You can truly never know where or when inspiration will strike! Coming to you all the way from Florence, Italy, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 6

"Really?" I queried skeptically. "The mutinous first mate turned captain of the Black Pearl had a sword extending out of his arm?"

I sat amongst the Pearl's crew members old and new in the galley, having built up enough strength over the last week to begin venturing around the familiar ship. Ragetti, sitting next to his faithful friend Pintel, was in the middle of describing their encounter with the fearsome Captain Barbossa in an entirely too exaggerated fashion, but the rum flowed freely that night and I was enjoying their elaborate tale.

"Aye," Pintel affirmed, jumping in to tell his part. "And an undead monkey for a sidekick."

I smiled fondly, only half-listening to the next portion of the story as I scanned the room once more for my suitor, or perhaps former suitor. In any case, James Norrington was not in the galley that evening. Nor had he been for the last few nights. In fact, I'd only seen a scarce glimpse of the former Commodore since I'd awoken.

With a sigh, I took a drink of the bitter amber liquid in my glass, but found I was no longer in the mood to sit, unknown, amongst the crowd of pirates. I listened to the end of the tale in an anxious state, eager to slip out of the room as soon as possible.

"And that's when I shot me mutinous first mate at the same time a young man broke the curse upon our souls." The voice from the corner cut through the room instantly.

Jack Sparrow leaned forward into the dim light and most of the chatter in the galley died down. His eyes, glossed over with a fog of intoxication, met mine and my anxiety to leave dulled suddenly. After a silent moment, I found my voice. "And was it satisfying?" I asked, holding his gaze. "Spending that sole bullet on the man who left you as a Captain with no ship for ten whole years?"

His response came sharp and quick. "Aye."

The clamor in the hall rose up again and I seized that moment to take my leave of the crew's company, leaving my flagon of rum virtually untouched. As I deftly stole up the stairs, a gasp of relief escaped my lips when the salty air filled my lungs and left the taste of the sea dancing on my tongue. The harsh stench of alcohol faded from my senses and the raucous shouts of laughter from the crew were replaced by the lulling splashes of the waves against the hull.

Per usual, Elizabeth was perched at the bow of the ship, keeping a vigil for any sign of her fiance's whereabouts with Jack's compass clenched in her fist. Opting for privacy of my own, I made my way towards the stern of the ship. But it wasn't privacy I found upon arriving there. It was James.

"Good evening," I greeted him. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

The former Commodore drew in a sharp breath, obviously not expecting anyone to find him there. "I'd have thought you'd be in the galley," he said snappishly. "Guzzling down drinks with the crew, just like any other night."

My heart clenched in defensive anger and, at the same time, in pain. "You know I'm not like that."

He scoffed, but kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, my suitor pointedly kept his gaze on the sea.

"James, please, talk to me." I pleaded softly.

When I still received no response, I barked, "Dammit, James. I can hardly get you to acknowledge me!" I paused as a thought crept into my mind. "Am I that repulsive to look at?"

"God, Rachelle, no!" he denied fervently, whirling around to look at me for the first time since I'd learned Jack Sparrow was alive.

Our eyes met and I could see the emotions sweeping across is face as he drunk in my appearance. While I no longer looked as haggard and storm-swept, my bruising had only turned more colorful, giving me a sickly looking façade to hide behind. The purple and black still remained, but colors also emerging were yellow and pale green. I hardly looked much healthier than I had roughly ten days before.

"Then what is it? Why won't you talk to me?" I pushed. "In Port Royal, we were happy! We could have been married the very moment you asked Governor Swann for his blessing and you know it. So what's happened?"

James took a hesitant step closer, answering, "Rachelle, we're on a ship surrounded by pirates and you seem completely unaffected! I thought you'd given up this life! I thought you wanted to escape it all."

"Coming from the man who let me believe for an entire year that Jack Sparrow, the man I loved, had been executed. The man who never once thought to mention that Will and Elizabeth had saved this particular pirate from the gallows and never thought to mention that is was this pirate you'd been hunting and tracking until the day you handed in your resignation."

A stark silence pervaded the air, broken only by the creaking of the ship. "Rachelle, I… I wish I could explain."

"I wish you could, too." I nodded stoically, adding, "I thought you loved me, James. I thought that you understood what I was going through. Most importantly, I thought you really cared and had sympathy for this young pirate girl who'd fallen in love with your sworn enemy. Every single one of you let me believe that Jack was dead, and even at my darkest moments of grieving, not once did you bother to mention that the obnoxious, ever-evading, never-committing Captain Jack Sparrow was alive! So yes, I wish you could explain to me how anything from this past year was real. I wish you could explain to me how we move forward from this moment."

Guilt flooded his face as I spoke and I knew I'd struck a nerve. He closed the distance between us in an instant, enveloping my hands in his. "Yes, I did not provide you with the entire truth and for that I dearly apologize. I know that the truth could have saved you the grief you shed over the loss of Jack Sparrow and I'm sorry I was too selfish to be honest with you. But I do love you, Rachelle."

He reached up gently, wiping a tear as it spilled down my cheek as he continued, "Every moment of our courtship despite that untruth has been genuine and I would do everything in my power to hold on to that time forever. But in my heart I know I have wronged you and accept all of the blame should you choose to end it."

I fell into his embrace as a shuddering sob wracked my entire body and allowed him to comfort me. But I knew that I could not continue in this relationship. After a few moments, I pulled away, meeting his gaze with dry eyes. "Thank you," I murmured, acknowledging his kindness.

Slowly, I met his lips in one final kiss, chaste and passionless. "I appreciate your honesty, but we both know this is something I can't move past. I will always love you, James. But now I know that I cannot be in love with you."

He nodded respectfully, stepping away to less-intimate distance. "I understand," my now-former suitor answered, bowing his head. "You love, and always have loved, Jack Sparrow. I was foolish to think I could change that."

"Good night, James," I smiled softly, turning to retire to my cabin.

"Good night, Rachelle," I heard him reply.

But as I turned to acknowledge that I'd heard him, I did not see a certain pirate captain scurrying away from a shadowy corner and back into the galley.