Gwyneth Johnson had made a decision a long time ago that she was going to spend the rest of her days on Cape Clear. Nothing was necessarily wrong with that but she knew that there was no need to keep her maiden name if she was going to stay on an island where the Royal Navy turned the other way when pirates came. Not exactly what His Majesty would've liked from an England-owned island, but good for her.
That's why Gwyneth Sparrow was content with her name. If she did travel outside of Cape Clear, the only other people she conversed with were the Turners, her brother's family and the Norringtons – no fear there. And if she did come upon trouble in Port Royal, then she could always refer to herself with her maiden name, as well as her son.
So then why was her husband, Jack Sparrow, making such a big deal about it?
She paused in her stirring and stared at the man standing in front of her, in full 'costume' almost. Except his hat, coat and shoes – it was an awfully hot day and they both weren't wearing many layers of clothing. "Jack, why didn't you have this same concern with Brenda?"
He sighed, leaning on the counter, "I knew she wouldn't be on land, and if she was- then I was with her to protect her! With Matthew…he's not on my ship, but going around with my last name isn't the brightest thing we could do, don't you think?"
Gwyneth sighed and started stirring the cake batter again, "Aren't you proud of him?"
"Of course I am! And I thank you for givin' me a beautiful son like him, but Gwen, it's not the safest thing."
"I think it's perfectly safe. He and I haven't traveled anywhere since he was born, and the people who visit us here don't care. Our families in Port Royal certainly don't care either. I don't see why you're worried about this."
"I don't want my name gettin' him in trouble, that's all love."
She stopped stirring again and looked at him, thinking she finally got his point, "You mean you think…that he could be in serious danger if someone found out he was your son? Like someone outside Cape Clear?"
Jack nodded slowly, "Possibly…and this goes for you as well, Gwen."
She smirked, kissed him lightly and then went back to stirring, "Your concern is sweet, but I don't think it's a big problem right now. Most people don't even know you've gotten married, let alone had a son."
There was a knock at the door and they both paused. Jack looked at his wife and straightened up, about to get the door, but pointing at her, he said, "Yer not goin' to brush this aside…and neither am I."
She frowned slightly but nodded. Once he got a 'yes' from her, he went and answered the door. "Jack! You're home! Didn't think you'd be here 'til tonight!" A bright, cheery voice rang through the air. Jack smiled and let the woman in.
"'ello Caroline. Lookin' lovely this afternoon…"
She laughed and stepped in, "Never kid a kidder, Sparrow." Caroline Dobson was a woman in her late fifties. She had lived in Cape Clear since she was a girl and had met a pirate who just went by the name of 'Dobson' many years ago, fallen in love with him and sometime later- married him. This man was also on Jack's crew. Jack had mentioned to Dobson how lonely Gwen was when he wasn't around and Dobson suggested the two women get together.
Jack introduced them right away and both of them took the opportunity of each other's friendship. Caroline had brown eyes and dark red hair that was cut shorter than the norm for women, but Cape Clear wasn't exactly the 'norm' for anything.
"Caroline, is that you?" Gwyneth called from the kitchen. Caroline popped her head in and smiled.
"Of course it's me; you don't have any other friends."
Jack smiled while the two women went back and forth. Caroline was very friendly and talkative, making it easy for her and Gwyneth to form a friendship. The two of them had been friends for near three years and Jack had gotten used to her coming into his house and making herself at home. Which she was currently doing.
"What kind of pie do you have?" Caroline asked, sniffing the air. "I can't tell because of the smell of the cake batter."
"How do you know I have a pie?" Gwyneth said slyly, getting a pan for her cake.
Caroline put her hand on her hip, "Because it doesn't matter how hot it gets, how tired you are or how much Jack wants you in the bedroom- if there's not a pie in this house, you will make one!"
Gwyneth smiled, seeing how much her friend knew her, "Cherry pie."
Caroline nodded and went to the cupboard to get a plate and silver. "Do you want a piece Jack?"
"No thanks Carol. I'm saving my appetite for Gwen's dinner and cake."
"That's right!" she said, finally finding the pie, across the kitchen on another counter, "Matthew's birthday is tonight. No wonder you're makin' a cake! What time are the kids supposed to be here?"
Jack sighed and sat down after Caroline had cut a piece and sat down at the round wooden table, "Brenda should get here around the same time as Trevor…right love?"
