A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus, my faithful readers. It has been one hell of a month. I bought a house and as it turns out I moved into The Money Pit! Does anyone remember that movie?! It has been one thing after another and I have just unearthed my pirate notebook and my laptop computer from the pile of crap that is in boxes all across my living room. I am sorry for the wait and as an apology I am rewarding you with an extra long chapter.

To all my loyal readers and reviewers, I am truly sorry for the extended wait. You have no idea how hard I have been trying to get this chapter up and written. Please forgive me and continue to read and review!!! Reading your reviews is quite literally my sustenance!

To my Jack/Ana fans…I know I am testing you lately and again, I just ask you to trust me. Conflict makes a story interesting and that is what I am going for. If everything were always perfect and Jack and Ana were always happy, you wouldn't be nearly as entertained or emotional about them! You have my word (which means everything to me, by the way, I do not make promises lightly) that you will be satisfied, happy even, at the end. You just have to hang with me. We all know that Jack is so stubborn he needs some good lessons to really appreciate Anamaria for who she is. As a writer, I must provide him with those lessons so please bear with me and keep reading.

I promise not to let you guys down!

Chapter Thirty Nine

As the sun peeked over the horizon turning the sky a bold shade of pinky orange the next morning, Jack awoke to find Elizabeth sleeping silently beside him. Her arm was wrapped loosely around his waist and her head rested softly on his shoulder. He tried hard not to wake her as he slid off the bed and began to pull on his clothes. She stirred quietly, rolling over onto her other side before falling back asleep.

Jack breathed a small sigh of relief. He had been disappointed about last night, frustrated with her continual put offs, and he wasn't ready to talk to her this morning. As he tied his bandana on and grabbed his hat, he made his way out of the cabin and up to the helm.

He first noticed The Sea Wench, wondering briefly what Anamaria was up to this morning. He took out his telescope and scanned the deck of her ship where he saw her talking with Braden. The two were standing very close and whatever he was saying had brought a sincere smile, followed by laughter to the dark skinned girl's face. Jack felt a pang of jealousy that he tried to stifle immediately.

He turned to study the waters around them and was surprised to find a ship far off on the horizon. Upon closer inspection, he realized two smaller ships flanked the ship. Judging from their positions in the water and their size, all three of them appeared to be military. Although they were closer to The Sea Wench, Jack was fairly sure, judging from the smile of his former first mate, that her crew had not yet seen the impending fleet.

His mind began to race. If three military ships were headed in their direction this far out to sea, chances were it was not a coincidence. They were coming directly after them and it left Jack to wonder how far the ships had been trailing them and why they had decided to make a move now.

It must have been the ship they attacked yesterday. Her captain had assured them she was carrying precious relics and although he had let the crew continue on, the pirates had stolen a sizeable amount of treasure. If the ship had passed the military fleet and alerted them to what had taken place, it was possible they were making their move to catch the pirates in the act.

The winds this morning were not particularly in their favor and Jack began to wonder what would happen if the two pirate ships could not out sail the military fleet. They would be forced to go into battle. While Jack was sure of The Pearl's capability when fully crewed, he was not especially comfortable going into battle against a military fleet with two ships who were running on much smaller numbers than usual.

Jack decided to wake the crew and see if they could put some distance between the other ships in hopes that The Sea Wench would see their scramble and check the horizon for themselves.

By midday, The Pearl and The Sea Wench had managed to turn themselves around and alter their course, but Jack was fairly sure they hadn't moved quickly enough. The three ships had somehow even managed to gain on them significantly and after another glance through his telescope, Jack had a bad feeling that he just might recognize the leader of the fleet. If The Black Pearl ran out her sweeps, she alone could probably outrun the attack, but The Sea Wench did not have that option and Jack wouldn't leave Anamaria to fight for herself, no matter how badly he wanted to save his own skin.

In those minutes Jack made a gut decision, they would turn and fight. There was no point in wasting their time and resources, altering their course, when they were only running from the inevitable. For a fleeting moment, he remembered the events that had followed his last decision to fight a military ship. The consequences had been devastating, but he pushed those thoughts out of his head for now. This outcome would not be the same.

When Anamaria saw Jack cutting The Pearl around, she cursed Jack, "Damn it Sparrow. Wasn't the first lesson bad enough?"

