I still can't believe how many reviews this story is getting. I never even thought I would reach anywhere near 50! Angel19872006, Jessizoid, tahitiankisses, Rwy'n-Y-Blaidd-Drwg, lightwolfheart, and Eva Sirico: you all rock! I wish I could show somehow how much I appreciate your reviews.

I finished writing the last chapter of the story yesterday, and it was rather bittersweet. I'm excited to have you all read it, but sad that it will be all over. It will be twenty chapters, and after this, I'll just keep on working on Not As Easy As it Seems. After that, who knows. Maybe a sequel will be in store? :)

Chapter Sixteen: An Unwanted Homecoming

Kate came to again, as if she was emerging from a thick murky substance and she gasped for breath. There was a naval officer in the room now, one she didn't recognize. He must have been stationed to guard her. She realized she was under constant watch now after her episode from earlier. The guard started as he realized that Kate had awoken. He made some type of signal and moments later, Jack entered with his hands behind his back. He motioned to the guard and the officer left the room.

"I can't believe you." Kate said through gritted teeth. Though she tried to make her words sound as menacing as possible, she just sounded drunk, the effects of the drug still laced in her system. Jack took a step forward.

"Let me explain, Kate."

"It's Katherine," Kate corrected hostilely.

Jack's face tightened and Kate continued. "You are a liar! How could you do what you're doing?" Kate had finally lost it, not able to restrain herself anymore. She was screaming at him, letting all of her pent up anger out. "You think you can just—"

She was cut off as Jack suddenly stepped forward and pressed the cloth over her mouth and nose, muffling her words. She yelled, trying to shove the cloth off her face, clawing at Jack's hands before the drug would kick in. But his arms were stronger and steadier than hers and the drug was already working its way through her body. She fell under again.

Kate had lost track of time. Every time she would awaken, someone would press a drugged cloth over her face. After a while, she stopped resisting and just gave in, knowing she couldn't win. At first Kate recognized Jack coming in to drug her, but then the faces changed to unfamiliar ones.

Kate emerged from another sleep, feeling slightly dizzy. She tried to wiggle her fingers. They felt dirty and Kate's eyes opened in small slits, taking in the blood that was caked underneath her nails. It must have been from when she was fighting Jack to get that dreadful cloth off her face.

Kate grunted to indicate to the guard that she was awake. She figured time would just pass faster if they knocked her out sooner. But the guard didn't come. Kate wearily opened her eyes the rest of the way and searched the room. She wasn't being guarded anymore. She rubbed her eyes and her arm felt oddly light as she lifted them.

"My shackles!" Her wrists were red from the heavy metal cuffs, but they no longer chained her arms to the wall. Kate did not know if this was an invitation to roam the ship, but she knew she wouldn't miss the chance to.

She relished in how good it felt to be able to stretch her legs again. She didn't know how long she had been kept under, but nevertheless, she was happy she could move around again. It took her a couple of minutes to be able to walk steadily again. Her legs felt wobbly, but she slowly regained her earlier strength. She was not familiar with the ship, so she wandered for a while in the hallways and rooms before she arrived at a set of stairs. She emerged on the main deck to the greeting of the moon.

"So sleeping beauty has awoken." Clarke approached her with a sickening smile. Kate just watched as he approached. "Recognize the port?" He asked her, holding out his arm to the dark land mass behind him. Kate did not respond, but he knew that she did.

"Yes, Port Veridian." He tucked his arms behind his back and turned. "I know you've a close friend there, Phillip Garner. I think he's grown to fancy you."

Kate's eyes narrowed.

"So, I think we'll pay him a visit? I think he'd like that." Clarke gave a clap of his hands and headed back up to the helm where Jack was stationed. They shared a few quick words, and Jack shared a long look with Kate.

Despite being drugged asleep for the past unknown amount of time, Kate felt exhausted. She didn't know if they had somehow fed her while she was under, or if she just hadn't eaten. She felt slightly dizzy, so she sat down on a crate, anxiously awaiting the ship's arrival to her old home.

After what only seemed like seconds, Kate was hoisted to her feet by two navy officers and was forced off of the ship. There were only a few guards posted at the docks, but they seemed disinterested as Clarke walked by, giving them a curt nod.

Port Veridian seemed eerie and gloomy at night, the moon casting long shadows off of building and shops. They traveled through the empty streets, and as they passed a dress shop, Kate's mood dampened even more as she thought of Edith. She did not know whether the sweet old lady was still alive or not.

Though they had only trekked a couple of blocks into the city, Kate did not know if she would be able to go much farther. Her legs were shaking and they burned with each step. "I can't make it," Kate gasped as she tripped. One of the guards caught her and steadied her.

Clarke shook his head. "Not much further," he said, training his focus straight ahead. Kate suppressed a groan, but one of the officers escorting her had the grace to let her lean on him as they walked.

The trio turned down a street with large houses, the yards made up of blooming flowers and bushes. Kate had never entered this section of town, nor did she have any business to. They stopped at a moderately sized house that was painted white with a few rose bushes planted along the path to the door.

Clarke knocked on the door and shoved Kate forward. Her feet tripped over the step and she fell to her knees. Her palms and knees skidded across the gravel. She groaned, adding that to the list of injuries she already had. She didn't have the energy to stand back up, so she waited for Garner to come to the door.

The door opened and light poured from inside the house onto the porch and onto Kate.

"Kate!" That familiar voice called out in surprise, and Garner's blue eyes appeared before Kate. "Good God! What happened to you?" Garner gently took Kate's arm and slowly helped her to her feet. Kate gratefully leaned against the naval captain, not knowing if she could stand on her own.

