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Chapter 7: Complications

Blood stained Angelica's hands as she lifted (with a strength she hadn't realised she'd always held within her) Jack's heavy limp body onto the discarded bed sheets, all dishevelled from the mattress.

She grasped onto her emotions and kept herself together; she knew if she broke now, there was no hope for him and then he was more likely to die - which (and she despised even admitting it to herself) was not something she wanted to see right now.

The cut across Jack's chest had grown longer, the scarlet river's mouth ending just before the tip of his ribcage ended. Angelica found it haunting that not even a hurtful wince came from him; whoever was doing this was probably mentally torturing him, not allowing any emotions to be expressed for anyone to save him or to relieve him of pain relief.

She sat next to where he was laid out, stroking a hand over the oozing slash whilst the other tore a strip of material from an abandoned sheet that had previously floated to the floor.

She ripped off the top-half of his clothes, ignoring the skin of his chest underneath because she knew it would only distract her out of curiosity. She stilled for a moment, swearing to herself that she'd just seen his eyelids twitch...

Maybe not. She was being too hopeful.

Since the cut was fresh, she didn't bother cleaning it and decided to bind it straight away, awkwardly wrapping the scrap of sheet diagonally from his shoulder across to the ends of his left rib. She found it hard to lift him up so she could firmly secure it around his back, it took her a while for her to shift the weight so she could tie a tough knot when both ends of the material met, but she'd got it done in the end.

She felt like lying next to him, but she couldn't bring herself to do so... She wanted to... but then - he'd left her. So... wouldn't it be payback if she left him?

Yet she couldn't. Not when he could be dead. Not when he could be just... faking it.

Angelica perched on the side of the bed, eyes fixed in desperation as she prayed to God he wasn't faking it... that she had actually helped him in some way, because she knew he'd be grateful... if he ever woke up.

She glanced over his now covered wound, some of the red had seeped through, leaving brown blotches over the strip. It looked painful. It wasn't any ordinary sword if it had left a wound like that...

"Please wake up..." she whispered, slowly leaning back so her head rested over his legs that were behind her, her own still hanging over the side of the bed. "Please... just, for once... do something that I want you to do! Because if you don't wake up... I - I don't know what I'll do! You're my help Jack... My only true home... and if I don't have home... then I have nothing."

Her head lifted slightly, brown eyes large with hope as they landed on his face.

"Please," she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut and gripping onto the cross that was once again around her neck; a saddened quiver now broke through her voice. "Please Jack... Please, this is such a boring way to die! Please, you know that! You don't want to die like this, do you?"

"Die?! What? Who's dyin' - "

She gasped and opened her eyes, smiling as a single joyous tear rolled down a cheek.

Well, that was until he let out a shrill, girl-like cry.

"AHHHHHH! WHAT... Why do I... hurt?!"

He winced and hissed, attempting to sit himself up until a wave of aching and stinging rushed through his nerves. He let out another shout, settling down when Angelica tipped him back into a more comfortable position.

"Eh?! Why am I half dressed?" he asked, sounding dizzy and far away, which meant he probably wouldn't take in his response, whether he received one or not. "I thought... me an' you were - "

"You left me before we could, remember?"

"No... No I didn't."

"Of course you didn't, now never mind that, do you hurt anywhere else?"

"No... "

"G - "

"Welllllllll..." Jack interrupted, dragging out the word to catch her attention as his eyes widened, looking brighter and wilder than ever. "I do hurt on my mouth actually."

She narrowed her eyes, crawling over the covers to stare him in the face.

"Really Jack? Well perhaps me gagging you would help?"

"Nah, that wasn't what I entirely had in mind, love..."

"Oh I know exactly what you had in mind, you slimy b - "

He sighed, "And there I was thinkin' you were bein' all nice to me."

She set her jaw, and gave him the dirtiest, most disgusted look she could do... It brought an amused smirk onto his face, which inside, Angelica was happy to see; she could tell he was being brave because... that cut looked like it hurt - a lot.

"You're injured Jack, I'd hardly punch you in the face and then ask you whether you'd want to take part in sword's play, would I?"

