Usual disclaimers. I hate disclaimers! I want him... can't I keep him?
Final chapter for today... sorry guys!
***
Theodore was relieved to see the outline of the Black Pearl sitting at anchor in the bay. He pointed her out to the marines and they rowed across to her. "Ahoy the Pearl!" Theodore called, cautious of arriving unannounced.
A scruffy head looked over the rail at them. "Captain Groves?"
Theodore recognised the scarred face. "Hawker! Are Jack and Cat aboard?" Hawker nodded so Theodore turned to his men. "Wait here, don't follow me... I may be some time." He quickly climbed up onto the deck, knocking on the cabin door before barging in. "Jack! Cat!"
"Theo?" Jack blearily, stumbling out of their side cabin as he pulled on his trousers. "What the..." He looked at his brother-in-law. "I can assume that it is not a social visit mate, considering th' hour?"
Theodore nodded, watching as his sister emerged from the side cabin, doing up the last of her buttons as she walked. "Theo? What is wrong?"
He walked across to her, steering her to one of the chairs by the large table. "I think you had better sit down Cat... I've some bad news..."
She sat, looking up at him worriedly. "Bad news..."
"There has been a terrible fire in Port Royal..." He wished he could soften the words for her, but knew no other way of saying them. "Father has been killed..."
Catherine went white, her eyes filling with tears. "Papa is..." Jack crouched down beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed in shocked disbelief.
"The house was completely destroyed. Charlotte and the nursemaid were rescued by Will, although Mary has disappeared..." He looked across at Jack. "I know you have problems with Mary, but she is my wife... will you help me find her? You have contacts... I don't even know if she is on the island..." he pleaded.
Catherine looked up at Theodore, tears still streaming down her face. "How is Charlotte? The girls? Will? Elizabeth? Billy..."
"Charlotte is fine, thanks to Will's quick actions and the Turner household are all safe," he assured her, "although the smithy was burned to the ground..."
"What?" Jack gasped.
"A lot of the lower docks were completely lost. The Commodore has ordered any carpenters to help rebuild the smithy so that Will can work again... there is so much to repair it will take years..." Theodore explained, feeling helpless in the face of such destruction.
"D'yer think th' Governor will allow Kitty ashore? If Mary is not there..." Jack looked up at him, Catherine following his gaze hopefully. "We will need t' see Will an' Elizabeth..."
"I would not return for a while if I were you..." Theodore sighed deeply. "The Governor and I argued before I left - he did not want me to ask you to help search for Mary, calling you little better than pirates..."
Jack's eyes flashed angrily. "After all we've done fer Port Royal!"
"But what about Papa?" Catherine interrupted, sniffing. "Has he been buried? Can I visit his grave at least?"
"I have Father on my ship... he wanted to be buried at sea and the Commodore kindly granted this. I was hoping to find you before the ceremony..."
Catherine's eyes filled with fresh tears. "Thank you Theo..."
"Half m' crew are ashore," Jack informed him. "We can be with yer in th' by noon - it'll take that long just t' round them up!"
"I want to be clear of here as soon as I can," Theodore confessed. "I don't like having the Gauntlet so close to so many pirate ships... Perhaps we should meet to the north of the Windward Passage - at dusk?"
Jack nodded, realising Theodore's fear for his ship and his suggestion both made sense. "Aye, we'll be there."
Catherine rose shakily, hugging her brother tightly. "Keep safe Theo."
"I will..." he started to say.
"Talking of Will..." Jack interrupted, rummaging in a drawer. "'Ere, give him this..." He handed Theodore a bag of money, quite a bit by the weight of it. "He'll probably be needin' it with th' smithy out of action... an' now he has th' girls to feed an' all.."
Theodore smiled. "You don't have to explain to me Jack... I am family after all."
"Yeah, well, um... yer know..." Jack mumbled.
"Don't worry Jack," Theodore teased. "I won't let on you have a heart..." He oomphed as Catherine punched him lightly in the ribs.
"That's my husband you're talking about Theo!" she threatened, smiling through her tears.
