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

AN: Sorry this is late; I went on vacation for Thanksgiving, so please forgive me! And yes, I know cliffhangers are evil, but that's just the twisted way that I work. Have fun reading, and please review!

Chapter 19: Aftermath:

I was in a daze, everything around me seemed to disappear and all that remained was the fact that I was in Jack's arms and that he was kissing me. His lips were so soft, like a baby bird's feather or a butterfly's wing, and I couldn't resist him as he pulled be closer to his body, his arms wrapping protectively and possessively around me.

I could feel him groan as he kissed me, begging for more when I pulled back for a breath. Barely a second passed before Jack's wonderful lips descended on mine once more, a sigh escaping the both of us as we continued our romantic moment on the beach. It felt as though we had entered a dream, everything becoming beautifully clear and forming to create the perfect place for our romance to begin. My heart felt full of life and love, mixing together in a sort of warmth that made me feel as though I could literally glow from the pleasure I was receiving from the pirate captain before me.

We separated once more, and I heard him whisper my name as his gifted mouth began to trail from my lips to my cheek, slowly moving to my ear where it gently nipped my earlobe before moving down to my neck. Closing my eyes, a heavy sigh escaped my lips as Jack's once again came up to press against my own.

"Jack," I whispered, my arms rising to wrap around his neck, one hand tangling in his wild hair to keep him close to me.

"Rose," he answered in a soft voice as he rubbed his nose against mine affectionately.

Though the gesture somewhat dissolved the haze I was in, the sweetness and pleasure of the moment lingered as Jack pressed one more lingering kiss to my lips before pulling himself away for good. I released another sigh before I pressed my head against his strong chest, savoring this moment of safety and being in Jack's arms before we would have to part and make for the Pearl.

"You alright, luv?" asked Jack as he kissed my forehead.

"Mm," was the only reply I could give as I listened to Jack's heart beat under my ear.

He chuckled, sending small shivers up my back. "Alright, then," he whispered as he carefully released me.

I began to protest the loss of his arms around me, but when Jack swung me up into a bridal-style carry position, I lost all need for words and let him take me back to the rowboat. As he walked, my arms, which hadn't moved from their places around his neck and in his hair, tightened their grip. Again Jack chuckled, and again I felt shivers go down my spine.

"Comfy?" he asked, his boots crunching through the sand as he carried me.

"Mm, very," I replied in a soft voice.

"Good," he whispered in the most soft and seductive voice I'd ever heard.

The moment we arrived at the boat, Jack carefully set me down inside of it, though he didn't remove his arms. Instead, he smiled at me and raised a hand to touch my cheek, pulling away a few stray hairs that had been blown there by the wind. I returned his smile and enjoyed the comfortable silence that was built between us, his gentle touch making me feel happier than I had been in quite some time.

Suddenly, I could hear the approaching footsteps and loud laughter of the men returning from their foraging of the jungle. Jack quickly pulled his hands away from me, instead putting them on the side of the boat and gripping it tightly, as though he were afraid to let go.

"Something wrong with Rosie, Cap'n?" asked Mr. Gibbs when he was within hearing range.

"No, the lass is just tired," Jack replied, putting on his best 'captain face' as he let me go. I instantly missed his touch, though he was mere inches away from me.

"Well, we'll get you back to the Pearl in no time at all, Rose," Gibbs commented as the men loaded the boat with their findings, mostly that of fruits, coconuts, and wood for the galley's stove.

I did my best to give him a true smile, though part of me wanted to scream at them to leave me alone with Jack once more. Instead, I moved over so that Jack could climb in beside me, one arm wrapping around my waist.

"If you want to close your eyes, luv, feel free," he said, looking slyly at me from the corner of his eye.

Catching his meaning, I nodded and leaned into his left shoulder, letting out a tired sigh as I did so.

He couldn't believe that he had actually kissed her. Even better was the fact that she had returned his affections! Glancing down, Jack saw that Rose's eyes were closed, meaning that the stress of the day had finally caught up with her. She would likely need a nap when they got back to the Pearl, but that was perfectly fine with him; it just gave him the chance to watch her lovely face while she slept.

Sighing, Jack watched as the Pearl loomed closer, his grip on Rose tightening as they approached the ship. After the ropes were attached, Jack held on to Rose as though his life depended on it, allowing the men to raise the boat up to the deck so that it would be easier for Rose to disembark, as well as to ease the problem of unloading the produce that the men had found on shore. Once everyone and everything except him and Rose were out of the boat, Jack turned to wake his dozing patient.

The sight of her sleeping against his shoulder, her eyes closed and her long lashes glittering in the Caribbean sunshine, made him hesitate. The light falling on her was just perfect, and if he were an artist, he'd paint a portrait to capture her in this moment forever. However, the rest of the crew was nearby, and Jack knew that if he wanted to avoid any uncomfortable questions and jokes, he'd better move quickly. Biting back a sigh, he began to move his left shoulder.

"Wake up, luv," he whispered. He felt Rose shift a little as she woke. "Come on, darling, it's time to get up. We're back at the Pearl."

Rose's eyes fluttered open, and she gave a small yawn. "Already?" she muttered.

"Aye," he replied. For a moment, he chewed his lip in thought before an idea hit him. "Alright, luv, hold on." Without waiting for her to protest, Jack scooped her up into his arms.

Rose let out a squeak of surprise, but settled down once she saw that he was heading for his cabin. She laid her head back onto his shoulder and wound her arms around his neck, watching as Mr. Gibbs rushed to open the door for them, grinning immensely as he did so. Rose smiled back as Jack winked at his first mate and carried his precious burden inside, immediately heading for the bed. He then gently set her down and (regretfully) untangled himself from her arms.

