Thanks for the reviews. I forgot to mention Dragonsinger13 for the idea of Carmen, so thank you for it. I'm sorry for not mentioning it before, please forgive me. Sorry for the long update, but I have been kind of busy lately. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Katherine walked along the deck of the Dauntless, looking for James. She needed to sort this situation out. Her heart skipped when she spotted James, talking to Gillette by the side of the skip.
"James," she said once she was near him. Both men looked at her in surprise. They thought she was still in the cabin and wondered how she got out.
"Katie…" started James, but she interrupted him.
"I need to speak with you," she said, glancing at Gillette, "alone."
James nodded and followed Katherine back to his cabin. It was nerving to be dealing with his, but this had to end.
"Katie, how did you leave? I told you to stay. When we get back to Port Royal, you'll be with your father again and you won't see that pirate ever again."
"No, James, I want… I need to see him. I-I need to see that he's alright. How could you shoot him," she questioned. "He has done nothing wrong. It was Lizzie…"
"Just stop, Katie," growled James.
"Please, gain some sanity!"
"I can't ever recover that! I swear I'll kill that man," hissed James. "I'll love and regret seeing him hanging from the gallows, but I'll have more pleasure of killing him myself. I don't know what I was thinking when I let you marry that pirate."
Katherine couldn't believe how much James had changed. "You can't kill Jack just like he didn't kill you."
James glared at her. "What are you talking about?"
"Jack was also betrayed by Lizzie. She promised him to be with him before she accepted your marriage proposal," explained Katherine. "I tried to prevent Jack from doing something insane. He was hurt when she married you."
"Why did you tell me, Katie? I don't understand that coming from you."
Katherine sighed. "I was afraid that something bad would happen to you and I saw you deeply in love that I didn't want you to suffer. Lizzie had reassured me that the affair she had with Jack was over. It wouldn't be fair to ruin your life, James."
"I was stupid and blind, Katie," he said, slumping against the wall. "Why did I break off our engagement? I should have known that Elizabeth wouldn't feel the same way I did. I thought after the disappearance of Turner, she would have moved on and look at you. You even married that low-life pirate to save me. He's a pig that took advantage of you and the love that you had for me."
Katherine shook her head. How stubborn can he be? She thought. "You are misunderstanding everything…"
"Wrong, Katie, I understand everything now. You admitted to have been in love with Jack, so that I wouldn't suspect your sister. You would sacrifice yourself for a marriage that you hated."
"No, you're wrong," said Katherine, desperately.
"You did it for the love you had for me," said James, ignoring her.
"You always loved me."
"I-I admit that I loved you before, but I'm in love with Jack. I love him with all my heart.'
"I understand why you say those things. It's because you're noble and incapable of breaking the vows that you made in front of the altar, but Jack doesn't deserve that or you." Katie wanted to shake him to make him seek reason. "Don't worry, Katie, I'll liberate you from Sparrow."
"I don't want a tragedy to happen, James, please," she begged. "I would die for Jack."
"Katie, you have given your life for me, so now I'll correspond and I'll rescue you," he said, finally leaving the cabin. Katherine stood in the middle of the room in disbelief. She feared what more can happen now.
Elizabeth felt like crying. She hated being in the brig. She grew up as a classy woman and being treated as a criminal infuriated her. She couldn't believe James would treat her like this and what was worse was seeing Jack bloody and wounded. She truly loved him and seeing him in that state scared her. She had witness the whole scene. She desperately wanted to run to him and see if he was alright, but James' soldiers stopped her before she could reach him. To her dismay, she saw her sister hovering over Jack. She despised the fact that her plan to break them up had failed.
"Guard!" she yelled through her cell. "Guard!"
The man watching post walked to her, wondering what the commotion was about. "Yes, Miss Swann," he said, uninterested.
Elizabeth frowned. "Why are you calling me that? I want to speak to my husband," she demanded.
"I'm sorry, but the Commodore told me not to send messages from you to him. He also told me to tell you that he already made processes for a divorce, accusing you of adultery, and that you are not allowed use the name Norrington any longer," he said, before returning to his post.
Elizabeth slumped back against her cell. She couldn't explain it, but a huge wave of relief spread through her. She was actually happy what had happened. She looked over to see Jack's weak form. She was finally free to pursuit what she has always wanted.
Katherine watched in silence as Port Royal came into view beside James. She would have never guessed to see Port Royal so soon. She tried to sneak every night to see Jack, but they always caught her and brought her back to the cabin.
"You made me believe the worst of you for that brute," said James to her.
"I protected you because of the affection I have for you," she said not looking at him.
James gently lifted her head and grabbed her hands in his. "It wasn't simply affection, Katie. It was because you loved me."
