Kate's POV

We were finally heading home after such a long journey! Father would be safe and free, and at last, we would be together for always! I was overjoyed, but still hadn't been able to see it as reality yet. I don't think Dad did either. It felt as if we were both sharing a wonderful dream, knowing that if we woke up from it, it would all be over. But whatever happened from then on, at least we'd go through it together, good or bad!

I had expected Father to show more happiness at being free again. But even when he smiled, when he said he was happy, to me he rather sounded and looked so sad, as if trying to convince himself. He didn't bring up his past-except to talk about us as a family years ago-, or speak of the horrible things he'd seen or done while he was a slave. I had overheard him speaking to Will that even when they'd promoted him from a filthy slave to a guard of the slaves, that he'd felt just as trapped and demeaned as before they'd released him from his shackles. Other than that, he didn't offer any more details. I had two million questions to ask, but I had to bite my tongue not to badger him for answers, especially since he was quite ill.

Yes, for the first two days since his rescue, Dad did not rise from Jack's bed in the captain's quarters as he was incredibly miserable with an upset stomach. We tried nearly every available, meager tonic we could think of with the scant food supplies we had aboard, but nothing seemed to be helping. I tried to comfort Father and stay at his side, but he mostly just wanted to sleep when the queasiness got the best of him.

It was mid-morning of the third day since we'd fled Bermuda, and I was just emerging from Jack's cabin, trying to get some fresh air. The stench from Dad's motion sickness was giving me a headache and I needed a change of scent, though the morning sun heat didn't help. But the thick salt in the air did! "Kate, hello." Elizabeth greeted with a bright smile.

"Hello." I replied quietly.

"How's your father?"

"Still in bed." I puffed.

"You mean the tonics haven't worked yet?" Will creased his eyebrows.

"I'm afraid not."

"That's odd." Will stated.

"Everybody is made differently." Elizabeth pointed out.

"He's trying to rest right now." I said. Will excused himself. "I can't wait to get home!" I exclaimed.

"Yes. I miss Father." Elizabeth nodded. "But, there is something so freeing about being out at sea, away from all the politics."

"Mmm." I grunted. "And...when we return, it will be closer to your wedding day!"

"Yes. I can hardly wait!" Elizabeth beamed. "Father has ordered only the most beautiful wedding gown ever. But I don't want Will to see it till I'm walking down the aisle. I want to look beautiful for him."

"I think he thinks you always look beautiful." I grinned tiredly. Elizabeth blushed. "Well, excuse me. I need to try to find something to cure what ails Dad."

I was nearly to the steps leading down into the ship when Jack appeared coming out. "Morning, luv!" Jack greeted me, startling me from my revelry.

"Oh, hello." I moaned.

"Aye, what's got you looking so down like a jellyfish with the miseries?" Jack asked playfully.

"It's Dad." I sighed. "He's still sick, Jack." I was frustrated that nothing seemed to shake off the illness.

"Aah." Jack nodded, taking a drink of rum. Did this man ever not carry a bottle with him? "In all my years at sea, I have never seen such virulent seasickness!"

"Really?"

"Aye. Really takes out a lot of a strong man like yur dad." Jack sighed.

"I can't understand it." I shook my head. "And I'm starting to feel queasy myself just watching him so miserable!"

"Chin up, lass. We'll think of something." Jack grinned. "We'd better! I for one am getting rather tired of sleeping out on the helm by me lonesome. Tell yur old man that he'd better get back on his feet, or I'm gonna kick him out!"

"Ha, ha." I muttered. Father was a bit taller than Jack, and larger too. The picture of him throwing Dad out on his ear was ridiculous to imagine.

"I know what will set him to rights." Jack smirked, holding his bottle. "Rum cures everything!" And he marched off to his cabin.

Kate had to weave her way around down inside the ship as she kept bumping into crew members who were busy at work. She finally found the kitchen. There, she found Thomas, bending over a steaming pot and stirring inside it. "Oh, I didn't expect to find you in here." She said.

"Hello!" Thomas beamed when he saw her.

"What are you doing down here?"

"I'm steaming the ginger scraps that we have, rather than grinding them. It's for your father." Thomas explained.

"Oh. Well, thank you. I hope it helps!" Kate declared in a flustered tone.

