Hello to you all! Just a quick note, you will find while reading this chapter that I've added some very, very, very small AU elements, but hopefully you won't find them straying from canon too much!
Chapter Three
1737
Fort Charles, Port Royal
One month later
Dum. Dum. Da-da-dum. Dum. Dum. Da-da-dum.
The drums seemed overly loud and James' heart thumped painfully along to their beat. Across from him, standing upon the gallows, Jack stood before the hangman's noose, hands bound and eyes devoid of emotion as he awaited his fate.
Finally, James had Jack exactly where he wanted him.
The pirate would hang as all pirates must.
...For the first time, he could barely stand it.
As the Official read the extensive list of Jack's crimes, and the drums continued on in their rhythm, Elizabeth spoke up; "This is wrong."
"Commodore Norrington is bound by the law. As are we all." And Governor Swann sounded more resigned than pleased.
James looked down.
Wrong.
Yes, it did feel wrong, though he knew it shouldn't. He'd anticipated this moment for thirteen years, yet in the face of Barbossa's curse; thought that perhaps, just perhaps, Jack Sparrow wasn't as inherently evil as he could be.
"-and for these crimes you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead-"
At the Official's so very final words, James found himself staring at Jack, and discovered that the pirate's gaze was already boring into him. However, he was surprised to see that those dark eyes held no accusation, nor anger, and were only tinged with sadness and his own resignation.
"-May god have mercy on your soul."
James swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in his throat and clenched his jaw. Regardless of his thoughts on the matter, something which he was in two minds of, James was indeed bound by the law. There was nothing he could do now.
Mere seconds later, a time which seemed to stretch infinitely, James' attention was diverted from Jack as young William Turner came to stand before them.
"Governor Swann. Commodore. Elizabeth." His gaze turned to her and held, then, without further preamble said; "I should have told you everyday from the moment I met you...I love you."
Shocked by the baldness of that statement, James looked to Elizabeth to see that she, too, was taken entirely by surprise.
But, before either of them had gathered enough wits to react, William turned on his heel and wove into the crowd.
Suddenly the drums were hammering, and James looked up in time to see the noose being slipped around Jack's neck.
The next thing he became aware of, was Turner forcing his way through the gathered crowd towards the gallows.
On pure instinct, James stepped forward and called for his Marines, yet even to his own ears, his voice sounded less than firm.
Then, before he could direct his men, Elizabeth collapsed.
Fearing the worst, both he and Governor Swann rushed to her side.
A moment later, the drums fell silent.
In the same instant, Elizabeth sat up, having clearly used her own person to create a diversion. However, James only barely registered this, instead his focus was on Jack and saw the exact moment the hangman released the lever.
As the pirate plummeted through the trap-door, all James could hear was the rushing of blood in his ears and the thundering sound of his heartbeat.
However, Jack's neck did not break, nor, it seemed, was he doomed to suffocate, for William was a fine swordsman indeed, and his sword met with the gallows underbelly, allowing Jack to perch precariously upon the metal.
As Turner attempted to rescue Jack, James was reminded of his duty and so, he surged forward into the crowd, red-coats already rallying behind him.
But, the crowd it seemed, did not want to move aside and miss the spectacle that was unfolding before them. By the time that James reached the gallows, Jack was free and he and William were fighting their way to safety.
The gathered crowd did move then, scattering as they were unwilling to be caught in the crossfire. Because of this madness, it was further delay before James caught up with Jack and William, and when he did, saw that they were both surrounded by red-coats.
It was mere moments before Elizabeth and her father were also at his side.
Governor Swann seemed less than pleased by Turner's actions. "On our return to Port Royal I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate."
"And a good man." William defended, and he dropped his sword to the ground with a clatter of metal. "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clean."
James stepped forward. "You forget your place, Turner." And he sincerely hoped that William would choose the right course of action. He was a good man, and James was loathe to see him bare the consequences for attempting to save a man already doomed in one way or another.
But, Turner seemed not to heed the meaning behind his words, instead leaning forward defiantly. "It's right here. Between you and Jack."
"As is mine."
And James felt his mouth part in shock as Elizabeth appeared beside William, her hand finding his as they stood in unity before him.
James realised belatedly that it shouldn't have come as such a surprise to see that, apparently, Elizabeth returned William's affections. In fact, he realised that the signs had been there all along, and that'd he'd blinded himself to them in his own quest to achieve normality.
"Elizabeth?" Governor Swann sounded even more shocked than James felt, and he commanded the men to lower their weapons. When they hesitated, the note of near-panic was clear. "For goodness sake, put them down!" And eventually, they did so.
Elizabeth's eyes were apologetic and full of remorse as they gazed into his, and though James was certain of the answer, he needed to hear it confirmed. "So, this is where your heart truly lies then?"
To her credit, she was honest without dallying over the answer. "It is."
Distantly, James realised that he should feel embarrassed to be rejected so publicly, however, and in all honesty, he felt relief.
