A/N: I know, you probably hate me to no end right now, but here I am again, bringing you the next chapter. I just need to get the chapter out for you otherwise, I am afraid some of you may try to track me down kill me and try to write the rest of the fic yourself… scary for me… All because Olivia got sick. I say it is a good enough reason. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 13: Temporary Cures

Dim light cascaded over the room as a single figure sat by the small bed and a concerned mother sat in a chair at the other side of the room covered with a small shawl fast asleep. The light from the single candle flickered softly as the door opened and closed swiftly as if not to let the person know that some one had even entered the room. The figure seemed unperturbed and sat silently watching over the small angel lying in the bed below. The little girl's brown hair was saturated with sweat and some of the bangs were plastered to her face. Red sores covered her once sooth face and arms, some of them looked like they were healing while others looked infected. This being the case, no one knows if the child will get better, or is getting worse.

The mother in the chair moved to lay more on her side then on her back and shifted in the chair to find the lost comfort. She finally settled down after a few moments. The person who had just entered walked softly as not to disturb the mother or the person sitting on the side of the bed. Although his presence was known, the figure sitting next to the small victim didn't show it. They hardly moved, and when they did it was only when the small child made a noise in their sleep, or turned her head on the soft pillows. The person who intruded still tried to walk softly through the room to look over the other's shoulder.

"Ye don' 'ave to worry, Norrington," Jack said softly looking over his shoulder at the commodore, "Ye ain't goin' to wake anyone up. Harriet 'as been up fer the last day or so, she'll be sleepin' fer quite a while."

Norrington looked over at the woman and tried the best he could to silently bring another chair on the opposite side of the bed from Jack, "I didn't know you were awake. I had the impression you fell asleep watching her."

"Aye, I though' as much," Jack looked back Olivia putting his elbows on his knees and intertwining his fingers together in front of his mouth.

"How is your wife doing? I know it was quite a shock to her," Norrington tried his best to get into a conversation, and amazingly he was doing a pretty good job of it. At least it seemed that way to Jack.

"She be tired. She was up 'bout as long as Harriet. She needs her sleep too. I took over fer her."

"What did she mean about the virus? I mean, how did she know so much about it when we know nothing?"

"I don' know," Jack's stare went somewhat blank, "She was taken by Dornie, we got her back, and now she be seein' viruses before they hit."

"Not before," Norrington said shortly. Jack looked at him and found that the commodore was studying the young child just as much as Jack was just a few moments ago, "The virus was spreading before Katerina even saw it coming. Remember, Dornie was even saying that it was in all the ports that they had been through. It is circulating. And fast."

Norrington reached over and put another damp cloth of cold water on Olivia's forehead and watched as she welcomed the cool down. Jack watched him and completely dropped the discussion that they were having before hand. The commodore looked different from the moment he stepped through the door and Jack finally figured out what it was. He wasn't in his uniform and he had totally forgotten his white wig in his own cabin. The commodore's dark brown hair was brushed back into a small ponytail at the base of the skull where it met the neck. He wasn't in anything that a common man would wear out on the streets of Port Royal, but he wasn't in his commodore attire either. Jack shook his head and looked back at Olivia.

"Ye care fer them don' ye?" Jack asked louder than he meant to.

"Who?" Norrington looked at Jack with a quick snap of the head.

"Harriet and Olivia," Jack leaned back in the chair and looked at Norrington, "Ye 'ave a hard time tryin' to hide who ye care fer, mate. 'Ad a time with it with Elizabeth, and 'ave a hard time 'o it now."

Norrington took a deep breath and took a long look at Jack, "I underestimated you, Sparrow. You do perceive things that are not as apparent as others."

"I try to make it me business to interfere these days," Jack smiled and pulled a flask from his sash and took a small swig from it, "Especially when it 'as to do with family."

"They're not family," Norrington replied looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Aye, they are," Jack smirked, "Since we be workin' together on this I migh' as well bring it out in the open. Me wife, Katerina, be Harriet's cousin. She was said to be dead, but it was a lie so she could be free. We never forgot the gesture. And Harriet never forgot us. She proved tha' by clearin' me name."