"Me too. Your father's a strong man. This should do the trick. Anamaria and I came up with the idea."

"Thomas? Once we reach Port Royal, Dad and I will be settling there again. But what about you? What are you going to do? Do you have a home to return to?" Kate asked curiously.

"Not really." Thomas shook his head. "My parents are gone. I don't even know what my father's name was. No one would tell me. I had a few small jobs in England, but I slept in the tavern, where I worked as a janitor."

"What will you do then?" Kate asked. She couldn't imagine not having a home to return to.

"I...don't know." Thomas said quietly.

By early afternoon, Captain Summers finally emerged from Jack's quarters out onto the deck. The high sun was blinding at first since he'd been stuck inside for so long. He tried to adjust his eyesight until he was able to clearly see the moving figures around him, keeping on their tasks. He was rudely greeted by Jack the Monkey, who was perched on a mast rope and hissed in his face. "Just stay out of my way." Summers warned the little creature.

"Captain Summers!" Will exclaimed and stepped over to him. "You're up."

"Yeah," Captain Summers sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not sure what exactly that infernal concoction was, but whatever it was, it seemed to help."

"That's good." Will nodded. "Could you handle something to eat? We don't have much to speak of on the Pearl, but at least we won't starve!"

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little famished." Captain Summers replied. Will made his way down below. Elizabeth came to Kate's father.

"Oh, you're out, Sir." She smiled.

"Is it that obvious?" He replied gruffly. Elizabeth laughed.

"Jack says that we should reach Port Royal in a week and a half, at the most if the weather holds."

"Good. I've never been there."

"Hey! Give that back, you thieves!" Kate scolded Pintel and Ragetti, chasing them across the bow. They'd snatched her diary and she was not happy. "That's mine!" She huffed at them. Captain Summers watched with amusement at seeing his daughter go after the two ruffians as if they were little boys. Elizabeth stood in front of them with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed dangerously. The two men stopped short when they saw her and shrank back like two boys caught stealing cookies.

"Going somewhere?" Elizabeth asked them.

"Nah. We weren't doin' anything." Pintel shook his head.

"We weren't doin' anything." Ragetti echoed him.

"Got something of interest there, behind your back?" Elizabeth asked suspiciously.

"No, poppet. We got nothin' of 'terest." Pintel said timidly.

"Just this." Ragetti took Kate's diary and held it in plain view. Pintel glared at him like he had two heads. Elizabeth took the diary.

"This does not belong to you." She said.

"You mutton-head!" Pintel conked Ragetti on the noggin.

"Well, like the lady said, it don't belong to us. And we can't read. So there be no use keepin' it on us." Ragetti explained. Captain Summers grinned, puzzled. Where had Jack found these two knuckleheads?

"You confessed, straw-brain!" Pintel growled. The bickering duo scurried away scolding each other over the stupidest little things.

"Screwy bunch, aren't they?" Captain Summers remarked. Elizabeth giggled. Kate stomped up to them, panting.

"Here, Kate." Elizabeth handed her her diary.

"Oh, thank you!" Kate breathed in relief, trying to brush the dirt off the worn cover. "I was afraid they were going to throw it overboard or something!" She clutched it to herself.

"Wouldn't have done any good. They can't read anyway." Her father shrugged.

"What?" Kate frowned. She'd been pranked again! No wonder Jack let these chowder heads sail with him! They were as bad as he was! Kate rolled her eyes. "Father, are you feeling better?" She smiled.

"Aye. A lot better, Sweetheart." Captain Summers smiled.

"I'll have to tell Thomas that his remedy worked!" Kate declared proudly.

"You act like he's a miracle worker." Elizabeth teased.

"Hey, nothing else helped!" Kate retorted defensively. "He's smarter than people give him credit for." Elizabeth and Captain Summers shared a knowing glance. "What's that?" Kate furrowed her brows. "What's going on? What have you two been talking about?"

"She's got it." Elizabeth pointed out casually.

"Unfortunately." Captain Summers sighed pitifully.

"Why shouldn't I?" Kate spoke up. "He's decent, and thoughtful, and a good worker. And he's really cute."

"Why thank you, luv." Jack smirked from behind her.

"Oh! I...I...I didn't mean you!" Kate sputtered. Jack gaped, looking offended. "I...I...I mean, not that you aren't an all right person, but...I meant...I was talking about Thomas." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Bleh." He snarled.

