A/N: Ha-ha! After working on it all week, I finally have a full chapter. You may notice that I included the scene from last time but I changed the viewpoint. You'll see what I mean. Sorry bout taking so long, school, homework etc.
This is my first POTC ff, so try not to be to hard on me. (Constructive criticism is welcome though!)
I forgot to include this last time so...
Disclaimer: I do not own (obviously) anything from Pirates of the Caribbean. Nope, Disney wouldn't sell me the rights for all the money I have (25 cents). Cat and her bar are mine though. Mine! (Yes, sometimes I'm slightly odd. Sorry if I scare you. *Grins insanely*)
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Chapter 1: A Wedding and a Fight
Jennifer "Cat" Cattilia was sitting at a table in her bar, debating whether or not to go to Elizabeth and Will's wedding. She knew she ought to, Elizabeth had practically begged her to come but Cat didn't like the idea of closing the bar. She'd have a lot of angry customers on her hands and she had to have business.
Cat's eyes strayed to the grating that was open next to the doorway. She supposed she could always lock that to keep people from breaking in. Will had fixed it for her, it was the same sort of door they used in the jail cells. He'd made it when she'd been having trouble with people breaking in and stealing her rum. Her rum was of very high quality, partially because Cat had convinced Elizabeth to get her father to buy it and then send it to Cat.
If I don't go, Cat found herself thinking, Elizabeth will be so mad. I mean, I already agreed didn't I? Cat had already put on the dress Elizabeth had insisted she wear for the wedding. Cat didn't want to go though. Norrington would be there.
Which was the real reason for not wanting to go. Elizabeth's father had convinced her to invite Norrington, even though the man had wanted Elizabeth for himself. Cat didn't like the man at all and she didn't want to have anything to do with him. He only just barely tolerated her bar, because she was good friends with Elizabeth.
I wouldn't have to socialize with him though. I could just stick around Elizabeth and Will the whole time until the ceremony. And even then I wouldn't have to sit near him. Her mind made up, Cat went and got the key to the grating door and locked it and the regular wooden door as she left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jack Sparrow knew he was taking a risk. He knew that he really shouldn't be so close to Port Royal with Norrington there and all. But he couldn't miss the lovebird's wedding. The two of them were going to get married tonight and Will and Elizabeth had made him promise to come. He didn't actually have to attend the ceremony but they wanted him to see it.
Jack sighed to himself as he climbed out of the rowboat. The sun was setting on the ocean as he turned to look back at the Pearl. The sun glimmered on the water, and it was almost like a scene from a painting. Jack shook himself. He had to hurry if he wanted to find a safe spot to watch the ceremony from.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cat hurried up to the door of the governor's house. The governor insisted that the wedding be held at his house and Cat could see why. The grounds were perfect for an outdoor ceremony. Sighing, Cat went to knock on the door and was surprised when it flew open before she could do so.
"Jennifer!" Elizabeth said as she pulled Cat into a hug.
"Elizabeth," Cat said as she detached herself from the bride. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's Cat, not Jennifer." She smiled. "How long have you been waiting for me?"
"For five minutes at least," Elizabeth said. "I was afraid you wouldn't show."
"I promised didn't I?" Cat said.
"Well, it wouldn't have been the first time you didn't show for something."
"Where's everyone else?" Cat asked. The sooner she knew where Norrington was the easier she could avoid him.
"Everyone's out in the backyard, where we'll be having the ceremony," Elizabeth said. "You'd better get back there by the way, we're going to be starting soon."
Cat nodded, hugged her friend again and set off for the back. When she got there the first thing she noticed was how many redcoats there were. That Elizabeth would tolerate that was astonishing to Cat. She had invited Sparrow, hadn't she? And she was tolerating redcoats at her wedding? Cat shook herself, this was Elizabeth's wedding, not hers. She wouldn't have allowed redcoats at her wedding...
Wait, what am I thinking? Cat thought. My wedding? I don't even plan on marrying! Gee, I haven't even been here five minutes and I need a drink. Cat made her way to the refreshment table and grabbed a glass of wine. Sipping on it, she went to find herself a seat.
She nearly ran into a redcoat as she turned around. The rude comment she was about to make died in her throat as she realized this particular redcoat was none other than Commodore Norrington.
