Author's Note at the end of the chapter.
***********************************************************
Grace quietly said to Kendra, "Will you please go get Elizabeth? We're going to need her help."
She jerked her eyes away from Sparrow and Winn, then nodded. "On the double." Kendra hurried out the door and sighed. The errand lad once again. . . . Once she reached Will and Elizabeth's room she knocked and sighed to herself.
Elizabeth immediately appeared at the door, took one look at Kendra, and smiled. "Boy or girl?"
"Lass, but you're being summoned." Kendra gently grabbed Elizabeth's arm and started pulling her along. "No time to waste."
They left the hall to Will's quiet laughter. But it was not laughter that met them when they returned to the birth-room. What met them was a carefully composed Grace who handed over the girl-child. "I think it's time that the babe receive her first wash." When Kendra tried to go into the room again, Grace gently denied her entrance. "I think it'd be best if you went with Elizabeth, or perhaps went and told Marcus the news. Winn's exhausted, and needs her rest." Grace closed the door.
Why did she get the feeling that not all was as well as it was supposed to be? Kendra looked to Elizabeth. "I'll see you in a bit." Turning around once more, she hurried down the hall. For the fourth bleedin' time. . . . She rapped on Marcus' door and glared at it. I'm being left out of something, I know it. Winn was lookin' so pale and tired and –
Marcus opened the door. His bleary eyes focused on Kendra. "What's happened? The baby was finally born? Or did something else happen that deserves that scowl?"
She jerked her head up and softened her harsh expression. "It's a girl . . . but . . ." she looked to the door. "I think something's not right. I was told to tell you the news, but I have the feeling they're simply keeping me out of sight."
"And you'd like me to pry some information from my wife." Marcus yawned. "Why do you think something isn't right?"
Kendra looked up at Marcus, barely able to keep the fear out of her voice. "Winn . . . she was extremely weak. And the whole feel of the room was tense. When they sent me out . . . she wasn't moving . . . didn't look right."
Oh lord, Marcus thought, remembering the trouble their mother had had after Winn's birth. She'd stayed in bed for days and he remembered that he and his brothers had been kept out of the room, unaware that birth was sometimes so close to death. Haven't Winn and Jack suffered enough through all this? "Someone will need to watch the children, I can't –"
"I'll watch them uncle Marcus." Kendra jerked her gaze over to see Bella behind her. Bella was mature for her age, having grown up with so many younger siblings and cousins around all the time. As the oldest, she'd learned early on how to manipulate the younger ones into doing what she wanted, and she was old enough now to take on responsibilities that adults had to neglect to make sure that all remained right in her small world. "If something's wrong with aunt Winn, then you need to find out."
Marcus laid a hand on his niece's shoulder. He knew her temperament and that she'd rather be going with him than watching her cousins. "Thank you, Bella. If your cousins ask, I just went to see if I could help Grace."
"Alright."
Marcus turned to Kendra and took her elbow as they went down the hall. "Where are you bound for?"
"I'll be helping Elizabeth with the babe. Her first wash or something."
They reached the door to Winn and Jack's room. "Thank you for coming to get me. Ry won't be back until the day after tomorrow." He shook his head. "I can't believe this is happening." Out of all the other things we worried about, we never worried about this. Or at least I didn't. "You've been a good friend to Winn. It'll comfort her to know that you and Elizabeth are looking after her child."
Kendra nodded curtly in acknowledgement, then the two parted ways.
****************
"How's it going, Elizabeth?"
"Oh, well, the little Sparrow here is ever so much more cooperative than her parents. She hasn't so much as cried yet, and I know she must be hungry." It was true; the baby was looking around the room seriously, with big, dark eyes. "We'll have to take care of that in a moment." Despite her words, Elizabeth's face was strained with worry.
Kendra peered curiously at the child. "So . . . how do you feed it . . . er . . . her?"
