I did not intentionally abandon this story. From the beginning I have had it planned out, in its entirety. Things have been hectic in my life for a while and I have not been in a good place mentally to write well. I am trying to change all of this and force myself to start writing again. Hopefully, good things will come. To anyone who is still reading, thank you. I never imagined to get the responses I did from friends and reviewers when I stopped writing for months. You guys are the reason this is here today. Thank you for the support and now...the story continues.

Chapter Forty Four

Jack finally tore himself away from the docks. He imagined at first he could still see the tiny black speck that was The Sea Wench as she disappeared over the horizon, but at some point he could no longer convince himself and he begun slowly making his way back through the port city's crowded streets. He stepped into a tavern and picked up three bottles of rum. There was no way he was going to make it out to The Pearl today. Mr. Gibbs would have to lead the repairs without him and to pot with what the crew thought.

He went back to his room at the inn, hoping against all hopes that Elizabeth would not be there, that he could be left alone to mourn his former first mate by himself, but as soon as he twisted the knob of the door and let himself in, he saw her there, waiting for him.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, "I was starting to get worried…"

He cut her off with a dismissive wave, "No need, I'm right here. I had a long night and I'd rather not be disturbed. Perhaps they could make good use of you at The Pearl. Why don't you head out and see if Gibbs needs anything."

Elizabeth looked at him, confused.

"Go on now," he shooed her. "Dear ol' Jack needs some time to hisself."

"You are going to come and help with your ship later on, aren't you?" she asked.

"Not today," Jack stated simply, popping the cork on his bottle of rum and taking a long drink.

Elizabeth shook her head, "Jack…"

"Don't start with me," he raised his voice.

Elizabeth didn't say another word, but quietly got up and dressed. She took two steps towards Jack, wanting to say something more before she left, but she decided against it and hastily exited the room.

Jack let out a breath of relief. He needed the time alone. Anamaria's departure had left him much more depressed than he would ever want to admit. He knew the fight had been childish and unnecessary, but it had make parting easier for him…or at least he had thought it would. In truth, it had just made him feel worse about the whole situation. On top of everything else, he also felt guilty now. He took a long sip of rum and leaned back against the headboard of the bed with all good intentions of drinking until he passed out.

Elizabeth worked on The Pearl all day before finally heading back to the inn around sunset. She was aware that Jack was dealing with a lot and she was mildly concerned about him. She knew Anamaria meant a great deal to him and that at some point, their relationship must have extended beyond that of captain and first mate. She could only wonder how much, or if, she had come between the two of them, or if their relationship had ended before she had joined his crew.

She arrived back at the inn to find Jack passed out in the bed. She tried to wake him, but he wouldn't budge until she attempted to take away his bottle of rum. The pirate still didn't open his eyes, but refused to let the bottle go, pulling it tight against his chest. Elizabeth gave up and settled for covering him with a blanket and lying down beside him. She tried to snuggle against him, but the rum bottle got in her way and she ended up turning over and moving to the edge of the bed. She felt very alone and very sad and for the first time in a while, her eyes began to water as she thought about Will. For weeks now, Jack had managed to keep her mind off of her dead husband, but now with no one and nothing to distract her, the thoughts came rushing back to her. Sleep was a long time coming and when it finally came, it was restless.

Jack awoke sometime just before dawn with a terrible headache as well as a gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach. He instantly noticed Elizabeth curled into a ball on the edge of the bed and almost felt bad. She seemed to depend on him for so much already. He reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He was rewarded with her beauty. She was so young, too young really, to have been down the path she was taking, and yet she had chosen it. She had made her own decisions every step of the way.

He wouldn't be able to miss another day of working on The Pearl and when it came right down to it, he didn't want to. With Anamaria gone, he was more anxious than ever to get off this blasted island and back to pirating. He was beginning to feel landlocked and the mere thought made him nauseous.

The sea had never been so unkind to her, she thought as she stood puking over the rail that morning. It was almost as if she was being punished for leaving Jack. She watched Starling pass and she was grateful to him for not stopping to ask questions. He had glanced her way, but kept walking, focused on the job at hand. She wiped her mouth and went back to her duties as captain.

She thought about Jack often as they sailed farther and farther away form the man she had once called her captain, wondering often if he felt any remorse at the argument he had caused between them and positive she would be much better off if she could just manage to forget him.

Jack thought about Anamaria much more than he wanted to as the days passed, especially when he felt as guilty as he did. He hated feeling guilty and he hated it even more that she had predicted those guilty feelings.

Amazingly, time passed quickly and the much smaller crew worked very hard. By the end of the first week, Jack believed it entirely possible that they might be prepared to make sail as soon as the following week.

He sat in a tavern that night and began discussing his plan with Elizabeth, whom he had barely spoken three full sentences to since Anamaria had left. She had remained oddly quiet, although at his side almost the entire time, despite his desperate attempts and requests to be left alone. It was almost as if they had made an unspoken compromise: she wouldn't annoy him with conversation, but at the same time, he wouldn't leave her alone.

