Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind. A/U Story

Title from a song by Jordin Sparks

Chapter 13: One Step At A Time

Three hours later he had her laying on his bed tending to her with a cool cloth and a basin of water off to his side. No one had bothered to come to see what was going on between them, he was grateful for that because he already had four people ticked off with him not counting the unconscious one on the bed.

The others would never do anything or admit to it, but he could see the anger in their eyes and fury they kept a careful lid on. She stirred and he dropped the cloth waiting.

Slowly she blinked staring up at the ceiling of his cabin, focusing she managed a soft cough before glancing around. "I remember." she remembered everything including what almost happened, her first urge was to throttle Jack and then she remembered other things. She knew he cared regardless of his oath on how he wouldn't, couldn't and shouldn't.

"You insufferable menace of a pirate, stupid bloody bastard."

"Maddie?" she sat up only to fall back onto his bed feeling dizzy.

"Yes Maddie and I'm going to run you through with your own damn cutlass just for the fact I almost married your worst enemy, because of your idiocy." She did manage to sit up then and turned glaring daggers at Jack.

For once in his life he feared her, he feared what she would do to him if she got a hold of him. Self preservation again taking over he stood to flee the wrath of Maddison Tempest.

She saw it coming and dove managing to tackle Jack to the floor of his cabin and just let him have it. Fists flying and her rage blinding her, he caught her wrist wrestling her to the ground and pinned her under him twisting yelling and doing everything she could to throttle him.

"I hate you Jack!"

Her tears were real and made everything worse, much worse than he thought she could for him. He did damage beyond repair and this time there wasn't hope in fixing it.

He sighed closing his eyes in misery before letting her loose and leaning back on his knees. He decided for once he probably deserved everything she had and he wouldn't fight her.

Seeing the surrender she resisted the urge to continue beating on him. "You're not running?"

He shook his head in answer remaining still and waiting for it to come. She just sat there watching him in awe, Jack was admitting to his mistakes and taking whatever she had in wait for him. She wanted to hate him, she wanted to hurt him like he had her but she found no strength to do so.

"You jackass." she hissed watching him slowly meet her gaze still waiting for her to damage him.

"You win Maddison, I deserve anything you have."

"I know you do!" she snarled angrily, despair almost her point. "I can't because I love you and that's my own fault. My dumbest move ever!" she went limp staring at him, dark eyes meeting the blue ones that seemed glassy.

She suffered so much and still loved him? He didn't know why and for some reason it bothered him more than her hatred. "Why can't you just hate me?"

"I can't hate what I love." He glared that dark menacing glare but she ignored him like always. "You know why you hate it so much Jack, why you feel some things and guilt the most?"

"I don't want…

"I don't give a shit what you want!" She leaned forward meeting his dark gaze challenging everything he was. "You love me and don't understand it because you swore love and emotion off."

He grit his teeth favoring a hard punch to his floor to maintain his temper. "Get out Maddie."

"NO!" she shouted lifting her hands up so he could see the damage she had done to herself. "These aren't all of them either. I'm showing you all of them Jack!"

She stood flinging her top across the floor and turned. He couldn't help himself staring up at the slashes on her back, the clear whip marks among some he could see were sharp blades and a couple looked like bullets. She showed him the ones on her shoulder, they were blade scars, three down her chest and one across her stomach, her eye wasn't even the half of them.

She had some on her arms, hands and legs. He also took notice to a tattoo across her back of a sparrow, because she could never forget him.

"There is all I did because I didn't want to leave you. Now you know whether you like it or not. Life's a bitch and I'm that bitch." she stormed from the cabin leaving him there gaping at her, she reached down to grab her shirt and jacket before leaving him to ponder all her damage and her anger.

Jack hid in his cabin for days, Maddison didn't care and her concern was limited. She was grateful to be back with her friends and would ignore any subject about Jack, her past and all that happened. She spent the days Jack hid out trying to understand her life and why she could easily love someone that could hurt her more than anyone on earth.

Exactly one week to the day she told him off he emerged from his cabin. He didn't spare her a glance, immediately he told his orders to the crew and went to the helm. He stayed there most of the day, even when someone was to relieve him of duty.

Night fell and yet Jack still lingered at the helm. Maddison remained doing her work until nightfall and then surrendered to staring out at the sea. Her friends had left her and she took note that only the night watch was on deck.

She decided to turn in before seeing Jack was still at the helm. She could feel his dark eyes watching her and wondered what would happen if she went up to the helm to confront him again.

He chose not to run, he had a week to think over his life and hers in general. His voices had silenced after that last fight, he knew the answer to silence his voices and wasn't prepared to let it happen. It was against everything that was him.

"Didn't expect you to come out of hiding just yet." She hopped up on the railing watching him with intensity in her blue eyes, a cruelness lingering he hadn't seen before.

He allowed Cotton to take over the helm and walked past her, he went to the front of the ship and purposely ignored the predatory like steps following him. She wasn't giving up that easily and he knew he couldn't avoid her anymore.

"What's wrong, knowing everything hurt your ego?"

"Go ahead Maddison, prove your point." he ignored her staring across his home, his freedom, the ocean as inky as the night sky with diamonds lighting the way.

She was surprised by his lack of conviction. He smiled at her lack of comment, slowly his dark gaze met hers his own changes present. His eyes were hard and there was a challenge there she had seen before.

"You egotistical bastard, as always you bury your head in the sand. In your case drown in your own damn rum!"

He caught her arm forcing her to spin around, he caught her wrist before it connected and stared at her his eyes like hard black pearls themselves.

"I don't change Maddie, not even if you point out everything." she froze at his hard tone, he just admitted she was right and still kept from saying the words she wanted most. "So prove your point love, I don't think you have the skill."

She met his challenging gaze with her own, she jerked her wrist loose and pulled his compass from her pocket and slapped it in his free hand. "I learned to play pirate from the best Jack. You don't have to say it, that arrow does it all." his eyes were widened in disbelief and like she said the arrow stopped right on her. "I prove my point."

She left him standing there with the one thing that wouldn't lie, she walked swiftly across the deck and only found herself stopped by a firm grip on her arm. She turned to see those dark eyes were full of dark fury, something she didn't think he was capable of.

He pulled her slowly to his cabin, she tried to pull free but instead he resorted to lifting her over his shoulder and walking in tossing her onto the bed. He blocked the door waiting for her to try to make a break for it.

She remained as she was staring at Jack, she got through she hoped but was there a worse price to pay for her part?

"The day I met you was the end of me."

She stood disregarding her urge for her well being and walked up to Jack. He jerked back only to succeed in hitting the door and leaning in to it with a defeated groan.

"It might have been the beginning, you can't be alone forever. I never said you had to change, I just need you the way you are Jack. I fell for the man you are, not the one you think that I want you to be." he dared to do the thing he would regret most.

"Why do you make me care?" it wasn't the declaration of love she wanted but it was a start.

"I don't know, but I am not going anywhere." he sighed banging his head against the door behind him. "You might damage that clever mind you do that too often."

He chuckled, it was something he couldn't help but do. Shaking his head he met her eyes aware she was close to him and something had finally been resolved. Regardless of whatever had happened he had her, all he had to do was take her back.

He gave in to the silence, it was something he had missed having and pulled her into a deep kiss. Tongues meeting in a collision of need as he lifted her into his arms, her body wrapping with his. Things may not be fixed but at least they wouldn't kill each other.

Sometimes forgiving someone comes in the strangest of ways, secrets aside she was very much his whether he would ever admit she was his would be their secret.