Usual disclaimers... pfft!
Right... for those of you that insist on stories having beginnings, middles and ends... this is the end of this story. I am starting a fresh tale which will pick up where this tale leaves off - called "Dotting the Is and Crossing the Ts. It will be the final Kitty tale and is intended to tie up a load of loose ends. I have already started the first chapter, so it will be uploaded shortly.
Ta!
###
Jack walked into the house, heading for the parlour where James Norrington and Theodore were still talking. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at them - his brothers... well half-brother and brother-in-law if you wanted to be precise. He shook his head, reflecting on the strange way life sometimes turned. They looked up, spotting him. "James," he said quietly, inclining his head to indicate he wished him to follow. "We need t' talk..."
James Norrington frowned, puzzled by Jack's quiet demeanour but rose and followed him out onto the porch. Jack looked across to where Catherine was sitting... was, he realised for she was not there now. Taking advantage of her absence he walked across the sand to the blanket, leaning against the tree. "We have a problem..." Jack began, unsure what to say. "But this doesn't go on m' sheet... I want yer word!"
"I can promise nothing," James cautioned, "not without knowing what it is..." He looked shrewdly at Jack. "Is this about Rose?" he frowned.
"You know her..." Jack said quietly.
"My father used to visit her house when I was young. She seemed quite shocked to find me here and begged that I not tell her husband where she was. I understand she has left him..." he reasoned.
"Somethin' like that..." Jack sighed, watching his face carefully. "She's m' mother..."
"What?" James Norrington gasped in shock. "You are a Waike?"
"Not exactly..." Jack evaded. "It seems tea wasn't th' only thing yer father partook of whilst yer were at th' park..." He nodded as James made the connection. "It would appear I'm yer half-brother..."
James stood in silence, finally finding his voice as he cleared his throat in shock. "How... when..." he stuttered.
"Th' usual manner I suppose," Jack drawled. "Probably about nine months b'fore I was born..."
"That's not what I meant," James sighed.
"M' mother just told me... an' Kitty said yer should know on account of tryin' t' kill me an' all that..." Jack admitted.
James looked at him cautiously. "Nobody else knows?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "Just th' four of us," he confided. "Kitty won't tell anyone..." He looked around, wondering where she had disappeared to.
"I can see why you did not want me to put it on your sheet..." James said dryly, still stunned by the news.
"Yeah, well I'm not too enthralled by th' news either..." He glanced at James. "Is yer father alive?"
James shook his head sadly. "I don't know. It is possible, I suppose," he said, "but unlikely. His ship disappeared in the Pacific fifteen years ago..."
"Any siblings?" Jack pressed, suddenly curious about his new-found family.
"Only Ester... James' mother," he said sadly. "But you know of her..."
Jack thought back to the funeral onboard the Black Pearl... the small girl that he had ordered buried at sea - now suddenly revealed as his niece. "That'd make Jimmy m' nephew," he reasoned, glad that the boy was at last less hostile towards pirates.
James frowned, looking at him. "You know if I catch you I am obliged to hang you..." he warned.
Jack shrugged. "Seems fair enough," he smiled. "Though m' pistol won't be aimin' at yer..." he offered.
"Mine neither," James smiled, as unsure as Jack as what to make of the news. He glanced back towards the house. "I think you should speak with your mother," he suggested. "She seemed quite upset when she came in..."
Jack sighed. "S'pose I could have taken it better," he shrugged, heading towards the house. James was right. He knew George and hated him as much as he loved his mother - he did not begrudge her a brief time of happiness in the slightest.
###
James Norrington walked slowly along the beach. He did not feel that he could go back to the house yet. Wryly he admitted to himself that the news had totally shocked him to the core... stunned him even, although he had accepted it without question. The look on Jack's face as he told him was enough to convince him that it was true. He wondered if his father had known about Jack, whether Rose had told him or if she had kept her love- child secret. He looked up, surprised to see Catherine sitting on the rocks at the edge of the bay, dangling her bare feet in the water. She smiled as he approached.
"He's told you then?" she said simply.
James nodded. "Rose was upset... Jack went back to the house to talk with her... although I think he was looking around for you."
Catherine sighed heavily. "Well he isn't the only one it was a shock for," she said, somewhat bitterly. "I only discovered my name was Waike barely a week ago. I was slowly getting used to it and all of a sudden it appears I'm a Norrington!" She snorted derisively. "I am a Sparrow!" She kicked the water, splashing droplets into the air.
James offered her his arm. "I think you need a walk too," he suggested, smiling when she rose. They walked in companionable silence along the beach, each lost in their own thoughts.
###
Jack knocked on his mother's door, waiting politely for her to respond before entering. "I am sorry I upset yer," he apologised. "I don't blame yer fer what yer did..." He smiled as he looked at her. "Did m' father ever know about me?" he asked. "Did yer tell him?"
"No, I never told..." Rose began, but suddenly went white. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "The letter!"
"What letter?" Jack puzzled.
"I wrote him a letter... but I never had the courage to send it..." She looked at him in panic. "If George finds it..."
"Where is it?" Jack asked cautiously. He realised if George found it then he would shame Rose by revealing it, and knew that he had to do all he could to prevent it.
"In my bible..." Rose worried. "I left it behind when Catherine and I fled..."
Jack sighed heavily. "I'll fetch it fer yer," he offered. "But it will have t' wait until after New Orleans... I don't sail without Kitty!"
Rose looked at him tearfully, realising gratefully how he automatically defended her. "Thank you..." she whispered, crying as he held her.
Jack looked skywards, wondering how he was going to explain this one to the crew, realising it would have to be one hell of a story for them not to question the journey. "Ah well, life would be borin' if it were simple," he shrugged.
###
Okay girls... review and I'll keep writing... how can yer resist it, mates?
