A/N: Well, here we go again. 42 reviews!!!! Yippee!! And a huge thanks
to all those who reviewed. We really appreciate you taking the time to
read our story. And a note to Mystic Black, I think, who asked if this was
the end.well, the answer is no, not even close. We have some rather
interesting stuff in store for y'all. So be patient, we swear there is a
plot.and a good one at that.now that I've efficiently made you curious or
angry about my lack of information, on with the story. Sorry for the
extremely long delay in updates but it is all explained in the- VERY
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END! MAKE SURE YOU READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(need we stress VERY any more.I certainly hope not!)
Disclaimer: How many times must we admit that we don't own anyone but Katie and Kate and the other characters not in the movie.like pouring salt in our wounds.bloody.But on the flip side, the movie comes out TOMORROW!!!
Chapter 11: Questions Aplenty
After Kate had left her and Katie's cabin, she went back on deck. It was a dreary foggy morning. The sky looked like it was carved from slate and the ocean was choppier than Kate had ever seen it. It almost made her feel sick, it was so rough. Kate walked to the front of the ship and looked out into the ocean, though not really seeing it, she was caught up in thought. This was a first, Kate hadn't felt seasick since she was taken, which seemed now to be ages ago. Now she knew that before her life had only been a dream of a life. Not real. There wasn't much risk, no adventure. She didn't have any place that she could test herself. She would have just spent her life dreaming about what could have been and never experiencing it. She would have only woken from that dream to find that life wasn't as picturesque as it had once seemed. Now that she thought of it, that death threat had opened her eyes to so much that she hadn't allowed herself to see before. She was able to read people better, now that she had been betrayed and she was able to spot love better, now that she knew that she was loved. It seemed odd to Kate that now her old life seemed so trivial but she didn't think about it much anymore. When she was on Albert's ship, hoping for rescue and dreading death, she hadn't thought about going home, she had thought about going back to the Pearl. Maybe this meant that Kate could be happy where she was. She figured that her family had given up by now and she had no idea how long she'd been gone. Maybe now ---
Her thoughts broke off when she heard a board creak under someone's foot. Slowly, she turned around and saw Jack in front of her. Oddly enough, it didn't bother her that he was there. She felt almost glad of his presence....
"What'cha thinking?" Jack asked.
"Oh nothing," Kate replied
"Liar," Jack said quietly. "You have that look in your eyes. That 'I've been really deep in thought and you disrupted it' look. So what'cha thinking?"
"I was just thinking that it was a bloody dreary day out but it didn't matter because I didn't feel dreary in the slightest. And some other things, too."
"You're so specific."
"Well, ask for specific details then."
"Okay. Who were you thinking about?"
"Well, since you asked, I'll tell ya. I was just thinking that before you brought me here, I thought my life was pretty good. Boring, yes, but good. And now I realized that there wasn't much that I would have gotten to experience, nothing much to learn. And now that I'm here, I'm thinking that it's a good thing. When I was on Albert's ship, I didn't think about going home, I thought about coming back here. But you don't wanna hear my thoughts, my mind was just wandering and then here it is. So, it doesn't matter. I was just caught up in my head."
Jack smirked. "You're not telling me something."
"What makes you think that?" Kate asked innocently.
"I just know."
"Do not."
"Do so."
"Do not."
"Do so."
Kate huffed, "You know, we're horrible, don't you. I mean, we're like little kids arguing over who gets to ride the horse next or something."
"Yeah, well, little kids are fine. I love kids."
Kate raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you trying to tell me something, Mr. Sparrow?"
"No. Just that it's okay for me and you to act like little kids. Anyway, Katie would like you to go down and look at her shoulder. She's going nuts. I think that you'll have to tie her down to keep her still much longer."
"Well, that might work," Kate paused. Then she continued with, "Do you have any fabric that I could dress her shoulder with. I'm afraid that if it takes much more, my dress will be up to me thighs or maybe even higher," Kate added gesturing down to her dress which was about at her knees, since she had cut so much of it for Katie's shoulder.
"I was going to say yes, but now that you mention it, I don't think I'll give it to you," Jack said in an amused voice.
"You're impossible!" Kate said in an annoyed voice, but she was grinning.
"Me? No. Not me!" Jack replied. "Never. I'm shocked that you would suggest that!"
Kate smiled broadly and stared into the ocean. "I'm sure," she added. She turned to leave but before she walked too far she turned back around and said, "Well, if you won't give me anything for Katie's shoulder, I'll just have to use your sheets, okay?"
"Take Will's. No wait, Katie already destroyed those," Jack paused, trying to think of where there was some fabric. "Just tear up one of Katie's old dresses."
"She only has 4 dresses already. Do you have anything that you would donate to the cause?"
"I dunno. I think you'd have to force me."
"Force you to do what?"
"Oh, give up one of me precious shirts."
"And what would that take?"
"Oh...nothing much."
"You're avoiding my question."
"Glad you caught on."
"GAH!!!!"
"Okay, okay. Take the first shirt you find! Get outta here, now."
"So much loving care on this ship. Thanks for the shirt."
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Go fix up Katie."
Kate turned and left. She walked quickly to Jack's cabin and found a shirt that wasn't in too good of condition and went back down to her and Katie's room. She also brought a basin with some water and soap to clean the wound. After knocking on the door, Kate walked inside and sat down on her bunk.
"Its about time! I wanna move!" Katie said impatiently.
"Hold still. I have to cut this up first," Kate replied calmly as she began ripping up the shirt.
"You're trying to take long!"
"Oh yeah?" Kate said annoyedly. "Its funny but I don't remember that being my goal. But then again, you can read me well. So I guess you would know better than me, eh?"
"Oh, you're impossible."
