A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. A lot of the fic has already been written, but it turns out that a decent sized chunk was missing so some has to be re-written.
Likening Norrington to Beckett was probably like comparing a corgi to a wolf. Both were, technically, something similar, but there were complete and utter differences. Some weren't so obvious, whilst others were extremely noticeable. Apparently, though, Abigale had taken note of the more subtle difference. This one being kindness. Norrington didn't try to flaunt whatever amount of kindness he managed to withhold, not in the least, if anything he usually tried to hide it. In this particular profession you had to be cruel and merciless – some had taken it to the extreme. Lord Beckett, for example.
It didn't appear that Abigale was terribly worried about the silence that had coated the air once more, even if it was a slightly uncomfortable one; if only for the reason that there was a stretch of metal bars between them. "You're manners are quite refined. Considering where we are. I must say, it is quite a rare occurrence to have somebody such as yourself locked up in here." The comment didn't seem to serve much purpose other than to cut through the momentary silence, although the air in which it was said could imply that the thoughts attached were malicious – even though his expression ensured that it couldn't be assumed.
Norrington wasn't quite sure whether the small chuckle he received in response was positive or not, but he supposed it didn't really matter anyway. 'At least someone could see it.' She thought. It seemed that nobody else really cared of how she acted, if she was supposed to be in here or if she deserved otherwise. This Norrington guy... He was nice. Abigale liked him. She couldn't see how he could be an Admiral though - even in the Navy. From what she had seen they had to be tough and merciless, or, well, that was what she had witnessed from her experience at least.
For a second it appeared that the air became colder, and Abigale glanced up toward the cell window, but because of her seated position couldn't even see anything beyond it. She crossed one leg over the other in an attempt to retain some more warmth, but this wasn't to much effect. Norrington didn't seem to notice this chilliness, though, but that was simply due to the heavy coat that adorned his torso. It wasn't a very good thing to wear in the hot climate of the Caribbean the majority of the time, but it was useful when the weather was cool – granted, that was still a rather rare occurrence.
"Refined..." She repeated, smiling very slightly. "I suppose you could be right about that." She said, stretching slightly and breathing in deep, trying to keep herself awake. "I bet it is rare to have anyone locked in here who isn't a dirty staling pirate then, 'ey?" She asked, looking up to him with a questioning gaze. Abigale despised pirates; they went against all her own ethics - to be respectful, courteous, so on and so forth. "And I am definitely not a pirate. You can count on that one, Admiral Norrington."
The way that she spoke about said pirates did have a slight affect on James, though. No matter how much he despised pirates, something still told him that they weren't as bad as had always been made out to be. The fact that Elizabeth had become one, though, probably had quite a lot to do with it. This only seemed to prompt him to fall silent for a second, but, realising that he had allowed his mind to wander yet again, he (rather hurriedly) said, "Well then you have not been forced into here for piracy, that much is clear. Therefore I would say that it is quite safe to assume that you won't be meeting the noose any time soon."
These words prompted a smirk from Abigale this time as she rose to her feet once more. She stood at the door to the cell, her fingers fumbling around the bars as her gaze shifted back to Norrington. Now she knew exactly what was going on. And instead of her being in the trap it was Abigale who had trapped him. "So this is your game, Admiral." She said, looking straight at him, her smirk was now slightly lesser, but still apparent. "You are trying to see why I have been placed into this god-forsaken jail, aren't you?"
Abigale seemed to pick things up out of sentences, and read people like a book. Although this time, it did take longer than normal, she still got it. She didn't know how exactly seeming as he was very good at hiding it, but that comment made it very noticeable of his task at hand. This was when Norrington realised that he had taken the wrong route in conversation. His gaze remained fixed on her as he responded, "An unintended 'game' might I add." He paused for a second before continuing, "Considering the fact that I would rather not risk my job for an answer to a mere enquiry or two... regardless of how much those answers suffice."
As the woman turned back around to face the small square of light filtering past the bars, Norrington's gaze followed and took note of the sun casting shadows on her rather thin figure. She might be correct in thinking that what he had said was a sad excuse at an attempt to gain an answer or two, but what his motives were could easily be misinterpreted. That was most likely due to the fact that, yet again, he wasn't even entirely certain himself. Of course, if those answers were useful enough they could, like most things, prove to be a powerful bargaining tool. Those sorts of things (material or immaterial) seemed to work well with Beckett. The man wasn't interested in expensive and grand objects (such as The Black Pearl, for instance) but was, apparently, more prone to concentrating on those things that could be of power. James apparently had a knack for finding such things.
'Unintended...' "Admiral, to be honest, I do not care of how you tried to seek answers from me. It is only natural to be curious of such things..." She started, still trying to come up with an even smarter reply. "Only thing is, I would not tell you in fear of you telling Beckett. I am not willing to give up to him." Abigale added. Then she began to move, pacing across the cell, backward and forward. Norrington did not speak up yet however, considering that he had a feeling that Abigale was going to say more. It seemed that his inkling was correct, as only a second later she spoke up again.
