By late afternoon, Beckett had filled the jail with people from the town. Will Turner had been the first man to earn himself a prison cell and the promise of a hanging in the morning, and was quickly followed by many others who had opposed the presence of Lord Beckett and his soldiers. Most were arrested on accusations of firing shots at peaceful agents of the East India Trading Company, an offense which Beckett considered treason. A few others were arrested for refusing to allow their homes to be searched for lieutenant Groves. This crime was also called treason, on the grounds that these people were obstructing the process of bringing to justice a man accused of arson and treason, therefore assisting a man accused of arson and treason. All the charges were punishable by hanging.

Norrington and his men had done their best to subdue the fighting and rioting before it led to violence, but before the sun had started to set there were numerous reported injuries, significant damage to at least a dozen local shops and homes, and three men wounded severely enough that they were carried to the hospital. The riots had begun to die down, but Norrington suspected that had more to do with the late hour and the jailing of the ringleaders than it did with his efforts to placate the townspeople. In fact, it had seemed as though the presence of anyone in uniform had served only to make things worse. The rioters had looked at Beckett's agents and Norrington's officers with the same bitter disdain.

Norrington walked through the streets with Gillette, sending people back to their homes. He didn't want to risk more riots after dark. Beckett's men had made a show of prepping the gallows, making it clear that Beckett had every intention of carrying out the hangings he had threatened.

"Please, gentlemen, back to your homes," Norrington said to a group of lingering townspeople. "I fear it may not be safe out in the streets."

The men glanced at each other for a moment, then one of them took a step forwards. "Looks all right to me," he said, gesturing to the empty street around him. "I reckon I'll stay awhile. Enjoy the fresh air."

Norrington was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't anticipated resistance from any of the townspeople. He knew the town, and the people knew him. Except for the occasional unruly troublemaker the people of Port Royal were a peaceful, reasonable group. He couldn't remember a time when someone who was not under arrest had so blatantly resisted his orders. The hostility in the man's voice was startlingly cold. But Norrington composed himself and frowned back at the man. "I beg your pardon," he said.

"You heard right. I'm staying right where I am, thank you very much. Don't need your fancy uniform and special 'protection' to keep myself safe."

"In light of the day's events, I am requesting that all citizens stay off the streets until dawn," Norrington said. "Now, sir, I will ask you once more—"

"Go on and ask then. Nobody's stopping you from asking." The man took a step towards Norrington, who was too surprised by the bold move to do anything about it. "But I'm not takin' any orders from you. None of us are takin' orders. If you want to give orders, give 'em to him." The man gestured at Gillette.

"Return to your home."

"And if I don't? What then? Are you going to make me? Have me arrested?"

"No one is being arrested."

"That's not what Lord Beckett said."

"Lord Beckett does not speak for me." Norrington sighed, forcing himself not to raise his voice. He tried to put himself in this man's position, look at himself from the perspective of a frightened and uneasy citizen. "In all my years as your protector, have you ever known me to harm an innocent man?"

"We know you sent the Intrepid away from her post. I had a sister in that settlement, Commodore." The man stepped closer, and his companions stood resolutely behind him. "You saying she wasn't innocent? You saying she wasn't harmed?"

"Stand down, man," Gillette ordered, drawing his sword. "Back to your homes, all of you."

The man never took his eyes off Norrington, but he slowly backed off when he saw the flash of the lieutenant's blade. After a long pause, he turned and walked away, leading the others with him.

Norrington stared after them. The man's words had felt like daggers cutting deep into his flesh. He felt betrayed by the people who had, just days ago, called him their protector and trusted him with their lives and the lives of their families. They had respected him. Of course this man's hatred was based entirely on a lie, the lie fabricated by Beckett to turn the town against their Commodore. But it didn't matter. The people of Port Royal had believed the outrageous lies because they needed someone to blame. The man's words hurt because they were a betrayal Norrington had never expected. The man's words hurt also because of the unintentional truth they carried. Norrington had betrayed the people first. He was the man they looked to for safety. And ever since Beckett had stepped off his ship, Port Royal had been anything but safe. Norrington, the Commodore, the protector of the people, had failed, and he had only himself to blame.

"Are you all right?" Gillette asked.

"Let's go," Norrington said, turning back towards the fort. "I don't want to risk another encounter like that one."

Gillette nodded and put his sword away as he followed the Commodore. When they reached the fort entrance, however, the presence of a single cloaked figure, obscured by shadows and the night, made Gillette reach for his weapon again. Norrington noticed the person, too, and cautiously pulled out his pistol. Whoever it was seemed to be waiting for them.