"Well, there's some glass bottles around here somewhere and some leather nipples, and we'll give this little lady some cow milk. If Winn's . . ." Elizabeth's voice cracked; she cleared her throat. "If Winn's going to be out of commission for a bit, we'll have to find a wet nurse." Elizabeth wrapped her best friend's daughter in a soft blanket, then looked at Kendra. "I'm going to need you to hold her while I fix the bottle. The milk will need to be heated and I'm going to have to search for where Cat keeps her baby supplies."
"All right . . ." Kendra hesitantly put out her arms. "I . . . I just don't know how to hold a baby. This is the first one I've seen up close."
Elizabeth held back any exclamations of disbelief, remembering both Jack's first experience with a baby and that the woman before her had been raised on a pirate ship. "Well, if it'll make you more comfortable, we'll sit you down at the table. Don't worry. Holding a baby is a great deal like holding a very delicate bag of flour." Elizabeth guided Kendra for the table and had her take a seat. Then she knelt down on the floor and leaned over. "See how I have my arms supporting her body and head? I want you to arrange your arms in the same manner." She watched critically as Kendra did as she was told. "No raise your right arm a bit. Okay, that's good." Kendra didn't mention that she felt like an idiot. "Now, I'm going to slide the little lady into your arms and then that's all you'll have to do. Ready?"
"Ready as I'll e'er be." Kendra looked hesitantly at the small bundle she was soon to be holding.
Elizabeth positioned Kendra's arms so the baby had a bit more of a cradle to lay in. "There you go. Just don't squeeze her too hard or press the top of her head. Her bones are still soft."
Kendra nodded and watched the little Sparrowling with wide eyes. "She's . . . so small."
"A good thing too. Winn was having a hard enough time. . . ." Elizabeth let the sentence trail off as she busied herself with preparing a bottle.
Kendra busied herself with studying the small person. The child had a shock of dark hair that was very fine and standing straight up, giving the impression of feathers. She had eyes as dark as her father's, and tiny hands that were formed into fists. "All this trouble. . . ." Kendra smiled at the girl, "You better be a good daughter." Kendra continued to smile and ignored the twinge that came as she thought of her lack of parents. Doesn't matter. It's in the past. There's no reason to worry about it. "Wonder if I was ever this small," Kendra mumbled, grinning broader.
The babe started to squirm a little and Kendra tensed, barely fighting back the instinct to use brute force to still the child. Elizabeth's warning was still fresh in her memory and she was not about to kill a child . . . especially Winn and Jack's. "Shh, lass . . . just . . . just . . ." Kendra glanced at her hand and slid it over a little, holding her pinky over the girl's face, just to see what would happen. The babe's eyes focused on it, watching as Kendra moved it back and forth. She smirked, and wiggled her finger. Amazing. I never knew babes were so . . . engrossing. "Now . . . can ye grab it, lass?" Kendra lowered her pinky within reach of the child's hand and wiggled it some more. The girl moved her arm, the entire thing held out stiffly. Her fingers fidgeted, but didn't quite open.
"She's still a little young for that." Kendra looked up at Elizabeth quizzically. "Give her another week to exercise her muscles and she'll be holding on tighter than you'd think possible."
Kendra nodded and felt embarrassment wash over her. "Oh . . . I . . . she was just starting to move and –" Kendra stopped talking and instead resumed wiggling her finger and kept her eyes on the child.
"No, it's alright. It's okay to play with her. If she's not howling, then she's probably having fun."
"That's good," Kendra smiled weakly. "How's the milk coming?"
"It'll be warm enough in a moment. And then you can feed the little nestling." Elizabeth smiled at the stricken look on Kendra's face. "Consider it part of your continuing education."
Kendra flushed and stumbled over her words. "I . . . I ne'er signed up for this. Besides . . . I'll ne'er need to know how to feed a . . . babe."
"That's what Winn thought."
Kendra narrowed her eyes and took a breath. "Well, Winn's actually recognized as a woman on a regular basis." Kendra smiled at the child. "But I don't think this lass will have my problem. . . ."
