Authors' Note -
SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't murder us, please...murder me, Rhiannon/CrazyCanoeingGIT but not WeasleyGirl...Its my fault that I didn't update...But, this is an exceptionally exceptionally long chapter, so, don't kill us...savvy?
Many thanks to all the reviewers, we appreciate you very much!
Last Time:
Feeling very low indeed, Kate pried herself out of Jack's arms and got dressed. That was a weird feeling, being in Jack's arms, she felt safe and secure, but that tiny rebellious part of her, which often got her into trouble, told her to push him off of her bed and start yelling at him. But for once, she wasn't going to do what that rebellious voice said, not today.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Aftermath
Chapter 13: Wait, Now What?
Katie and Will had been keeping mostly to themselves about everything lately. They had spent a great deal of time in Will's cabin, their cabin, but they hadn't told either Jack or Kate about Will's proposal. Katie just decided to tell Kate that she wanted to spend more time with Will and all because she had missed being able to talk to him when she wasn't allowed to move. It hadn't been a complete lie, she had missed Will but now that they were going to, eventually, get married, it felt right to move in together. The next step, so to speak.
This morning, Katie woke up fairly earlier than usual, Will was still asleep and he usually got up first. Wondering what the day would bring, Katie stretched and yawned before getting out of bed. After getting dressed, she went over to Will, grabbed a pillow, and started beating him over the head with it.
"Hey! I'm UP!" he cried.
"Not yet you aren't!"
When Katie moved in for another attack, Will pretended to be back asleep, however, once she got within his reach....
"Hey! NO FAIR! I'M BLOODY INJURED!" Katie screamed as Will pulled her down on the bed. There was a struggle between them for a few minutes but eventually, Will was the victor.
"Pirate," Will responded, now pinning Katie on the bed so she couldn't attack him any more.
When Katie opened her mouth to say something Will planted a kiss on her mouth. Katie dropped the argument completely and thought only of Will.
A little while later, she and Will made their way out onto the deck. Before actually walking out, however, Will gave Katie a quick kiss before they went into the bright, late morning sunlight. Once on deck, they saw a now familiar scene. Kate was helping Old Mute Newt with one of the sails, Little Mike was swabbing the deck and Jack was at the helm. Will walked over to Jack while Katie went to relieve Newt from his duties.
Kate saw Will and Katie walk up from their cabin and noticed there was something...different about them. It wasn't the first time that she had noticed it, but now it was even more obvious than before. Kate just couldn't put a finger on what it was...
After helping Kate finish untangling the sail, Katie turned to Kate and asked, "So, how's everything going?"
Kate stared at her in disbelief, lately Katie hadn't been one for a lot of talk, nonetheless small talk. "Pardon?"
"How is everything going for you?" Katie repeated slowly.
Kate quirked an eyebrow and replied, "Fine. Why?"
"No reason, just wondering how things were going for you. Like what it's like having a cabin to yourself and what's happening with you and Jack."
Once again, Kate quirked an eyebrow and muttered, "It's fine," while starting to blush.
"What aren't you telling me?" Katie asked, noticing the blush.
"Nothing," Kate retorted. "What aren't you telling me?" Kate asked staring defiantly into Katie's eyes.
Katie smirked a bit but replied just as stubbornly with, "Oh, nothing, at all."
Kate heaved a gigantic sigh and said, "Do you have to be so bloody impossible?"
"I don't know, do I?" Katie shot back.
"No."
"Why not?"
Rolling her eyes, Kate said, "Because it is bloody annoying that's why!"
"Oh, does it vex you, Miss Black?" Katie asked in a sarcastic voice.
"You know, for someone who has nothing that you are keeping from me, you're doing a fine job at avoiding my question," Kate smirked.
"Ooh, change of tact, eh?" Katie said malevolently.
"Aye. And unless you want to tell me what you have to say, I have things to do," Kate snapped, feeling more than a little annoyed by the pointlessness of this entire situation.
"Aye, I do have something to say," Katie replied, finally yielding to Kate's ferocity at asking.
Kate grinned and said, "And that would be?"
"Don't bloody rush me! It's just that..."
"That what?"
"Will asked me to marry him," Katie answered in a rush.
"He WHAT?"
"Will asked me to marry him," Katie repeated. "And I said yes."
"You WHAT?"
"I said yes, you idiot!"
"Oh my.... CONGRATULATIONS!" Kate said finally, hugging Katie out of pure joy.
Katie pushed Kate away and said, "Thanks. What's happening with you and Jack?"
"To be frank, I don't know what to do," Kate answered. "I don't know what to think either. I mean...I had a dream last night about my family and it got me wondering what happened to them. And my friends and everyone. I've been gone for . . . I forget how long it's been. And I love it here. But that dream got me thinking. My family could have died and I wouldn't know. I've been so selfish that I didn't think about them. And then I was thinking what a little prat I've been. To you and Will and Jack and all. I mean, I was and am not the easiest to deal with, I know. But what if...I don't know I'm just confused right now."
