A/N: Finally, after three months, it's done! I apologize for the wait, folks. Now, the thank yous--Sphynx, as always, for reading this crap for me, and of course, the betas. You guys make this MUCH easier.

SHAMELESS PLUG: If you haven't already, check out my Jack/Kate one-shot, A Touch of Destiny! It's so Jack/Kate!

Now, remember, kids, THE FOLLOWING IS FICTION! I made up most of this myself, so if you don't like it, that's fine, because it's not canon. Heh heh! Enjoy!

The trudge below deck was an unhappy one. It seemed that as Jack walked the routine steps to the galley, a trail of misery and hurt saturated the atmosphere that was left behind in Kate's wake. A coldness stung his face and the air was heavy with Kate's tears. Jack's lip twitched in unease of the conversation to come, and although his brain kept urging him to turn around, his legs kept moving. His body seemed to understand that he wasn't the most honorable man in existence, but he was still man enough to attempt to rid his friend of any hurt she was experiencing, especially when he was the one responsible.

He stopped at the entry to the galley to prepare his words. This task was rather difficult, as he could hear Kate sobbing. He peered inside and watched her silently. She had her face in her hand and her shoulders were shaking with tears. Whatever thoughts Jack had managed to collect immediately vanished and his heart sank. The sour feeling of regret raged through his blood and that ever irritating tapping of his conscience convinced him to finally clear his throat to announce his presence to Kate.

"Leave me!" she cried in response, crossing her arms and turning her back to him.

Jack sighed and entered, striding over to sit opposite Kate. He paused, half-hoping she'd forgo her fury and speak to him, but after they sat in silence for a good minute and a half, he realized there was little chance of that happening. "I can't, Katie, it's not that easy. Now, the way I see it, there's a warm bed for my pride and a fresh bottle of rum for my sorrows if you won't listen, but either way you slice it, you've got to let me explain."

Kate deliberated silently for a moment before turning to face him. "Fine. Explain." Any semblance of the jovial lightheartedness that she usually imparted had dissipated, and her emerald gaze pierced Jack's soul sharper than any bayonet. Before he could even draw breath to begin his explanation, Kate blurted, "I don't understand, Jack. I'm supposed to be your friend. Friends don't betray each other like that."

"The surprising twist in this little tale is that I did it to save you, Kate." Jack's eyes were wrought with sadness, as if the very thought of Kate being anything but safe deeply grieved him.

Kate studied him briefly, shaking her head. "That doesn't make any sense, Jack, even for you. Killing someone to save them is quite impossible. You did it for the money."

"Trust me," he emphasized heavily on the first two words, "in this case, it is possible. As for your bounty..." He reached into his coat and extracted the pouch full of coins and tossed it into her lap. She looked up at him quizzically and he spoke again, anxious to distract himself from this idiotic act of selflessness. "Listen up, love. It's story time."

Kate blinked. "What?"

Jack moved to the floor and reclined against the crate he'd just vacated. "Is it not the custom of friends to share their innermost secrets with each other?" He motioned for Kate to join him on the ground and she did so, tentatively. He cast his eyes to his lap, sincerely unsure of how to manage the situation at hand. "If you must know the details of your near-execution, Katherine, you must first know the entire story behind it." His tone sent a chill down Kate's spine--Jack's normal demeanor had dissolved into a troubled aloofness, as if he were a young explorer treading into unknown territory. Some of her own coldness melted away, and as he gathered his words once again, Kate leaned in attentively.

"I didn't always want to be a pirate, Katie," Jack started, his voice softening as he spoke. It was obvious he was ashamed of this proclamation; he couldn't even look her in the eye when he uttered it. "When I was young, as all insolent little whelps, I believed that with the proper skill and support, I could grow up to be...whatever it is young children strive to be, I suppose. My father, of course, had other plans, the rotten brute. He was--IS--a pirate, and if I recall, his father before him was a pirate...his father's father was a butcher, I believe..." Kate raised an eyebrow, slightly perplexed by Jack's sudden rambling. Realizing he was getting sidetracked, Jack cracked his knuckles and reapplied his focus.

"I've never had much respect for my father, mind. He tricked me poor Mum into thinking he'd be a good, faithful husband and father." His eyes flickered to Kate's. "I'm the oldest of six children, you know, thus it was automatically my duty to follow in the old man's footsteps. By the time I was thirteen, I'd had enough of his hypocrisy and set out on my own. I forget a great deal of what happened until then...but I know that some 18 years ago, I realized the most proficient way to anger my father, who still tried to recruit me to piracy, was to earn my bread legitimately, as a privateer under the East India Trading Company. I met Lucy shortly after--"

"Wait," Kate interjected, "You're getting ahead of yourself. Who is Lucy? I've never heard of a Lucy before. What does she have to do with anything? For that matter, what does ANY of this have to do with my death?"