****************
Winn had yet to open her eyes. Jack, even with the little he knew about childbirth, knew this wasn't normal. She'd used too much strength, or things had gone on too long, or she'd been too weak. "What's wrong?" he whispered as he held the body of his wife. She was still breathing; he could feel her heartbeat. She was still alive.
"Jack. Jack, look at me." Jack looked up from the pale and exhausted face of his wife. Cat was kneeling on the floor in front of him, a smear of blood across one temple where she'd tried to brush some hair out of her face. She took one of Jack's hands in hers. "I need you to listen to me carefully. Winn's lost a lot of blood. Her water broke too soon and she fought too long to deliver your daughter. Your child is fine, but Winn's body is too exhausted to complete the process. Her contractions are too weak to expel the afterbirth, and unless it comes out, she'll bleed to death."
Jack looked at Cat, trying to follow what she was saying. Had he gained a daughter to lose his wife? He'd promised Winn that wouldn't happen. "What are you saying?"
"Unless things turn around in the next half hour, we're going to have to . . . hurry things along, much in the same way you would a farm animal that was suffering the same thing. We're going to need you to stay and hold Winn down for us. This is going to hurt, but unless it's done, she'll bleed herself dry, and none of us want to see that."
Jack nodded, understanding. He hated to see Winn in pain, but if that's what it took to save her, he'd do it. "Com'on, Winnie. Don't give up on me now, love." The sun rose, pale and chilly, reminding everyone that the new year had come a week previously. Jack sincerely hoped that he'd have the opportunity to greet the coming new year with his wife and daughter at his side.
****************
"Jack." Several hours had passed since the sun had risen, and Will had been voted the one to go in and try to talk to Jack as he maintained his vigil. "Jack?"
Jack didn't respond to the voice calling his name. All his attention was focused on his wife. Things had developed so that Grace and Cat had had to . . . he couldn't even think about it. He was just glad that Winn had remained unconscious throughout the ordeal. And now she was lying silently in a room not her own because their bed was a mess, and the bed dwarfed her, the clean white sheets bleeding their paleness into her skin. She was still breathing, but she hadn't once woken since dawn. It was now past noon.
"Jack. You need to eat something. You need to see your daughter. She's still without a name and Elizabeth leads me to believe this is an outrageous oversight." Will looked at his friend who was still unresponsive. "Jack?" He laid a hand on the pirate's arm, watching in case the pirate objected to the contact. "Jack, you can't keep this up. You haven't gotten any sleep, you haven't gotten any food –"
"She needs me." The pirate's voice was quiet. "I told her I wouldn't leave her. I told her I wouldn't let anything happen to her."
"If she were awake, Winn would be the first to tell you to take care of yourself."
"But she's not awake, is she?" he demanded. "I can't leave her, lad, not to eat. I don't dare go to sleep for fear she'll slip away while I'm not paying attention." The shoulder under Will's hand convulsed. "You don't understand. I have to be here when she wakes up."
"And your daughter?" No answer. "Your daughter needs a father just as your wife needs a husband. Let me bring her up." Still nothing. "Winn will want to see her when she wakes up." This was no time for the word 'if.'
"You're right," Jack turned from his wife for a moment. "Yes."
Will disappeared downstairs and came back up with a tray of food, the child, and Kendra. The small pirate had grown comfortable holding the child, and even scowled at those who tried to take the girl away from her. She nodded at Sparrow. "How's Winn?" she asked softly.
"Sleeping." Jack tried a lopsided grin – it came out as a grimace. "I see you've got your hands full."
"Aye, and she's a cute bundle at that," Kendra walked over to stand next to Jack, tipping the dozing child's face up a bit for Jack to see her better. "She's got your eyes if I'm not mistaken."
Jack looked into the small face. Said eyes opened as she was shifted. It was true – the pair of dark eyes staring back up at him were a match of his own – except for the kohl. He reached out to take the babe from Kendra, and she let him, although she felt a whisper of regret. "Just . . . be careful with 'er head. . . ." Kendra let her voice trail off.
