NAME: Come Once A Decade, My Beloved
PAIRING: Norrington/OC
RATING: PG
WARNING: This story contains an OC and character death.

Yo, ho, haul together,
Hoist the Colors high.
Heave, ho,
Thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

"Why? Why did you leave me?"

A loud sob and a shuddering sigh.

Lily's brunette ringlets fell about her eternally youthful face. Glassy tears ran freely from her hazel eyes. She lay sprawled in the sand laughing drunkenly, clutching a bottle of rum in her tiny hand.

The King and his men,
Stole the Queen from her bed
And bound her in her bones.
The seas be ours
and by the powers
Where we will we'll roam

Lily had lost her parents when she was only a young child and as a result had been raised by a maid. She'd worked as a maid herself in the Governor's household. Although she'd only been a lowly maid, she had grown to be quite close friends with Governor Swann's daughter, Elizabeth. However she would be lying if she denied ever being envious of Elizabeth. After all, Elizabeth had the best of everything, was well respected and had the undying love of him. James Norrington.

Yo, ho, haul together,
Hoist the Colors high.
Heave, ho,
Thieves and beggars,
never say we die.

Lily remembered how jealous she'd been when Elizabeth had told her that Norrington was going to propose to her after he became Commodore. It hadn't been fair! Lily had always been disadvantaged since she was a child. Why couldn't something good happen to her?

Then the crew on the Black Pearl had kidnapped Elizabeth and Lily, in a state of desperation, had allied herself with Will Turner and the notorious, Jack Sparrow. After all, pulling a stunt like that was bound to get Norrington to notice her. It had been a terrifying adventure, with Elizabeth, Jack and herself stranded on a tiny island, saved only by Elizabeth's quick thinking. But, even then, James had only had eyes for Elizabeth. She'd even agreed to his marriage proposal all in return for the return of Will Turner.

Some men have died
and some are alive
and others sail on the sea
-with the keys to the cage...
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler's Green!

Lily couldn't say honestly that she had been shocked when Elizabeth had chosen Will over Norrington. In fact, Lily had been delighted. She had been even happier when Norrington had actually started paying her attention!

Then he had taken off after Sparrow and news had come back to Lily that Norrington and his crew had been caught in storm, many of the crew had died and Norrington returned and resigned from his position as Commodore and vanished.

Lily had been grief-stricken. She had tried to act calmly and act happy for Elizabeth and Will but inside her heart was aching. : Then when she had stowed away on a ship with Elizabeth and ended up in Tortuga and found Norrington again. He was not the man she remembered, he had lost his clean image and looked much more rugged. But Lily just found him even more attractive.

"I love you," she had told him, "I always will." and she had been overjoyed when he reciprocated her feelings.

The bell has been raised
from it's watery grave...
Do you hear it's sepulchral tone?
We are a call to all,
pay heed the squall
and turn your sail home.

Lily had remained by Norrington, even following him when he drew Davy Jones' crew away from Elizabeth and the others. She had loyally joined Norrington when he took Davy Jones' heart to Lord Beckett. In return for her undying love, she'd risen in rank and become Norrington's lover.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, falling over his grave. Tears fell form her porcelain skin spattered the sand. She wrapped one of her slender arms around the wooden cross headstone she had made. "You chose the right side in the end."

She had always been worried that her lover's ambition to be in Lord Beckett's good graces had condemned them to be stuck on the wrong side. Being loyal to someone who allied with Davy Jones had always made Lily regret following her beloved there.

Then when Elizabeth and a crowd of pirates had been captured, Lily had opened up her worries to Norrington. She had watched in pride and love when James freed Elizabeth and her gang and helped them escape. Although she had pretended that she had only imagined seeing Elizabeth and Norrington kiss. She didn't want to face the truth that her beloved was still and probably would always be in love with Elizabeth.

She had dashed forward and thrown herself into his arms. A yell from the deck, one of Davy Jones' crew made her heart beat with fear. Punishment for disobeying Lord Beckett would end in death for her.

She had started to climb across the rope connecting The Flying Dutchman to her freedom, the right side. But a yell from Jones' crew member had made her leap back onto the Flying Dutchman, just as Norrington shot down the rope, sending Elizabeth and the other stragglers crashing into the sea. : Just as her lover was run through with a sharp piece of wood.

The agony-filled scream, which filled the air, had shaken everyone to his or her marrow. Lily howled in agony before throwing herself down upon James' dying body.

"Please don't die. Please, don't leave me!" she had sobbed. She had kissed him one last time, and then it was all over. After that was of little matter to Lily. She had fought with Elizabeth and the others against Beckett and those whom followed him. She had watched many die, including Will. She herself received a killing blow from the sword of Davy Jones to her stomach. Lying dying on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, fearful of death which became ever closer to her, she had been saved by Will; the new captain of The Flying Dutchman.

Now she served Will loyally, returning only to shore when he did. : To mourn Norrington's death. Ten years had passed and still the raw pain ached inside her.

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the Colors high...
Have ho, thieves and beggars,
never say we die.

Her singing ended on a mournful little howl and she lay back upon the warm sand, the little golden grains sticking to her wet cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I was afraid of death, now I will probably never join you again. God! Why did you have to leave me?" Violent sobs racked her frail body and she tossed the bottle of rum away from her.

The sun began to set and an icy chill suddenly flashed through her body. She knew what that meant. Sure enough, as she glanced out to sea, The Flying Dutchman sat bobbing on the blue waves.

"Lily?"

She turned at the sound of her voice, wearily raising her head. Will was watching her sympathetically.

"We have to go back." he said softly

"I'll never see 'im 'gain Will," Lily slurred, the rum kicking in. "I feared death and now I'll never join 'im. I never see my 'loved 'gain."

Will helped her to her feet and supported her as her drunken body fell against his own. She turned her head and watched sadly as she left James Norrington's grave again. It would be another decade before she laid eyes on it again. But memories of him filled her mind every night and day.

I love you, James Norrington, she thought sadly, and I always will. : For Eternity.