DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything POTC related except my own characters

NOTE: Thank you to all of those who reviewed I really appreciate it in so many ways. I'm sorry for taking so long to update. The last month of summer had been really hectic and I just got down with a week of band camp and classes start tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I know that's always been drama drama drama lately but please bare with me. PLEASER REVIEW!

NOTE2: There will be about 2 to 3 more chapters depending and I have ideas for another sequel that I'm trying to develop.

CHAPTER 20

Father and Daughter

Katie and James stood out on the deck of the Dauntless and occasionally looked towards the captain's cabin where Hope, Commodore Norrington, Captain Gillette, and Jack were. James put a comforting hand on Katie's shoulder.

"I'm sure your father will be fine."

"I hope you're right, James. I can't help but worry, and not because he's my father but because he's been hurt some many times in the past and he's getting older. He's not as strong as he used to be."

"I think he would contest that opinion."

"Yes, he would. He takes so many risks."

"I hardly think he expected to be kidnapped."

"I know that, James. What he should have done was stayed in Port Royal and given up his delusions of grandeur!" Katie shouted at James. She realized her mistake and lowered her head sadly, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you." James wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't concern yourself with that. I don't blame you for feeling like you do."

"It's just, I don't want to lose him. I want my parents to stay in Port Royal, they've missed six years of my life, the years when things started happening for me. I don't want to rely on rumors or messengers with word on if they're still okay and if they are anywhere near Port Royal."

"They might not have a choice now that the Black Pearl has been destroyed." Katie walked away.

"That won't stop him. He'll find some other ship. He's obsessed."

"Katie, you mustn't say that. Your father has lived his entire life on the water. It's hard for some to change the only thing they know."

"What about my mother? She goes along with everything he says and does. She wouldn't have a problem staying in Port Royal."

"She probably wouldn't, but you have to realize. Your mother has spent half her life on land and the other half on the water. She knows them both, you're father doesn't, not as much as you want him too."

"If he wasn't so stubborn, then maybe he would listen…"

"But he is. He is stubborn, you know this already. You can't change someone in one night. I'm sure it took your mother awhile to get used to living on a ship."

"Maybe if my mother talked to him, explained to him…."

"What? He would give up everything that has to do with living the life of a pirate. I'm sorry Katie, but that's what he is. Even if he wanted to stay in Port Royal he would still be treated as a pirate. That town is filled with people who despise pirates. They would find some way to have him hanged. If he gave any of them just a look they would have him arrested."

"There must be something that…"

"There is nothing that any of us can do. This is his decision." Katie closed her eyes as James embraced her.

"Is he going to be all right?" Hope asked the ship's doctor.

"Of course I'll be alright," Jack called from the other side of the room.

"I believe so. The bullet only hit the muscle and I managed to remove the bullet and all the clothing it took in. Hopefully, it won't suppurate, if that does, he's a lost cause," the doctor said lowering his voice. Hope looked away worried.

"Don't worry, Miss Sparrow, the chance of that happening is extremely low." Hope nodded.

"Thank you, doctor. Not many would have helped him. I'm grateful"

"Normally, I wouldn't. However, I believe you've proven that Captain Sparrow is not like other pirates." Hope smiled a little. "But, I'm afraid he won't be using that arm for quite some time."

"How long?"

"Well, if he doesn't ignore my instructions and infection doesn't set in, then, I would say a one month."

"He'll enjoy that."

"Do the best you can, miss."

"Thank you." As the doctor walked away Hope went back to Jack. "Sorry, darling. That arm is not to be used for one month."

"Yes, well. Once the good old doctor goes about his merry way I intend to continue my normal activities."

"Oh no, you don't. Not while I'm around. "

"Well, then I'll have to go some place where you're not."

"I would love to see try, Jack Sparrow. You would find yourself in trouble in less than I minute."

"I'm afraid you're gravely mistaken, love."

"Am I?" Hope said very stubbornly, "every time I've left you alone, you've always managed to get yourself into trouble."

"I do not."

"Prove me wrong." Jack started to say something but withdrew his comment as he realized she was right, "anything?"

"No." Hope smiled.

"Then it's settled. You are not to do anything with that arm until the doctor examines it again, savvy?"

"We're not going to be around that long."

"Jack, we have too."

"No, we don't," Jack said getting up and walking out. Hope looks back at Norrington and Gillette, before turning around and running after him.

