Diclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

A/N: Remember me? I know it has been a stupidly long time since I last updated this story and I have no excuse apart from losing interest in this story and life getting in the way. I have no idea if people are still interested in reading this but I finally got some inspiration and decided to write another chapter. It was quite lovely to immerse myself in the story again and write about Rosalie and Will. It certainly took me back! I want to thank all my readers, especially the people who reviewed and put this on their alert and favourites lists. You inspired me to write this. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-two

Rosalie followed after Jack as he swaggered over to a chair and sat down with a great deal of dramatic flair. "So...?" she asked after it became clear that Jack wasn't going to say anything.

The pirate looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "So... what?"

A frown crept back onto her face and she planted her hands on her hips. "What is the plan? What do we do next?"

"We partake in Tortuga's..." Jack eyed the young woman and waved his hands around, "...delights, of course."

Rosalie's frown deepened. "Delights? You want to..." She glanced around and stepped closer to him. "I've just told you my sister could be in very real danger and you want to fool around here!"

Jack slid out of his chair, skirting around her. "Ye, little lady, have to learn to let loose more." He moved behind Will and peered at her from over his shoulder. "Ye are too... uptight!"

"Uptight?"exclaimed Rosalie. "You're calling me uptight?" She went to follow him, to scream at him or slap him she hadn't quite decided yet, but Will grabbed her around the waist and held her to him.

"Don't bother," he said to Rosalie, glaring at the smirking pirate. "Jack, I would appreciate it if you could be a little more polite to Rosalie." His words were mild but his expression wasn't.

Jack grunted and slapped him on the back. "I meant the lady no harm."

The woman in Will's arms had calmed down now and had settled back against him, her hands unconsciously clutching at his arm around her waist. "You said you would help us. What do you suggest we do next?" he asked Jack, giving her waist a squeeze.

Jack studied him and then studied his nails. "We do nothin'." He held up a hand to silence Rosalie before she could even fully open her mouth to protest. "Yet. I suggest ye get some sleep and I'll do some diggin'. I'll ask around and see if I can gather any information on Sterling's whereabouts."

"And then we'll go find him?" asked Rosalie. "We will go and save Lily?"

Jack shot her a solemn look. "I said I would help didn't I?"

Rosalie nodded and studied him seriously. "And you'll take us on your boat?"

"Ship!" corrected Jack shooting her a less than amused look. He looked them up and down before studying his nails once again. "Ye two should get some rest. I'll find you in the morning."

"How do we know you won't set sail in the night?" asked a suspicious Rosalie.

Jack gave a great sigh and got to his feet. He meandered over and stooped down so his eyes were on a level with hers. "Ye have my word Miss Middleton. I give ye my promise. A good pirate keeps his word." He raised an eyebrow as if to ask if she understood and she bobbed her head quickly. He smiled and straightened. "Be away with ye! Get some sleep, ye both look like you could sleep in the pig sty."

Will laughed and Rosalie's lips quirked into a smile. "You say the nicest things Jack," said Will.

The pirate shot them an indulgent smile and sank back down onto his chair. His frame sagged and he gave a weary wave. "Go. Oh and Will, I'll want a word with ye in the mornin'."

Will nodded and took Rosalie's hand, readying to lead her back to their room, but Anamaria spoke up and made him pause. "Can the lady swim?"

Rosalie gave a quick shake of her head. "No I do not." She glanced up at Will and then turned back to the other woman. "T-That's not a problem is it?"

Anamaria shot her a look and raised her chin. "Ye will be out at sea soon enough. Ye should know how to keep afloat at least."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Aye ye should. I know of a lagoon not too far away. I'll take ye there in the mornin'." He slanted her a wide grin. "Don't bother gettin' dressed. Ye don't want to be weighed down in the water."

The blacksmith narrowed his eyes at the pirate. "I'll take her Jack. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to go swimming with a man she has only just met."

Jack shrugged and sighed. "Shame."

"Take her to the lagoon Will. Jack will point you in the right direction." Anamaria studied Rosalie closely. "Ye'll have to get used to life at sea."

Rosalie nodded and gave Will a rather abashed smile. He knew she was thinking about the crossing they had just taken and the sea sickness she had suffered. "I'll be fine. I have to be."

The female pirate nodded and waved them away. Will tugged Rosalie towards the stairs and led the way up them, tucking her arm through his and looking the dark haired woman over. "You look dead on your feet. It's no wonder I suppose. You've had quite the day."

Rosalie nodded her head tiredly and smiled up at him. "I dread to think of what would have happened if you hadn't come with me."

"Well don't think," said Will, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. They reached their room and he opened the door for them. "Go on in."

He trailed after her and slid the latch across. Rosalie wandered over to the bed, trailing her hand across the threadbare blankets.

"This is nothing compared to what I have at home but I suspect this will be the last proper bed we can expect to sleep in for a while," she said looking up at him.

"Oh I don't know," said Will."Maybe Jack has installed luxurious beds in all the cabins." He got the reaction he wanted when she giggled and smiled up at him.

A comfortable silence fell over them and they both turned toward the bed. The bed was a modest size, fractionally bigger than the one on the ship but still small enough that the two of them would definitely be cosy. He glanced down at the woman beside him and the air in the room shifted. He could feel the mood change as he sank into the blue depths of Rosalie's eyes. He was surprised that a single kiss could change things so much.

