Near the end of this chapter, Kate receives comfort from one of the most unlikely sources she expected!
When they returned to the Pearl, Kate couldn't see straight, but she fled to her cabin and threw herself in despair across the bed so she could grieve away from the crew. They hoisted her father's body aboard with strict orders from Jack to treat it with the utmost respect. Jack strolled about the ship, seeing to it that the men did their jobs when Will appeared from the cabin, still grasping his wounded arm. "That was decent of you, Jack. Bringing Summers' body aboard." Will said.
"It's nothing much, mate, really." Jack said. "He wasn't exactly a bad sort. And I figured I owed him one, at least for his daughter's sake."
"Aye." Will agreed solemnly.
"How is the poor lass?" Jack asked with genuine concern.
"I don't know." Will shook his head. "This hurt her hard. Elizabeth is with her."
"Good." Jack approved. "Poor thing is going to have a long road ahead of her, to get over a bloody mess like this. I feel bad for her, meself."
"I don't think this is the type of thing you get over, Jack. More like, something to get through."
"Oui, you'd better have that arm looked at right away. Afraid they got you real good this time, mate." Jack said firmly.
"It's nothing. Really." Will argued. But he'd grown more pale from blood loss and he looked as if he was ready to pass out.
"That's for me to say, not you!" Thomas berated him. Both men were taken aback at the anger in the boy's voice. It wasn't like him. "Do you want it to get infected, or you bleed out to death?" Thomas asked icily to Will.
"No." Will sighed and followed the younger man to let him treat him. For once, Jack was grateful for Thomas's presence. He quietly approached the girls' cabin and slightly peeked inside. Kate was curled up in the bed, clutching a pillow she was sobbing into. Elizabeth sat beside her. Jack sighed and turned. He made his way to the helm.
"Much obliged, luv." He told Anamaria gratefully. "Ye saved the Pearl."
"Well, you were a bit busy at the time." Anamaria smiled kindly.
"Yur heroic efforts will not go unheard of, Anamaria." Jack told her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Anamaria walked off. Jack pulled out his compass and patiently waited for it to show him which route they should take. Having had to flee to Isla Cruces after the sea battle, it would take a few days to get back on track to deliver Will, Elizabeth, and Kate back to Port Royal.
Over an hour later, Thomas returned to the deck. "How's Will?" Gibbs asked him.
"He's finally resting, down in his bunk." Thomas sighed. "He needs watching so his arm doesn't get infected! Took me a while to fix him up. That was an ugly wound. He needs rest."
"Aye. Lucky thing we've got you aboard, Tommy." Gibbs smiled and clapped his arm. Thomas slowly climbed up to the rudder.
"Jack? Or...Captain...may I have a word with you? I need to show you something." Thomas asked timidly.
"Make it quick." Jack harrumphed. After handing Cotton the rudder, Thomas led Jack below decks down into the hold. "What's this?"
"You told me to make a coffin. So I did." Thomas said sadly. Jack felt like he'd been doused with a tidal wave.
"Uh..." Jack scratched the back of his head. "Uhhmm...that's interesting." He finally said.
"When I was on the Cartwheel, when slaves died, their bodies were just tossed overboard like driftwood." Thomas hung his head. "No coffin, no final words, no canvas, nothing. If the captain lost men, they were buried at sea properly. It wasn't right. Call me morbidly minded, but I thought, we never know out at sea if we'll need one. So...but I never thought...I never expected..."
Jack touched the younger man's shoulder, nodding with approval. "Tis a fine job, you did, son. And a noble goal to be sure. Yes, this will do Captain Summers the justice he earned." Jack slowly ran his hands over the smooth surface. Indeed, the lad had done an exceptionally beautiful work with the wood. The two men began to retreat back up deck when they saw that Will was indeed not in his bunk. He was with Elizabeth, trying to console his sisterly friend.
It was five hours later, Anamaria knocked on the cabin door and Kate weakly answered for her to come in. Anamaria poked her head in. Kate was huddled on the floor with her back against the bed. "Might I come in, Miss?" She asked. Kate nodded. Anamaria came to her side and gripped her hands. "Kate, the men...Jack are preparing a funeral for your dad. Thought you ought to know." Kate looked up at her, red-eyed.
"Oh. He is? They are?" She sniffled. "Th-thank you! That's...very kind..."
