With Katrina

(Sequel 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!

Chapter 25

Follow Your Heart

"Jack?" Katrina looked from the longboat to her husband. "What are we doing? You're not abandoning the Pearl are you?"

"No, of course not, love," Jack replied affectionately as he helped her aboard the little boat. "Just trust me."

Katrina gave Jack a doubtful look as he climbed in and began to lower the longboat into the water.

"Jack, what is going on? I thought you had this all figured out and all taken cared of because you had Jones' heart."

Jack didn't answer as he freed the longboat from the Pearl and began rowing hurriedly toward the island, trying very hard to ignore the sight of a tentacle arm gliding through the waters toward them.

"Jack!" Katrina snapped him into attention as he continued to row. "What is going on?"

Jack didn't reply immediately as the boat unexpectedly rocked severely one way and then back the other way. Apparently there were now two tentacle arms tugging at the longboat.

The pirate captain swiftly brought about his sword, cutting into each arm until they finally were injured enough that they surrendered back into the sea. Jack then took up the oars and continued in a rushed manner toward Isle Cruces.

"Nothin', darlin'," Jack gave a small smile as they continued their voyage as if nothing had happened. "Just a small mishap that needs t' be mended quickly. No worries. We'll be back on the Pearl before ye know it, savvy?"

"Jack?" Katrina pressed slowly, having finally caught her breath from the small attack by the sea monster. "Do you or do you not have Jones' heart?"

"Literally or figuratively?" Jack tried sub-siding the question by repeating Ragetti's question to Tia Dalma.

"Jack Sparrow!" Katrina folded her arms angrily.

"That's 'Captain' Jack Sparrow, love," Jack sweetly pointed out, still rowing as fast and as hard as he could. He could easily see past Katrina at all the Kraken's tentacles crawling up the sides of his ship a good distance away. At least the ones that had tried going after them were now out of reach.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I don't have it," Jack sighed. "Because technically I couldn't find it."

"What?"

"I don't know, love. I put it in the jar o' dirt, but ye saw the mess when the jar fell… there weren't any heart there."

"What do you mean that you couldn't find Jones' heart?" Katrina cried out as she stood up in the boat.

"I told ye, I don't know," Jack answered exasperated.

"But Jack, how can you do this? How can you simply leave your ship and crew behind?"

"But, darlin', I need that heart!" Jack defended.

"Jack look at the Pearl! Look at what is happening to her!" Katrina exclaimed as she gestured to the ship behind her, the tentacles of the Kraken destroying the ship bit by bit. "The Black Pearl needs her captain far more than you are in need of the heart of Davy Jones right now!"

"But, Katrina, ye don't understand," Jack complained as he turned to look at the island just behind him. "That heart is me freedom… me immortality."

"Immortality?"

Jack didn't answer.

"Jack!" Katrina called to her husband, bringing his attention back to her. "There are people on board that ship that are dying because they're defending your ship! All of those people on the Pearl are innocent of your debt with Jones and yet they are the ones fighting and suffering!"

"I know what you're trying to do, Katrina," Jack huffed in frustration trying to stay calm, "but it's not going to work. I'm a pirate, remember?"

Katrina shook her head in disagreement.

"Jack Sparrow," she said softly as she gently placed her right hand at the side of his face. "My Jack Sparrow. You're a good man. You have a good heart. Follow it."

Jack narrowed his eyes curiously on his wife, not quite understanding what she was getting at. Katrina rolled her eyes in reaction to him being clueless and instead took Jack's compass from his belt and placed it in his hand.

"You obviously don't know what you want most," Katrina commented once she let go of the compass.

"But the heart of Jones, Katrina," Jack whined again, torn between fulfilling his spontaneous pursuit after it or obeying his wife to look at the compass.

"Jack," Katrina sighed as she finally sat down again. "The only thing you need to know and follow is your own heart… the heart of Jack Sparrow."

Jack still looked unsure. After all, he had already rowed the longboat out this far, why not go ahead and continue on? The heart may very well be resting on the sand; being washed by the waves of the sea.

"Come, corazon," Katrina brought the pirate captain out of his thoughts. "Tell me what the compass points to. I vow to go with you whichever direction it points to."