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I was so shocked that Cutler was kissing me back that I didn't do anything for a few minutes. I pulled back slightly to see if he was still in the half-dead mode. Unfortunately, he was. Still though, he had been kissing me. Wanting to see if he would do it again, I leaned forward and pressed my head under his chin. I pressed kisses up his neck and then went to his mouth.

Cutler was still staring straight ahead with his bluer than blue eyes. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and put my mouth to his. As before, his lips started working against mine. There was pressure on my lips as I felt something warm and slippery probing against them. Hardly believing my luck, I parted my mouth to give Cutler access to my mouth.

Cutler's tongue slipped into mine. I felt little fireworks going off in my body. This would've been perfect if only Cutler was actually realizing what he was doing. When he woke up from this little trance, I doubted he would even remember he had kissed me at all. Abruptly, Cutler moved his lips to my throat and started pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck to my chest.

Cutler moved his mouth to my chest and kissed over one of my breasts. His tongue dragged around the nipple before he fastened his lips around it and started suckling. I started whimpering as he suckled me. It felt so damn good. I wondered if Cutler was still in his trance of not. Peering down, I saw his eyes were still glazed, which instantly gave me my answer.

I couldn't help but wonder if Cutler was acting on pure instinct or on something else. Deciding to try my luck and see if I could get him to talk to me, I murmured, "Cutler? Can you hear me?" Cutler closed his eyes as he suckled from my breast and let go of my nipple, murmuring, "Fresh milk." I tilted my head in confusion until I remembered that my breasts were full of milk for the baby.

Talking seemed to jerk Cutler out of his reverie. He blinked, eyes going back to normal. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and looked up my bare chest to my eyes. Now I was starting to feel quite foolish and maybe more than a little on the embarrassed side. Cutler's eyes were suddenly bulging and he looked like he had seen a ghost, "Bloody hell!"

Knowing I was caught, I froze and turned a bright pink color. Cutler looked from my half naked body to his shirt. Noticing it was unbuttoned, he frowned and quickly buttoned it back up. After he had buttoned up his shirt and put his jacket back on, he fixed me with a stormy stare and raised an eyebrow as he said, "Perhaps you'd like to tell me what the hell you were thinking?"

Still sitting on him, I was frozen, unable to move or speak. Cutler removed my legs from his waist and pushed me across the bed from him. He clicked his tongue impatiently and smoothed his jacket. I didn't know what to say or do. Mostly, I wanted to cry. I was heartbroken. Even now Cutler still didn't want me. Had he forgotten our past? He must have.

"Dear god, have you gone mute in the time frame of five minutes?" Cutler asked sarcastically, looking quite annoyed. That comment somehow got me to open my lips. Looking down at my lap in embarrassment, I murmured, "I just wanted to...to...to..." I trailed off, unable to speak. The tears were screaming inside me and had to be released.

"Yes? You wanted to what?" Cutler continued on, watching me intently. Looking sad, I replied, "I just wanted to get back to what we used to have. I know you don't remember or want me in the slightest, but I do. I do remember our past life and relationship. I remember how happy we used to be together. Now, all that is gone and I'm going to go to my grave in misery."

Cutler frowned and his lips formed a thin line. I could tell he was thinking hard about something, but I couldn't tell what. I tried to wipe my tears away as I waited for him to speak. Finally, looking awkward, Cutler murmured, "You are wrong there. I do remember." At his words, I jerked my head up to look at him. So he did remember? He remembered how we used to love each other?

Feeling hurt, I asked, "Then why don't you want me?" Cutler rolled his eyes and played with the edge of the sheet as he said, "You do know where we are, don't you?" Nodding, I stated the obvious, "Well, of course I do. We've been here for weeks. We're on the way to the afterlife on the Flying Dutchman. What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything," Cutler responded. Hating the way he kept trying to outsmart me, I crossed my arms and said, "How?" Giving me a pathetic look, Cutler replied, "We're going to the afterlife for god's sake. In case you haven't noticed, we happen to be going to the land of the dead. For one, I know my place is in the deepest circle of hell."

"No," I protested. "You're not going to hell. You're a good person. You won't go there." Cutler merely smirked and replied slowly as if speaking to a naive child, "My dear, if I am not going to the deepest circle of hell, I have not fulfilled my duties." I looked at him, still puzzled, and tried to figure out what he meant. It was annoying how Cutler spoke in riddles sometimes.

Waving his hand to move on, Cutler informed me, "When you arrived on this ship, you made your choice. I will not intervene." Once again, I was still confused. Trying to make sense of all this, I asked, "What? I don't understand. What choice did I make?" Sighing, Cutler responded, "James. You chose him when you first came aboard the Dutchman."

"Yes, but that's only because you weren't around," I protested. Cutler looked deeply into my eyes and shook his head, "No. Tell me something. Who did you think of first when you came aboard the Dutchman? James or myself?" His eyes locked with mine, making it impossible for me to lie. Well, okay, I had thought of James first, but was that a really bad thing?

