CHAPTER 17 IS A GO! And this time its personal…..enjoy BD

After Elizabeth had woken Jack up from his restless dream, he managed to sleep for a few more hours. Or was it days? He had no idea; probably from all the rum he had digested and the depressed slum he's gotten himself into.

When Jack woke up a second time, light flooded through the small bedroom window. He squinted until his eyes were adjusted. Disoriented, he looked around the room, trying to remember where he was. Suddenly the lightbulb turned on. "Bloody Elizabeth's house," he grumbled, throwing away the blankets and standing up.

Jack went downstairs, unaware of the time. Still groggy, he almost tripped and fell a few times. When he was finally on the first floor, he walked into the kitchen and almost crashed into a wall when he saw Elizabeth. She was wearing nothing but Will's old shirt, which went down to mid-thigh. Jack made a deep chuckle in his throat, causing Elizabeth to turn around, cheeks turning crimson.

"Elizabeth, you naughty woman," Jack grinned as he watched Elizabeth frantically pull down the shirt. She looked very apologetic.

"Sorry, Jack. You never really wake up this early, so I was just going to make breakfast, then go back upstairs and change." She stared at the ground, heat rising quickly to her face.

"Does Frederick know that his mother dresses so scandalously?" Jack teased further. He relished in Elizabeth's embarrassment. She avoided the question.

"I'm going to go back to my room and change. I'll be back down in a minute," she hurried upstairs. As she passed Jack, he noticed a slight smile peeking across her face.

Jack busied himself admiring the house. He never really got a chance to look at it the first time he was here with Angelica and during the most recent time he was in a stupor. The oak wood was carved in delicate patterns, encasing the cupboards, counters, and the walls. The floor was a sleek, glossy wood. There were two doors: one that led directly to Tortuga and one that must've been a room that had very good use, but was now abandoned. Looking at the counters, Jack saw what Elizabeth was preparing for breakfast. Fresh fruit, bread, and orange juice. He scoffed at the little selection that there was, but was interrupted by Elizabeth.

"I'm back," she said, breathing hard. She made her way to the counters to finish making the morning meal. "In case you were wondering, I sent Frederick out to get some cheese and meat for breakfast. But in the meantime, here," she set a plate of fruit slices on the table, along with a cup of juice. Then she motioned Jack to sit down while she got her own plate of food. He smiled gratefully and started to eat.

"Did I ever tell you how kind you are?" Jack asked through a mouthful of bread. Elizabeth laughed.

"No. I don't think I've ever heard a compliment from you," she said. Jack put down his orange juice.

"Have so!" He defended. "I cast my vote in your name to be Pirate King. Although I would've been a much better one." Elizabeth smirked.

"Always so modest. However do you do it?" She mocked him. Then she frowned as she noticed Jack's face darken. "What's the matter, Jack? I saw you look this way yesterday during dinner. We're alone now. You can say what you want." Jack looked towards her.

"I left Angelica." He said plainly. Elizabeth gasped slightly.

"So, it's true? I figured as much, considering you're here alone. But why, Jack? She was a lovely woman." Elizabeth leaned in closer. Jack's eyebrows furrowed.

"She was leading me to my death," Jack said. Then he continued when he saw Elizabeth's confused look. "Apparently, after I had left her on that island-"

"You left her on an island?" Elizabeth cried, interrupting Jack. He gave her a menacing glare.

"Yes. Anyway, Barbossa had sailed to that island. I don't have the slightest clue why and how he knew she was there. But he gave her a bloody necklace. They made a deal that Angelica would lead me to him once she found me, so Barbossa could kill me off. The necklace was supposed to be a reminder of what she was supposed to be doing. So, yesterday in the inn we stayed at, I told Angelica that I didn't want to die. Especially from her doing, considering she's said she loves me." Jack was quiet for a little bit while Elizabeth was gathering her thoughts.

"And do you love her back?" Elizabeth asked curiously. She had now gotten up from across the table and moved in the seat next to Jack. Jack opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"Yes," was all Jack said. It was believable, but not true. Jack was disgusted with himself. Elizabeth rested her head on her hand, propping her elbow on the table.

"If that's the case, then why would she agree to Barbossa? What did you do to her that gave her that anger?" Elizabeth was trying to dig deeper into Jack to make him change his mind about going after Angelica.

"When I left her on the island, it might've been the second…or third time that I abandoned her. But I did save her life…twice," Jack added quickly when he saw the look of horror on Elizabeth's face.

"No wonder she did that!" Elizabeth said in shock. "You left her. If Will had marooned me that many times, I don't think I would've agreed to have Frederick! She can't trust you anymore, Jack. That's the issue. She was probably so torn up inside, had her heart broken too many times, to want to do anything with you again. It's a miracle she wanted to team up with you on this journey." Jack was getting irritated with Elizabeth, and the look on his face showed it. Elizabeth softened up and placed a hand on his arm. "Jack, I didn't mean to go on her side," Elizabeth whispered. Jack looked at her, trying to hide the tears poking through the corners. He wasn't going to cry in front of her. Instead, he took both of her hands in his.

"Elizabeth, here's another compliment for you," Jack started. Elizabeth smiled slightly. "You are a wonderful listener and friend. Even after all these years of not seeing each other." They both went silent and stared into each other's eyes. Then, a wave of strong emotion came over Jack. It had to be the same with Elizabeth because they both started leaning in towards each other. Jack placed a hand around the small of Elizabeth's back, and she wrapped an arm around his neck. They edged closer and closer, and as soon as they made contact, the kitchen door swung open.

"Mom?!" Yelled a startled Frederick. Jack and Elizabeth whipped their heads around just in time to see cheese and meat scattered across the floor and a very disturbed Frederick running back down to Tortuga.

Ehhhhhhhhh I guess I like this chapter, but I kind of did it to speed things up. I don't want to drag out this story forever, but I also don't want to end it like that *tries miserably to snap fingers*

I hope you liked it more than I did. I mean…eh. Wasn't my best writing. BUT I LOVE THE SUPPORT YOU GUYS ARE GIVING ME ANYWAY :DDD It makes me really happy to know that people out there enjoy this story. :) FOR ALL YOU WORRYWORTS: I WILL GET ANGELICA AND JACK BACK TOGETHER….just be patient with me. I hope you liked this!