"I don't know, sounds kinda fun... I mean... the sword part... not the... punchy wunchy part."

"I'm trying to be nice for once, so just take this as prized time." she said, keeping on subject, but she could see in his eyes that he was just itching to go off subject completely.

"So why did I leave then?" Jack wondered, frowning as he moved his stare away from her, not wanting to show the pain in his eyes. She sighed, lying down next to him, on her side so that she could be as near to his face as possible.

"Who knows? You've done it plenty of times before. I knew that you could never work yourself out, so I had no hope really. You're just too complicated."

He smiled and made a noise of disagreement, head turning and gaze rising to face her head on.

"Nope, actually I'm quite simple to read."

She held back a laugh... well... No, she tried to.

"Simple?! Oh... well, you're your simple!" she replied, gasping for air from her giggling.

A look of confusion washed over his features as she began to laugh again, which then made him smile too. She was complicated to him, and he was complicated to her. Great, seemed simple enough.

"But yeah, I usually make up an excuse to get out of things - you know that! And plus, usually I actually remember what I've said, because unfortunately I'm a great continuous liar. Who hardly ever makes a mistake."

She rolled her eyes. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I wasn't me when I left this room Angelica, I was... someone else."

She blinked at him, looking very unfazed.

"What?"

"Well, how'd y'think I've got this?" he questioned, motioning to his bandage.

"I-It just appeared."

"Yep. And wounds don't just come from nowhere do they?" he said in an accusing tone. His smile fell and was replaced with a stern line, his chocolate eyes losing the usual playful kick they always bared.

Angelica could now see where he was going with this. And she wasn't going to stand for it.

"What! Jack... I would never do this!" she protested, gawping at him in disbelief at what he was accusing her of doing.

"You would! You've been plannin' this all along! I know it! Why else would you give me back my ship unless there was somethin' in it for you... say, my soul?!"

"Don't you even dare - "

"You want to kill me, you've wanted me dead ever since I apparently ruined your life by killing your father - "

"No."

"You do. There's that passion in your eyes, that flare that just wants me dead - "

"No."

"Well there's no point denying it Sweetness! It's obvious from the look in your eyes!"

"No. You're wrong."

"Oh yeah? Then what is it then? Why are you honestly here?! To help me? Nah, didn't think so. You're just here to slowly ease me into the skeleton club, where everyone is so at peace, that all they do for entertainment is play cards and talk about the girl that got away, and then moan over their beloved over and over, who turned out to be their murderess - "

Angelica growled and tugged on the sash covering his wound, passionately pressing her lips into him with such fiery flare and devious desire that Jack closed his eyes and completely ignored the burning sting over the front of his torso.

He moaned, from the pain as he raised his arms to run his hands through her hair, and from how Angelica was making him lose track of events altogether.

They lost themselves into a lustful frenzy for a few seconds more, before she pulled away, facing Jack's hooded eyes and playful grin.

"I'm not here to hate you Jack..." she whispered, twisting the beads on his beard and making him feel on an excited edge. "I think you know why I'm here..." He nodded, much like a child when they've lost an argument - but he was overly satisfied with losing the battle this time... He was beginning to see an appeal to losing towards her...

He was nearing her face again, their lips brushing against each other's.

"I'd better go." she breathed, dragging herself away from him and standing up from the bed.

"What? No... But..."

"Yes... You need some rest. If you hadn't noticed you have a slash down your chest, unless you've just forgotten?"

"So? It... It doesn't even hurt." he lied, throwing a little pout on his face.

She shook her head, smiling.

She turned, leaving slowly over the creaking floorboards, followed by complaints from Jack about why it was better if she stayed with him... She left nonetheless, although it was quite cute and amusing to see him pleading for her to stay with him.

"Please! Oh come on... W-What if it happens again? What if you come back tomorrow an' I'm dead? What if I can't go t'sleep?! Okay okay, what if Barbossa suddenly appears like this gash? Or what if mermaids jump through the window and eat me alive? Or what if I - errrr- turn into a woman?! What if - "

"Goodnight Jack."

She slammed the door.

He sighed.

"Goodnight Angelica."