"Yes, it's true. I did have love for you and I loved you a lot. I wanted to die when you broke off the engagement. Then, I found out about Lizzie's involvement and I wanted to protect you. It was the reason why I first decided to marry Jack," explained Katherine.
"That will end, Katie."
"I don't want it to end! I love Jack," she said, snatching her hands back. "I swear I do."
James shook his head. "It's not true. You're only saying it because of your marital vows."
"It's true, James!"
James sighed. "It's alright. I won't bother your conscience any longer. You are too pure and noble. I'll wait." Katherine didn't know what else to do. She let James kiss her hand as the Dauntless pulled to the port. "Take her home and make sure she gets there safe," he said to his soldiers.
"No wait," said Katherine as they tried to drag her to the carriage. "I want to see Jack." James, however, just turned his head. "James Norrington, I swear that if Jack looses his life because of you, I'll hate you forever." James stopped and turned to her. "You will never see me again," she cried as they forced her into the carriage.
James slammed his fist against his desk in his office. Katherine was playing a dirty game, but there was no need for her to sacrifice herself for her husband or her sister. He grabbed a pile of papers on his desk and threw them across the room in anger.
"You know that hurting yourself won't solve anything," said Carmen, startling him. "Your men brought me here. They said you wanted to speak with me?"
"I think… Katie is just angry at me because I have her sister locked up. Maybe if I release her, she'll forget about Sparrow being in jail, and she as a wife, she thinks it's her duty to stand by him. It doesn't matter what happens to Elizabeth anyways as long as I don't ever want to see her again."
"Do you realize what you're saying? Mrs. Sparrow loves her husband. You had that poor woman locked in your cabin and have forbidden her from seeing her husband," said an angry Carmen.
James glared at Carmen. "You were the one who release her," he said accusingly.
Carmen shrugged with a grin. "I guess my hair pin works for something."
"You have no right," he hissed, yanking her by the arm.
Carmen gasped at the pain. "Let go of me," she cried. "See this will be your demise, James Norrington, by acting irrationally. You will loose everything if you keep doing this. Listen to Katie and just let Captain Sparrow go."
"Never!" barked James. "Why don't you keep your comments to yourself?"
"Then why do you need me?" glared Carmen back.
James only stared back at her. She just realized how close they were. She could feel his hot breath against her lips. Sure, she was attracted to him. What woman with the right mind wouldn't? But after he shot Jack and he was enforcing the lives around him, she didn't very fondly of him.
"Why don't you just go?" he said to her relief. Carmen nodded and went to leave. "I'll send for you if I need you again," he said before she left.
Carmen looked back at him, expecting to argue with him, but she saw him staring out the window almost leaning onto it, looking at Port Royal's sunset.
Jack groaned as they shoved him into the prison cell of Port Royal with Abigail, Will, Mr. Gibbs, and the rest of his crew. They quickly held him before letting him fall and set him down gently. They all were angry about their imprisonment, especially when they don't know when they were going to be sent to the gallows. To their shock, Elizabeth was also set free. They made sure Jack's wound was healing correctly and lucky for them it wasn't infected. Jack, however, passed out unexpectedly from time to time.
"I don't understand why we got arrested," said Will.
Mr. Gibbs sighed. "For piracy, lad. It could be a trick from Norrington, though. He had the opportunity to send us to the gallows before Jack married Katie. He's only doing this because he found out about the fling."
Jack sighed as he tipped his hat to cover his face. As captain he felt a certain responsibility to make his crew safe. Who else would help him?
They looked up as two guards began to unlock the cell door that they were in. "Miss Conner is free to go," commanded one of the guards.
Abigail looked at Will, but he just smiled at her. "No, I won't leave you," said Abigail softly, cupping Will's face.
"Go, Abby," said Jack, catching her attention. "A prison cell is no place for a lady. You have done nothing wrong. Go to Katie and… tell her everything is fine. Tell her that I love her like no other and for her not to worry."
Abigail almost broke down, seeing the pain on Jack's face. She could see the love he had for her best friend. She looked back at Will and kissed him. She didn't want to let go of him, but she had a feeling he'll be safe. "I'll wait for you," she whispered.
Will nodded and smiled. "I know… Go, Abby."
Abigail sighed and ran out of the prison, before she changed her mind, and went to the governor's mansion.
Jack groaned as he shifted from the place he was sitting. "What happened to me Pearl?" he asked.
"I think I overheard that they brought her into port and it's probably at the harbor. She's going to be used by the Royal Navy," said Mr. Gibbs, afraid of how Jack will react to this.
Jack growled in his throat, but made no notion to move. "I'll make him pay very dearly."
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