Chapter Ten
Elizabeth's heart pounded as she heard the door to the basement open. She
squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold her breath as she dared not move
inside the cramped wine barrel. She heard someone moved across the room
and knew it was someone with the Royal Navy.
Please don't find me, please don't find any of us, she thought to
herself, afraid to open her eyes. She breathed slowly and quietly,
praying she wouldn't be seen nor heard. She opened her eyes slowly and
looked out through a tiny sliver of a crack in the barrel. She saw
him—Norrington—across the room, looking around.
Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, he turned around slowly, looking
in her direction. No......... no, please! She squeezed her eyes shut again
and held her breath once more as his footsteps got closer and closer
towards her. Suddenly the footsteps stopped and sounded as if he was
moving away. She started breathing again and peered out the crack of the
barrel: nothing. She moved slowly upwards and pushed the top off the
barrel.
He was there, waiting for her. She gasped and knew she had made a
mistake—one that would probably not only cost her own life, but Will's,
Jack's and Mr. Gibbs' as well.
The Commodore stood there, grinning down at her almost wickedly. "Hello,
Miss Swann."
---- ---- ----
"I'm sure he'll be up in a moment, ma'am," the Lieutenant told Katie as
she stood upstairs, no idea that they had all been caught.
"Lieutenant!" Suddenly there was a call from the Commodore downstairs in
the basement, and Katie's hear began to pound. A million different
thoughts began to race through her mind as she wondered whether or not
Jack had been found. The Lieutenant motioned for the few soldiers with
him to follow him downstairs, and soon they disappeared.
"Oh no," she took a deep breath and tried to hold back tears as Annie got
onto her feet and ran over to her mother, grasping onto her skirt.
"Remember what Jack said, gents," Annamaria said quietly, a solemn look
on her face. "Keep to code. Always keep to the code."
"Upstairs, Sparrow!" she heard one of the soldiers say angrily, and
within a matter of moments Katie saw Jack, cuffed in irons with a baronet
pointed at his back. She couldn't believe he was being taken away from
her again—this just couldn't be happening.
Jack didn't even look up, he just stared at the ground emotionlessly, for
this time he knew there would be no escape. And he would have to say
goodbye to his daughter and once again become nothing but a picture in
her mind.
Katie stared at the Commodore angrily through the tears in her eyes,
wondering why Gibbs, Will and Elizabeth weren't in shackles.
"We've found what we've been looking for," Norrington said, a rather
triumphant look on his face. He looked around at the people in the bar,
and continued to grin. "Sorry to trouble you," with that he began to move
towards the door, grabbing Jack's arm and leading him away.
"No!" Katie shouted, unable to let go of Jack again. "If you're taking
him, you have to take me too!"
Norrington sighed. "No, we have no warrant for your arrest, only that of
Mr. Sparrow."
"Katrina," she looked over at Jack, staring at her, his face cold.
"Don't."
"Jack, how can you say that?" she asked almost breathlessly. "I can't
stand to lose you again, Jack," she walked to him and put her hands on
his chest and to her surprise, Norrington didn't stop her. Jack leaned
forward so that his forehead touched Katie's, wanting to touch her face
one more time but his hands were shackled behind his back.
"You'll be fine," Jack told her, almost defiantly. "But ye can't keep
dwelling on this, Katrina. You have to be happy, for Annie's sake. Don't
do anything stupid just on account of me—take care of Annie, she needs
her mother." She thought he was going to say something else until
Norrington interrupted them.
"Alright, Sparrow. It's time to go," he said quietly, kicking the door
open with his boot and pushing Jack outside. Neither the Lieutenant nor
the soldiers said anything as the silently followed the Commodore.
All these things began to flash through Katie's mind.
She saw Jack fifteen years ago—a young man of 19 and she a girl barely of
17. That was before he told her of his dream to become a pirate like his
father, to take over the Pearl someday after his father's death. He was
different then, not just in personality but also in appearance.
Jack then at 19 was easily one of the most, if not the most, attractive
men Katie had ever seen. He took her breath away without even flashing a
grin in her direction. She was the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner
on the English coast. Everyday she would watch the ships coming in and
out of the harbor and pray that her future held something more than just
the pretty debutant that her parents had planned for her.
The beginning of June, a few months after her 17th birthday, was the very
first time she ever saw the Black Pearl. It's tattered, black sails
mesmerized her and she could only imagine what kind of life she could
have aboard such a vessel. It was early the next morning when she caught
Jack TRYING to steel several apples from the orchard. She had half a mind
to turn him in, but her attraction stopped her.
His hair was fairly short, stopping just below his ears. His eyes were
not lined in kohl, as they were now. But they still had the same spark.
His face was shaved smooth and the tattoo of his name on his wrist was
brand new.
When she announced to her parents about her love for Jack, they were less
than thrilled. Her mother fainted, her father ranted—saying that if she
actually went through with it, she would no longer be considered their
daughter. Needless to say, from that moment on, she thought of herself as
an orphan. She married Jack the next week and set sail with him and his
father aboard the Pearl. Upon her leaving, she earned the love and
support from her Aunt and her Uncle, who were less fortunate than her
parents, and her cousin.
Within the year, his father died and the Pearl was turned into Jack's
hands. The rest was history.
"Jack," it was all Katie could whisper. She could feel Annie grasp onto
her skirt from behind, surprising herself that she didn't die then and
there from the pain. It was easy to assume she had become numb or immune
to it after all these years. So she stood there and let go.