"Bleh, yourself." Elizabeth teased him. Then she and Kate walked off together. Jack sauntered over to Captain Summers with a bottle of rum.

"I swear, matey, I don't know what she sees in that sticky beanpole of a lad." Jack groaned in exasperation, leaning back on the railing. "It's taken everything in me to keep her in line while they've been aboard in yur absence! Why, before we found you, those two 'ave been a revolting pain to watch, with those silly grins, and..."

"So, you took it upon yourself to keep an eye on my daughter, Sparrow?" Captain Summers puffed. "I don't know whether to thank you or shoot you." Jack gave him a pointed look.

"I may not know much about children, Summers, but she's only a little girl." Jack said. "She needs protectin', and she ain't gonna get it from that scamp!"

"Oh, are you criticizing my daughter's intelligence? She was smart enough to ask you for help, wasn't she?" Captain Summers retorted with a smirk. Jack grunted loudly.

"Listen to the captain, Jack." Anamaria stepped up to him. "Or I'll put ya on cleanup duty."

"Oui? I'm the captain of this ship!" Jack huffed. "No one tells Captain Jack Sparrow what to do! Especially not some third mate sailor who can't curve her wagging tongue."

"Pfft. Speak for yurself, you boat rustler." Anamaria ignored him, raising her hand to him, threatening a slap.

"Better to listen to your wife, Captain. Though I'd rather enjoy observing her making you squirm like a school boy." Captain Summers remarked. Jack was drinking his rum and gagged hard when he heard that.

"Ha! You think I'd be crazy enough, or drunk enough to throw in my eternal, devoted, sane lot with this bug-eyed shrunken head?!" Anamaria sputtered, blushing deeply. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Yes, how stupid do you think she is?" Jack jumped in. "Must you put it so brutally, luv?" He groaned in a low voice. Anamaria smirked. But before anyone could say anything else, they heard Ragetti shout,

"Ship ahoy, Captain! There's a ship!" He shouted from the crow's nest, pointing westward. Everyone turned to the side to look.

"Gibbs, my spyglass." Jack ordered. Gibbs handed it to him and he peeked through it.

"What is it, Jack?" Gibbs asked.

"Pirates or the Navy?" Will added.

"Too far away to tell." Jack shook his head. "Best stay our course. If they be neighbors, they'll catch up."

"Aye, keep on course!" Gibbs yelled.

"You don't suppose we're under attack?" Elizabeth mentioned.

"No idea." Jack said. Ten minutes later, the said ship was drawing closer and Jack looked again to see who they were. "D-!" He cursed loudly.

"Jack? What's the matter?" Will asked as he rushed back to his side.

"We are in danger, mateys." Jack muttered, as he handed Captain Summers his glass.

"Jack's right!" He agreed.

"Who is it?" Elizabeth gulped.

"The slave traders from Bermuda." Captain Summers said dismally. He knew he couldn't run for long before they'd come looking for him.

"What?!" Will sputtered.

"Aye, they bear the flag." Gibbs pointed out. The approaching vessel was flapping a red flag with a symbol of a sledgehammer bearing down on coins.

"How did they find us?!" Kate gasped in panic, standing protectively next to her father.

"Bishop!" Jack spat. The Ambassador's captain. Being a regular around Bermuda for good business, he'd most likely suggested who'd helped Captain Summers disappear when the authorities could not find him. "They've come for Summers."

Kate's heart dropped and she ran to Jack and wrangled him by the arm. "Jack, you can't just let them take my dad!" Kate pleaded.

"Of course not, luv." Jack said calmly. "Ready the guns, lads! Let her run straight and true. On the double!" Gibbs barked orders to the crew. "Anamaria, to the wheel!" Jack told her. She raced up and stood bravely at the rudder like a true sailor.

"JACK! We've got more company!" Will hollered from the mast.

"What?" Jack groaned and raced to the stern to take a look. Sure enough, another ship was sailing for them, though not as far away. But this time, Jack didn't have to question who their unwelcome guest was. "Hard a port!" He yelled.

"Good l-!" Elizabeth gasped. "It's one of Briggs' army vessels!" She recognized the green and yellow flag on the mast.