"What was that Captain?" Braden asked, appearing suddenly behind her.

She had not realized her first mate was near or she would not have commented out loud. She mentally scolded herself. "Nothing sailor. Just cursing our luck today."

Braden was fairly sure of what he had heard from his captain's mouth, but he decided this was not the best time to approach the issue and did not question her.

"Have you and Captain Sparrow faced the Navy before?" he asked, nodding towards the approaching ships.

"Just once," she nodded, cutting the wheel hard to begin turning them around.

An hour later The Pearl and The Sea Wench met the three military ships and both crews began firing without hesitation. Jack had tried to convince Elizabeth to stay in his cabin, but she had refused. Pirates boarded the Navy ships and military sailors swung onto the pirate's ships. The Pearl was hit quite a few times in the cannon fire and despite the fighting that was raging all around him, Jack was more concerned about his ship than anything else.

From across the deck, Elizabeth managed to catch his attention and nod in the direction of the officer in charge. Jack was not overly surprised to see Norrington, dressed as an Admiral and fighting against several of his crewmen. Disengaging himself from his own fight, Jack began to make his way over to the man, but Elizabeth somehow beat him to it.

Norrington's blade crashed against hers with a force that left the pirate captain feeling fairly certain that the Admiral did not know with whom he was parrying. He rushed across deck, delayed by almost every sailor he encountered. He knew that Elizabeth's motivation for challenging the Admiral was noble, but he also knew that while she was a skilled swordsman, she was no match for James Norrington.

Jack saw the scene unfolding just as he arrived within several feet of the two. Norrington struck hard and although Elizabeth attempted to block, it was not enough and his blade slipped down her arm. She recoiled in pain and it was then that the admiral paused long enough to look and see who he was really fighting.

"Elizabeth?!" he asked, surprise in his voice.

Jack stepped between the two to offer her safety and to continue where she had left off.

Norrington turned hard eyes to Jack as Elizabeth continued to study her wound. "You were supposed to keep her safe," he threatened.

"As it turns out, she doesn't really need anyone to keep her safe," Jack argued. "She's rather capable of that herself, don't you think?"

Norrington accepted Jack's challenge and the two began where he and Elizabeth had left off.

"You turned her into a pirate," he shouted.

"She chose this life," Jack said, jabbing his sword at him.

"Her husband and her son just died, she doesn't know what she wants," Norrington argued.

Despite the blood running down her arm, Elizabeth stepped up, "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Don't get involved in this, Elizabeth," Norrington said.

She took another step forward and the admiral lowered his sword. Jack followed suit, but kept his blade slightly raised in case the need arose to defend himself quickly.

"Why are you here Elizabeth?" he asked. "Why didn't you just go somewhere safe?"

Jack thought how surreal the situation seemed. In the midst of all of his crewmen fighting, he was having an in depth conversation with an admiral and the former governor's daughter.

"I have nothing left James," she said sadly, only steps away from him now.

"You could have started over," he said, his sword hanging loose by his side.

"I did," she said.

Norrington shook his head. "Come back with me," he offered.

"You made an agreement with me," Elizabeth marveled. "You said I could never come back."

"Not on your own, you couldn't, but if I brought you back with us," Norrington tried, "we could say you were kidnapped, held against your will."

"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "My life is here now, with Jack."

Jack had stepped back from their conversation, not wanting to be involved, but now the admiral pulled him in again.

"You," he said, his voice full of anger. "You were supposed to take care of her. To make sure she was somewhere safe."

"I did," Jack offered.

"A pirate ship is no place for a woman like Elizabeth," he argued, raising his sword.

Elizabeth stepped forward, touching his hand with her own, "It was my choice James."

"Feisty, isn't she?" Jack asked, a dirty smile touching the corners of his mouth. It was just enough to set the admiral over the edge

Norrington jabbed his sword at Jack, but it was Elizabeth's sword that he made contact with. "That's enough," she fired back.

"I'm not coming back with you and it has nothing to do with Jack. I'm here because it's where I want to be, not because anyone forced me." She took a deep breath, "So unless you're going to call off your men, we're on opposite sides of this battle and I suggest we stop talking like old friends."

Jack marveled at her abruptness.