Jack smiled. He remembered hearing the same warning from Elizabeth, Grace, Richard, and Cat. They'd all told him the same thing. Winn was the only one who'd ever just sat by and let him make his own way. "So I've heard." He was used to holding children by now, confident enough to hold his daughter – his daughter – in one arm while he brushed the feathery locks around her head. Will and Kendra watched as Jack engaged in the same activities that all new parents do; brushing fingertips over soft skin, counting fingers. Winnie . . . our daughter is beautiful.
Kendra swallowed down her twinges of anxiety. She's his daughter. Besides . . . I shouldn't interrupt this moment. It's the first time he's held her . . . I've had her all morning. So Kendra forced a smile and walked a few feet off, watching him jealously. It was strange to watch the pirate with a small child in his arms. Kendra considered speaking, but couldn't find the right words, so she crossed her arms over her chest and picked at her shirt. She needed something pass the time. Watching Jack only made her long to hold the child again – a desire she desperately wanted to ignore. When Will plucked at her sleeve and tilted his head towards the door, Kendra was grateful for the opportunity to leave.
Jack never noticed that he was left alone with his wife and child. He was so engrossed in his study of the life that he and his wife had created that he never noticed when Winn's eyes slowly opened. He never noticed the small smile that graced her lips at the sight of him being a typical new father, never noticed when Winn fell out of her exhausted sleep and into the sleep of someone gathering strength to face a new day.
****************
Winn opened her eyes to find that she was standing inside a small house. She looked around to find that it was furnished sparsely, but comfortably. One wall was nothing but windows overlooking a garden and a familiar bay. The other three were covered in maps and artwork that looked to be hers. She had no idea where this place was, but she knew she felt comfortable here.
"You've been longing for your own home for awhile now, haven't you?"
Winn turned from her study of her surroundings to find that she was being addressed by the same urchin that'd slipped into her dreams before. "Who are you?" she asked. "What is this place?"
"You know who I am. And you know what this place is." The child smiled at her. "This is your home."
"I have a home," she protested, but even as she said that, the longing to stay here grew. She had a family, and she was welcome in their homes, but the child was right. With the birth of her child growing nearer and nearer, she'd been wishing for someplace with a bit more privacy. A bit more quiet. Someplace that was totally hers. The nesting instinct was running strong, especially since she was going to be spending a great deal of time on land once she had her child. This was nice, although small. Not that she would need a lot of room once Jack had his Pearl back.
"He's waiting for you." Winn looked to her miniature visitor. "He's waiting for you to wake up and assure him that all will be well."
"I will . . . it's just . . . did I let you down?" This was her child, or a representation of the children she'd lost, and she needed to know. "Was there anything I could have done?"
"No. What happened was no one's fault. But keep an eye out – just because you never met me, doesn't mean you won't." The dream broke up before Winn could ask what the child meant. "Tell your daughter hello for me."
****************
Winn opened her eyes as the sun rose the next morning. She felt incredibly tired still, but was unable to sleep any longer. She had a husband, a daughter, and a life waiting for her. For months now, she'd been dwelling on the past – seemingly caught within her own thoughts and recriminations – but it was time to put those behind her.
Glancing away from the rising sun, she saw something that made all the emotional turmoil of the past months disappear like a wisp of fog in the noonday sun. Her dream was forgotten as she smiled fondly at the dark head and mass of unruly hair resting on the bed near her waist. Jack had refused to leave her side, something which made her heart melt. Instead of waking him – he'd been up most the day and night unless she missed her guess – she simply rested her hand on his head, and gently worked her fingers through his hair. She'd have to wake him eventually. She was starting to feel uncomfortably full, a sure sign that she needed to feed her child, but for now she let the exhausted father sleep.
The door slowly opened. Winn wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been awake. For the first time she realized that she was not in her own room, and felt a bit of confusion, confusion she put aside when she saw who was at the door.
"Look who's finally awake," Elizabeth commented, keeping her voice low when she saw that Jack was still asleep. "I'll have to raise the alarm. Cat and Grace finally went to bed, thinking you'd spend some more time asleep."
