Embracing Katrina

(Sequel to With Katrina… Three-quel to Including Katrina)

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean (characters, plot, dialogue, etc.). Any other tid-bits of creativity, however, are mine… in which I hope you will enjoy. Please be sure to read and review!

Author's Note: Thank you all so very, very, very much for reviewing! Please continue! I love reading and knowing all what you have to say… what you enjoyed and what you'd like to happen later on. It is very much appreciated! So read on below and let me know what you think!

Chapter 10

The Past

Several hours later as darkness fell all around, the two carriages came to a stop.

"All right e'eryone," Gibbs said as he opened the door to the carriage, "Barbossa want us t' rest 'ere for the night."

Pintel and Ragetti were the first out of the carriage. Will then carefully helped Katrina down.

"You two!" Barbossa ordered as he made his way towards Pintel and Ragetti, "Start up a fire! Gibbs, help Cotton and Marty bring out the food! And as for you, whelp… don't let anythin' 'appen to the women!"

Each of the crew did as they were told. Will followed Barbossa's orders, but limited his focus primarily on Katrina.

Once the fire was up and going, Will laid out a blanket for him and Katrina to sit on next to it while the others went about fulfilling Barbossa's instructions.

"Are you comfortable?" Will asked as he watched Katrina reposition herself, a hand on her stomach as she did so.

When she finally came to a stop she looked up at Will, "Yes, now I am."

Will couldn't help but to break out into a smile, "Are you sure?"

Katrina laughed lightly at Will's concern for her, "Yes… just starving that's all."

Will's smile faltered a little at hearing this, "Let me see what I can find."

Will then stood back up, walked to a carriage, and began rummaging through one of its small leather bags. He eventually found some fruit, and so brought back to Katrina a couple of apples.

"Hope this will help until someone decides to cook a meal around here," Will offered as he sat back down beside Katrina.

Katrina placed one apple in her lap and then hungrily began biting into the other.

"You didn't wait too long to tell me that you were hungry, did you, Katrina?" Will asked as she finished off the apple.

Katrina didn't say a word as her eyes lowered to the fire before them.

"Katrina," Will said seriously, "you can't do that… you're eating for two now, you know."

Katrina dragged her head up slowly before looking at Will, "Yes, I know."

"How you doing, child?" Tia Dalma suddenly said as she approached from behind the two, Elizabeth not far behind.

"Fine," Katrina said simply.

Tia Dalma took Katrina's face in her hands and looked into her eyes. She then turned her attention to the five pirates who were meddling with pans and bags of food.

"Dat food need be cooked now!" Tia Dalma hissed at the pirates, "Dis woman wid babe need de food!"

Mr. Cotton, Gibbs, Marty, Pintel, and Ragetti saluted Tia Dalma and then rushed the pans and food over to the fire to begin cooking.

"Just eat dat apple 'til dey done," Tia Dalma said back to Katrina. She then led Elizabeth to the opposite end of the fire pit.

After a very long moment of watching Elizabeth through the flames as Katrina began to eat the second apple, Will slowly turned his focus to Katrina again.

"How did you two meet?" Will asked as Katrina continued to eat her apple.

"Who?" Katrina asked, a hand hovering over her mouth as she chewed the fruit.

"You and Jack."

Katrina swallowed before replying, "It's a bit of a lengthy story."

Will looked around at the slow cookers and tired group of travelers, "Well, we've got the time, Katrina."

Katrina took a deep breath before giving in to telling Will of her past.

"A little more than three years ago, by way of trading, Jack had bargained his way to Port Royal. Though I must point out that that wasn't his goal of destination."

"Where was he wanting to go?"

"To Tortuga. However, he knew no honest tradesman would port there, and so he tried to barter a passage to the nearest port to Tortuga. He figured once at that nearest location he could commandeer a boat… or ship… and make his way to the pirate port himself."

"But why Tortuga?"

