CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: Good News
The forest was thick and humid but thinned out some way down the hill. Katie and Jack emerged hand-in-hand off the main road leading up to the prison, on a dirt path. When they followed it down, they found the entrance to an alleyway which in turn emerged onto the main thoroughfare towards the docks. It was the opposite direction from the fishing huts, meaning the way to the jetty was a lot shorter. They were about to follow the road when they caught sight of a lot of redcoats marching past, obviously following a messenger from the prison. Jack snatched Katie back into the narrow alleyway and there was moment where they were stood facing each other, mere inches apart.
"Is it a bad time to mention how much I want you?" Jack breathed. Katie's eyes glittered.
"Not here, Jack." She whispered.
"I know." He chuckled quietly. They turned to watch as the long line of officers trooped by. "Seems mad, all that for little ol' us."
"Little ol' us is an infamous pirate captain and his runaway bride." Katie reminded him. "Not to mention young David." The line of troops ended sharply, and they waited a few moments to make sure they were well out of sight before ducking out of the alleyway. David's theory that the docks would be practically empty of officials after the news of the escape broke proved correct, as only some lowly workers and slaves remained behind to keep an eye on what was going on.
"Where is he?" Katie murmured to Jack, trying to keep her head down so as not to attract attention. There still weren't many people around at this hour, with the sun hardly risen.
"There." David was skulking behind a post with Angelica curled around his ankles, yellow eyes narrowed against the first rays of the sun. Beside him, the slave boy Jack had tipped before their wedding was keeping an eye out. Katie and Jack hurried over to them. Jack paused before the boy, whose eyes were wide.
"You didn't see us, did you?" He asked kindly, bending down to be level with him and offering a coin. The boy accepted the coin and shook his head, walking a few paces away. "You 'ave a boat?" Jack asked David.
"Yeah, right 'ere." It was a small dinghy and would barely fit the three of them, but it was all they could manage. Katie climbed into the boat first, followed by Jack and then David. The latter two took up the oars and began rowing furiously. Katie kept her eyes pinned anxiously on the horizon looking for a sign of the Pearl.
"You know, I'm still surprised at Angelica." Katie said thoughtfully, looking at the cat, who was riding David's shoulders and was almost asleep already.
"I doubt she enjoyed helping us, love." Jack pointed out, not looking up from the effort of rowing. Katie nodded.
"Yes… but even so, I couldn't have come up with a plan like that." Katie bit her lip.
"Angelica's always been all too good at that sort of thing- gettin' out of a scrape, or getting someone else into one." Katie reached forward and patted Jack's hand.
"Is someone gonna explain to me then? I mean, she's a cat, ain't she?" David burst out, frowning.
"It's a long story, an' I'll tell ye as soon as we-" Jack's words were cut off as a bullet plopped into the water. It was a few feet behind their dinghy and they were safe if they maintained the pace they were rowing at, but it disrupted their conversation nonetheless. Katie glanced back again. There were around five or six redcoats on the end of the dock now; they'd set off in the nick of time.
"They'll be out after us in a moment." Katie said worriedly, remembering the last time they'd had to outrun the navy.
"Don't worry love. The Pearl's right there. They 'ave no chance of catching 'er." Jack said confidently. Katie smiled at her husband, confidence strangely instilled as she turned in the direction Jack was gazing. There on the horizon loomed the black sails, just where they always were whenever they needed them- in reach. More bullets splashed into the sea around them but David and Jack rowed on steadily, keeping just out of range of the redcoats.
"Where are we headin' to after this?" David asked, a few minutes of controlled panic-fuelled rowing later.
"Hm…Well I 'ave a few ideas." Katie glanced at Jack when he said that, looking as if she was about to speak and then stopped herself. "Maybe I'll let the wife decide, eh?" Katie said nothing to this. The redcoats didn't have time to prepare a ship, but they were loading into smaller boats of their own now. Thankfully, organising any kind of military was all about ceremony and so they were much further behind them already. The Black Pearl was getting closer to them and Katie could already see them preparing to cast a line out to their boat.
"How are you for climbing, David?" Katie questioned the lad.
"M'alright." He grunted, sweating from the effort of rowing under the ever-warming sun.
"We have about two minutes to get aboard the Pearl and still have enough of a lead to get away from them." Katie stated calmly. "We'll have to lose the dinghy I'm afraid."
"'Ow didja work that one out?" David looked despairingly towards the ship. It looked a million miles to him.
"You'll learn to estimate time by distance." She smiled serenely. David swore under his breath.
"She's right, lad. It all comes from a day in the life of a pirate." Jack said cheerfully, his words rhythmic. David looked at them and the cat as if they were all insane, which of course they were. But he was surprised to find out a moment later that Katie was correct and they were suddenly astride the great ship.
