Chapter nine: The Truth about Hawkins

"Matthew!" Katerina cried, rushing to kneel down beside their bed to her dying husband. During the second course of the meal, the commodore had rushed in, saying that Mr. Hawkins was injured on duty. No one wanted to exactly say how he got the bullet to his side, but he was fastly perishing, and wanted his wife.

"Kat..." Matthew gave a small pained cough and weekly held her hand in his. He was surprised to see tears glittering in her blue eyes, but none fell.

"I have something to tell you," He leaned back father into the down pillows, silently thanking their softness. A sheen of sweat was on his face, and he was pale...so pale.

"No," Katerina started, but was silenced by a look.

"Have you ever heard of Jim Hawkins?" Matthew began, his voice slowly wavering.

"The old tale? About the tavern lad who went on adventures with the notorious one legged man, Long John Silver?" Of course she had heard the tale. She had spent time with pirates in pubs! That was a famous one, though she always passed it off as false.

"Jim Hawkins was my father..." Matthew gave another rattling cough, and had to stop for a moment. Katerina tried to tell him to stop, a jest at a time like this was not in any way amusing.

"I never said anything because I was ashamed. I joined the navy. But, Kat...it is true! In fact, there is the map, there in the box that I keep locked, the key is under it. I know you weren't kidnaped by pirates. I had hoped one day you would tell me the truth."

Katerina didn't so much as flinch as he brazenly and with no hint of remorse revealed her secret. "I was going to," she said in a small voice, holding his limp hand more tightly in hers.

"Im sure," Matthew said not unkindly. "But, if it would please you...I give you my blessing to go and join the ship you were on before. I have already requested that Commodore Norrington not openly hunt you. I only wish that we could have had a happy life together,"

By this time tears were streaming down Katerina's face. She felt ashamed, and buried her face in his arm.

"Don't weep," Matthew's voice was barely a whisper now. "You will be happy when you are rid of me. If it helps...I did love you." And with her name on his lips, Matthew closed his eyes serenely, and they never opened again.

"Mrs?" Katerina looked up at their maid, Martha, and quickly dashed away her tears.

"Please go fetch the Turners, and the man that should be with them," the maid nodded, and after crossing herself, Katerina stood up and went to the wardrobe, where the locked box was kept.

"Please tell me you were joking, Matt," She whispered, taking the key with a shaking hand and fumbling with the lock.

Katerina opened it and gasped. Inside was a folded piece of parchment, a quantity of rubies and emeralds, and a golden compass and spyglass. She took the parchment and unfolded it to see a map. She had never really learned to read them, and figured Jack could find out where this island was.

Jack? Her mind instantly sought him, and she puzzled over it for a while. True, she hadn't seen him in little under a year, but still. It was almost scary that she thought Jack would join her.

Katerina shot a guilty look to her late husband, who laid on their bed. She would have a hard time sleeping in the soft eider down folds. She went and stood by it, putting a hand on one of the massive carved post, and crying into it. She felt horrid. She had just as well killed him. But what had he been doing to get shot? Had some madman shot him in the streets? Or was it a connection to the whole Hawkins legacy?

And that's when it hit her. She was a Hawkins. It was Katerina's legacy now. And if others new of the truth held within the whole Treasure Island story told in taverns far and wide, she would be desperately sought after, for the map, and for the treasure. Katerina clutched more tightly to the bed post, until a small cough made her look up.

Elizabeth, Will, and Jack were all crowded by the door. With one look at her, Elizabeth came rushing in and swept her up in a hug.

"What's that?" Jack asked, coming in after them. He pointed to the piece of parchment clutched in Katerina's hand still.

"Oh, here," She said, sniffing and handing the parchment to Jack.

"No. Way." Jack was stunned as he unfolded the map and looked at it. "I thought it was just a myth..." He muttered, quickly calculating where this island would be.

"How did you?"

"Matthew's father was Jim Hawkins, the tavern lad," Katerina explained quietly.

"So that means that you're the last remaining Hawkins?" Elizabeth and Will just looked at each other, quite confused as to this talk. They too had heard the tales, but passed them off as a pirates drunken musings.

Abruptly, she told them she was going to have a baby.

Ah! The Pearl! Katerina's toes wiggled freely on the deck's surface, loving to be bare on the wood once again. She had not entirely realized just how much she missed the ship. The sails were filled with wind, and when the crew passed where she stood by the bulwark, they would hail her happily. They hadn't forgotten their crew mate so easily, especially when she had been second mate.

When they first arrived on the ship, Katerina had demanded to start at the bottom again. Jack argued that given her "delicate state of condition" she shouldn't do so, and the crew would happily let her jump right to her former post. But she stayed steady, saying that she wouldn't be out of action for a while at least.

Though fear crept into her heart at night, when she lay in her hammock. Perhaps people would chase her, and she wasn't sure if her unborn child would ever have a completely safe life. Katerina dreaded the thought of having to leave when the baby was born, but Jack assured her that he already had something set up for such a thing. The secret almost driving her mad.

"Hello Ginger!" Katerina turned to see Hudson smile and walk towards her. He had just joined before she left, and she never exactly gotten to know him, though she did like him in that short time.

"Hello," Katerina said happily, leaning more heavily against the bulwark, smiling herself.

"I hear that you have a bun in the oven?"

Katerina rolled her eyes. "Aye, I do. But that doesn't stop me from swabbin' decks!" She gestured to the mop and bucket placed besides her, the bucket needing to be dumped and new water taken on. She was about to, but admiring the Black Pearl was more on her mind at that moment, glad to be back to the one place she truly thought of as her home.

"Hmm. Well, if ye ever need me, Im 'round!" With a wave Hudson strode off, being called by Gibbs to go and tend to the galley.