"I can't call them off," Norrington began. "You're guilty of crimes against the crown and must be punished, but know that watching you die will not be easy for me. I have always only wanted the best for you." The words seemed to touch him deeply and Elizabeth knew he was being sincere.

At that moment a cannonball struck The Black Pearl's deck and all three of them were thrown to their knees.

"Are you alright?" Jack checked with Elizabeth.

She nodded, clutching her arm still.

The impact had thrown the admiral several feet across the deck and a fight taking place there briefly distracted him. Jack used the opportunity to help Elizabeth to her feet.

Almost immediately one of the ships beside them began to sink. Jack was briefly amazed by Anamaria's attention to detail in the midst of a major battle. He had no doubt that it was her command that had sunk the opposing ship. Men from the navy began to crowd onto The Pearl's deck as she was the closest ship and the fighting intensified.

"Lock yourself in my cabin now," Jack shouted to Elizabeth. Stubbornly, she refused, challenging yet another sailor.

There were too many men on deck for Jack to keep worrying about Elizabeth and he was forced to leave her on her own while he fought off the navy's crew. Seeing Norrington engaged in a battle across deck, Jack slowly fought his way in the Admiral's direction. By the time he had arrived in Norrington's vicinity, Anamaria had taken careful aim at another of the Navy ships and with the loud blast of the cannon, another of their opponent's ships was headed to a watery grave.

Norrington, who had originally had the upper hand, was now on the losing end of the battle. His men continued to fight hard, but they were growing afraid of what the end result was going to be. The Black Pearl's captain managed to draw the Admiral away from the fighting and Jack began to try to negotiate with him.

"It's not looking so good for you mate," he threatened.

"You know I can't let you go Sparrow," he sneered.

"You've already lost two of your ships," Jack snapped, blocking Norrington's blade. "Are you really going to sacrifice your entire crew just for the sake of two pirate captains? We're on our way to Madagascar anyway so it's not as if we're even going to be a threat to you."

"You and Captain Saldana have made quite a name for yourself in the Caribbean Jack. Unfortunately, that means I can't give up."

"Even if it means hurting the former Miss Swann," Jack said.

"The fact that Elizabeth is involved is regrettable. I only wish that you had taken her to safety as I asked you to begin with."

"What can I say?" Jack offered. "Women always seem to enjoy my company."

Norrington frowned, delivering Jack a particularly hard blow. The pirate captain managed to escape narrowly, but the Admiral seemed bent on his destruction.

"Send her back with me and I'll let you and Saldana go free for now," Norrington suggested.

"You heard the lass. She wants to be 'ere. You yourself already know of the penalties for going against her will I'm sure," Jack smiled.

"Elizabeth is young and confused. Regardless of what she thinks, she belongs in Port Royal with other members of high society."

"Although her father is no longer welcome there."

"The former Governor's mistakes have no bearing on where Elizabeth's life could turn if she would only befriend the proper members of society."

"So is this about my acts of piracy or is this about Elizabeth?" Jack asked.

Norrington was surprised he had been sidetracked so easily, but his passion for Elizabeth had given him greater physical strength in his attack. However, his plan of attack had been weakened and Jack managed to get a jab into the Admiral's side that doubled him over in pain. Blood dripped down his chest and onto the deck of Jack's ship as Norrington clutched the wound. It wasn't fatal, but Norrington had most surely been defeated.

"Call off your men," Jack said, lowering his blade.

Norrington began issuing commands, realizing that many of his men had already been killed and there were few left to help him. He would most definitely be stripped of his title once he arrived back in the Caribbean. It was embarrassing enough to be wounded in battle, but when the King heard that three ships of the navy had been unable to defeat two half manned pirate ships, he would be furious. Norrington almost felt he would rather die on board The Black Pearl than face the humility that would surely wait for him back home, but he bravely gathered his men together.

He could barely stand and by the time he made his way back onto his ship, Jack was slightly worried that his blade might have gone truer than he expected. Elizabeth watched from a distance, but Jack could tell she was worried, as she turned extremely pale. Never the less, it was battle and Elizabeth would have to get used to seeing men hurt or dying, even ones she had at one point had a friendship with.

Before turning sail, Norrington shouted more empty threats to Jack. At this point, the pirate captain was fairly sure that if Norrington ever was to defeat him, it would have to be with an entire fleet. The Black Pearl was a definite power to be feared now, along with her sister ship, The Sea Wench.