"Commodore," she said her voice reserved, "forgive me, I did not see you."
"That is quite understandable Miss Cattilia," Norrington said. His own voice held a note of annoyance, as it always did when he spoke to her. "How are you this evening?"
Cat hated making small talk and if it weren't for the fact that this Elizabeth's wedding she would have been tempted to turn and walk off. She managed to bring a smile to her face, the false smile she reserved for social events. "I am well enough Commodore and yourself?"
"I am well." He was silent for a moment. Then in a quiet voice he said, "I have been informed that Captain Jack Sparrow is in the area Miss Cattilia."
"Indeed?" What was he hinting at? That she knew where he was?
"If you happen to run across him, I will expect you to report it immediately."
"Of course Commodore," she said. Norrington turned around and walked off. Well, Cat thought, that was odd. Did he really think she would even consider going near Sparrow? Well, all right, she could understand why he might think that she'd see him. She did, after all, run an establishment that allowed pirates. But did he honestly think that she would be allowing Sparrow in her bar for one minute?
Cat walked over to find a seat, the ceremony was about to start.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours later, and slightly tipsy, Cat made her way through Port Royal to her bar. There was a crowd of men and even a few women standing around outside it and Cat grinned to herself.
"Hey Cat, where you been?" Tomas, the old bartender called. "The customers have been rather upset."
"Sorry 'bout that Tomas," she said. "I had a wedding to go to and you know my policy."
Tomas nodded and the group of men cleared a path to the doorway for her. Pulling the key out of a pocket in her dress she unlocked both of the doors and headed inside. She nodded to Tomas and helped him light the lanterns. As the crowd that had been collecting outside began to filter in Cat said, "Tomas, there's word that Jack Sparrow may be in town. If he comes in here, let me know. The last thing I need is Commodore Norrington throwing me into jail for aiding a wanted criminal."
"Of course," Tomas said. "Now go sleep off some of that wine. I don't need my boss being on drunk on me got it?"
"Who said I'm drunk?" Cat muttered as she headed to the back of the bar where her room was located. She pulled off her dress and changed into her more comfortable, A.K.A. men's, clothes before tumbling onto the bed and falling into sleep.
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Jack walked down the streets of Port Royal. He'd snuck into the Governor's house though one of the windows and watched the ceremony from one of the guest rooms. As he had expected it had been long dull and boring. And unlike the guests, he hadn't had a chance to drink anything, be it rum or wine. Jack had decided he needed a pick-me-up before he headed back to the Pearl for the night. He would be seeing Elizabeth and Will the next morning, if he managed to get around Norrington's men.
A small bar on the outskirts of town caught his attention. Grinning to himself he walked in.
The bar was fairly well lit, though the corners were dark and shadowy. Jack headed to the bar where the old bartender was polishing a glass. Jack sat down and the old man came over to him.
"What'll it be?" he asked, his voice gruff.
"Rum," Jack said simply and the old man nodded and grabbed dusty looking bottle off the shelf.
"That'll be eight shillings," the old bartender said. Jack, who had been reaching for his purse stopped.
"For just one bottle?" he asked incredulously. The old man nodded. Jack sighed and put the money down on the bar, which the old man swept up as he set the bottle down in front of Jack. "This better be bloody good rum," he muttered to himself as he opened the bottle.
"It is," the old man said, overhearing him. "We get it straight from the Governor's daughter herself."
Jack grinned. From Elizabeth hmm? And she said she hated rum. Jack laughed and took a drink from the bottle. He was immediately forced to agree with the bartender, it was bloody good rum!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cat was awoken by a hand shaking her shoulder. Without opening her eyes she said, "What is it Crissie?" She knew the hand on her shoulder belonged to Crissie, the sole barmaid who worked for her. Everyone else just yelled in her ear to wake her up.
"Tomas says that Jack Sparrow's in the bar Cat," Crissie said.
Cat sat up and her eyes flashed open. "How long has he been here?"
Crissie bit her lip uncertainly and said, "About an hour I guess?"
Cat swore. "And why wasn't I awoken before this?"
"We only just found out!" Crissie answered. "He came in and bought a bottle of rum and it wasn't until he was halfway through his second bottle that he revealed who he was."
