Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! So glad to be back with this story. Still minus a laptop so sneakily updating on the work computer when I can. I hope you like this chapter. James Norrington may be about to hear some home truths from an unlikely visitor...

Chapter Sixty - When He Returns

Like the touch of rain she was

On a man's flesh and hair and eyes

When the joy of walking thus

Has taken him by surprise:

With the love of the storm he burns,

He sings, he laughs, well I know how,

But forgets when he returns

As I shall not forget her 'Go now'.

Those two words shut a door

Between me and the blessed rain

That was never shut before

And will not open again.

Edward Thomas - go now

Although I'm loath to admit it, even Jack Sparrow's company was somewhat welcome to me after the solitary silence of the cells embedded deep within the rocky hillside that most of George Town sat upon. Granted, his incessant prattling meant I attempted to sleep or at least pretended to for most of the time he was with me. Yet again I have no real recollection of how many days Jack was with me for. He says it was two but to me every hour down there felt the same as the one before. It wasn't until the soldiers returned for Jack that I realised I was about to loose yet another friend. It felt like the ultimate despair in a way. I'd given up that which I loved most because I firmly believed it was the right thing to do. It didn't mean I was happy about it. I think it made me question the universe though. It felt like I'd made the ultimate sacrifices and I'd not once thought of myself when doing so. It had all been for others. Now at the end of things all I really pined for was a friendly face, someone to be with me until the very end. All I wanted was a friend. Those were continually being ripped from me though.

I suppose there was one last resort to me. The soldiers answered to lieutenant Beauchamp. All I really had to do was follow Jack's lead. I could tell those men who I was and that I wanted to speak to James. I somehow think lieutenant Beauchamp would have come down to the cells himself to see just who was making such demands if his men relayed the information. He'd take me to James I think, even though both men would likely think me the worst in the world. They are honourable souls you see. They'd have felt duty bound to listen to what I had to say. I won't lie to you, I considered it. I considered cutting my loses. I'd felt hopeless after Mick died and somehow I'd managed to pull myself back from the brink because things began to change. I found something I wanted to live for and that was James. Dying for him to me felt just as important though. James deserved so much more than I could ever give him. In my head I thought that if I returned to him and told him the whole truth, we were all doomed. Beckett and my uncle would find a way to make us all pay. If we did manage by some miracle to make it through all of that however, where would that leave us? Whilst I knew how I felt about James and there was no denying that I loved him dearly, I couldn't imagine him thinking more of me than a friend. We were too far apart in our similarities as well as our differences. The world had grand plans for James Norrington, I was sure of it. The thing was, I couldn't possibly factor in to those plans. James would never get anywhere with someone like me hanging on grimly to his coat tails. His association with me would taint every aspect of his life. That was why I was in George Town, awaiting whatever fate had in store for me whilst James was likely celebrating his new promotion in... well I didn't rightly know back then how a man like James would celebrate. I'd only seen him smile a handful of times and I hadn't ever seen him genuinely happy about something. It did give me cause to wonder how he chose to celebrate, or how he had done in the past. He was so career driven that I didn't doubt there had to be that human side of him buried somewhere, that childlike part of him that he'd lost somewhere along the way. Surely he had to have been like any other happy child? Even though his upbringing was vastly different to mine, I had the sense that he'd been well loved and cared for in his younger years. He'd been nothing but a gentleman and that had obviously been taught to him at a young age. His parents were clearly respectable people who loved and wished their son well. I'd fallen in love with the decent side of him that I'd come to know well after all and I began a new exploration of that man in my head.