"Thought you might like some time alone with yur father, to say goodbye properly." Anamaria said.
"I would appreciate that." Kate gulped. "Anamaria, h-how...they're not going to just toss Father's body overboard, for the gulls to pick at, a-are they?" She couldn't bear the thought.
"Nay, love." Anamaria shook her head. "We may be pirates, but we ain't that uncivilized! No, yur dad shall have a proper funeral."
"Ohhh," Kate sighed heavily with relief. "I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you."
"That's all right." Anamaria gave her arm a squeeze.
It wasn't till sunset that Kate emerged. Thomas was waiting outside her door. She stared at her feet. "Kate, I...I'm sorry!" He told her, firmly gripping her hand in his. "Would you like me to take you down to see your father?"
"Yes, please." Kate practically pleaded. He quietly led her down the hatchway, to the brig. In the far corner lay a large open coffin, surrounded by candlelight. Kate stiffened when she saw it.
"If you'd prefer to be alone, I can go." Thomas told her.
"N-no, please." Kate shook her head, tightly clutching his arm, tears already welling back up in her eyes. "Please, stay! I don't want to be alone down here."
"Sure." Thomas smiled sympathetically. Kate let go of his hand and slowly made her way over to her dead father. She shuddered when her eyes fell on his still, languid form. He almost looked as if he was only sleeping. Kate let out a breath of tears as she knelt beside him. The one thing that comforted her, was the smile on Captain Summers' face. He no longer appeared troubled, and like a haunted soul. He finally looked...peaceful.
It soothed her mind but at the same time, the sight broke her heart in two. What she would give to see him that happy! What she would give to spend that time with him, after separated for a lifetime! "Dad..." She faltered. "Dad...I...I'm glad we got to...be together, and...I...I love you! So much!" She trembled with weeping. Thomas knelt beside her and hugged her from behind. He didn't leave her side. He didn't understand what it felt like, to lose a parent-in this way-. He'd never known that kind of family love. But from what he could see now, the pain of such a loss was tremendous. When she was ready to leave the brig, Thomas was still there with her.
As darkness had fallen, everyone was on the main deck where the coffin had been hauled up. Many candles and lanterns filled up the space. Kate stood between Will and Elizabeth, with Thomas close by. The men all removed their hats. Kate's eyes were already brimming with tears. She'd briefly observed the crowd around her, but now she just stared at the casket. Jack had asked Gibbs to say a few words to suffice as a eulogy, as he was not accustomed to conducting funerals. And since Gibbs had been the only one Jack had shared the Summers' real story with, he trusted his old friend to come through.
"Tonight, we've come together to honor a fine man, a decent chap, and a loving father." Gibbs began. "Captain Summers was devoted to his calling, serving justice for those that couldn't do it for themselves. Even in the midst of danger, he would not back down. He paid a high price for helping his fellow man. But speaking for myself, it only fueled me respect for him. He cared deeply for his family, and did whatever he had to, to keep them safe. He died a noble death. He will always be a hero."
"Aye….aye!" The crew murmured and agreed together.
Kate knew it was time...time to let her father go. She wasn't ready! But...it had to be done. Her heart pounded with fear. She didn't want to do this. Clutching her necklace, and taking a deep breath for good measure, she blindly made her way over to the casket, and stooped down. "You'll always be my hero, Dad!" She whispered. "I love you! Please give Mother a kiss for me." Her tears fell from her eyes onto her father's body. She ripped the necklace from her neck, and lovingly placed it safely underneath his once strong hands. Will and Elizabeth were shocked. They'd never seen her parted from the precious token! "Goodbye...Dad. I pray that you're finally at peace. Rest now, Father." She choked down a sob. Will slowly pulled her away as the men closed the casket and slowly shoved it over the edge, into the sea. They all watched as it sailed steadily on quiet ocean water.
"Rest in peace, mate." Jack whispered, and then put his hat back on.
For the next few days, Kate mostly kept to herself though she sadly lingered among the people on board, not wanting to be alone. She hung around, sitting in a corner on the deck somewhere, holding her diary or just looking out at the horizon as they sailed. She endlessly stared at the sketch she'd done of her dad, grateful that she'd done it. She replayed in her mind over and over again every detail of that morning and the night before. She didn't eat-food was the last thing on her mind-and barely slept. Elizabeth thought of Governor Swann and realized that now she missed him even more and badly wanted to get back home and see him, to make sure he was okay. She couldn't imagine losing her own father! Elizabeth, Will, and Thomas were Kate's greatest comforters, as they were her closest friends and Jack was relieved about that as he wasn't sure how to comfort a young lady so troubled. The sooner he got her back to her home, the better.
