A/N: This is a short sequel to 'Till Death Do Us Part' written mostly because a lot of people were annoyed with me for not letting Annie and James ever quite manage to kiss. I hope after reading this I might be forgiven for that. (Warning: this time it's really a James/OC.. :P)

Thanks to MorganBonny for given me the gumption to write this and beta'ing it for me. Your fantastic, luv!

Anyways, read on and hopefully enjoy, mates. :)

Tuesday. 5.30 pm.

Portsmouth. The Admiral's Tea Shop.

It's been sixteen days since I last spoke to James Norrington, and all evidence points to the conclusion that this is a bad thing in a relationship.

As you know, my little teashop is tiny, therefore rather difficult to avoid a person in, but somehow we managed it and steadfastly ignored each other, his pride keeping him from being the first to apologise for the argument and my quiet stubbornness keeping me from backing down.

That man is infuriating, I tell you. It didn't really occur to me that I may be equally to blame for the disagreement, so I sat and stewed instead, busying myself with working at the teashop and playing with the new babies.

I forgot to say; Elizabeth has had another child, twins actually, Emily and Rose. Two beautiful baby girls with delightful little personalities, who are quite the handful for Elizabeth, especially with Will away so much.

I have often found myself called upon to fulfil my duties as babysitter, which incidentally started the argument with James.

The teashop was closed for the morning; I sat in my room with a baby gurgling in her sleep beside me and hummed quietly to myself, engrossed in the wonder that was the little infant.

I didn't hear the door downstairs quietly click open and feet stride softly across the rooms towards me. Only when my bedroom door swung open and James slipped in did I so much as look up from the baby.

"Isn't she beautiful," I murmured, returning to gaze at my charge.

James was thunderstruck. He'd been away with the Flying Dutchman for a while this time around and had missed quite a lot. I smiled when I realised that meant that Will would be back with Elizabeth again as well.

"Whose is it?" James asked in a hoarse whisper.

I barely registered the question. "Will's," I said happily.

"Will!" James cried, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

I could see him struggling to control some violent emotion and I knew how little time he had for violent emotions.

"Whose else would it be?" I asked, perplexed by the strange colour he had turned.

He choked at my words, looking furious and upset at the same time. I frowned, unsure of what was the matter with him.

"Elizabeth only asked me to baby-sit for a moment, I didn't realise that it would have this effect on you," I said.

"Elizabeth's," he whispered, calming down abruptly, and looking more relieved than I think I have ever seen him.

Then it dawned on me.

"You thought she was my baby?" I gasped.

He frowned. "It was a perfectly honest mistake to make," he told me, stiffening.

"And how, pray tell, did you imagine I had come by this baby?" I asked, struggling to keep my temper.

"The usual way," he replied frostily.

"How dare you!" I snapped. "How could you think for a moment that I would do something like that? Have I ever been unfaithful to anyone, let alone you? This has got to be the longest courtship in the history of mankind but I have never–"

"And who said I was courting you?" he interrupted.

I froze, my anger replaced quickly with growing fear and disbelief. "No one," I answered carefully.

"Then don't assume that I–" he began, but I wasn't listening.

"Get out," I ordered.

He hesitated. "Annie, I–"

Don't Annie me, I thought furiously. "It's Miss Baker," I told him and began backing him out of the teashop.

"Annie, let me finish–"

I ignored him, pushing him out the door and slamming it. I was a grown woman now; maybe it was time to let go of James Norrington. If he didn't want me then I could do without the constant heartache and worry of him too.

xXx

I was perfectly content to ignore James for the rest of my miserable life but my life, and Elizabeth Swann, had other ideas.

One grouchy infant. Two screaming babies. One rushed off her feet mother.

It was chaos; I was trying to run the teashop as normal while Will and Elizabeth struggled with three children in the room behind me.

At one point, desperate Elizabeth hurried out of the room and alighted on the first people she could find, James and myself, who were both busy pretending the other didn't exist.

"Hold these," she ordered, then thrust a protesting Emily into James' hands and Rose into mine, before scurrying off.

James looked in faint horror at me, then the babies in our hands, then back at me.

I tried to ignore him, but there was something absolutely adorable about him juggling that sweet little baby. You can't change the habits of a lifetime and I felt my poor heart flutter at the sight.

"She likes you," I observed, all attempts to remain haughty gone.

She did like him; before she had been screwing up her face and bawling, but now she was smiling and gurgling softly.

James didn't answer, looking at the baby in distaste as if to say he didn't like her. I could tell he was lying to himself; he was positively melting at her little laugh.

"You're very good with children," I told him, grinning at the way he offered his finger to Emily, who wrapped her small but immovable fist around it.

"I had sisters," he said, trying to reclaim his finger. "Grip like her father," he laughed, then his eyes softened, "but with her mother's eyes."

Thinking of Elizabeth, I looked around but couldn't find her anywhere. Then I realised that there was suddenly no one in the teashop save James, the babies and myself. I smelled a rat, not of course, that I actually minded.

"You're not bad with children yourself," James pointed out, bringing me back to the present.

I smiled. I'd been rocking Rose gently without even thinking about it and she was almost asleep in my arms. "Maternal instincts, I suspect," I replied, a little embarrassed.

James hesitated then he screwed up his courage and asked me, "Do you ever think about having children?"

Over the past few weeks I'd done nothing but think about having children. "Sometimes," I answered offhandedly.

He half-smiled at that. "When I was alive in Port Royal," he murmured, "I thought it my duty to marry a fine woman and have a fine son. Wanting it never really came into it. Thinking about it though, I'd say that children would have been nice but I guess it's too late for me now." He smiled sadly.

"Technically Will is dead," I pointed out, then indicated the yawning bundles in our arms. "I don't see why you couldn't try."

"I doubt I'd find a woman willing to try," he murmured, sighing.

I scowled, thinking he can't have looked very far. "Quite," I replied curtly.

I think he heard the bite in my voice because he looked up at my face for a moment, faltering at what he found there. He seemed as if he was about to say something but he obviously couldn't find the words because he remained silent, looking quickly down at the baby, his face impossible to read.

In the silence we returned to looking after the children, the mountain of things I wanted to say and the mountain of things he wanted to say piling up between us until I thought they might choke me.

No man is an island. No woman is either.

I knew one of us would have to break soon.

As usual, when that time finally came, we did it more wildly and passionately than most people who are naturally expressive do.

xXx