Cat swore again. "All right," she said. "Go on back out and tell Tomas I'll be out in a minute." Crissie nodded and left Cat's room, carefully shutting the door behind her.
Damn, Cat thought as she brushed her hair out and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, He's been here long enough, if Norrington finds out... Cat shook her head. He was always looking for something she was doing wrong. If it wasn't her customers than she was buying the rum illegally or she was stealing it. He never gave her a moment's peace. And he expected her to turn Sparrow in? Yeah right. Her income came from old pirates who would desert her and never come back if she invited redcoats into the bar. She would half to deal with this her way...
Cat strapped her sword to her side and stuck her small backup knife in the harness on the inside of her boot before throwing the door open and emerging into the smoky gloom of the bar.
The first thing she noticed was the strong smell of tobacco in the air. As she looked around she saw that once again Ryan was sitting in the corner smoking. How many times had she told him not to do that? Oh, well, it didn't matter right now. Shooting a death glare in his direction anyway (which he missed) she walked over to Tomas, who nodded towards the man sitting at the bar. His brown hair was covered in a hat and it looked as though underneath the hat he wore a bandanna. There were beads hanging amongst his hair as well, giving him an almost Gypsy-like air. He was also sporting a beard, which was plaited into two braids.
Cat grimaced. This was the famous Jack Sparrow that every woman fell for? The same Jack Sparrow who had escaped not once, but twice, from Norrington? She was not impressed. To her, all he looked like was another drunken pirate. This was going to be easy.
She leaned forward across the bar. Her black hair fell forward and she pushed it out of her face. Sparrow's dark brown (Chocolate brown, a part of her mind whispered.) eyes took her in. She studied him for a moment. She let her eyes harden and she studied him in the way she would study an enemy.
"Ah yes," she said, allowing her voice to become mocking. "Jack Sparrow. The infamous Jack Sparrow." Cat could here the snickers of a few of her regular customers who had undergone this ritual themselves.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," he said, and Cat realized that he was a bit more alert than she had thought. Oh well, it didn't matter.
"What makes you think you have the right to come in here?" Cat said her voice dripping with venom. She had to get him out of here before he got her in trouble. Besides, she didn't like him very much as it was.
"Well, last I checked, love, this bar was open to anyone," Sparrow said, his eyes (chocolate brown) showing just a hint of irritation.
"Well, Captain Sparrow," she said as she walked out from behind the bar, "the rules have changed since you last came here." Wait, what the bloody hell is he talking about, since when has Sparrow ever been in my bar? Shaking herself mentally she locked eyes with him and continued, "I have a share in this bar and any pirate who comes in here must earn my respect before they drink."
"It's a bit late for that, love," he said, grinning and holding up his now nearly empty rum bottle.
"I know," Cat said, allowing the barest of smiles to flitter across her lips momentarily. He was drunk, that much was obvious, and that meant his senses would be dulled and he would be slower. "Any pirate who fails to earn my respect before drinking must fight with me." She saw Sparrow's eyebrows start to rise in disbelief. "A sword fight. If they win they have the right to throw me out and take my share in the bar. If they lose..." Cat hesitated a moment and felt herself smirking. "I have the right to throw them out and ban them from ever coming back."
Sparrow stood and looked at her slowly, as if determining whether she was worth his time. Apparently, he decided she was because he said, in slightly mocking tones of his own, "All right then, love, but don't get too upset when I win."
Arrogant, like all the rest of them, Cat thought as once again her regulars snickered.
"Cat, don't," Tomas's soft voice warned. She turned to look at him. She wasn't surprised to see the worried expression on his face. He seemed to think that it was his job to look out for her. "Cat, that's Jack Sparrow."
Cat gritted her teeth. "I know who it is Tomas," she said. Did the old geezer seriously think she wasn't aware of what she was doing? "What's your point?"
"My point is," Tomas said his voice a little sterner when he saw how little effect his words had on her, "I don't want you to make a royal fool of yourself."
She turned away, he was starting to annoy her. Taking a phrase she had heard from Elizabeth she said, "Well, Tomas, I appreciate your concern but I'm afraid I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request." She met Sparrow's eyes again and said, "As the challenger you have the right to choose the ground Mr. Sparrow. Will it be in here or outside?"
Oh, please let him choose outside, Cat thought remembering a time when the challenger had actually chosen indoors. That had been a bloody mess.