It seemed that whatever romantic attachment he had formed for Elizabeth no longer existed. And indeed, fictive kinship was all that remained. Yes, he rather thought of her as the sister he never had...perhaps it had always been so and that he had previously been unable to distinguish between the emotions. Or perhaps he had, and that the return of Jack Sparrow to his life had unnerved him enough to make him realise that he could never run from what he truly was.
Sodomite. There was that word again, but, at least to himself, James would admit it.
"Well, I'm actually feeling rather good about this." And of course Jack had to make his presence known, no doubt feeling rather forgotten. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh. Spiritually. Ecumenically. Dramatically."
He turned to James then, and the Commodore suddenly found his personal space well and truly invaded.
Without permission, his mind returned to the memory of the kiss upon the Dauntless and he scowled.
"I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that."And though his gaze was intent, his meaning was entirely lost on James.
In fact, while he pondered those words, the pirate had managed to manoeuvrer himself onto the parapet and, once again, James realised that he'd underestimated Jack's ability to escape from any and all situations.
"Men!" The pirate called to those gathered at large. "This is the day that you will always remember as the day that you-" And before Jack could finish, the fool tripped, and fell.
James rushed to the edge of the parapet, fear and anger warring inside him with equal fervour.
As he looked down at the broken water where Jack fell, it was only moments before the damned pirate broke the surface. At least he was alive.
"Idiot." Gillette exclaimed, appearing to his right. "He's nowhere to go but back to the noose."
Before James could reply, they was a cry of; "Sail, ho!" and his head snapped up in time to see the Black Pearl gliding into sight around the headland.
"What's your plan of action?"
But James couldn't answer his Lieutenant, for he didn't know.
"Sir?" Gillette pressed when he received no response.
Again, James didn't have any words. By all rights he should have ordered his men to recapture Sparrow immediately, but then he remembered the feeling as he watched Jack hang from the gallows, and the words simply wouldn't cross his lips.
Thankfully, Governor Swann chose that moment to intervene. "Perhaps on the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course?"
James' mouth twisted into the smallest of smiles. Governor Swann was slyer than he'd ever given him credit for.
Of course, now that the distraction known as Jack Sparrow was absent, James found his mind turning onto the next most pressing matter. "Mister Turner." And it was quickly evident that William thought there was to be consequences for his actions. However, James had something rather different in mind.
He'd known Elizabeth since she was a young girl and, betrothed or not, he would see her protected if he could, always.
Unsheathing his sword, he held it between them and looked upon it's excellent craftsmanship with a critical eye. "This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life."
And being a smart man, his meaning was not lost on William. "Thank you." And though his own words were simple, they, too, were a double entendre.
Feeling that there was no more need of his presence, James turned from the parapet, but he'd barely made it several steps before Gillette called out to him.
"Commodore! What about Sparrow?"
James thought for a moment, but he knew that whether he wanted to catch Jack or not, he was still duty-bound to the Crown. "Oh I think we can afford to give him one days head start." And with a final nod at his Lieutenant, he left.
- O -
The sun was setting as James stood atop the fort a short while later, his eyes never leaving sight of the Pearl as she came about; her Captain, once again, safely onboard.
One day.
One day for Jack to run.
One day for James to catch up.
And he would, of that he was certain. And if not, the pirate couldn't hide forever.
James clenched his hands where they lay folded behind his back. There was one flaw with his plan – what exactly he was planning on doing with Sparrow once he'd caught him. The pirate had proven all over again that he was slipperier than an eel, but in reality, it was more than that.
James had been more than merely reluctant to see the pirate hang. Then, he'd felt a brief flare of fear when the fool had fallen from the parapet. And now, because of these new and unwelcome developments, James was living in fear of his emotions for when he caught Jack this time.
James closed his eyes. Goddammit, Jack was a pirate and he should feel no qualms about seeing him dead, and yet...and yet...
His gaze swept forth once more and he glared at the Pearl; whose black sails seemed to engulf any and all ebbing sunlight that dared shine upon her.
Unlawful. Greedy. Deceitful. Manipulative. Pirate.
All of these words represented Jack Sparrow, and if James had any hope of condemning him, he'd do well to remember them.
Of course, it was then that his traitorous mind reminded him of a time when that wasn't all he knew of Jack. A time when the pirate, then appearing simply as a man like any other, had been his warmth on colds nights, his comfort in times of distress, his friend, his lover and, to a certain extent, his family.
James looked down with a sardonic smile.
Oh what a fool he had been.
What a fool he still was.
What was it he'd once said to Jack? Ah yes, 'it would be best if you never think these preposterous thoughts again'.
Words to live by, James was sure.
Now if only he could apply them as well as he spoke them.
When the sun finally sank below the horizon, James gazed after the Black Pearl as she sailed around the headland and beyond sight.
And if his eyes were just a little wistful, well there was no one there to see.
To be continued...
Well, one film down; two to go.
And now, for Dead Man's Chest! *rubs hands maliciously together*
I sincerely hope that you are all enjoying what I've written so far, I love to hear feedback (good or bad) and if you are so inclined, please feel free to drop a comment :-)
As always, thank you for reading!
P.S. I wanted to wrap up James' feelings for Elizabeth in this chapter with a nice little bow.