"But I thought that you said that you love Jack," Katie asked.
Kate turned around and started pacing around the deck. "I think...no I do. I just..."
"You're in a right mess, aren't ya?"
"That is a severe understatement."
"Well, have you talked to Jack about your family?" Katie questioned.
Kate stopped pacing and looked down. "Sort of."
"What do you mean sort of? How can you sort of tell someone what's wrong?"
"I didn't really tell him. It was just that I apparently started screaming in my dream last night but I screamed here too. And I sort of attacked myself and was panicking or something, I really don't remember, but Jack came in and stopped me from hurting myself more and he calmed me down and stuff..." Kate finished lamely.
"What do you mean calmed you down?"
"He held me in his arms and got me to slow down and think and all...I really don't know...I was in a right state."
"What do you think that you should do?"
"I don't know..."
"What do you want to do?"
"I already said that I didn't know, didn't I?"
"Aye. But I think that you do know."
"You're worse than me!"
"Aye. Don't you love it?"
"No."
"Okay, then. So why don't you tell me so that we can drop this, savvy?"
"Savvy..." Kate said grudgingly.
"Okay, then. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know...I can't decide."
"What do ya think that ya should do?"
"In my head, my head tells me to dismiss it as a nightmare."
"And your heart?" Katie prompted.
"My heart...my heart says that I've been a selfish little prat and that I should go back at least to see what happened."
"Do you want to go home?"
"To stay?"
"No....not to stay."
Kate shook her head 'no'.
"Why the change of heart?" Katie asked.
Kate paused for a moment before answering and stared up towards Jack, finally she said, "He let me decide."
"Come again?"
"He let me decide what I want to do. He didn't tell me what to do or who to see or anything and I've never had that before. Never. And I told him that I'd go where he went...so I can't go home."
"Yes you can."
"Did you listen to a word I said?"
"Yes. And I understand. But Jack would go where you wanted to go, so there you go. That's how you get home."
Meanwhile, Will and Jack were also deep in conversation.
"What's on your mind, mate?" Jack asked after Will had stood by the helm for several moments without saying anything.
"Hmm?" Will asked, started by Jack's intrusion on his reverie. "Nothing."
"Boy, you're honest to a fault. What's on your bloody mind?"
Will again failed to answer, he was too busy staring down at Katie.
"Oh, that's what's on your mind," Jack sad, laughing quietly to himself. "The bonny lass, again."
Will jolted and said, "Huh?"
"Will, you're terrible, you know that don't you?" Jack asked.
"And you're any better, are you Captain?" Will retorted.
"Yes. I'm not the one who can't keep his mind on a simple conversation when there is an interest of mine within 100 feet of me."
Determined to prove Jack wrong, Will wrenched his gaze away from Katie and stared defiantly at Jack. "What's on my mind, you ask? Nothing much."
"Lie."
"Fine. Katie and I are...."
"Getting married?" Jack finished.
"How'd you know?" Will asked.
"Look," Jack said, pointing to Katie and Kate. Katie was beaming and Kate gave her a small hug and said something like, "Congratulations".
"Oh."
"Congrats mate. Want any rum?"
"Is that your solution for everything, Jack?" Will asked scathingly.
"It might just be that it is, savvy?" Jack replied. "And if you're too good to get drunk off your arse, then why are you a bloody pirate?"
"It doesn't matter."
"When's the wedding?"
"We don't know. But we're gonna get married, we just don't know or care, for that matter, when."
"And you're point? It's a wedding. I love weddings! Drinks all around!"
Will rolled his eyes and heaved a great sigh. "You're hopeless, Jack."
"No, of the two of us, I'm the only one who hasn't gone off on some foolish errand chasing some bonny lass so I think ye'd be the one who's hopeless, savvy?"
"No, you're just the one who steals a 17 year old from her home for no actual purpose."
"I couldn't let her die! And she's a pretty thing, mate."
"Hopeless. Not that I don't enjoy her company but what are you going to do with her? I mean, there will come a time when she'll start to wonder what's going to happen to her for the rest of her life. I doubt that this is how she wanted to spend her life, living day to day like this."
Jack stared at Will for a moment as though calculating where Will was coming from and then answered, "I've already taken care of that mate."
"You did? How?"
"I asked her where she wanted to go. She said that she'd go where I went. But..."
"But what?"
"That was before her dream, well nightmare that she had last night. Woke me up screaming bloody murder and all. Didn't you hear it?"
Will blushed a bright shade of red and said, "No, I must have missed that."
Jack smirked but continued, "Well, she apparently had some dream or another about her family and that they'd been killed in the attack. I don't know exactly...she started saying names and such and saying that they'd died."
"Do you think that that changed what she wants to do?"
"I dunno. How am I supposed to know what she thinks? Haven't I proven time and time again that I don't understand women?"