I imagined a young boy in his fine little children's clothing, tottering amiably about a vast garden as he trailed behind him a little wooden horse on wheels. Every so often, the boy would tug a little too hard on the string attached to the horse and it could capsize. Thy boy found this exceedingly funny and his gurgling little laugh carried across the garden for a few seconds before he would right the horse and carry on his journey. Such a child had little to be solemn about in truth. Every small accomplishment would bring him mirth. That little boy's face became that of a very young man, sheer delight in his eyes as his father gave him the news that he was to be enrolled in the navy as was his lifelong ambition. He was out of his chair in an instant and hugging his mother, trying to restrain himself from jumping up and down in case he knocked her over. Surely that side of James was still in there somewhere, waiting to break free. I wondered just how long it had been since he'd truly let someone in, since he'd been entirely unguarded and honest about his feelings. I only hoped that my sacrifice meant he would go on to meet a woman who would enable all of those things. She would be a lucky woman to have such a good man for a husband and she would have to be quite the woman herself. Of course I thought that. I love him, don't I? I'm allowed to think that he deserves the best of women. I'm allowed to hope and dream for him more so than I'd ever done for myself in my whole life.

Those thoughts were what sustained me in the dark days to come. They enabled me to shake off Jack's hands as he tried to wrestle me up onto my feet. Instead I shrank from the lantern light into the gloom and left Jack alone to face the soldiers that had come to fetch him. He knew that despite his best efforts, I was not going to be swayed. I'd made my decision. I was going to die for James. I tuned out Jack's protests as the soldiers took him from the cell. I thought I was never going to see him again.

"On your honour as a pirate!" I called to him from the gloom. "You won't tell him what I've told you! You cannot tell him why I left! I forbid you, Jack!"

He made no reply to my solemn command but I was pretty sure he'd heard me. I just had to sit tight then and hope Jack would be far too concerned with his own fate to even think of mentioning me to Beauchamp. I was fairly sure Jack's own neck would be far more important to him in those moments than mine. I stayed in the shadows and the gloom because I strangely felt safer there. It was as if darkness held somewhat of a release for me. I knew then that there was no denying my love for James. It was overwhelming and suppressing. It was a bittersweet kind of love that in those moments I thought was doomed. I never once really considered that there was a way for us both in the world. Despite all of that it was somehow strangely comforting. I was glad to have found it, even though it was breaking my own heart. If I had not met James and fallen in love with him, I might still have been a free woman to do as I wished, but I knew that I would certainly not have viewed myself the same way.

It is true that James made me see myself truly for the first time. The versions of myself that I had been before were an act for the benefit of someone else. With James, in the beginning I had taken a dislike to him so I made no attempts to please him. In fact, I greatly desired to displease and disappoint him in every way possible. Despite all of that I had been unable to deny that I'd come to like him greatly not because I'd sympathised with my captor as some might think. I never really was that to James was I? I know the whole thing about finding treasure with my help whether I liked it or not was rather a sore point but I'd come to understand James's actions. He was mired in grief and so was I. Not one person knows how they may act when they are faced with true grief and heartbreak. Indeed I think even though the loss of a parent is one of the worst hurts in the world, to loose your father might bring about different behaviour than it would if you lost your mother. I do not mean to say that you grieve any less for either of them, but to each individual person, a mother may mean home cooking and comfort when all feels lost and helping you to dress when you were a child and the fun trips to the next town to purchase food at market. Fathers might mean hours of indulgence curled up before the fire reading together, or throwing mud pies at each other in the lane where mother couldn't see or mending that which was once broken. Everyone in the world is unique, and so they leave a special imprint on those they leave behind. We cope in different ways because although we love our mother and father equally and completely, we have different memories attached to thoughts of them, different wishes and hopes and strengths we learned from them. We have to learn to navigate the world without them. That's no easy feat.

Therefore I know James was not his true self when I first came aboard his ship. The person he was with me weeks and months later, in the cave, on the beach, in his cabin, on the quay and in Elizabeth's home was the man I'd come to love, the real and true him. I took courage from my revelations because it made my sacrifice all the more worthwhile. I had something to fight and die for, even if he had broken my heart without even knowing it.

