Beckett sat at the table in the middle of the room, sipping a cup of tea – predictably. James bowed to him, before realizing there was another man sat with him.
Beckett put down the teacup, "Good morning Admiral. I do believe you two know each other?" he spoke crisply, and the man sitting opposite him turned. It was none other than William Turner, the pirate/blacksmith extraordinaire; he smiled at James in a slightly too civilised manner, and gestured for him to sit. Feeling decidedly uneasy James took the chair in between the two, not speaking until Beckett spoke to him.

"As much as it is a pleasure to see you, Admiral, I'm afraid we were rather hoping for the captain of the Dutchman." He spoke in his patronising tone.

It was James' turn to smile, "I'm afraid, Lord Beckett, that Jones is no longer in control of the Dutchman." He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip, leaving Beckett confused.

"May I ask then as to who is?"

"That would be me, Lord Beckett," he answered after dabbing at his mouth with a napkin; he was enjoying making Beckett squirm. Besides him, Will suddenly looked up, processing new information, "I must report, Lord Beckett, that tragically a few good men were lost trying to reign in Jones – including your Mr Mercer, I'm afraid." Beckett's face darkened slightly and his jaw muscles twitched.
Beckett knew he was on dangerous ground. Without Mercer holding the chest ransom, Norrington was free to do as he wished. Knowing that he had to be careful not to push the Admiral either way, he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt – for now.

He changed the subject, and they discussed their plan of attack, William Turner had brought with him the compass of Jack Sparrow – which would lead them to the meeting of the Pirate Brethren. Will also informed them of Barbossa's mad plan to free Calypso, goddess of the sea. Of this last detail James felt sceptical, but then again he had indeed faced un-dead pirates and he himself was the immortal captain of a ship that ferried souls to heaven. James frowned, feeling a headache coming on. Beckett informed them of their heading, and just like that the meeting was over. James left quickly, hoping to be able to find Theodore before Beckett got his claws into him, but before he could escape completely, the junior Turner caught up with him.

"So it's true? You are the captain of the Flying Dutchman?" He asked, eliciting a scathing look from the older man, James felt annoyed – could Elizabeth have at least chosen a slightly sharper suitor?
"Yes, Mr Turner I am. I assume you are enquiring as to your father's health?" James drawled, not slowing his gait, forcing the shorter man to half jog to keep up with him – cruel but fun.
"He is still there then?" Will asked, looking for explicit confirmation.

"Yes. Very much so," James replied, catching a glimpse of what appeared to be his former first officer turning around a corner, "If you would excuse me, there is someone I would speak with." With that he left the younger man hanging and chased after his friend.

"Groves," he hissed, not wanting to attract too much attention "get back here!" Theo turned at his voice and willingly trotted back over to him.

"Are you alright sir? Beckett seems a mess after some news you'd given him, any chance you'll tell me what it is?" He asked. James thought of telling him the full story then but decided against it, not wanting to risk being caught.
"You trust me, don't you?" He questioned his friend.

"Of course sir" He answered back, not quite sure where this line of conversation was leading.

"Not just as your superior, but as a friend?" James prodded, not wanting anything less than total allegiance.

"With my life," Groves answered back quickly, and added cheekily, "Sir."

James smiled at him, "Come with me. Back to the Flying Dutchman, quickly before we're missed – I'll tell you everything there."

Theo looked hesitant, conscious of the unforgiving nature of Lord Beckett. But given a choice he would rather upset the Lord than his Admiral. He nodded his head, "Let's go."

AN: Well I hope you've enjoyed Groves so far, there'll be more of him so no worries. Please keep R&Ring - the more reviews I get, the quicker I write. Oh and thank you for pointing out that I got the quote wrong in chapter 6 - have fixed it now! The tally for the couples stands at a whopping 12 votes for Norribeth and a rather tragic 3 from the Willabeth corner. I am going to keep the voting going until I get to the end, so don't stop voting, it's not over til it's over!