"Yes."
"Keep your mouth shut, savvy? You're supposed to support the captain. Not make an arse out of him!"
"Aye. Why don't you ask her, then?"
"You're forgetting something, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?"
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Everything!"
"So ask Katie."
"What?"
"Ask Katie. She's talking with Kate as we speak. That way you could figure out what's going on in Kate's mind. Is that a decent plan for you, Captain Sparrow?"
"Aye. Get Katie."
"Aye," Will said as he went to fetch Katie. When he reached them, Katie and Kate had their backs turned and were currently attempting to untangle an extremely tangled up sail. "Ahem," Will said.
"What?" Katie asked as she turned around.
"Jack wants you, Katie. Kate, you're supposed to take a break while we sort this out."
"Okay," Kate said, though a little skeptically.
And with that, Katie and Will walked away, leaving Kate wondering what was going on.
"What's this about?" Katie asked as she and Will walked back to Jack.
"Jack needs your opinion."
"Surprise, surprise. I wonder what's it's about?" Katie commented sarcastically.
"Let's just say that you need to educate him more on women. The man is hopeless."
As Katie was preparing to comment, she noticed that they were right in front of Jack so she promptly shut her mouth. "What's this about Jack?" Katie asked, changing tact artfully.
"Kate," Jack replied.
"Why does that surprise me?"
"I'm going to ignore that comment and move along with what I was thinking."
"And that would be?"
As Katie listened to a replay of Jack and Will's previous conversation, Kate was staring out at the sea thinking.
The glint of the sea met Kate's eyes full blast nearly blinding her. It was a warm day, rather uncomfortable, actually. Kate was suddenly reminded of a lullaby that her mother had sung to get her to sleep when she was a little girl. Absentmindedly, she sung it under her breath, her voice lilting with the words. "Sing on sweet sunset, hold me near. Sing on sweet sunset you are so dear. Hold me and love me and guide me true. Whisper so softly say, 'I love you'. Take me where the wind blows...to the places no one knows. Take me away oh take me today, oh, sing on sweet sunset draw me away. To where the horizon meets the day. Carry me gently, draw me so swiftly into the land of my dreams." Her eyes suddenly feeling watery, Kate started when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You sing beautifully," Jack said quietly.
"Thank you."
"I've ne'er heard that song before. Where did you hear it?"
"My mum taught it to me when I was little. She sang it to me to get me to sleep."
Jack stood without talking for a minute or so before asking, "Kate, do you want to go home?"
Kate finally turned around to face Jack. "Pardon?"
"Do you want to go home?"
Something flashed across Kate's face, "Why are you asking me?" she asked hesitantly.
"After that dream and all, I was wondering if you were still wanting to stay on the Pearl or not. So do you want to go home?"
Kate looked at her feet before answering with, "To stay?"
"If that's what ye want," Jack said simply although it looked like every word was costing him a great deal of effort. 'He never really asked what exactly a woman wanted, he usually just did what he wanted...first time for everything,' he mused in his head.
"Jack..." Kate began. "Jack, I don't want to go home to stay. But I can't live wondering what happened to my family. It's not right. I don't want to stay there, it's all too smothering but living with the wonder of what happened to them isn't fair either," she finished in a rush.
"So what do you suppose doing?"
Kate moved back a step and sat on the rail. "I don't know. Maybe just let me see them...talk to them for an hour or something. Then, I don't care. I just have got to know what happened to them and they should know what happened to me. Even if you don't want me to talk to them, they should know that I'm alive. It's not like you asked for a ransom so that they would have an assurance that I'd be kept alive til you got what you wanted..."
"So would that be a yes?"
"Aye."
"Alright. But how exactly are you planning on letting them see you and talk to you without the rest of us ending up dangling from ropes? Not to mention how you're going to get them to let you leave again."
"I could say that you rescued me," Kate answered quickly.
"Love, I kidnapped you. I didn't rescue you. Are you forgetting?" Jack asked amusedly.
Kate stared out at the ocean for a second before saying, "But you did rescue me from Albert...in a way. So truth be told, you did rescue me, savvy?"
"You're thinking more like a pirate each day," Jack said, his eyes dancing with laughter.
"Funny old world, isn't it?" Kate scoffed.
Jack pulled Kate into a quick kiss and said, "You're sure about this?"
"Aye."
Will and Katie stood at the helm, watching the scene unfolding on the deck and just musing about things.
Katie went silent for a moment and then said, "It must be nice to have a family to go home to."
Will raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"
"She knows that there is someone who loves her, even if the worst should happen. I never had that, I was always on my own, always having to look out for myself."
"Not any more."
"No, not anymore. And neither will our littlest Turner."
For a moment, Will stood stunned. "What?"
Katie leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I'm pregnant."
After a few stunned seconds, Will found his tongue and said, "You're sure?"
"Of course I'm bloody sure! What do you think this is?" Katie asked, lifting up the hem of her shirt to show a slightly larger, obviously pregnant stomach.