"Yeah, and you're perfect, are you?"
Katie paused for a second before saying, "That's not the point! The point is that you're not perfect are you, Miss Perfect?"
"No. But I'm not the one with the bullet in her shoulder am I? So you may want to be nice to me," Kate replied casually as she sat down on her bunk. "But, hey, keep insulting me. I don't mind. I've got all day. I mean, its such a nice day, maybe I should wait until right before bed. Its not like you want to move, do you?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Katie grumbled. "Just fix me arm will ya?"
"Sure. Lie still," Kate answered as she moved from her bunk to Katie's. "Lean back a bit." Katie obliged and also pulled the dress's neck down a bit so that Kate could see the wound.
The place on Katie's back, which Kate had had to perform amateur surgery on was healing well. There were no redlines shooting out and it didn't feel hot. It was a little puffy and that worried Kate slightly, although she didn't say anything to Katie about it. The front of the wound looked much better. As far as Kate could tell, Katie's front of her shoulder would not be a problem much longer and Kate thought that the dressings on it could come of in a day or two.
"So, what's the damage?" Katie asked.
"Eh."
"Oh thanks. I'm glad I asked."
"Hold on a minute. I have to get this on. Unless you don't want me to bandage it up," Kate muttered distractedly as she secured the new bandages.
Katie waited for Kate to move back onto her bunk before she spoke again. "So. What's the verdict?"
"You'll be fine. I hope."
"You know, you're confidence isn't exactly comforting."
"I'm not a bloody doctor. I only know what I know. And it's lucky that I know how to dress wounds. Just be patient."
"I'm sick of being patient. When can I move?"
"Oh, I dunno. Never," Kate said in a mock serious voice. At a death glare from Katie, she added, "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!?! I have to wait that long?"
"Yep. And if you keep complaining, I could make it the day after that or even the day after that. But I daresay that Jack will notice if I keep extending the days. So, tomorrow."
"Argh. Fine."
"Good."
"So. Can I move just a little today?"
Kate glanced skeptically at Katie and said, "How much is a little?"
"Oh, you know, around the ship," Katie scoffed. "No. I mean can I get up to us the privy or do I have to pee in a pot?"
Kate blanched and said, "Fine. Sit up. I'll help you there and back."
Katie smiled winningly. "Thanks, kid."
"Yeah, whatever. Don't mention it."
Kate slowly helped Katie to the privy/bathroom and back. Katie seemed to be loving the chance to move around but on the way back, she had to lean on Kate for a while because she was so weak.
"See what I told you?" Kate asked. "You're weak. You have to give your body a chance to recover," she added as she helped Katie climb into her bunk.
"Yeah, yeah. You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Kate smiled and said, "Well, yes, but that's not the point. You gotta take it easy for a while. You don't just jump up after you had a bullet cut out of you. Especially if it was an 18-year-old doing it."
"Yes mother," Katie said in a sarcastic voice. "Anything else mother?"
"Stop it. I'm just trying to help."
"Sure. That's what you say."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I'm done, okay. Are you happy now?"
Katie looked down at the wound and then back at Kate. "Yeah. Thanks."
"Okay, then. My job here is done."
"I still stand that you're enjoying this."
"What? Being able to tell you what you can't do...me, never."
"Oh, very funny. You know, I liked it better when you didn't hardly talk."
"Yeah, well a bit has changed since then," Kate said shortly.
"Obviously."
"Well, when situations change, people change. I changed so that I could survive. What would you have done? Besides, it wasn't any fun not talking."
Katie rolled her eyes. "Well, fine."
Kate stood up and said, "Okay, I'm going to go up and enjoy the fresh air. You know, walk around, skip, jump, whatever. Just get tons of moving in. I think I'll even practice with my sword, too. Don't you think that'll be nice?"
Katie felt around for something to throw at Kate. When she couldn't find anything (thanks to Kate's good planning), she sighed heavily and said, "Get outta here!"
"Good. I'll go then," Kate said.
"Then go."
"Okay, then. Have fun being still," Kate said sarcastically while she walked out the door.
~*~
While Kate was attempting to fix Katie's shoulder, Jack was at the wheel. Will walked up to him and without any preamble started to talk.
"Do you think Katie would marry me?" Will asked suddenly.
Jack whipped his head around and stared at him. "Excuse me?"
"I said, do you think Katie would marry me?" Will repeated.
"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be asking her? I may not be an expert, but I think that's probably your best bet on finding what she thinks on that," Jack replied.
"Thanks, Jack, you've been a big help," Will said, sarcastically.
"No problem," Jack said, grinning. "So, are you gonna ask her?"
"What? Are you crazy?!"
"But I thought . . . huh?"
"I'm not gonna actually ask her! That's like signing my death warrant!"
"Why's that?" Jack asked.
"Well, Katie never struck me as the type who would want to get married," Will explained.
"Are you sure you're talking about the right girl? You haven't mixed up Katie with Kate again, have you?" Jack asked warily.
"Again?" Will questioned.
"Sorry, my mistake, that was me," Jack said quickly.
"Wait, so you mixed Katie up with Kate?" Will said.
"Once! You bloody make it sound like I do it every day!" Jack cried.
At that moment, Kate walked onto the deck from fixing up Katie. She waved to Will and Jack.
Will waved back as Jack called out, "Ahoy there, Katie!!"
Kate shot Jack a look. Will burst out laughing.
"What? What'd I say?" Jack asked.
Kate furiously made her way back below deck as Will just shook his head, still laughing.
"Anyway," Jack continued. "Like I said, it was only the one time."
"Sure," Will responded.
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You're not gonna ask Katie to marry you, right?"
"Aye," said Will.
"You're crazy," said Jack.