"She did it for her cousin. So Kat Sparrow is actually Katerina Benikins."

"Was Katerina Benikins, mate," Jack reminded, "Olivia and Harriet be two of the most important people in her life. She would go to the ends 'o the earth fer either one 'o them at any time she may be asked to. Especially fer little Olivia."

"And what about you? Would you do the same thing?"

"Aye," Jack said without hesitation surprising Norrington a bit, "Like I said before, mate. They be family and Olivia be like one 'o me own. It hurts tha' she 'as to be like this."

"I agree, and I heard that you are expecting your own pretty soon, Sparrow… My congratulations to you and your wife," Jack quirked an eye brow but made a nod in thanks, "The sooner we reach Barbados the better. There is a medical facility there that may prove very helpful. I just hope that she makes it," he started to focus on the little girl again.

Jack smiled a bit and coughed, "Tha' brings us back to wha' I brough' up earlier. I see tha' ye do care fer Harriet and Olivia. Now wha' are ye goin' to do 'bout it?"

"Do about it? What are you going on about?" Norrington put up his snotty attitude again and Jack smirked.

"Yer doin' it again. Jus' tryin' to hide yer feelin's ain't goin' to help. I should know. I didn' jus' try to hide mine; I tried to ignore them completely. In the end I couldn' doub' them. Take a pirate's advice, Norrington. Say somethin', speak up. If ye don' yer goin' to wonder wha' would 'ave 'appened if ye did."

"Is that what happened to you and Kat?"

"Aye. I left her behind because I felt tha' if I did tha', she would be safe. Instead, she left the port, came after me and convinced me to see wha' I really felt. And she wasn' wrong. I did feel somethin', I was jus' tryin' to hide it from everyone, includin' meself."

There was a slight pause and Jack glanced around the room to the fill the silence, "Ye know, this used to be her room, but the bed is in a different place from wha' I remember."

"So, you're saying that I am trying to do the same for my feelings concerning, Harriet- er Mrs. Blener as you did with Kat?" Norrington finally blurted.

"Her name is Harriet, mate. Ye can call her tha'," Jack smiled and started to talk a little softer as Olivia began to rock her head a little back and forth, "Ye've shown interest. Ye care fer Olivia very much. It showed when ye tried to take care 'o her in Harriet's absence. Ye luv them both. Now ye jus' got to stop hidin' it."

"I never knew that a pirate could be so sentimental," Norrington said in a joking manner.

"I guess the misses be gettin' to me," Jack stood up, stretched, kissed Olivia on the forehead and went to the door towards deck, "Since ye are takin' over the watch, I think I'll go and join me wife in bed. I 'aven' slept tha' well in the past days either. 'Night, Norrington."

"Good-night… captain," Norrington said quietly and Jack paused and then shook his head in amazement as he made his way to his cabin.

Norrington watched Olivia in her sleep for a few moments and then felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to find Harriet looking down at him with a small smile on her lips. She pulled over Jack's chair and sat down next to him.

"How is she doing, James?" Harriet spoke softly.

"As well as can be expected. I even think that her fever is going down a bit," he took a breath and turned to look at her, "You look tired. You should get more sleep."

"I've gotten my sleep," Harriet turned to him, "It's my turn to watch her now."

"I just came here to watch her, so if you don't mind I can accompany you for a little while."

"Thank you," Harriet whispered and kissed Norrington briefly on the cheek and turned to Olivia, "You have no idea how much it means to me."

He touched his cheek and followed her gaze back down to the child, "And you have no idea how much it means to me."

Harriet's body seemed to stiffen at the comment, but she kept trying to keep Olivia comfortable instead of dwelling on her blooming romance with the commodore. Somehow, through out the night that they spent together watching Olivia, they found each other's hand and held on tight hoping that the little one will make it to town.