Will, unable to say anything, scooped her up in his arms and kissed her. "We're having a baby?"
Katie smiled up at him and whispered, "Yes."
Will looked at Katie, still feeling very confused. "We're having a baby."
Katie smiled wider and repeated, "Yes."
Something clicked on in Will's mind and he screamed out, "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!"
Everyone on deck whirled around and looked at him.
Just then, Jack came swaying over and said, "Congrats again mate."
Kate followed and said, "I can't believe this is happening! I am so happy for you! I love babies!"
Jack turned to her, grinning mischievously and replied, "Well, we can work on that, if you love babies! Maybe I could help in that aspect."
Kate blushed a bright red, punched Jack playfully in the arm and said, "Only in your dreams, Sparrow."
"Oh, it is my dream love," Jack taunted, intent on ruffling her a bit.
It worked. Kate turned an even brighter, almost impossible shade of red and punched Jack non-playfully this time before stalking off to her cabin.
As Kate walked away, Jack shot Katie and Will a look, asking with his eyes, "What'd I do?"
Katie shook her head and laughed before chiding, "You're hopeless."
Kate made her way down to her cabin deep in thought. She was going to get to see her family! Finally. She had been wondering when this day would come. But now that she was going home, she had to wonder what was her family like now. David and Eliza had to be really big by now...nine years old...and Colleen would have had her baby...was it a boy or a girl...what did she name it? Matthew was in the army...had he been sent anywhere...or heaven-forbid, killed? Were her parents okay? Were her mother and father fearing that she was dead? Did they think she had been killed in the fire? Would they want to see her? Would they want her to stay? How much had changed in however long it had been since the attack? She had been able to keep track the first few weeks but afterwards everything blurred together...that was the only way that she knew that she was eighteen after all. What would be waiting for her when they arrived at her home?
It was 2 days until they were within sight of the town. Kate woke early that morning and was positively buzzing with excitement but also with some hesitation. All the questions that had gone through her head seemed to have multiplied and caused even more questions that were plaguing her. It was noon by the time they docked and Jack, Will and Katie were about to tie Kate up, again, because she was so wound. The girl was wound as tight as a screw and it was bloody annoying! Even while helping on deck, she was talking non-stop, jabbering about some relative or another and getting everything done extremely fast, though not always very well. When time came to leave the Pearl, everyone seemed very hesitant. There were guards now about the town and it seemed that security had been stepped up since the attack.
"Come on," Kate said, tugging on Jack's sleeve as they walked off the Pearl. Katie and Will followed close behind, chuckling at Kate's behaviour.
"You know, Kate," Katie said slyly. "You have never acted like this before. I wonder what could possibly be making you so excited."
Kate rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah that's a really hard one to figure out. I wonder?"
Jack turned to Kate and said, "Just one thing, love, or we should wait. What are you going to tell your dear mum and dad to stop them from calling the guards and leave you stuck here and us dangling from ropes?"
"Well...I was going to tell them that you saved me. Like I told you before. You saved me from Albert and after that happened I started helping on your crew and now you brought me back here, so I can tell them that I'm ok, but I want to stay with you all."
"Do you think that's going to work?" Will asked.
Kate turned around looking very determined and said, "Yes, of course it will. We're not going to mention the fact that you saved me after you kidnapped me or that you attacked the town. They don't need to know that. Savvy?" Before getting an answer, Kate pulled Jack's sleeve a bit harder and said, "Come on! We're getting closer."
Jack pulled her back some and whispered in her ear, "Try to act normal, savvy? People will notice you. We don't need a scene."
Kate lowered her head slightly and walked slower. She muttered, "Savvy," and then started chatting nonchalantly with Katie about some market or other.
Unbeknownst to Kate, Jack was extremely nervous about this...he had doubts on whether or not it would work. The town was more guarded than it had been before and people were quite obviously staring at them. It seemed to take an eternity before reaching the house. Finally, Kate walked down a narrower lane and very quickly they were in front of a house.
Kate took a deep breath and steeled her self for the inevitable. Pushing open the gate, she walked up to the house that had been rebuilt since the fire. Slowly she and the others made their way up to the door.
"You okay, there, love?" Jack asked as Kate raised a shaking hand to grasp the brass knocker. She hesitated momentarily, then knocked.
It seemed to take an eternity for a servant to open the door. An older gentleman came and inquired, "May I help you?"
Kate looked back at Jack and asked, "Are my parents home?" shakily.
The gentleman looked at Kate for a long moment before saying, "I'm sorry, miss, but I don't know you."
Just then a rather frazzled looking young woman with red curly hair and a baby on her hip walked over to the butler. "James, who's---" before tapering off.
Authors' Notes-
Okay, so, enough to stave off angry mobs? Lets hope...So, REVIEW! PLEASE!
Thanks!