Rain splattered the window panes like splodges of paint on a canvas. It was a sound James had found rather soothing in the past especially whilst he was working but on this particular day it was rather a distraction. He says he had never before had cause to think of how something as inconsequential to him as rain was such an inconvenience to others. He thought of those down in the market who did not have a sheet of tarpaulin to cover their market stall and may have their produce soiled by the rain. He thought of the washer women who might face penalties for not having laundry dry and pressed on time for delivery. He thought of those making the deliveries, many of them children and how they'd be expected to tackle the steep and muddy hills of Port Royal with little care for their own well-being. He thought of those too old or ill to venture out on such a miserable day in search of sustenance. He also thought of people like myself who might not even have a coat to put on their backs or those who did not have enough coin to take shelter from the downpour.

It's a stark and blinding proof that the man I'd fallen in love with was still very much a part of him. He abandoned his urgent paperwork then and moved to the window to observe the torrential weather. If he were really going to save Port Royal again for an unprecedented amount of time, James believed that certain reforms needed to be in place before he did so. It struck him that those in need should be better catered for on just such a day. In his mind he began to draw up a list of revisions that would need to be made for the welfare of those most in need before he committed them to paper later on that afternoon. He was so engrossed in his new venture that he did not notice the handover of Jack sparrow in the forecourt that could be viewed directly below his office window.

He certainly heard the commotion that the pirate made some time later when his men brought the pirate to the upper levels of the building and Gillette knocked on James's office door shortly afterwards. When his friend opened the door briefly so that he might enter the office, James could mainly hear Jack's protests out in the corridor. "Forgive the intrusion sir but lieutenant Beauchamp has sent along a prisoner that was found to be incarcerated in the jail in George Town. He thought perhaps you might be better prepared to enact the rightful punishment due upon such a felon. I think sir that your cousin also thought it might give you a sense of satisfaction to once more dispense with Jack Sparrow."

James had not even looked up from his paperwork. Gillette says he does not think that James had even really contemplated an audience with Jack Sparrow up until that point because it would spoil the equilibrium he'd been trying so hard to hold in place in the days since I'd left. "Whilst I appreciate my cousin's thoughtfulness and diligence; and yours Gillette come to think of it, I have no desire whatsoever to entertain such a man. Why don't you take on such responsibilities for the day lieutenant? Dispense with justice as you see fit Gillette. I shall not question your decisions at a later date. God knows you've been shadowing me for long enough man, the time has come for you to take on a more active role. You might yet make commodore and fill that commodore shaped hole problem that Port Royal currently has."

James considered the conversation finished but Gillette was rattled by Jack Sparrow's ramblings. "Sir I think I should inform you that the pirate is making some rather outlandish claims that I think you should hear. Some of them regarding the safety of one miss O'Connell. I simply think it rather odd that someone with little or no care for anyone but himself would make such a claim. He's certainly scheming in some way but I believe the only way to discover his true intentions is to hear him out."

James sighed heavily and rolled his eyes heavenward even as he contemplated his friend's words. "Perhaps there is an art in overcoming the great obstacle that is conversing with ones enemies but I do not pretend to be familiar with such customs. I may be an educated man but I confess I am becoming increasingly aware that such forms of art are a renaissance and a revolution in this new world. I have no talent in it, and yet it seems the one who must begin teaching me is the very one I detest more than all others. He tore away a potential path of my life with his first ever visit to Port Royal and now he means to upset me again. I vow I shall not let him. I shall humour him and send him on his way to the gallows like all interpreted before him."

Gillette nodded, taking James's statement as acquiescence. He disappeared once more and James soon heard the tell tale signs of jacks sparrow's imminent visit as the pirate was hurried down the corridor towards his office. Gillette and a midshipman shuffled Jack through the door into James's office and James had cause to wonder just where all of his other officers were that morning. Why were they not aiding Gillette?

"Commodore Norrington, how-"

Whatever Jack had been about to say was cut short as Gillette shoved him harshly before turning to close the door. "Watch your tongue pirate!" the lieutenant spat as he circled around him. "It is an admiral of the fleet you stand before and your lack of respect does you no favours. We did not have to hear you out, Sparrow. We could still send you straight to the gallows so I suggest that you offer this gentleman the respect he is due!"