"Jack! Where exactly do you plan on going?" Hope yelled coming out of the cabin.

"Anywhere and everywhere," Jack said as he walked up to the wheel. Katie quickly walked over to her mother.

"Jack, maybe you haven't noticed but we don't have a ship anymore, the Black Pearl was destroyed in Nassau."

"Yes, we do."

"Where?" Jack pointed over to the Dragon's Eye, which was anchored in the bay along side the Dauntless.

"You can't serious."

"By all rights that ship is mine."

"Yours?"

"Aye."

"How is it yours? I'm the one who defeated Captain Draco, and I'm the one who convinced you to give it to Anamaria. By all rights that ship belongs to her. You owe her that much." Jack didn't listen as he walked back down and onto shore, "Jack!" Hope started after him but Katie stopped her.

"What is father talking about?"

"Defying rules. He refuses to listen to the doctor about his arm and then he's going to take back the Eye from Anamaria."

"What? He can't!" Katie protested.

"I know," Hope said as she started down the plank, "stay here." Katie watched as her mother walked over to where her father was talking with Anamaria on the shore. The two of them were arguing when Hope approached. James, Will, Jacoby, Norrington, and Gillette walked over to the railing and watched the three.

"I've never seen my parents argue before," Katie said.

"It doesn't help matters that Jack is going back on an agreement," Will said, "it seems he'll never really change."

"How can you say that? My father has been through a lot over these past weeks," Katie defended.

"Katie, my father is right. He doesn't want to settle down on the land, like your mother does. He loves the sea, you know that. There are just some things that never change in a person, especially, a pirate." Katie looked at him aghast.

"I expected talk that like that from your father or any other adult, but not from you," Katie said turning to James, "whose side are you on?"

"Yours, Katie. I always have been. But look at them." Katie ignored him and ran over to the three, "Katie don't!"

"Don't bother, young mister Turner. Katie is her mother's daughter, with a bit of her father," Norrington said.

"No! You swore to me that you wouldn't come after my ship, Sparrow, and you're not getting it," Anamaria yelled.

"That ship is rightfully ours," Jack retorted.

"We had an agreement!"

"I'm breaking the agreement."

"Stop this! Jack! We have to accept the fact that our time on the sea is over. We're getting to old for this."

"No."

"Yes. We owe it to our children to stay for them. Do you want to put Katie through another series of whirlwind events like last time. I don't want to subjugate her to that. We owe it to her, Jack."

"Mother's right," Katie said running up to them. They turned to her, "I want you both to be there all the time. I don't want to have to worry about whether or not you'll be coming back safe. Don't you think I've gone through enough?" They were silent. "Think of Nathaniel. He still has a lot of growing up to do. It wouldn't be fair to him."

"Katie, it's not that easy. You have to under—," Jack said.

"I understand perfectly. I know it's not easy giving up what you love most. But, don't you love mother, myself, and Nathaniel more?" Jack was silent. "Breaking the agreement you had with Anamaria is not fair to her."

"I can't just give up, love. You're still too young to understand."

"Too young? Too young to understand why you never stayed for more than a night when you visited. Too young to understand, that the both of you might have been dead after Nassau was attacked," Katie said.

"Katie," Jack started.

"No. Not this time father. I don't want to lose you, not again. I couldn't bear it."

"Katie, I understand how you feel, but--,"
"No. You don't understand. If you did you would understand why I feel the way I do and why I don't want you to go. You don't understand anything and you never will unless you take the opportunity to see what's going on in my life, to see what I want, instead of focusing on your life and what you want," Katie said as she walked off. Jack's face softened. Hope sighed and turned to him.

"Are you happy?" Jack was still silent, "you don't have to make her feel like this, and she's right. We've been thinking more about ourselves than our children and what they want. Children might be considered uneducated to most adults, but, the words they speak are honest and true," Hope said calmly as she walked back up to the ship. Jack watched them leave before turning back to Anamaria.

"Take it."

"Take it? How do I know you won't try to steal it?"

"You have me word." Anamaria looked at him skeptically.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Anamaria raised her eyebrows at him. "Since I've met Hope?"

"Very well. Make sure you keep your word!" Anamaria said as she walked off. As Jack started around Darien ran up to him.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I figured I should see what my nephew has been doing all these years."