"Oh, outside I think love," he said with a grin. Cat turned and walked towards the door, ignoring the amused smiles of her regulars. They thought this was hilarious.
I probably shouldn't have my back to him, Cat thought as she shoved open the door and emerged into the darkness of the yard. She blinked several times, trying to make her eyes adapt faster. Luckily it was a full moon so the entire yard was illuminated in its silvery light. As Cat turned back around to look at Sparrow she briefly wondered what the moonlight made her look like. With an internal sigh she pulled her blade slowly out of its sheath and held it out in front of her. She did so with a measured slowness that let what Will called her "cat's grace" show through. She held her sword out in front of her as she had done many times before.
Sparrow watched her as she did so and when she had drawn her blade he quickly unsheathed his and held it out in front of him almost casually. Cat raised an eyebrow at him as they began to circle each other.
It's hard to tell whether he's drunk or just like that all the time, Cat thought to herself as she watched him sway back and forth slightly. Suddenly his sword was moving towards her throat. She brought her sword up and knocked it away before it could reach its intended target. He was fast, but not so fast she couldn't handle it. Imitating his actions, she moved her sword towards his throat and was pleased when he knocked it away just as she had. It wouldn't have done for her to beat him in the beginning. She smiled as she slipped into her predatory, fighting mode and swung her blade hard. Sparrow blocked it with ease.
(A/N: Yeah sorry I can't write sword fights well so please forgive me.)
For a good portion of the fight Cat had Sparrow on the retreat. This is almost too easy, she found herself thinking. Then, quite suddenly it became Cat who was on the retreat. Sparrow was advancing and as hard as she tried she couldn't make him back down. She found herself taking step after backwards. Finally, her back hit the fence and she nearly fell back over it. As she tried to regain her balance, Sparrow knocked her blade from her hand and the tip of his sword was at her throat. Cat made certain she was holding very still.
I knew it was too easy, Cat thought bitterly. Why did I have to offer him my "share" in the bar? Bet now I've lost it. Cat had not lost one of her sword fights in a long time and fear began to well up in her at the thought of losing her bar to Sparrow. Her bar was her home, all she had left of her family.
~*Flashback*~
Cat found Will's sword at her throat once more, her own on the floor, only just out of her reach. He had beaten her again by using one of the hardest moves she had ever seen.
"How did you do that?" She demanded. "You were tired, where did you get the energy for that?"
Will shook his head at her. "You just committed one of the most common mistakes in swordplay. Never underestimate your opponent."
~*End Flashback*~
She could feel Sparrow's eyes studying her. She now knew that he had been far from drunk, in fact he had been almost completely sober. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Cat chided herself. You completely ignored everything Elizabeth had told you about him. You underestimated him. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Sparrow's sword moved away from her throat, and Cat was surprised that she managed to get the words out.
"So, Sparrow, will you take my share in the bar? You've earned your right to it."
Filled with apprehension she waited for his answer, not meeting his eyes.
Jack frowned. There was something in Cat's voice that seemed off, perhaps it was the way she refused to meet his eyes. He could certainly understand being bitter about not winning but this felt like something else to him.
"I've no interest in running a bar, love," Jack said. "Tell, you what, give me a few bottles of that wonderful rum of yours free of charge and we'll be calling it even."
"Deal," Cat said quickly and her eyes finally met his. There was a gratefulness in her eyes. Jack realized that her share in the bar must have meant quite a lot to her. He'd meant what he'd said though. He was a pirate and as far as he was concerned the only thing to do with rum is drink it. He never would have been able to stock up alcoholic drinks as she had.
Cat felt all her tension dissipate at Jack's words. She could keep her bar!
But what now, she thought as they reentered the bar. How do I get him to leave now?
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Reviewer Thanks:
EriksAngel2: Thanks, I'm glad you like Cat, I've been working hard on her, to keep her from becoming a Mary-Sue. And as for loving Jack... Who doesn't?
G0ldensnidget, a.k.a. Snitch: Yeah I know, everything's been used so many times over it's sometimes hard to be original. And as for Cat and Jack falling madly in love by the third chapter, don't worry, I won't. I hate stories where some woman and Jack are immediately in love. Those just bug me.
OrcaGirl: He-he, glad you're so enthusiastic about!
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