Title: Letter
Disclaimers: I don't own any pirate/ship and I don't wish to.
Genre: hurt/comfort, adventure, AU.

Rating: nothing you should hide from.
Summary/Set: post AWE. Norrington didn't die. He's on a mission to deliver a letter to Jack from the King of England to find that things on the Pearl are a little more abnormal than usual.

Pairing: Sparrabeth

Note: English is still not my first language and it will never be, no matter how long I stay in Scotland.

Reinstated Commodore James Norrington lowered his spyglass gratified. The Pearl was hard to find, but the ship with the black sails was in his field of vision thanks to some tips he got in Tortuga from some women that should remain nameless and what he did with them should be kept secret too. He looked around on his ship, the Paladin, to see if everything was as it should've been. With its white sails, the French flag, the portholes covered and every man, including himself wearing rags there were not many who could tell the undercover navvy ship apart from a medium size, tempting commercial vessel. Not many, but maybe Jack Sparrow, he wondered, but this was the best way to catch up with one of the fastest ships on earth, the Pearl, make them think they want the Paladin for themselves. Having spotted the black sails he's done nothing other than any captain fearing for his precious cargo would do, took off in the other direction, hoping Jack and his crew's greed would do the rest of the job.

"Enemy vessel approaching full speed," his first officer reported right enough.

"Plan A in motion," he gave his orders, which meant he went below so his presence could not alert the Pearl it was a trap, and then with little effort, the Paladin would try to make a run for it, but soon give in and up without much hassle. There were no need for casualties. All as it should, he soon heard the familiar voice of Gibbs' shouting over for the captain of the seized ship to come over for negotiations. Rowing with his back to hide his face till the last minute he gave his hand to be pulled up onto the Pearl and faced Pintel, with Ragetti leaning close to see if he was seeing right with that one eye. Looking over and around, he searched the ship for the sight of Jack, as unpleasant as it would be.

Gibbs eyed him suspiciously, "sink me! Got kicked out by the navvy again? Fancied some trade?"

James Norrington however, was in no mood for being made fun of. After all, he had a mission to accomplish on behalf of the King and the sooner he handed that letter over to the pirate the better. Where was he? "Parley." He uttered the worlds that would speed up the him seeing the captain of the Pearl.

"Parley??" Ragetti started an echo that reverberated through the ship repeated by all he crewmen.

"The right to parley only really goes for pirates," Pintel let him know, "but we do make exceptions?"

"Well, he was once a pirate for a short time I suppose, so let it be," Gibbs gave in, "Ragetti, run get the captain."

"But...how?" Ragetti opposed.

"There's no need for sending, I'm here," a voice called out from the stairs and Elizabeth emerged. Although James Norrington hadn't seen her for a long while and he didn't expect her either right here and now, he was most surprised by the captain's hat that she wore. He could swear it was Jack's.

"Bring the prisoner over," Elizabeth ordered.

"Yes, captain," Ragetti and Pintel grabbed him by the sides and tossed him gruffly at Elizabeth's legs.

James took his time to stand, enticed by those curvy thighs in front of him that were way much more in sight than if she wore a dress. "I'm to speak to the captain of this ship and give this letter to him in the name of the navvy."

"Very well, you're speaking to him...her," Elizabeth snatched the bit of paper from him and opened it, quickly reading through the lines, "the letter's addressed to Jack Sparrow. That's all right James, he not the only one who could request the Brethren Court to meet, although he might be the only one who you know of or had immediate contact with to your knowledge. But you have to explain this to me James. Why is it the Empire wanting us to have a meeting?"

"It's all in the letter if you'd read it all."

"Yes, in three pages and in cordial formalities. I want to hear it from you. I want to hear it from you it's not a trap, hoarding us together to attack and take us down."

"Not as far as I know, not since Cutler Beckett. In fact the East India Trading Company is on the breach of bankruptcy."

"Glad it hear that," Gibbs intercepted.

"Fact is, they are all afraid, navvy officers refusing to sail out to open seas."

"We've noticed. Hardly any prey," Elizabeth nodded.

"They are all terrified from the monster taking them down."

"Is Will not fair as the Captain if the Flying Dutchman?" She asked surprised.

"That is one side of the coin not having the heart in our possession, and not the important one. William Turner does his job and that only," he winced while having to admit a past enemy had taken the burden of such a fate so well. "It's Calypso. She's taking ships down at will. The situation is so precarious we're to ask the pirate court a favor. If they bind her to a human form again, all their past deeds will be looked over upon, eleven newly built ships are offered and cuts from the company's profits for the next 30 years as it stands in the letter."

"And that would pay for Calypso's redirected anger if failing, that would pay for more suffering for a woman love has tortured enough?" Elizabeth said, feeling so similar to Tia Dalma since what happened to Will.

"Call the court, they can decide," James suggested.

Elizabeth nodded, "you will be let known of the developments. You can go," she gave him a small apologetic smile, nothing to do with the current situation, but for everything.

"We're not going to take all their gun powder, rum, belongings and assets?" Pintel frowned.

"No, let them loose," Gibbs gave the order instead of Elizabeth, guessing right as Elizabeth turned to go below, where she spent most of her time lately.

"Why?" Pintel frowned again.

James looked after Elizabeth, then climbed into his rowing boat only to be stopped by his ex fiancé leaning over the railing. "James! Wait!" She hesitatingly looked back to Gibbs, then asked hardly audibly, "that's a navvy ship, correct? You have a surgeon on board? Medicine, right?" She paled anxiously.

James knew right away why, "Jack?"

Elizabeth nodded, "please James. He's gonna die without that." Then she added more resolutely, "take it as a prerequisite to the Brethren Court being called together. Go, and bring your surgeon over."

James sighed and closed his eyes. Just how many times was he going to save the life of said and hated pirate in one way or another?

Tbc