Winn shook her head. "I'm tired – incredibly so – but I thought that it might be a good idea to calm any fears for my health." She looked at Jack, then back at Elizabeth. "Lizzy? I had a girl, right?"
"Yes. A beautiful, perfect, surprisingly even-tempered girl. Would you like me to go retrieve the little nestling?"
"Nestling?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm afraid that no one has taken the time to name her yet. The men are starting to call her a fledging, your sisters prefer 'chick,' but I think nestling suits as well. I'll be right back."
Winn had to wait less than three minutes before Elizabeth was back with a sleeping child in her arms. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the child is a changeling. She hasn't so much as raised a fuss yet, and we all know she's had the right to." Elizabeth handed the child over to its mother.
Winn was stunned. The little body in her arms was so small, so warm, so indescribably perfect. And she was waking up, rooting about at the front of Winn's nightgown. "Hungry, are we?"
Elizabeth smiled. "I'll leave you to it, then." She placed a friendly kiss on Winn's forehead, then left the room, closing the door silently behind her.
Winn didn't know how long she stared down at the little form that was the proof of nine months of angst and frustration and of four years of love before that. All she knew was that at one point she was watching her hungry child while her husband slept, and then she had looked up to find Jack's eyes trained on her. Her breath caught at the look in his eyes – it was so close to desire, yet it was something else entirely. Something she didn't have a name for. She kept her eyes trained on his as he stood and bent over her, but couldn't deny the compulsion to close them as he kissed her, sweetly but intensely. Her daughter was all but forgotten as Winn reveled in the flood of love and relief she felt radiating out from Jack. His hand stroked her cheek, slipped into her hair, and moved to caress her skull as he pulled back, staring down at her. Neither said anything about how easily things could have turned out unhappily, they simply looked down at their daughter, both with a sense of wonder.
Jack stroked the child's face, and she turned towards his finger as much as she could without disrupting her meal. "We should name her," he said quietly.
Winn nodded, settling more comfortably into the pillows propping her up. They'd never really discussed what they were going to name their baby, both seeming to think that once they it, they'd know what the name should be. The only matter that'd been settled had been the child's last name. It had been decided that the child would carry both their last names – Sparrow for the time they were on the sea and amongst disreputable people in the hopes that the name would give her more protection than notoriety, and Morgan for the time when Winn spent time in 'respectable' society with her friends and family. Now all that mattered was a first name, and perhaps a middle. "What name were you thinking of?" she asked.
Jack shrugged. "Not a bird name," he said. "That's my only request."
"But Jack, don't you want her to fit in with her cousins?" Jack simply looked at her inquisitively. "Don't tell me that you've never noticed that every child in this family has a bird middle name," she said in a incredulous voice. Jack shrugged again. "Jack Sparrow. How can you call yourself a pirate captain if you're that oblivious to something like that?"
"I was focused on other things at the time, I'm sure. Like getting you back to the Pearl."
Winn rolled her eyes, but a faint blush stained her cheeks. She reached over to squeeze his hand, but stopped short when he winced. "What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong with your hand?" She looked down to see that his hand was bruised. "What did you do?"
Jack grinned mischievously. "Don't be asking what I did, love. You should be asking yourself what you did."
"I did not do that."
"Yes you did, Winnie. I'm afraid that you were rather adamant about gripping my head while you were busy with our chick." He cut off further protestations by saying, "Shouldn't we decide on a name now?"
Winn thought a moment, then said, "Meredith. Meredith Wren." She looked at her husband. "Is that alright?"
Jack kissed her on the forehead. "That's perfect." He remembered the gift he'd gotten for Winn some months before. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He went into their room and retrieved the small package from a dresser drawer, bringing it back and handing it to Winn. "Here you go, love."
Winn examined it for several moments before tearing the paper off the small box. She then examined the boxy, playing with the lid, but not opening it. "Go on, love. It's not going to bite."