Gwyneth paused as she slid the cake into the wooden stove and shut the door. She turned around and faced the two, "I'm pretty sure Trevor said he'd be here before the last dish for dinner was put on the table. That's before the sunsets…and Brenda was expected around the same time…" She looked at Caroline, "Did Dobson write you and tell you a different time?"
She shook her head, "No. He barely ever writes me. I mostly get all my information from you two." Gwyneth nodded and sat down as well. She turned over a timer Trevor and Jack had both made her and began talking with both of them. Soon enough an hour had passed, Gwyneth was icing her son's cake, and Matthew had joined the group.
"Love, can you please tell your dog to move?" Jack asked, Matthew giggled from his father's lap as he looked down. Suzette was sleeping, with her head on his foot.
"What harm is she doing you?" Gwyneth asked, turning around, looking and then turning back around. "You've faced worse things than a female dog sleeping on your foot."
He grunted. The conversation continued. Gwyneth quickly finished the cake and hit the hands of her two males and told them not to touch the cake. They both pouted but got over it quickly. Another hour passed and Gwyneth was almost finished with her son's favorite food. Crab sandwiches.
Suddenly there was a loud slam and Gwyneth exchanged a look with her husband. He put Matthew down and got up, going to see who the mad person was. "Brenda, what's all this racket about?" He bellowed. Caroline quickly excused herself from the house, knowing it was a 'family thing' and also that her husband was home.
"Dad, don't start with me! Where's devil boy?!" Even after all these years, Brenda still remembered her nickname for Trevor.
Gwyneth hoisted Matthew farther up on her hip and said, "What's wrong Bean?"
She looked at Gwyneth and then at her little brother. Her anger went down a notch and she reminded herself not to curse. "We got attacked."
"The Pearl?" Matthew asked, horrified. He loved that ship, and even though he hadn't ever been on it, he knew that's where his father and sister were most of the time. There was even a large model of it in the front room, that he spent hours looking at. Trevor had carved it.
She nodded, looking at her dad, "It'll take weeks to repair. Even months! They only fired three canons, but it did a good amount of damage. I'm bloody amazed we got here in one piece."
"Who attacked you?" Gwyneth asked.
Brenda sighed, "Bloody Trevor and his Reliant. That's why I was lookin' for him."
Gwyneth paused, looking from her husband to Brenda. Jack was mad, she could tell but was trying to hide it. She let Matthew down, who went straight to his sister and hugged her legs, asking for a present. Brenda ignored him and stared at her parents, "So I'm assuming he's not here." She said.
Gwyneth bit her lip, "Hon, keep Matthew company while I talk to your father, will you?" Brenda nodded and Gwyneth took Jack by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen. Once they were there, she checked the dinner and started unloading things onto plates and dishes.
"Love…I know he's family, but he practically destroyed the Pearl!"
"You don't know that! I mean, it was together enough to sail home…and she said it's fixable!"
"Gwen, this is serious. Somethin' must be up with him."
She sighed, "We'll find out when he gets here…until then, don't build up hate for him- he's your nephew too."
The door slammed once again about twenty minutes after Brenda had come in. The family had just sat down to dinner when Trevor came stomping in. Matthew immediately jumped out of his chair and ran to his cousin, and Jack had to stop Brenda from killing him. She had managed to shoot at him, and barely graze his head though, causing Gwyneth to yell.
"Just tell me what went on." Gwyneth said calmly. "Why did you attack Brenda?"
Trevor sighed, "We saw the Pearl long before any canons were shot. I told my men that if it was necessary then they should use the available canons on the Pearl, I knew either Brenda or Jack would be on it, so I wasn't going to use them…" he sighed again. Not finished, but Brenda got her two sense in before he could finish.
"What happened, you saw it was me, so you just fired away?"
Trevor said, his voice rising, "You think I would just let you waltz on my ship without a fight?"
"You shot a canon at our hull!" she yelled, "How are we supposed to fix that? We're pirates not princes!"
"It was an accident!" Trevor shouted back. Everyone paused.
"An accident?" Jack repeated.
Trevor nodded, rolling his eyes. "My first mate fired the first shot without my permission."
Brenda stared at him for a minute, as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. Then she felt someone grab her hand. She looked down and saw Matthew with a sad face on, "I'll help you pay for it."
Brenda's heart immediately broke and she bent down, kissed his cheek and picked him up, "Thanks luv, but I think your cousin will be payin' for me ship."
