Usual disclaimers. blah!

***

Commodore Norrington sighed heavily as the three marines before him blamed each other for the incident of the previous night. Both Harvey and Chantry claimed that they did not realise she was still in the cell and Muir protested had not even been on duty when the man had been placed there.

"Quiet!" he shouted, his normally calm demeanour evaporating. "Muir - you will report to duty as normal. I do not hold you responsible in any way for this. Dismissed!" The three marines turned to leave. "No! Just Muir! You two, shut the door!"

Harvey and Chantrey gulped, turning to face the Commodore again. "You were both responsible for placing a man in with Mistress Sparrow last night. The fact that you thought she had left is not an excuse - she could have been raped or even killed! It is only sheer luck that a crew member of the Black Pearl was arrested and prevented it!" He paused, looking at them angrily. "You will each receive twelve lashes for your incompetence. You will then report to Sergeant Gordon and inform him that you are to be placed on latrine duty until I deem you competent for any other duty... however long that may be! Dismissed!"

As the two marines fled his office he noticed Theodore waiting for him. "You wished to see me this morning Commodore?"

"Yes Captain. I am going to see the Governor and I wish you to come with me. I am determined that your sister will be released, especially after last night. She has already spent twice as long in the cells as any normal brawler - enough is enough!" he fumed. Although the law was the law, this was beginning to descend into tyranny.

"She still won't apologise Commodore - even after last night." Theodore sighed, cursing his sister's stubbornness.

"Well, we will just have to persuade the Governor then..." Norrington replied, determined to get Catherine released.

***

Governor Thomas Spense looked in disbelief at the Commodore. "No Commodore! I will not have Mistress Sparrow released until she apologises to my daughter!"

"Governor - we need the second cell. I cannot have just one person in there when the other cell is full to overflowing!" James Norrington protested.

"The cells are not meant to be comfortable Commodore... if people don't like the conditions then they will just have to be better behaved." He paused, looking up briefly as his wife entered the room. "But she will not be released!"

"Thomas, is everything alright? I heard Mistress Sparrow had been assaulted?" Rosamund Spense asked worriedly.

"It is nothing to concern yourself with my dear. The Commodore and Captain Groves were just leaving..." The tone of dismissal was clear in his voice and the officers rose to leave.

Rosamund put her hand on Theodore's arm, halting his departure. "Theodore, how is Mary?"

"No worse than she deserves Mistress Spense," he sighed, "but complaining loudly."

"May I visit her soon?" she asked, concerned that he still forbade any visitors to his house.

Even though he addressed his words to her, Theodore looked angrily at the Governor. "When my sister is released I see no problem with you visiting," he acknowledged. "But Mary will have no visitors until then. Good day."

He turned and followed the Commodore from the room, fuming at the Governor and his stiff-necked refusal to release Catherine. He stalked up the hill with James Norrington, surprised to hear a woman's voice calling his name. They both stopped in surprise.

"Captain Groves! Captain Groves! Stop, please!" He turned to see the seamstress running after him, a pile of packages balanced precariously in her arms. "Oh, good morning Commodore." She paused. "Thank goodness I caught you Captain. I have your sisters clothes she ordered... but she is in there," she nodded to the Fort, "and now I cannot find Captain Sparrow and your household would not accept any packages for Mistress Sparrow..." She paused for breath. "Can I give them to you?"

"Of course Mistress, although I am not sure how long it will be until Catherine can wear these... the Governor has decreed that she will not be released until she apologises... and Catherine will not apologise..." he replied sadly.

"But even drunks are let out the next morning..." Tabitha gasped, looking at the Theodore and Commodore in disbelief.

"It is out of my hands, and that of the Captain. Even though she was assaulted by a fellow prisoner last night, the Governor will not agree to her release." James Norrington shrugged, before smiling at her.

"But there is more than one way to skin a cat,... and gossip is such a terrible thing, is it not? Once it starts there is no stopping it and soon it is all over town," Theodore winked as he accepted the parcels.

