Jack & 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.

Author's Note:

It's been forever in updating any of my stories… I know… I apologize greatly… but that's life with school and work. Anyhow, I hope you all will enjoy this… a bit of a "Lion King" theme runs within it, you'll find out. Well, let me know what you think of it!

Overboard

For Jack it was just another regular day sailing his beloved Black Pearl in the cerulean Caribbean waters. At his side stood his ten-year-old son with wide eyes of admiration, questioning him ever-so-often to gain better understanding of what it meant to be the captain of a ship. Jack's other son, seven-year-old John, was seated on a crate down on the main deck lost in a book. As for his two daughters, four-year-old Karin and one-year-old Pearl, they were below deck with their mother in galley. All was calm and quiet.

"Dad?"

"Aye, Jacky?" the pirate captain looked away from his wife to his eldest son.

"What's Uncle Gibbs yelling about?"

"What about Gibbs?" Jack furrowed his brows before following his son's pointed finger across to the opposite end of the ship. There, Joshamee Gibbs was struggling to hold onto a rope along with two other crewmen as they tried to lower a canon into place.

"Oi!" Jack shouted at the man, "What is it, Mr. Gibbs?"

"Hurry, captain!" Gibbs shouted, "We need your help to set this a-right!"

With a curt nod of understanding, Jack waved for Mr. Cotton to take the wheel. However, just as he made his way toward the stairs, the ship jolted in an unexpected way causing Gibbs, Raghetti, and Pintel to momentary lose their grip on the rope. Jack caught sight of this, and not wanting a good canon lost to the sea, he spontaneously jumped up to grab a dangling line from the main mast thus swinging himself swiftly over the ship to help his men.

"No!" Jack growled as he barely landed in time to help stop the canon from falling overboard.

It took several long minutes, but the four men eventually heaved the canon into its rightful place.

"That was close, Jack," Gibbs exhaled as he leaned against the railing.

"Aye," Jack breathed in agreement before adding as he pointed to the three pirates before him, "Don't let it happen again."

"Aye-aye, captain," Pintel sheepishly saluted.

"Aye, captain," Raghetti echoed softly.

Somewhat satisfied, Jack turned away and began in the direction of the helm, but only to be stopped in his tracks as his wife emerged from below.

"Alright, everyone," Katrina announced with Pearl on her hip and Karina at her side, "lunch is ready. So whenever you feel a break is needed, just go help yourselves."

At once Pintel and Raghetti scurried below deck.

"And what about you, corazon?" Katrina approached her husband as Karina jumped into his arms.

"I could most definitely use a break, love," Jack grinned.

"Me, too!" little Karina piped up.

Katrina shook her head with a laugh. "Well, you've managed to gather one child. If you can gather the boys I'll meet you all in the cabin with the sandwiches and fruit."

"Fair enough, darlin'," Jack chuckled as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "We'll see you in a bit."

Still carrying Karina with one arm, Jack walked up to where John was reading his book.

"Johnny, m'lad," Jack said as he ruffled the boys' black hair, "your mum has our lunch ready and-"

"She does?" Johnny asked excitedly as he shut his book.

"Aye. So go on int' the cabin."

Little John gave a nod and eagerly jumped down from the crate.

"Oi, Jacky!" Jack next called out to his eldest son still up by the wheel of the helm. "Time for lunch, m'boy!"

"Comin', Dad!" Jacky called back.

"Did you get everyone?" Katrina's voice came from behind Jack.

"O' course, love," Jack turned around. "Just waitin' on Jacky t' get down 'ere from the helm."

Katrina smiled in understanding.

"Is that our lunch, Mamá?" Johnny came out of the open doors of their cabin.

"Yes, cariño. Can you take the tray in there for me?"

"Sure, Mamá."

"Why don't ye go help your brother, my little love," Jack said to Karina as he gently placed the four-year-old onto the deck.

"Mmm… k."

As Johnny carefully took the small wooden tray covered in sandwiches and cut fruit, his sister following him to the cabin, Katrina looked up to the helm to see what was taking Jacky so long. To her horror, she caught sight of her boy just as he jumped off the top of the stairs swinging on a rope.

"Jacky, no!" Katrina cried out, causing Jack to turn back around just in time to see his son swinging out over the side of the ship. However, seconds later, Jacky lost his grip on the rope and fell into the ocean.

Fear immediately engulfed the pirate captain.