"Alright! I surrender!" He kissed her on the top of her head. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow at dusk..." Theodore turned, quietly letting himself out of the cabin and climbing down to his waiting boat. He smiled to himself as he could hear Jack shouting at the crew, demanding that those ashore be found and rounded up as quickly as possible... drunk or not.
***
The grumblings about loss of shore time soon ended once the crew realised the reason for their departure. Catherine found herself hugged by the crew whenever they thought she looked overly upset, but as most of them seemed to be doing it Jack did not feel he should interfere. He did cough loudly though when he thought Oran had hugged her for too long. He had been the hardest crew member to find until somebody had the bright idea to check in Sanchia's private rooms! Hawker had laughed, swearing that her scream could be heard all the way to Nassau. They would all have to walk carefully the next time they drank at the Faithful Bride for he knew that Sanchia would not let such an intrusion go unpunished.
An hour before dusk he spotted the HMS Gauntlet on the horizon, turning the wheel two points to intercept her. He trusted that Theodore would not start without them, but he did not want to be late. He smiled at Catherine as she stood beside him. "We'll be there in plenty of time luv," he assured her, taking one hand from the wheel and drawing her into a hug. "We'll be there..."
True to his word, the Black Pearl drew level with the HMS Gauntlet, standing off a short distance to allow for the service to be conducted. Both crews lined the decks, standing silent in respect. When Theodore saw that everybody was ready he nodded to the crewman that was Minister aboard. Franklin Jeffrey's deep voice carried easily over to those on the Black Pearl as he spoke the traditional words of internment.
Jack wrapped his arms around Catherine, the two of them standing alone on the quarterdeck as they watched Edmund's body slip beneath the waves. She shuddered, grateful of the support offered by Jack, fearing that her legs would give way.
"He's at peace luv," Jack sighed, nodding to Joshamee to ready the ship to leave. "Come on, let's get yer into th' cabin..." He led her down the stairs, watching for a moment as both crews readied their sails. He wanted to be away, heading south again in his search for the Catalyntie. The ship could not just disappear... he would find it eventually.
***
Special thanks to the newly tattooed Mulberry for all her help with this... ta mate!
Final chapter for today... sorry guys!
***
Theodore was relieved to see the outline of the Black Pearl sitting at anchor in the bay. He pointed her out to the marines and they rowed across to her. "Ahoy the Pearl!" Theodore called, cautious of arriving unannounced.
A scruffy head looked over the rail at them. "Captain Groves?"
Theodore recognised the scarred face. "Hawker! Are Jack and Cat aboard?" Hawker nodded so Theodore turned to his men. "Wait here, don't follow me... I may be some time." He quickly climbed up onto the deck, knocking on the cabin door before barging in. "Jack! Cat!"
"Theo?" Jack blearily, stumbling out of their side cabin as he pulled on his trousers. "What the..." He looked at his brother-in-law. "I can assume that it is not a social visit mate, considering th' hour?"
Theodore nodded, watching as his sister emerged from the side cabin, doing up the last of her buttons as she walked. "Theo? What is wrong?"
He walked across to her, steering her to one of the chairs by the large table. "I think you had better sit down Cat... I've some bad news..."
She sat, looking up at him worriedly. "Bad news..."
"There has been a terrible fire in Port Royal..." He wished he could soften the words for her, but knew no other way of saying them. "Father has been killed..."
Catherine went white, her eyes filling with tears. "Papa is..." Jack crouched down beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed in shocked disbelief.
"The house was completely destroyed. Charlotte and the nursemaid were rescued by Will, although Mary has disappeared..." He looked across at Jack. "I know you have problems with Mary, but she is my wife... will you help me find her? You have contacts... I don't even know if she is on the island..." he pleaded.
Catherine looked up at Theodore, tears still streaming down her face. "How is Charlotte? The girls? Will? Elizabeth? Billy..."
"Charlotte is fine, thanks to Will's quick actions and the Turner household are all safe," he assured her, "although the smithy was burned to the ground..."
"What?" Jack gasped.
"A lot of the lower docks were completely lost. The Commodore has ordered any carpenters to help rebuild the smithy so that Will can work again... there is so much to repair it will take years..." Theodore explained, feeling helpless in the face of such destruction.
