Usual disclaimers... blah!
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Jack rowed Catherine ashore in the morning, placing a blanket beneath the shade of a palm tree where she could rest safely. He had brought food and water and Eilis had been warned that she was not to attack Catherine... everything had been taken care of. Jeremiah had arrived early, and Jack was relieved that no sounds could be heard from the shore.
James Norrington and Theodore were sitting quietly in Elizabeth's parlour, planning for Theodore's return to Port Royal and the younger children were off playing somewhere along the beach. James Schott now realised that the ship had not been the Black Pearl, and he was shocked when his uncle had told him what the captured pirate captain had said - so shocked that he had gone to apologise to Catherine and Jack without any prompting.
Catherine smiled as she watched him walk off down the beach in search of the other children. "Perhaps he is not lost to us after all," she smiled, easing herself back down onto the blanket.
"Well, it took courage t' say what he did," Jack agreed, looking up in surprise as his mother walked along the beach towards them. He did not miss the look that passed between the two women, blinking when his mother just nodded to Catherine. "Yer joinin' us?" Jack asked.
"I'd like to speak with you," Rose said, glancing awkwardly at Catherine. "Alone..."
Jack frowned. "I have no secrets from Kitty..." he said.
"No Jack," Catherine said softly. "Walk with your mother... please."
Jack looked between the two women, totally confounded. "Eh?" he puzzled.
"Go!" Catherine urged. "I will be here when you get back!"
Shrugging Jack stood up, brushing the sand from his trousers and offering his mother his arm. "I think th' children went that way," he pointed eastwards, "so we'll go this way..." He slowly walked along the beach in the opposite direction. "Well?" he prompted, glancing to his mother.
"Before I say anything," she said, looking at him awkwardly, "I ask that you do not judge me..."
"What?" Jack frowned. "Why would I do that?" Jack was already confused and wished he had a bottle of rum to hand... he had a feeling he would need it.
She took a deep breath. "James Norrington recognised me..." she ventured, unsurprised when Jack stopped dead and stared at her in shock.
"What? How?" he gasped. "Is that what yer were talking about th' other day?"
She nodded. "I knew him when he was a small boy... when his father would visit the house..." She looked at him, blushing scarlet. "When George was away..."
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Yer tellin' me that yer were unfaithful to m' father?"
Rose looked up at him worriedly. "George is not your father..." she said quietly.
It took a moment for what she had said to register, but then Jack looked at her, stunned. "Are yer tellin' me that James is m' half-brother?" he asked. "I'm a Norrington?"
Ashamed Rose nodded. "I didn't want to tell you," she admitted. "But Catherine overhead us talking and made the connection..."
Jack finally understood the look between the two women. "So Kitty knows?" Rose nodded. "Who else?" he demanded, an edge of anger creeping into his voice... anger that he knew was unreasonable but he could not help.
"Nobody," Rose assured him. "Not even George!" She looked to the sand at her feet. "He was at sea, but I knew I was pregnant when he returned... he believed you came early..."
Jack snorted appreciatively at his father - no, not his father - at George being deceived. "And..." he prompted.
Rose looked up at him sadly. "Please do not be angry with me..." she begged. "For a brief time we loved each other... I would have gone with him, for he was a kind man... a good man, but we were both married. It cannot have been so bad if it brought me you..."
Jack nodded to himself, tugging thoughtfully on the wisps of beard that would soon, hopefully, be long enough to braid again. "Does James suspect?" he asked.
Rose sighed. "I don't know," she said quietly. "But Catherine said he should be told..."
Jack stared out to sea, unsure what to make of the news. Suddenly all the years of his childhood made sense - the feeling of being different, of not belonging. "I need t' think... alone!" he said, walking off down the beach towards the house, leaving her standing, staring after him sadly.
Jack stalked back down the beach, spotting that Catherine was sitting quietly drinking the water that he had left her. Changing his path, he walked across to her. "Couldn't yer have told me?" he asked accusingly.
"It was not my place Jack," Catherine sighed. "But it makes no difference to me - I fell in love with you thinking you a Sparrow..." She paused, stroking his face. "Sparrow, Waike, Norrington..." Smiling, she leaned across to kiss him, neither of them noticing Rose as she slowly walked back to the house beyond them. "I love the man, not the name..."
"Even though I'm officially a bastard now?" Jack pressed, frowning as he still tried to comprehend the enormity of what his mother had admitted.
"I've been calling you that for years," Catherine teased. "But you should speak with James..."
"Yer really think so?" Jack frowned. She nodded, smiling reassuringly as he stood up. "This goes no further," he cautioned. "Not even t' Theo!"
Catherine looked up at him, biting her lip as she turned away, unable to hold his gaze. "You have my word Jack," she said quietly, saddened that he felt he had to ask. It had been he, not her, that had revealed Rose was his mother to those at the bay and she had spoken to nobody about what his real name was - nor would she ever. She felt tears welling in her eyes for her husband and his lack of trust in her, but when she looked up he had gone.