"A little bite, poppet?" Pintel offered Kate. She was sitting on some rope in a corner, up against Jack's quarters. She looked at him.
"No, thank you." She smiled sadly. "I'm not hungry."
"Ye haven't eaten next to nothin' in four days." Pintel pointed out.
"I'm just not hungry. But thank you for thinking of me." Kate said. Pintel shrugged and went back to work. Kate's eyes fell back on her diary.
"Starving yourself won't ease the ache, lass." Gibbs told her. She hadn't even known he was there!
"Nothing will." Kate said dryly, staring off into space. Gibbs knelt beside her.
"Kate," He said seriously, "I know you miss yur dad. And speaking for meself, I miss having him around too. Now, we weren't what you could call 'bosom friends', very close mates as it were. But he wanted only the best for you. And...I know that he wouldn't want to see ye this way, withering. He wouldn't want you to give up on yourself."
Kate barely gave him a glance. "Well, he's not here to see it. So, what's the point?" Gibbs sighed, rubbing his side burns. "I...I do want to thank you, though, for what you said about him at the funeral. The words were just right." She sadly smiled.
"Aye, I was honored to do it, lass. Captain Summers seemed to fit right into our lot, he did. Would've made a fine pirate."
Kate giggled. "You wouldn't be able to say that to him and live it down...unpunished." She chuckled.
"You're right about that." Gibbs agreed, wide-eyed, smiling.
"After all these years...I finally found my father. By the grace of God, and companionship from the most unlikely source I could've imagined before, we finally found Dad and he and I got to be together! Only for him to die? It's not fair! He didn't deserve to die! Mr. Gibbs said that Father will always be a hero. He was a hero. But I didn't want him to die a hero! I wanted him to be with me! Life feels like such a cruel joke right now. Dad came back, and now he's gone...forever!
What a waste. What a waste of a life. What a waste this was! I wasted everybody's time and even nearly their lives trying to find out the truth about Dad! And looked what happened! He's gone forever. I should've left this alone like Jack said to. Why did I ever talk him into this crazy voyage? He warned me! He warned me over and over again that this would lead to pain and me finding out things I'd wish I'd never known. He was right! But I was so stubborn and stupid. I just had to do things my way. How I wish I'd listened to him!
Mother told me years ago that Father asked the Lord to grant him eternal life, as did I when I was little. So...I know I'll see him again, someday. But...but this sadness is so big, so heavy I can't put it into words. But the more it lingers, the more it hurts. I just want to forget everything that's happened! I wish I could just go to sleep and not have to wake up and face another new day, feeling this awful void!
Darkness had fallen at dusk of the fifth day since Captain Summers had died. Elizabeth was below deck, gathering up a tray of food, hoping that maybe just this time she could convince Kate to eat something! Jack stepped out of his quarters after going over his navigational chart. He was about to walk up to the helm when he nearly tripped over something. "Oui!" He growled. "Why don't you look where you're spreading yur lanky limbs out for someone to break their nose over?" He huffed. Then he realized whose legs he was talking about. Kate was slumped over a cannon, dozing. Surprised, Jack shook her shoulder. "Oh, Kate? Katie..." He spoke. She didn't respond. "Luv, I can attest that a cannon is not the most restful place to get a good night's sleep!" Jack rambled. Kate didn't flinch or stir. She was totally exhausted.
"All right." Jack sighed. "Come on then." He pulled her up by her shoulders, intending to walk her to her quarters. But Kate was not about to wake up and she crumpled to the floor. "Katie." Jack moaned in exasperation. "I'd be more than happy to escort ye to bed, but it would help if you'd at least cooperate!" Kate lay there on the floor at his feet. Jack puffed, shaking his head, then stooped down and slid his arms underneath her. With a grunt, he lifted her in his arms and quickly made his way to his own cabin.
Jack walked to his bed, and pulling the eiderdown back, he gently set Kate on the mattress. He positioned her head comfortably on the pillow, removed her boots, and tenderly covered her up. "Poor, tired, little thing." He shook his head. "She's plum wore out."