"Beckett is the last person I would ever tell of such things. I do not care if I am in here until I die, I will not tell him. Thus being why I won't tell you anything either." She said, nodding, as she walked over to stand in front of him behind the bars again. "Of course, except for what I almost just told you then, Admiral. That is acceptable. You don't know full details; all you know is that there is something of which Beckett needs me for. And it is more than that of normal being." She added, quite satisfied at how her answer had come about.
Norrington didn't appear to mind that Abigale spoke so much, although it was only for the reason that he was able to use her voice as a distraction from his own cluttered thoughts. And, to save himself from wandering back into said thoughts, James immediately responded. "As I said – I am not intending to lose my job over this. Bringing you that apple," His hand appeared from behind his back to motion toward the window where she had thrown the core. "Was probably enough to cost me my job – possibly more. What you desire to keep from Lord Beckett is, incidentally, none of my business... currently." The last word apparently slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it, going by the way that it seemed to have just managed to string itself onto the end of his sentence. He was actually beginning to doubt whether or not having his job back was a good thing... 'Yes, of course it is.' the affirming thought quickly pushed itself into his mind.
Abigale nodded understandably at this, though. She understood his place in this. She understood why he said what he did instead of putting his own word in on it. He was most likely worried that she would tell Beckett. Why she would tell him anything, she really had no proper idea, but that was none of her business either to be precise.
Quickly recovering from the surprise word, he continued, "Nothing good comes from those who prove to be deceptive to the East India Trading Company. Or, simply, Lord Beckett. Withholding information probably warrants the same fate. Truthfully? I do not know what he wants from you, and therefore have no idea whatsoever exactly how valuable whatever it is that you possess is. You, though, have a sensible problem with trusting people. Understandable."
Abigale yawned slightly as Norrington's words drifted off into silence; her hand was placed over her mouth as she stretched slightly. Most people would take that as an offence, but she really didn't mean it... She hadn't slept for 24 hours about, maybe that's dramatising it slightly, but she hadn't slept for a while. "Excuse me..." She said quietly, rubbing her face to keep her eyes open. It only took her a moment or so to get back to the conversation at hand. "The apple... Would that really be enough to cost you your job..?" She asked out of sheer curiosity. Beckett was worse than she had thought... Would he really go as far as starving her to death, and then her being dead so he never got anything out of her anyway?
"That would depend," He responded in question to the apple. "But, yes, it most likely would." That statement was truthful too; he wouldn't be surprised if he was forced from his position in the navy just for giving Abigale an apple. After all, Lord Beckett didn't trust him as it was; doing something that he knew had a high probability of having a negative outcome would, most likely, only make things worse in the end.
It seemed that Abigale was thinking along these same lines, well that was what her next words implied at least. "Why do you even want to be a part of this organisation? Be under a man who kills people just for talking to pirates, apparently, but why? You seem nice, why go out of your way to be nasty and cruel?" She was so confused now. It was partly her fault, though, she supposed. "I do have problems with trusting people. I am a person of which thinks that people should earn trust. Yet I can be deceived easily too..." She trailed off, deeper in thought than normal this time around.
This question resulted in a rather odd silence from Norrington, only for a moment though. "Everybody," He began finally, "has their reasons for one thing or another and those particular reasons are not always ones that they would be inclined to share with others such as yourself." In the pause in his words, it seemed that what Abigale had said before caught up with him. 'Nice'. Norrington thought himself fair (in the traditional sense of the word) at any rate, as he gave those who deserved it a decent chance to explain themselves and others (such as pirates) didn't get much of a chance to speak for their defense at all when he was placed in charge of the situation like he had been many times before. But it seemed that people were quick to assume he was as cutthroat and merciless as Beckett, such as Abigale had before – but they did have valid reasoning behind such an assumption. 'Back on track.'
"Trust and deception are both things to consider at all times," Norrington began again, "They are powerful and destructive... depending." At that point, he turned to face her again. "And once you place your trust into someone that's final." Although, by the way that he was speaking, it wasn't clear if he was talking about this particular situation, trust in general, or even something that had happened prior to this particular conversation. "Therefore you chose the consequences of that trust, too – good or bad."
Abigale decided now that she wanted to get the weight off of her chest. She hated it, truly did. Her secret; about her being the 'key', about how her life was already planned out through destiny before her birth... She was too far emotionally now to stop herself from telling him.
"I have never had a choice in who to trust. Never. Not since I was born." She began, her sleepy gaze turning back to look Norrington straight in the eyes. "I am set to die soon." She then said rather bluntly, her gaze focusing on her fingers as they once again wrapped around the metal bars. "After my 26th birthday... I will die of an illness, any illness it doesn't matter. Heart Attack, cancer... anything... I will not see my 27th year." She said unhappily. She hadn't told anyone before. Yet she had never been in a situation such as this either...
Norrington remained silent throughout this, not wanting to say anything in case Abigale was about to give him more information regarding this... this... whatever it was. And it seemed that she was going to say just one more thing. "It is all because of this knowledge I possess. I am a 'key' as they called it..." She finished, trailing off on thought now as she turned around, her back facing Norrington again.