Will did not know what to say. He'd had difficulty trusting Jack in the past, when he'd asked him to help save Elizabeth from Barbossa. Will remembered how he had felt betrayed by Jack's wily ways in the beginning, not understanding the way the pirate normally handled sticky situations. And now here was poor, orphaned Thomas feeling the same way. "Jack will come through, Thomas." Will tried to say encouragingly.

"That backstabber can just sit in jail and rot for all I care." Thomas snapped. Will gripped his shoulder and lightly pushed him against the stone wall.

"Listen, I know that right now, it appears that Jack is only going to mope and feel sorry for himself." Will began. "And I know it looks like he doesn't care at all about Kate, or anyone else."

"You just figured that one out?" Thomas glared.

"Jack will come through, lad." Will said reassuringly. "He wants you to think he won't, so that everyone will have their plans turned upside down when he comes forth. It's just his way. I'll confess, I am more often than not one of his unsuspecting victims."

"I do not trust the famous Captain Jack Sparrow." Thomas said coldly.

"Then trust us." Will said. "Trust Elizabeth, and me." Thomas looked at them thoughtfully, obviously conflicted with himself. He trusted Will and Elizabeth. He would trust them with his life, any time, any matter. But Jack? That foolhardy pirate acted like he cared about nobody but himself. Why should Thomas trust him? He'd been under the employment under such people before, and he hated the memory. If Jack was anything like the former captain of the Cartwheel, Thomas wanted nothing more to do with him.

"I need some air." Thomas turned on his heel and fled up the stairs.

Will and Elizabeth went to visit Kate. "I'm sorry I dragged you both into this." Kate sighed without meeting their eyes.

"Well, not that I enjoyed getting thrashed and chased down," Will shrugged, "but, Kate dear, it was worth it, knowing you finally found your father."

"I am honored that I was able to get to know him." Elizabeth smiled sadly. "He was very brave to go through what he did, and not let it taint his soul."

"You're both so kind." Kate murmured defeatedly. Dad was brave! And, I suppose tomorrow, we'll finally be together again...all of us!

Thomas silently stormed out of the fort, keeping his eyes down and refusing to gaze into the faces of any of Norrington's soldiers. He made for the harbor and climbed into a small row boat. He needed to clear his head, and the jail was certainly not the place to do it!

"Considering what the poor girl has endured, I think we could make an exception this time." Governor Swann told Norrington inside the commodore's office.

"There is nothing I would like better, Governor Swann." Norrington said in a bored tone. "But you know as well as I do that we cannot go bending the rules of the law every time one in our custody has extenuating circumstances."

"I know." Governor Swann nodded sadly. "But she's so young. She and Elizabeth have been good friends for years. Elizabeth will be heartbroken."

"I'm well aware of their mutual companionship, Sir." Norrington groaned. "But, the people of this city need to understand the law is the law, and must be upheld. If we become lenient too often, crime will become more prevalent."

"I only wish it was merely at Jack Sparrow's expense, and not also to Kate's." Governor Swann hung his head.

The Black Pearl was peacefully quiet as Thomas rowed up to it far out in the bay, out of sight of Port Royal, and climbed up the side of the ship. He glanced around tearfully at the familiar vessel. This was where he and Kate had gotten to know each other. This was where he'd met her courageous father. This was where he'd made good friends: Anamaria, Elizabeth, Will, Gibbs...this was where he'd been family. And now it felt as if everything good in his life was being stripped away!

Kate was the reason he woke up every morning with renewed hope in his heart. Not only had she stood up for him, but she'd treated him as a friend from the start, as had some of the others. She, like him, was not poisoned by the dark scars of the world that they'd had to endure, but rather reached out for light, for hope, for possibilities of better things to come. He wanted to become a better person, and see her proud of him. Now? It seemed like all hope was lost!

"Bad news, eh?" Gibbs spoke softly as he stood next to him. Thomas nodded sadly.

"Sometimes I wonder what is truly worse, the law or the crime?" He mumbled with his arms crossed.

"Aye, 'tis a hard line to draw at times." Gibbs said. "Especially considering when the ones we care about are in the middle of it."

"Jack won't come forward, that he took the letters from her." Thomas gravely looked up at the older man. "He's just going to sit by casually and let Kate die! I can't forgive him for that."

"Now, now. Take it easy there, lad." Gibbs said soothingly, patting his shoulder. "Have a seat." Thomas sat down dejectedly with his elbows on his knees, running his hands through his hair, tears in his eyes. "Old Jack won't let young Miss Kate face the gallows, lad. Ye mark my words, he'll get her out of this sticky situation."

"Why should I believe that?" Thomas looked up at him, completely disheartened. "You didn't see him when we tried to reason with him. He acted like he couldn't care less!"

"I know. I know, Jack likes people to think he only looks out for his own, personal interests." Gibbs grinned. "But if he were a true, bloody scalawag who don't give the time of day, he wouldn't have gone after Will and Miss Kate at Whitecap Bay. No sane person dare ventures into that godforsaken place, not even pirates! But Jack did, didn't he?"

"I don't know what to think." Thomas shook his head dismally. "I feel like there's nothing I can do! I meet the most special person in the world to me, and now I can't even save her!"

"There now, Tommy. It will all work itself out." Gibbs smiled.

"I wish I could believe that." Thomas bit his lip. He prayed every minute to the God in heaven Who'd heard his prayers as an orphan that some miracle would happen! Thomas reached inside his shirt, and pulled something small out. He rubbed his chest, and a tiny flash shone in the moonlight on his breast.

"What's that?" Gibbs asked curiously. Whatever trinket it was, no one had ever noticed it before, because it had always been hidden inside Thomas's shirt.

"Oh, just a small heirloom. It's all I have of my mother's." Thomas sighed. "They found it on me when I was dumped at the orphanage. I thought I'd shown it to Kate already! But I haven't. "

Gibbs pulled a lantern nearby closer. "Let me see that." He said thoughtfully and gently held the puny treasure in his hand, hanging from an almost transparent chain around Thomas's neck. It was an emerald birthstone inside a golden clasp. It had on the outside a very old, faded smear of red on it, a little bloodstain from the past. "Tommy," Gibbs' eyes widened with astonishment, "where did you say you got this?"

"It was my mother's, that I was wearing it as a baby when I was abandoned by the man living with her." Thomas answered. "I've had it for years. What? Does this mean something to you?"

Gibbs gently stroked the tiny gem, his stunned expression growing by the second. He looked up at gazed at the youth with a look of wonder Thomas had never seen before. "Gibbs, what is it?" Thomas asked.

"Tommy, my good boy," Gibbs spoke tenderly, "that was my sister's!"