WeasleyGirl and Rhiannon
SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't murder us, please...murder me, Rhiannon/CrazyCanoeingGIT but not WeasleyGirl...Its my fault that I didn't update...But, this is an exceptionally exceptionally long chapter, so, don't kill us...savvy?
Many thanks to all the reviewers, we appreciate you very much!
Last Time:
Feeling very low indeed, Kate pried herself out of Jack's arms and got dressed. That was a weird feeling, being in Jack's arms, she felt safe and secure, but that tiny rebellious part of her, which often got her into trouble, told her to push him off of her bed and start yelling at him. But for once, she wasn't going to do what that rebellious voice said, not today.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Aftermath
Chapter 13: Wait, Now What?
Katie and Will had been keeping mostly to themselves about everything lately. They had spent a great deal of time in Will's cabin, their cabin, but they hadn't told either Jack or Kate about Will's proposal. Katie just decided to tell Kate that she wanted to spend more time with Will and all because she had missed being able to talk to him when she wasn't allowed to move. It hadn't been a complete lie, she had missed Will but now that they were going to, eventually, get married, it felt right to move in together. The next step, so to speak.
This morning, Katie woke up fairly earlier than usual, Will was still asleep and he usually got up first. Wondering what the day would bring, Katie stretched and yawned before getting out of bed. After getting dressed, she went over to Will, grabbed a pillow, and started beating him over the head with it.
"Hey! I'm UP!" he cried.
"Not yet you aren't!"
When Katie moved in for another attack, Will pretended to be back asleep, however, once she got within his reach....
"Hey! NO FAIR! I'M BLOODY INJURED!" Katie screamed as Will pulled her down on the bed. There was a struggle between them for a few minutes but eventually, Will was the victor.
"Pirate," Will responded, now pinning Katie on the bed so she couldn't attack him any more.
When Katie opened her mouth to say something Will planted a kiss on her mouth. Katie dropped the argument completely and thought only of Will.
A little while later, she and Will made their way out onto the deck. Before actually walking out, however, Will gave Katie a quick kiss before they went into the bright, late morning sunlight. Once on deck, they saw a now familiar scene. Kate was helping Old Mute Newt with one of the sails, Little Mike was swabbing the deck and Jack was at the helm. Will walked over to Jack while Katie went to relieve Newt from his duties.
Kate saw Will and Katie walk up from their cabin and noticed there was something...different about them. It wasn't the first time that she had noticed it, but now it was even more obvious than before. Kate just couldn't put a finger on what it was...
After helping Kate finish untangling the sail, Katie turned to Kate and asked, "So, how's everything going?"
Kate stared at her in disbelief, lately Katie hadn't been one for a lot of talk, nonetheless small talk. "Pardon?"
"How is everything going for you?" Katie repeated slowly.
Kate quirked an eyebrow and replied, "Fine. Why?"
"No reason, just wondering how things were going for you. Like what it's like having a cabin to yourself and what's happening with you and Jack."
Once again, Kate quirked an eyebrow and muttered, "It's fine," while starting to blush.
"What aren't you telling me?" Katie asked, noticing the blush.
"Nothing," Kate retorted. "What aren't you telling me?" Kate asked staring defiantly into Katie's eyes.
Katie smirked a bit but replied just as stubbornly with, "Oh, nothing, at all."
Kate heaved a gigantic sigh and said, "Do you have to be so bloody impossible?"
"I don't know, do I?" Katie shot back.
"No."
"Why not?"
Rolling her eyes, Kate said, "Because it is bloody annoying that's why!"
"Oh, does it vex you, Miss Black?" Katie asked in a sarcastic voice.
"You know, for someone who has nothing that you are keeping from me, you're doing a fine job at avoiding my question," Kate smirked.
"Ooh, change of tact, eh?" Katie said malevolently.
"Aye. And unless you want to tell me what you have to say, I have things to do," Kate snapped, feeling more than a little annoyed by the pointlessness of this entire situation.
"Aye, I do have something to say," Katie replied, finally yielding to Kate's ferocity at asking.
Kate grinned and said, "And that would be?"
"Don't bloody rush me! It's just that..."
"That what?"
"Will asked me to marry him," Katie answered in a rush.
"He WHAT?"
"Will asked me to marry him," Katie repeated. "And I said yes."
"You WHAT?"
"I said yes, you idiot!"
"Oh my.... CONGRATULATIONS!" Kate said finally, hugging Katie out of pure joy.
Katie pushed Kate away and said, "Thanks. What's happening with you and Jack?"
"To be frank, I don't know what to do," Kate answered. "I don't know what to think either. I mean...I had a dream last night about my family and it got me wondering what happened to them. And my friends and everyone. I've been gone for . . . I forget how long it's been. And I love it here. But that dream got me thinking. My family could have died and I wouldn't know. I've been so selfish that I didn't think about them. And then I was thinking what a little prat I've been. To you and Will and Jack and all. I mean, I was and am not the easiest to deal with, I know. But what if...I don't know I'm just confused right now."