"I'm thinking we sail back to the Caribbean first. Captain Saldana had a strong plan wanting to sail to Madagascar, but the crew is overworked and exhausted at this point. We're not even halfway there yet," Jack took a sip of rum as Elizabeth stared blankly on. "We sail back to the Caribbean, reorganize the crew. When we're ready, we'll try to sail the world again. Only not to Madagascar," he mumbled, frowning into his mug of rum. "Not to anywhere Anamaria might be," he said under his breath, low enough for Elizabeth to hear, but know that she shouldn't be privy to.

Elizabeth lifted her own mug of rum and drained it in one long drink. "Jack?" she asked.

"Mmm?" he set his mug back down.

"I'm going to need more rum," she said softly.

The captain smiled. "More rum!" he shouted to a passing barmaid.

"Jack?" she asked again.

"Yes luv?"

She fell silent, staring uncomfortably at her hands in her lap.

"What is it?" he asked again.

She sighed. "Nothing," she said, shaking her head.

A young wench dropped off two more mugs of rum for them and Jack occupied himself in his own. Elizabeth did not resume her conversation and at some point the pirate began to talk excitedly of his future plans again.

As the evening wore on, both of them began to feel a bit tipsy from the effects of the rum. "I think maybe we should go," Elizabeth managed, her tongue feeling thick.

"Sounds good," Jack agreed.

The pair stood and as she stumbled slightly, he wrapped an arm around her. He realized that he hadn't really kept track of how much she had drank. He wondered now if she had matched him drink for drink and knew if that were the case it would explain why she was leaning on him with all her weight now.

"Are you alright luv?" he asked as they stepped out into the street.

Elizabeth nodded giddily, a broad smile across her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Jack felt slightly guilty for not watching out for her better. She had definitely had too much to drink.

When they arrived back at their inn, the stairs proved too difficult for her and he found himself stooping to scoop her into his arms, stumbling slightly himself. He was hardly in shape to take care of himself, but he got them both up the stairs without injuring either of them. It helped that she was so light and curled herself easily into his chest. It took him a moment to get the key out and into the lock, but soon they were alone together again.

Jack laid Elizabeth on the bed, fully expecting her to pass out almost immediately, but she surprised him by boldly undressing herself in front of him. He felt a dull throb in his pants and realized that in his haste to repair The Pearl he had ignored his own needs for too long. Elizabeth playfully tossed her shift at him, smiling coyly and he couldn't resist.

He took her in his arms and kissed her hard on the mouth. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace as her fingers slipped up his back and tangled in his hair. She was on her knees naked on the bed and he was standing in front of her fully clothed, but as their kiss deepened, he longed to be free of his clothing. He skimmed his fingertips down her upper arms and felt the goose bumps rise under his touch. Her tongue raced around his mouth and her fingers reached to pull at his sash.

He was incredibly aroused and he couldn't imagine that Will might never have taken advantage of turning her into a vixen. From her descriptions, their sex had always been sweet, patient, and loving, but Jack had known, he could see it in the depths of her eyes, she was just waiting for someone to unleash her wildcat tendencies. He was being proven correct as she ripped his sash off and reached for his shirt.

He willingly let her pull his shirt over his head, breaking their kiss for only the briefest of moments. Her bare chest felt good against his as he pulled her close to him. He ran his hands up her sides and allowed his thumbs to roll over her nipples, feeling them raise and harden instantly. Her hands were working at his pants now and soon she had them off. At this point, Jack put a knee on the bed between her legs, pressing his hardness against her thigh and feeling her wetness on his own. One of his hands was on her breast, the other behind her head. Elizabeth had one of her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her opposite hand moved to his strong length. For a short moment, she paused, unsure of herself, her honey colored eyes opening to meet Jack's. His had left her breast long enough to reassure her own in its grip around his hardness and stroke him hard several times. He smiled darkly at her and she noticed the lust clouding his eyes that she had seen so many times before. She smiled back at him and closed her eyes, kissing his lips again as she stroked his member hard enough to make him gasp against her lips.

"Not quite so hard luv," he whispered against her lips, nipping at them with his teeth, "or there won't be much left by the time I get inside you."

She opened her eyes again, against his own, and he saw a reckless twinkle glisten in them. She softened her grip, but only slightly and moved to kiss his throat.

Had she learned this over night? Jack wondered. Where had this come from all of a sudden? She was driving him wild, touching him and kissing him in ways that only the most seasoned of lovers should have known how to perform. He wouldn't last long tonight he knew, but oh how he had waited for this moment to happen between the two of them.

She moved back and allowed him to join her on the bed as they reclined together with him on top of her. She still had her hand on him, stroking him hard and fast and he found himself distracting himself with all sorts of random thoughts to keep himself from coming too soon. He lowered his lips to her breast, sucking her nipple into his mouth and teasing it between his teeth with his tongue. She squirmed under him and he slid his fingers into her wetness, allowing his thumb to play with her hardened nub. She was moaning now and it was about to drive Jack wild. He kissed up her chest to her throat and then moved to her ear.