"Respect?" Jack almost squawked. He noticed that James had yet to look up from his paperwork. "Respect; after what he's done? How can a man like 'im demand respect when we all know how he treats those he calls friends! There was time not doing ago admiral when you claimed rights of protection over a certain young lass and now she languishes in squalor! You can bow and scrape all you like but I ain't about to show respect. You still have possession of my ship n'all so ill be having that back whilst I'm here!"

"Mr. Sparrow is that all that you came here to say? If there is more that you wish to declare before your execution please do so now. Granted, it is an entire waste of my time but it will save time on the scaffold later today. The lieutenant here will thank you for cutting short his time in that abysmal rain."

Jack says he was not surprised to find James bitter and contrite that day. He had made no acknowledgment of Jack's mention of me and that seemed to spur Jack on. "Send me to the gallows mate, and you'll loose forever your only way to redeem yourself in this here life. For all your strutting and instructing you seem to have forgotten that which placed you in this vaulted position in the first place. Some would say it is the will of the people what brought you to office and secured your position in life but I know better. It was your good family name, your reputation as a gentleman and your honour too. Pirates have honour too mate. Enough to know when a fellow whether great or low has lost sight of that which was his path and his way in life. I denounce any respect I had for you."

Jack raised his hands then, pointing at James as the shackles jangled together. "You're no longer the gentleman they profess you all to be. The pirate code states that any man who falls behind is left behind but someone recently told me that's more of a guideline. A gentleman's code is somewhat lacking in self preservation though. It's all about protecting those weaker than yourself and ensuring that wrong doers pay the ultimate price. If you think I'm the only wrong doer around mate then you've got another thing coming. Just you wait." Jack turned to Gillette then. "If I were you mate I'd find myself a new mentor! This one has become too hard, too cold for this human world we inhabit. How does he intend to aid the governing of Port Royal when he is so distant and unfeeling? When Beckett sinks his claws in he'll think only of saving himself. They're all the same these blue bloods. Bet he was rushed up the navy rankings wasn't he? Bet he was adored by every commanding officer from here to the highlands of Scotland and given every preferential treatment!" When Jack finally turned back towards James, it was to find that the admiral had finally looked up form his paperwork. A nerve was pulsing on James's forehead and jack made sure to stare at it intently so as to rattle James even more. "You might bare the title of admiral but I don't see a gentleman before me. Not when I know you left a woman behind, a woman that you yourself elected to protect! How will that look to the people of Port Royal, eh? Perhaps they'll begin to look upon Cutler Beckett more fondly! They might be pleased to have him take your place! Let me tell you old Norrington, that man is one you do not want to offend. Someone gave up a great deal to save your spineless neck from Beckett's guillotine so make sure you do right by them!"

James had had enough. He sighed heavily before he placed his quill back upon the table and rose from his chair. He rounded the desk slowly as if trying keep his temper in check whilst also debating how to handle the situation. He decided upon nonchalance. "Mr. Sparrow-"

Jack waved his arms about. "Captain! Captain Jack Sparrow!"

James shook his head slowly. "No Mr. Sparrow. You do not get to pick and choose when to respect titles. Not when you have so blatantly disregarded my own and attempted to dismantle with your words the respect I hold here in this garrison. Time and time again you have shown yourself to be the foulest and most small-minded creature I've ever had the misfortune to come across. You stand before me now and call me ungentlemanly when the honourable course of action for myself upon seeing you enter my own office would indeed be to run you through with my blade here and now? You dare to mock my place in Society; to discredit the position I now hold when I have worked for it like every other man in this garrison since I was fourteen? I am not what you take me for Mr. Sparrow. You have now taken up far too much of my valuable time this morning. Lieutenant Gillette here will see you are dispatched humanely later on today but apart from that I see no reason why you and I may converse any further. Gillette, take him below."

Even as James turned back towards his deck Jack was crowing again, but James tried to drown it out. Try as he might though, James could not ignore the mention of my own name in Jack's garbled speech. He turned back just as Gillette and the midshipman were grappling to try and push the pirate back out into the corridor.

