Title: Choosing a Side

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

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Try as he might, James Norrington couldn't sleep. Elizabeth's words kept playing in his mind, taunting him.

"Know what? What side you chose? Well now you do."

To him it had never been a matter of which side, it had been a matter of doing the duty he had sworn to do, no matter what that duty cost him.

He had been reminded of the time he had tried to do his sworn duty honestly and with honor, when he had given Jack Sparrow a day's head start. Since he had saved Elizabeth that had been the right thing to do; but he had been one of the few who had seen it that way, and despite his efforts to capture the pirate, he had been unsuccessful, which led him to leave both the navy and Port Royal.

After that, the only thing he wanted was his commission back, no matter what lengths he had to go to get it. Capturing Sparrow would be a way to get his life back, but when he had heard about the chest, he saw a way to redemption – a way to regain his honor and his position in the royal navy. The cost, however, had been horrible. As much has he tried to tell himself otherwise, he had betrayed a man who, despite being a pirate, had trusted him, and given him a chance. He had betrayed the woman he loved, and, watching from the island as the black sails sunk below the horizon, he had been sure she was dead; he hoped that she was not, but there was very little chance that she had not been dragged down with the Pearl. The despair and sadness he felt for Elizabeth had numbed him, leaving him with nothing but the duty he had sworn to do many years ago, and he was fast learning that it wasn't the same duty. He could no longer take pride in the fact that he wore the king's colors and did his duty as an honest man. Now he did whatever Beckett had told him was in the service of the king, though he couldn't shake the feeling that he had become so much like the pirates he wanted to rid the world of that the only distinction was the uniform he wore.

With that thought, he got up from where he had been seated in his quarters on the Dutchman, and began to walk through the corridors on the ship, without really knowing or seeing where he was going, lost in thought.

He wondered, for the first time, how much Beckett knew. Did he know, for example, that Elizabeth was still alive? More importantly, if Beckett knew, why didn't he say that she was alive? When the Dutchman had finally overtaken the Empress, with most of the crew taken captive, two figures came out of the cabin; he thought he recognized one of them. He had thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, until he had heard his name – in her voice, and had found her right there in front of him, very much alive.

"Elizabeth, thank God" he hugged her and genuinely thanked all the gods, known and unknown, that she was alive and safe, and he knew her father would as well … her father … how could he have forgotten?

"Your father will be overjoyed to know you're safe." He felt her stiffen.

"My father's dead."

"No" he said, not wanting to believe it "he returned to England …" for some reason, though, he knew she was right, but still … Governor Swann couldn't be dead, he had been told that …

"Did Lord Beckett tell you that?" but when he had opened his mouth to reply, Davy Jones had arrived aboard the Empress.

"Who among you do you name as captain?"

"Captain, her," one of the Chinese pirates had said, pointing to Elizabeth. All Norrington could do was stare at her, probably he had looked as astonished as he had felt.

"Captain?" Davy Jones had asked, rounding on Elizabeth, who had simply stood her ground. Norrington had decided to act, taking charge.

"Tow the ship" He had commanded Jones, "Put the prisoners in the brig." Turning to Elizabeth, he continued. "The captain shall have my quarters."

"Thank you sir, but I prefer to remain with my crew," she said haughtily. As she left, he had held her back just long enough to say one last thing.

"Elizabeth, I swear to you, I didn't know," he said, his eyes pleading. He hadn't even been sure of what he wanted to say to her after that.

"Know what? What side you chose? Well now you do." And she had turned away and followed the crew of the Empress into the brig.

As he remembered those last words again, he looked around and was surprised to find himself on deck, and from his vantage point he could see the Empress and the ropes connecting her to the Dutchman. He decided that he should return to his quarters, however he knew that her words would still haunt him. He would continue to think about his promise of ridding the seas of pirates, of those who would lie, betray, and hurt the innocent. Had he really done that? There were no longer clear cut lines of honest men and pirates, he himself had proved that. Reaching his quarters, he was reminded that he had betrayed the woman he loved out of ambition, and there was nothing he could do about it – and that was the worst thing he could think of at the moment. Then, as soon as that thought came, he knew what he had to do. He left his quarters again, with purpose this time and headed down towards the brig. They were there, of course, but he saw no one else. He heard the noise as he opened the brig as though the sound had been multiplied, and he hoped only he, Elizabeth, and the crew of the Empress had heard it.

"Come with me," – a pause – "Quickly!" he said with more insistence. He was grateful when the crew of the Empress quietly filed out of the brig. Like any good captain, Elizabeth left the brig last, but he could tell she was angry…not to mention a little bit suspicious.

"What are you doing?"

"Choosing a side."