"Jack, we're becoming surrounded! What do we do?" Gibbs panted. Jack was irritated. This was definitely NOT part of the plan. He pulled out his compass. After spinning, the needle pointed south west. He knew where to go! But getting there was the question.

"Go square to the wind! Rudder full!" Jack ordered.

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Gibbs agreed as the crew scrambled about. "Keep her trim!"

Will rushed over to Captain Summers, handing him a rifle. "You'll need this." He told him.

Kate was so scared she couldn't move. She was frozen with fear. They were under attack. This wasn't like when they'd battled the dragon, or sailed through a vicious storm, or when they'd stealthily escaped the mermaids. This was different. These men...those ships...they'd come for her father! They were after him and she didn't know what to do. "Kate? Kate!" Will shook her shoulder. "Take this! Do what you must." He shoved a rifle into her hands. Her hands shook. She'd never handled a rifle before, except when Will was training her. But she'd never used it on anyone.

Jack saw her standing there in a paralyzed trance. "Summers, take your daughter below decks." He told Captain Summers. "Make sure she's safe."

"I don't need to be told that, Jack." Captain Summers snapped at him. "Come on, darling." He took Kate's arm. His touch seemed to snap her out of her terrified paralysis.

"Father, get below." She told him. He ushered her down the stairs. With them safely out of sight, Jack made his way to the helm with Anamaria, guiding her direction.

"Elizabeth, stay low." Will told her as they squatted at the rails.

"Jack, they're gaining on us! Both of 'em!" Anamaria told him.

"Make hard right, luv." He told her, keeping his eyes on the compass.

"Guns, ready, Captain!" Gibbs shouted.

The slave traders ship, the Hunter, and Briggs' army ship, the Invincible, were both bearing down on the Pearl, as she struggled to worm her way out of their path. With one ship behind them, and the other to their right, it looked like a tight squeeze. "Fire!" Jack commanded.

"Fire!" Gibbs and Will yelled. Pintel and Ragetti, Marty, Cotton, and even Thomas fired the cannons that shot at the Hunter. If they could distract or at least take down one of the ships, they could possibly gain speed and escape the other one. Their gun fire was doing small damage to the Hunter.

"We've got to lighten the load!" Elizabeth declared. Thomas and she ran into the ship's hold, throwing anything they could that wasn't worth much.

Captain Summers and Kate were down in the kitchen, where there were no windows. They braced themselves, both aiming their guns toward the stairs, in case the intruders came down after them. Captain Summers calmly gripped his gun, but Kate's hands were trembling. "Darling, lower your gun." He told her.

"What?" Kate looked at him, puzzled.

"Put the gun down, Sweetheart. You'll never fire a proper shot if you can't grip it solidly." Captain Summers said, stepping closer to her. She lowered the rifle and let it fall to her side. "You've never done this sort of thing before, have you?" He asked quietly.

"No, Father. I've never needed to." Kate hung her head.

"It's all right, Katie." He said assuringly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Have you had to do this before?"

"More times than I would like to count, Sweetie." Captain Summers said grimly. "But I'm afraid it was absolutely necessary."

"Does that make a difference?" Kate looked up at him sadly. He gazed down at her thoughtfully.

"Katie, taking the life of another is never a sport, dear. In my former line of work, it's a matter of protection and justice." Captain Summers said dully. "There are times when one human being is hurting another, with no thought to the well-being of the other. In that case, if you can step in, you must do what you can so stop it."

Kate began to slightly calm down as she listened. He'd taught her those things when she was little, fond memories starting to come back to her. Back then, she didn't understand everything he said, but she certainly felt that she did now! "One thing to remember, Sweetheart: it's best to attempt to reason before taking any drastic measures. But if that becomes out of the question, then you must make the choice to do what it takes."

Kate smiled at his wise face, and she felt a fire build up inside that swallowed out the fear she'd just been feeling. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her gun back up and made sure the chamber was loaded, if necessary. Her hands were no longer shaking. "Then we have to do something." She sighed.

"No, Katie. You're staying down here!" Her father declared firmly. "I'm not going to put my daughter in harm's way."

"Dad, our friends are up there! They've helped us when they didn't have to. They could get in trouble. They might need our help. I am afraid. But I'd rather try to make a difference than waiting around scared. And they have never abandoned me, ever!"