"There, now," he said as he helped to take off her boots. "Back to bed you go, and if you need anything, I'll be right here, savvy?"

"Savvy," Rose replied, yawning widely before falling fast asleep.

Satisfied that she was resting, Jack took off his coat, hat, and effects before making himself comfortable in his traditional chair beside the bed.

When I awoke, it was late in the afternoon, and getting dark. I blinked my eyes in the fading light and looked around. Of course I was in Jack's cabin, and when the strangest sound reached my ears, I knew that Jack was in the cabin with me. My eyes found him sitting to my right, slumped down in his usual watchdog position with his mouth slightly open and his hat covering his eyes as he slept. The image itself was quite amusing, but when he exhaled, the strangest set of sounds emerged.

'It's not really snoring,' I thought to myself as I tried hard not to laugh. 'It's somewhere between a gurgle, a snort, a cough, and a wheeze. In fact, the sound deserves a name of its own!'

As Jack released another cough-snore-wheeze, I bit back my laughter and watched him sleep. If I were a clever person, I'd make up a name for the sound; since I wasn't, I would just have to make do with merely listening to it. Besides, the name I might create wouldn't be half as interesting as the sound and the man who made it, the man who was currently half falling out of his chair in his sleep.

'I love you, Jack Sparrow,' I thought, my mind drifting back to that kiss we had shared as a warm, cozy feeling flowed through me.

Oh, it had been a wonderful kiss, truly the stuff that dreams and fairy tales are made of. I had never felt so safe and happy in all my life, with Jack's arms wrapped around me as we kissed on the beautiful beach near the clear, blue water and the Pearl sitting ideally nearby. Truly, it was the most perfect moment that I had ever experienced, and I wish that it had lasted for longer than it did.

However, a sudden thought jolted through me, sending cold water through my veins. What if Jack didn't return my affections the way I wanted him to? After all, he's a pirate, and an extremely handsome one that was popular with women all over the world. Did he even want me or, dare I think it, love me, in return? I closed my eyes and winced.

'You've been through all this before,' I thought to myself. 'I'm sure that Jack cares for me, or else he wouldn't be going through all of this trouble taking care of me!'

'Or maybe he's taking care of you because he feels obligated to,' whispered a voice in my head.

The thought made me groan softly to myself. It could be that Jack was taking care of me simply because he had to, but I had seen the look in his eyes after we had kissed, and it had been as dazed as my own. But how was I to know what Jack was thinking or what he felt? No matter how much I wish I could, I didn't have the ability to read his mind or his heart. My eyes turned to focus on his sleeping form once more.

'Plus, you're a hard man to read in the first place, Jack Sparrow,' I thought with a smile. 'No one could ever guess what goes on inside that head of yours.'

Another unique Jack Sparrow snore/snort escaped his lips, and this time I let out a laugh, effectively waking him up so that he sat up straight in his chair, his hat flying back on his head.

"What?" he said drowsily, sleepy eyes brown eyes glancing around the room in confusion.

I giggled. "It's alright, Jack, go back to sleep," I soothed with a smile.

He looked at me for a moment in thought. "Aye," he said, leaning back and dozing off once more.

Shaking my head, I sighed and relaxed back into my pillows. Without warning, Ivory jumped up on the bed and curled up near my arm. I quirked an eyebrow, wondering what she had been doing all day long. She was quite clean, which meant that someone had bathed her, and she looked a bit round in the belly area, so she had been fed, too.

"I've got to make sure the men don't spoil you too much while I'm recovering," I whispered to her while raising my hand to her head to give her a good scratch.

Recognizing the gesture as one of affection, Ivory instantly began to butt her head against my fingers, meowing insistently. Chuckling softly, I gave in and rubbed my fingertips through her fur, savoring the feel of it against my skin. She was most certainly not a kitten anymore, but since she obviously wasn't full grown, it could only be that she had transformed into a spoiled adolescent, neither adult nor kitten. I couldn't wait to see her full grown!

"You are a beauty, aren't you?" I asked sleepily, my eyes beginning to drift shut. As I fell into sleep, I could feel Ivory meow her agreement under my hand.

Slowly, Jack opened his eyes after being sure that she was asleep. For some reason, he always knew when Rose was really sleeping or whether or not she was only pretending to be sound asleep.

'That's because, when she's truly asleep, her breathing is deep…and when she exhales, it sounds like an angel sighing,' he thought with a smile.

Deep inside, Jack knew that something big was happening between him and Rose, though he had no idea how she felt about the whole thing. He loved her, of that he was sure; he had bloody been in love with her ever since he'd seen her face light up upon seeing the Pearl in the docks of her home town. When she'd listened to his stories, put up with his antics, and had looked oh-so-wonderful in her Indian garb, he knew he had lost it. If she wanted it, he'd hand over his heart in an instant.

'Too bad I don't know if she really wants it or not,' he thought with a sigh. 'That kiss was enough to make my bones turn to liquid, and if the crew hadn't showed up, we'd probably have done a lot more than just kiss!'

Since he was unsure about her, Jack knew that he'd have to romance her very carefully. He was known for being popular with women, and if he really wanted Rose's love, he'd have to woo her like every woman wanted to be. Despite being a pirate, Jack knew how to be gentle and patient…and since he was going to be taking care of Rose for quite some time because of her injury, well…let's just say that doctors and artists aren't the only ones with skillful hands and brilliant minds.

AN: Short, I know, and I'm sorry, but this chapter was so difficult to write that I had to end it there. Personally, I don't like this chapter, so please review and let me know how it is! Thanks!