"And this coming from the infamous Jack Sparrow," Will laughed.
"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow," Jack replied.
Will just rolled his eyes.
"I think we need a woman's opinion on this," Jack said. Before Will could reply, Jack threw his head back and bellowed out, "KATE!!!"
A second later, Kate appeared back on deck. "WHAT?!" she hollered.
"GET OVER HERE!" Jack yelled.
Kate grimaced but quickly made her way over to where Will and Jack were standing. "What?" she asked again, once she stood next to Will.
"Will wants to marry Katie, but he's too afraid to ask her," Jack said, casually.
Kate blanched. "Say again?" she said.
Jack repeated what he said a moment earlier.
Kate turned to Will. "Why are you afraid to ask her?"
Will blushed. "I am not!"
"Yes you are!" Jack roared.
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"I thought you two were past your little kid stage," pointed out Kate.
Both Jack and Will quickly shut up.
"There, that's better," Kate grinned. "But, actually, Will has a point."
"What's that? His sword?" Jack asked.
Kate rolled her eyes, as Will glanced at Jack in confusion. "NO!" she said. "Katie doesn't strike me as a girl who would really want to get married."
Jack peered at Kate closely. "Are you sure you haven't gotten yourself mixed up with Katie?" he asked.
"No, I'm quite sure I'm Kate, thank you very much," Kate replied, indignantly.
"Really? Because between you and Katie, you strike me as the one who wouldn't want to get married," Jack said.
"Really?" said Kate. "Hmmm, well, now you know."
"Hang on. Didn't you tell me once that you didn't want to get married?" Jack said.
"First of all, I said that I didn't show any interest in finding a future husband, and secondly, I had an image to uphold," Kate replied, coolly.
"What image would that be?" asked Will.
"The tough girl!" Kate cried. "Honestly! Don't you two pay any attention to me!!"
"I do!" piped up Jack.
"Well, anyway, I'm all for getting married. Once I find the right pir - man . . . that is," Kate said.
"Wait a second!" Jack said. "What was that? Did you almost say pirate?"
Kate looked at him stubbornly and said, "NO!"
Jack walked right up to her so that he was less than a foot away. "You did so."
Kate held her ground and said, "I did not."
Jack glared into Kate's eyes and said, "Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Hey!" Will interjected. "Now who's acting like kids?"
Kate glared at him.
He quailed under her stare and said, "I think I'll go check on Katie," as he walked away.
Jack looked from Will's dejected form walking away to Kate's face and laughed.
Kate turned to glare at him. "What, may I ask, is so funny?"
Jack tried to answer without laughing hysterically. "You," he said when he could manage it.
Kate put her hands on her hips and 'glared' at him.
Jack couldn't sustain it any longer. He burst out laughing at her expression.
After standing there for a minute or so, Kate said, "Are you quite finished?"
Jack looked up at her, clutching his sides. "Yes, love. I believe I am."
"Good," Kate said.
"You know, you're quite funny when you're mad."
"I'm NOT mad."
"No. I guess not. When you get mad, you get . . . evil."
Kate sighed and muttered under her breath, "Men."
Jack looked at her and said, "I beg your pardon. Didn't quite catch ya there."
Kate rolled her eyes and started to walk away. Before she got past Jack, however, he grabbed her arm. Jack pulled her around to face him and kissed her.
To Jack's surprise, Kate didn't pull away as he had expected. Rather, she kissed him back.
When they pulled apart, Kate looked up at Jack, evidently startled by her own reaction as well as the kiss. "What was that for?"
"I just felt like it," Jack said grinning.
"Oh. Well," Kate said as she shifted her feet in the awkward silence.
~*~
Will made his way below deck to Katie's cabin. He knocked and walked in.
"NOW can I move?" Katie asked before looking to see who was there. "Ah, Will. I thought ya were Kate."
Will grimaced and said, "Sorry. No such luck," he walked over and he sat down on Katie's bed.
"Yes?" Katie asked impatiently.
"How ya feeling?"
"Okay, I guess. I really want to move."
"Yeah, I guess you would."
"So what's the day like?"
"Bleak."
"Oh."
"Yep."
There were a few moments of silence before Katie asked, "What's with you today? You're all . . . strange."
"I've been thinking a lot today."
"Oh yeah? About what?"
"You," Will said as he moved slightly on the bed.
"Me?" Katie asked in shock.
"Yeah."
"What were you thinking about me?"
"Oh, you know. This and that," Will said evasively.
"Are you going to tell me or what?"
"Well. I could ask you about what you think about what I'm thinking."
"Okay. So do it."
Will swallowed in his suddenly dry throat. He moved off the bed and knelt down on one knee. "Katie, will you marry me?"
Katie's eyes grew very wide. She looked from Will to the door in shock and was wondering if this was a dream. "Come again?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Are you sure?" Katie asked.
"Yes. I've been thinking about it for a long time. And I think it's the right thing for us to do," Will paused. "You're not going to kill me now, are you?"
"Huh? Kill you? Why would I do that?"
"Well, you never really seemed like you wanted to get married."
Katie looked Will straight in the eyes and said, "No. I wanted to get married. I wanted to be able to choose who I married, though."
"So you do?" Will's heart gave a nervous flutter. The butterflies in his stomach were going to drive him crazy. 'What would she say? If she said no, would this be the end of their friendship? Was there any hope at all? What would he do if she said no? How would he react if she said yes? Would this work at all? Or was it doomed to fail?'
"Sure. Why not?" Katie said jovially.
Will's heart sank back to his chest. He smiled broadly and said, "You're sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. How could I not be?" Katie asked.
Will smiled broadly. "I ...uh...dunno. But YOU WILL?!?!"
"Yes you idiot! Of course I will!"
