Chapter 2- As Fate Knocks On The Door

*Jack's POV*

As I looked into her eyes, once happy and bright, I noticed they had turned disconsolate ever so quickly. It was just too overbearing to see her in this state. As I was once, she too was also a pirate, always at my side. It ran in her blood. She was longing to break free and go on another expedition- to teach Molly the tricks of the trade, as I did myself. Kat reminisced our rendezvous' when we were but young acquaintances and our many spent days out on the briny deep before our marriage. I wholeheartedly fathomed that. She opened her eyes wide and began to articulate.

"Of course I do, how could I not? It was one of the grandest days of my lifetime."

*Flashback- Jack and Katherine's meeting*

It was a balmy summer night, nearly five days after Captain Jack Sparrow had escaped the Commodore's army. He had been sailing on the sea day in and day out trying to find a safe place to dock and stay for a while. His mind wandered out of curiosity as to how Will and Elizabeth were doing as an engaged couple. Jack yearned to stay with them and try to find a woman for himself, but being a pirate there weren't exactly any keepers sailing along the Spanish Main. The sky was pitch black and he could barely see the shoreline, until the ship began to approach what looked like a small, isolated town. Jack could tell from the lights.

"Drop anchor here- looks like a good ol' spot for me to catch me' self some sleep. We'll stay in this poor excuse for a city."

As soon as everything was set, Jack and his crew lowered the lifeboats and rowed to shore as discreetly as possible. They began to cover the boats after landing on shore with as much seaweed and driftwood as possible, just in case someone were to decide to come and meander along the beach for any reason whatsoever, even in the dead of night. As they finished, the crew began to look around the small city.

"Where do 'ye suppose we stay Cap'n Sparrow?" one of them asked meekly.

"Don't know- but that's just the ol' risk 'ye have to take when 'ye travel by sea, savvy. You stay 'ere jus' in case I get into a bit o' trouble…then you sail back to me' Black Pearl and wait for me to return."

"Aye-aye, sir."

"Off with ya' now- hide 'ye scallywags!"

Jack's feet sunk into the damp sand every time he walked, and he began to swear in result of his frustration. He kept his head high and looked around, slowly approaching the homes of the citizens.

"Ahh…no, too small. Hmm…maybe that one…nope, too fancy. There's gotta be some 'ouse in this god forsaken city jus' perfect enough for ol' Jack…"

He paused and stopped walking to look at a house right next to him. There were candles burning in the windows, giving it a warm, welcoming look.

"Let's try 'ere shall we?"

Jack took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He heard the shuffling of feet walking towards the front of the house. Suddenly, he was startled with the face of a pretty, young woman.

"Oh my bloody 'ell…Hold on for a bit, lass."

Jack's hand darted for the doorknob and he shut the door, awestruck with the mere beauty of the mistress. After hitting himself in the head, walking back and forth in a circle and blinking a few times, he knocked on the door again.

"Hello pretty miss, my name is Captain Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl. I'm in town for a night to get some sleep and I was wondering if I could…"

"Dear lord…you are…you are the pirate they've been looking for!"

Jack's face turned livid and he became surprised and apprehensive. Fidgeting, he replied.

"Ohhhh…well I see word's already got out 'ere. Guess that means I won't be able to land me' self a room, huh pretty miss?"

Katherine looked around cautiously as if she was questioning her consience, and her heart, to let Jack stay in the same house as her. She stood in the threshold, bewildered, as she began to think.

'He doesn't seem like he is planning to hurt me. He may be a pirate, but he may be a very gentle person, when it comes to women of course. Mother and father are away for the rest of the week, so no one would have to know exactly what happened tonight…I think I'll take a chance and let him in."

"Of course not…you're quite a charmer. Come in Captain Sparrow. And please, call me Kat."

She curtsied, giving him a pleasant, welcoming smile. Jack looked around the house as he was guided in, running his hands on the oak tables to check for dust, grabbing a few trinkets now and then and dropping them in his pockets. There were fancy chairs in the parlor and it seemed even bigger inside than out, but even Jack knew that not even half of the crew would fit in here.

'Oh well, they'll sleep on the ship. I'll sleep in a mighty large bed…'opefully I won't even be doin' much sleepin' with this beauty in the 'ouse…'

Jack's mind wandered as Katherine led him to the back of the house into the kitchen, where there was a set of stairs.

