Thank you everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it!

I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney does. I only own the characters who weren't in the movies. You know, the ones I made up. I also do not own Count Philip Rochester, Isabella Swann, or Ambassador Alexander Swann, who belong to Vilofied.

Is the master of the house in?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, Mrs. Norrington. You may wait for him in the parlor." The butler said.

"Actually, I think I'll go on to his study, if that's alright?" It came out more like a statement, instead of a question.

"Yes, Mrs. Norrington." he bowed. "I'll tell him you've arrived.

"Thank you." I mumbled.

I sauntered into the manor, and nothing but my clothing dripping water on the floor could be heard. In my haste to get away from my husband, it had begun to rain. If he thought I was wet then, I was certainly wet now.

The sight of a crackling fire in Alexander's study was a very welcoming sight indeed. I sat myself down on the brick hearth, welcoming the warmth to my clothing and skin, and looked about the office. There were wooden crates everywhere, and most of the books had been removed from the shelves, and packed away.

"I know. It's a mess, isn't it?" Alexander asked from the doorway of the study.

I offered him a fake smile. "So you are moving out?" A sad note lingered in my voice, and I wondered if I still had tears streaming down my wet face.

"I'm just moving a few miles away from here. This is my wedding gift to Isabella and Philip, after all." he smiled. "I've grown a bit weary of this large house anyway. You've seen my new home. It is much smaller than this place."

I nodded. "It will be nice for you. James and I will come…" I stopped, realizing what I'd said, then choked out the rest of the sentence. "To see you."

"Mhm." he nodded. "I was wondering when we would get around to it. I actually expected you to get here much earlier than this. You let me down, dear." he jested lightly.

I offered a chuckle. No. It was too sorry to even be related to laughter. It was more like a short sob. "I apologize. I haven't done anything right, lately."

A light sigh escaped Alexander's lips, and he took a seat on the settee in front of me. "You know that's not true." he soothed. "He was just trying to protect you, and the child."

I laughed humorlessly. "No, Alexander. He was keeping me prisoner. He was being protective at first. But then, " My voice began to grow weaker. "Then he wouldn't let me go out to feed or groom the horses, and then he wouldn't let me outside at all. It got to the point that he wouldn't even let me take care of Oliver." I lifted my somber eyes to him. "It felt like I wasn't the love of his life anymore, Alexander! It felt like I was just someone carrying his heir."

He thought for a moment. "Did you ever tell him that?"

I was taken aback for a moment. I shook my head slowly. "No…I didn't. I thought my actions showed him how I felt."

He smiled. "He's just a man, dear. He picks up on a lot of things, I'm certain, but not everything! If you don't tell him how you feel, he can't correct his mistakes."

I frowned. "You make it sound like it's all my fault."

"Part of it is your fault." he said seriously.

"Oh, I feel much better." I snapped.

He chuckled. "I'm just telling you the truth. There was wrong done on his side, and wrong done on your side."

I furrowed my brows at him. "Tell me, please."

"Well, he took it too far, until it wasn't just protection anymore. You didn't sit him down to talk about it, did you? There was wrong done on both parts." he finished, a satisfied look in his eyes.

"I…never thought of it like that." I mumbled. "Thank you, Alexander."

He nodded. "Not a problem."

"But," I started, interrupting what he was starting to say. "I'm not going back…yet. I want to teach him something from this. May I stay here? I promise, I won't make a sound, or cause any trouble."

He gave me a soft smile. "Yes, you may stay. Just…don't drag him too far. You know how he gets."

I nodded. "Thank you, Alexander I appreciate this."

The Next Day...

"James, please sit down! You're going to wear yourself out!" Isabella said quietly.

But what you don't know, dear Isabella, is that I'm already worn out. My mind hasn't stopped reeling for twenty-four hours, ever since my wife rode away, taking my beating heart with her. I haven't eaten, I haven't slept. I'm exhausted. Yet, I haven't stopped pacing.