"Wait! Wait! Do the right thing again Admiral Norrington! Save yourself from a life of despair and destruction. Let destiny take you!" James shook his head again, once more turning back towards his desk. "Allow Miss O'Connell to take her life back! Free her from her prison and her uncle's clutches-"

James's neck almost snapped he turned back around so quickly. His anger and frustration was reaching boiling point and he advanced slowly towards Jack, grabbing the shackles that bound the pirate so that he could not retreat. "You speak of what you do not know, pirate. Miss O'Connell made her own choice, chose her own prison. Do not speak to me of such things. She declared her choices to me, made clear her desires and wishes for her own life. I will not say I wish her ill but I find it hard to wish her well when she so deceived us all into believing she was a common sort of girl with a dignity and respect for her own self and her way of life. Indeed I think marriage to a man like her uncle was irresistible in the end! She schemed and plotted and lied to get where she wanted to be and used us all ill in the process; perhaps even you Mr. Sparrow. I have nothing further to say upon the matter. It is closed and not one I shall discuss again."

"You really don't know, do you mate? I had my doubts you see after I saw her in that cell, all bruised and bloodied and looking as if she'd gone ten rounds with a bear. I couldn't believe you'd have let that happen to the one you'd sworn to protect. I was rooting for you mate I really was but it made me angry it did, to think of that poor girl sacrificing so much and you back here in Port Royal lording it up. Made me think you didn't deserve any of what she'd done for you. I'd you don't know though, that makes things all the harder to explain to you. You see I've my honour as a pirate to uphold!"

James's interest was piqued. He no more believed Jack's words than he believed his insults. He did though wonder as Gillette had done, why a man like Jack Sparrow would tell such a tall tale and where he hoped it would get him. He also wondered why a man so selfish and narrow-minded had used the given time he had to insult his jailer and protest the innocence of another instead of trying to save his own neck.

"Pray tell Mr. Sparrow, what is it that I do not know? What is this about cells that you speak of? Explain yourself!"

"What if all the lies were in themselves a scheme, admiral? What if the powers that be devised a scheme in which to separate those who might just destroy them forever. Destiny was used against the destined and they were forced apart by despicable means for the good of lining pockets with gold. What if our unassuming and respectful Miss O'Connell was just a pawn in a much bigger game to bring about the destruction of the world we live in, for the eradication of the values that we all hold as human beings? What if she was fed such lies as made her believe in another fate of her own which is not predestined but predetermined. What if your problem mate is not in itself the problem, but your attitude towards resolving the problem is the problem?"

All three naval men looked between each other with vacant expressions as they tried to make sense of Jack's ramblings. James saw no reason to believe a word that the pirate said but he was certain that the pirate was after something. Perhaps it was a ploy to try and procure a pardon or the beginning of his laying plans for an escape. Whatever it was, James thought it wise to humour the pirate to see if there was more information to be had. He leaned back then, perching on the end of his desk in quite the informal manner and gazed intently at Jack.

"In English Mr. Sparrow if you please. We are not all versed in the incessant ramblings of a drunk pirate. Say what you have to say and then these fine men will find you a cell of your own where you might contemplate all of the offence you cause with each word you utter."

Jack shrugged then. "I've said what I've said mate. I can't say more than that on my honour as a pirate. I was told there were things I could not tell you about. No one said I couldn't tell you where Miss O'Connell actually is though so I've come to tell you she's locked up in a cell in the fort in George Town. More than that would discredit my honour."

"What is in this for you Mr. Sparrow? Since when did you have a care for the lives of others? Why should I listen to your cooked up story? Should I really believe you when you say Miss O'Connell has found herself in a spot of bother and rush to her aid? Perhaps she has broken the law! Had you ever thought of that? But of course you would not because a pirate and a scoundrel like yourself never would!"

