Okay, okay I know it's been a sinfully long time and I'm SORRY OK! Hopefully now it's SUMMER (even though it's raining, but stil... no school :D) I'll have more time, but you know what's it's like. You get inspiration for something else and get a bit caught up in that and everything else gets a little bit neglected, but it's all good now, I'm back ontop(ish). Anyway I'm rambling so I'll shut up now... xD

LOVE YOU
LV
XX

I could have watched him all day, running around his ship trying to do everything just so he had an excuse to re-acquaint himself with every inch of her. I could see the happiness in his eyes and couldn't help but smile at his attempts to cover up his emotions in front of his crew. Despite the fact she was in the right hands now, all aboard the Pearl was not quite back to normal. There was an air, a tension between Captain and crew that was bubbling just below the surface of what was, at first glance, a pretty standard relationship. The crew were nervous, I could tell. Scared that they had been tricked and could be shot the minute we had arrived safely in Tortuga and could pick up a new crew. Those that knew Jack weren't as worried about it, but I think they were all feeling guilty about what they had done. Jack was trying to act as naturally as possible, but I could see it was putting a strain on him. Trust was something that was going to have to be worked on, not that Jack would ever admit to having a problem with it. I hoped that it didn't drive him to do anything stupid.

It was getting dark when we reached Tortuga. In the backwards life of the pirate port the end of the day was the time when most people seemed to be getting up from wherever they had fallen the night before. We arrived late enough to spot the first dangerously drunken people, but early enough to hear the grumblings of those who were at the stage of being so hung-over they swore as they took a sip of rum that they would never drink again. People were just beginning to feel the effects of the amount they had drank the night before and fixing that feeling with another tankard of booze. I often wondered how there were still people here. Surely that much drink, throwing up and no sleep would kill them!

"Erm... Isabel?" Jack tugged on my arm. I looked up him.

"Yes?"

"We have to go and... you seem a bit too interested in that man being sick over there for it to be normal, love." I glanced back at focused on what I had been absent-mindedly staring at. I looked away again quickly.

"That," I took a deep breath. "May be the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Then why are you still looking?" he asked as I glanced back.

"I just... didn't know sick could be that colour..." I winced and turned away again as I heard him retch. Jack laughed, slung an arm over my shoulder walked me over to where Teague had saved us a table in the Faithful Bride. Both Captains had left their crew to do as they pleased in the port. Two mugs of rum were waiting for Jack and me when we sat down. Teague said nothing, Jack said nothing. I tried to think of something, but in the end I too said nothing. Teague and Jack kept their eyes locked on one another and then Teague reached for his rum. Jack did the same and, still staring at each other, they both took a long swig. I took a normal-person-sized sip of my own rum and waited for them to finish their drink-off or whatever they were doing. They finished at exactly the same time and both mugs hit the table.

"Right," said Teague as if something had been cleared up and they were moving onto another topic. "You remember the condition, on which I helped you get back the Pearl, don't you lad?"

Jack nodded once. "You need our help with something."

"Aye and you agreed. There was no limit and we shook on it."

"Yes..." Jack sounded a little wary and immediately my stomach started twisting itself in knots. I glanced at Jack for a shred of comfort, but he was still looking at his father. What had he signed us up for?

"Well, I'll be needing your help with... a family mat-"

"No," Jack said bluntly, the second the word "family" had come out of Teague's mouth. Teague sighed.

"Jack-y..." he tried a softer approach.

"No."

There was a second of silence. Jack's eyes slid towards the door and when he moved his hands to underneath the table I saw that they were shaking. The muscles in his face had tightened, his jaw clenched shut and his eyes were like stone, closed of any emotions. Teague lent forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table. "Are you going back on your word, lad?"

His tone made me shiver, but Jack stayed absolutely still. His voice was quiet, but firm. "I'm not going back there," he said. "You know that."

"You agreed-"

"Anything but that," he looked directly at his father. "I will help with anything else."

"I'm not changing my end of the bargain, lad."

Jack took a deep breath, held it for a second and then exhaled slowly. "And I'm not changing my mind."

"I just want you home for-"

"That place is not home." I could see Jack's teeth grinding together.

"You can't run from us forever, Jack-y." Teague lent back. Jack stood up, kicking his chair back.

"Yes I can." He turned his back on both of us.

"Jack..." I said, not sure what was happening next.

"No!" he snapped over his shoulder and the word pinned me to my chair as he stormed out of the tavern.

"We had a deal!" Teague shouted after him. The door slammed shut and Teague sighed. With Jack gone he visibly shrank into his seat, his shoulders relaxed, slumped forward in defeat. He looked at me and I noticed how tired he looked, how strained.

"I'm... sorry," I said quietly, not sure if that was the right word.

"I shouldn't have sprung it on him like that." Teague shook his head. "I should've made him shake on it first, let him know what I wanted, but I knew he wouldn't agree."

Teague looked a bit wistful and for a moment his eyes lost focus on the present and a sad smile touched the edges of his lips at the memory of day long-gone or the thought of what he wanted. He blinked out of it and looked at me again, seemingly surprised to see me for a moment. I stood up, "I... I should..." I gestured to the door. "... see Jack," I finished lamely. Teague nodded.

"Have a word with him for me, will you?" I tried to avoid his eyes, so that I could say 'no', but they found me. And I had to say yes because although we were both adults, Teague has this way of making you feel like have to do what he tells you because he knows best. In short, he makes you feel like a child. He saw me nod and smiled. "I want to see you both tomorrow, Isabel, so make sure he doesn't make sail too early."

"Oh, I doubt the crew will be up for an early start anyway," I smiled, wondering what state they would be in by morning. Teague smiled back.

"Goodnight, Isabel."

"Goodnight." I smiled again and stood up to trace my husband's footsteps in slightly more peaceful way than he had first walked them.

No lights shone from the windows of the Pearl as I approached it. They were all dark, black like the wood. I started to panic as the noise from the town faded away into the distance, whether that was because the Pearl was right at the end of the docks or because I was concentrating on something else, I'm not sure. I was worried that I should have gone with Jack immediately; made sure he was safe and wasn't going to hurt anyone... or himself. I didn't know what I would do if I couldn't find him on the Pearl.

I glanced around the deck- nothing, not that I expected him to be there. I stopped outside the Cabin. There was a light on in there, I could see a flickering through the crack between the doors, but I couldn't hear anything. I don't know if I was expecting to or not, but I still listened before I opened the door and peeked in. He was there and I felt the relief course through me. I closed the door quietly behind me. He had his back to me, sitting on the bed with his shoulders hunched over. I waited.

"Jack?" I said softly not sure if he'd even noticed me.

"I won't do it, Izzy!" he said, his voice sounded a bit thick. "I won't!"

I reminded myself of how hard Teague had taken it and my promise to give it a shot talking to Jack. "Maybe... we could go, not for very long, but we'd-"

He turned his face to look at me over his shoulder. "I ran away from there for a reason, Bell!" he shouted through gritted teeth. He looked away from me again and put his head in his hands. "Surely you of all people can understand that!"

I let his words hang there as I quietly moved to sit next to him. He looked at me. I saw the strain in is eyes. "I do understand," I whispered, putting my arms around him and pulling him close.

"Good." His voice was muffled by my shoulder. He relaxed into me.

I hugged him as tight as I could and let the silence engulf us. I took it in, processed and digested everything that had gone on both today and in the past. It had never occurred to me how similar we were. It may have happened differently, but what it boiled down to was that both Jack and I had run from the place that should have been home, but wasn't and we had both found our real home was here on the Pearl... with each other.

Reveiw please! Ta.