"D'yer think th' Governor will allow Kitty ashore? If Mary is not there..." Jack looked up at him, Catherine following his gaze hopefully. "We will need t' see Will an' Elizabeth..."
"I would not return for a while if I were you..." Theodore sighed deeply. "The Governor and I argued before I left - he did not want me to ask you to help search for Mary, calling you little better than pirates..."
Jack's eyes flashed angrily. "After all we've done fer Port Royal!"
"But what about Papa?" Catherine interrupted, sniffing. "Has he been buried? Can I visit his grave at least?"
"I have Father on my ship... he wanted to be buried at sea and the Commodore kindly granted this. I was hoping to find you before the ceremony..."
Catherine's eyes filled with fresh tears. "Thank you Theo..."
"Half m' crew are ashore," Jack informed him. "We can be with yer in th' by noon - it'll take that long just t' round them up!"
"I want to be clear of here as soon as I can," Theodore confessed. "I don't like having the Gauntlet so close to so many pirate ships... Perhaps we should meet to the north of the Windward Passage - at dusk?"
Jack nodded, realising Theodore's fear for his ship and his suggestion both made sense. "Aye, we'll be there."
Catherine rose shakily, hugging her brother tightly. "Keep safe Theo."
"I will..." he started to say.
"Talking of Will..." Jack interrupted, rummaging in a drawer. "'Ere, give him this..." He handed Theodore a bag of money, quite a bit by the weight of it. "He'll probably be needin' it with th' smithy out of action... an' now he has th' girls to feed an' all.."
Theodore smiled. "You don't have to explain to me Jack... I am family after all."
"Yeah, well, um... yer know..." Jack mumbled.
"Don't worry Jack," Theodore teased. "I won't let on you have a heart..." He oomphed as Catherine punched him lightly in the ribs.
"That's my husband you're talking about Theo!" she threatened, smiling through her tears.
"Alright! I surrender!" He kissed her on the top of her head. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow at dusk..." Theodore turned, quietly letting himself out of the cabin and climbing down to his waiting boat. He smiled to himself as he could hear Jack shouting at the crew, demanding that those ashore be found and rounded up as quickly as possible... drunk or not.
***
The grumblings about loss of shore time soon ended once the crew realised the reason for their departure. Catherine found herself hugged by the crew whenever they thought she looked overly upset, but as most of them seemed to be doing it Jack did not feel he should interfere. He did cough loudly though when he thought Oran had hugged her for too long. He had been the hardest crew member to find until somebody had the bright idea to check in Sanchia's private rooms! Hawker had laughed, swearing that her scream could be heard all the way to Nassau. They would all have to walk carefully the next time they drank at the Faithful Bride for he knew that Sanchia would not let such an intrusion go unpunished.
An hour before dusk he spotted the HMS Gauntlet on the horizon, turning the wheel two points to intercept her. He trusted that Theodore would not start without them, but he did not want to be late. He smiled at Catherine as she stood beside him. "We'll be there in plenty of time luv," he assured her, taking one hand from the wheel and drawing her into a hug. "We'll be there..."
True to his word, the Black Pearl drew level with the HMS Gauntlet, standing off a short distance to allow for the service to be conducted. Both crews lined the decks, standing silent in respect. When Theodore saw that everybody was ready he nodded to the crewman that was Minister aboard. Franklin Jeffrey's deep voice carried easily over to those on the Black Pearl as he spoke the traditional words of internment.
Jack wrapped his arms around Catherine, the two of them standing alone on the quarterdeck as they watched Edmund's body slip beneath the waves. She shuddered, grateful of the support offered by Jack, fearing that her legs would give way.
"He's at peace luv," Jack sighed, nodding to Joshamee to ready the ship to leave. "Come on, let's get yer into th' cabin..." He led her down the stairs, watching for a moment as both crews readied their sails. He wanted to be away, heading south again in his search for the Catalyntie. The ship could not just disappear... he would find it eventually.
***
Special thanks to the newly tattooed Mulberry for all her help with this... ta mate!
