Fight For The Right

16~ Love Doesn't Last Forever

A/N: The handsome fellow in the picture with Maddie is how I imagined Jeffrey. Later on I'll add another picture of him!

*Maddie's P.O.V*

For a moment I thought Jeffrey was going to faint. He turned rather pale and I noticed his knees were shaking. He didn't say anything, but his mouth was opening and closing like he was a fish. Then he cried out in delight, tears pouring down his cheeks, and he ran towards me with his arms outstretched. I grinned, not bothering to hold back my own tears, and we embraced each other tightly. I sobbed happily into his chest and he into my shoulder. When we pulled away he held me at arm's length, his eyes bloodshot, examining me closely.

"It is really you?" he whispered.

I nodded. "It's really me."

He pulled me into another hug, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I thought I'd lost you."

I smiled and caressed his cheek with my fingers. "Has there ever been a time when I haven't returned to you at some point?"

"You were gone for a whole week, Maddie. I was beginning to think I'd never see you again." His hand hovered near my chin, and I wrapped my fingers around his wrist. I was almost scared to let him go, in case he was just an illusion.

"A little bird told me you've been keeping vigil here for the last week, I smirked. "Is this true?"

His cheeks went a light tint of pink. "Yes... but didn't I tell you I would wait for you, no matter how long it took?"

"But what if I had ben gone for a whole month? What if I never returned at all?"

He raised his eyebrows and cupped my face with is hands. "Then I guess I would be waiting for the rest of my life."

"You shouldn't have to do that -"

He cut me off by placing his lips on mine. I smiled into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck. Oh, how I had missed him, missed this. A tingle shot up my spine, but something was off... There weren't the usual sparks in my stomach, and my heart rate didn't sped up. My brow creased slightly as we pulled away. What was happening to me?

"Maddie?"

I was jerked from my thoughts and looked up to meet his concerned brown eyes. I swallowed nervously. "Yes?"

"Is something wrong?" I shook my head all too quickly, increasing his suspicion. "Maddie, did something happen during you... abduction... that made you afraid of... us? Of me?"

I frowned. "Sorry?"

"The pirates... did they hurt you, in any way?"

I realized where he was getting at. "No, no. They didn't hurt me. Well, they did, but not in that way!" I said quickly. "The worst they did was trying to kill me... but I fought back."

"Is that how you got this?" His finger traced the fading scar on my cheek. "And these?" He massaged my bruised knuckles and smiled. "You must have put up a good fight."

I chuckled. "You have no idea."

We gathered the reins of our horses and began walking along the shore. I still wasn't tempted to talk about all that had happened, but Jeffrey outsmarted me, again.

"There's more to it, isn't there?" he asked. I groaned as he stopped walking, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Maddie, what are you not telling me?"

I hesitated. I wanted to tell him, but I knew it would break his heart. I didn't want to do that to him, not after everything we'd been through together. He surprised me when he planted another, less passionate kiss on my lips. I melted into his arms, but again, there were no sparks. He pulled away, and gave me a sad smile. "Did you feel it?"