"James? James, please, you need rest!" she said, tugging my arm, pulling me with all her strength to a stop.

"She left me." I breathed. "She promised me she wouldn't."

'Look at yourself, man.' I thought to myself. 'Your hair is a mess, you've not changed cloths since yesterday, and tears are threatening to spill over onto your cheeks. You're a bloody mess.' I scolded.

"She hasn't left you!" Isabella fussed. "She just wants a little time to herself. She'll come back!" she put her hands on my cheeks, forcing me to look at her. "She probably went to father's house, James. There's nothing to worry about."

Alexander. Why hadn't I thought of that? I turned away from her, slipping out of her grasp as I made for the front door in haste.

"James! Don't you dare! Come back here, now!" Isabella called after me.

I was almost there. Just a few more steps, and I could run to her. But it wasn't meant to be. Two pairs of strong hands grabbed me by the upper arms, and around my waist.

"No!" I growled. "I must find her!"

I strained, thrashed, and pulled against the people holding me back. They were talking to me, but I wasn't listening. There was only one person I wanted to hear, and her voice wasn't one of the ones yelling at me. The door was getting further and further away, as was the floor. I was being dragged up the stars to our bedroom. I thrashed, and strained again and again, but the tight grips only grew tighter, and held strong.

I soon found myself being flung onto our bed, and my arms and legs were pinned down. Her scent filled my nostrils, which caused me to flail and fight even more.

"Admiral Norrington! You must calm down!" It was Count Philip Rochester, Isabella's husband's voice. "You can't leave this house until you do! Steady, man, steady!"

I was growing weaker. Her scent was intoxicating, and was slowing me down. Finally, out of exhaustion, I collapsed completely on our mattress. My breath was labored, and I had to fight to keep my eyes from closing. I was so tired…

"I believe you can release him now, gentlemen." Came Isabella's voice.

"Isabella, I don't think…"

Ah. So Theodore was the one aiding Rochester in his task.

"It's perfectly alright, Theodore. You may release him. Look, he's too exhausted to go anywhere else. Run along." she prompted.

I felt the tight grips reluctantly release their holds on my limbs, and the weight on the mattress slowly shifted.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Mrs. Rochester." Philip mumbled, while Theodore continued walking until he was no longer in the room.

I watched quietly as Isabella stood up on her toes, and placed a light kiss upon his lips. "There is but one man for me." she whispered. "You can trust me." she then leaned up to say something in his ear; something that couldn't be heard from my position.

It must have been something convincing, for Philip nodded, stroked her cheek, and then closed the door behind him when he left the room.

"You do realize that you're in a married man's bedroom without an escort, or you husband." I mumbled.

"I know." she said quietly. "I'm willing to bend the rules of society to help a dear friend…that is like a brother to me."

"What is there to help?" I said hopelessly. "My love has left me."

"She hasn't left you, James." she sighed as she eased herself on the edge of the bed. "She's just taking some time to herself. If I may say…" she started slowly. "You were being a bit unreasonable."

I sat up, and looked her directly in the eyes. "What do you know about marriage?" I growled. "I've been married for over a year. You've only been married for a few months. You know nothing."

I could tell that my words had stung, but Isabella kept her composure. "I've been married long enough to know that spouses have boundaries that you shouldn't cross, and you've crossed one, James." she said bravely.

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. My temper was rising. "I was only protecting the child. You don't know what it's like, Bella, to see something beautiful blossoming, growing inside your loved one for months and months, and then to all of a sudden have it taken away from you. You haven't been through the pain, and heartache of knowing that person will never be the same again, and you have to do anything you can to try to please this person."

Isabella chuckled humorlessly. "I can tell you now that what you did wasn't pleasing at all!"

I stood up. "How dare…"

"Look at yourself!" she interrupted, standing as well. "You think it makes you look like a big man to take away your wife's rights, and to cross her boundaries, but it doesn't! It makes you look like a selfish, callous, bully!" she shouted. "I'm beginning to believe the gossip floating around town, as well." she said a little more quietly. "That you care nothing for Chrissy…just the baby she's carrying."