"But I thought that you said that you love Jack," Katie asked.
Kate turned around and started pacing around the deck. "I think...no I do. I just..."
"You're in a right mess, aren't ya?"
"That is a severe understatement."
"Well, have you talked to Jack about your family?" Katie questioned.
Kate stopped pacing and looked down. "Sort of."
"What do you mean sort of? How can you sort of tell someone what's wrong?"
"I didn't really tell him. It was just that I apparently started screaming in my dream last night but I screamed here too. And I sort of attacked myself and was panicking or something, I really don't remember, but Jack came in and stopped me from hurting myself more and he calmed me down and stuff..." Kate finished lamely.
"What do you mean calmed you down?"
"He held me in his arms and got me to slow down and think and all...I really don't know...I was in a right state."
"What do you think that you should do?"
"I don't know..."
"What do you want to do?"
"I already said that I didn't know, didn't I?"
"Aye. But I think that you do know."
"You're worse than me!"
"Aye. Don't you love it?"
"No."
"Okay, then. So why don't you tell me so that we can drop this, savvy?"
"Savvy..." Kate said grudgingly.
"Okay, then. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know...I can't decide."
"What do ya think that ya should do?"
"In my head, my head tells me to dismiss it as a nightmare."
"And your heart?" Katie prompted.
"My heart...my heart says that I've been a selfish little prat and that I should go back at least to see what happened."
"Do you want to go home?"
"To stay?"
"No....not to stay."
Kate shook her head 'no'.
"Why the change of heart?" Katie asked.
Kate paused for a moment before answering and stared up towards Jack, finally she said, "He let me decide."
"Come again?"
"He let me decide what I want to do. He didn't tell me what to do or who to see or anything and I've never had that before. Never. And I told him that I'd go where he went...so I can't go home."
"Yes you can."
"Did you listen to a word I said?"
"Yes. And I understand. But Jack would go where you wanted to go, so there you go. That's how you get home."
Meanwhile, Will and Jack were also deep in conversation.
"What's on your mind, mate?" Jack asked after Will had stood by the helm for several moments without saying anything.
"Hmm?" Will asked, started by Jack's intrusion on his reverie. "Nothing."
"Boy, you're honest to a fault. What's on your bloody mind?"
Will again failed to answer, he was too busy staring down at Katie.
"Oh, that's what's on your mind," Jack sad, laughing quietly to himself. "The bonny lass, again."
Will jolted and said, "Huh?"
"Will, you're terrible, you know that don't you?" Jack asked.
"And you're any better, are you Captain?" Will retorted.
"Yes. I'm not the one who can't keep his mind on a simple conversation when there is an interest of mine within 100 feet of me."
Determined to prove Jack wrong, Will wrenched his gaze away from Katie and stared defiantly at Jack. "What's on my mind, you ask? Nothing much."
"Lie."
"Fine. Katie and I are...."
"Getting married?" Jack finished.
"How'd you know?" Will asked.
"Look," Jack said, pointing to Katie and Kate. Katie was beaming and Kate gave her a small hug and said something like, "Congratulations".
"Oh."
"Congrats mate. Want any rum?"
"Is that your solution for everything, Jack?" Will asked scathingly.
"It might just be that it is, savvy?" Jack replied. "And if you're too good to get drunk off your arse, then why are you a bloody pirate?"
"It doesn't matter."
"When's the wedding?"
"We don't know. But we're gonna get married, we just don't know or care, for that matter, when."
"And you're point? It's a wedding. I love weddings! Drinks all around!"
Will rolled his eyes and heaved a great sigh. "You're hopeless, Jack."
"No, of the two of us, I'm the only one who hasn't gone off on some foolish errand chasing some bonny lass so I think ye'd be the one who's hopeless, savvy?"
"No, you're just the one who steals a 17 year old from her home for no actual purpose."
"I couldn't let her die! And she's a pretty thing, mate."
"Hopeless. Not that I don't enjoy her company but what are you going to do with her? I mean, there will come a time when she'll start to wonder what's going to happen to her for the rest of her life. I doubt that this is how she wanted to spend her life, living day to day like this."
Jack stared at Will for a moment as though calculating where Will was coming from and then answered, "I've already taken care of that mate."
"You did? How?"
"I asked her where she wanted to go. She said that she'd go where I went. But..."
"But what?"
"That was before her dream, well nightmare that she had last night. Woke me up screaming bloody murder and all. Didn't you hear it?"
Will blushed a bright shade of red and said, "No, I must have missed that."
Jack smirked but continued, "Well, she apparently had some dream or another about her family and that they'd been killed in the attack. I don't know exactly...she started saying names and such and saying that they'd died."
"Do you think that that changed what she wants to do?"
"I dunno. How am I supposed to know what she thinks? Haven't I proven time and time again that I don't understand women?"