"Want to try something different?" he whispered hotly between suckling at her earlobe.

She nodded, moaned yes lowly. He kissed her on the mouth again, slipping his tongue inside to meet her own. Her hand still held him, but his hands had distracted her by touching her body and her stroking had become less rigorous.

What Jack desperately wanted to ask was if she would be on top. He was a little worried, however, that she might become too self-conscious and that it would break the mood. So he settled, instead, for a more simple position that required less of her.

He got on his knees again, watching her eyes follow him.

"Come to me," he said, his voice low and hot as he extended a hand to her. She reached for his hand with her own and rose to her knees again. He kissed her hotly. "Trust me," he said, moving behind her.

He used both hands to caress her breasts at first, layering her back with soft kisses and nipping softly at her neck. He then moved one hand between her legs to enjoy the wetness that awaited him there. She sighed and leaned hard against him. He could feel his erection, hard and uncomfortable against her. He ran his fingers across her chest and down her arm to hold her hand in his own before moving it behind her back to grip his hardness once again. She pumped several times, but she was too distracted by what he was doing to her and had forgotten about trying to pleasure him. It mattered not to Jack, for he would get what he needed soon enough. He massaged her fully and then moved to lean her forward. With one hand on her shoulder and his other hand guiding himself in, he entered her. She backed up hard against him and moaned. He almost lost it all in that moment, but somehow managed to control himself.

He pumped slowly, but deliberately at first. For all he knew and from what he expected, she had never experienced the joys of a position like this before. She was participating with a fervor, however, that only reassured Jack this was not going to last very long. Her hands were planted firmly on the bed and her head was thrown back, giving him perfect access to stroke her breasts with one hand while giving him the chance to kiss and nip at her throat. His other hand remained on the bed, supporting most of his weight, so as not to crush her.

At some point, she reached up to touch Jack's hand as he massaged her breast. He paused for the briefest moment, unsure of what she wanted him to do. She squeezed his hand in her own and then rested her hand on his. Jack began his massaging again and her hand stayed on his. She was rocking against him, still moaning softly in delight, her fingers moving with his, when he had an idea. Quickly and easily, so as not to give too much attention to his actions, he switched the placement of their hands so that Elizabeth was now kneading her own breast. Jack continued to hold her hand, controlling her motions, showing her how to touch herself. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Keep going luv, you know what feels good." He blew hotly in her ear, causing her to moan and thrust against him as he took the lobe between his teeth and teased it with his tongue. Her hand remained on her breast, massaging it gently as his hand slipped down her stomach and between her legs. She writhed beneath him now and he knew it wouldn't be much longer. Her moans turned to squeals and then screams as he thrust harder against her. Her body began to shake as he continued to work his fingers beneath her and he knew his own release was not far behind.

The shock of the words, "Oh Jack!" being released from her lips in a near scream pushed him over the edge and he came inside her.

For a moment, he couldn't force himself to move, but just kept holding her, feeling her breathe hard against him. Then she turned her head and looked over her shoulder at him with an amazing smile. He kissed her quickly on the lips and then pulled away from her. She collapsed on the bed and he lay down beside her, draping an arm across her waist.

The whole event had not been a new experience for Jack, though not being able to control himself almost felt that way. He had spent many nights in this same compromising position with many women, some had touched themselves in more ways than Elizabeth, some had touched him and many had screamed his name in pleasure, but this was the governor's daughter. Well, former governor's daughter technically, but it was close enough for Jack.

They lay still for a minute and then Elizabeth pulled herself up on her elbow. "That was amazing," she said softly, leaning over to kiss Jack.

He kissed her back and smiled crookedly. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Elizabeth smiled down at him, studying his features. She ran a finger over one of his eyebrows and kissed him gently on the lips again. He snaked a hand up the back of her neck and pulled her into a deep kiss.

She pulled away and snuggled into the crook of his arm. "I never thought I'd say this to you, but I don't know what I'd do without you, Captain Jack Sparrow. If you hadn't come for me when you did…" she hesitated, pausing while she remembered those horrible months she had spent awaiting his response. "I don't know where I would be now. You practically saved my life."

Jack tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and moved to kiss her on the forehead, "Now, now luv, don't get yourself all worried about that again." Shifting into a more comfortable position, he added, "You're safe with good ol' Jack now."

He gently rubbed her arm with the tips of his fingers until he heard her breathing even out and then he closed his eyes and began to drift off himself.

Jack awoke the next morning as the sunlight began to stream through the small single window in their room. It refracted across the room and hit Elizabeth's golden curls, causing her to almost glow. He was immediately struck with her beauty. The sadness he had grown so accustomed to seeing on her face was gone. She looked peaceful and happy and rested. Had he actually provided that for her? He felt a brief moment of pride at the accomplishment.

He got out of bed and dressed quickly. It was time to get to work on his ship. Enough bad things had happened since they set out on this voyage. It was time to finish fixing The Pearl and get her back in the water. Time to sail back to the Caribbean where it was warm and familiar. He could only hope that the voyage for Anamaria would be smoother sailing without him than it had been with him.