The constant lack of reviews is not encouraging me to carry on this fiction, guys. If you want chapters, give reviews. Ta.

Playlist: 'Romeo and Juliet: Balcony Scene' by City of Prague Philharmonic.

18

"The rum?" he looked at her as though she'd just pulled an octopus out of her ear.
"Yes." she sighed impatiently, "If we're going to make a large enough signal we need all the help we can get."

"But - it's rum!" he said, bewildered at her stupidity, "Ye store it! Ye drink it! Ye buy more! Ye don't burn it!"
"Unfortunately we have to."
"I can't let ye do that."
"It's happening, Jack. It's happening, because if we don't use rum our signal won't be tall enough and we will die here with no shade and no firewood, and no way out."

He glared at her rebelliously. It was the worst mood she had ever seen him in.
He felt worse than when they'd been stranded on the island in the first place.

"Look, you don't have to watch. You can keep a bottle, here." she handed him one from the many crates at their feet.

He shook his head solemnly.

"If the rum 'as to go, then I won't stand by an' watch you do it. I 'ave to."
"Excuse me?"
"If anyone's going ter burn the rum, it must be me!" he stated again, a little louder, "It's the only way I shall get through this bloody palava."

Elizabeth shrugged, huffed, and set to work with the tinder and flint, unsure of whether she would ever understand the very backwards principles of alcoholic pirates.

'Romeo and Juliet: Balcony Scene'.

The rum was gone, and so was the shade, and they were sat on the shore looking out to sea, side by side. There wasn't much talk. He was still too traumatised.

"I wish I'd kept that bottle." he said glumly.
"It would hardly help, you getting aboard father's searchparty ship completely drunk."

"Nothing will help me against your bonny navy now, luv. Aside from me own wits."
"And mine. I'm going to help you, Jack. Don't think I won't."

"An' what about your classy ol' lifestyle, eh? You still sticking with that?"
"Don't."
"I told ye before, an' I shall keep telling ye until ye see some sense." he muttered patiently, "I know I've nothing to offer ye, Lizzie. But I'm... involved, now. I care about what happens to ye, I care that yer making a mistake. I can't jus' turn meself in, without knowing that yer gonna be alright."

His pitch black eyes were subtly turned towards her.

"Well, I'm fine. Don't you worry about me."
"Look, you. Yer no picnic sometimes. A spoiled brat, I'd venture ter say."

She shot him a cross look, but he returned it with an even deeper one. It overpowered her glare because she could see that his was much, much more serious.

"... But under that, ye've a strong heart." his dark halos looked infinitely sad for a moment, pitying, beneath his stern exterior, "They've got you, in a whopping great manor of a cage. But still a cage, darling. An' yer going to die, if ye don't break out. Not right away, that may be. Cause yer fierce, like our fire here." he shielded his eyes against the scorching blaze a distance away.

Then he turned his gaze on her again, and even took her by the hand. "S'what I like about ye. But sooner or later, luv, this fire of ours is gonna burn out. An' so will yours, in time."

"Jack." she tried not to show that her eyes were stinging, as she gazed at his boots, "It's not up to you to save me."
"No, I know. Only ye can do that."

She didn't reply.
Which meant that she was listening, but she wasn't hearing him.
Not one bit.

"If I thought ye was going ter turn pirate, I'd fight off this whole navy single handed to make sure it happened. Take yer father home safe an' all." he said darkly, admitting more than he'd like to with that one suggestion.

Elizabeth scoffed, but not at his resolve.
"Yes, Jack. You'd have me sail my own father home, tell him that I was going to become a criminal, a fugitive of the law, and have to stand in his presence and know what shame I'd caused him." her words dripped with disgust and fear, "He invested too much love and goodness in me for that. I could never sink so low."

"What, as low as me."

She didn't answer, yet again.
So he stood up, shook the sand off his trousers, gave an enormous huff, and marched off to the other side of the island.

That was when he spotted the white sails on the horizon.