"He did?" Elizabeth gasped when Kate told her about Thomas.
"Aye, he did, Elizabeth." Kate smiled happily.
"Did you tell him?"
"Yes." Kate nodded. Elizabeth hugged her.
"That's wonderful, Kate. If you like, you may keep your position at Father's, until you and Thomas can make settling arrangements."
"I would appreciate that, thank you." Kate said. "Besides, it will be good to be back, doing something familiar. Something I knew, before...all of this." Elizabeth nodded.
"Well, I'm glad for you, Kate." Will said.
"Thank you, Will." Kate smiled.
"Thomas is a decent man, and a hard worker. I know that he will take good care of you." Will added.
Thomas would've loved to have married Kate on the spot aboard the Pearl, but that would be impractical right now. Kate was still freshly grieving for her father, and Thomas wanted to be sure he could get a job. Will was up and about again, though his back was sore. Elizabeth was looking forward to getting back home. Then she and Will could finalize their wedding plans and finally get married!
This journey has been one unforgettable adventure! Kate wrote in her diary. It's been an exciting trip, and we've made some new friends. But...I still wish that Dad was here with us!
Jack kept telling himself that he would be so relieved to get rid of the youngins and have his ship back to himself. But, deep underneath all that goofiness and scurvy pirate facade, he was going to miss them. His life was never dull when Elizabeth and Will were involved! And now with the addition of Kate and Thomas,-whether Jack wanted to include him or not-, he'd grown very fond of all the 'whelps'." Like it or not, he was going to miss them.
"There it is." Gibbs pointed out to Thomas as the Black Pearl trolled her way into the Port Royal harbor.
"It's hard to believe we're finally here." Will breathed in relief. Jack ordered the crew to weigh the anchor.
"Jack, thank you." Elizabeth smiled at him.
"No problem, luv. But I was figurin' on accompanying ye and the other whelps to the docks. Wouldn't do to have your father think I didn't keep my word to bring you safely back, now would it?" Jack teased.
"No." Elizabeth agreed.
After saying goodbye to the crew and thanking them, Jack, Elizabeth, Will, Thomas, and Kate rowed together to the docks. Then they marched through town, heading to the main square. James Norrington and some of his soldiers were standing around, keeping an eye on things when Elizabeth called to him. He smiled when he saw her and quickly strode over to them. "Elizabeth, you're back! And safely too. Oh, your father will be happy to know that." He said.
"It's good to be back, James." Elizabeth smiled. "You look well. Where is Father?"
"He's up at the fort, going over paperwork. He's been preoccupied with your wedding plans."
"I see." Elizabeth said. Will, Kate, and Thomas appeared.
"Commodore." Will and Kate both acknowledged him.
"Mr. Turner." Norrington said rather curtly then bowed his head courteously to Kate. "Miss Summers." Before they could introduce Thomas, Jack sauntered over to them. "You...again." Norrington sighed, with a pitifully exasperated look.
"That's right. Me again." Jack smirked. The soldiers surrounded him in case he should try to escape again.
"Well, it's good to see that you all appear unharmed, and no worse for wear." Norrington remarked. Then he turned directly to Kate. "I believe you know what I am waiting for, Miss Summers?"
"Aye, sir." Kate nodded slowly.
"Well...the release papers, Miss, if you please?" Norrington spoke stiffly, holding his hand out. Kate gulped down hard. "Oh, please don't tell me they were swiped off of your person. I wonder who it could've been." He muttered sarcastically. Kate said nothing. "Miss Summers, would you be so kind as to hand over the release papers for Mr. Sparrow's probation?"
"I...I can't." Kate bit her lip.
"You can't? Why not?" Norrington frowned.
"I-I do not have them, sir." Kate mumbled, suddenly feeling as if she'd been reduced to the size of a peanut.
"You don't have them? Why would that be?"
"I..." Kate stared at her feet. "I lost them. They were gone before I could retrieve them." She explained.
They were stolen! Will thought angrily.
"Why do I not have a surprised feeling?" Norrington huffed.
"Commodore." Elizabeth scolded him.
"Well, without release papers of probation, under the jurisdiction of the Crown, according to Port Royal law, Captain Sparrow is hereby considered a fugitive. Plug him in irons and take him to the brig." Norrington ordered.
