Chapter six: Oh dear
It wasn't a pretty site that greeted the four when the ship finally came back a day later. They had boarded readily, bellies aching with hunger and mouths dry for water. However, as Katerina was hauled to the deck, she gave a small gasp, and took an involuntary step back.
There on the deck before them, was a troupe of men. Katerina realized one of them was the leader of the band that came storming into her shop, looking for Jack.
"Well well well...we meet again, Sparrow." He said, a smirk twisting his face.
"Norrington." Jack curtly nodded. His jaw line was taut with anger, and his eyes narrowed. One thing Katerina knew, was that his ship was his pride, and these marines were invading it.
"I see you have a few captives." The man called Norrington nodded to Elizabeth, Will, and Katerina.
He doesn't recognize me! She thought, amazed.
"I suppose." She knew what Jack was doing. If anything happened, the hangman would only see one pair of boots fall, not four. He shot Katerina a warning look not to say anything, and let himself be escorted down to his own brig. Live today, to fight tomorrow. Another one of his mottoes. Norrington, however stayed on deck, and strode over to where Katerina was standing.
"I don't think we have met. Might I get your name?" He gave her a smile, and Katerina would have been a bit nicer, under different circumstances.
"Katerina Smith." She said shortly. He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head, dispelling any thoughts he might have had.
"Do you know why Sparrow kidnaped you?" Every time Norrington said "Sparrow" his mouth twisted like he was eating a lemon.
"No idea." With her head high, Katerina walked across the deck, below.
"Jack?" She asked softly, as she opened the door. Inside was all of the crew, squeezed tight as could be in three cells. Jack, however, had one to himself; the largest.
"Who are you?" Anamaria asked almost savagely.
"The second mate." Everyone's jaw dropped as she walked haughtily to Jack.
"Hello, love." He said in a defeated voice. Katerina reached through the bars, and touched his jacket sleeve briefly, then knowing she was watched, withdrew her hand.
"Why are you here?" Katerina sat down, and Jack followed suit.
"To cheer ya up, o course."
"...How?" She looked around, noticing the pirate crew gawking at her still, none of them taking their eyes off her face, or back of her head. She pulled her knees up and rested her head on their tops.
"I have a joke." Jack stared at her a moment, then waved his hand, telling her to speak.
"Two eggs are in a frying pan. One says 'Man its hot in here.' the other one goes 'Holy shit! A talking egg!' What about that one?" There was silence.
"Alright...I don't know why Im here!" Katerina said loudly, throwing her arms up in the air. She stood up and walked out, huffing and puffing the whole way.
"What were you doing down in the brig?" She turned around suddenly to see Norrington behind her; looking like a hound on the hunt.
"And you care why...?" Norrington shot her a disgusted look, and Katerina left to her small cabin, only to find a naval man laying in her small bunk.
"Well 'ello there." He said, grinning wickedly, and sitting up. Katerina almost said something, but realized that she didn't have her face paint on. No wonder Im getting a lot of attention from the men! She scowled.
"I currently inhabit this cabin, sir." She said, smiling widely, though her words were gritted out. The man threw his legs over the bed and set his book–which turned out to be hers–on the floor by his feet.
"And why is that?" His voice was nasally, and had a high pitch to it. He stood up and advanced on Katerina.
"Sir, you are too close." She said, when her back went up against the door. He put a hand on either side of her head, caging her in. They stood there for a moment, him breathing shortly, his foul breath making her grimace.
"Hudson! Get the hell out of there. You know the rules!" A voice from the other side of the door boomed, just as the man called Hudson's head was slowly going towards Katerina's. He snapped his head up and let out a low curse, before shoving her away and stalking out of the door.
Katerina sat down fast, breathing slowly. Her bunk smelled like musk and sweat, unpleasant.
When they arrived in Port Royal, and Jack was holed up in the jail, leaving the inhabitants of the Pearl leave of their ship because their captain was gone, Will approached Katerina in the galley.
"Are you ready?" Katerina glanced up from the vegetables she was chopping for stew that night.
"For what?" She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and Will had to admit, she was beautiful.
Katerina abandoned her farce, tired of the work, and pretty much everyone seeing her.
"To save Jack!" She set down the knife, and Will sat down on one of the two long benches opposite the large long common table. Katerina wiped her hands on the cloth at her side, and sighed.
"I think Im gunna sit this one out, if ya don't mind." Will raised his eyebrow, a knowing smile playing across his nice lips. Katerina leaned up against one of the counters, and crossed her arms over her chest, frowning.
"Jack would sure like it, I know."
"And just how do you know that? Its not like I have to go saving his arse everywhere we turn. If the man cant stay out of trouble, then I am tired of helping him." Will gave a soft chuckle.
"Well, Jack is might well fond of you, Id say." He dropped his smile, and shrugged. "But, if you don't want to come along, you don't have to. Although, we would be one person short, and that puts us in danger off–"
"Oh shut up." Katerina snapped, and turned back around to the vegetables. Will let out a breath of frustration, then got up and left.
That night, Will, Gibbs, Anamaria, and Cotton left to go save Jack. Katerina watched them from where she was standing by the mast, covered in shadows.
"Kat!" She looked up at the pleading soft cry of her name, but saw no body. There it was again. She then recognized it as the pretty and delicate Elizabeth's voice. Without wondering as to why, Katerina quickly went into the cabin that Elizabeth and Will shared.
"Yes?" She burst in, looking around. The pretty brunette was sitting on the bed, and from the looks of it, the baby had dropped.
"My water..." Elizabeth gasped, and Katerina started at seeing the poor woman was drenched.
"Oh, you spilled–"
"No! My water just broke...the baby's coming." Katerina tried her best to smile happily. Almost all of the crew were on shore leave, and the only other people she could trust with this had gone to spring the captain that was always caught.
"Alright, just calm down. Here, lets get you into some dry clothes, and change the sheets on the bed. You'll be alright. I used to do this, you know." She lied. But if Elizabeth was more distressed then already, it would be even more painful.
With difficulty they got the laboring woman into dry clothes, and took off the sheets on the only other mattressed bed on the ship. Finding no other sheets, Katerina quickly ran to her own cabin, and grabbed up the thin blanket, then threw it on the bed for Elizabeth.
"Now, breathe" In a fit of actually knowing what to do, Katerina tied up some pieces of cloth to the bed frame, for Elizabeth to grab onto when having contractions. There was no way she could have held her hand, and caught the baby at once.
"Holy shit!" Katerina gasped, as she lifted up Elizabeth's gown.
"What?" She gasped from the top of the bed.
"I see the head!"
"What does it look like?" Elizabeth gasped.
"...A head." But before she could describe in detail, a wet slippery baby was in her arms, wailing like a banshee. With an instinct she never knew existed, Katerina quickly snipped the umbilical cord, and cleared the baby's air way.
"It's a girl!" She said amazed, and wrapped it up in her own shall, handing it over to the mother.
"What in blazes?" Katerina turned around to see wide eyed Jack and Will standing in the doorway. Will rushed to his wife, showering her face in kisses, marveling at their tiny baby.
"And you...?" The question hung open, but Katerina knew just what Jack was trying to say. Still speechless, she nodded, and wiped her hands on her already dirty dress front.
"...Wow."