Jack pursed his lips and stared at Kate with annoyance, as if she had just asked the single most ignorant question of all time. "Will you just pay attention, love?" he readjusted himself and muttered something under his breath before continuing. "Lucy, then called Lucy Haversham, was the daughter of a nobleman. She--er..."

"You were in love with her, weren't you?" Kate interrupted again.

Jack's expression soured. "To put it plainly, yes. Now--"

"You still are."

Kate's face was blank as she leant forward, making it clear she was stating and not asking. She hadn't even allowed Jack a breath between statements. "May I please continue?" He asked. It was obvious that this was already a touchy subject, so Kate gestured for him to go on.

"Right. After a few months of touch and squeeze, Lucy and I decided to marry." Jack stopped to shrug and roll his eyes disapprovingly of himself. "I was foolish...foolish enough to believe that marriage was a sound institution and that love would make it so." He stuck out his tongue scornfully. Kate must have forgotten her bitterness, for she now leaned in even closer to catch every word of Jack's riveting tale. This was a side of him she'd never seen before, and she was eager to cling to every detail.

"Now, this is the important bit, Kate. Lucy's father was pompous, egotistical...and a coward. Sometime before our nuptials were to take place, Lord Haversham was approached by our dear friend, Tahlazhria." Jack paused to glance up at Kate. "Out of curiosity, what do you know about the supernatural?"

Kate stopped and pondered his question. The only other worldly encounter she'd ever had was when she was eight and she'd met a ghost, but even now she was certain that it was just a trick of the light, with some help from her prankster brother. "Not much, I'm afraid," she replied. She wasn't sure where Jack was going with this, but she wasn't exactly optimistic.

"Hmph. Do you know what an incubus is? Or more importantly, it's female counterpart, the succubus?" Jack stuck his fingernail between his teeth while he waited for an answer, seemingly uninterested by this point.

Kate's eyes widened in disbelief. She had, indeed, heard of those as a child--incubi and succubae were demons who fed on human souls through different levels of intimacy. Though in her experience no such things existed, and all the claims she'd known to be recognized were nothing more than spiteful men trying to set up their wives falsely for adultery. The very idea of Tahlazhria being a succubus was nothing short of...absurd. Kate clicked her tongue dismissively and folded her arms. Jack was wasting her time with another one of his special-made-to-order stories.

"I don't believe you, Jack. I'll have you know that my opinion of you has begun to completely diminish, especially after pulling my leg like that. Do you think I'm a fool? That I'll fall for such a silly story? And to think, I was so close to actually feeling sorry for you and forgiving you! I--"

Jack lazily raised a hand to cut her off. "It's not an issue of whether you believe me or not, love. You're not the first to doubt me. We can sit here all day and debate the fabric of the universe and whatever normal or paranormal threads do or do not make it up, but I'll still tell you, Katie, Tahlazhria is a succubus...more or less."

Kate rolled her eyes, resigned to indulge him. He'd confused her anyhow with his 'fabric of the universe' shtick. "What do you mean?"

"The idea behind incubi and succubae is that they feed off one's soul through caresses, kissing, and more commonly, se--" Jack cut himself off when he caught the sight of Kate's violent blush, "--erm...well, the color in your cheek implies that you understand. Normally, once a body is exhausted of soul, the demon scampers off to the next unsuspecting meal." Jack's eyes bugged a little as he spoke. "This, however, is not entirely the case with our dear Tahlazhria. The same concept applies, only after she lures her prey into her bed, instead of leaving the body to feed elsewhere, she...she...well, in essence, the body provides a host for her until it decays. Pleasant, no?"

Kate appeared as though she were going to be sick. "Let's assume for a moment that you're telling the truth," this comment earned her a bitter look from Jack, "that happened to Lucy's father?"

Jack's face lightened sardonically, his voice spiteful. "No, unfortunately...though whatever that bastard's lot in life happened to be after that was too good for him. You see, once he realized who--what--Tahlazhria was, he ended their trysts and begged her to take his daughter instead. For reason's I'm still not sure of, Tahlazhria agreed to take Lucy in place of her father."

Kate grimaced. If had been one thing that Jack had learned about her in their time together it was that she was thoroughly human, complete with all the typical 'feminine' feelings. It was refreshing, for once, to be associated with a woman who felt pity and sympathy for someone she'd never met. He allowed himself the tiniest of smiles until she spoke again. "So...then what happened?"

Jack took a deep breath. Kate wondered how many times he'd told this story, though from his reluctant disposition she was sure it had been more times than he'd like to admit. He pursed his lips. "She came to Lucy, hell-bent on feeding from her. By some divine providence, I was able to intervene. You see, Tahlazhria chooses her victim by how much...well, soul they have. It's an instinct she has, like all savage beasts. Apparently, my quantity of spirit was more than Lucy's and because of this 'blessing' I was able to strike an accord with her."

Kate nodded. "Your soul for Lucy's."