Meanwhile, Jack finally made it back to his room and immediately stripped the articles of clothing that he needed to and hopped into bed behind Kat. He wrapped his arm around her waist and finally did notice the small change in her figure. She had a little pooch at the bottom of her stomach that stuck out an inch or two more than her normal figure would allow. Jack rubbed the spot a little and smiled a bit. Even with everything else going on around them, he was still excited to know that he was going to be a father. He remembered his own father, a pirate, of course, but still had plenty of time to train his son and still command a ship. Too bad that Jack lost him when he was thirteen when a 'nobleman' caught him on another ship and slit his throat. Jack was lucky to escape with his life. But that wasn't going to happen to his child. His child will always have him. That means that he will have to live through this ordeal and beat Dornie at her own game.

He felt Kat shift under his arm and he opened his eyes to meet Kat's chocolate eyes, "I though' ye were still asleep."

"I thought as much," she whispered and scooted closer to Jack, "You know pretty soon, we won't be able to snuggle this close together facing each other."

"Why not?" Jack asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Because in the matter of months I will have a stomach that will prevent it," Kat giggled and stoked the side of his face a little bit, "How are you doing?"

"Jus' a little tired… and worried as 'ell," he sighed and rolled on his back to look at the ceiling, "Norrington and I 'ad a nice talk in yer old cabin. He really does care fer Harriet. He jus' won' do anythin' 'bout it."

"He just that stubborn?"

"Tha' and more, believe me luv," Jack looked at her as she put her head on his chest and grabbed a hold of one of his hands, " I jus' don' understand."

"Don't try to," Kat mumbled watching her hand play with Jack's fingers, "Norrington's a hard man to figure."

"Not tha'," Jack chuckled a bit and looked back at the ceiling, "How can tha' virus be travelin' so fast? And how did Olivia get it? She 'asn't been out 'o Port Royal at all, except fer this one time, righ'?"

"That's right."

"And we 'aven' been near any 'o the affected ports yet. So how did she get it?"

"Jack, do you think it is really a good idea to expose the other children on board to the virus at Barbados? They could all get sick, and then how much hope will these people have?"

"If Olivia 'as it, luv, then the whole ship be exposed. If they be goin' to get sick, they'll be doin' it any time now. Besides, Barbados may 'ave some kind of antidote or somethin' by now. We 'ave to try."

"And to think, Dornie and her crew are runnin' away from a virus that only infects children."

"Aye-" Jack stopped in mid thought and sat up into a sitting position, nearly throwing Kat to the side, "Tha's it!"

"Jack! What was that all about?" Kat asked a little annoyed by the instant out break.

"They be carryin' it!" Jack yelled grabbing Kat by the arms, pulling her up to the same position he was sitting in.

"Carrying what?"

"Dornie's crew be carrying the virus. The sickness," he looked at Kat's vacant expression and tried to explain it a bit better, "Think 'bout it, luv. Stilin was tellin' Dornie tha' all the ports tha' they 'ad passed through 'ad been affected-"

"After they left…" Kat finished his sentence for him as the information started to go through her mind, "My God, that's why Olivia got sick the fastest. She came into direct contact with Dornie when she broke her leg. And I…"

"Ye wha' luv?"

"I ate an apple from the table in Dornie's cabin. It must have had the whole infection inside of it. Maybe that is why I am having these signs. I have the infection inside me."

"Tha' be stretchin' it, don' ye think?"

"Maybe."

Jack suddenly became alarmed and looked in Kat's face and then down to her lower abdomen, "If it be inside ye… wha' 'bout the baby?"

Kat's eyes become huge at the thought and the chance that her baby may just be jeopardized, "It 'asn't shown any sign of delaying the pregnancy, or stopping it in anyway. I haven't had a miscarriage."

"But there be a possibility, aye?" Jack said softly placing his hand on her belly.

"Maybe, but I will check with Harriet and Elizabeth in the morning. Maybe they can check to see if anything is off," Kat hesitantly tried to calm herself down and placed a reassuring hand over Jack's on her stomach, "Maybe it won't affect the baby at all… maybe it will just pass."

Jack nodded slowly and they both reclined back into the pillows and let the gentle rocking of the ship relax them.

"How far do you think Dornie is behind us?" Kat asked a little distracted.

"I doub' tha' even a full day passed before she knew ye were all gone," Jack said with a sigh, "She may make mistakes, but she be no idiot."

