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: ooooooo is this a long chapter??? I dare say it is! Read on! And be sure to review!!! Please!!!

Chapter 29

A Step Closer

"This is the thief," Sao Feng addressed Barbossa and Elizabeth, "Is his face familiar to you?"

Barbossa and Elizabeth gave no sign of recognizing Will.

"No?" Feng asked as he stepped to Will, bringing a blade to his face, "Then I guess he has no further need for it."

Just as Feng was about to hurt Will, Elizabeth couldn't help but to cry out.

Sao Feng whirled to look back at Barbossa and Elizabeth, anger shown on his face.

"You come into my city," Feng snarled, "You seek my indulgence and largesse, and you betray my hospitality? You betray me?"

"Sao Feng," Barbossa tried to explain, "I assure you, I had no idea-"

"That he would get caught," Sao Feng finished for him.

Slowly walking to the two in the middle, Sao Feng stopped in front of Barbossa, "You intend to attempt a voyage to Davy Jones' Locker. And I cannot help but wonder… why?"

Barbossa took a deep breath, hesitating on the thought of coming clean with this pirate lord.

"A piece of eight," Barbossa mumbled his answer.

Sao Feng eyed the pirate, "It's true, then?"

"Aye," Barbossa replied, "The time is upon us. The Brethren Court has been called."

Hearing this, Sao Feng backed up a few steps and called to his maids, "More steam!"

Down below the floorboards, Gibbs and the other crewmembers of the Pearl who had taken over the area of creating the steam, quickly obeyed.

"The Court has not met in my lifetime," Sao Feng began once satisfied with the steam.

"Nor in mine," Barbossa mentioned.

"And when last it did," Feng said thoughtfully, "my father told me it ended… badly."

"But the time before that," Barbossa pointed out, "it produced the Code, which has served us well… and it was the very first meeting that gave us no less than rule o' the sea herself, didn't it?"

With no word coming from Sao Feng, Barbossa added more seriously, "And now that rule is being challenged."

"The East India Trading Company," Sao Feng spat, knowing what Barbossa what talking about.

"Lord Cutler Beckett is a pox on us all," Barbossa agreed.

"There is a price on all our heads, it is true," Sao Feng nodded, "It seems the only way a pirate can turn a profit anymore… is by betraying other pirates. But pirates are either captain or crew, and nine squabbling captains trying to chart a course is eight captains too many."

Sao Feng paused, shaking his head, before continuing on as he began to slowly pace about in front of Barbossa and Elizabeth, "Against the Company, what value is the Brethren Court? What can any of us do?"

Elizabeth, who had been doing her best to keep her tongue still found she could no longer do so, "You can fight."

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Elizabeth in surprise for having spoken up to Feng.

"You are Sao Feng, the Pirate Lord," Elizabeth said as she took a step towards the pirate, "You command in the Age of Piracy, where bold captains sail free waters, where waves are not measured in feet but increments of fear, and those who pass the test become legend. Would you have that era come to an end on your watch?"

Sao Feng didn't express any reaction to what Elizabeth said. And so, Elizabeth took a bold move.

"But here you are," Elizabeth gestured, "Your ships crowd the harbor, rotting on their lines, while you cower in your bathwater!"

Sao Feng raised his head as he eyed Elizabeth silently.

"Elizabeth Swann," the pirate finally spoke, "there is more to you than meets the eye, isn't there? And the eye does not go wanting."

Elizabeth made no comment as Feng turned to Barbossa, "But I can't help but notice you have failed to answer my question. What is it you seek in Davy Jones' Locker?"

"Jack Sparrow," Will answered from the far side of the room, "He's one of the Pirate Lords."

Recognizing the name, the two maids escaped a few giggles. However, the giggles quickly ceased as Sao Feng gave each of them a harsh glare.

Then turning back to Barbossa, Sao Feng said bitterly, "The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow returned from the realm of the dead is so I can send him back myself."

Looking at Will from the corner of his eye, Barbossa remarked through clenched teeth, "Exactly why we preferred his name go unmentioned."

"So you admit you have deceived me," Feng narrowed his eyes on Barbossa.

"Jack Sparrow holds one of the nine Pieces of Eight!" Barbossa declared to Feng strongly, "He failed to pass it along to a successor before he died. And so we must go and fetch him back!"

"Weapons!" Sao Feng shouted at his surrounding men.

Immediately the surrounding pirates pulled out their swords and other forms of weaponry.

Barbossa held up his hands, "I assure you, our intentions are strictly honorable-"

To Barbossa's disappointment, the pirates of the Pearl below the floorboards, in an attempt to help him and Elizabeth, shot up four swords, two for each, at that very moment.

