Embracing Katrina – Version II

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: Changes happen in this chapter… please read and review! Thank you!

Chapter 36

Rock the Ship

With the shocking loss of Elizabeth's father, and the frantic worry Katrina had for her own father, Jack found his mind reeling in thought that night. What kind of father would he be?

As he wrapped his arm tighter around his wife, he couldn't help but allow his eyes to fall down onto the swollen belly that pressed against his bare skin. Would his child think of him as a good father?

Jack's mind then began to recall memories of his past, memories of his youth, memories of the times he had spent with his own father. Yes, his father was a good man, but surely he could have been better.

Both good and bad memories came to the forefront of the pirate's mind. He immediately began taking note of what to do more of and what never ever to do. He may have loved his father, but Jack was now struck with a determination of being the best father he could.

Aside his father, Jack had learned many things from Katrina's father from when he had lived with them in Port Royal years ago. After all… what if they had a daughter?

Fear suddenly came over Jack at that thought. Though they had always referred to the baby with no gender, Jack had to admit he automatically leaned on the idea that it would be a boy, for Jack knew exactly what to do with a boy. But what would he do with a girl?

He certainly couldn't have her aboard the ship, it would be far too dangerous. Not to mention he didn't need to catch his crew and other men ogling their eyes all over her when she got older – especially if she took after her mother. And then marriage?

Jack scrunched up his face at this. There would be no way he would fall into the trap of forcing his daughter to marry someone she did not have a heart for. He could easily thank Governor Swann and Judge Banks for those lessons. But could he trust his daughter's judgment in a man? Could she –

A sudden movement from near his stomach cut off his thoughts. Katrina quietly stirred, her head in the crook of his neck.

Jack looked over at his wife in her blue silk nightgown, the only one that still somewhat fit her. She was a beautiful sight to behold… the soft, pale skin… the very dark, long, curly hair… the calm rise and fall of her –

There it was again: the sudden movement against his bare stomach. And then again, a split second later, Katrina stirred a bit closer to him in her sleep.

Looking down across his body once again, all that Jack noticed was Katrina's body pressed against his. As he stared for a good moment or so, he saw his wife's belly suddenly move – and he felt it against his flesh.

As Katrina stirred again her sleep, Jack carefully removed himself from his wife and scooted himself down the bed until he was facing her swollen belly. The moment he placed his hand gently on the blue silk, he felt a pushing against it.

"Bit of a spirited one, aren't ye?" Jack whispered to where his hand lay. "But I s'pose ye can't help that with parents like us."

Another soft bulge hit his palm.

"Don't worry, li'l one," Jack whispered. "Your father's here… and here t' stay… I won't abandon you… ever."

Katrina stirred a bit and released a small moan before another movement came from her belly.

Jack couldn't help but to grin before whispering solemnly, "Child o' a pirate you are." However, as his own words sunk deeper into his mind, Jack found himself beginning to worry about the future. "I hope you'll confront me if I e'er start becomin' a bad father," he told his unborn child. "Make sure I don't leave you and your mum for too long whenever we can't be together on the Pearl… Tell me if I do somethin' that hurts you or your mum… or anything else stupid… Help me t' be a fun father… Please don't e'er be afraid t' come talk t' me 'bout anything."

As if in response to Jack's quiet conversation, Katrina's belly moved about greater than it had in that night's previous occurrences. Katrina stirred for several long minutes, a hand placed at a different location on her belly and another moan escaping her lips.

"I'll take that as an agreement," Jack whispered with a satisfied nod.

Before he could utter another quiet question to the unborn babe, Katrina began stirring again, a hand searching about the empty space next to her.

"Jack?" Katrina breathed sleepily, her eyes still closed. "Jack?"

"Best go take care o' your mum," Jack whispered to Katrina's belly as it gave a slight movement. "And I suggest you get some sleep so your dear mum can sleep, too."

Jack then moved back to his original laying position alongside his wife. Although one hand had rewrapped itself around her, the other remained on her belly. In time, the pirate captain finally fell asleep with endless ideas of how to be the best father for his child.

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"No water," Pintel moaned as he sat back to back with Gibbs on a barrel the following afternoon. "Why is all but the rum gone?"

Gibbs shook his head as he overturned his rum flask. "Rum's gone, too."

"If we cannot escape these doldrums before nightfall," Tia Dalma spoke up among the thirsty pirates. "I fear that we will sail on trackless seas, under starless skies, doomed to roam the reach between worlds… forever."

"With no water," Gibbs sighed unhappily, "forever looks to be arriving a mite soon."

As the pirates continued to wallow in the gloom of no water, Jack continued to study Sao Feng's charts that lay out on a table on the main deck.

Will soon came and tried rereading the mysterious phrase over Jack's shoulder, but quickly lost interest yet again. Then looking up at Barbossa, who seemed to be in an unusually cheerful mood, Will grumbled to himself, "Why doesn't he do something?"

The blacksmith then made his way back over to Jack who was now accompanied by Gibbs. After reading the phrase once again, Will shook his head.