When Norrington was safely in the distance, Jack rowed over to The Sea Wench to congratulate Anamaria on their victory. Stepping onto the deck, he met her with a smile and a hug.

"I could never do it without you mate," he said, clapping her on the back. "You're a diamond."

Anamaria smiled back at him. "Thanks Jack. That was a close one."

Jack nodded, "I almost thought we weren't going to get out of it."

"I see you managed to get out without a single scratch," she joked. "How do you do it Captain?"

"You forget who I am luv," he smiled. "And you? You're not much worse."

"Just a little shrapnel," she said, pointing to her ankle.

Jack noticed that she was standing in a puddle of blood. He was horrified. Had he injured her again? Anamaria instantly read his thoughts.

"It's ok Jack," she comforted. "Really. It looks much worse than it really is."

"Anamaria…"

"I promise, it's fine Jack," she smiled. "I'm really fine." She decided to change the subject. "What about Elizabeth? I heard she was injured."

"Norrington caught her with his blade. It's nothing serious," Jack said, still seemed slightly distraught.

"What about The Pearl?" she asked, nodding in her direction.

Jack regained his focus, "She's taking on quite a bit of water."
"I was afraid of that," Anamaria said, taking off for her cabin.

Jack followed behind her and minutes later they were standing at her desk looking over her maps.

"Before dark, we can get here," she pointed to an island. "One side is a nice town, the other would provide the space required to haul The Pearl onto land so we can look at her and do the required repairs. We're here now," she pointed. "You think she'll make it?"

"It's worth a try," the captain offered.

Jack was greatly relieved as they arrived at the island at sunset. The Sea Wench docked herself in the harbor before Anamaria led her men to help her fellow captain and his crew with pulling The Pearl up onto the shore. As they rolled her over, their greatest fears were confirmed, The Pearl had sustained considerable damage. The repairs would take almost a month, maybe more, and Anamaria was anxious to get back to sea. Jack, however, did not seem discouraged, he was merely grateful that his ship could be fixed as his greatest fear was always losing her.

Standing on the shore together, they surveyed the damage in low tones.

"She's going to take a while to fix this time," Anamaria observed.

Jack smiled, "We've got the time. And we've got the gold to spend in town," he added, gesturing toward the town only a mile or two away, "It'll be good for the crew to take a break."

"We're not that far into this voyage Jack," Anamaria argued. "It's not time to take a break yet."

"Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?" the pirate said grimly.

"There's an inn at the edge of town, The Meadow Lark," she suggested. "We'll stay there for the evening, survey the rest of the damage in the morning's light."

Jack nodded and Anamaria began to head into town. He spent a few more minutes staring at The Pearl before finding Elizabeth and leading her across the sandy beach to the dim lights not so far away.

"I'm sorry about The Pearl Jack," she whispered softly, her arms crossed across her chest to protect her from the evening's cool air. "It looks very bad, doesn't it?"

"Time and tide luv," he said, kicking at the sand. "She'll be good as new in no time."

The wind picked up and Elizabeth shivered.

"Cold luv?" he asked, switching their few belongings he had carried with them to his left hand.

"A bit," she said.

He put his arm around her, pulling her into him to block as much wind as possible and they walked on in silence.

When they arrived at the inn, Jack got Elizabeth settled into a room before he went to check on Anamaria.

"I just want to make sure she's alright," he said. "You'll be alright for a bit?"

"Sure," Elizabeth nodded, noting Jack did not say how long he was going to be gone. She wondered why he was really going to see his fellow captain.

He left the room and headed down the hall to the room the wench who had given him the key to his own room had said she had taken the dark skinned girl to and tapped three sharp times at the door. Momentarily, she appeared in the doorway, only opening it enough to peer through a few inches.

"How did you know this was where I was staying?" she asked, curious.

"Lucky guess?!" Jack suggested.

She laughed, but she did not seem to relax and Jack noticed she made no move to open the door any further.

"I wanted to see how your ankle was holding up," he said.

Anamaria stuck her foot through the doorway. It was bandaged with heavy white gauze, but the bandage was not red and her foot did not seem to be paining her. "It stings, but it will heal."