Katrina smiled and hinted over at the leader of their group, "Because he had heard that Barbossa was to be there. His plan was to catch up to Barbossa and take back the Pearl."

"Obviously that didn't happen."

"No, not at all. He told me that the first night when he arrived in Port Royal he was so upset that, to no one's surprise, he lost himself in rum at the nearest pub. The next morning he somehow found himself among a dark corner of you're smithy."

"My smithy?" Will laughed in astonishment, "You must be joking!"

Katrina joined in the laughter, "No, it's true! He said he woke up to the sound of clashing metal. He told me that when he looked around to see where all the 'dreadful' noise was coming from… it was from you and me."

"Us?"

"Yes! We were in the middle of one my lessons!"

"Perfect timing."

"Yes, I know," Katrina laughed, "Anyhow, he said that he watched us practice. He said that he even saw when my maid came to warn us that my father was on his way. He told me that I took his attention with my cleverness of hiding the truth of our swordfight when my father appeared."

"You mean," Will laughed as he recalled the memory, "when you would stand very close to the fire as I worked on a sword?"

"Yes! My father thought that the reason I was such a mess… all hot and sweaty… was because I had stood too close to the fire for too long watching you model your swords!"

"Oh, you're poor father!" Will laughed harder.

"I know! And Jack thought it was a most genius scheme. He told me that after I had left with my father he tried to find a ship that would bring him closer to Tortuga, but couldn't find any."

"Are you sure he couldn't find any?"

Katrina blushed, "Well, that's what he told me. He said that as he was walking away from the docks, thinking of what to do next, he caught sight of me sneaking out to my favorite hidden spot near the water. He said I was reading a nautical book and watched as I waded in the water while doing so… which I'm quite sure he got a good show of my legs, for I always held up my dress when I waded. Anyway, he said it was at that moment that he decided to put his mission to find Barbossa on a brief hold and instead follow me around from a safe distance."

"And you didn't realize this? That he was following you?"

"No, I had no idea I was being followed!"

"But how did you two meet?"

"Well," Katrina took a breath, "one night I was attending Norrington's birthday celebration at the governor's home… a horrible night that was... ended up leaving early I was so upset… Anyhow, I returned home alone. My father was still at the governor's home socializing and the maids and butler of our household were asleep. That was when Jack decided to present himself."

"What did he do?"

"He tried to be very showy… he said he was trying to sneak up on me from behind as I was reading a book on the sofa… planning on saying something witty to take my attention… possibly with every hope to make me swoon… but it all fell apart when he clumsily knocked off some books from the table he was leaning over to reach me."

"That sounds like Jack," Will shook his head as he chuckled.

"Yes," Katrina smiled, "but at that moment it scared me terribly! As he tried to strike up conversation with me, I took hold of the rapier that decorated the mantel of the parlor."

"Did that throw him off guard?"

"No," Katrina thought back, "Actually I think he laughed at me if I remember correctly… scoffed that I would be in need of more lessons with the blacksmith before trying to fight a pirate like him. But his laughter quickly vanished as I started to attack him. Our fight didn't last too long though, for I sort of went into complete shock when I found out who he was."

Will raised an eyebrow.

"Captain Jack Sparrow. Who would have thought that I would meet in person the very man and pirate I had been reading about just moments before? Oh, but he was so kind to me… helped me calm down from panicking in fear from what I had learned about him from my book… and from there it was simple conversation until my father returned to the house, in which he was forced to leave so as not to get caught."

"And you two managed to meet up after that incident?"

"Oh yes, several times," Katrina sighed as her eyes slowly began to fill with tears, "He was such a good man to me. He was absolutely wonderful to spend time with. Oh, how I miss him!"

"Don't worry, Katrina," Will said softly as he took up one of her hands in his, "We will find Jack. I know we will."

"O' course we will," Tia Dalma said gently as she appeared before Katrina with a plate of cooked fish and fruit, "And I want you and de babe to be healt'y when we do."

Tia Dalma then handed the plate of food to Katrina, "So be sure to eat it all."