Norrington exchanged a glance with his lieutenant, and they both continued towards the fort. The cloaked figure didn't move, neither towards the approaching officers nor in retreat. Norrington stopped about ten paces from the mysterious person. He held his pistol so that it was visible, but not in a threatening position.

"You," the Commodore said. "Who's there?"

"It's me, James," Ruby's voice replied. "I didn't mean to startle you. You're not going to shoot me, are you?"

"Ruby," Norrington said, putting his weapon away and stepping towards her. "You shouldn't be out here. It's not safe. What are you doing?"

"Lieutenant Groves sent me," Ruby said. "Sort of."

"Where is he?"

"Nearby. He's coming back to the fort, but he wanted... Well, it seemed best if I warned you first."

Norrington frowned. "Warned me?"

"Yes." Ruby took the Commodore's arm and pulled him inside the fort. "He's been in hiding all day."

"Where?" Norrington insisted. "He wasn't at the hospital when Beckett searched it."

Ruby hesitated with a sigh. "You're going to be angry, but sort it out later. He was on the Black Pearl."

"What on earth was he doing there?"

"Hiding. It wasn't his idea. Anamaria pulled him out of the hospital this morning." Ruby watched the Commodore's face for a moment, and cut him off just as he was about to speak. "I know you're angry. Deal with Jack later, all right? He was just trying to help. And Groves is on his way back. Anamaria's bringing him, but they thought I should come warn you first."

Norrington sighed and rubbed his eyes. She had a good point. He wasn't sure what he would have done if one of Sparrow's crew had showed up at the fort unannounced.

"Anamaria sent me a message at your house. She told me to meet you here, then find her and the lieutenant down at the docks."

"Take Gillette with you," Norrington said, then cut off Ruby's protest. "Don't make me fear for your safety. Gillette will accompany you."

Ruby agreed and left with the lieutenant. Norrington sat down on the stone steps that led up towards the walkway outside his office. Ruby had thought he'd be angry with Sparrow's involvement in the day's events, and so had Norrington himself, but right now was too tired and discouraged to be angry with the pirate. He was anxious to see Groves. He thought it would be nice if he and the lieutenants could sit down and have a drink or two, or more, but he didn't trust himself to drink tonight. He didn't dare lose his focus in case anything else sprang up. Fires. Or riots. Or arrests and fighting.

Norrington stood when he saw Ruby and Gillette return with the injured fugitive, Lieutenant Groves. Groves had his good arm across Gillette's shoulders and seemed a bit unsteady. His bandaged hand rested in a makeshift sling.

"Are you all right?" Norrington asked automatically.

Groves nodded. "I'm not as bad as I look, really," he said. "Just feeling a bit weak."

"And your hand?"

"Hurts like the devil," Groves said. "I'll be all right. I think I just need to eat something."

"Come up to my office," Norrington said. He took Gillette's place under the injured man's arm. "Gillette, find Doctor Murphy and send him up."

"No, James, I'm really all right," Groves protested.

"The doctor, Gillette."

Gillette nodded and went away in the direction of the fort hospital, and Norrington forced himself not to plague the injured lieutenant with the questions that were burning a hole in his mind. He was displeased but not surprised to learn that Sparrow and the Black Pearl were still anchored off Port Royal. The part that drove him mad was Sparrow's blatant interference. Had he not made it clear that the pirate's so-called "help" was neither needed nor appreciated? It made him angry to think that a man like Sparrow, a convicted pirate with a long list of crimes attributed to his name, was floating freely while innocent people were being arrested and threatened as if they were the lawless ones. He wanted to know what Sparrow was up to. He wouldn't remain in Port Royal for so long, risking his own well-being, if he weren't up to something. Surely Groves knew. Surely Groves had had the presence of mind to question the pirate about his intentions. Norrington was also very interested in knowing how the lieutenant had ended up on Sparrow's ship.

Finally Groves was resting on the sofa in the Commodore's office, a light supper was set in front of them and Ruby was pouring tea to go with it, and Gillette returned with word that the doctor was on his way. Sandwiches and tea were distributed, and Norrington sat down to collect his thoughts for a moment before beginning a conversation.

Groves broke the silence. "Commodore, you should know it wasn't my idea to hide on Sparrow's ship," he said. "I will admit that I could have convinced them to release me immediately had I set my mind to it."

"What happened?" Norrington asked.