Will struggled to find something to say. When he couldn't, he knelt down and kissed Katie with a fiery passion. He kissed he like a man who had been without the woman of his dreams for years and was just reunited with her. At that moment, Will was feeling happier than he had in ages. Happier than even before Elizabeth.
~*~
The next day, after looking for about two days, The Black Pearl was spotted. Kate ran up a flag signaling for the crew of the Pearl to bring her aside the Torment, Albert's ship. Once along side each other, Jack, Kate, Katie and Will re-boarded the Pearl but not before sending the Torment down to the deep embrace of Davy Jones's locker.
"Jack?" Kate asked that day at dinner. She and Jack were eating alone. Will and Katie were eating in Katie and Kate's room because Katie was still unable to move much. Although Kate figured that she had better let Katie move around tomorrow or else Katie would probably try to kill her at the first available moment.
"Hmm?" Jack asked.
Kate paused, wondering what she should say. All of a sudden, she was at a loss for words. They had completely escaped her, leaving her dumbfounded.
"What is it, love?" Jack asked again.
"Nothing," Kate lied quickly. "I forgot what I was going to say. It's nothing."
Jack stared into Kate's eyes, searching for her unasked questions. He could see them staring him back in the face but didn't know how to answer.
Kate had questions running through her mind but didn't know how to articulate them. She looked up at Jack and noticed him staring into her eyes. For a moment that lasted an eternity, she gazed right back into those penetrating eyes of his, completely enraptured. Finally, Kate broke the connection and looked down at the table. She mustered up her courage and asked, "Why did you take me? Katie has been alluding to it but she never told me. I've been wondering about it for a long time..." Kate trailed off.
Jack had been expecting this for quite a while. Ever since he had rescued her from Albert she had acted differently. Pausing slightly, he said, "I took ye because I thought we were a lot alike. When I saw you in that house, you were all spit and fire, granted there was a fire all around us but still. I don't really know why exactly but I just figured that it would be interesting to get to know ye. I could have let ye die easily enough after you passed out but I figured you were a lot like . . . well a lot like you turned out to be. Although, I must say that you've been a bit more trouble than I bargained for."
Kate looked up and said, "I---"
Jack cut her off before she could finish the sentence that she had just begun and said grinning, "I never said it was a bad thing! Makes life interesting, having you around here, at least."
Kate smiled and said, "Yeah, you could put it that way."
Jack stood up and walked over to Kate's chair. He crouched down beside her and pulled a strand of her long hair out of her face. Against her will, she shuddered. Jack reached down and put his hand on her chin. Gently, he turned it to face him and said softly, "I promised I'd never hurt you."
"I know," Kate whispered.
Slowly, cautiously, Jack leaned forward and kissed Kate. To his immense happiness, she responded and they both slowly stood up. Jack put his arms around Kate and held her tightly to him long after their kiss had broke apart. He felt her arms go around him and felt her nuzzle into his chest. She stood there for quite some time, enveloped in his arms. It was like they had been taken to another world, one devoid of anything else but them. Jack kissed Kate's hair, face, lips and neck, leaving a fire trail where he had done so. Before he could get ahead of himself, however, Kate pushed him away gently.
"I can't do that," she whispered, knowing full well what he wanted.
"I won't hurt you, love," Jack said softly.
"I know. But now's not the time. I can't. The idea scares me," she said, suddenly nervous, like a little kid almost. "I'm not ready for it. Not after Albert," Kate added softly, her voice breaking slightly.
"Shhh . . . calm down love. I won't ever do that to you. Don't worry. Everything will be all right. I wouldn't hurt you."
"I know. It's just . . . nothing," Kate said evasively.
Jack gently lifted Kate's face upwards to his and gazed into her eyes. He saw fear and longing starting back at him. Kate was practically shaking in his arms and her eyes started to shimmer with all the tears that she had never let fall. Unsure of what to do, he smoothed her hair soothingly. Almost as though waiting for a signal, Kate buried herself in his chest and started telling him about what had happened on Albert's ship. She told him what exactly had happened. So that was why she was so skiddish, that explained a lot more. Jack had hoped that they had gotten past the whole 'I'm-very-afraid-of-you' thing. But if she had been thinking about that...no wonder.
After spilling out the exact and painful details of what had happened during her time on Albert's ship, without shedding a single tear, Kate stopped talking. Wondering if Jack would still speak to her, she paused for a moment and then said, "I'm sorry, Jack. For everything. But I can't yet."
Jack held her tightly in his arms, trying to drive out the memories of what she had just told him. He hadn't the slightest idea of what to say and figured that this was the best option. Not that he minded having her right up against him. Not at all.
Kate pulled away and looked up at Jack. Her eyes were no longer teary and she was wearing a smile on her face. "Thanks," she said simply but she said more with that winning smile.
"Not a problem, love."
"You know, Mr. Sparrow, I think I'm beginning to really like you."
"CAPTAIN Sparrow, if you please, love."
"Right, Captain. Now, you wouldn't be trying to pull rank on me eh?"
"Just get me bloody name right and we'll be fine," Jack said grinning.
"Well, then, I had better get going. I have . . . things to do . . . I think," Kate said as she started to move away.
Jack reached out and grabbed her arm and gave her one last brief kiss and then pushed her gently towards the door. Kate, caught unaware, wasn't expecting the kiss and she stumbled slightly after Jack pushed her towards the door.
VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Heeeeeey everybody! I just wanted to let you know why it's taking some time getting the next chapters out. First of all, it's not just one person writing this story. There's two of us! Yes, me, hi! First time I've put anything up for this story on the net so hello from Jenni! Anyway, I'm in Australia at the moment while Alicia is in the USA, and my internet connection is a bitch, honestly. So, we're having some "technical dificulties" at the moment getting the chapters written. If you'd all please just be PATIENT, we'll get some more up soon I PROMISE!!! Just think, the longer you have to wait, the better the next installment will be. Alicia put up a review explaining all this, but I doubt most of you read the reviews, so I thought I'd put this up to be safe.