"You go first." She said to the boy, and he gratefully seized the rope that Sully had lowered for them. Before he got very far, Angelica leapt back up onto his shoulders, mewing as some sea-spray hit her fur. Shrugging, David began climbing up the rope. Jack dropped his oar into the dinghy.
"After you, love." He placed a hot hand on the small of her back as Katie grabbed the rope and began to climb up after David. Jack's progress up onto the deck was quicker than his predecessors and immediately his voice was raised in a commanding term, requesting haste and speed to be coaxed from the sails and to make way for the open ocean.
Katie wrung her hands from the slight rope burn she'd sustained and gazed out ahead to the sea, ignoring the angry cries of the redcoats who were dropping further and further behind as the Pearl's sails unfurled and captured the wind. Teague walked over and stood beside her.
"So yer really me daughter in law now." He growled.
"Yes, I am." Katie smiled, content and relaxed, a far cry from the sharp and on-edge young woman he'd first met in France.
"I'm glad it worked out for you, even if it weren't easy." Teague said.
"Yeah, me too."
"Did ye tell 'im?" Teague asked her then, in a quieter and more gentle voice. Katie looked up at her father in law.
"I tried, but then we got thrown in jail." Katie laughed, but Teague saw the other side of that laugh.
"There's no time like the present, Katie. He'll be happy…" He looked towards his son, who was at the helm, looking every bit as contended as Katie had when she had confirmed their marriage. Teague privately thought he might never have seen his son looking so peaceable in his life. "I know I was, when Feronia delivered 'er bit of news. An' Jackie'll do a much better job than I did."
"I know," Katie agreed, "Although you haven't done such a bad job, you know."
"Haven't I?" Teague grinned roguishly, looking much like Jack.
"No. He's your son, isn't he, and I'm rather fond of him." Katie patted him on the arm briefly before drifting off towards the man in question.
Jack grinned lazily at his wife as she approached, the sun catching on his gold teeth. When she reached him, Katie wound herself under his arms and against his chest. Jack took his hands off the wheel to hold her for a moment, his lips brushing her hair. After a happy silence, he spoke:
"I've sent David up the crow's nest to learn 'is stuff."
"Where's Angelica?"
"I 'ave no idea, thank god." Jack replied, and Katie laughed, leaning back whilst keeping her arms around him so that she could look at his face. She opened her mouth to speak but Jack stopped her by kissing her briefly.
"What was that for?" She asked.
"Yer me wife an' I love you." She laughed and tiptoed to kiss his cheek.
"I don't mind, but I do believe I had something to tell you before we were so rudely interrupted."
The pair headed into the cabin. Katie thought she'd never felt more at home than seeing that room again after her horrible night in prison. Jack and Katie sat on the edge of the bed and Katie looked at him.
"You might have already guessed what this is about." She said, watching his expression. His eyes sobered a little at these words and he seemed to focus more on her face.
"I have an inkling."
"You do?" She traced a line from his throat to his heart. Jack grabbed her hand and held it there, with the palm flat, so that she could feel it beating. It was steady and calm.
"Tell me." Katie knew then that Jack had always known, maybe even before she did. Her fingers wrapped around his and she moved their hands from his chest and down to her stomach, resting his tanned hand there between her hips and her own paler hand over the top of his.
"I'm going to have a baby, Jack." His eyes didn't leave hers when the words left her lips. He continued to look at her steadily and soberly, but said nothing. "You… you're going to be a father…" She continued, her voice a little shaky, "And I… I'm going to be a mother."
"When did you know?" He whispered.
"Not for very long… I think maybe it's been almost four months, but I only knew for sure when my third course skipped… it wasn't regular out at sea anyway."
"I knew this was coming… we've been at it every night for months now. I'm surprised it didn't come sooner." Jack flashed back to his conversation with Teague at Shipwreck Island about his mother. He'd fixated, then, on the fact they'd had a baby. Katie was watching him, nervous. Jack suddenly realised why and he grabbed her legs, moving them so she was sitting across the bed, before leaning down to kiss her, holding his weight carefully off her body. His lips were tender and loving on hers and joy soared through Katie's midriff. When Jack's lips relinquished hers, Katie's green eyes met his and they glowed.
"Are you happy?" She asked him, smiling widely.
"Yes." He answered simply.
A/N: I just wanted to say, I am so very sorry that this took me so freaking long! I've been wrestling with this one for so long! I know it's a bit cheesy but it's a very happy ending… at least for now. There is one more chapter to come, so don't worry about that, and then I'll be on the sequel like a duck on a June bug (whatever that means)! Thanks so much for your patience if you've read this and I will still be every so grateful if you leave me a review! Thank you to all the lovely people who have before!