Sparrow's Bargain

Summary: A different take on AWE. How would the story differ if there had been a different Pirate King? If Beckett couldn't make a deal with Jack and instead tried to hang him? If Norrington objected when he saw his true face and survived instead of dying on the FD? If more enemies were thrown into the fray? Read to find out! Sparrington

The turn up for the execution the following morning sickened Norrington to his gut. Despite seeing dozens if not hundreds of executions, James had never enjoyed watching them. He had a duty to fulfill and he couldn't let either his men or his enemies learn he had a weak stomach regarding a kill as cold-blooded as the executions were. He had no choice to attend but he never understood why or how these people, ordinary civilians who wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance against a pirate child could come to watch the death of a man they might not have even heard of before his name and sins were read in his last moments. They brought their children to watch! By God, was nothing sacred to them? What child should be brought to see death at its ugliest to tarnish their precious innocence? There were even newborn babies here! And not just in the arms of poor mothers who could not afford to leave their kids at home - although they could have just stayed at home with them instead of coming here - but also infants of the few rich families that have come to see the hanging, the children crying in protest in their nannies' arms.

There were even children rooting and cheering for the hanging to be sped up. It chilled Norrington to his bones more than even his first encounter with Barbossa's skeleton crew had, or any time he had to spend more than five minutes alone with Devy Jones. Perhaps this was how pirates came to be, the bad kind - the killers, rapers and tormentors, such a different kind to Sparrow and his crew - mere normal children coming the see these gruesome sights and something in their little minds snapping when they began enjoying seeing death.

He wondered what had gotten Jack Sparrow to become a pirate for a moment before shaking his head and continuing on his journey towards Cutler Beckett. The square that housed the executions was smaller than the one in Port Royal but people made up for lack of space by occupying windows and rooftops so they could have a clear view of the hangman as he prepared the nose. Lord Beckett was seated in a beautiful plush chair on the other side of the square with a perfect view of the gallows, four red jackets guarding him on either side and behind his back and Ian Mercer at his right hand. Both men were obviously enjoying themselves under the shades of the umbrellas a couple of servants - or were those Africans slaves, James wondered with repulsion - were holding over their heads, anticipating the moment the condemned appeared.

James' stomach was rolling just at the thought of it. Still, he marched on until he stood on Beckett's left side and leaned down so he can speak more lowly yet the smaller man can still hear him. "Lord Beckett, if I could have a word with you?"

"Ah, Admiral Norrington," Beckett said with some strange cheer in his voice, only managing to make James even more disgusted with him but he did his best not to show it. "I was wondering when you would join us. You've made it just in time. The show is about to begin any moment now." As if that were some sort of signal, Jack Sparrow himself, chained, near dehydrated and starved for the total of five days, with a few bruises that were not there when Theodor had last seen him on his face appeared in the square, dragged along by two meaty prison guards towards the gallows through the sneering crowd. James couldn't stop himself from analyzing every aspect of the man and his blood somehow both boiled and turned to ice as he realized Sparrow was more being held up by his captors than he was standing on his own two feet. He was beaten and starved, weakened for five days so he could not try anything. Whatever leftover respect Norrington had held for his own fellow officers vanished when one of the guards pulled on the pirates shoulder with enough strength to dislocate it. His respect for Sparrow, however, intensified when no sound and barely a wince escaped him despite the pain that must have caused. Perhaps it was even welcome as opposed to the stomach aches he must be experiencing after so long without food and water. They must have given him some water over the past few days or else he would be dead by now ... or had he been forced to drink his own-

He cut that thought off before he was tempted to run both Beckett and Mercer through with the blade Turner himself had made. That would not help Jack now at all. "Actually, I wished to speak to you about Mr Sparrow himself. I believe we are throwing away a good tactical advantage and leverage by killing him so swiftly. We may have a use from him yet."

"Ah, yes. Jack." The seated man never looked away from the weakened but still straight form of Jack Sparrow as he spoke. "Unfortunately, as useful as Jack could have been to us, he is too much of a loose cannon, a danger to the Company and all we stand for to be left alive."

James froze, looking over to Beckett with cold suspicion. "How so, my Lord?"

"Well, you see, Admiral Norrington, Captain Sparrow has unfortunately learned of one of our tactical weaknesses instead of offering one of the Brethren's. Now, if only he would tell us something about the Brethern Court, he might have been granted clemency, but instead he protects them, is stubbornly and persistently keeping their secrets." Beckett didn't sound at all happy about that and James wondered what Sparrow could have learned to displease him enough to throw away the only source of information they could have had at all. "Therefore, he is of no use to us except to make an example of what will happen to the Court if they do not surrender to us. It is not so hard to keep their lives. They only need to swear their loyalty to the Company and they would be left alone. Anyone who opposes me, well ... We have Devy Jones to take care of them, as well as you, Admiral. You are the scourge of pirates, are you not?" He said presently and Norrington's eyes became as cold and unforgiving as the winter sea. His fury only got worse when the nose was placed around Jack's head and tightened, finishing the preparations for the hanging while his crimes - silly, really, in comparison to the criminals usually standing in his place and yet the crowd booed him all the same - were read out loud for all to hear. Despite his pain, defiance was still shining in those near black eyes of his although James wondered if he could even see straight in front of his nose. It was known to happen when a person is not allowed to eat for as long as Sparrow was starved.