Disclaimer: How many times must we admit that we don't own anyone but Katie and Kate and the other characters not in the movie.like pouring salt in our wounds.bloody.But on the flip side, the movie comes out TOMORROW!!!
Chapter 11: Questions Aplenty
After Kate had left her and Katie's cabin, she went back on deck. It was a dreary foggy morning. The sky looked like it was carved from slate and the ocean was choppier than Kate had ever seen it. It almost made her feel sick, it was so rough. Kate walked to the front of the ship and looked out into the ocean, though not really seeing it, she was caught up in thought. This was a first, Kate hadn't felt seasick since she was taken, which seemed now to be ages ago. Now she knew that before her life had only been a dream of a life. Not real. There wasn't much risk, no adventure. She didn't have any place that she could test herself. She would have just spent her life dreaming about what could have been and never experiencing it. She would have only woken from that dream to find that life wasn't as picturesque as it had once seemed. Now that she thought of it, that death threat had opened her eyes to so much that she hadn't allowed herself to see before. She was able to read people better, now that she had been betrayed and she was able to spot love better, now that she knew that she was loved. It seemed odd to Kate that now her old life seemed so trivial but she didn't think about it much anymore. When she was on Albert's ship, hoping for rescue and dreading death, she hadn't thought about going home, she had thought about going back to the Pearl. Maybe this meant that Kate could be happy where she was. She figured that her family had given up by now and she had no idea how long she'd been gone. Maybe now ---
Her thoughts broke off when she heard a board creak under someone's foot. Slowly, she turned around and saw Jack in front of her. Oddly enough, it didn't bother her that he was there. She felt almost glad of his presence....
"What'cha thinking?" Jack asked.
"Oh nothing," Kate replied
"Liar," Jack said quietly. "You have that look in your eyes. That 'I've been really deep in thought and you disrupted it' look. So what'cha thinking?"
"I was just thinking that it was a bloody dreary day out but it didn't matter because I didn't feel dreary in the slightest. And some other things, too."
"You're so specific."
"Well, ask for specific details then."
"Okay. Who were you thinking about?"
"Well, since you asked, I'll tell ya. I was just thinking that before you brought me here, I thought my life was pretty good. Boring, yes, but good. And now I realized that there wasn't much that I would have gotten to experience, nothing much to learn. And now that I'm here, I'm thinking that it's a good thing. When I was on Albert's ship, I didn't think about going home, I thought about coming back here. But you don't wanna hear my thoughts, my mind was just wandering and then here it is. So, it doesn't matter. I was just caught up in my head."
Jack smirked. "You're not telling me something."
"What makes you think that?" Kate asked innocently.
"I just know."
"Do not."
"Do so."
"Do not."
"Do so."
Kate huffed, "You know, we're horrible, don't you. I mean, we're like little kids arguing over who gets to ride the horse next or something."
"Yeah, well, little kids are fine. I love kids."
Kate raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you trying to tell me something, Mr. Sparrow?"
"No. Just that it's okay for me and you to act like little kids. Anyway, Katie would like you to go down and look at her shoulder. She's going nuts. I think that you'll have to tie her down to keep her still much longer."
"Well, that might work," Kate paused. Then she continued with, "Do you have any fabric that I could dress her shoulder with. I'm afraid that if it takes much more, my dress will be up to me thighs or maybe even higher," Kate added gesturing down to her dress which was about at her knees, since she had cut so much of it for Katie's shoulder.
"I was going to say yes, but now that you mention it, I don't think I'll give it to you," Jack said in an amused voice.
"You're impossible!" Kate said in an annoyed voice, but she was grinning.
"Me? No. Not me!" Jack replied. "Never. I'm shocked that you would suggest that!"
Kate smiled broadly and stared into the ocean. "I'm sure," she added. She turned to leave but before she walked too far she turned back around and said, "Well, if you won't give me anything for Katie's shoulder, I'll just have to use your sheets, okay?"
"Take Will's. No wait, Katie already destroyed those," Jack paused, trying to think of where there was some fabric. "Just tear up one of Katie's old dresses."
"She only has 4 dresses already. Do you have anything that you would donate to the cause?"
"I dunno. I think you'd have to force me."
"Force you to do what?"
"Oh, give up one of me precious shirts."
"And what would that take?"
"Oh...nothing much."
"You're avoiding my question."
"Glad you caught on."
"GAH!!!!"
"Okay, okay. Take the first shirt you find! Get outta here, now."
"So much loving care on this ship. Thanks for the shirt."
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Go fix up Katie."
Kate turned and left. She walked quickly to Jack's cabin and found a shirt that wasn't in too good of condition and went back down to her and Katie's room. She also brought a basin with some water and soap to clean the wound. After knocking on the door, Kate walked inside and sat down on her bunk.
"Its about time! I wanna move!" Katie said impatiently.
"Hold still. I have to cut this up first," Kate replied calmly as she began ripping up the shirt.
"You're trying to take long!"
"Oh yeah?" Kate said annoyedly. "Its funny but I don't remember that being my goal. But then again, you can read me well. So I guess you would know better than me, eh?"
"Oh, you're impossible."
"Yeah, and you're perfect, are you?"
Katie paused for a second before saying, "That's not the point! The point is that you're not perfect are you, Miss Perfect?"