"Yes."
"Keep your mouth shut, savvy? You're supposed to support the captain. Not make an arse out of him!"
"Aye. Why don't you ask her, then?"
"You're forgetting something, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?"
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Everything!"
"So ask Katie."
"What?"
"Ask Katie. She's talking with Kate as we speak. That way you could figure out what's going on in Kate's mind. Is that a decent plan for you, Captain Sparrow?"
"Aye. Get Katie."
"Aye," Will said as he went to fetch Katie. When he reached them, Katie and Kate had their backs turned and were currently attempting to untangle an extremely tangled up sail. "Ahem," Will said.
"What?" Katie asked as she turned around.
"Jack wants you, Katie. Kate, you're supposed to take a break while we sort this out."
"Okay," Kate said, though a little skeptically.
And with that, Katie and Will walked away, leaving Kate wondering what was going on.
"What's this about?" Katie asked as she and Will walked back to Jack.
"Jack needs your opinion."
"Surprise, surprise. I wonder what's it's about?" Katie commented sarcastically.
"Let's just say that you need to educate him more on women. The man is hopeless."
As Katie was preparing to comment, she noticed that they were right in front of Jack so she promptly shut her mouth. "What's this about Jack?" Katie asked, changing tact artfully.
"Kate," Jack replied.
"Why does that surprise me?"
"I'm going to ignore that comment and move along with what I was thinking."
"And that would be?"
As Katie listened to a replay of Jack and Will's previous conversation, Kate was staring out at the sea thinking.
The glint of the sea met Kate's eyes full blast nearly blinding her. It was a warm day, rather uncomfortable, actually. Kate was suddenly reminded of a lullaby that her mother had sung to get her to sleep when she was a little girl. Absentmindedly, she sung it under her breath, her voice lilting with the words. "Sing on sweet sunset, hold me near. Sing on sweet sunset you are so dear. Hold me and love me and guide me true. Whisper so softly say, 'I love you'. Take me where the wind blows...to the places no one knows. Take me away oh take me today, oh, sing on sweet sunset draw me away. To where the horizon meets the day. Carry me gently, draw me so swiftly into the land of my dreams." Her eyes suddenly feeling watery, Kate started when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You sing beautifully," Jack said quietly.
"Thank you."
"I've ne'er heard that song before. Where did you hear it?"
"My mum taught it to me when I was little. She sang it to me to get me to sleep."
Jack stood without talking for a minute or so before asking, "Kate, do you want to go home?"
Kate finally turned around to face Jack. "Pardon?"
"Do you want to go home?"
Something flashed across Kate's face, "Why are you asking me?" she asked hesitantly.
"After that dream and all, I was wondering if you were still wanting to stay on the Pearl or not. So do you want to go home?"
Kate looked at her feet before answering with, "To stay?"
"If that's what ye want," Jack said simply although it looked like every word was costing him a great deal of effort. 'He never really asked what exactly a woman wanted, he usually just did what he wanted...first time for everything,' he mused in his head.
"Jack..." Kate began. "Jack, I don't want to go home to stay. But I can't live wondering what happened to my family. It's not right. I don't want to stay there, it's all too smothering but living with the wonder of what happened to them isn't fair either," she finished in a rush.
"So what do you suppose doing?"
Kate moved back a step and sat on the rail. "I don't know. Maybe just let me see them...talk to them for an hour or something. Then, I don't care. I just have got to know what happened to them and they should know what happened to me. Even if you don't want me to talk to them, they should know that I'm alive. It's not like you asked for a ransom so that they would have an assurance that I'd be kept alive til you got what you wanted..."
"So would that be a yes?"
"Aye."
"Alright. But how exactly are you planning on letting them see you and talk to you without the rest of us ending up dangling from ropes? Not to mention how you're going to get them to let you leave again."
"I could say that you rescued me," Kate answered quickly.
"Love, I kidnapped you. I didn't rescue you. Are you forgetting?" Jack asked amusedly.
Kate stared out at the ocean for a second before saying, "But you did rescue me from Albert...in a way. So truth be told, you did rescue me, savvy?"
"You're thinking more like a pirate each day," Jack said, his eyes dancing with laughter.
"Funny old world, isn't it?" Kate scoffed.
Jack pulled Kate into a quick kiss and said, "You're sure about this?"
"Aye."
Will and Katie stood at the helm, watching the scene unfolding on the deck and just musing about things.
Katie went silent for a moment and then said, "It must be nice to have a family to go home to."
Will raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"
"She knows that there is someone who loves her, even if the worst should happen. I never had that, I was always on my own, always having to look out for myself."
"Not any more."
"No, not anymore. And neither will our littlest Turner."
For a moment, Will stood stunned. "What?"
Katie leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I'm pregnant."
After a few stunned seconds, Will found his tongue and said, "You're sure?"
"Of course I'm bloody sure! What do you think this is?" Katie asked, lifting up the hem of her shirt to show a slightly larger, obviously pregnant stomach.