Jack nodded, pausing awkwardly. "Can I come in? Talk for a while maybe?"

Anamaria sighed, "Jack, I'm sorry. This isn't a good time."

Jack seemed confused. She had never turned him down outright.

"Tomorrow, ok?" she suggested, just as the door was pulled open wider by a man's hand.

Jack could see that she had clearly not planned on Braden coming to the door. He stood there bare-chested, his hair mussed, and Jack knew he must have interrupted something, despite Anamaria's earlier claim that nothing would ever transpire between her another crewmate ever again. He briefly pondered how she had managed to get dressed so fast herself.

"I tended to Anamaria's ankle myself and it's fine now. There's nothing you need to worry about," he announced, his tone almost condescending.

Jack saw brief emotions that he was almost positive were a combination of anger and embarrassment pass over the female captain's face, but she did not act immediately. He found her reaction strange because he knew she was not fond of being spoken for.

"It seems you would have learned by now," Braden decided to throw in, "that she's always the one who has to pay for your bad decisions."

Jack stepped forward, cocking his head," What's that?"

"Every time you decide to try and fight off a military fleet, she's the one who takes the heat for it. When are you going to stop thinking only of your whims and fancies and see how much you're hurting the people you count on?"

Jack put his foot in the door, "I know you didn't just accuse me of something you know nothing about, boy. You weren't even there."

"Don't I?" Braden asked hotly.

"Braden!" Anamaria cut him off sharply, barely stepping between the two.

"She won't keep sailing with you forever, not if you keep treating her…"

"That is enough!" she shouted. "He is your Commodore."

"And you are my captain," he said, his eyes smoldering. "I cannot stand by…"

"If you want to continue being my first mate," she paused, deciding to reword her sentence, "If you want to continue to sail on my crew, you will respect him at once. I will NOT warn you again."

Jack was furious, but he wouldn't lower himself to fighting with the boy. Not in front of Anamaria, at least. "At least he knows how to follow orders," he commented, turning to leave.

"Jack," Anamaria said, "I'm sorry."

"He's young, he'll learn his place." Jack had the urge to step forward and kiss her then. He wanted to see if she would yield to him in front of her new first mate, but as he weighed the situation in a burning second in his mind, he decided against it. There was a good chance she might not return the kiss and then he would feel a fool. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, whispering in her ear, "Goodnight Ana."

Upon walking back to his room, he realized how much he had hoped to find Anamaria alone. He missed her, physically and mentally and he had been anxious to spend some time with her, reconnecting. Seeing Braden alone with her, shirtless, had been a surprise to him. It had caught him off guard and he wondered if their meeting tonight was coincidental or if Anamaria had intentionally lied to him when he had asked her about her first mate previously.

He shrugged off the thoughts as he let himself back into the room he would be sharing with Elizabeth.

"That was fast," she commented, looking up at him. She was surprised to see him so soon and she chided herself for thinking that his reasons for visiting Anamaria may have been anything other than pure.

Jack nodded, removing his hat and bandana as he studied her. She was already under the sheets, sitting up in bed, reading a book he did not recognize. "What are you doing?"

"Found this on the nightstand," she said, holding up the book. "Just flipping through it."

"Ahhh," Jack said, crossing the room to perch on the edge of the bed as he pulled off his boots. "Any good?"

Elizabeth shrugged, "Who actually does these things? It's definitely not practical."

Jack turned to face her and she sat the book down on the table again. "How's your arm?" he asked, touching her wrist softly.

Decker had wrapped the wound up to prevent it from bleeding, telling Jack he could remove the gauze in the morning. She was cut deeply, but it was nothing that wouldn't heal over time he had assured him.

"It hurts," she said simply.

Jack nodded. "I'm sorry about Norrington," he said, his voice low.

Elizabeth met his eyes, "It's alright. We may be old friends, but I do understand we're on opposite sides now. I would have done the same thing, only I probably would have killed him."

"You understand why I didn't let you finish fighting him, don't you?" Jack asked.

She nodded.

"He'll be fine. He just won't be actively commanding a ship for a while," the pirate smiled. Reaching over her for the book, he asked, "Now, what's so impractical about this?"

As he flipped the book open and read several passages he realized it was a romance novel.

"No one actually lives like that," Elizabeth said, leaning over to read the pages with him.

