I told you it wouldn't take as long.

XXX

As we reached the door of the blacksmith shop I took a deep breath and stared at the sign above it. It creaked a bit like it hadn't been oiled in a while. I exhaled and looked back down at the door, hesitating to knock.

I wasn't quite sure that Will still worked there. For all I knew, he had moved back to England after he had married Elizabeth. I figured though that if he had, Mr. Brown would know.

"Come on Kathryn, we don't 'ave all day ye know." Annamaria said, poking me in the back.

"Alright, alright. Let's go." I replied, hitching up my skirt as I started to climb the steps.

As I lifted my hand to knock, a voice caught my attention.

My breath caught in my chest as I realized it was Elizabeth's voice.

"Will? Oh! It's kicking again! Come here and feel it!" She said excitedly.

My pulse quickened as it finally registered that Will and Elizabeth had stayed in Port Royal. I slowly smiled as I started to open the door.

I stepped inside and noticed that things were a bit different. Cleaner and nicer. There was also a new table set up at the back near the kitchen door. This was the table Elizabeth was sitting at. Will was standing over her with a smile on his face.

"Ahm." I coughed lightly.

Will jerked his head up and looked at me. His face had changed a little. The slight mustache I remembered him having was gone. And when he stood up fully and walked over to Annamaria and myself, I noticed he was a little more muscular also. Despite having aged over two years, Will looked younger.

"I am terribly sorry miss, what can I do for you..." He squinted a little and tilted his head as he studied my face a little closer. "Kathryn?"

I grinned broadly and tried to keep myself from embracing him. "Aye."

"KATHRYN!" Will cried throwing his arms around me. I happily returned the hug. "My Lord! Look at you!" He pulled me out at arms length and looked me up and down. "It's been too long. Look at how brown you are! Please! Come in and sit down!" He scuttled over to the table and pulled out a chair. "Annamaria! Look at you! You're wearing a dress! Why you look absolutely-"I quickly shook my head at Will, luckily he caught it. "-horrible! You must hate wearing that!" He winked at me as he pulled out another chair for Annamaria.

"Yea, it's 'orrible, but I 'ave to wear it so I don't attract any attention." She replied, plopping herself down.

I looked across the table and saw Elizabeth smiling broadly. "Hello Elizabeth. How have you been?"

"Weeeeell. Honestly? Horrible." She replied still smiling.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why?"

"Well, aside from all the stomach pains I've been really tired lately." She replied grinning ever more broadly.

"Elizabeth, why are you still smiling then if you haven't been feeling well?" I asked looking over to Will.

Will smiled at me and looked back to Elizabeth. "Quit toying with her."

"Oh Will, you are such a spoil sport." Elizabeth said standing up. "I am pregnant!"

I looked down at her bulging stomach and let out a laugh. "I'd say so! Congradulations! Both of you!" I stood up and gave both Will and Elizabeth a hug. "When are you two have it?"

"Well, the doctor says three weeks but with these things-" Elizabeth shrugged. "- but you never know with these things."

"A baby." Annamaria breathed. I looked down at her and smiled when I saw her eyes glazed over.

"Yes," Will said, eyes also misty. "I hope it's a boy."

"But we don't mind either way, do we Will?" Elizabeth scolded looking up at him.

"Oh, of course not! No." Will said sitting back down in the chair. "So, Kathryn, Annamaria, tell us what have you been doing these past two years?"

"OOH!" Elizabeth interrupted, throwing her hands in the air. "Let me make tea while you are talking. And raise your voice Kathryn because I want to hear too!"

I smiled as Elizabeth wobbled into the kitchen. "Well, to be honest nothing really."

"Ha!" Will exclaimed. "That's not true! I just got word of a raid on the Village of Catorra three weeks ago by a band of pirates very cruel and vicious lead by a ravenous pirate captain who was frighteningly tall, with all manor of sea creature doing his bidding!"

"Sounds like something Jack made up!" Elizabeth yelled from the kitchen.

"Prolly." Annamaria said laughing.

"Most likely." I replied smiling. "Well then I guess you can say we have been doing some things. Raiding, pillaging, plundering, you know the usual pirate-y kind of thing."

"Oh! You should 'ave been there at the last raid! Cleaned 'em out we did. I don't believe there was a single shillin' left!" Annamaria said proudly.

