Something Better
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"James!" She exclaimed suddenly, whirling around, her eyes wide as one possessed. She locked her gaze with his. "I will make this right." She said suddenly. "I promise."
And then all was lost in a thick grey fog.
Chapter 20: Crew
James stood on board the deck of the Flying Dutchman, more than a little dazed. In an instant everything had changed again. Oddly enough, it wasn't the thought of his death having to be faced again that was on his mind, but Annalise.
The sky was grey and thick fog filled the air and covered the deck of the old ship. James stood alone, and though he could make out the forms of man working upon the deck around him, they seemed ethereal in the fog, and made no move to interact with him. James turned his gaze out upon the shrouded horizon. He wasn't entirely sure what to feel. Obviously Annalise had betrayed him on some level, she had known all along the reason behind his return to life. She had been the reason for his return to life. James shook his head hopelessly. He should be angry, he thought to himself, angry or irked or at least chagrined by the fact that he had lived merely on the whim of a young woman.
It was strange then, that he wasn't. That he felt none of the things he should have felt. Instead he saw Annalise's eyes in that last moment. Her eyes wide with fear and guilt and something he didn't dare to name. It was an expression that he had seen once before, and only once before. It was the same look that he had seen in Elizabeth's eyes all those years ago, when she would have done or said anything to save Turner's life. The look that had accompanied her acceptance of his proposal, though the desperate love that had been evident in her eyes had not been directed at him.
The look Annalise had given him though… the desperate… no. James turned away from the sea; he could not name it. He wouldn't even think it. He was dead again, or very near to it. Whatever small emotions he had allowed to grow inside his heart in the past few weeks had to be contained, tucked away so they could hurt him no more.
"Young Miss Turner seems rather determined to get you back." A voice interrupted suddenly. James lifted his gaze to see the man who had revealed himself as captain of the Flying Dutchman onboard Annalise's ship walking towards him. As he neared James could see that the man was fairly young. His face was clean-shaven and his eyes revealed one who was open and honest by nature. "The thing is," the man began, "I can't not do my job. Captain Turner taught every man who came on board this ship just how important this duty is. He was fair though, and he liked to think that every man could also be."
James found himself staring the man in the eyes. "What is your point exactly?" He heard himself asking. For a moment his tired tone shocked him. Bitter defeat flavoured his words.
The captain shook his head slowly. "The thing I noticed first about Will Turner and his wife," the man said, his voice a little gruff, "was that the two of them never gave up. Both as stubborn as mules, if not more so." The man turned his gaze out towards the misty sea swells. "If I could only have loved for a moment as strongly as those two have loved all their lives…" He looked back at James. "Do you really think their only daughter would be so different?"
James stared at the man in surprise, his mouth slightly agape. The captain smiled and winked warily, "I'll let you think on it for awhile, and then I'll have a proposition for you." The captain moved off silently into the fog, blending in with the other grey fogged-in forms that comprised his crew.
The better part of the day passed with James lost in thought, just as the ship seemed lost in fog. He rather wished that he could come to any conclusion on his emotions; that he could classify what he felt. At least if he knew that he could plot some sort of course to follow, and then could tuck the whole thing away neatly like a nautical map of his soul. But instead he swam through a sea of conflict. There was no denying the fact that he had feelings for Annalise, but whether he could simply put faith in her, particularly knowing now that she had in some ways betrayed his trust, was another matter entirely.
The captain stepped up lightly behind him, clearing his throat as if to let James know he was there. "Well Mr. Norrington," he began, his voice firm but his tone warm, "Are you willing to consider my proposition?"
"You want me to be part of the crew of the Flying Dutchman." James said dryly. "I'm not entirely certain the prospect sounds so appetizing to me."
To James' surprise, the captain just laughed. "And what bit of it is so unappetizing to you?" He replied. "The bit where you become a part of the ship and a sea monster? Because I can assure you that won't be happening under my watch. Or the bit where its for a hundred years? Cause that's where my proposition steps in for you."
James found himself looking at the young captain curiously. "What do you mean by that exactly?"
The younger man smiled. "You can call me a romantic," he began, casting an arm around James' shoulders and walking along the deck, "But I prefer to think of myself as a shrewd business man. As you can see, Captain Turner before me was rather lenient in letting folks go on their way; he didn't much like to keep them bound to the ship. As a result, there certainly are not enough men onboard to properly crew this beauty."
James found himself casting his eyes doubtfully around the ship's deck, but sure enough, there appeared to only be the bare minimum number of men about needed to crew the ship. "I'm sorely in need of crewmembers." The captain said bluntly," So I've come into the habit of cutting deals. You stay on as crew just until our young Miss Turner comes dashing in with your freedom, and you're free to go. You won't age a day, so long as you're crew, and you won't be sent onwards beyond hope of ever seeing Miss Turner again." A clever gleam shone in the captain's eyes.
"And if I still say no?" James inquired, already knowing that he was going to accept this deal, despite the suspicious gleam in the captain's eyes.
"Then we have to let you get back to being dead." The captain replied simply.
James' sighed softly and raised his hand. It felt oddly heavy as the captain seized hold of it. "We have an accord then!" The captain said triumphantly. "Welcome to the crew of the Flying Dutchman!"
James paused for a moment, a quiet sense of dread suddenly filling him. "And what if Annalise doesn't come after me?"
The captain shrugged lazily. "Guess you would just be crew forever. But I wouldn't worry on that too much."
James realized then, in an instant, that his choice had been made for him. He would have to put his faith in Annalise. He could only hope that she would not forget her promise, or perhaps more importantly, him.