"No?" Jack asked. "And you and William always seemed so in love."

"Not that," she said, rolling her eyes and taking the book from him. She flipped to a different page. "He laid her down on the soft sand, tucking a loose curl behind her ear, gently teasing it's lobe with his tongue," she quoted.

Jack was amused. "And you don't think things like that happen?"

Elizabeth smirked, "Only in books. Men don't have that sort of finesse in real life."

A small smile touched Jack's lips, gold flashing in the candlelight. "Maybe not the less mature men, such as dear William?"

Elizabeth did not meet his eyes.

Jack traced a finger across her cheek, down her neck, and over her shoulder blade. "Sometimes, there are advantages to being with someone more experienced." He did not think it necessary to mention he felt as if he had already shown her a great amount of what she deemed finesse.

Elizabeth looked at him sarcastically. "And you are definitely one of those more experienced men."

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am," he said lowly.

He grazed her collarbone with his fingertips again, bringing his fingers to rest gently on the back of her neck as he pulled her into a deep kiss. She kissed him back and he reclined on the bed beside her.

"Jack," she said softly.

"Now, there's definitely no talking in those types of stories," the pirate managed between kisses. Pausing to pull back and look at her, he added, "Unless you're going to scream my name."

Elizabeth laughed.

"It's alright, we have to save something for next time," he whispered, kissing her again.

He spent a long time just kissing her, more than he had ever spent before with her or any other woman he could remember in a long time. He let his lean fingers caress her face, her neck, tangle in her hair. He brushed his lips across her cheek, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear before he nibbled at the lobe. She shuddered slightly in his arms, but he already knew her ears were a weakness. Not wanting to dwell there too long, he kissed down her neck to her throat and nipped softly at her décolletage. He could feel the goose bumps rise on her arms. He moved his hand to fondle her breast and even through the fabric of her shift he could feel the nipple harden against his touch. He wanted her so badly, but he knew that he must take things slow if he ever hoped to succeed in his goal and it was driving him mad.

She ran her hand up his back and into his hair, guiding his lips ever so slightly back to her own. She kissed him hard, pushing her tongue into his mouth and he used the moment to slip his hand inside her shift to explore her breast fully. He gently kneaded the tissue in his hand and then moved to squeeze the nipple ever so softly between his fingers. Elizabeth moaned under him, deepening the kiss even further. Her fingers knotted in his hair as her opposite hand stroked his cheek. In a moment of sheer rawness, she grazed her teeth down his neck and sucked near the hollow of his throat. He would have a mark tomorrow, he had no doubt.

She was extremely turned on and Jack decided to take a risk. He slipped his hand between her thighs and it only took him seconds to find his mark. She writhed underneath him and he knew he was pushing all the right buttons. Rubbing small circles over her sensitive nub, she moaned into his neck. He tugged at her ear with his teeth before running his tongue up its ridge. He then moved to suckle at her neck and leave a trail of kisses down her chest to her breast. At the rate she was going, she would climax in no time and he felt a small thrill of accomplishment. She had never let him bring her this close before.

He only wished she would reach out and touch him as he was touching her.

He whispered hotly in her ear, "Touch me, please."

Elizabeth's hand moved slowly down his chest to his waist and was almost to his member when she pulled away suddenly. Jack let out a low grumble.

"Elizabeth." It was just above a whisper. This was as close to begging as Jack would ever get.

He looked into her honey eyes just briefly enough to see their softness in the candlelight. She was stopping and Jack couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" he asked, his voice deep and husky, knowing he had asked the question of her before. "Did Will never show you what a woman can do to a man?"

Elizabeth met his eyes, blinking slowly before she answered him, "Yes…I know what I am doing to you Jack because it is the very same thing you are doing to me."

Jack pressed his lips against hers again, but she did not return his kiss. "Then why won't you let us have our release?" he asked hotly.

"My betrayal is great enough already," she whispered. "Especially tonight."

"Elizabeth," Jack tried to choose his words carefully. "I would never want to do anything to insult your memory of dear William, but he is indeed gone."

Tears began to well in the young widow's eyes.

"Surely he would have wanted you to be happy," he tried.

"Somehow I doubt that when he thought of my happiness, he saw me in a pirate's bed."

