AN: A big thanks to Jessizoid and sparrowismyhummingbird for reviewing! It means a ton! :)

I got this chapter out a lot faster than I thought I would've. Classes have been easy so I've been finding myself with much more free time to write! So, voila!

Chapter Fourteen: Always Hope

Emma's breaths came in shallow gasps; she hadn't been running very long, but her body was definitely out of shape and not used to this much rigorous exercise – a fact she greatly resented at the moment. She chanced a quick glance over her shoulder; the navy men did not appear in her line of sight. She knew it would only be a matter of time though before they would give up the chase after Jack and come for her.

Which is why she was trying to put as much distance between herself and them as she could. She coughed and her hand flew to her stomach. The corset strings made it impossible to breathe alone. Add in physical exertion and it was nigh on hopeless.

Emma fell to the sand and dragged herself behind a rock outcropping. She figured she had bought herself enough time to rest. She tried to reach back behind herself and pull on the strings to somehow loosen them, but the attempt was futile. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe slowly and deliberately.

Instantly, Jack's face appeared in her mind. She gave a slight jump, startling herself. She had to admit that the captain was growing on her. He would always be obnoxious and ridiculous, but she loved life aboard the Pearl and she missed it. She suddenly felt very alone.

She stood and brushed the sand off of herself. Checking to make sure she had no pursuers, Emma stepped out from behind the rocks and began to run again, her bare feet thumping across the soft sand. She had ditched her heels a while ago.

Her breathing became rugged again quickly. She knew that she would have to find somewhere to stay soon; her best bet would be with the family that she had stayed behind for. She only hoped that they would be receptive to her help.

She realized suddenly she didn't even know with what they needed help. She didn't even know the man's name! She hoped that her efforts wouldn't be in vain. She also hoped that Jack would come back for her.

She hoped for a lot of things.

She noticed, half concealed by the vegetation growing alongside the forming hill next to her, a path. She stopped to examine it. Instead of going up with the hill, the path cut into the hillside and veered to the right.

Emma figured that the navy men would assume she would head back to town, and if she left foot prints that indicated that, they would be heading in the complete opposite direction that Emma was actually going.

So she continued in her previous direction towards town, leaving deep impressions in the sand with her feet. When she started to reach grass, she veered back towards the path and made sure to run on the grass so she wouldn't make anymore tracks. They would have no idea where she was.

After a few minutes of solid running, Emma reached the path that cut into the hillside. It seemed as just in time, too, for she could hear the pounding of feet just around the bend. She quickly ducked behind the vegetation that the path offered and held her breath, hoping that they wouldn't see her.

"Hey!" One shouted.

Emma froze. They had found her. Oh God they had found her. There would no be going back to the Pearl now.

"Footprints! They're clearer here, and they're leading right back to town!" Another shouted.

The navy men moved on, the sound of their footsteps retreating with them. Emma released the breath that she had been holding and leaned back against the trunk of a tree. She was exhausted: physically and mentally. So much had happened in such a short amount of time and all Emma wanted to do right now was curl up on the ground and fall asleep.

But she knew she couldn't. She had to keep going and she knew that the little house couldn't be too much farther. Emma pushed herself off of the ground and began the trek along the path. It sloped upwards, making the trek all the harder, but the hillside offered shade from the sun so it was at least bearable.

Emma took her time. She knew that she had plenty of time to reach the little house before night fell and she was tired. Besides, it was hard to run and breathe at the same time in this dress, she reasoned.

When it became late in the afternoon, the path became level with the hill and she reached a small clearing. It was really a little indent in the hill; the clearing was mostly surrounded by grassy slopes. The sun warmed the grass and she could just imagine children laughing as they played among the flowers and rolled down the slopes of the hill. Emma shook her head. Since when did she become so maternal?

As she walked across the clearing, she noticed a jumble of rocks at the far side. Upon closer examination, she realized that they were a set of roughly made stairs. Emma tested her weight on one of them, and when the rock didn't budge, she figured it was safe to climb up.

The rock stairs led to the very top of the hill, and to Emma's delight, right to the back of the little shack. Emma was relieved that she had finally reached her destination, but then was stricken with nervousness.