When I didn't answer, Cutler said, "So you see that it was Mr. Norrington you chose. It seems that now would be a rather good time for you to finally let go of me and-" I didn't want to let him go. Never! I cut off his sentence and pushed myself into his arms. I rubbed myself against him and licked up his neck. Finding a sensitive place, I leaned down and sucked.

"Jenna!" Cutler exclaimed, dropping his formality by using my first name. I felt him grow hard beneath me. I wanted that hardness between my legs, but Cutler was certainly not thinking the same way. He pushed me off of him and blushed slightly as he shook his head and said, "You really don't understand, do you? Very well. I shall explain."

"I do understand," I protested. "I understand that I love you more than I've ever loved anyone." I stuck out my lip in a pout and glared at Cutler. Exhaling loudly, Cutler replied, "You see, I intervened fate. I never should have initiated our relationship. I never should have let you keep visiting me. When you were married to Ian, I should have let you go."

Bewildered, I said, "Wait a second. You'd take back everything we had so that you wouldn't...uh...intervene fate or whatever?" Cutler shook his head, "I see you still don't get it. Fate has a plan for everyone. If you are young and innocent, your fate will end up to your satisfaction. It is for the devious who end up in hell after securing the darkest fate imaginable."

"I still don't understand," I replied with a frown. Sighing, Cutler went on, "You and I were never suppose to be together. You were supposed to have ended up with Mr. Norrington. Perhaps you remember a certain visit to the Flying Dutchman during which Mr. Norrington proposed to you?" I did remember. It was James' first proposal to me.

"Yes, I remember," I told Cutler. "Why?" Cutler gave me a look as if it were obvious, but went ahead and explained to me anyways, "If it were not for me, you would have accepted Mr. Norrington's proposal, would you not?" Going back in time in my head, I ran the situation through my mind. Cutler was right. I had only refused because I wanted him more than James.

"Maybe," I admitted. "But I only refused because I wanted you more. Isn't that fate? It shows that I love you more and that we were meant to be together." Happy at my conclusion, I smiled at Cutler and hoped he would smile back. Unfortunately, he didn't. Instead, he shook his head and added, "You forget I was the one who screwed your fate. If it weren't for me, you would've married Norrington."

Knowing that he was right, I nodded, "Perhaps. I still don't get it though." Cutler nodded, "Yes, I have noticed that. I'll keep explaining to you then. What happened to James only a few days after he proposed to you?" That was obvious. James had died by the hand of that bloody fish person who needed to be murdered nice and slowly after killing innocent James.

"He died," I said, hatred for that fish person laced in my words. Cutler agreed, "Yes, he died. You died not long after that. You see, if you had never been with me, you would never have had any doubts in James. Tell me something. Where did you end up when you first came to the Flying Dutchman?" Cutler's lip curled slightly, obviously realizing something that I did not.

"I don't know," I stammered, upset at his smugness. Cutler leaned closer to me, making my breath leave me as he whispered, "Ah, but you do. Think about it." I did. Oh yes, I remembered not. Shit. Not meeting his eyes, I stared at the floor in annoyanace and replied, "Well, I happened to be in James' cabin, but that was all just random."

"Random?" Cutler asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think not. Fate is perfectly planned out. Don't you see? You were supposed to have married James, died, and then be reunited with James once more. You would be with the man you loved until you died and you would go to your grave in peace. But you're not in peace. You're miserable. Haven't you figured out why?"

"Because of you?" I asked, not really believing it, but that's where Cutler seemed to be bringing this conversation. He nodded at me and replied, "Indeed. You would've had a good life despite Mercer and you would've died in peace. Instead, I had to go and rearrange your fate. I turned you from a clean, wholesome girl into a filthy whore, and for that, I am sorry."

I flinched at the flithy whore comment, but ignored it for now. Deciding to accept his hypothesis, I said, "Alright, so let's say that was all true. It doesn't matter anymore. All is said and done and we're both dead. Can't we be together now? I love you, Cutler. What can I do to make you see how strong my love is for you? I would do anything to have you back..."

"That's apparent," Cutler said, eyes flicking to the rum bottle I had hidden under the bed. It had rolled out into the middle of the floor for everyone to see. I blushed a dark red. Returning to the current subject, Cutler said, "I still don't think you understand. What good would us getting back together do? You see, we all have places in the afterlife. I am going to the deepest ring of hell and your Mr. Norrington is going to heave. You, on the other hand, are now stuck somewhere in between."

"In between?" I asked, not quite getting it. "So what does that mean?" Cutler, for once, did not know the answer. Frowning, he replied, "I don't believe I know the answer to that question. My best hypothesis is that you will not be dead or alive, but caught in a stretch of oblivion. Personally, I find that to be even worse than being in hell."

So I was stuck between James and Cutler. What now? My heart thudded nervously in my chest and I didn't feel so good. Tilting my head, I asked Cutler, "So what now?" Cutler gave me a wry smile, "It seems we have no choice but to wait and see. Although, I would recommend spending more time with Mr. Norington in hopes that you will end up in heaven as well."