Right... for those of you that insist on stories having beginnings, middles and ends... this is the end of this story. I am starting a fresh tale which will pick up where this tale leaves off - called "Dotting the Is and Crossing the Ts. It will be the final Kitty tale and is intended to tie up a load of loose ends. I have already started the first chapter, so it will be uploaded shortly.
Ta!
###
Jack walked into the house, heading for the parlour where James Norrington and Theodore were still talking. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at them - his brothers... well half-brother and brother-in-law if you wanted to be precise. He shook his head, reflecting on the strange way life sometimes turned. They looked up, spotting him. "James," he said quietly, inclining his head to indicate he wished him to follow. "We need t' talk..."
James Norrington frowned, puzzled by Jack's quiet demeanour but rose and followed him out onto the porch. Jack looked across to where Catherine was sitting... was, he realised for she was not there now. Taking advantage of her absence he walked across the sand to the blanket, leaning against the tree. "We have a problem..." Jack began, unsure what to say. "But this doesn't go on m' sheet... I want yer word!"
"I can promise nothing," James cautioned, "not without knowing what it is..." He looked shrewdly at Jack. "Is this about Rose?" he frowned.
"You know her..." Jack said quietly.
"My father used to visit her house when I was young. She seemed quite shocked to find me here and begged that I not tell her husband where she was. I understand she has left him..." he reasoned.
"Somethin' like that..." Jack sighed, watching his face carefully. "She's m' mother..."
"What?" James Norrington gasped in shock. "You are a Waike?"
"Not exactly..." Jack evaded. "It seems tea wasn't th' only thing yer father partook of whilst yer were at th' park..." He nodded as James made the connection. "It would appear I'm yer half-brother..."
James stood in silence, finally finding his voice as he cleared his throat in shock. "How... when..." he stuttered.
"Th' usual manner I suppose," Jack drawled. "Probably about nine months b'fore I was born..."
"That's not what I meant," James sighed.
"M' mother just told me... an' Kitty said yer should know on account of tryin' t' kill me an' all that..." Jack admitted.
James looked at him cautiously. "Nobody else knows?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "Just th' four of us," he confided. "Kitty won't tell anyone..." He looked around, wondering where she had disappeared to.
"I can see why you did not want me to put it on your sheet..." James said dryly, still stunned by the news.
"Yeah, well I'm not too enthralled by th' news either..." He glanced at James. "Is yer father alive?"
James shook his head sadly. "I don't know. It is possible, I suppose," he said, "but unlikely. His ship disappeared in the Pacific fifteen years ago..."
"Any siblings?" Jack pressed, suddenly curious about his new-found family.
"Only Ester... James' mother," he said sadly. "But you know of her..."
Jack thought back to the funeral onboard the Black Pearl... the small girl that he had ordered buried at sea - now suddenly revealed as his niece. "That'd make Jimmy m' nephew," he reasoned, glad that the boy was at last less hostile towards pirates.
James frowned, looking at him. "You know if I catch you I am obliged to hang you..." he warned.
Jack shrugged. "Seems fair enough," he smiled. "Though m' pistol won't be aimin' at yer..." he offered.
"Mine neither," James smiled, as unsure as Jack as what to make of the news. He glanced back towards the house. "I think you should speak with your mother," he suggested. "She seemed quite upset when she came in..."
Jack sighed. "S'pose I could have taken it better," he shrugged, heading towards the house. James was right. He knew George and hated him as much as he loved his mother - he did not begrudge her a brief time of happiness in the slightest.
###
James Norrington walked slowly along the beach. He did not feel that he could go back to the house yet. Wryly he admitted to himself that the news had totally shocked him to the core... stunned him even, although he had accepted it without question. The look on Jack's face as he told him was enough to convince him that it was true. He wondered if his father had known about Jack, whether Rose had told him or if she had kept her love- child secret. He looked up, surprised to see Catherine sitting on the rocks at the edge of the bay, dangling her bare feet in the water. She smiled as he approached.
"He's told you then?" she said simply.
James nodded. "Rose was upset... Jack went back to the house to talk with her... although I think he was looking around for you."
Catherine sighed heavily. "Well he isn't the only one it was a shock for," she said, somewhat bitterly. "I only discovered my name was Waike barely a week ago. I was slowly getting used to it and all of a sudden it appears I'm a Norrington!" She snorted derisively. "I am a Sparrow!" She kicked the water, splashing droplets into the air.
James offered her his arm. "I think you need a walk too," he suggested, smiling when she rose. They walked in companionable silence along the beach, each lost in their own thoughts.
###
Jack knocked on his mother's door, waiting politely for her to respond before entering. "I am sorry I upset yer," he apologised. "I don't blame yer fer what yer did..." He smiled as he looked at her. "Did m' father ever know about me?" he asked. "Did yer tell him?"
"No, I never told..." Rose began, but suddenly went white. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "The letter!"
"What letter?" Jack puzzled.
"I wrote him a letter... but I never had the courage to send it..." She looked at him in panic. "If George finds it..."
"Where is it?" Jack asked cautiously. He realised if George found it then he would shame Rose by revealing it, and knew that he had to do all he could to prevent it.
"In my bible..." Rose worried. "I left it behind when Catherine and I fled..."
Jack sighed heavily. "I'll fetch it fer yer," he offered. "But it will have t' wait until after New Orleans... I don't sail without Kitty!"
Rose looked at him tearfully, realising gratefully how he automatically defended her. "Thank you..." she whispered, crying as he held her.
Jack looked skywards, wondering how he was going to explain this one to the crew, realising it would have to be one hell of a story for them not to question the journey. "Ah well, life would be borin' if it were simple," he shrugged.
###
Okay girls... review and I'll keep writing... how can yer resist it, mates?