Her words hit me like a slap in the face. That's what people were saying? That's what Isabella was beginning to believe? I usually wouldn't care what people thought about me. But something like that?

Isabella nodded slowly. "I see I've caught your attention."

The Day After…

I woke to a sunny day, as I had yesterday. Why must the weather be so bright during such a somber time? I sighed, and sat up as I kicked the sheets off of me. My stomach protested to my standing up, but I embraced the pain. I shouldn't be feeling good about anything.

I sauntered to the oak chest that contained my things from the time that James and I had lived here, and grabbed a brush. It ran through my hair smoothly, as thought I'd been brushing it everyday, instead of neglecting it. I tossed the brush back in the chest with a sigh, and tied my hair back with a deep, green ribbon.

Green. I laughed humorlessly at the irony when his eyes showed up in my mind's eye. So green, loving, and…apologetic? I shook my head, and began to pick my cloths up off the floor. I'd been feeling so sick last night that in my haste to get in bed, I'd thrown of my cloths and hadn't bothered to put on a nightgown.

I bent over, but when I began to pick up my shirt, a wave of nausea came over me, and I had a sudden urge to lay down. I glanced about the room, making sure all of the drapes were shut. The dim room wasn't going to get any darker.

"I must speak with her!" Came a voice from just outside my door.

I froze. That was James's voice!

"I'm not certain she's ready to speak with you." Alexander answered. "I'm not even certain she's awake!"

I made my way to the bed as quickly as I could, and pulled the sheets up to my neck as I laid on my side,.

"I'll find out soon enough." James said quietly.

I thought I heard Alexander sigh. "Alright. I'll be waiting in my study."

A few minutes later, the door opened, and James walked lightly into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. His footsteps drew closer, and closer, until he was finally sitting on the edge of the bed. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

I felt the backs of his fingers lightly stroking my cheek, and then my nape. I think it was then that he realized my shoulders were bare, and he pushed the sheets down slightly and began placing kisses on the exposed skin. I had to work harder than usual not to move. His warm breath tickled my neck, and was followed by the tip of his nose tracing that area.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered.

'You should be.' I thought.

"I realize that I was being completely unreasonable…and I'm sorry it had to take you leaving for a few days for me to see it."

He gently rolled me over onto my stomach, and pushed the sheets down to the small of my back. His warm breath tickled my skin once more, and I really struggled not to move as he placed kisses all the way down my spine. Once he reached the small of my back, he started to work his way back up, nipping and even licking by the time he made it back to my shoulders.

"I'm a fool." he whispered.

His hand traveled slowly down my back, and paused slightly before venturing below the sheets, not stopping until he reached the backs of my legs.

"James…" I whispered, before I could stop myself.

His hand faltered on its way back up, and I wondered if he knew I was awake. I guess he decided I was dreaming, for he allowed his hand to wander again after a few moments.

"I need you." he said softly, rolling me over on my back.

His lips were lingering just above mine, for I could feel the flow of air from his nose hitting the skin next to mine.

"Please come home." he mumbled, claiming my upper lip.

It took every bit of concentration I had not to move, not to respond. He was being so taunting! His lips tasted sweeter than any fruit I'd eaten in the few days I'd been here, and his tongue brought me comforts that I'd been missing dearly. He used just a bit more force as the kiss progressed, and his hand rubbed my belly. A low groan escaped my throat.

He pulled away slowly, and placed a light kiss on my lips, and then a lingering one on my forehead, before pulling the sheets to my neck.

"I love you." he whispered against my temple.

The weight on the bed shifted, and his footsteps grew farther away. Dread filled me when I heard the door open, and then close again. He was gone. I opened my eyes as the tears leaked out, and I wondered if I should go after him.

HELLO!! Sorry about taking so long to update. Things got a little busy, what with school, band, and violin practice. Anyway, please review! Thanks!