Chapter Seventeen-Molly

*I realize this story is absurdly long. Sorry. We are beginning to draw to a close, though, expect

perhaps two more chapters before it's all over! In the mean time:

Only seconds after Jack Sparrow had run off into the darkness with Peter clinging to his back,

Commodore Norrington and his men walked out into the back yard as an old servant woman followed,

screaming at them to leave the governor and his family alone. The commodore ignored the screeching

woman and walked out triumphantly, expecting a small fight resulting in the capture of the pirate, but

instead he saw Catherine, Elizabeth, Will, and Governor Swann silently glaring at him. Gibbs and Anna

Maria had slipped away quietly when Jack ran off to follow him. Norrington looked quickly around the

now solemn scene at the candles, the minister, and the anger which greeted him.

"Commodore Norrington," the governor said authoritatively as he stepped forward. "May I

ask what exactly do you think you are doing?" Norrington just lifted his chin calmly.

"I am conducting a search for a dangerous fugitive."

"Liar." Will stood with one hand on Elizabeth's arm, trying to prevent her from attacking the

commodore.

"I beg your pardon?" Elizabeth glared icily at the man before her.

"Liar. You are looking for a man you hate so that you may release your anger." The

commodore just narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mrs. Turner, regardless of my personal opinion of Jack Sparrow, he is a pirate and in violation

of the law of this colony and of the crown. He was warned and he dared to return. I am merely doing

my duty."

"Are you now." At the cool, calm sound of Catherine's voice the commodore looked over to

see the young woman standing strong and proud. The slight dislike that was usually present in her eyes

when facing Commodore Norrington was now replaced with an intense, burning hatred.

"I am sorry to insult your daughter, Governor, but you, Miss Catherine Swann, are not in a

position to question my judgement in the performance of my duty," he said haughtily. Catherine drew

herself up to her full height and turned to stare the man in front of her straight in the face, daring him to

do anything to her.

"My name is Catherine Sparrow."

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Jack emerged from an alley next to Peter's house to find his mother standing in the doorway

scanning the street for any sign of the pirate or her son. When Jack appeared beside the small house

carrying the boy on his back, Mrs. Thatcher hurried him inside and latched the door. After quickly

checking to make sure the curtains were tightly drawn she went to the chair into which Jack had

deposited a very exhausted Peter. As his mother ran her hand over the boy's forehead, Jack said,

panting,

"Don't worry, he's just dead tired." Mrs. Thatcher looked up to see the pirate standing with

his hands on his hips, head bowed and gasping for air. He had run the entire way from the mansion

with Peter's extra weight hanging from his shoulders. After lifting her son and placing him in his small

bed the woman walked up to the pirate, almost afraid to ask what had happened.

"Excuse me, but are you all right?" Jack fell into a nearby chair and put his head in his hands.

"If ye mean physically, I'm bloody fine." He put his palms over his eyes and then pulled his

arms back, entwining his fingers in his hair and smearing tears across his face. "Everything else is

screamin." Mrs. Thatcher sat down next to the grief stricken man, trying to offer some comfort.

"Is Catherine all right?" Jack closed his eyes.

"She's trapped at the mansion. Bloody Norrington and his men where coming through as I was

runnin. I had to leave her." Jack sat unmoving and staring at the floor. "I had to leave her. Again." A

single tear slid down Mrs. Thatcher's cheek.

"I can understand how much that hurts. Did you know that I'm a widow?" Jack shook his

head. "My husband was a soldier. He died last year." The pirate looked up suddenly at the woman

sitting next to him.

"Last year?"

"Yes. He died fighting a crew of bewitched pirates aboard the Dauntless." Jack placed one

hand on Mrs. Thatcher's shoulder as he stared at her in shock.

"A lot of men died that day. I was there." The widow looked inquisitively at the pirate,

confused by what he had just said.

"Who are you?"

"Captain Jack Sparrow." Her mouth dropped open in shock for a moment before the woman

said quietly,

"Molly Thatcher." Jack nodded slightly in response. He was glad that Molly was the one here

to help him. She understood the pain he was going through. After nodding her head and standing up

quietly, Mrs. Thatcher motioned for Jack to follow her and led him down to the small cellar and into

hiding.

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"You bastard," Will muttered quietly through clenched teeth as he and Elizabeth faced

Commodore Norrington.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Turner, did you say something?" Will narrowed his eyes and raised his head

while digging his fingernails into his palms.

"No, Commodore."