Will, unable to say anything, scooped her up in his arms and kissed her. "We're having a baby?"
Katie smiled up at him and whispered, "Yes."
Will looked at Katie, still feeling very confused. "We're having a baby."
Katie smiled wider and repeated, "Yes."
Something clicked on in Will's mind and he screamed out, "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!"
Everyone on deck whirled around and looked at him.
Just then, Jack came swaying over and said, "Congrats again mate."
Kate followed and said, "I can't believe this is happening! I am so happy for you! I love babies!"
Jack turned to her, grinning mischievously and replied, "Well, we can work on that, if you love babies! Maybe I could help in that aspect."
Kate blushed a bright red, punched Jack playfully in the arm and said, "Only in your dreams, Sparrow."
"Oh, it is my dream love," Jack taunted, intent on ruffling her a bit.
It worked. Kate turned an even brighter, almost impossible shade of red and punched Jack non-playfully this time before stalking off to her cabin.
As Kate walked away, Jack shot Katie and Will a look, asking with his eyes, "What'd I do?"
Katie shook her head and laughed before chiding, "You're hopeless."
Kate made her way down to her cabin deep in thought. She was going to get to see her family! Finally. She had been wondering when this day would come. But now that she was going home, she had to wonder what was her family like now. David and Eliza had to be really big by now...nine years old...and Colleen would have had her baby...was it a boy or a girl...what did she name it? Matthew was in the army...had he been sent anywhere...or heaven-forbid, killed? Were her parents okay? Were her mother and father fearing that she was dead? Did they think she had been killed in the fire? Would they want to see her? Would they want her to stay? How much had changed in however long it had been since the attack? She had been able to keep track the first few weeks but afterwards everything blurred together...that was the only way that she knew that she was eighteen after all. What would be waiting for her when they arrived at her home?
It was 2 days until they were within sight of the town. Kate woke early that morning and was positively buzzing with excitement but also with some hesitation. All the questions that had gone through her head seemed to have multiplied and caused even more questions that were plaguing her. It was noon by the time they docked and Jack, Will and Katie were about to tie Kate up, again, because she was so wound. The girl was wound as tight as a screw and it was bloody annoying! Even while helping on deck, she was talking non-stop, jabbering about some relative or another and getting everything done extremely fast, though not always very well. When time came to leave the Pearl, everyone seemed very hesitant. There were guards now about the town and it seemed that security had been stepped up since the attack.
"Come on," Kate said, tugging on Jack's sleeve as they walked off the Pearl. Katie and Will followed close behind, chuckling at Kate's behaviour.
"You know, Kate," Katie said slyly. "You have never acted like this before. I wonder what could possibly be making you so excited."
Kate rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah that's a really hard one to figure out. I wonder?"
Jack turned to Kate and said, "Just one thing, love, or we should wait. What are you going to tell your dear mum and dad to stop them from calling the guards and leave you stuck here and us dangling from ropes?"
"Well...I was going to tell them that you saved me. Like I told you before. You saved me from Albert and after that happened I started helping on your crew and now you brought me back here, so I can tell them that I'm ok, but I want to stay with you all."
"Do you think that's going to work?" Will asked.
Kate turned around looking very determined and said, "Yes, of course it will. We're not going to mention the fact that you saved me after you kidnapped me or that you attacked the town. They don't need to know that. Savvy?" Before getting an answer, Kate pulled Jack's sleeve a bit harder and said, "Come on! We're getting closer."
Jack pulled her back some and whispered in her ear, "Try to act normal, savvy? People will notice you. We don't need a scene."
Kate lowered her head slightly and walked slower. She muttered, "Savvy," and then started chatting nonchalantly with Katie about some market or other.
Unbeknownst to Kate, Jack was extremely nervous about this...he had doubts on whether or not it would work. The town was more guarded than it had been before and people were quite obviously staring at them. It seemed to take an eternity before reaching the house. Finally, Kate walked down a narrower lane and very quickly they were in front of a house.
Kate took a deep breath and steeled her self for the inevitable. Pushing open the gate, she walked up to the house that had been rebuilt since the fire. Slowly she and the others made their way up to the door.
"You okay, there, love?" Jack asked as Kate raised a shaking hand to grasp the brass knocker. She hesitated momentarily, then knocked.
It seemed to take an eternity for a servant to open the door. An older gentleman came and inquired, "May I help you?"
Kate looked back at Jack and asked, "Are my parents home?" shakily.
The gentleman looked at Kate for a long moment before saying, "I'm sorry, miss, but I don't know you."
Just then a rather frazzled looking young woman with red curly hair and a baby on her hip walked over to the butler. "James, who's---" before tapering off.
Authors' Notes-
Okay, so, enough to stave off angry mobs? Lets hope...So, REVIEW! PLEASE!
Thanks!
WeasleyGirl and Rhiannon