She shook her head. No point in wasting time thinking about what might be; just do it. With that mantra repeating in her head, Emma marched around to the front of the house and knocked on the door with three quick raps.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, but then there was a scuttling and the door cracked open. A woman with a dirty face and matted graying hair peered through the slit at Emma. "What do you want?" She asked harshly.

Emma hesitated, but then stood her ground. "I talked to your husband." She said firmly, figuring she should just get straight to the point.

The woman's eyes widened slightly and she opened the door a little wider to look over Emma. Her brown curled hair was falling out of its place atop her head and was growing frizzy; her dress was nice, but there were mud stains along the hem and rips in several places. Add on top of that, she was sweaty and dirty.

"Who are you?" The woman asked, confused by her appearance.

Emma smiled softly, glad to see that she was sort of getting somewhere. "My name is Emma. May I speak with you?" When the woman gave no response, she added dryly, "Preferably inside your house."

The woman glanced around, and seeing no one else, opened the door wider and motioned Emma inside.

The house wasn't much, to say the least. It was only two rooms; the first held a small table in the center, a sink and stove in one corner, and in the other a sofa and a chair. Emma couldn't tell what was in the other room, but she could only assume that it would be a bedroom.

The woman sat down in one of the chairs at the table and waited for Emma to do the same. She sat down, grateful to finally be able to sit and rest for a while. The woman opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a small, excited voice.

"Who's that momma?" A little girl peeked her head out of the bedroom and was looking curiously at Emma. Emma gave her a small smile.

The woman didn't know exactly how to answer, so she sent her daughter back into the room. She did so reluctantly.

"You spoke to my husband?" The woman said finally.

Emma nodded. "I guess I should start from the beginning. I was… traveling here with some friends. One was intent on finding this key." The woman sat up straighter suddenly, but Emma continued anyways. "Your husband happened to have it. I… I told him that I would come see his family for him; I would look after you personally. He gave me the key in return."

The woman's. "He gave you the key!" She cried out.

Emma jumped, startled at her outburst. "He did."

"Well where is it?" She demanded.

Emma folded her arms. "I don't have it on me." She stated, looking at the woman suspiciously. "Maybe I should leave. I can tell that I'm not welcome here." Emma stood, pushing her head back and turned towards the door.

"Wait!"

Emma paused, looking down at the woman.

"I'm sorry. Please, I've been rude." She motioned to Emma's former chair. "Please, sit." She stood and hurried to the stove. "Can I make you something? Anything to drink? Tea?"

The change in the woman was profound. "Tea would be great." Emma said as she sat down. Anything would have been great to her at that moment. She waited patiently for the woman who was busy at the stove, filling a kettle of water and setting it to boil. She rejoined Emma back at the table. "I don't know either of your names. You or your husband's." Emma said candidly.

"My name is Jean and my husband's name was Peter. I suppose you don't know much or why he was in jail?" She waited for Emma to nod before continuing. "As you can tell, we've never had much money." Her eyes roamed the small space. "Times were especially tight for us. He was working at the docks but they didn't need him anymore. He was caught stealing food at the market…" Jean trailed off, as if gazing into a different time and place.

"I understand," Emma said.

The woman looked at her quizzically. Emma realized it was because of her apparel. "I feel like it's my turn to explain myself." She fiddled with a ribbon on her dress. She wasn't sure how much to tell her, but if she was for some reason risking her life for this man's family, she deserved to know the truth.

"My full name is Emma Sharp. I used to swordfight near the docks." A flicked of recognition ran across Jean's face. "However, I… got involved with pirates – but they're all good men, despite what everyone makes them out to be." She paused. "I joined the crew and the captain is looking for a treasure—"

"—of Vespera," Jean interrupted.

Emma, surprised at her interjection, waited for a moment before answering. "Yes. I'll be honest again. I don't know much about the treasure nor am I really all that interested – sounds all rather shady. Just following captain's orders. " She realized she was rambling.

The kettle screamed on the stove and Jean rose to take it off the stove. A minute later, she returned with two cups and the pot of tea. She poured Emma a cup and she sipped it appreciatively. "Thank you."