Rosalie's smile widened and he was powerless to do anything but smile back at her. She looked down at the bed and then back at him. "So... we should probably get some sleep."

"Y-Yes," replied Will, forcing himself to look away and move to the side of the bed. He pulled the blankets back and then hesitated before turning his back on her. "I won't look." He heard her answering giggle and listened to the rustle of her clothing as she undressed. It took a lot of self control to stop himself turning around.

Rosalie stepped out from her dress and draped it across the chest at the bottom of the bed. She clambered into the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chest. "You can look now."

Will turned and she shivered as he looked her over from her blanketed legs to the tops of her chemise clad shoulders. He shot her a warm smile and quickly struggled out of his own shirt and boots. He maintained eye contact as he climbed in next to her, smirking internally when her cheeks reddened.

Rosalie was sure he must be able to hear her heart thumping against her rib cage as he settled beside her. He lay on his side, holding himself up on one elbow so he could study her. His eyes flitted between her eyes and her mouth.

He reached out to trace the line of her jaw and leaned closer so he could press his lips to hers. He kept the kiss brief, pulling away before he was tempted to deepen it. It would be far too easy to roll over and press her into the mattress. "Goodnight Rosalie."

She slid down under the blankets and lay back against the thin pillows. As he settled down, slung an arm around her waist and closed his eyes, she studied his face. Had she done something wrong? He was attentive as always but he was clearly holding himself back. She blushed ferociously as she realised she had wanted the kiss to continue.

Will tucked her against him and kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep."

Rosalie nodded into his chest and pushed her worries to the back of her mind. "Goodnight Will."

xxxxxx

"You want me to go completely under?" asked Rosalie. "I-I don't know if I can."

She was submerged in the crystal clear water of the shaded lagoon. The sun was filtering in through the leafy palm trees and reflecting off the surface of the water. She would be quite enthralled by the beauty of the place if she wasn't standing in chest deep water with a half naked Will Turner.

"You can Rosalie," said Will reassuringly. "I'm holding on to you. I promise I won't let you go."

The young woman nodded her head and took several deep breaths. Her hands unconsciously tightened around his and he gripped them harder.

Jack had led them to the lagoon and thankfully left soon after. Will wouldn't have been pleased if the pirate had seen Rosalie in her current state. She was standing there, her thin chemise plastered to her body, clutching onto his hands with a terrified look on her face, and he had never wanted to kiss her more. He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles and watched as she took a deep steadying breath and locked her eyes onto his. "On the count of three, I want you to sink down under the water. One... two... three!"

Rosalie breathed in deeply and let her legs bend, submerging herself under the water. Will's hands clamped tight around hers and she dunked her head under the surface before propelling herself upwards out of the water. "I-I did it!" she coughed, setting her feet firmly on the sandy pool bottom and beaming at Will.

He beamed right back at her. "I said you would be able to do it didn't I?"

"Y-Yes," she answered, staring down at her toes. "I must say that is the queerest feeling."

Will chuckled and released her hands before moving back away from her. She yelped and tried to reach for him but he was out of her reach. He shook his head and continued to wade out into the pool, stopping when he could only just touch the bottom. "I want you to swim out to me. You're completely safe and I will be right here."

Rosalie shook her head furiously. "I can't swim all the way out there. I won't be able to reach the bottom."

"No, but I'll be right here to catch you," he said softly. "You just have to do what you did before. The only difference is that I won't be holding onto your hands."

She studied the distance between them, trying to work out how many kicks it would take to reach him. She had grown in confidence during the time they had been out here but she was unsure if she was confident enough to swim out into the middle of the pool.

"Rosalie, you can do it," he said, holding out his hands.

She took a steadying breath and ducked down into the water, stretching out her arms in front of her. She looked out across the surface, her gaze settling on Will and staring into his eyes. He smiled reassuringly and she pushed off, kicking clumsily and propelling herself towards him.

Water splashed into her eyes as she closed the distance and reached out for him. With just two more strokes he was in reach and she impelled herself forward so she could latch onto his hands. He pulled her up and she let go of his hands so she could throw her arms around his neck. The momentum pushed her against him and she clung to his shoulders, pressing herself flush against him.

"W-Will... oh my... I really did it," she spluttered. She smiled up at him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her afloat.

"Well done Rosalie," he said quietly. His grin was wide and contagious. She giggled and kicked her legs, staring up into his warm brown eyes. This action only served to push her up against him more and he spread his hands against her back as his legs threatened to give out beneath him. His gaze intensified and her smile wavered, her own gaze moving from his eyes to his mouth.

Rosalie's hair was scraped back from her face and water clung to her long eyelashes. Her waterlogged undergarment had slid off one shoulder exposing pearly skin that was usually hidden from him.

Hearing her breathe in sharply, he looked up into her eyes again, his eyes drifting down to her lips shortly after. Her nails curled into his shoulders as he shifted her in his arms, bringing her closer.

They came together quickly, kissing deeply and passionately. He moved a hand up her back and cupped the nape of her neck, slanting his lips to the right and then to the left. She held him as close as she could, clinging to his embrace.

They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear someone rapidly approaching, crashing through the undergrowth.

"Will...Rosalie...he's here. Sterling is in Tortuga."

A/N: So did it measure up? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!