"Not again." Jack rolled his eyes. Thomas gaped. Elizabeth pursed her lips. Norrington stepped closer to Kate. She didn't dare look him in the eyes.
"Miss Summers, we made a bargain. As long as you had the papers, the pirate was free. Circumstances being what they are, that no longer appears to be the case." Norrington said grimly. "He was in your custody. Captain Sparrow was your responsibility. You gave you word, that should things not go according to plan..."
"Begging your pardon, Commodore, but I remember our deal. I have not been so wrapped up in my grief to have forgotten that! I gave my word. I must stand by it." Kate declared solemnly.
"It's your call, miss." Norrington sighed. "Put her also in the brig."
"What?" Jack's head shot up. What the bloody heck is this?
"What?! NO! You can't! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Thomas protested.
"Without the probation papers, I have no choice but to charge her with aiding and abetting a fugitive from justice." Norrington said dryly. It wasn't that he was enjoying this. "The law is the law."
"Let her go!" Thomas demanded.
"Officers, remove this man." Norrington said. The soldiers took Thomas by the arms to lead him away.
"She's not a criminal! You can't just put her in jail!" Thomas shouted.
"The whelp does bring up a point, mate." Jack added.
"You are the last person I want to hear from on how to run my squadron, Mr. Sparrow." Norrington snapped.
"Will you do nothing?!" Thomas pleaded to Will and Elizabeth as he was dragged away.
Elizabeth pursed her lips. "We need to have a talk." She said coldly.
Jack sighed as he was thrown in his cell. This was nothing new to him. In fact, he was quiet used to it. He lay on the floor, trying to grasp what he'd just learned. He was befuddled over the unexpected turn of events, and Jack Sparrow did not like to feel befuddled. "So...the lassie risked her freedom, to get me out?" He spoke to himself, struggling to understand this. "Was it the only way to insure my freedom, so that I would tell her about her father and help her find the good captain? So...as long as she had the release papers, I was a free man. But if she did not return them, then she became a criminal, in the eyes of the law?" He recalled that moment back on the Vendetta, in the brig, when he'd torn up the said papers:
"What are you doing?!" Kate gasped, clutching the cell bars.
"Won't be needin' this anymore." Jack replied calmly, tearing the papers up into tiny little pieces on the floor.
"What are you thinking?!" Kate sputtered. "If we get back to Port Royal, without those letters of release, they'll arrest you and you'll be hanged!"
"Story of my life, luv." Jack shrugged. "I escaped Norrington and the noose once, I can do it again."
"Uhh...you had a little help along the way, remember?" Elizabeth interjected.
"So, you just used them as a get out of jail free card?" Kate glared at Jack. "This was your plan all along? I did that to protect you, Jack! Not just so you'd help me, but also so you wouldn't be stopped by the authorities if we ran into them."
"And a truly noble gesture it was, dear. But old Jack doesn't need protection from no one." Jack grinned cheesily. "Pirate's life, luv. Take what you can, give nothing back."
Jack sulked in his cell. "Well, she failed to mention the risks she'd taken to get me out." He told himself feebly. "Had I known, I would not have so thoughtlessly disregarded the letters. No one told me!" He huffed, trying to justify himself.
"You need to remember, Jack, that Thomas has spent a good number of years under a man who considered human life cheap" Elizabeth said tersely. "I think he associates that terrible experience with your flippancy."
Jack sighed deeply. "Do my friends really not trust me that much?" He mumbled. "I meant no harm. I was just doing what old Jack does." He rubbed his chin. "The girl must have dearly loved her father very much." He groaned to himself. "I swore to Summers I'd keep her safe till I brought her back home. Well, she's home again, and she's not safe! Well, I didn't ask her to sacrifice herself for me! I'd have thought of something.
'What have I done? All the poor girl wanted was to know the truth. I should've just told her right from the beginning instead of playing stupid, dizzy games. Ahh, Katie darling. I'm sorry, luv. What will become of her now?" Jack gaped, now concerned. "Helping a pirate, from my experience, the consequences for such actions in this fine and upstanding town are far from favorable! This can't end well, if bloody Norrington sticks to the rules like the vexing fly that he is. Katie is in danger. The poor child must be scared to death. I must help her. I owe it to her, and her old man."