Jean poured herself a cup as well but she did not touch it. She looked up at Emma, her gaze surprisingly intense. "I don't know you real well, Emma, but you seem like a nice girl who once had a respectable father who died too early." She raised her hand to stop Emma from interrupting her. "I did not know your father well, but it was a long time ago and we spoke occasionally. But we are getting off track. I am going to advise you, Emma, to ditch your captain and his efforts to find this treasure. You're right when you said it's shady business. You'll be double crossed and it's not worth your time."

Emma cocked an eyebrow but did not say anything. She was intrigued that this lady knew her father, but she did not press the issue. She was curious as to why Jean wanted her to leave the Pearl.

"I would suggest that you leave here – I've heard the alert that there are pirates in the port – and settle down in another port. Become a barmaid or something, but ditch the treasure."

Emma pursed her lips. "Well thanks for the advice but I'm here for you, not me, last time I remembered." She said dryly.

Jean didn't look offended, she just shrugged. "I'm just warning you."

"I feel we are getting off track once more." Emma asserted. "Your husband, Peter, gave me the key and I said I would come see you, tell you how he is and if I could help. I made the promise on a whim, but I'm keeping true to my word. That's why I'm here."

"He gave you the key because he wanted to be rid of it." She explained, finally taking a drink of her tea.

Emma cocked her head to the side. "Why would he want to be rid of it? He could've just thrown it into the ocean if he wanted to get rid of it so much. Or sold it. There are numerous pirates I'm sure that would pay a pretty penny for it."

Jean cracked a small smile. "I already told you Emma; that treasure is more trouble than it's worth. The key only brings up painful memories for Peter." She held her hand up again before Emma could interrupt with her incessant questions. "He couldn't exactly throw the key away in jail, now could he? There would be questions."

Emma was silent as she took in this new information. Coming here had given her a lot more to think about than she though it would've. "He was a pirate." She stated suddenly.

Jean's eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. "My husband was not a pirate!" She defended vehemently.

Emma crossed her arms. "Oh really? Why wouldn't he have thrown the key away before he was caught stealing, then? He wasn't thieving; the navy caught him when he was searching for the treasure himself. He gave the key to me so that they wouldn't find it on him. He was worried about his own neck." This realization came to Emma suddenly and she narrowed her eyes. "It seems that she I've left my ship and stayed behind for a bunch of frauds." There was a sour and bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted to just get up and storm out the door, but she knew better. She had nowhere to go and it would be three days, if Jack kept his word, before he returned for her.

Just then the door opened and the same little face peeped out again. "Momma, is it almost time for dinner? I'm hungry."

Jean turned towards her daughter and plastered a smile on her face. "Soon, honey." This satisfied the girl and she shut the door again.

Emma softened and sighed inwardly. She may not like the parents of this family, but she could stay and help the girl at least. Jean turned back towards her and pushed her cup of tea away from herself.

"Alright. My husband was a pirate." Jean suddenly looked much older. "He left me and Ellie. He must've sent you as an apology for leaving us with no other income. I think…" she trailed off and her shoulders sagged. "I think he thought he would really find the treasure and we wouldn't have all these financial worries anymore."

"Yeah, that worked out real well." Emma said, a bit insensitively. Jean looked down and away. Emma leaned forward. "I'm going to be real honest with you, like I have been this entire time, even though you haven't been completely honest with me. I don't particularly like your husband Peter. He sounds like a selfish git who is only worried about his own neck, but I feel horrid for your daughter. I left my crew and friends behind to help you out, so I aim on doing just that."

Emma placed her hand on Jean's. "We've all had our hard times. So I'm going to make a proposition. You're going to tell me about my father and what you know about this treasure. And you will be completely honest with me. No more lies. I figured it out this time, and I'll figure it out next time. In return, I will help you and your daughter. I make no promises for your husband."

There was a flicker of something in Jean's eyes. Was that hope?

"Do we have a deal?" Emma asked, sticking her hand out for Jean to shake.

"Deal."

Thank you all for reading! I'd love it if you would tell me what you thought of the chapter in a review. Reviews make my day. :)

-Becca