When Jack spoke again it was with a quieter voice, a more level and serious tone than James had ever heard him use before. "She knows where The Crown of Immortality is mate. She knows so much more than you could ever imagine. Ultimately though, not all treasure is silver and gold mate. Not all treasure is golden swords and silver chalices. Sometimes treasure is a pain in the arse that speaks English in a funny accent, answers back when she should hold her tongue and never does what she's told. That kind of treasure is priceless mate. Pirates go after what they want in life. You went after that sword of yours at the detriment of Miss O'Connell who you used rather ill after the deaths of her friends and then decided to keep it. Is that not an act of piracy, admiral? Are you not a sort of pirate yourself? You see mate, I told you I was rooting for you and I am. I want you to go after what you want. Have you never thought that what you want might in fact be her?"

James was now almost nose to nose with the pirate. He had smelt quite a many foul smells at sea and so the noxious odours emanating from the pirate did not phase him. He simply breathed through his mouth instead. It was the pirate's eyes that caught him unawares in that moment. There was something remarkably sincere about them that had James's resolve faltering just a little. There was a deafening crash then as something collided with the office door and it was almost ripped off its hinges as it was thrown open. Through the doorway barrelled Elizabeth and Will Turner followed by two midshipmen. "I'm sorry admiral sir," one of them cried. "They would not take no for an answer and... well..." he gestured towards Elizabeth who had clearly led the charge and was still clutching a dinning chair before her as if it were a weapon. James understood at once that the midshipman had felt out of his depth and had not wanted to manhandle the daughter of his own governor.

"Mr. And Mrs. Turner, what is the meaning of this interruption? I really must insist-"

"What Jack says is true!" they both cried at the same time.

"Who? Me?" Jack mumbled even though no one was paying him any attention. "I said what I said before I said nothing and whether it be true or not is not up for debate!"

James sent Elizabeth a warning glare as he stepped towards her. "Elizabeth, please..."

She shook her head at him. "James have I ever lied to you? Have I ever deceived you? I may have withheld information but I've never lied. Listen to me now when I tell you that Jack is telling the truth. Fiona is in danger and it's down to all of us to help her. She's only there for all of our sakes after all!"

"Elizabeth I understand that you now see Miss O'Connell as a friend and are upset that her life choices have proven her to be someone that we did not really know. I myself feel grieved and deceived by the whole debacle but we must stop all of this ranting and raving. There is nothing to be done. She has made her choice."

"She hasn't though." Will stepped forward. "All of her choices in life have been made for her, including those made during the last few weeks. Before you question my knowledge of such a subject, you must know that I spoke to her on the night she left. I tried to stop her. Beckett threatened her, told her we would all face the noose if she didn't act. She believed all she had to do was leave Port Royal behind and find a new life elsewhere. She should not have trusted Beckett's word. As soon as she left Elizabeth's home she was captured by her uncle who forced her hand. Everything she said that day on the ramparts was a fabrication of what her uncle had her say. Perhaps if you had not been blindsided by your own pride you might have recalled all that she said to you before. Elizabeth says that Miss O'Connell told you everything that came to pass between herself and her uncle all those years ago. Why would you then believe all the lies she spouted to you only days ago?"

James's nostrils flared suddenly. "For the same reason Mr. Turner that I cannot comprehend why you would wait until now to tell me all of this! Why on earth did you let her leave?"

"Will did not know the truth James," Elizabeth supplied in an effort to save her husband. "He did not know that Fiona had faced such abuse at the hands of her uncle. He did not know."

Will's expression was grim. "I'm sorry I did not tell you sooner but admiral you must understand that she begged me not to tell anyone. I did try to stop her but she was decided on her path. She believed she was going off to live her own life and have a new adventures. If I'd known Beckett was handing her to her uncle I'd have stopped her and told you sooner. As soon as I saw her uncle in port that day I knew I'd made a grave error but you would not see us! You'd locked yourself away and no one would listen to us!"

James's expression was growing more panicked, but still he did not quite understand what he was being told. "I ... it seems Miss O'Connell has quite the knack for getting people to keep her secrets. You are telling me she is marrying her uncle to save all of us?"