"Jack?" Elizabeth spoke behind him.
"Shh!" Jack whispered loudly. "She's asleep. Finally!"
"Oh, thank God." Elizabeth sighed in relief and stood at his side. "Jack. You're letting her sleep in here?"
"Well, she was out like a light, which means she wasn't very cooperative in being escorted on foot." Jack huffed falsely. "So, to ease the tension in my arms...well, me own cabin was closer!" He rambled, trying not to let his soft side show.
Elizabeth smiled. "That's sweet of you, Jack." She murmured.
"Please don't tell anyone, Lizzie!" Jack begged dramatically. "Soon they'll all think they can come in here and use the captain's bunk whenever they please! That will not be happening." Elizabeth shook her head then frowned again as she looked at her dozing friend.
"She really needs the rest." She stated.
"Aye. Poor girl's been through a lot in her time at sea," Jack agreed. "But this..."
"This was sooo wrong!" Elizabeth finished for him.
"That it was, luv. And we're going to put an end to the ones who did it!"
"You mean Briggs. It'll give me great pleasure to see him in irons!"
"So, you do have a cold, dark, and brutal side after all!" Jack teased. "I was beginning to worry about you."
"Oh, cut it out, Jack." Elizabeth scolded him. "I think I'll sit with her."
"Nay, Lizzie." Jack shook his head. "No need for that. You go on to your precious, stupid, injured whelp and soothe the man's wounds. Katie is in good hands."
"I'll be back later." Elizabeth said. She lightly kissed him on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, Jack." She shuffled out.
Jack looked back down at Kate, who was completely oblivious to the events around her. She was beyond exhausted. Jack would make sure to give strict orders that she was not to be disturbed! He started forward, but hesitated. Then, after looking out the windows to make sure no one would be able to see him, he stooped down and warmly kissed Kate's forehead and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Sleep tight, luv." He whispered. He couldn't understand why he was being so generous about this. It felt odd. Perhaps it was because he felt obligated to fill in the gaps where she was now fatherless, though he couldn't imagine where this sense of duty had come from! Just seems like the thing to do, he kept telling himself. She needed guidance now. Yes, that was it! She'd need looking after till they reached Jamaica. That's what it is. Nothing more, Jack tried to convince himself. Her fair and youthful features made her look to Jack so much like a troubled little girl, sleeping in his bed. He sat with her and watched over her as she slept, until sunrise when Elizabeth came in and took over.
By afternoon, Jack was inspecting the Pearl, seeing to it that everyone was doing their jobs. But he could see they were short one man. Jack decided to relax in his cabin for a while. He froze in astonishment and annoyance when he opened the door. Thomas, the 'flea', 'Stickywicket', was sitting in a chair beside the bed, Kate's hand clasped safely in his. Jack strode over to him and leaned closely down to his ear. "This is against regulations, boy." He warned. "Do you realize the horrific consequences for entering the captain's cabin without permission? Death! Death by stretching or keelhauling on a lesser ship, with a less friendly crew."
"Fine." Thomas muttered sadly. "I don't care. If that's all I'm good for, then you'd best go ahead and do it. Because that's the only way you'll prevent me from being here for her!"
Jack was taken aback. He hadn't expected such an emotional, livid outburst. Thomas was in no mood for Jack's theories, even if he was just joking. "No need to get so testy, lad." Jack said in 'surprise'.
"She needs me. That's why I'm here." Thomas said. Jack sighed.
"Fine."
"I never knew my real father, or whatever happened to him. I don't even know what he looked like." Thomas said wistfully, almost forgetting Jack was there. "I don't understand which feels more painful, never knowing who he was, or knowing then losing him, like Kate."
"Matters of the heart are most complicated." Jack said quietly. Then he quietly shut the door behind him as he left.
The next time Kate opened her eyes, the sun rays through the windows indicated that it was late in the afternoon, approaching evening. At first, she was confused about where she was then noticed that someone was holding her hand. She looked and saw Thomas grinning at her. "You're awake." He said cheerfully.
"Where am I?" Kate asked. "This isn't Elizabeth's and my cabin."
"You're in the captain's quarters."
"What? Jack's?" Kate gaped. "W-why? What am I doing here?"