Barbossa smiled sheepishly at Feng, now that he held a sword in each hand after stating that their intentions were honorable.

With a strong desire to make Barbossa weak, Feng looked to his side and took up a man whom he realized earlier was not one of his own. Taking his sword, he brought around to the front of the man's neck.

"Drop your weapons, or I kill your man!" Sao Feng yelled to Barbossa.

Barbossa looked at the man in hostage with confusion, "Kill him. He's not our man."

Sao Feng kept his eye on Barbossa, but realizing that the pirate was telling the truth…

"If he's not with you," Will spoke up Feng's thoughts, "and not us… who is he with?"

As if to answer Will's question, agents of the East India Trading Company barged into the room.

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"Tia Dalma," Katrina whispered in the quiet, "Don't you think they're taking a bit too long?

The gypsy, who was aligning and tying down firecrackers onto different part of the cart, turned to Katrina, "Yes, somet'ing 'as 'appened. But Barbossa will know what to do and all will be well."

Katrina tried to smile in understanding, but seeing group after group of men from the East India Trading Company walking about made her feel uneasy.

Suddenly loud shouts and a large crowd of people running from the far right in their direction took Katrina's attention.

"What's happened?" Katrina called out to Tia Dalma.

Tia Dalma looked up from the last rocket she was tying down and saw some agents of the Company chasing and fighting off the large group of pirates.

"Time to hide, child," the gypsy said as she took Katrina's hand and led her far from the cart, "I need to light de firecrackers."

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Among the commotion of the fighting and run to escape, Sao Feng came across the set-free Will Turner in the entrance of a dark alley way.

Taking up a dagger, Feng pressed the tip of it to the blacksmith's neck, "Odd coincidence, isn't it? The East India Trading Company finds me the day you show up in Singapore."

Will looked directly into Feng's eyes, "It is coincidence only."

Sao Feng slowly released Will of his dagger.

"You want to cut a deal with Beckett? You need what I offer."

"You crossed Barbossa," Feng looked at Will suspiciously, "You're willing to cross Jack Sparrow – why should I expect any better?"

"They are in the way of what I want," Will explained, "You're helping me get it."

Sao Feng nodded before giving a warning, "You betray me and I will slit your throat."

"Then we have an understanding."

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"I'm glad that explosion held them off," Katrina said once she had caught her breath from running with Tia Dalma to the docks, "But where is everyone else?"

Before the gypsy could answer, Will appeared with an item rolled up in his hand.

"Katrina!" Will called out as he slowed his run, "Are you alright?"

Katrina, though mixed with bit of anger she still had towards Will, gave in to fleeing into his open arms.

"Yes," Katrina breathed into his shoulder, "Where have you been? What happened to you? And where are the others?"

"Right 'ere, Mrs. Sparrow," Gibbs hollered as he and the other pirates appeared, "Think that could've gone better."

Katrina pulled out of Will's embrace to give Gibbs a hug, "I'm so glad to see you!"

As Katrina then let go of Gibbs, Elizabeth and Barbossa finally came before them all.

"You 'ave the charts!" Barbossa cried out happily in surprise to see Will holding the item they came for.

"And better," Will smirked as he gestured with his head to Tai Huang and his men behind Barbossa, "A ship and a crew."

"Where's Sao Feng?" Elizabeth questioned Will.

"He will cover our escape, then meet us at Shipwreck Cove," Will replied.

"This way," Huang spoke up strongly to the group to lead them to his ship, "Be quick."

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"You weren't supposed to get caught," Barbossa growled at Will as the ship Hai Peng departed from the harbor.

"It worked out the way I wanted," Will said simply.

Barbossa shook his head at the blacksmith and then made his way up to the helm.

"Katrina?" Will asked as he approached rail that she leaned against.

"Yes?" she replied not looking away the view before them.

Taking a deep breath, Will took one Katrina's hands in his, "Will you please forgive me? I didn't mean anything by… I don't know where it came from. It just somehow-"

Katrina held up her free hand to stop Will from talking any further.

"I forgive you, Will," Katrina sighed as she slowly turned to look him in the eye, "Just don't let it ever happen again… ever."

Will nodded solemnly as Katrina pulled her hand out of his, "So… how are you doing?"

Katrina couldn't help it as a small confident smile formed on her lips, "Better. Much better, thank you."

Will gave her a puzzled look.

Katrina, still smiling, shook her head at him before looking out at the sea, "I'm finally one step closer to my Jack."