A/N: Thank you to all of you that have reviewed. It incourages me to keep going. I wanted to let you know that I have the story nearly complete and will upload it a chapter at a time. So keep up the reviews so that I know I am going in the right direction. I will try to do my best. Thank you again.

Chapter Eight: Recovery

The first sensation Jack felt was the soothing rock of his ship. He wanted to stay in that very instance but knew more of his feeling would start coming back to him at any moment. He was right. The feeling of his wound returned in full force trying to push him back to darkness but he would not allow it. Next he tried to banish the dull thud in his ears that was drowning out all other sound. Once that was accomplished he heard voices around him.

"Will he be alright?" a soft women's voice sounded in his ears. It was Adrianna and he thought that he heard true concern in her voice.

"Aye it be a nice gash, but he will be fine in a couple of days." Gibbs rough voice boomed and it hurt his ears.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Adrianna asked, she sounded closer now.

Gibbs was silent for a moment before he responded. "Yeah lass just see that the Captain is well taken care of. He will need help with some things, this arm ain't going to be much use for a few days." Bless the old man he was smart.

Jack knew his arm might give him some fits, but it really wasn't that bad. He tried to keep from smiling which the pain helped him in the task, but damn Gibbs was good, almost as good as he himself was. He would play along with it as long as it suited him.

"There you go lass, he is stitched up, go on and dress him. If ye need me I will be on deck." Gibbs said while tying off the last stitch a little rougher than Jack thought was necessary.

The door to the cabin closed and he felt Adrianna close in and sit beside him on the bed. Jack slightly opened one eye to catch a glimpse of her as she was preparing to dress his wound. He opened both his eyes and openly stared at her when he saw the look on her face.

There was a look of tenderness on her face that he had never seen. She was truly beautiful in the lamp light. She frowned a little in concentration as she began to bandage his arm and he could see the making of tears in her eyes. She whispered softly and Jack barely caught what she said. "I am so sorry Jack."

Jack smiled a little and decided to let her know that he was actually awake, "For what love?" Adrianna jumped up startled causing Jack to wince silently.

"Sorry." She said again and sat back down to tend his wound. "I didn't know you were awake." When Jack didn't say anything she continued, "It was all my fault and I am sorry." Adrianna finished wrapping the wound. Jack only looked at her. Adrianna fidgeted for a moment, "Do you need anything?"

Jack sat up in the bed and looked around for his shirt. "Some rum." he mumbled. He liked her better when she was angry. Anything other that her current state. Jack looked up when she didn't move and immediately decided that this was how he liked her best. Staring at him. Oh yes his arm, of course. "Love can you help me with my shirt?" Jack said snapping her out of her reverie.

Adrianna shook herself from her stupor and swallowed. What did he want? His shirt? Thank god because his chest was sinful. The tan muscles and scars that should be traced with a loving touch. Adrianna quickly stopped herself and started looking for his shirt. Once she found it she walked over to help get it on him.

Jack not so much helped as hindered her in her progress of dressing him in his shirt. The wicked grin on his face was hard for her to see. Jack decided that his confinement was liable to be the best of his life. He leaned into her touch when she lingered just a might to long and he relished in the fact that it made her uneasy. When she came around to help with the buttons jack let her do all the work while he played with her hair.

"I'll be getting you rum now." Adrianna forced out while she turned to leave. She needed to get away from the man and figure out what was wrong with her.

"I will be here." Jack said the smile still on his face while he watched the sway of her hips as she left. Once she was gone Jack wondered what exactly true love was and what it felt like. He knew that he loved several of his possessions, like his ship. But he had been without his ship before and that did him no real harm. The thought however, for the briefest moment, that something happened to Adrianna, had sent a chill through him and stopped his heart. Was that love or simple adoration? Was it simply the fear of his outcome should he fail?

Jack was interrupted from his musings when Tommy entered his cabin. "Where is Adrianna?"

"She said she needed some air, and asked I bring this to you." Tommy said handing Jack his rum.

Jack smiled, air indeed. He was pleased to have some effect on her, "Very well, tell her that when she is done I will require her assistance." Tommy nodded and left the cabin while Jack thought of the next thing that he could do to unsettle her.

&&&&&&

The past few days had been the longest of Adrianna's life. She had fulfilled everyone of the Captains requests one way or another and now she could no longer deny her attraction to him. The wicked man knew it to. Adrianna smiled while looking out to sea, once she accepted her attraction to the man she discovered that she enjoyed his company. He had thoroughly seduced her.

"I have a proposition for you." Jack said standing next to her.

Adrianna smiled, "Of course you do."

Jack leaned his back against the rail and returned her smile, "It seems to me that you need to learn a way in which to defend yourself from people who would do you harm. As Captain of the Black Pearl I would be lax in my abilities as Captain if one of my crew was defenseless, therefore compromising the safety of the entire crew. So it would be in the best interest of everyone on this vessel for you to be trained in some way…" Jack was cut off by Adrianna laughter.

"In other words, there is a vessel you which to overtake and it would not do for me to be a liability. So what is the proposition?" Adrianna said.

"You know me to well love." Jack said shacking his head.

"You are, after all, a pirate." Adrianna responded with a smile.

"Very well, I myself will train you how to handle a sword…" Adrianna raised an eyebrow at him, "In return you will get your pick of the bounty, right after me of course."

"Of course." Adrianna said mockingly. "And if I refuse?"

"Well you will be locked in my cabin for the remainder of our trip." Jack said. He knew how much she came to enjoy the deck of the Pearl.

"Train away captain, unless you are afraid I might handle a sword too well." Adrianna commented, laughing at the look on Jack's face as she walked away.