"You're room's just up these stairs, Captain Sparrow."

Katherine turned around to check on the pirate, just to make sure he wasn't about to plan anything mutinous, but instead she caught sight of his seductive brown eyes.

"Please," he grinned mischievously, "call me Jack."

The two headed up the winding staircase and they were soon in the bedchamber on the top floor. There were four oil lamps, one in each corner of the room, and a bed fit for a king. Noticing that he had left a trail of dirt behind him, Jack chuckled.

"Erm…sorry about the rug…I'll clean it up in the mornin'…"

"No, no, no…it's quite alright. It's just…I'm terribly sorry…Cap…I mean, Jack, this is the only room I can keep you in. Don't take me the wrong way or anything, but-"

Katherine was interrupted by a loud knock at the back door. Looking out the window, she shoved Jack into a closet and she whispered to him.

"Stay here. They're…they're looking for you. Do not make a sound because it's for your own good. I will return later to check on you and we can get to know each other better."

She began to walk away, when Jack grabbed her wrist, reeling her in as if she were a fish he had just caught. He ran his dirty hands through her silky blonde hair and he kissed her on the lips.

"Come back soon, love," he whispered reluctantly, "I need another kiss."

He released her as she laughed quietly, tiptoeing out of the room and back down the spiral staircase. Meanwhile, Kat opened the door, acting surprised to see the "unexpected" visitors.

"Hello Miss Stone. We're looking for a pirate. A pirate by the name of Jack Sparrow. He often likes to add Captain to that, or call himself Captain Smith. Does he sound familiar?" one of the men questioned her.

"Hmm," Katherine pretended to ponder for a moment before finishing her sentence, "I don't know. Is there any chance that some fine gentlemen like yourselves would be able to provide me with a description?"

"Of course, Miss Stone. Let me see here…description, description. Here were are."

Impatiently, Katherine protested.

"Well read it off! The more you delay, the more time this pirate has to escape if he's even in this town!"

"Yes Miss Stone. He is in his early adulthood, his estimated age is around thirty-five. He's about five feet eleven inches and he has a rugged and dirty appearance. Is that enough?"

"Yes, yes it's fine I suppose. It's enough for me to be able to say that I have not seen him wandering about. If I do at any time I will be sure to contact you immediately."

"Wonderful. Be sure to lock your shudders and your doors…good night Miss Stone."

As Katherine watched the men exit through the back gate, she wondered in amazement how she was able to pull that sort of a thing off. She had rarely told a lie, especially to the authorities, but this time, she actually felt joyous about it instead of very guilty. She ran back inside, slamming and locking the heavy wooden door behind her, causing the glass to rattle. Panting, she returned to Jack in the locked closet and freed him from his temporary cell.

"Aye, I was wonderin' when you were gonna get back 'ere. I missed ya. Now. Let's do this talkin' thing ya wanted to do."

The two layed down on the bed and began to shoot questions back and forth at each other.

"So, Jack, how old are you?"

"I'm turnin' 32 this November, pretty miss."

"Do not kid me Jack, you are not turning 32, you look much, much younger!"

"'Right then. Tell me. How old are you, love?"

"Well…I am going to be…"

"Out with it Kat. You made me tell!"

"25…but in less than one month! It is only a couple years within range…"

Jack began to facetiously mock Katherine.

"Do not kid me Katherine! You're not turning 25, you look much, much younger!"

"Stop it!"

Kat and Jack giggled and laughed, jokingly attacking and teasing one another, until Jack couldn't let the moment slip away too easily.

"One last question, dearest."

"Go on."

Jack took Katherine's warm hand and pulled her close. He looked into her blue eyes that were large and looked afraid. He planned to change that.

"Kat. A woman like you…though…7 years younger than me…will probably never come around in a whole other lifetime of its own. I do not want to lose that chance…" he took a deep breath and questioned himself as to whether or not he was making the right decision, but he was willing to take the risk. "Kat…would you mind spending the rest of your life with a Captain, included with a criminal record and a huge ship?"

Jack pushed back the blonde hair cascading past Katherine's shoulders and whispered in her ear.

"I love you."

Katherine's mind raced. She would have to run away- escape her parents and their suitors with their fancy clothes and their rich lives and throw it all away…but Jack was worth it. She leaned in and gently stroked him on the back with her nails and whispered her reply back to him.

"A rich aristocrat like me would be honored to trade in my life."