Winn smiled, and took the lid off the small package, a gasp of surprise escaping her when she saw what was inside. It was a necklace. A study silver chain supported a small nest made out of silver filigree. Inside the nest were three egg-shaped pearls; one white, one black, and one peach colored. "Oh . . . Jack," she whispered. "It's beautiful." Jack took it from her, quickly fastening the clasp behind her neck. "Thank you," she breathed, leaning in for another kiss. A kiss that was interrupted by the small burp that erupted from the angelic looking daughter in Winn's arms.
Mother and father laughed, then lavished attention on the small bundle.
****************
It took several weeks for Winn to recover entirely, weeks that were frustrating for everyone. Now that she was several pounds lighter, she fought the imposed inactivity tooth and nail. The only reason she stayed in bed for a week was because her head swum anytime she tried to get up before that. But by the second week, she was hobbling around the house, even if she didn't go downstairs without assistance. By the end of the third week, she was close to total recovery, walking around the entire house, Meredith in her arms and Pige following behind her anxiously.
On Meredith's one month birthday, Jack slipped out of 'boat duty' – said boat being nearly completed – to spend some the day with his wife and daughter. Instead of finding Winn inside the house painting, or drawing, or reading, or nursing, or chatting with the other females – which now drastically outweighed the men of the house – he found her outside, tending her garden despite the fact that few things were growing, since it was February. Meredith was bundled up and laying in a basket, sound asleep as Winn pulled weeds. "What are you doing, Winnie?"
Winn looked over her shoulder from her position on her knees. "Weeding. It'll be March before we know it and I need to get all these dead plants out of the beds before then. It should have been done in September or November, but we were all occupied with other things at the time."
Jack's hopes of a peaceful afternoon faded, but he didn't necessarily mind. He was used to changing plans at the last moment, and now was no exception. He'd gotten a message from Gibbs saying that the Black Pearl was near completion and that he'd be sailing into Osprey Point's harbor by mid-March. There was something he wanted to share with Winn before then. Before he had to resume the reigns of a pirate captain . . . at least part time.
He approached his wife and pulled her gently to her feet. "I've something I want to show you, love." Winn looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion on her face, but she left her gardening for the time being, stooping down to pick up the basket Meredith was sleeping in. Jack stopped her, picking his daughter up out of the basket, intending to carry her in his arms – something he'd found he was rather fond of, to his great surprise.
"Jack, you'll wake her."
Jack rolled his eyes at Winn's protest, and woke his daughter. She stared up at him for a moment with dark eyes, then a slow smile spread across her face as if she'd thought about it and decided that Jack was worthy enough to receive the toothless grin. "There's my merry little changeling," Jack quietly murmured as he picked her up. "Tell your momma that you want to spend the day awake, hmm?" When he looked back at Winn, he saw that she was trying to hide a smile. He adjusted his hold on Meredith so he could hold her in the crook of one arm, leaving the other free to clasp hands with Winn. "Let's go."
They'd walked for several minutes, following a trail that ran north along the cove, before Winn asked, "Were are we going?"
Jack just smiled and shook his head. "You'll see soon enough, love."
Five minutes later, they'd walked into a small clearing that Winn remembered, but there was something in the middle of the clearing that she didn't remember being there before. She looked at the small house, then looked at Jack. He had a proud look on his face. "Go on, Winnie." He cocked his head at the cottage. "Go look around."
With a sense of disbelief, Winn let go of his hand, and walked towards the house. There was a place laid out in front of it, clearly intended to be a garden once someone took the pains to plant something. The house itself was unfinished; the exterior still needed a coat of paint, but the roof was finished. Her hand hovered over the door-latch for a moment before she had the courage to open it.
The room inside was bare, but complete. Winn looked around, noticing the big picture windows. She quickly moved on to see the rest of the house; the smallish kitchen, the several rooms that could serve as bedrooms or a library, or studio if that's what she wanted. With tears in her eyes, Winn ran back to the main room and found Jack waiting for her. She came over to him and threw her arms around him, tears leaking from her eyes. "You did this?" she asked.