"You finally fell into slumber. Ever since your father's funeral, you've barely had any rest. Guess you couldn't fight it anymore." Thomas suggested. At the mention of the funeral, tears filled Kate's eyes and her chest ached. She'd hoped it was all a bad dream. But no. It was real. "Oh, I'm sorry." Thomas frowned and squeezed her hand. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"I hoped it wasn't real!" Kate tried to wipe her eyes.
"I'm sorry I made you feel bad." Thomas said fervently. He sat down on the bed and slowly rubbed her arm, but then she broke out sobbing and threw herself on him. "It's all right, Kate. I'm here." He whispered to her.
When Kate had managed to compose herself, she attempted to get up. "You must eat something." Thomas insisted.
"I am a bit hungry." Kate nodded. "How long was I asleep in here?"
"Three days." Thomas replied casually.
"Three days!" Kate exclaimed. "Have I really?"
"Mmm-hmm. But you needed it badly." Thomas told her seriously, holding onto her hand.
"I'm starting to wish I'd stayed asleep." Kate said unhappily. Thomas's face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't referring to you, Thomas! I really wasn't! I mean...now that I'm awake, I can't escape what happened. It's real, and I don't want it to be." Thomas pulled her close to him sympathetically.
"I..." He struggled for the right words to say. "I can't imagine...I don't want to imagine what the loss you're going through is like, Kate. But...I'm here for you. I just hope you know that." Kate smiled sadly, leaning on his arm.
"Thank you. I do know, Thomas." She said quietly. She ran her hand over her neck, then sadly realized her necklace wasn't there anymore. More tears spilled out. "I forgot." She mumbled. I miss it!
"I'll get you another one. A new one!" Thomas told her eagerly. She smiled weakly.
"You don't have to."
"Kate, you're awake!" Elizabeth smiled widely and hugged her.
"I had no idea I was asleep that long!" Kate giggled.
"Well, no one would blame you. How about something to eat?"
"That does sound good." Kate agreed.
"Well, well, well. Look who's up!" Jack greeted loudly. "About time, Katie. Sleep well, luv?"
"According to everyone else, I guess I did." Kate shrugged.
"That's fine. And good thing too. Personally, I'd much appreciate it to be able to sleep in me own bed tonight!" Kate faintly smiled, then followed Thomas around the ship.
Kate had finally eaten a full meal. Elizabeth told Will that Kate had aroused from her much needed slumber. Will hugged his friend and was happy to see that she wasn't by herself. They tried not to bring up the subject of Captain Summers' passing unless she did. They discussed their plans for when they returned to Port Royal. Thomas was not included in that conversation, and found himself feeling very left out. He wasn't sure why. He wanted to be part of their discussion. No, if he was honest, he wanted to be part of their plans! He didn't want them to leave.
It was past midnight when Elizabeth marched around to find Jack. He was at the bow, using his spyglass, checking for any signs of trouble or land, or visitors. "Jack?" Elizabeth cleared her throat as she approached him from behind.
"Eh, Lizzie?" Jack cocked his head to face her.
"Have you seen Kate?"
"Nay." Jack shook his head. "What? Are you going to detain her for being out passed curfew?" He teased.
"Jack..." Elizabeth sighed. "No. Just that it's getting late, and I wanted to make sure she was going to bed soon to get some much needed rest. But I've been around the ship and can't seem to find her."
"I'm sure she's here somewhere, Elizabeth." Jack said calmly.
"Oh, I know that." Elizabeth nodded. "I'd just feel better if I knew where she was."
"Playing Mother Hen, eh?"Jack narrowed his eyes at her teasingly. "Don't worry, Lizzie. She'll turn up. Oh. You're right about the time! Need a drink. Can I get you one?"
"No thank you." Elizabeth sighed.
Jack grabbed a lantern and trotted below deck. Some of the men were sleeping in their bunks while others were chatting above, playing cards and whatnot. Jack reached his intended destination. Jack started to pull out the keys from his pocket to the rum cellar, only to discover that it was already ajar! He gaped, retrieving his pistol. "Oui? Who there be that wanders into my rum cellar and steals me precious rum?" He growled under his breath. "There's a prowler aboard!" Even if the crew wanted liquor, Jack always had the keys. He would not tolerate any rum stealers!
