Catherine sighed as land came in sight. The Caribbean. The last place she wanted to be. But she had unfinished business there and it had been taunting her ever since her rapid departure to live with her distant relatives in England five years before.
As the ship came into dock, she noticed a tall ship with black sails looming by the water's edge. She smiled faintly. The Black Pearl. So Jack was still haunting these waters. In fact, if she strained her eyes, she could see a figure just like him staggering towards her ship. Drunk as usual. Typical Sparrow behaviour.
She walked off the ship and he was there to meet her. "I should have known you'd come back one day," he said.
Catherine smiled, her first sincere smile for a long time. "I had to, really, didn't I?"
They walked together towards the old blacksmith's, neither of them talking but each knowing what the other was thinking.
"I take it he's still there, then?" she asked as they reached the door.
"Ever-present," Jack replied. "Are you going in or what?"
Catherine nodded, but hesitated as her hand rested on the handle. "Do you think he – I mean, so much has happened since –"
"Trust me, he never got over you," Sparrow said.
She smiled. "Remember the night of the pirate battle?"
Sparrow nodded. "How could I forget?"
She opened the door. The workshop was deserted. Trust me to come in when he's out, she thought wryly. She had prepared for this incidence, though, and drew out a note and placed it carefully on his anvil where he could not miss it.
"Oh, Will," she whispered. "I'm so sorry," and she cast her mind back to where it all began.