Jack nodded, unsure of what Winn's reaction meant. He'd found out from Ry and Alex that this had been one of Winn's favorite spots on the estate, so he hoped she liked the location if nothing else. Tilting her face up, he brushed tears away with his free hand. "Are these good tears are bad tears?"
Winn laughed at the look of bewilderment on his face. Raising herself up on her toes, Winn gave Jack a slow kiss. When she broke it, she murmured, "What do you think?" She loved it. "How did you know?" she asked. "How did you know that . . . that I wanted a place of my own? Of our own? I didn't even know until recently."
Jack looked down at the ground, pleased but somewhat embarrassed to be found out. "Don't tell anyone – especially not my crew – but I had the feeling that you might want somewhere to go for a bit of quiet. Especially once I start leaving for weeks at a time. Not to mention that it's blasted hard to get a bit of privacy at the main house anymore." He grinned uncertainly, gold teeth winking in the winter light. "And I didn't think you'd mind since it's just a ten minute stroll either way should you want to go visit your family, or if they wanted to visit you –" Winn kissed him again, cutting off the flow of words tumbling from his mouth. When she pulled away this time, Jack said, "I'll take it that you approve, then."
"Yes. I approve very much." She plucked Meredith from his grasp, and unfolded the blanket she'd carried up with them, setting the child on it. The baby immediately bent her legs up, trying to fit her toes into her mouth. Jack looked at the baby, then at Winn, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. Winn saw that and took pity on him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she breathed in his ear, "Maybe I should show you just how appreciative I am."
Jack rested his hands on her hips, wanting to go along with her suggestion, but worried about what results that might have. After all they'd been through . . . "Are you sure, Winnie?"
She was busy tracing the tendons of his neck with her nose, so missed the look in his eyes, but the trace of doubt in his voice came through loud and clear. "Mmm-hmm. More than sure. In fact, I'm certain that if I don't get to display my appreciation soon, I'll regret it for quite awhile." He still wasn't moving to draw her closer. "Kiss me, Jack," she ordered.
He did, his reluctance melting away rather quickly. He'd forgotten how insistent Winn could be when she wanted to show . . . gratitude.
****************
Winn and Jack walked through Osprey Point rather solemnly, holding hands. The Black Pearl had arrived the week before, and was now ready to be taken out to sea. They'd both known that this was going to happen, and both tried to console themselves with the thought that for every two weeks that Jack was gone, he'd spend a week with his family, but it was still hard to feel anything but a bit of separation anxiety.
Winn was holding herself together, playing the captain's wife just as Jack was playing the captain. This was the way things had to be, for now. A pirate ship just wasn't the safest of places to raise a child – and Jack had been without his ship for nearly a year now. He couldn't remember the last time he'd spent so much time on land. And although it'd been more than worth it, he was starting to feel the itch to walk on a surface that didn't stay stationary under his feet. For better or worse, the sea was in his blood. For better or worse, he'd found a woman who understood that and didn't begrudge the time her husband spent with his impersonal mistress.
They'd come to the area surrounding the docks without incident when Winn froze. Jack turned to see what had caught her attention, following the line of her gaze to a group of young boys on a corner. They were in a circle, clearly tormenting something – an animal or one even one of their own. Jack instantly knew that Winn was going to break up the small malicious gathering, and tried to stop her, but she was gone before he could so much as lay a restraining hand on her shoulder. It's a good thing I'm carrying Mere.
Jack stood where he was as Winn broke up the circle, giving each boy a thorough tongue-lashing that he knew they'd remember. He could imagine what her face looked like; her eyes were most likely flashing with righteous anger, fury would be radiating from her small form, her hair glinting in the sun. He remembered the night of Elizabeth and Will's wedding, how she'd downed him with one of those small fists, and how she'd been a dark-haired fury straight out of a Norse myth. Was it any wonder he loved the bloody woman, even if she did put herself in situations like this?
As the circle broke up, he saw the unfortunate soul the boys had been hiding; a young boy was curled into a protective ball in the street, covered in mud and grime, his clothing in tatters. He walked over, watching as Winn conversed with the one boy who hadn't ran. He reached her side as she turned the young child over, just in time to see her face go white. "Winnie? What's wrong?"
