A Pirates Passion

Chapter 21

Madeline held her breath as he took her hand. "I'm glad Jack. I wanted him to know you. Know who you were." She said quietly. "Will ye take him with you when you leave" she asked her voice catching.

"Haven't decided yet... I'm not in that big of a hurry to go anywhere at the moment" Jack said softly. He took her journal from his pocket and slipped it to her without a word.

Madeline felt him slip a book into her hands. She felt tears threaten. She hadn't cried in a long time. She looked at him, his hand still clutching hers. "Did ye read it" She whispered.

"I read it" Jack said simply.

Madeline looked into his eyes. "I have something to show you tomorrow." She said quietly, still holding his hand. She wasn't ready to show him Angel's grave tonight.

"All right" Jack agreed.

Madeline smiled at him and looked back at their son. She sighed heavily. Having him here. Next to her was driving her mad. "Would ye like to take a rest before dinner"

"I'd like to clean up first" Jack said.

"Alright." She said and started to move towards her house. She didn't look, but Jack still held her hand. She let JJ play with his friends. The island was small enough he would find them easily enough. As they walked up the small porch, Madeline tripped on the step.

Jack pulled her into his arms to keep her from falling. She gasped and was looking up at him. Jack touched her cheek and traced the faint scar there"I'm glad he's dead" he said softly then released her.

Madeline closed her eyes and quickly reopened them. She turned to the door and opened it. "The bathroom is this way." She said and led him down a hallway. She opened the door. "There are towels and washcloths there.” She said pointing to a shelf. “Shall I have the crew bring your things" She asked.

"Would ye mind" Jack asked softly.

"Not at all." She said smiling at him. Her hand came up to her scar where Jack had just touched her. "Can I do anything else for you Jack" She asked quietly.

"Not yet" Jack smiled.

Madeline caught her breath and spun on her heel to leave. She shut the door and leaned against it. She hurried out of her house to the Pearl and gathered Jack's things herself. She saw his journal lying open on his desk. She walked over to it and saw it was at the inside cover where she had written those words so long ago. She wondered if had written in it. If he had even used it at all.

She gathered his things and hurried back to her house. She could hear him in the bathroom and placed his things in one of the spare bedrooms before hurrying to her own.

She changed into a dress for dinner and left her hair down. The three of them sat down. JJ went on about the places they had gone and the people they had seen. He put up a fuss when Madeline said it was time for bed. She reminded him that she was still his mother and he did as he was told when Jack nodded at him.

She turned to Jack as she gathered the dishes off the table. "What did ye want to talk about" she asked him quietly.

"Will you take a walk with me" Jack asked.

Madeline slowly set the dishes back down. "If ye'd like." She said quietly and moved to get a shawl. She walked out of the house ahead of him and began to walk on the beach. She could feel the cool sand between her toes. She rarely bothered with shoes or boots much on the island. She smiled to herself when she saw that Jack also was without his boots.

"Elizabeth and Will told me what happened, then I read the letter and your journal. Elizabeth gave it to me." Jack told her.

Madeline looked at him. "I'm sorry Jack." She whispered. "I didn't know I was pregnant when ye left, and then Jacquette got the letter and..." She stopped and looked at him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for ye" Jack said gently.

Madeline looked at him and tears filled her eyes. "Ye didn't know. I wanted you to know Jack but damn Louis Jacquette to hell. I didn't want to hide anything from you."

"Ye didn't hide it from me, ye tried to get word to me and someone intercepted it, it's not yer fault love" Jack said stopping. He watched her as she kept walking unaware that he'd stopped. She was so beautiful. Try as he may not to, he loved her.

Madeline stopped, realizing he wasn't next to her. She turned to look at him. "Jack"

"Aye" Jack said never taking his eyes off her.

"What is it? Why did ye stop" She asked coming back to stand next to him. She looked up at him.

"Cause I knew ye'd keep walking and I could look at ye" Jack told her. "And I was thinking about how beautiful ye are and how ye've changed." He added.

Madeline turned her head away. "I’m not beautiful Jack. I'm ugly thanks to Jacquette." She looked out at the ocean.

Jack cupped her chin, made her look at him"Do ye really want to argue with me" he smirked.

"No." She said quietly looking deep into his eyes. "Jack." She whispered.

Jack drew her closer to him"Maddy" he moaned.

Madeline closed her eyes as she leaned into him. Her hands braced on his chest. "Oh Jack." She said in a breathless whisper.

Jack pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "Come back to me" he whispered when he lifted his mouth from hers.

Madeline felt the tears pour out of her eyes as she felt Jack's mouth on hers. "I don't deserve you." She whispered and pulled away from him and began to run down the beach. She felt herself being pulled back into his arms.

"Maddy if there were ever two people who deserved one another it's ye and I, we've both been stubborn and too proud for our own good, now no more of this, do you love me" Jack said holding onto her.

Madeline fell to her knees. "I've never stopped Jack. I could never stop loving you." She cried.

Jack went down on his knees and took a hold of her arms. "Then this nonsense ends here and now. I love ye Maddy. I've been too damn stupid to hang onto ye and I nearly lost ye. I don't want to loose ye again. So let's just love each other" Jack said pleadingly.

Madeline looked deep into his eyes. "Oh Jack." She cried clutching to his arms. "I’m not the same person. I don't know if I'm able to love. My heart died when..." She started to cry. "When Angel was born and died, oh Jack."

"Then send me away. Tell me to get my ass back out to sea and never return" Jack challenged.

"No" She cried holding on to him. "Please don't leave me Jack. I couldn't bear it. I think I would die. Please don’t leave." She pleaded with him. Her heart already was in shambles.

"Then you have to decide. Continue to wallow in yer grief or let me love ye, but ye can't have it both ways, I won't stay and watch ye drive yerself crazy with grief or die from it." Jack said firmly.