He nearly clicked his gun when he thought he heard a small cry. He froze in confusion. There it was again! "Oh, that was definitely a whimper." Jack told himself, putting his gun back into his belt. He slowly pushed the door aside. There was a faintly lit lantern sitting on the floor. Furrowing his brows, and trying to mentally prepare himself for the uninvited guest, Jack took a closer look, and found Kate there. She sat on some sacks of grain, she was cowering against the wall, hugging her legs, and she sounded like she was crying. Jack lifted his own lantern light and saw that her face was red with raw tears. To say he was surprised was an understatement.
"Katie?" Jack spoke quietly, so he didn't scare her. "What you doing down here, luv, in the rum cellar of all places?"
"Hiding..." Kate said in a muffled voice, leaning her face on her knees.
"Hiding? Why?" Jack frowned.
"I didn't want to disturb anyone." Kate sniffled. "But I just couldn't hold it in anymore! I had to find somewhere to be alone." She gasped as another sob caught up to her. Jack checked the rum shelves till he found the bottle he was looking for, then he came back and set his lantern down. He sat on a crate across from her and uncorked the bottle, offering her some.
"It might make you feel better." He said kindly. "Always does me."
"Noo..." Kate shook her head, shoving it away. Jack shrugged and took a swig.
"You chose a pretty depressing hiding place, ya know." He grinned. "It's rather dark, and can get lonesome down here if you stay long enough." It was also cold down here, and he noticed she didn't have a coat. "You shouldn't be down here without a coat, luv. There's a bit of a chill."
"I don't care!" Kate wailed. Jack shrank back a little. He wasn't very good at it when it came to crying females. But she was grieving heavily. Jack wasn't accustomed to dealing with such domestic situations, but she appeared to him like a lost child, and he couldn't just leave her.
"All the same, wouldn't want you to catch a cold." He said casually. He slipped off his own coat and placed it around her. She nodded gratefully, unable to speak. He had another sip of rum. Kate's face scrunched tightly together with pain. She curled up even more and wouldn't look him in the eyes. More tears ran down her face. Jack nervously scooted a tad closer. "You want to talk about it?" He asked gently. "It might help, dear."
"I...I don't know how to talk about it!" Kate replied hurtfully.
"Deep breaths first, then just start talking." Jack said. Kate didn't obey his suggestion. "It's all right, Katie darling." He said quietly, patting her arm. "Just take yur time, luv." Kate's lip trembled as she tried to speak.
"I...it's...it's not fair!" She blurted out.
"Aye." Jack nodded.
"I didn't want him to die! I just wanted him to be free. I wanted us to be together." Kate wept.
"You were together, darling."
"Not long enough." Kate interjected. Then she sobbed harder. "It's all my fault, Jack." She said with an extremely pained expression.
"Katie, you don't really believe that." Jack shook his head.
"Yes, I do! My father died because of me! This whole thing was my idea! I was the one who made you sail across the world to find him."
"First of all, no one can make me do anything." Jack corrected her. "I do what I want when I want."
"And when you lost the Pearl? Was that what you wanted?"
"Of course not. But that be a far cry from the topic at hand."
"I put everyone in danger, even though I didn't even know it! I forced him to come back with us. I..." Kate had to catch her breath, which was difficult. "I fell. That blow was meant for me! But Da...he took it! He shouldn't have!" Kate continued to ramble in a garbled voice.
"Captain Summers only did what any loving father would do, darling." Jack said kindly.
"And now he's dead! He's gone. And it's all because of me." Kate's shoulders shook.
"You're wrong there, luv."
"My father died in front of me, Jack!"
"I know that. I watched it happen. He died in front of me too, luv." Jack reminded her.
"It shouldn't have happened! Not...not like that. He should have died peacefully, at home, with me, of old age, not being murdered!"
"He died a noble death, luv, of great sacrifice."
"I led him to his death. His last days he was hunted down like an animal. If I hadn't made him come with us maybe he'd still be alive!" Kate cried.
"You're wrong again. Katie, darling," Jack tried to speak more gently and touched her shoulder, "his last days...were spent with you! He never expected to see you again. And you don't suppose he was happy about that?"
"How should I know?" Kate muttered sadly. "When we spent the whole time looking over our shoulders?!"
