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"She Needs You"
Written for the 'I should have... Drabble Challenge

by Geek Mama
March 2, 2008

“She needs you!" Jack spat. "Needs you! Bloody hell, I should’ve told Will to shove ‘is needs you right up ‘is arse!”

As his angry tone and the revelation that he'd seen Will had finally rendered her speechless, Jack took a full second to glare at her, then turned on his heel and strode away, back down the shadowed, echoing passage. She found her voice -- "Jack! Jack!!" -- but he ignored it in favor of his internal diatribe, against her, against Will, against himself. But then there was a noise of steps, then running, then, as he turned to berate her for carelessness, she stumbled, and a heartstopping cry of fright escaped her as she went down.

"'Liz'beth--" he choked, and the seconds it took to get back to her stretched out horribly. He dropped to his knees and slid the last couple of feet to her, but she was already turning to sit, awkwardly. "Are you all right?" he demanded, catching her shoulders in his hands and biting back the urge to give her a shake and a blue streak of profanity. His hands gripped her, though, and she reached up with her own and grabbed his wrists, just as tightly.

"You saw Will?" she demanded, her eyes fixed on his, tears on her cheeks.

"Aye. Are you all right? What the devil were you doing running?" And he gave her a shake anyway, just a little one.

"Yes! I mean... I think so."

His eyes traveled irresistibly down, to that swelling low under her loose shirt, and he let go of her shoulders. Then, when he hesitated, she drew his wrists, his hands down and held them flat against her. Against... them. There was a strong, fluttering movement beneath shirt and skin and muscle, and Jack's brows rose. He lifted his eyes to hers, and a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "Lively one."

"You've no idea," she said, dryly. But then her humor faded, and she spoke, almost in a whisper: "Oh, Jack. How did I get here?"

He knew what she meant. Governor's daughter. Born and raised in luxury most only dream of. Her happy-ever-after stolen by Will's touch of destiny. A pawn in Jack's own game, Pirate King, which was all right as far as it went. "Not what you'd planned, is it?" he said, a bit ruefully.

She shook her head, her gaze faltering. But then she took a deep breath. "You saw Will? Does he know?"

"Aye. It's tearin' 'im up, that he can't come. He told me... asked me..." His voice trailed off. Ridiculous to think she'd --

"I do."

His breath caught at the look in her eyes.

"Need you," she clarified. She pressed his left hand more firmly against her body, but lifted the right and kissed his fingers.

"Don't--" he began.

But she held him fast. "Yes! I'm sorry. For not greeting you as you deserved. For... for everything."

He said nothing, and gently loosed her grip, to her obvious dismay. But he turned and sat down beside her on the sole, and put his arm around her shoulders, and she eased against him with a sigh. He took up her hand. "Seems the lad's not a eunuch after all," he said, letting just a touch of laughter into his voice. "One day."

"One day."

There was something, something in her voice. He said, quietly, "Are you afraid?"

She seemed to stiffen, but after a moment she said, "My mother died in childbed." She sat up straight beside him, though, her hand still in his and looked him in the eye. "Will you stay?"

"I'm afraid, too," he told her, and that made her chuckle. He drew her close again. "I'll stay. I reckon the pair of us can face just about anything."

~.~

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