"I was in the hospital, and suddenly Anamaria was there, kidnapping me. Well, not so much kidnapping as being forced into protective custody. She took me to the ship, of course, and let me rest in a cabin. I suppose that was only fair since she kidnapped me out of the hospital before I'd really had a chance to recover. That's it. That's all."

"So you spent the day asleep on a pirate ship?" Gillette said.

Groves closed his eyes. "Gillette, I promise I'll argue with you as soon as I'm feeling better." He sighed and looked over at Norrington. "Not the whole day. I managed to talk to Sparrow, a little."

Norrington set his teacup down and made a point of giving Groves his full attention.

"I don't know what's been going on out there today," Groves said, "but it's all Sparrow's doing."

"Sparrow?" Norrington repeated.

"Yes. I don't remember what he said, exactly, I had a headache at the time. Still do, actually. But it was something about gathering an army and initiating some 'controlled chaos.' His words. That part I remember."

Norrington sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"That's not all."

"Oh, God," Gillette muttered.

"He's planning to attack."

"Attack?" Norrington said. "Here?"

"He and his 'army' of civilians, led by our friend Will Turner, are planning to attack Beckett and his soldiers. Sparrow thinks that if the entire town turns against Beckett that we... I mean, they... think there's actually a chance of driving him out."

Norrington stood up. "When? Did he say when?"

"Tonight."

"Gillette—"

"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked, also standing. She put her hand on the Commodore's arm. "It's dark. It's already tonight. It's too late."

"No," Norrington said. "I won't let him destroy this town."

"So you're going to fight with Beckett? Against your own people?"

"Ruby..."

Norrington was interrupted when Doctor Murphy arrived. He thanked the doctor for coming, then sat next to Ruby while the doctor tended to the injured lieutenant.

"I saw the smoke," Ruby said. "Yesterday. I wanted to come help, but Henrietta wouldn't let me leave."

"Good for Henrietta," Norrington replied.

"What happened?"

"It was the town hall," Norrington said. "Lieutenant Groves nearly caught the arsonist, but he was injured and the man escaped. Beckett decided to blame Groves for the arson, then tore the whole town apart this morning searching for him. Jack, apparently, started riots. Beckett arrested any man who looked back at him sideways when ordered to disperse on the charge of piracy." He paused, waiting for a response from Ruby, but she didn't offer one. She just looked back at him with eyes that understood. He decided to continue. "Captain Raynes returned," he said, then paused again. He was thinking of the conversation with the captain, of hearing the terrible news, and suddenly hated the thought of making Ruby as distraught as he had felt when he learned of it.

"Did he find the Intrepid?" Ruby prompted.

Norrington looked down at his hands. "What was left of her."

"Oh, no. What about the settlement?"

"There was nearly nothing to find."

Ruby was silent. Norrington hadn't expected an immediate response, but after a moment he looked up at her.

"I'm so sorry," Ruby said. Her eyes were wide with horror as she imagined everything Norrington had been told in detail. Then her eyes hardened and her face tightened with anger. "Beckett. That man, he's horrible. He's a murderer. I hope Jack does attack him."

"Ruby..."

"I'm sorry," she said. "Are you all right?"

Norrington hesitated, and was saved from answering by a string of curses from Groves, then a groan.

"Doctor?" Norrington said.

"I'm just changing the bandages," Doctor Murphy explained, without turning around. "It's all right, just painful."

"It's all right, he says," Groves muttered. "It's all right, from the man with two good hands."

Norrington sighed. "Just let the doctor do his work."

"I'm going to kill you, James."

When the doctor was finished with the bandages, he made Groves lie down across the sofa and instructed him to rest and drink water. Then he repeated the instructions to Norrington, adding that the lieutenant was running a fever, and though the fever was not unexpected, that Groves should really be in bed.

"We'll look after him," Ruby said.

Doctor Murphy handed her a bottle of medicine. "See if you can get him to drink some of that. I give up."

Ruby nodded, and the doctor left. Groves sat up as soon as the doctor's footsteps disappeared, even though he was slightly pale and clearly in pain. Ruby poured him a glass of water.

"James," Gillette called, from the window.

Norrington turned just in time to see the flash of a cannon an instant before its resounding boom shook the window glass. The shot was followed by shouts, gunshots, and more cannon fire. Norrington joined Gillette at the window. In the darkness it was hard to see, but the looming shape of the Black Pearl was illuminated by the flashes from its cannons. Men with torches approached in longboats to join a small mass of men on shore, also bearing torches.

"Sir, what should we do?" Gillette asked.

"What, indeed?" came Lord Beckett's voice from behind them.