"I beg to differ," Kat mumbled to herself, "Do you think she is going to catch up with us?"

"Do I 'ave to remind ye tha' the Black Pearl be the fastest ship in the Caribbean? And besides, she don' know where we be headin'. We could be back in Port Royal fer all she knows."

"That's a good sign. At least we get to lose track of your stalker for a while and figure out how to help Olivia."

"Aye," Jack yawned and patted Kat on the head, "Now go back to sleep, luv. We both need it."

"Before you go to sleep, Jack… can you do me a favor?" Kat asked in a pleading voice.

"Hm?" Jack asked barely awake.

"Could you possibly get me some more anchovies and milk? I'm having some more of my cravings."

Jack rolled his eyes and made a low growl, but pushed off the blankets, shoved on his boots and walked down to the galley to bring up some more food for his wife, 'Soon enough, we will be runnin' out of fish.'


After a few more days, and close calls with Olivia, the Black Pearl finally docked in Barbados. Norrington took the job of carrying Olivia towards the hospice as some other parents followed him, with their own children in their arms. Kat and Jack led the parents to the hospice, Jack the only one who really knew where he was going, because he was the only one in the group that had been there before. Will accompanied the group even though his children seemed to be fine and were left on the ship with Elizabeth. Kat looked to her side to see some loose soil in almost every yard, and crosses sticking out of the freshly disturbed earth. She turned away from it quickly and tried to keep her eyes focused straight ahead.

Once they made it to the hospice a short nurse took one look at the group coming in and rushed to get a doctor, no doubt. Soon enough a tall man walked toward them and saw the sick children in the arms of concerned parents and guardians. He shook his head and looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any more room and can't-"

Before he could continue he was pushed against the wall by a very angry Kat, "We have traveled for over a week just to get here in some small hope that you can help us. In case you haven't noticed I am a pirate, and I will do something very drastic if I don't see some results. So don't give me that you don't have any room, because you do. The room in the back is getting less occupied each day. You have to have something to help these children, and I suggest that you give it to them as fast as you can, savvy?"

Jack looked on in a very scared fashion and just kept his mouth shut, he wasn't going to butt in with Kat acting this way. He has never seen her this angry before. Will came up and stood next to him and leaned toward him to whisper to him.

"Mood swings, they're very common during this time," he explained.

"You have something to say Turner?" Kat glanced in his direction.

"Uh, no, no! Not at all Kat," Will smiled a huge smile and let her get along with 'talking' to the doctor. Soon enough, the doctor was trying to explain the situation and had Harriet also down his neck, since she too had started on her mood swings only a few days ago.

"Ma'am!" the doctor tried to get them to calm down again, "We do have something to give to the children."

"That's what I thought," Kat said leaning a little away from the frightened man.

"But it isn't a cure. It is to help with the fever and some of the discomfort. There is no cure that I know of. I am sorry, but I think that you should just cut your losses. I am sorry."

"Don't you dare-" Kat started to go after the man again until Jack caught her around the waist and drug her back a few feet. He began to whisper some things into her ear, which seemed to calm her down a bit, but not completely taking the death glare from her face.

"You are sure there is no cure?" Harriet asked from Norrington's arms, who also had to hold her back after the doctor's last statement.

"I'm sorry," the doctor shifted his eyes to the floor and started to walk down the white hall, "I will go and get the serum. At least to get them comfortable."

Kat began to calm down and sunk back into Jack's embrace, "There is no cure."

"At least not 'ere, there ain't," Jack murmured.

"What?"

"Maybe we should track this down to the port it originated from?"

"How do we know where that is?" Kat looked up at his face.

"I think it be time to go and take a trip back home to Nassau," Jack smiled and looked down at her, "Tha's where the Harbinger makes birth, and where the crew got the virus from."

"Well… on to Nassau then."

A/N: Thank you all for joining me this far... I am sorry to tell you I am discontinuing the- no, I'm just playing with you! I will finish this with probably agrand total of nineteen chapters. I may be able to stretch it to Twenty. Hopefully, that is my goal. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and there are more to come, I promise. Love you all, and R&R please!