He nodded and leaned against his sister while Gwyneth sighed, "Now that everyone's here, let's sit down and try to enjoy ourselves…please."
"Jack, what are we going to do? They're going to kill each other sooner or later." Gwyneth and Jack were getting ready for bed. Changing, fixing the bed and talking about that night's events. Matthew had gone to bed right after presents. Trevor had made him a smaller replica of the Pearl, the one that was hanging in the front room and Brenda had gotten him fudge from Nassau and a harmonica.
"Do we really need to do anything?" he asked climbing into bed.
Her shoulders sagged, "Of course we do! We need to fix both their ships for one."
"Both?!" Jack squawked, his eyes wide, "Why both?"
"Honey, we can't just not pay for the other to be fixed."
"We're not Trevor's parents! Let them spring the money for the ship! Not us!"
Gwyneth stopped pacing, crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, not saying anything but her look saying everything.
"We don't have the money, love. Don't give me that look either!"
She sighed, "We do have the money." She said plainly walking to the bed and blowing out the candle.
"Hey! Don't blow out that candle! What do you mean we have the money?"
"Jack, I swear you have no memory." She rolled over and faced him, "Don't you remember me asking you to put away a little bit of money from each raid you did?"
He nodded slowly, "Love, you never did specify how little."
"I know. That's why I put more of your money in after I saw how little you put in." His mouth dropped and she smiled, "Sorry darling, I meant our money…right? That money is for both of us…right?"
He paused, about to say something, but deciding against it, knowing there weren't any empty beds he could sleep in tonight and he definitely didn't want to sleep on the lumpy couch. He nodded and she kissed his nose and rolled back over, finding a comfortable spot and once she did, Jack wrapped his arms around her figure and they slowly fell asleep.
The next morning Brenda came down for breakfast earlier than usual. She walked awkwardly down the stairs and sat herself next to Matthew who was currently eating his eggs. He giggled when she laid her head down on the table and didn't say anything.
"What would you like dear?"
"Rum," Brenda answered Gwyneth.
She smiled to herself, "Eggs and toast suit you?"
"Aye."
Gwyneth paused a minute before asking, "What's wrong."
Brenda sighed, forced her head to be vertical and then leaned her cheek against her fist. "Mom, did you ever have a guy that bugged the heck outta you?"
Gwyneth smiled to herself again, no matter how many times Brenda said it, it always felt great to hear her call her mom. "Yes. Will Turner."
Brenda grunted. Gwyneth went on, "He and my brother were great friends. He had been picked up off the ocean by the Dauntless I do believe…only a year earlier. I thought he looked and smelled like a rat, my brother of course, found him intriguing. It's a good thing too. Edward got him into semi-good society. Got him a job and let him come to school with him…got him a bath…"
Matthew giggled. Brenda smirked a little and waited while Gwyneth put her eggs and toast on a plate and set it in front of the girl. Gwyneth looked at her seriously, "Some nuisances aren't always bad, Bean. Remember how you used to feel for Trevor."
Matthew's eyes got wide and he gasped, looking at his older sister while she dug into her breakfast. "You liked Trevor?"
"No!" Brenda said but didn't say anything more. Gwyneth's comment had already sunk deep enough to make her think about it all day. Changing the subject she said, "Where's dad?"
"He went into town to…to…get some stuff." Matthew answered. He looked up at his mom, who had sat down. "Can I be excused?"
She nodded, "Go and get changed, you and I are going to get you some more clothes." He nodded and got down. Brenda quickly finished and was carrying her plate to the sink when Trevor came through the room.
"Hey!" Gwyneth called after him, "Where are you going?"
He came back and gave her a look. He sighed, "I'm going out."
"Don't give me that look," she said with a sly smile, "You may be a man of twenty two, but you're still living in my house. Why don't you have time for breakfast?"
"I'm already late! I'm supposed to meet Katrina at the pastry shop!" he said hurriedly.
Gwyneth frowned a little but quickly covered it up, "Okay, go. Have a fun time." And he was out in a flash. Gwyneth turned to Brenda who had her arms crossed, leaning against the counter.
"Who's Katrina?"
Gwyneth grimaced a little; I knew she was going to ask that. "A friend of Trevor's, that's all."
"Just tell me mum."
Gwyneth sighed and got up, facing her daughter, "Katrina Cambridge is the daughter of the Commodore…and is currently engaged to Trevor."