"Drop anchor!" he ordered at the top of his lungs. In no time at all, as Marty dropped the anchor, Jack shed his coat, hat, and effects and threw them to the side. He then grabbed a rope-line from Mr. Gibbs and dove expertly into the blue.

Katrina watched from the railing with Pearl tightly held in her arms. Her heart was beating rapidly as she watched Jack swim to their son.

"Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord," she panted in prayer.

"Don't worry, ," Gibbs tried to calm her as they watched Jack reach the boy and begin tying the rope around him. "Jack's got 'im."

Katrina bit her lip and nodded her head vigorously, tears filling up her eyes.

After many slow-passing minutes of watching her husband bring their son back to the Pearl, the two were hoisted back up onto the deck. The two fell upon the deck completely soaked. Jack was lying on his back still holding onto his son.

"Oh, thank God!" Katrina cried before collapsing onto the deck where they were. She then, with her free arm, brought Jacky to her and held him tightly, kissing the wet, dark-brown hair of his head over and over again.

Having caught his breath, Jack sat up and looked at his son. "Now tell me, boy," he began seriously, "what in the world were ye tryin' t' do? What made ye think that swingin' on a rope like that was a good idea?"

By this time, Katrina had stopped kissing her son's head and instead looked at him expecting an answer.

"I don't know," Jacky said as he looked down at his hands in his lap.

Jack snorted. "I highly doubt that, lad. What possessed ye t' pull a stunt like that? Hmm?"

"I was just tryin' t' be like you," Jacky replied quietly.

"Like me?" Jack snapped.

"Aye… like how you swung over to help Uncle Gibbs with the canon."

Jack put a hand to his face in disbelief before starting again. "Jacky, that was a different situation. I had t' act fast so that we wouldn't lose that canon."

"But it looked so easy to do… and fun... and very… piratey…"

"Those aren't good reasons for what ye did, Jacky."

Jacky closed his eyes, a tear escaping down his cheek. "I'm sorry, Dad. I just thought… I just thought doing something like that… like swinging over the ship… well, you have to be brave to do that, don't you?"

Jack's brows came together. "What ye tryin' t' say, Jacky?"

"I just wanted to be brave like you," Jacky choked on a sob. "You're always doing brave things, Dad… and I… I just want… wanted… to be brave… like you."

"Jacky," Jack sighed, "bravery will come as you get older, lad. And it's somethin' that you'll constantly be growin' in."

Jacky shook his head as he lifted his teary eyes to his father. "How can you still be growing in being brave, Dad? You're brave about everything all the time."

"That's not true, m'boy. I'm only brave when I 'ave t' be brave."

Jacky tilted his head, not sure of what to think.

"Honestly, Jacky. In fact, just now… when ye fell into the sea… I was scared t' death."

"You? Scared to death?"

"Aye."

"But you rescued me."

"Well, o' course, Jacky… I love you, you're m'boy."

"But that means that you're brave."

"I was only brave because I was scared to death 'bout ye, lad. I didn't jump in after ye t' show off t' other people… I did it 'cause I wanted t' save ye from drownin'."

Jacky's eyes dropped to his lap again. "Oh."

Jack shook his head to himself for a moment before looking at Katrina.

"So, now," Katrina began as she kissed her son on the head again, her arm holding him tight, "do you understand, Jacky?"

"Uh-huh," Jacky sniffled. "I'm sorry, Dad. I really am very sorry."

"I know, lad," Jack said as he pulled the boy away from his mother so that he could embrace him. "You're a good boy, Jacky. Just be careful not t' let that happen again. Savvy?"

"Aye."

"Now" Jack changed the subject as he and his son stood up, why don't ye go on t' the cabin… Johnny and Karina are waitin' for us to eat lunch."

Jacky gave a quiet nod before leaving to enter into the cabin.

"Oh, Jack!" Katrina nearly fell apart into her husband's arms as he helped her up, the moment Jacky was out of ear-shot.

"It's alright, love," Jack tried to reassure her. "It's all over."

Even with baby Pearl squished between their bodies, Katrina managed to cry onto his shoulder.

"Shhh, love," Jack said gently as he rubbed her back. "I know it was a big scare, but it's all over now, darlin'."

Slowly Katrina lifted her head and Jack helped wipe away her tears.

"Let's go on to lunch, mi vida," Jack said before giving his wife a sweet kiss.

Katrina gave a weak smile as she took up his arm to be lead to their cabin.

"Weigh anchor!" Jack shouted out across the deck. "Resume course!"