"No. But I'm not the one with the bullet in her shoulder am I? So you may want to be nice to me," Kate replied casually as she sat down on her bunk. "But, hey, keep insulting me. I don't mind. I've got all day. I mean, its such a nice day, maybe I should wait until right before bed. Its not like you want to move, do you?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Katie grumbled. "Just fix me arm will ya?"
"Sure. Lie still," Kate answered as she moved from her bunk to Katie's. "Lean back a bit." Katie obliged and also pulled the dress's neck down a bit so that Kate could see the wound.
The place on Katie's back, which Kate had had to perform amateur surgery on was healing well. There were no redlines shooting out and it didn't feel hot. It was a little puffy and that worried Kate slightly, although she didn't say anything to Katie about it. The front of the wound looked much better. As far as Kate could tell, Katie's front of her shoulder would not be a problem much longer and Kate thought that the dressings on it could come of in a day or two.
"So, what's the damage?" Katie asked.
"Eh."
"Oh thanks. I'm glad I asked."
"Hold on a minute. I have to get this on. Unless you don't want me to bandage it up," Kate muttered distractedly as she secured the new bandages.
Katie waited for Kate to move back onto her bunk before she spoke again. "So. What's the verdict?"
"You'll be fine. I hope."
"You know, you're confidence isn't exactly comforting."
"I'm not a bloody doctor. I only know what I know. And it's lucky that I know how to dress wounds. Just be patient."
"I'm sick of being patient. When can I move?"
"Oh, I dunno. Never," Kate said in a mock serious voice. At a death glare from Katie, she added, "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!?! I have to wait that long?"
"Yep. And if you keep complaining, I could make it the day after that or even the day after that. But I daresay that Jack will notice if I keep extending the days. So, tomorrow."
"Argh. Fine."
"Good."
"So. Can I move just a little today?"
Kate glanced skeptically at Katie and said, "How much is a little?"
"Oh, you know, around the ship," Katie scoffed. "No. I mean can I get up to us the privy or do I have to pee in a pot?"
Kate blanched and said, "Fine. Sit up. I'll help you there and back."
Katie smiled winningly. "Thanks, kid."
"Yeah, whatever. Don't mention it."
Kate slowly helped Katie to the privy/bathroom and back. Katie seemed to be loving the chance to move around but on the way back, she had to lean on Kate for a while because she was so weak.
"See what I told you?" Kate asked. "You're weak. You have to give your body a chance to recover," she added as she helped Katie climb into her bunk.
"Yeah, yeah. You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Kate smiled and said, "Well, yes, but that's not the point. You gotta take it easy for a while. You don't just jump up after you had a bullet cut out of you. Especially if it was an 18-year-old doing it."
"Yes mother," Katie said in a sarcastic voice. "Anything else mother?"
"Stop it. I'm just trying to help."
"Sure. That's what you say."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I'm done, okay. Are you happy now?"
Katie looked down at the wound and then back at Kate. "Yeah. Thanks."
"Okay, then. My job here is done."
"I still stand that you're enjoying this."
"What? Being able to tell you what you can't do...me, never."
"Oh, very funny. You know, I liked it better when you didn't hardly talk."
"Yeah, well a bit has changed since then," Kate said shortly.
"Obviously."
"Well, when situations change, people change. I changed so that I could survive. What would you have done? Besides, it wasn't any fun not talking."
Katie rolled her eyes. "Well, fine."
Kate stood up and said, "Okay, I'm going to go up and enjoy the fresh air. You know, walk around, skip, jump, whatever. Just get tons of moving in. I think I'll even practice with my sword, too. Don't you think that'll be nice?"
Katie felt around for something to throw at Kate. When she couldn't find anything (thanks to Kate's good planning), she sighed heavily and said, "Get outta here!"
"Good. I'll go then," Kate said.
"Then go."
"Okay, then. Have fun being still," Kate said sarcastically while she walked out the door.
~*~
While Kate was attempting to fix Katie's shoulder, Jack was at the wheel. Will walked up to him and without any preamble started to talk.
"Do you think Katie would marry me?" Will asked suddenly.
Jack whipped his head around and stared at him. "Excuse me?"
"I said, do you think Katie would marry me?" Will repeated.
"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be asking her? I may not be an expert, but I think that's probably your best bet on finding what she thinks on that," Jack replied.
"Thanks, Jack, you've been a big help," Will said, sarcastically.
"No problem," Jack said, grinning. "So, are you gonna ask her?"
"What? Are you crazy?!"
"But I thought . . . huh?"
"I'm not gonna actually ask her! That's like signing my death warrant!"
"Why's that?" Jack asked.
"Well, Katie never struck me as the type who would want to get married," Will explained.
"Are you sure you're talking about the right girl? You haven't mixed up Katie with Kate again, have you?" Jack asked warily.
"Again?" Will questioned.
"Sorry, my mistake, that was me," Jack said quickly.
"Wait, so you mixed Katie up with Kate?" Will said.
"Once! You bloody make it sound like I do it every day!" Jack cried.
At that moment, Kate walked onto the deck from fixing up Katie. She waved to Will and Jack.
Will waved back as Jack called out, "Ahoy there, Katie!!"
Kate shot Jack a look. Will burst out laughing.
"What? What'd I say?" Jack asked.
Kate furiously made her way back below deck as Will just shook his head, still laughing.
"Anyway," Jack continued. "Like I said, it was only the one time."
"Sure," Will responded.
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You're not gonna ask Katie to marry you, right?"
"Aye," said Will.
"You're crazy," said Jack.
"And this coming from the infamous Jack Sparrow," Will laughed.
"CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow," Jack replied.
Will just rolled his eyes.
"I think we need a woman's opinion on this," Jack said. Before Will could reply, Jack threw his head back and bellowed out, "KATE!!!"
A second later, Kate appeared back on deck. "WHAT?!" she hollered.