Norrington and Gillette turned around to face the man in the doorway. Lord Beckett's figure loomed at them from the shadows beyond the threshold for a moment before the man took a dramatic step forwards, bringing himself into the light. The intermittent flickers from the cannon blasts cast eerie shadows across Beckett's face. As always, it was impossible to read the man's expression. He seemed pleased with himself, as always, as if he were one step ahead of everyone else in the room and had some knowledge which assured him he could not possibly lose. But there was something else, something colder, in Lord Beckett's pale eyes. Anger, perhaps, or hatred. They were certainly the eyes of a man who had killed hundreds of people and felt no remorse for it. They were the eyes of a man who was prepared to do it again, using the gallows and the law to shield himself from anyone who saw him for what he truly was. A tyrant, a murderer, and the worst of all pirates.

Beckett stepped into the middle of the room and glanced around it. "Ah, Lieutenant Groves, there you are. What a pleasant surprise. So pleasant, that I don't even care to know where you've been all day. I won't even bother to guess, seeing as I've found you now."

"Get out," Norrington said. "Not another word. Get out."

"Or what?" Beckett asked, and his eyes flashed a challenge at the Commodore. "You'll kill me?" He paused for a moment and spread his arms as if to make himself an easy target.

Norrington didn't move.

"No?" Beckett folded his hands behind his back. "I didn't think so." He stepped deliberately across the room to the tray of tea and sandwiches that sat on the Commodore's desk. He set out a teacup, lifted the kettle, and poured a cup for himself. Then he picked up the teacup and its saucer, turned around, and locked eyes with Norrington while he took a tiny sip of tea. "Needs sugar," he said, and set the cup and saucer back down on the desk. "I see you've noticed the little disturbance down by the docks," Beckett said. "So have I."

Norrington didn't respond. He tried to ignore the anxious glances Ruby was throwing him, the wild hatred in Gillette's eyes, and the color draining from Groves' face. He followed Beckett with his eyes as the other man stepped back into the center of the room.

Beckett stopped in front of Norrington. "We're in quite the predicament, you and I, Commodore. The way I see it, you are harboring a fugitive, conspiring with those convicted of piracy, and failing in your duty to protect the citizens of this town."

"You lying coward," Norrington said. His hands shook with anger. "The way I see it, you are a tyrant, a murderer, and worse than any pirate you care to name. Your quarrel is with me, not them, yet you continue to destroy hundreds of innocent lives while you misuse the law and hide behind fancy titles."

An icy rage appeared in Beckett's eyes, but only for an instant. "Perhaps you're right, Commodore. Perhaps it's time to bring this thing to a head." He placed himself directly in front of Norrington, hands clasped calmly behind his back, and his mouth twitching into a smile. "Let's take a moment to asses your situation, shall we? The citizens of this town, led by one William Turner, have fallen into lawlessness, riots, violent protests, insubordination, and other such actions verging on treason Those responsible for such lawless behavior have been arrested for their crimes against those appointed by the crown. Among those accused is Lieutenant Groves, wanted for arson, treason, and piracy, yet here he sits protected in your own private office. At this very moment, a band of pirates is running wild through your streets, and yet you have made no move to stop their attack. All of this on top of the fact that you failed to protect one small settlement from disaster."

"That's a lie," Norrington said.

"It is not. You were charged with protecting those poor people, and yet they lost their lives, tragically. Do you really think their blood is not on your hands?"

Norrington had to force himself not to break eye contact.

"I can make this all go away. Or, rather, you can." Beckett took a step forward. He had to tilt his head slightly to meet the Commodore's eyes. "I want your resignation, Commodore."

"You'll never have it."

Beckett shrugged. "Then it's your lieutenant's neck. Followed by William Turner's. Followed by every neck in this town, if that's what it takes. And don't think I'll leave your little friend Sparrow out of this. No, Sparrow will swing, and you'll be there to watch. You'll watch any man who defends you go to the gallows if I have to hang every man, woman, and child in the colonies. But I will have your commission, Commodore."

Norrington felt all eyes in the room on him, and he fought to ignore the burning stares. He stared back at Beckett, hoping his gaze didn't waver as much as his resolve did.

Beckett smirked. "That's right, Commodore. Your town or your commission. Your title or the people. It's up to you to decide." Beckett turned and walked towards the door. He paused just before he stepped out of the room and turned back. "I'm not bluffing, Commodore." He threw a glance at Groves. "The lieutenant hangs at dawn."

So sorry for the long wait! (I was directing a high school play... but we had some great performances and now I've got my evenings back!) Here's an extra long chapter. Leave me a review!