Tabitha blinked in confusion before a small "Oh!" escaped her lips. She understood what the Commodore and Captain were asking her to do and although not normally a gossip herself, she was more than happy to do it. "Yes Captain, it is a terrible thing. You must excuse me, I have a number of people to see today..."

He smiled as she walked back down the hill. Yes, there was definitely more than one way to skin a cat - or in this case free a Cat.

***

Entering the fort, Theodore quickly walked across the yard and into the cells where Murtogg and Mullroy still stood guard. "Okay, let the brawlers out... full cell first!"

Murtogg unlocked the first cell, nearly bowled over as Estes fled. His companions did not comment, pleased to be free of the cell and as far away from him as they could.

"Now you two!" Theodore turned to the second cell. "I'm sorry Cat, not you today!"

She shrugged, sitting back down as Oran walked quickly through the open cell door. Jack did not move. "Come on Jack!" Theodore looked at him realising that he was going to be stubborn.

"I'm not movin' Theo! If yer cannot keep m' wife safe then' I'm not leavin'!" Jack crossed his arms, sitting next to Catherine. "Or do I have t' hit somebody again?"

"Jack, you cannot stay! Cat will be safe now - nobody will dare put anyone in with her," Theodore protested.

"Do I have t' deck yer again mate? I said I'm not leavin'!" Jack argued.

Theodore sighed in exasperation as he locked the doors. "Then stay there Jack!" He smiled ruefully. "You don't have to thump me just to prove your point! Oh, the seamstress gave me your order today... seems she was having difficulty delivering it."

"Give 'em to Oran t' take back to th' Pearl mate, but leave a fresh shirt as Kitty's was ruined last night..." He turned to Oran. "Tell the old woman not t' worry but I want everybody onboard. No socialising until we return. They'll be out in force t' get th' crew locked up now..." Oran nodded, leaning close as Jack whispered. "Leave Estes for now... let him sweat."

***

It was dark when Governor Spense sat down to dinner, looking in dismay at the lack of food on the table - the servants had obviously not been shopping for fresh produce. "Rosamund, what is this?" He pointed to his plate is disgust.

"It seems that the town is refusing to supply us my dear... something to do with Mistress Sparrow remaining locked up I believe. Even when I went personally and offered twice the normal price I was refused..." Rosamund shrugged, secretly delighted at the stance taken by the townsfolk.

"That is outrageous!" he fumed. "They cannot do that!"

"Yes they can dear. I was told by everyone that they would continue to refuse us until she was freed. There is a lot of bad feeling in the town over her continued detention, especially since news of the attack appears to have spread..." She watched his face mottle angrily as he realised the gossip had spread so quickly.

"Damn Sparrow!" he cursed. "Damn him to hell!"

"It cannot be Captain Sparrow, Thomas, for he is in jail too." Rosamund explained.

"What? How?" he gasped.

Rosamund smiled quietly to herself. "I heard that he refused to leave the cell this morning, insisting that he would stay to protect his wife since the troops could not... and the Governor would not..." She paused, letting the implications of the Captain's actions register. "Release her Thomas... please."

"She must apologise!" he protested.

"Then we will starve! And I will not be allowed to see our daughter!"

"But..."

"Please Thomas... release her..."

"No!" he shouted, stalking from the table.

***

Breakfast at the Spense household was little better, even the children pushing the food around their plates in disgust, but he would not back down. He was sure this little storm about the Sparrows would blow over and surely the townsfolk would soon forget it. But one breakfast turned to two, and then three and still the townsfolk refused to sell to them.

He looked angrily at Rosamund once the children had left the evening dinner table. "What will it take to get these people to sell us food!" he demanded.

"Fair justice, Thomas. Just fair justice. I even offered ten times the price for some eggs today but was refused... they will not serve what they see as tyranny. You must release her! Do you want the children to starve?" Rosamund shouted in exasperation.

