"Yes, but you were going to-"

"Quiet!" Elizabeth screamed, stepping between them with her arms out. "Both of you."

Jack turned away and crossed his arms again. Mary balled her hands up again and bit on her lip, fighting back tears. She turned on her heel and ran out of the room.

"Jack," Elizabeth said quietly after a minute. "Come here."

He hesitated, but dropped his arms and walked up to her.

"Closer." She motioned with her finger for him to come closer.

Again, he hesitated, but gave in because her voice was so tempting.

She smiled warmly at him for a minute and leaned in almost like she was going to kiss him, but as he began to lean in she quickly brought back her hand and slapped him sharply across the face.

He staggered back in pain; she had never slapped him before. She had a strong arm. Before he could open his mouth, she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOU'RE MIND, YOU BLOODY IDIOT!!"

Jack flinched away from her powerful voice, but remained where he stood. "Now hold on a minute, love. That's hardly fair."

"I don't give a damn about what's fair and what's not! If you are going to live in my house, for no matter how short a time, you have to follow the rules. I'm disappointed in you and Mary, but she has a right to be upset. Jack, I know I've said this to you before, but GROW UP!!"

He opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it. He crossed his arms ago and straightened up as much as he could. "Fine, King Turner, I'm going out for a few hours. Don't expect me until dusk."

She eased up a bit. "Fine; I'll see you then."

Without a backward glance, he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Elizabeth sighed and glanced around her at the soap-filled bath and the steam that still hung in the air.

She was finally alone.

(A/N:) Gah! Time goes by sooooo fast! I'm so sorry for making you all wait so long! I've been taking a break from writing for a few weeks to catch up on some reading. I am now officially OBSESSED with Twilight! I love it even more than Pirates!! (and believe me...that is quite a frightening thought) I read all three books in five days and now own them all in hard-cover. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself until August!! The wait for the fourth one is already killing me! Whoever you are, if you haven't read Twilight, you simply have to! They're fantastic!! So that's my excuse for not writing...

Anyway, even though I'm spending a ton more time obsessing over bella and edward (so love!!) I'll NEVER stop loving pirates, no matter what happens. so don't worry...this story isn't going to be left unfinished ;) Please forgive me for making you wait, and please review! Thanks everyone!

-Lizzie :)