Elizabeth stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on James's arm. "No, James, it's not quite that. Not any more."

"It's worse than that, mate." Jack Sparrow was suddenly grave as he once more appeared entirely sincere. "Her execution date is set for the seventeenth, whenever that is."

Elizabeth gasped. "That's tomorrow!" she cried.

"What is the meaning of all of this?" James shouted as he glanced around at them all. Elizabeth says she had not ever seen him so panicked and unsure. He pointed at Elizabeth and Will then. "You two had better explain as I am in no mood for more of the mad pirate ramblings!"

"Jack cannot tell us because he is sworn to secrecy," Elizabeth replied thinly. "But we think when Fiona found out her uncle was behind all this she agreed to marry him only to pardon us. Once that was done I think she must have said or done something to warrant a death penalty. Either that or she refused to marry him altogether. I wouldn't blame her after the way her uncle treated her before."

"I do not understand why she would do such a thing? Why would she not tell one of us? Why did she not come to me with this? We trusted one another! Why did she not tell me about this that day when she came to me dressed in all of her finery. Why did she not tell me then when I pushed her to do so? I had my doubts that day but she was so sure and certain that I felt I had no choice but to take what she said at face value. I thought she had made her own choice as she always does. Why would she go through with such a thing. Surely she couldn't have imagined she'd manage to make a happy life of it with her uncle?"

Elizabeth tutted. "If she really is to face the noose tomorrow then we do not have time for this James, but if you must seek absolute confirmation of the truth then perhaps you should check that coat that Fiona returned to you. Check the pockets James."

The coat had lain abandoned in the chair in the corner of the office for days and James had tried his best to ignore it's presence even though he had not the gumption to simply throw it away. He marched across the room and tore the coat from the chair and stuffed his hand into one of the pockets. It immediately met cold steel and James retracted his hand swiftly before carefully pulling free the blade he'd given me all those months ago. He stared at the blade in his hand for a few seconds as he recalled what I had told him.

"She said if she ever fell into her uncle's hands again that she would kill herself first. Or she did not say that, but I knew that is what she meant." James glanced up at Elizabeth as realisation set in. His face grew ashen.

Elizabeth nodded. "Now you know the truth and understand the danger she is in. She'll die rather than live if it is to be by her uncle's terms. That's her last choice she feels she can make to have control over her life. You gave her the knife so that she might protect herself and now she is without it or any of her friends. Now I need you understand rather quickly why she has done all of this. It's all been for you. Check the other coat pocket."

James did, surprised to find yet more metal at his touch but this time it felt safer, more familiar even than the blade he'd once owned. He knew what he held before it saw the light of day. He stoked the intricate design of the pendant for a moment or two as he realised he'd spent weeks wanting to own it without knowing why. "...a simple act of kindness..."

"She loves you James. That's why she's sacrificing herself. She believes your life and your ambitions and desires and wishes are all so much more important than her own. She thinks she is worthless next to you. She believes you are better than she is. I will not ask you to divulge your feelings here and now even though I have an inkling as to what they might be. I don't care if you are indifferent to her, but Fiona has rather foolishly sacrificed herself for your future because she believed she never stood a chance. I do not ask you to pretend to share her feelings or to even divulge your own but you must acknowledge hers. That is the only way to help her now. Acknowledge and respect her feelings and do right by her. Acknowledge the change she has made in you."

James nodded once and turned to Gillette. "Lieutenant can you find a ship and a crew and ready them to sail? If we leave soon we might make it to George Town today. It will be nightfall before we reach it but they cannot deny us port when I am admiral of the fleet."

Gillette smiled grimly. "Already done sir. The Surgence is ready to leave port when you are."

So that was where all of his officers had been all morning. It appeared Gillette had second guessed him.

"You," James said as she acknowledged Sparrow again. "You will help us in this or so help me God I'll hang you once a week for the rest of eternity!"

...So, what do you think will happen next? The next chapter's a bigun... probably the one we've all been waiting for!