I had to fight the urge to cry when they laid him on the bed, the blood seeping through his bandage and onto my blankets. I kneeled down beside his sleeping figure, a groan escaping his lips.

"Jack?" I whispered, wiping my eyes. I looked up at Glenn, who was gently taking the bandages off of Jack's middle. I gasped at the gash that was there. "Jack..." his breathing was getting shallow. "No, no don't leave me. No. Please, it's my turn."

"It's not completely fatal." Glenn said to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. "It missed all the organs, amazingly, otherwise he would be dead now... It's infected now is the problem. It needs to be clean so it can heal... and you're not listening..."

"I'm listening," I said to Glenn, my voice thick. "What happened?" I turned to look at him, my eyes reflecting the misery that I was feeling. Glenn kneeled down putting his arms around me.

"We were attacked," he whispered, rocking my back and forth. "Sh..." I began to cry.

"I thought he was dead." I said through tears. "Everybody said he was dead. I thought-"

"Hey," Glenn hugged me tighter, nearly crushing me, "He's gonna be okay. Alright? He'll be fine." I looked up at him, wiping tears and curls from my face. He nodded toward the sleeping, struggling... pained Jack on the bed beside me. "But right now... he needs your help." I took myself from Glenn's arms and put my hand on the bedcover.

"Alright," I said, my voice shaking but no longer full of sorrow... now of a determined air. "I need some rum, more bandages... and more rum." Glenn smiled and stood up, fetching what I needed.

I poured much of one of the bottles onto his abdomen, earning a groan and thrash from him. "What's the other one for?"

"For me," I said, and I set to work.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Two hours left me lying beside Jack, my head on his arm, his body limp, though the beating of his heart echoing out through the room it seemed. The sharp pivots of pain that he had given had apparently worn his sleeping self out more and now he lay sleeping peacefully. I smiled and leaned back my head on his bare chest, my eyes closed...

- - - - - - - JACK'S POV - - - - - - -
"You can suffer before you die." Jack looked over at the Captain of the other ship beside him, his gaze icy. The Captain looked away, "Boys! Are we done looting?" he asked loudly. One man stood, in his arms the bag of gold that Christina had paid him with. Jack glared as the Captain shook his pistol.

"You're lucky this is out of gunpowder." He said... "Or perhaps not so lucky..." there was a searing pain in Jack's stomach and he fell to the ground, the end of the man's sword coming from his back. Jack choked... and fell...

His voice came out in short gasps when he opened his eyes, looking around the room that he lied in. He was in a large bed, his shirt off and a tight pressure on his stomach. He was dreadfully uncomfortable... it took him a few moments to realize that there was a mess of curly hair surrounding his face and neck. He smiled.

"Christina..." he whispered to the sleeping figure."I knew you'd have me."
- - - - - - - END JACK'S POV - - - - - - -

"Christina..." a voice whispered and I opened my eyes slightly, my head resting on his bare chest and my hand in his, "I knew you'd have me." I smiled and turned my head toward him, looking up his chest at him. Our eyes met and a few moments of silence brought tears to my eyes as I brought my face up to his.

"I thought..." I smiled, a small laugh escaping my lips. Jack wasted no time and brought my lips to his almost roughly. I smiled when he took his lips away.

"I know..." he whispered and put his hand through my hair, my head leaning back onto his chest. "I'm sorry, Christina." I reached up and touched the dolphin necklace that I had given him on his neck. "For all I've done." I shook my head.

"It's behind us, now." I said, "I am no longer engaged to John... you are no longer with Eva. All that matters now is you and I." I smiled and leaned my head onto his chest again.

"This day has gone by too fast..." I whispered. Jack chuckled, hissing in pain when he did so.

"Are you sure you want this?" Jack asked quietly. I was brought out of my doze and looked up at Jack.

"What do you mean?"

"The life of a pirate. Are you sure you want it?"

"I've already answered this question, Jack. When you're well we're leaving on the Black Pearl and we're never setting foot on Port Royal again." Jack smiled.

"Alright, then..." He said. I smiled and leaned my head back on his chest. "Christina..." I hmmed at him. "Look at me."

Slowly, I turned my eyes up to Jack, who had his hand on his pants. I paid his reach into his pocket no heed.

"You know I have never attempted this before..." there was a silence and I wrinkled my eyebrows, the blankets over us, keeping us warm...

"Say you'll marry me."