"Trifles luv," Jack said, placing a hand on either side of her hips and leaning down to press a kiss against her lips. She turned her head and his lips brushed her cheek. "It's not as if you're giving me your heart. You can always hold on to that for dear Will."

Elizabeth gave him a look of disgust, "How thoughtful of you."

Jack wondered if he had pressed too hard, but they had just been so close. "Come dear, do you really think if your positions were reversed, dear old Will would hold out for you?"

"Maybe not forever, but I would hope he wouldn't go gallivanting off with the first whore who crossed his path."

"Men do 'ave needs, you know?" he growled.

"I thought you were supposed to be showing me the art of finesse before filling those needs," she sighed. "My needs always seemed to be a little greater than Will's," she scoffed, mostly to herself.

Jack, however, did not miss a word. He had always had a feeling that this one was a vixen behind closed doors, especially after that talk they had had the first night they kissed, but for Will not to desire her as she desired him? The mere thought was downright absurd. But how to balance her needs, that was the tricky part. As evidenced by tonight, she clearly longed to be loved, cared for, shown affection. Yet she also seemed to desire wild romps and fun in the bedroom, though not outside of a trusting relationship.

"I promise I can meet all your needs," the pirate said, his voice low and hot. He brushed a finger across her chest and in an instant slipped it inside her shift to tease her very hard nipple.

"Jack," she whispered, already enjoying the feel of his hands on her again.

He almost had her this time. He was sure of it. Slowly, teasingly, he leaned his head down to take her lips with his own. She hesitated in kissing him back, but she did. Jack allowed his whole hand entrance into her shift again so that he could massage her entire breast. She moaned under his touch and he knew he was winning the battle.

Elizabeth felt guilty and the thought of Will was still in her mind, but she didn't want to say no anymore. She was tired of arguing with Jack every night. She was tired of pushing him away from her, of asking him to stop when she really didn't want him to.

He would have to tread carefully he reminded himself now. It had been a long time since he had been with a girl like Elizabeth. Women like her were typically too high maintenance for his tastes. Like Giselle, he compared, pulling away from Elizabeth long enough to pull her shift over her head. Of course she had only been a common whore, but she had cleaned herself up, gotten herself off the streets. She had wanted too much from him though, much more than he was willing to give, and yet she had been so very good with her mouth. Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the memory, just as Elizabeth finally got her shift off. Although she hadn't been as good as Anamaria. As the sudden realization came to him, he snapped his eyes open to see Elizabeth lying there in front of him, naked.

"What's wrong Jack?" she asked, the strange look on his face, causing her to think that perhaps she had made the wrong decision.

"Nothin'" he stammered, his strange look turning to one of awe as his hand reached out to catch her own that clutched the sheet. "Don't," he said, his eyes darkening with his lust. How had he missed her pulling the shift over her head? How could he possibly be thinking of other girls? He was just as bad as Will.

Elizabeth felt uncomfortable, but flattered by the pirate's longing gaze. Will had never stared at her like this. He had looked on his wife's body with love and respect, but this, this was something different entirely. Jack's eyes were nearly smoldering with passion. She felt completely bare before him and once again tried to pull the sheets over her, but Jack's grip was firm.

It had been so many years since he had seen a girl who looked like this. She had no scars from a life at sea yet. Her flesh was smooth and creamy. Despite the fact that she had given birth, she had no fat on her body anywhere that he could see, unlike the plump whores of Tortuga. At the same time however, her body was not toned as a woman who had worked all her life, such as Anamaria. Elizabeth had softer curves, a womanly shape. She was beautiful in his eyes, as most women were to him. He had no overall preference to size or shape or color, but he recognized Elizabeth's beauty as unique, much as he had Anamaria's.

"Jack, you're making me uncomfortable," she said softly, unable to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry luv," he explained. "I'm only enjoying your beauty."

He saw the blush break first across her cheeks before the rosy color spread across her chest and the tops of her arms.

"You are amazing," he said, leaning over to kiss her again.

"Thank you," she mumbled through their kisses.

He brushed his fingertips across her cheek, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, teasing her own as he ran his fingers down her neck to her collarbone and across her chest to caress her breast again.

"Jack," she managed.

"Sssh luv, no need for that now," he said, kissing down her neck and seeking out a nipple to suckle at with his lips.