"GET OVER HERE!" Jack yelled.
Kate grimaced but quickly made her way over to where Will and Jack were standing. "What?" she asked again, once she stood next to Will.
"Will wants to marry Katie, but he's too afraid to ask her," Jack said, casually.
Kate blanched. "Say again?" she said.
Jack repeated what he said a moment earlier.
Kate turned to Will. "Why are you afraid to ask her?"
Will blushed. "I am not!"
"Yes you are!" Jack roared.
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"I thought you two were past your little kid stage," pointed out Kate.
Both Jack and Will quickly shut up.
"There, that's better," Kate grinned. "But, actually, Will has a point."
"What's that? His sword?" Jack asked.
Kate rolled her eyes, as Will glanced at Jack in confusion. "NO!" she said. "Katie doesn't strike me as a girl who would really want to get married."
Jack peered at Kate closely. "Are you sure you haven't gotten yourself mixed up with Katie?" he asked.
"No, I'm quite sure I'm Kate, thank you very much," Kate replied, indignantly.
"Really? Because between you and Katie, you strike me as the one who wouldn't want to get married," Jack said.
"Really?" said Kate. "Hmmm, well, now you know."
"Hang on. Didn't you tell me once that you didn't want to get married?" Jack said.
"First of all, I said that I didn't show any interest in finding a future husband, and secondly, I had an image to uphold," Kate replied, coolly.
"What image would that be?" asked Will.
"The tough girl!" Kate cried. "Honestly! Don't you two pay any attention to me!!"
"I do!" piped up Jack.
"Well, anyway, I'm all for getting married. Once I find the right pir - man . . . that is," Kate said.
"Wait a second!" Jack said. "What was that? Did you almost say pirate?"
Kate looked at him stubbornly and said, "NO!"
Jack walked right up to her so that he was less than a foot away. "You did so."
Kate held her ground and said, "I did not."
Jack glared into Kate's eyes and said, "Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Hey!" Will interjected. "Now who's acting like kids?"
Kate glared at him.
He quailed under her stare and said, "I think I'll go check on Katie," as he walked away.
Jack looked from Will's dejected form walking away to Kate's face and laughed.
Kate turned to glare at him. "What, may I ask, is so funny?"
Jack tried to answer without laughing hysterically. "You," he said when he could manage it.
Kate put her hands on her hips and 'glared' at him.
Jack couldn't sustain it any longer. He burst out laughing at her expression.
After standing there for a minute or so, Kate said, "Are you quite finished?"
Jack looked up at her, clutching his sides. "Yes, love. I believe I am."
"Good," Kate said.
"You know, you're quite funny when you're mad."
"I'm NOT mad."
"No. I guess not. When you get mad, you get . . . evil."
Kate sighed and muttered under her breath, "Men."
Jack looked at her and said, "I beg your pardon. Didn't quite catch ya there."
Kate rolled her eyes and started to walk away. Before she got past Jack, however, he grabbed her arm. Jack pulled her around to face him and kissed her.
To Jack's surprise, Kate didn't pull away as he had expected. Rather, she kissed him back.
When they pulled apart, Kate looked up at Jack, evidently startled by her own reaction as well as the kiss. "What was that for?"
"I just felt like it," Jack said grinning.
"Oh. Well," Kate said as she shifted her feet in the awkward silence.
~*~
Will made his way below deck to Katie's cabin. He knocked and walked in.
"NOW can I move?" Katie asked before looking to see who was there. "Ah, Will. I thought ya were Kate."
Will grimaced and said, "Sorry. No such luck," he walked over and he sat down on Katie's bed.
"Yes?" Katie asked impatiently.
"How ya feeling?"
"Okay, I guess. I really want to move."
"Yeah, I guess you would."
"So what's the day like?"
"Bleak."
"Oh."
"Yep."
There were a few moments of silence before Katie asked, "What's with you today? You're all . . . strange."
"I've been thinking a lot today."
"Oh yeah? About what?"
"You," Will said as he moved slightly on the bed.
"Me?" Katie asked in shock.
"Yeah."
"What were you thinking about me?"
"Oh, you know. This and that," Will said evasively.
"Are you going to tell me or what?"
"Well. I could ask you about what you think about what I'm thinking."
"Okay. So do it."
Will swallowed in his suddenly dry throat. He moved off the bed and knelt down on one knee. "Katie, will you marry me?"
Katie's eyes grew very wide. She looked from Will to the door in shock and was wondering if this was a dream. "Come again?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Are you sure?" Katie asked.
"Yes. I've been thinking about it for a long time. And I think it's the right thing for us to do," Will paused. "You're not going to kill me now, are you?"
"Huh? Kill you? Why would I do that?"
"Well, you never really seemed like you wanted to get married."
Katie looked Will straight in the eyes and said, "No. I wanted to get married. I wanted to be able to choose who I married, though."
"So you do?" Will's heart gave a nervous flutter. The butterflies in his stomach were going to drive him crazy. 'What would she say? If she said no, would this be the end of their friendship? Was there any hope at all? What would he do if she said no? How would he react if she said yes? Would this work at all? Or was it doomed to fail?'
"Sure. Why not?" Katie said jovially.
Will's heart sank back to his chest. He smiled broadly and said, "You're sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. How could I not be?" Katie asked.
Will smiled broadly. "I ...uh...dunno. But YOU WILL?!?!"
"Yes you idiot! Of course I will!"
Will struggled to find something to say. When he couldn't, he knelt down and kissed Katie with a fiery passion. He kissed he like a man who had been without the woman of his dreams for years and was just reunited with her. At that moment, Will was feeling happier than he had in ages. Happier than even before Elizabeth.