He threw his napkin onto the table in defeat. "I can see I am going to get no peace and no food until I do!" he complained bitterly as he rose. "I will be back shortly!"

***

Commodore James Norrington smiled to himself as the Governor left the office, quickly walking across the yard and into the cells.

"Okay - the two of you can go!" James Norrington smiled as he unlocked the cell door.

Jack blinked. "In th' middle of th' night?" He helped Catherine up from the floor where they'd been sleeping.

"Governor Spense has declared that you are to be released and escorted to your ship..." He paused. "You are to be gone from Port Royal before dawn."

Jack nodded, realising the petty spite of the Governor. "Come on Kitty... let's go."

They followed the Commodore from the cell and were escorted by six stony faced marines down the hill.

Catherine stopped outside of her brother's house and turned to the senior marine escorting them. "Can I say goodbye to Theodore and Papa?"

He shook his head sadly. "Commodore said that the Governor ordered you escorted straight to the ship... no visiting..."

Jack shook his head. "They will be asleep Kitty - an' I don't think they'll allow you to stop anywhere near Mary..."

"But..." He could see tears welling in her eyes.

"Let us go - don't give th' Governor the satisfaction of provoking another scene..." He hugged her, knowing how upset she was but proud of her that she refused to cry before the marines. He turned to the marine. "Will yer let Theo know we wanted to say goodbye?"

"I will Captain Sparrow... as soon as I am off duty." The senior marine nodded. "But I cannot do anything whilst under orders of the Governor..."

Catherine sadly realised the truth of his words but relieved that Theodore and her father would know that they at least tried to say goodbye. Jack helped her down into the boat and rowed her back to the Black Pearl. Paul Fearnan and William Hawker were on watch and both hugged her delightedly. Jack quickly woke the crew and ordered the Black Pearl to leave, but Catherine slipped sadly into the cabin, watching Port Royal disappear from view through the stern windows. She was surprised though when Jack turned into the small, secret bay that he used to use as a pirate, listening in disbelief as she heard the anchor being lowered. Walking out on deck she saw a small boat being lowered - Oran and Little Feather climbing over the side rail.

"We must be away by dawn," he warned. "Give Estes my regards. Much as I'd like to do this myself too many know what I look like..." he sighed sadly. "Don't get caught!" He looked up, seeing her at the cabin doors. "Kitty m' dear..."

"What's happening?" she frowned.

"Oh nothing, just some business needin' t' be sorted before we leave." He twined his arm in hers. "Come t' bed luv..."

"But..." she protested, realising he was not telling the truth.

"You have command Mister Gibbs!" Jack shut and locked the doors behind him, ensuring that he and his wife would have some privacy. "Now... where was that bunk..." he grinned.

*** A couple of hours later Catherine jumped as she heard the sound of the anchor being raised, shaking her from her thoughts. She noticed Jack smiling happily to himself. "What was all that about?" she asked quietly.

"Nothin' t' worry yerself about luv. Like I said, just a bit of unfinished business needin' t' be taken care of..." Jack grinned.

"Jack Sparrow..." she frowned, looking at him closely.

"I said it was nothin' luv... don't worry yerself about it!" He kissed her on the forehead - the last thing she needed to know about was the untimely demise of a sailor called Estes.

"But..." she struggled to sit up, only to find herself pulled back down on the bunk. "But what of my unfinished business Jack. Why did the Governor have to be so petty?" Her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Papa!"

Jack sighed, relieved that she at last allowed herself to cry. He held her to him tightly as she sobbed. "Because he is a stuck up bastard, okay luv... that sort don't know nothin' about common decency..." He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Who knows, we may see Theo at sea an' perhaps even find a way t' see yer father..."

"Who will look after Papa though? He still needs care until his arm is fully healed and Mary won't do it!" she worried.

"Ssshhh... I'm sure Theo will arrange something..." he comforted, pulling her to him as he snuggled back under the sheet. He kissed her, his hand stroking the hair from her face before slipping his hand down her back. "Yer father will be fine..."

***