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Jack rowed Catherine ashore in the morning, placing a blanket beneath the shade of a palm tree where she could rest safely. He had brought food and water and Eilis had been warned that she was not to attack Catherine... everything had been taken care of. Jeremiah had arrived early, and Jack was relieved that no sounds could be heard from the shore.
James Norrington and Theodore were sitting quietly in Elizabeth's parlour, planning for Theodore's return to Port Royal and the younger children were off playing somewhere along the beach. James Schott now realised that the ship had not been the Black Pearl, and he was shocked when his uncle had told him what the captured pirate captain had said - so shocked that he had gone to apologise to Catherine and Jack without any prompting.
Catherine smiled as she watched him walk off down the beach in search of the other children. "Perhaps he is not lost to us after all," she smiled, easing herself back down onto the blanket.
"Well, it took courage t' say what he did," Jack agreed, looking up in surprise as his mother walked along the beach towards them. He did not miss the look that passed between the two women, blinking when his mother just nodded to Catherine. "Yer joinin' us?" Jack asked.
"I'd like to speak with you," Rose said, glancing awkwardly at Catherine. "Alone..."
Jack frowned. "I have no secrets from Kitty..." he said.
"No Jack," Catherine said softly. "Walk with your mother... please."
Jack looked between the two women, totally confounded. "Eh?" he puzzled.
"Go!" Catherine urged. "I will be here when you get back!"
Shrugging Jack stood up, brushing the sand from his trousers and offering his mother his arm. "I think th' children went that way," he pointed eastwards, "so we'll go this way..." He slowly walked along the beach in the opposite direction. "Well?" he prompted, glancing to his mother.
"Before I say anything," she said, looking at him awkwardly, "I ask that you do not judge me..."
"What?" Jack frowned. "Why would I do that?" Jack was already confused and wished he had a bottle of rum to hand... he had a feeling he would need it.
She took a deep breath. "James Norrington recognised me..." she ventured, unsurprised when Jack stopped dead and stared at her in shock.
"What? How?" he gasped. "Is that what yer were talking about th' other day?"
She nodded. "I knew him when he was a small boy... when his father would visit the house..." She looked at him, blushing scarlet. "When George was away..."
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Yer tellin' me that yer were unfaithful to m' father?"
Rose looked up at him worriedly. "George is not your father..." she said quietly.
It took a moment for what she had said to register, but then Jack looked at her, stunned. "Are yer tellin' me that James is m' half-brother?" he asked. "I'm a Norrington?"
Ashamed Rose nodded. "I didn't want to tell you," she admitted. "But Catherine overhead us talking and made the connection..."
Jack finally understood the look between the two women. "So Kitty knows?" Rose nodded. "Who else?" he demanded, an edge of anger creeping into his voice... anger that he knew was unreasonable but he could not help.
"Nobody," Rose assured him. "Not even George!" She looked to the sand at her feet. "He was at sea, but I knew I was pregnant when he returned... he believed you came early..."
Jack snorted appreciatively at his father - no, not his father - at George being deceived. "And..." he prompted.
Rose looked up at him sadly. "Please do not be angry with me..." she begged. "For a brief time we loved each other... I would have gone with him, for he was a kind man... a good man, but we were both married. It cannot have been so bad if it brought me you..."
Jack nodded to himself, tugging thoughtfully on the wisps of beard that would soon, hopefully, be long enough to braid again. "Does James suspect?" he asked.
Rose sighed. "I don't know," she said quietly. "But Catherine said he should be told..."
Jack stared out to sea, unsure what to make of the news. Suddenly all the years of his childhood made sense - the feeling of being different, of not belonging. "I need t' think... alone!" he said, walking off down the beach towards the house, leaving her standing, staring after him sadly.
Jack stalked back down the beach, spotting that Catherine was sitting quietly drinking the water that he had left her. Changing his path, he walked across to her. "Couldn't yer have told me?" he asked accusingly.
"It was not my place Jack," Catherine sighed. "But it makes no difference to me - I fell in love with you thinking you a Sparrow..." She paused, stroking his face. "Sparrow, Waike, Norrington..." Smiling, she leaned across to kiss him, neither of them noticing Rose as she slowly walked back to the house beyond them. "I love the man, not the name..."
"Even though I'm officially a bastard now?" Jack pressed, frowning as he still tried to comprehend the enormity of what his mother had admitted.
"I've been calling you that for years," Catherine teased. "But you should speak with James..."
"Yer really think so?" Jack frowned. She nodded, smiling reassuringly as he stood up. "This goes no further," he cautioned. "Not even t' Theo!"
Catherine looked up at him, biting her lip as she turned away, unable to hold his gaze. "You have my word Jack," she said quietly, saddened that he felt he had to ask. It had been he, not her, that had revealed Rose was his mother to those at the bay and she had spoken to nobody about what his real name was - nor would she ever. She felt tears welling in her eyes for her husband and his lack of trust in her, but when she looked up he had gone.
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