"Well then I suppose you and your family had best be on your way home." Norrington stared

coldly at Will and Elizabeth as they hesitantly turned and walked slowly through the silent streets. The

commodore had been filled with silent fury after learning that he had failed to stop the wedding that

night. He was determined not to let Jack Sparrow have what he most desired, so he put Catherine

under house arrest. She was to remained confined to the governor's mansion where a guard had been

posted just inside every exit. The commodore was sure that Jack would either contact Catherine or

come to her, and when he did the soldiers would be waiting to take him to the gallows. While Will,

Elizabeth, and Governor Swann protested most vociferously, Catherine had stood silent and proud with

a look of triumph in her eyes that only served to further inflame the commodore's disdain for the pirate

and his new wife. Despite all of their efforts, Catherine found herself imprisoned in her father's house

on her wedding night, able to do nothing but wait for any word from her husband.

"Catherine, I'm so sorry," the governor said to his daughter after they had been left in relative

peace. "I tried, but Commodore Norrington does have jurisdiction in these matters which I cannot

override." Catherine turned sleepily towards her father, her wedding dress wrinkled from the

excitement, one hand massaging the back of her tense neck and the other fingering Jack's ring on its

chain.

"I understand, Father." She smiled weakly. "I know you did everything you could. There is

nothing to do now but wait." Catherine turned and began to climb the stairs up to her room. "I'd like

to be alone now. Goodnight." Governor Swann watched painfully as his daughter made the ascent to

the bedroom of her maidenhood to spend the first night of her marriage alone while her husband hid in

the dank cellar of a poor widow and her son.

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The next day Elizabeth was in the market square shopping. She really didn't need to shop for

herself, but today especially she needed to get out and think. She went from cart to cart pretending to

concentrate on the goods in order to clear her head and try and formulate a plan to get Catherine and

Jack out of Port Royal. The main problem at the moment was the fact that nobody knew where Jack

was. As Elizabeth was absentmindedly looking over a barrel of apples, a hand was placed on her

shoulder.

"Elizabeth?" She spun around to see Molly Thatcher facing her looking tired and worried.

"Molly, you scared me," Elizabeth said, putting her hand to her chest. "What's the matter?"

Mrs. Thatcher looked around the square suspiciously.

"Elizabeth, I need to talk to you very much. Will you come walk with me?"

"Of course," said Elizabeth as she followed the woman towards the docks which were always

vacant at this time of day. After the two women were well out of earshot of anyone else, Mrs.

Thatcher spoke in a hushed voice.

"Elizabeth, this is about Catherine." Elizabeth's ears perked up.

"My son was the boy who ran into the wedding last night. Captain Sparrow is currently hiding

in my cellar." Elizabeth's mouth dropped open.

"Thank God he's safe. It would kill Catherine if anything happened to him," Elizabeth said as

she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Now we've got to figure out how to get her to him."

"Elizabeth, I've got a plan. We've got to go talk to Jack."

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A few minutes later the two women and the pirate were seated around a tiny table which sat in

the dark cellar of the Thatcher's house. Jack sat with one elbow on the table and his chin in his hand as

the light began to slowly creep back into his eyes as Molly unveiled her scheme to free Catherine.

"It could work," the pirate said as he twirled his beard. "It has to work," he muttered quietly to

himself. Mrs. Thatcher rose from the table and went to go make a few necessary arrangements for the

execution of their plan. Elizabeth made to get up as well, when Jack put a hand on her arm. "Before

ye go, Elizabeth," he said as the woman resumed her place at the table. "Could ye just tell me who

exactly this Molly Thatcher is?"

"I thought you already knew," said Elizabeth, settling down and turning to Jack. "Molly's

mother was Catherine and my governess up until the journey last year. She is two years older than

Catherine and joined my father's staff when she was of working age. She stayed in our household until

she got married and had Peter." Jack sat back in his chair soaking up information.

"Well that explains a bit." Elizabeth nodded got up to go and inform Will and Jack's crew of

the plan. "Elizabeth, thank you." The woman shrugged.

"I love my sister. She loves you. There is nothing else to do." Elizabeth reached down and

hugged the pirate briefly before turning and climbing the stairs out of the cellar. She stopped

momentarily at the top to look back down on Jack where he sat at the small table. He sat with his chin

resting tiredly in his hands; his eyes were bloodshot and shadowed. Elizabeth's heart ached for the pain

this man was going through as she resumed her course of action. If all went as planned his pain as well

as the pain of his wife would be alleviated. Elizabeth said a brief prayer for success as she rushed

down the street towards the governor's mansion.