"Oh! Speaking of pirate-y things, Jack wanted me to give you this letter Will." I said pulling the letter out of my pocket. Elizabeth came back in and poured us all a cup of tea then sat back down at the table.

"How is Jack these days?" She asked, setting her head down in her hands.

"Oh he's the same I guess." I replied. I thought for a moment and started to giggle. "You know, he is trying to get me to marry him. It's getting quite annoying."

"Jack married?!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I honestly cannot imagine him being married. What have you told him?"

"No of course. He's too immature. Most of the time I feel like I am baby-sitting him when he is almost 35 years older than me! But he won't give up." I replied, taking a sip of my tea.

"Will, what does that letter say?" Annamaria asked, motioning to the letter.

Will had been silent for a few moments and I myself was beginning to wonder what the Jack had written.

"Well," Will started, "It seems that Jack has a bit of a proposition for me. Biggest adventure of my life he says- wait did he forget about what happened two years ago? Anyway, he wants me to meet him on the ship as soon as possible. Wait- the ship is here?!" He asked looking up, a little panicked.

"Oh yes, but don't worry. We are anchored just off shore behind the rocks over on the western side of the docks." I replied motioning to what I thought was west.

"Righ', no one will ever see him." Annamaria said.

"Jack wrote all of that?" Elizabeth asked leaning over and peering over Will's shoulder then back up at me. "I didn't know Jack could read even let alone write."

"Well Jack can be surprising." I replied. "Are you going to come Will?"

"Well," Will started scratching his head. "It's been a while since I've seen Jack, but then again knowing Jack, he's planning something dangerous." He looked over to me. "Yes I guess I will go. But only to see what he's up to."

"Ohh!" Elizabeth squealed. "I will go get ready!" She stood up and started for the stairs.

"Wait, Elizabeth," Will said as he grabbed her arm. "I don't know if you should, I mean-" he glanced down at her stomach. "You know."

"Oh Will, don't be silly, the doctor said I have three weeks! Now you just sit here for a moment and I will get dressed." She turned and ran up the stairs.

"Will?" I asked as he turned back around and faced me.

"Kathryn." He said smiling. "My god, I can NOT believe how much you have changed!"

I returned his smile and said. "Speaking of change, my room, have you changed it?"

Will's face fell a bit and he looked uncomfortable. "Well you see Kathryn, with the baby coming and everything, we had to make a few changes and since we figured you wouldn't be coming back..."

My face also fell.

"Oh! We kept all your things though. Elizabeth agreed that it would be wrong to even consider getting rid of it, so it's all up in the attic."

"Did you move my bed?" I asked, standing up and moving towards the stairs.

"Yes, we needed a place to put the bassinet. But that is still up in the attic too." Will said turning to face me. "Why?"

"Just something I left here, do you mind if I go up and look?" I asked, looking up the stairs. Above me I could hear Elizabeth shuffling around.

"By all means." Will replied gesturing up the stairs.

As I started up the stairs I heard Will behind me say to Annamaria, "So how have things been on the ship lately? Not too hard I imagine?"

I reached the top and walked into my old room. Sighing, I leaned against the doorframe and looked around. They had dramatically changed it; everything was different. There was a bassinet, like Will had said, along with a high table and a dresser. My old things were nowhere to be seen.

I crossed the room and crouched down in front of the bassinet. Reaching under it I counted the fourth board from the back and hit the side causing the opposite end to pop up. I then reached down inside the space and felt around. My hand quickly grazed the crown Jack had given me two years ago.

I picked it up and sat back with it in my lap. Dusting it off I remembered that day in the cave. It had seemed like forever since Jack had killed Barbossa, and sometimes like it had happened to someone else.

"I feel......cold."

The remembrance of him sent shivers down my back.

I dusted off the crown some more and set it on my head. After kicking the floorboard back in place, I stood up and said aloud to myself. "Barbossa is gone. So you might as well forget about him."

"KATHRYN!" I heard Elizabeth yell from across the hall. "Can you come help me pick out some shoes? I can't see my feet!"

XXX

See? I told you the gaps wouldn't be as long!

And for all you Big Happy Chronicle lovers out there; as soon as I find the time and willpower, everything will be going onto my LJ account, and this is where it will finally rest.

I probably won't do it for a while, but I promise it will happen.