"Aye," Jack nodded also. "But she was foolish, Lord bless her. She allowed Lucy and I one more evening together, as if that would be enough to slake our feelings for one another. The only reason why I'm sitting here talking to you today is because, unlike other demons, Tahlazhria must feed...er, on a schedule, if you will, or she's sent back to the chasms of hell. Once again, pleasantries. She'd overestimated her remaining time and disappeared. By sheer luck, I was free, and so was my beloved. Touching story, wouldn't you agree?"

"So why is she here now? Shouldn't she be in the spirit world?" Kate asked, her tone more curious than condescending. Jack was grateful that he was finally beginning to convince her.

"Well," he huffed, "Her window is obviously open again. I suppose it's now my primary concern to find a way to close it."

Kate nodded her agreement. To his surprise, her hand found his and she squeezed it comfortingly. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile as she leaned forward and spoke. "Jack?"

Her smile was contagious, and Jack mimicked her soft and inviting grin. At last, progress. "Yes, love?"

"I have a question for you."

"Anything, love."

"What does any of this have to do with me?!" Kate all but shrieked. Her hand slid from his grip coldly and folded into the other tightly, her exasperation evident.

Jack snorted. "Think about it, pet. Tahlazhria approaches me to alert me of your criminal record, convinced that I will view money and gold to be more valuable than our friendship...no more can be expected of a pirate. Within days you'd be dead and no longer a threat to her. Consequently, your 'hanging' took place. No doubt, her spies have alerted her by now that you're rotting away in some peasant's grave."

"No, no, no," Kate pulled her knees to her chest. "That's preposterous. Why would I be a threat to Tahlazhria? I'm no one special, I haven't any more soul than you or anyone else."

"Because, Kate," Jack muttered, his own patience wearing thin. Such conclusions, at least in his eyes, couldn't be any more clear. "Because in order to have romantic closeness with someone, it's important to be in love, or something like it. Tahlazhria thinks that with you around, it will make her job harder. I can't 'love' her if I love another."

An awkward silence reigned for a few moments, only to be punctuated by Kate's snickering. "Tahlazhria thinks you're in love with me?"

Jack shrugged, his eyes darting to the rafters and back to Kate. "It would appear so," he slurred. "She doesn't give me enough credit. I can have a woman on board and not be involved..." Jack folded his arms as he droned.

Another silence. Again, Kate took it upon herself to break it. "Are you? In love with me?"

Jack stroked his beard, his heartbreaker smile rampant across his lips. "Don't flatter yourself with childish ideas, Kate. Falling in love with pirates only invites trouble. It's best not even to entertain the notion. But to answer your question directly, no, I am not. Any other questions?"

"Yes," Kate sighed, unnerved by Jack's lecture, "whatever happened to Lucy? You aren't a couple anymore, clearly, otherwise she'd be here now and probably a slight angry as you and I have shared a bed and...well, kissed."

This really wasn't the best question to ask. Jack puffed out his chest and inhaled a great deal of air. Kate had obviously struck an already sensitive nerve. Still, Jack managed to collect himself, and a suitable answer. "Shortly after Tahlazhria vanished, Lucy saw fit to inform me that she was with child...another man's child. And that she would wed him, not me, the following day."

Kate made no reply, choosing only to sit there and stare at Jack sympathetically. She couldn't even begin to relate, even though she herself had lost a fiancé as well. Hers had no control over whether or not he would leave her, but Jack's had. Seemingly uncomfortable with the quiet, Jack spoke again. "I saw her again, some ten years ago. Living in poverty, widowed, cradling her dead child. She'd had more by this point, and the sorry things were hollow with disease and hunger. Shame."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Kate uttered.

He shook his head. "What's past is past. You can share this sentiment, can you not? We've been dealt nearly the same hand, you and I. You lost old..." Jack stopped, realizing he didn't know Kate's late fiancé's name.

This time it was Kate's heart that lurched. "Jack," she breathed, "his name was John, but we called him Jack."

The present Jack's eyebrows arched. "Oh. What a coincidence. It appears that we both learned something interesting about the other today."

Another awkward silence.

"So," Jack said after about a two minute delay, "Are you and I square now? A humiliation for an near execution sounds pretty fair, I say." He ended with an altogether adorable grin, reflecting the hope in his eyes.

Kate sighed, and looked up at her captain. She had to admit, she was beginning to believe him about Tahlazhria; the woman was supernatural and that couldn't be denied. However, Jack could have told her about the situation rather than risking her life to save it. Something could have gone wrong and he could have miscalculated, and she wouldn't be sitting here now to let him know it.

Kate leaned forward, her eyes full of hurt and betrayal. "I can forgive you, Captain. But I will not return my trust in you so easy."

Jack blinked. "Right, then." He wouldn't hide that this hurt him. He stood and gave Kate a final glance before trekking the path back to the deck. If that was her choice, so be it. But he'd be damned if he didn't try harder to regain that trust. He'd just have to move heaven and earth to find the way to do it.

Again, FICTION. I'd like to say that this chapter is likely to undergo INTENSE RE-EDITING. I wasn't particularly pleased with it, so...we'll see. Next chapter coming soon!