"Clarke," she simply said. She looked behind her, expecting to see the other captain and his officers still standing there, but they had silently disappeared.

Garner frowned and led Kate into the house. "What did he do to you?" He led Kate into the dining room. There was a dark oak table in the center and he sat Kate down in a chair.

"They," Kate corrected. "It was Jack and Clarke. Jack is working with him." Kate shook her head.

Garner did not seem surprised by the news that had appalled and shocked Kate. Maybe she didn't know the captain of the Black Pearl as well as she thought she had. Garner looked over Kate briefly and stood from the table. "Excuse me for a moment." The brown headed man left the room and Kate could hear him speaking to someone, a female voice answering him. Garner reentered the room.

"Maddie, my maid, is going to prepare you something to eat." He said.

"Oh, thank you." Kate was starving, and she was thankful that Garner was thoughtful enough to have something prepared for her. She folded her hands and looked up at Garner, who was studying her.

"We should get those cuts and bruises looked at, Katherine." Garner said, starting to stand from chair but Kate shook her head and waved her hand.

"No, I want to talk first." She said, her voice firm despite her exhaustion.

Garner tilted his head, indicating for her to continue.

"You aren't surprised Jack is working with Clarke?" She asked, confused.

Garner gave a small smile and shook his head. "He's not working with Clarke, he's just acting like he is. Jack is still trying to frame him. Remember he didn't have much time to plant evidence that would make Clarke look guilty before. By working with Clarke, he can gain access into his house and into Veridian without looking too suspicious. Clarke won't be suspicious, that is." He explained.

Kate frowned and shook her head. "No, he's working with him. He's trying to catch you!" Kate leaned forward, insistent. "You can't keep me here! I overheard them speaking. They said they were going to lead Bolton here, and you would be imprisoned for hiding and helping a pirate!" Kate stood, ready to rush out the door at any moment. She looked around wildly.

"Kate, sit!" Garner commanded. His voice was stern and he looked agitated. Kate did as she was told. "I have talked to Captain Sparrow about this. They agreed after a week that they would come and try to catch me, so you would have time to recover. We plan on convicting Clarke before that."

Kate still did not believe that Jack was working with Garner and not Clarke. "I don't believe it." She said, reiterating her thoughts out loud. "The way he treated me on the ship!"

Garner reached out and took her hand. "He had to Kate; it would've been too suspicious if he would've aided you in any way."

Kate shook her head, still in denial.

"Tell me, what did Jack do to personally to harm you?" Garner asked.

"He…" She trailed off, thinking. He had grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall and injure her head and shoulder, but that sounded silly just thinking it. On the ship, Clarke was the one that chained her and was about to beat her, until Jack interfered. He had simply put her under the drug throughout the trip to Veridian.

Garner raised his eyebrow at her, waiting for a response.

"He drugged me," she simply said, half heartedly.

"To ease your pain," Garner added.

A short, plump woman with dark brown graying hair entered the room at that moment with a steaming bowl of soup in her hands. She placed the bowl in front of Kate and laid a spoon next to it. "There you are, my dear." Maddie gave her a sympathetic look, though what for, Kate did not know.

"Thank you." Kate replied and Maddie left the room. The argument over Jack's alliances subsided as Kate slowly ate her soup. The hot soup warmed her whole body, and she no longer felt so cold. Maddie returned for the empty bowl when Kate was finished. She waited for the maid to leave before she spoke again.

"I still don't think you should house me. Take me to a friend's, there I will be taken care of—which I can do on my own—and then we don't risk the chance of Jack betraying you." Kate proposed.

Garner was already shaking his head. "I may have friends, but not any that would be willing to house you Kate. You are wanted and there's a hefty reward hanging over your head if you were to be found. I don't know if I could trust them."

Kate sighed and ran her hand over her face, instantly regretting it as he palms burned from the scrapes that were created earlier.

"Let's get you washed up," Garner stood and offered Kate his help, but she shooed his hand away. After eating, she had regained some of her strength and was currently irritated with the captain.

Kate followed Garner to a small, quaint room. "Maddie already drew you a bath." He said, stepping aside for Kate to enter. "I'll see if I can't find some clean clothes for you. I'll have Maddie get it to you." After that, he left the room, leaving Kate free to wash up.

As she walked over to the tub, Kate caught her appearance in the mirror hanging over the bureau and hardly recognized herself. She stepped forward to better examine herself. Her brown hair was matted and tangled; there was a bruise forming around her jaw, from what she didn't know, and dried blood covered a small cut on her forehead; she looked emaciated. She was slim before, but after days aboard the navy ship, her bones seemed to jut out and her skin stretched taught across them. Kate stepped away, not able to stand the sight of herself anymore.

She stripped out of her dirty work dress and eased herself into the warm tub. For a while, she just lay there, relishing the feelings of warmth and cleanliness. She scrubbed her body, gently going over her bruises and cuts. There were two towels placed on a chair and Kate wrapped herself in one of them. She padded out of the bathroom to find two outfits awaiting her on the bed: a pair of flannel pajamas and a simple dress. Kate took the dress and hung it over a chair, so no to wrinkle it, and slipped into the pajamas.

Garner returned shortly after while she was brushing her hair with some bandages for her cuts and to look at her shoulder. They didn't talk as his hands gently worked. After examining her shoulder and deeming there was nothing he could do for it, he bid her good night and left.

Kate crawled under the cold sheets and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

Garner to the rescue! :D So what do you all think? Is Jack really working with Clarke like Kate thinks, or is he just very deceptive? Tell me in a review, because you know, reviews make my day. :)

-Becca