Elizabeth's heart pounded as she heard the door to the basement open. She
squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold her breath as she dared not move
inside the cramped wine barrel. She heard someone moved across the room
and knew it was someone with the Royal Navy.
Please don't find me, please don't find any of us, she thought to
herself, afraid to open her eyes. She breathed slowly and quietly,
praying she wouldn't be seen nor heard. She opened her eyes slowly and
looked out through a tiny sliver of a crack in the barrel. She saw
him—Norrington—across the room, looking around.
Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, he turned around slowly, looking
in her direction. No......... no, please! She squeezed her eyes shut again
and held her breath once more as his footsteps got closer and closer
towards her. Suddenly the footsteps stopped and sounded as if he was
moving away. She started breathing again and peered out the crack of the
barrel: nothing. She moved slowly upwards and pushed the top off the
barrel.
He was there, waiting for her. She gasped and knew she had made a
mistake—one that would probably not only cost her own life, but Will's,
Jack's and Mr. Gibbs' as well.
The Commodore stood there, grinning down at her almost wickedly. "Hello,
Miss Swann."
---- ---- ----
"I'm sure he'll be up in a moment, ma'am," the Lieutenant told Katie as
she stood upstairs, no idea that they had all been caught.
"Lieutenant!" Suddenly there was a call from the Commodore downstairs in
the basement, and Katie's hear began to pound. A million different
thoughts began to race through her mind as she wondered whether or not
Jack had been found. The Lieutenant motioned for the few soldiers with
him to follow him downstairs, and soon they disappeared.
"Oh no," she took a deep breath and tried to hold back tears as Annie got
onto her feet and ran over to her mother, grasping onto her skirt.
"Remember what Jack said, gents," Annamaria said quietly, a solemn look
on her face. "Keep to code. Always keep to the code."
"Upstairs, Sparrow!" she heard one of the soldiers say angrily, and
within a matter of moments Katie saw Jack, cuffed in irons with a baronet
pointed at his back. She couldn't believe he was being taken away from
her again—this just couldn't be happening.
Jack didn't even look up, he just stared at the ground emotionlessly, for
this time he knew there would be no escape. And he would have to say
goodbye to his daughter and once again become nothing but a picture in
her mind.
Katie stared at the Commodore angrily through the tears in her eyes,
wondering why Gibbs, Will and Elizabeth weren't in shackles.
"We've found what we've been looking for," Norrington said, a rather
triumphant look on his face. He looked around at the people in the bar,
and continued to grin. "Sorry to trouble you," with that he began to move
towards the door, grabbing Jack's arm and leading him away.
"No!" Katie shouted, unable to let go of Jack again. "If you're taking
him, you have to take me too!"
Norrington sighed. "No, we have no warrant for your arrest, only that of
Mr. Sparrow."
"Katrina," she looked over at Jack, staring at her, his face cold.
"Don't."
"Jack, how can you say that?" she asked almost breathlessly. "I can't
stand to lose you again, Jack," she walked to him and put her hands on
his chest and to her surprise, Norrington didn't stop her. Jack leaned
forward so that his forehead touched Katie's, wanting to touch her face
one more time but his hands were shackled behind his back.
"You'll be fine," Jack told her, almost defiantly. "But ye can't keep
dwelling on this, Katrina. You have to be happy, for Annie's sake. Don't
do anything stupid just on account of me—take care of Annie, she needs
her mother." She thought he was going to say something else until
Norrington interrupted them.
"Alright, Sparrow. It's time to go," he said quietly, kicking the door
open with his boot and pushing Jack outside. Neither the Lieutenant nor
the soldiers said anything as the silently followed the Commodore.
All these things began to flash through Katie's mind.
She saw Jack fifteen years ago—a young man of 19 and she a girl barely of
17. That was before he told her of his dream to become a pirate like his
father, to take over the Pearl someday after his father's death. He was
different then, not just in personality but also in appearance.
Jack then at 19 was easily one of the most, if not the most, attractive
men Katie had ever seen. He took her breath away without even flashing a
grin in her direction. She was the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner
on the English coast. Everyday she would watch the ships coming in and
out of the harbor and pray that her future held something more than just
the pretty debutant that her parents had planned for her.
The beginning of June, a few months after her 17th birthday, was the very
first time she ever saw the Black Pearl. It's tattered, black sails
mesmerized her and she could only imagine what kind of life she could
have aboard such a vessel. It was early the next morning when she caught
Jack TRYING to steel several apples from the orchard. She had half a mind
to turn him in, but her attraction stopped her.
His hair was fairly short, stopping just below his ears. His eyes were
not lined in kohl, as they were now. But they still had the same spark.
His face was shaved smooth and the tattoo of his name on his wrist was
brand new.
When she announced to her parents about her love for Jack, they were less
than thrilled. Her mother fainted, her father ranted—saying that if she
actually went through with it, she would no longer be considered their
daughter. Needless to say, from that moment on, she thought of herself as
an orphan. She married Jack the next week and set sail with him and his
father aboard the Pearl. Upon her leaving, she earned the love and
support from her Aunt and her Uncle, who were less fortunate than her
parents, and her cousin.
Within the year, his father died and the Pearl was turned into Jack's
hands. The rest was history.
"Jack," it was all Katie could whisper. She could feel Annie grasp onto
her skirt from behind, surprising herself that she didn't die then and
there from the pain. It was easy to assume she had become numb or immune
to it after all these years. So she stood there and let go.