"I'm sure the whelp will enjoy that." The two of them walked back aboard the Dauntless as the anchor was weighed and both ships sailed off. A couple hours into the voyage Hope walked up to the main deck and saw Jack at the hull and waked over to him without saying a word. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He acknowledged her but didn't say anything.

"Jack, I hate seeing you like this." He was silent. "You know this was going to happen eventually."

"I'm not ready for that yet."

"We have no choice. Katie is right. We need to start thinking of our children and not ourselves."

"Even if I agreed to stay permanently, you do realize what kind of life that would be for us, especially me."

"Is that what this is all about? Whether or not the town will accept us with no confrontations? That will happen anyway. You know it will, but why not prove them wrong. No pirate that they know of has actually settled down on the land and raised a family."

"It's not just that."

"Then what?" Jack attempted to say something but lowered his head, "your pride?" He nodded. "Oh Jack. Since when do you care what other people think of you? That's not the Jack Sparrow I know."

"Maybe the Jack Sparrow you knew has flown off into the sunset." She went and stood in front of him taking his face in her hands.

"No he hasn't. He's standing right in front of me he just doesn't know it. Jack, no matter what happens you will always remain that handsome, rum loving, rogue pirate captain I fell in love with. Nothing will change that. I don't care what people say or think about us. All that matters is what we have right now. We have two wonderful children, and friends and family who care about us. As long as we're together, Jack Sparrow, why does it matter where?" Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You always have to be the voice of reason don't you?" Hope smiled.

"Someone has to be," Hope said as they kissed. "Now that we have resolved this issue there is a certain 16 year old girl below deck I think you need to go talk to."

"She deserves that much, right?" Hope nods before turning him and playfully pushing him away with her boot.

"No need for violence," Jack said as he went below deck. Hope shook her head and looked back towards the helm and saw Will, James, and Darien talking.

"He's growing up so quickly and he the spitting image of his mother. I can't wait for you to meet them," Will said as Hope walked past them and over to Jacoby.

Jack slowly walked down the companionway to the sleeping quarters deck.

"Not much different from pirate sleeping quarters, except this is more cleaner," he said to himself as he walked over to his daughter, who was laying on her hammock with her back turned to him. Just as he reached out to touch her she spoke.

"Why must you continue to sail. What harm is there in settling on the land?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, love." Katie abruptly rolled out of the hammock and went over to him.

"No, father. I don't. Explain it to me. You have no ship."

"I have ways of getting another one."

"You mean to have ways of stealing one." Jack looked away from her.

"Don't you understand anything yet?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're not a pirate anymore. I know you want to be, it's what you love. But, deep down I think you realized long ago, that you were no longer considered a pirate."

"There are many types of pirates, darling. You have the pirate privateers who are nothing but a group of sailor rats who act on orders of government to destroy or seize enemy ships. The buccaneers are true pirates, correct, but, they go and play around the West Indies. The corsairs are pirates who seek out people to sell into slavery or hold for ransom and they run around in round hats with feathers, and breeches that look like air shot up into them and stayed."

"I know. But how many pirates do you that have a wife and two children and clemency from a governor?"

"A couple."

"Name them."

"Uh. Will's father, Bootstrap."

"And look what happened to him. Father, you have a reputation throughout the waters. You've stirred up a bloody hornets nest everywhere you've gone. What happens if either Nathaniel, myself, or mother were ever captured, like you were, and killed?"

"Katie."

"Father, please. I want to be able to see you and mother everyday and not have to worry when you will return or if you would return. Most of all, I want to see my brother grow up in a life that does not include risking his neck. You only have clemency in Port Royal. What happens if you've captures somewhere else. They'll hang you and what is mother, myself, and Nathaniel supposed to do then?" Jack stared at his daughter in a stubborn manner. "I don't want to mother like see was when we were on our way to Ireland. Every waking moment she worried that it would be too late to save you. Please, father." Jack's face softened a little as he contemplated things. "Well?"

"I'll have to think about it more." Katie looked at him angrily.

"Think about it. That's all you ever do. Can't you see that staying on the land would benefit our whole family?" Katie yelled as she stormed up to the main deck.

"Katie, come back here!" Jack called after her, but she didn't respond. He immediately went back to deck to look for her. When he emerged from below he looked around and saw Katie crying into her mother's chest while Hope tried to comfort her. Hope looked up at his approach and gave him a gentle, but disapproving look. He sighed and walked down to the forward part of the ship. Hope watched him go in hopelessness as she continued to hold her sobbing daughter.

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