"There's no sense to it," Gibbs agreed with Will's reaction. "Sunrises don't set."

"And the green flash happens at sunset, not sunrise," Will added.

"Over the edge," Gibbs mocked the phrase upon the chart. "Drivin' me bloody well over the edge."

As Gibbs and Will left Jack to himself once again, the pirate captain turned a few of the circular charts until another phrase appeared.

"Up is down," Jack read the phrase aloud. "That's maddeningly unhelpful. Why are these things never clear?"

As Jack's mind busily tried to understand what was meant by the phrase, his eye caught a rendering of a ship at the center of the chart. Jack took a closer look at the drawing and then turned the small wheel around until the ship was upside down. Suddenly the understanding of both phrases dawned on Jack.

"Not sun-set," Jack stood up at once. "Sun-down. And rise… up!"

Without a second to lose, Jack ran into his cabin where Katrina sat at the window reading a book.

"I've figured it out, love!" Jack cried urgently when he appeared at her side, taking the book out of her hands. "Come with me. I need ye t' help me."

"Help you do what, Jack?" Katrina asked as she was pulled up from the window-seat and escorted out onto the deck.

"We need to flip the ship over," Jack turned to her as they stopped at the table covered with Sao Feng's charts.

"What?" Katrina asked, incredulous.

"Look," Jack said pointing at the two phrases and the drawing of a ship.

Katrina read through the phrases a couple of times while eyeing the drawing of an overturned ship.

"That's the only way we can get back to the real world, darlin'," Jack explained.

Not liking the idea of what was needed to be done, but still very much in agreement upon doing so in order to return, Katrina looked back up at Jack ready to do whatever he said.

"Do ye trust me, love?" Jack quickly asked.

"Yes, of course, Jack," Katrina nodded.

"Then follow my lead."

Jack took off running, his hand pointing somewhere off the port side of the ship.

"Over there!" Sparrow shouted, causing everyone to follow him onto that side of the ship. "What's that? I don't know! What do you think?"

"Where?" Gibbs asked, feeling lost that he couldn't see what Jack could see.

"No, Jack!" Katrina suddenly cried from where she stood next to him, her finger pointing to the opposite horizon. "Over there! Something moved over there!"

"It did?" Jack asked as he sprinted to the starboard side of the ship, the others running after them.

"Nope, not 'ere," Jack said by the time everyone had a spot at the railing before turning back around. "Oh, but look, Katrina! I think it's back over 'ere!

Jack, helping his wife to keep up with him, then ran back to the other side of the ship.

"I don't see nothin'," Pintel whined as he jogged back over to see what Jack and Katrina were pointing at.

By the time Jack and Katrina ran back to the starboard side of the ship, Elizabeth, who had been lost in her own thoughts near the steps of the helm, seemed to have finally noticed their odd behavior and joined the other crewmembers.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked as she reached the railing next to Jack.

"It's not 'ere!" Jack answered before taking Katrina's hand and helping her run back to the other side of the ship.

As Barbossa watched Jack and Katrina run like mad back and forth, the pirates following after them, curiosity got a hold of him. And so, he approached the charts at the table in search of comprehending what would cause Jack and Katrina to act in such a way.

"He's rockin' the ship," Pintel spoke again as he stopped and took notice of the Pearl rocking to a bit of an extreme one way and then back the other way.

"We're rockin' the ship!" Gibbs corrected as he ran with the group past the pirate.

Barbossa, having gathered perfect understanding of Jack and Katrina's crazy game, began shouting, "Aye, he's on to it! All hands together! Time it with the swell!"

Barbossa then ran to the opening of where the stairs led to the lower levels and yelled to those below, "Loose the cannon! Unstow the cargo! Let it shift!"

Pintel walked over and took a look at the charts as Barbossa called his orders, those on deck still running back and forth.

"He's rockin' the ship!" Pintel cried out again, as he looked up from the charts at Jack with understanding.

Before Pintel could say another word, Ragetti appeared at his side with a bundle of rope, apparently he had also read the charts.

"We tie each other to the mast," Ragetti explained the reason for the rope, "upside down, so we'll be right side up when the boat flips!"

Pintel looked at Ragetti for a moment unable to follow his friend's thought process. However, also not having a reason come to mind to counteract the idea, Pintel easily gave in, leading the way to the mast.

After a few more runs across the deck, Barbossa and freed cargo below having now joined the momentum, the Pearl began to tilt dangerously ever-so-nearly at a vertical angle one way before swinging back and doing the same in the other way.

As the crew did their best in keeping up with the dangerous swaying of the ship as they ran back and forth, Jack took extra precaution of Katrina; helping her reach the railing with everyone else.

Finally, after all the hard work, the Pearl rocked to such an extreme that it's motion didn't stop at the vertical but carried through until those aboard the ship were seeing nothing but water. Jack held Katrina up against the Pearl's rail as she clung to him for dear life, water rushing towards them ready to swallow them up. And then, within seconds, what was once floating above the water was submerged below it.