Winn shook her head as she looked at the boy's face – he looked like the child from those dreams she'd had during her pregnancy. ". . . keep an eye out – just because you never met me, doesn't mean you won't." It wasn't an exact match, but it was close enough that Winn could easily see the resemblance. In that moment, she knew that her life had just changed again.
"Winnie?" Jack rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. There was a strange mixture of pain and joy in her eyes, as if she'd just found something she'd thought lost forever.
"You can see it, can't you, Jack?" She looked at him, desperate for him to see the same thing she had. She rose to her feet, rummaging through the pockets inside his coat. She'd seen the letter and picture she'd sent him in Port Royal just a few days ago. With a small cry of triumph, she pulled the papers out, opening the folded picture. "Look," she pleaded in an insistent voice.
Jack did, realizing what had upset Winn. There was a striking resemblance between the boy and the paper. As he compared the two, he realized what Winn intended to do, and he had no intention of stopping her. He knew how much she loved their daughter, but he also knew that she still privately mourned the children they'd lost. If this helped her heal, if it helped keep her occupied, then it was a blessing that he would throw aside.
He listened as she pried information out of the other street urchin. The boy's name was Crispin – but everyone called him 'Kit' – his mum was dead and no one knew who his father was, he was young and the other boys picked on him. Finally the other boy scampered off, with several guineas in his hand, a gift from his tenderhearted wife. As for Kit, he was still unconscious from the beating he'd just been given.
"I'm keeping him, Jack." Winn whispered this declaration fiercely. "In a few years he can be your cabin boy, or Ry can take him on, or –" Jack laid a finger over her lips.
"Shh, love. Of course you're going to keep him. I've seen what having brothers has done for you. Do you think I would deny Mere that if it was in my power to do otherwise?"
Winn's eyes filled with tears. "I know this won't bring back the other ones –"
"But it will help the pain, won't it?" She looked away. "I know you still ache from that loss, Winnie, just as I knew there was nothing I could do to help it. If this will help, take the boy in. Lord knows I've seen more than enough unfortunate urchins in my lifetime. If one can find a good home, then I say, take him in." His wife's silent embrace was all he needed to know that he'd said the right thing. "I'll help you get him back to the house."
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Jack left that evening, but it was with a lighter heart and a clearer conscience than he'd had that morning. Winn was in good hands. She was staying at the main house for the time being, until Kit was healthy, had gained several pounds, and had become familiar with the rest of the clan that was staying at Swallows Rest. The boy would quickly be accepted into the Morgan ranks, and Winn would finally be able to put another part of her past behind her.
Not to mention, he thought as the small port town slowly shrunk into the distance, I'll be back in just fourteen days now. A mischievous smirk spread across his face as he called out orders to his crew. It was time to lay to rest the rumors that Jack Sparrow was no longer pillaging the seas. "A pirate's life for me," he whispered as the first real swell ran under the Pearl's bow. Life was good.
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Author's Note: well, I hope you're all happy. I do have some sad news though – there's just the epilogue left before this little gem is complete. Although, I have some good news as well . . . which will be in the author's note for the epilogue. Hopefully, I'll have that up sometime next week, so be looking for it.
Author's Thanks: once again, I have things to do and little time to write my thanks. I cannot do individual thanks, but I can thank each individual. Keep in mind that I do read each and every review and that I treasure and find encouragement from each one.
So, with that in mind, thanks go to: SuzzieQue, lilitaliandragon, KawaiiRyu, Dawnie-7, KamikazeCreamPuff, pirate-miss, Kontara, Curiosity Inc., VagrantCandy, bobo3, Clover the Sea-Beast, Golden Rose3, Alej, Lila Elensar, Eledhwen, Omala Moola (Umm, you can rock my sister's John Mayer CD), Piper8288, emma436 (my sister says you'd better be the first person to review her new story when she uploads it on Monday.), pendragginink, and Erica Dawn.
