He smiled and kissed her forehead. Natalia entered the room, her footsteps precise against the floor. "Jack," she said, folding her arms. "We need to talk."
Jack cocked his head and sat up, careful not to wake her. "What is it?" Natalia frowned. "Two things. One is that we'll be reaching Edolier in a couple of days. You and I will immediately head to our father's house." Looking down at Avice, a troubled expression crossed his face. "Can she come? I can't... I need her there." "No. She can't know. She doesn't know, right?" Natalia's eyes turned panicked, and Jack watched a shade of fear enter her eyes. "No. She doesn't know, but... She won't tell anyone. Please." "Jack, you know I hold nothing but respect for her, but... You don't know if you can trust her. You can trust no one besides me.
"I can trust her," Jack insisted. "Nat, please. I can't live like this." She pursed her lips and continued speaking. "Number two. You're neglecting your duties. You can't spend all your time in here."
He frowned, keeping his voice down. "She's hurt. I'm not going to leave her in here alone." "She can't be a distraction to you, Jack," Natalia said flatly. "I need you more than I need her. If this is how it's going to be, I will arrange to have her off my crew."
Jack was quiet for a moment, looking at Natalia incredulously. "You.. you wouldn't." Her eyes hardened. "Wouldn't I?" Jack tilted his head. "Nat, you need to get out of this... this fear thing you have! You can't do this! You need to realize that not everyone is trying to hurt you. You need to learn to trust-" "Don't," Natalia's voice was deadly quiet. "Don't tell me what I need to do. I have lived this long by being cautious, and I am not going to end that for my brother's little crush." "She's not a crush," he said fiercely. "Figure it out, Jack," she said harshly, turning on her heel and heading for the door. "I don't need her to stay." Jack was quiet until she got to the doorway. "I'd leave too." Natalia paused before turning to him with a focused gaze. She cocked her head and saw something in his eyes before smiling slightly. "No, you wouldn't." She closed the door behind her, leaving a silent room.
Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He pulled his hand away and looked down at her, his head cocked. Settling back next to her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
She wanted to comfort him, but knew it wasn't a good idea. Instead, she pulled away from him, her eyes cold. "Can you leave?"
She looked down, her eyes pained. "No, you didn't. I just.. I thought of something. I would like to speak to the captain."