~*~
The next day, after looking for about two days, The Black Pearl was spotted. Kate ran up a flag signaling for the crew of the Pearl to bring her aside the Torment, Albert's ship. Once along side each other, Jack, Kate, Katie and Will re-boarded the Pearl but not before sending the Torment down to the deep embrace of Davy Jones's locker.
"Jack?" Kate asked that day at dinner. She and Jack were eating alone. Will and Katie were eating in Katie and Kate's room because Katie was still unable to move much. Although Kate figured that she had better let Katie move around tomorrow or else Katie would probably try to kill her at the first available moment.
"Hmm?" Jack asked.
Kate paused, wondering what she should say. All of a sudden, she was at a loss for words. They had completely escaped her, leaving her dumbfounded.
"What is it, love?" Jack asked again.
"Nothing," Kate lied quickly. "I forgot what I was going to say. It's nothing."
Jack stared into Kate's eyes, searching for her unasked questions. He could see them staring him back in the face but didn't know how to answer.
Kate had questions running through her mind but didn't know how to articulate them. She looked up at Jack and noticed him staring into her eyes. For a moment that lasted an eternity, she gazed right back into those penetrating eyes of his, completely enraptured. Finally, Kate broke the connection and looked down at the table. She mustered up her courage and asked, "Why did you take me? Katie has been alluding to it but she never told me. I've been wondering about it for a long time..." Kate trailed off.
Jack had been expecting this for quite a while. Ever since he had rescued her from Albert she had acted differently. Pausing slightly, he said, "I took ye because I thought we were a lot alike. When I saw you in that house, you were all spit and fire, granted there was a fire all around us but still. I don't really know why exactly but I just figured that it would be interesting to get to know ye. I could have let ye die easily enough after you passed out but I figured you were a lot like . . . well a lot like you turned out to be. Although, I must say that you've been a bit more trouble than I bargained for."
Kate looked up and said, "I---"
Jack cut her off before she could finish the sentence that she had just begun and said grinning, "I never said it was a bad thing! Makes life interesting, having you around here, at least."
Kate smiled and said, "Yeah, you could put it that way."
Jack stood up and walked over to Kate's chair. He crouched down beside her and pulled a strand of her long hair out of her face. Against her will, she shuddered. Jack reached down and put his hand on her chin. Gently, he turned it to face him and said softly, "I promised I'd never hurt you."
"I know," Kate whispered.
Slowly, cautiously, Jack leaned forward and kissed Kate. To his immense happiness, she responded and they both slowly stood up. Jack put his arms around Kate and held her tightly to him long after their kiss had broke apart. He felt her arms go around him and felt her nuzzle into his chest. She stood there for quite some time, enveloped in his arms. It was like they had been taken to another world, one devoid of anything else but them. Jack kissed Kate's hair, face, lips and neck, leaving a fire trail where he had done so. Before he could get ahead of himself, however, Kate pushed him away gently.
"I can't do that," she whispered, knowing full well what he wanted.
"I won't hurt you, love," Jack said softly.
"I know. But now's not the time. I can't. The idea scares me," she said, suddenly nervous, like a little kid almost. "I'm not ready for it. Not after Albert," Kate added softly, her voice breaking slightly.
"Shhh . . . calm down love. I won't ever do that to you. Don't worry. Everything will be all right. I wouldn't hurt you."
"I know. It's just . . . nothing," Kate said evasively.
Jack gently lifted Kate's face upwards to his and gazed into her eyes. He saw fear and longing starting back at him. Kate was practically shaking in his arms and her eyes started to shimmer with all the tears that she had never let fall. Unsure of what to do, he smoothed her hair soothingly. Almost as though waiting for a signal, Kate buried herself in his chest and started telling him about what had happened on Albert's ship. She told him what exactly had happened. So that was why she was so skiddish, that explained a lot more. Jack had hoped that they had gotten past the whole 'I'm-very-afraid-of-you' thing. But if she had been thinking about that...no wonder.
After spilling out the exact and painful details of what had happened during her time on Albert's ship, without shedding a single tear, Kate stopped talking. Wondering if Jack would still speak to her, she paused for a moment and then said, "I'm sorry, Jack. For everything. But I can't yet."
Jack held her tightly in his arms, trying to drive out the memories of what she had just told him. He hadn't the slightest idea of what to say and figured that this was the best option. Not that he minded having her right up against him. Not at all.
Kate pulled away and looked up at Jack. Her eyes were no longer teary and she was wearing a smile on her face. "Thanks," she said simply but she said more with that winning smile.
"Not a problem, love."
"You know, Mr. Sparrow, I think I'm beginning to really like you."
"CAPTAIN Sparrow, if you please, love."
"Right, Captain. Now, you wouldn't be trying to pull rank on me eh?"
"Just get me bloody name right and we'll be fine," Jack said grinning.
"Well, then, I had better get going. I have . . . things to do . . . I think," Kate said as she started to move away.
Jack reached out and grabbed her arm and gave her one last brief kiss and then pushed her gently towards the door. Kate, caught unaware, wasn't expecting the kiss and she stumbled slightly after Jack pushed her towards the door.
VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Heeeeeey everybody! I just wanted to let you know why it's taking some time getting the next chapters out. First of all, it's not just one person writing this story. There's two of us! Yes, me, hi! First time I've put anything up for this story on the net so hello from Jenni! Anyway, I'm in Australia at the moment while Alicia is in the USA, and my internet connection is a bitch, honestly. So, we're having some "technical dificulties" at the moment getting the chapters written. If you'd all please just be PATIENT, we'll get some more up soon I PROMISE!!! Just think, the longer you have to wait, the better the next installment will be. Alicia put up a review explaining all this, but I doubt most of you read the reviews, so I thought I'd put this up to be safe.