Elizabeth fumbled with his shirt, forgetting the sash that was wound tightly around his waist and Jack disentangled himself from her. She had seen him without his shirt before, had pulled at it to remove it in most of their more heated encounters, but for some odd reason, she had not yet tried to remove it tonight. It seemed slightly odd to him he thought as he unwound the sash, since he had seen her topless before. She had allowed him to slip the shift off of her shoulders and fondle as well as lap at her breasts on quite a few occasions before tonight. They had both been bare-chested at those times, however. Pulling his shirt over his head, he wondered at how he had managed to get her fully undressed while he remained fully clothed. Perhaps that had been the trick though, perhaps she hadn't felt the pressure that she would have if their bare chests had glistened against one another with sweat.

Jack chided himself as he returned to her. Now was not the time for over analyzing or he would only end up proving himself no better than Will. Elizabeth met his eyes with a dewy soft gaze of wonder and he found himself amazed with her all over again. She ran her fingers across his scarred chest lightly and down his arm to hold his hand for a brief second before he touched her hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. She smiled up at him and he felt himself melting. He wasn't sure that any girl had ever smiled at him quite so innocently before, until he thought of Madelyn. She had given him almost that exact smile so many years ago, but how could he forget?

Stop! he commanded himself. Why was he having such a difficult time focusing now? It was more than frustrating.

He kissed her softly before moving to take one of her nipples between his lips as he massaged her other breast with his hand. He swirled his tongue around the hard mound before sucking at it softly and then working it between his teeth. He heard Elizabeth sigh and he moved to her opposite breast, not failing to give it the same special treatment. He then snaked a hand back between her legs. She inhaled sharply and Jack decided to press his luck again. If she let him, he knew he would have her.

He moved quickly, leaving another trail of kisses down her stomach, caressing her breast with his hand. Elizabeth didn't really have a chance to stop him, as she wasn't quite aware of where he was going. The next thing she felt was warm and wet between her legs. Jack took her in his mouth and sucked softly on her before breathing hotly on the area. Elizabeth moaned loudly, but made no struggle to get away.

She had read about things like this and yet Will had never shown her these pleasures. They had spoken of it once, but had both thought the idea seemed somehow dirty. Now, Elizabeth had a different idea. Jack's mouth felt wonderful on her and in minutes her body was convulsing in waves of pleasure under his tongue.

"Jack," she moaned loudly, trying to regain her senses as her body continued to shake. She grasped at his shoulders and he moved up her body, kissing her until he reached her lips. She kissed him deeply, pulling him into her. He grinded his hips against hers and felt her thrust back against him. He had brought a crashing wave of pleasure to her and her inhibitions were now gone.

She pulled at his clothes and he obeyed, removing his garments as quickly as he thought possible without seeming rushed and then he was there on top of her again, kissing her, fondling her breasts.

"Did you like that?" he whispered hotly in her ear.

"Oh Jack," she moaned, briefly opening her eyes to meet his. "You win. It can be just like in the books."

Jack grinned down at her. She kissed him again, pulling him down to her. He pressed his hardness against her and she ground her hips against him.

"Jack," she whispered against his kisses, "Is it wrong that I want you so badly?"

"No luv," he whispered back, kissing her ear, "not at all."

"I can't say no anymore," she said, "Please Jack."

Jack wasn't sure what she wanted, but he was hoping it was the same as what he desired. He placed his shaft at her entrance and pressed gently.

"Elizabeth," he whispered, causing her to open her doe like eyes once again to meet his.

"Jack," she said softly.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.

"Yes," she said hotly, kissing his mouth, "Yes."

She thrust against him and he slid slowly into her. For Jack it was a heightened experience as she was much tighter than any girl he had been with in a very long time. Despite the fact that she had given birth, she had taken much better care of her body than any other female he had shared company with in years.

Jack tried to take his time, despite his desire to rush things along and claim her as his own. He knew that would come in time if he at least took his time this first time. Elizabeth was very much a willing party, moaning and writhing against him and he enjoyed holding her in his arms.

When Jack had felt her body crash against his several more times, he gave himself over and came inside her, holding her tightly against him. For a long time afterwards, they laid in each other's arms, staring into one another's eyes until they finally both drifted off to sleep.