"But wouldn't a greater example be made of him if he were put to rot in prison?" He asked, once again tearing his gaze away from the pirate captain. "After all, Jack Sparrow represents freedom among pirates more than anything else. Surely imprisoning freedom itself will be a greater message?"

"Perhaps, but as long as he lives, the possibility of the information he learned spreading is too big. As it is now, he will take this information with him to the grave, so to speak, and no one shall learn it, meaning we can keep our tactical weakness a secret and as such an advantage."

"So Sparrow is to die not because he is a pirate but because he learned something he shouldn't have?" Norrington asked to make sure he got everything right just as the words "May the gracious Lord have mercy on your soul," were uttered and the drums sped up. Beckett nodded distractedly and that was all James needed. "Excuse me," he said and without waiting for a reply, made haste towards the gallows, pushing people and ordering them out of the way as he hurried towards where Jack was about to be dropped. For a moment he feared he was too late, especially when he heard Mercer calling out for guards and Jack's head snapped around, black eyes trying to focus in on him when the first sounds of cannon fire reached his ears just before the cannonballs hit the small fort. The impact caused many people to lose their balance and footing, falling over or onto each other, including the hangman over the railing, leaving Jack alone up on the gallows. More cannon fire followed, from two different ships, Norrington noted absently as he climbed the gallows as quickly as he could. It was only a matter of time before the soldiers got their barings back together and started shooting at them so he took his chance to free sparrow of the nose and start dragging him off the gallows.

He saw the cannonball making its way towards the gallows at the last moment and he grabbed Sparrow and all but hauled him over the railing just as the metal ball hit, destroying the gallows in a mimicry of the fate of Sparrow's intended gallows in Port Royal when the Black Pearl had attacked it the first time. He had made sure to cushion the fall for his precious burden, which left him quite winded for a few moments before he pushed himself up and tried to drag Sparrow to his feet as well. But the pirate was too weakened to save himself so, knowing they were short on time, James hauled the man up into his arms and started carrying him out of there. He was startled and worried about how light the man was but he couldn't do anything about it unless he managed to get the man safely out of here.

He heard shouts behind them over the cannon fire, Beckett demanding that they both be brought back but Norrington ignored it as he ran through the unfamiliar streets of the little harbor town. Thankfully, he was able to hide in a few houses on the poor side while soldiers ran pass right outside of the front doors, catching his breath. At the last house they made a stop at, he took the time to throw off his stupid hat and wig and loosen up his cravat and jacket, amazed with how much easier it was to breathe. He found it ironic that dust and some dirt now clung to his previously clean uniform but he wasn't upset as he would have once been. He'd had worst just before he'd left Tortuga aboard the Black Pearl, after all.

"Norrington?" Came the confused voice of his companion, scratchy and far weaker than James was used to. Sparrow was looking at him through glass eyes, smacking his lips in thirst and James immediately scrambled to his feet to search for some water. A moment later, he came back with a tankard of water and carefully put it to Jack's lips. The man drank greedily but not too fast as to not make himself sick. James was relieved to see him finish the water, meaning Jack had gotten at least some water during his imprisonment. He left Jack's side once more to let him breathe before he returned with a small loaf of bread and handed it to the pirate, watching him eat it whole with little nibbles. To his further relief, Jack finished almost the whole loaf, too, and when those black eyes met his again, they were already far more focused then they used to be. "W-what are you doing?"

"Saving you, you imbecile," he replied, too distracted in his relief to notice the eloquent way in which Sparrow had just spoken instead of his usual drunken drawl. "Can you run?"

"Not with these things," Sparrow replied with a jiggle of the shackles around both his ankles and wrists. "This will ruin you, mate. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am not overly fond of the Navy as of late, Sparrow." He replied, glad the other hadn't asked him why he was doing it. That was harder to answer.

Sparrow gave him a strange knowing little smile that sent a strange feeling through Norrinton's chest. "Not willing to give up your freedom, eh? Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life's for Norrie."

James couldn't help but snort with laughter at that but didn't contradict it. "Someone else came to your rescue, I think. Perhaps we will get help from them to leave."

Jack nodded along. "I'd recognize those cannons anywhere. 'Tis the Pearl."

"I suspected as much. What about the other ship? Any ideas?"

"Probably the Ghost. She's the stealthiest vessel in the seal. Dark blue as the ocean with near white light blue sails to blend in with the horizon. Slower than the Pearl but with a shallower bottom. Don't look much like a pirate ship, either, but she sails under the Caribbean's colors." James had heard very little about the Ghost except that she and her crew could sail into any port unnoticed and raid it without people being any wiser until it left and they saw half of their possessions were missing. They rarely killed but rumors said their cannons were somehow muted. That, however, cost them on range, but a shallow bottom must help in raids. It mostly attacked settlements and only rare few ships. "I know the captain. Hugo would definitely come for me if someone asked him for help. Mr Gibbs must have decided he would rather face both Barbossa and all of Beckett's forces than go before my father just to tell him his recently revived son was left to die again. He's got more self preservation than most would think, what with him following me around on my adventures for quite a few years now."

"So both ships are allies?" Norrington had to make sure so he would know whether he could jump on either ship. If the Ghost had a shallower belly, they would be closer and he'd rather not jump into the hands of bloodthirsty pirates, thank you very much.

"Aye, mine more so than Barbossa's. We'd be safe with them." He glared down at his shackles. "Now if only I could get out of these infernal things."

James was about to ask him if he could break out of the shackles if he had some tools to help himself to when they both jumped in startlement as someone started pounding on the door.

"Blast."