Jack cleared his throat. She wasn't receiving his consolation. "Dear, you're not seeing this for what it really is. I suppose you're in too much pain right now to be able to. But I must say one thing, and you must believe me. Katie, yur dad was happy to be free, to be with you!" Kate opened her mouth for another self-berating comment, but Jack held his hand up and cut her off. "Now, now. Just listen. Let me do the talking. I was actually the one who found him, remember?" Jack smiled. "When I saw him again, he was just a miserable, wretched, broken down bloke who thought his life was over. But then he saw you. Take the word of old Jack, luv. Yur father was happier than ever, to have you at his side...while it lasted."
At that remark, Kate burst out sobbing painfully, clasping her face in her hands. Jack bit his lip, not sure if he'd helped or not. It sounded like his words had only made her feel worse. He sighed. "Come here, luv." He said quietly, tugging on her arm. Kate didn't argue, but crouched forward and buried her face in his shoulder as he held his arm around her. "It's all right to cry." He shushed her and tried to be patient till she'd be able to calm down. "That's it. Just let it out." He gently brushed a wave of hair out of her face.
Kate cried hard for a good half hour. Jack lightly kissed the top of her head. "Here, ye take old Jack's handkerchief." He told her, as if speaking to a small child. This time, Kate didn't just hold it. She tried to wipe her face with it. "There, there. Deep breaths now." Jack patted her back. She kept her eyes down but stayed close to him. She'd never dreamed she'd be so genuinely comforted like this...by an infamous pirate! "Feel better?"
"Some." Kate nodded.
"That's good. Now, how about that rum?"
"No, thank you." Kate declined dismally, again.
"Don't know what you're missing."
"Thank you, Jack. Thank you for listening, and...just being here." Kate said softly, still sniffling, finally facing him. Jack shrugged casually.
"Just swear to me that you won't tell anyone!" He begged pitifully. "Reputation and all, ye know?" Kate giggled. "Ahh, now that's what I like to hear!"
"It still hurts though." She said sadly. "It hurts so much! I miss him."
"Aye. I imagine you'll be hurting badly for a good long time. But chin up, luv. Things will get better for you again."
"You actually believe that?" Kate asked with a sigh.
"With time. Oui! Have I ever steered you wrong?" Jack frowned.
"Well..." Kate began.
"Ump! Belay that!" Jack groaned. "A pirate tries to lend a helping hand, and look what happens. No one appreciates him." He grumbled. Kate chuckled at his attempt to appear stern. "Good grief. You enjoy seeing a man so vexed?" Kate giggled. "That's why I'm not of your kind!"
Kate just let her head rest on his shoulder and he patiently let her. "I hated seeing Father like this, haunted and scarred." Kate moaned. "But can I tell you something, Jack?"
"Anything you need to say, love." Jack smiled.
"As hard as this is, and as much as I wish it hadn't happened, I'm glad I found out."
"Eh?" Jack gaped.
"The truth, about my brother and...well, everything. I'm relieved to know what happened, after all these years of not having all the pieces fit together properly. At least now I have clarification." Kate looked at him with deep pride in her face. "He was a hero."
"Aye. Indeed he was. Something we can finally agree on."
"He was everything my mum told me he was, even when she must have had her own unanswered doubts about him. I miss him."
"Aye."
She looked deeply into his face. "Jack? I...I have to do something..."
"Name it. It's done." Jack interrupted her.
"Briggs." Kate snapped. "He must be thwarted! Someone has to stop him and shut him down, once and for all! But..."
"You can't possibly do that alone, luv." Jack smirked. "Besides, I have me own personal score to settle with the sea snake. I'll put an end to his bloody business, then the seas will be well rid of him!"
"You're a good friend, Jack." Kate sighed.
"Meh." Jack pretended not to notice. "Come. I think we've stayed down here long enough." He took her hand and helped her to her feet.
"I'll need water." Kate stated. "Need to wash my face."
"I'll say!" Jack agreed. "You look bloody awful. Can't have a lovely lass like you walking around deck looking like that!" He exclaimed dramatically. Her face was still quite red and her eyes were puffy. Kate giggled. "Ladies first." He grinned. Kate shuffled forward, trying to find the stairs. "Can't forget me rum!" Jack gasped, snatching a bottle before locking the door.
During this last scene with Jack, I listened to Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince soundtrack, when Harry comforted Hermoine. The mood felt so right. Story's not over quite yet!