Captain Summers bit his lip sadly. He didn't want her anywhere close to a battlefield, especially at sea! One blow of a cannon, a swipe of a sword, a direct gunshot, and she'd be gone...just like that! Out of everything he'd already suffered, that was one loss he was NOT willing to go through. "No. I'm not going set you up as a live target, Katie!" He barked.

"And I'm not going to let them take you away from me...again!" Kate exclaimed.

"Baby, please. I can't lose you." He pleaded.

"We'll fight...together." Kate smiled encouragingly. Captain Summers winced. Now he knew what Jack had gone through when she'd pestered him to help her in the first place.

"All right." He reluctantly agreed. "We'll do it. Together. But if I say to get behind me, you get behind me!"

"Yes, Father." Kate nodded. He prepared his rifle and with her trailing behind him, he led the way out.

"It's not working." Thomas told Elizabeth. Through the cracks in the wood, they could see that they still weren't sailing away as fast as they needed to. Gibbs and Marty found them.

"The best we can do is fight to the end." Gibbs said sadly. "Looks like it's gonna be a collision."

"If not a massacre." Marty groaned.

"That's it!" Elizabeth perked up. "Come with me." She grabbed Thomas's arm, and Gibbs and Marty followed them.

Captain Summers and Kate raced across the deck, preparing to shoot if necessary. Jack lept down to them. "I told you two to stay below!" He bellowed.

"No time for trifles, mate." Father and daughter said together. "In a tight spot, you gotta do what you've got to do." Kate smiled, throwing back Jack's words from when he'd saved her from drowning.

"Bloody hard-heads. The both of you!" Jack hissed.

"Have to be, to sail with anyone as crazy as you!" Captain Summers smirked.

Jack pouted. Then his eyes popped out when he saw Elizabeth and Marty atop a net of gunpowder, being lifted from the hatchway from a yard. He scurried over below them. "Oui! What are you doing?!" He called, waving his hands.

"A little more over left!" Marty called down to Gibbs, who was manning the lever to direct the crane.

"Jack! Soon as we drop this, tell Anamaria to veer 190 degrees right!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Captain gives orders on the ship!" Jack hollered back.

"Just do it!" Elizabeth snapped at him.

"Aye!" Jack agreed and raced back up to the helm.

The two ships were closing in on the Pearl! It was going to be a very tight squeeze! While Will, Pintel, Ragetti and others continued to open fire at the Hunter with cannon fire, Elizabeth and Marty jumped back on deck as Gibbs lowered and released the net of gunpowder into the water. "Everybody hold on!" Jack yelled to his crew. The ship tilted dangerously as Anamaria vigorously turned the rudder and the Pearl made a daring right turn. Many of the crew fell back against the rails. Kate started to fall over the edge where the ladder was, but her father instantly grabbed her hand tightly, holding on like a vice as he clung to a rope. As the Pearl regained a proper balance, and everyone tried to get back on their feet, they looked back to see that the Hunter and the Invincible were running into each other's path. There was no time for them to turn!

"They're falling behind, thank God." Will breathed.

"We can't miss." Elizabeth stated. Gibbs raised his gun, but Captain Summers elbowed him out of the way.

"Allow me." He grinned. Gibbs, surprised, stood back, while Summers arched his rifle dead center on the net of gunpowder that was only thirteen yards away from the two ships. The captain calmly aimed and pulled the trigger. The bead perfectly hit the net, and a huge explosion disturbed the beautiful ocean water, and blinded the other ships in a fog of smoke and fire as they broadsided each other. The Hunter and the Invincible collided into each other's bows, breaking a quarter of the front decks. But it would seem that the Invincible suffered the most damage as the Hunter crawled away, still in not too bad a shape. The Pearl floated smoothly away from the bruised vessels, which were growing smaller on the horizon by the minute. The crew cheered in victory and relief.

"We did it!" Thomas cried in amazement. Elizabeth patted him on the arm.

"You were wonderful, Father." Kate said proudly. She was thankful she hadn't needed to use her gun after all.

"All right!" Jack bellowed. "All hands, to the sails!" He trotted down the steps.

"Where are we going now?" Will asked.

"Aye, what be our heading, Jack?" Gibbs inquired.

"Isla Cruces." Jack announced.

This story is before DMC, so Jack is not aware yet that the chest with Davy Jones' heart is even on it!