James stood and followed where Defoe and Rose had left down the corridor, the same hall that led to Rose's quarters. There was something that was awry, and he had to make sure that his fears weren't warranted.
Peering around the corner, he didn't see either of them. This confused him, for he hadn't let them get too terribly far ahead of him. He wandered into the hallway, looking for any sign of where they had gone. Upon passing Will's door, James came upon Rose's and his heart sank. What if Rose had been growing closer to Defoe in the time they had been avoiding one another, and he just hadn't noticed? She had befriended the other men, so this wouldn't be out of the question…
That must be it, James convinced himself. He has gained her affections and they both are currently within her room.
He turned away, trying to leave the pained feeling inside him behind, but he stopped in his tracks and turned back. No…that couldn't be it. Defoe had always been boastful and aggressive towards Rose. Doubtless that he was lusting after her…she was the only woman aboard; most of the men felt the same way. But Rose had always seemed perturbed by Defoe's volatile and domineering behavior.
James approached her door, for he was worried that something far more sinister was happening inside. He tentatively knocked on the door, listening for any signs of activity inside.
"Rose?" he called.
No response.
He turned away again. If not there, where had they gone? Before he quite knew what he was doing, James found himself knocking on Will's door.
Will answered a few moments later in surprise. "Norrington? What brings you here?"
James struggled to find a suitable lie, unable to say, "I'm looking for Rose," lest he be met with more consternation from Will. Instead, he just peered around Will into his quarters. No one was within, let alone Defoe or Rose.
"I…um…I'm looking for your father, actually," James finally decided on. "I'm considering joining the scouting party tomorrow."
Will raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Well, we're still on Earth until the hurricane passes the southern tip of Florida, so there won't be scouting for awhile yet." He then cocked his head to the side. "Can't you tell him that yourself? He's aboard."
James hadn't considered this. "Aye," he lied. "Couldn't find him. I thought I'd check here."
Will nodded. "Well, have a look around. I'll tell him when I see him myself." He then clapped James on the shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "I'm glad to hear that you're expressing interest in going on the scouting missions, however. I really do want you to be a part of our team, Norrington. It's why I brought you aboard. I owed it to you."
James was quickly growing uncomfortable with the rare expression of friendship from Will, gave a quick smile and backed away. "Right, well, I'll let you know then." He then turned and left, leaving a bewildered Will behind him.
So as neither of them were in Rose or Will's adjoining quarters, Rose and Defoe somehow must have fled someplace else, though doing so would mean that they vanished immediately upon entering the hallway. James began to search the ship, trying to track where they could have possibly stolen away to. His results were fruitless, however.
There was only one place they could be, and that was off the Dutchman entirely.
James suddenly realized that Rose could be in very real danger. If Defoe accosted her, he could have grabbed her and transformed back into the wall of the ship, taking her anywhere he pleased as long as it was on Earth. The bounds were quite literally endless. James racked his brain trying to think where Defoe could have taken her. He didn't know any personal details about him, like where he came from or where he desired to be. All James knew was that he had once captained a vessel before…
Wait. That was it! The day that the hurricane hit, James recalled Defoe stating that the ship James and Rose had saved was of interest to him. Tell ya what, if I had that ship…just imagine the damage one could do…
After Rose had saved that ship and her entire crew with her powers, the Dutchman moved along, skirting the hurricane's path to collect the other souls it took. James remembered the vessel, however, and considered it worth a shot to see if what he feared was true.
Thinking on the ship, James closed his eyes and backed into the nearest wall of the Dutchman. Instantly, he transformed onto the forecastle deck of the broken and weather-weary ship, which was currently without a mast as a result of the storm. James was taken aback by the steady rainfall that he was immediately surrounded by, but quickly got his bearings and scanned the deck of the ship. He felt his stomach churn upon seeing Rose, struggling, gagged, wrists bound, and standing nearby where the mast was broken off at the base. Her entire body suddenly jerked away from the base towards the center of the ship, and James's eyes traced down her form to see a chain that wrapped around her waist. This chain, however, wasn't tethered to just one spot on the deck, but instead broke off into six chains which branched from her like spokes on a wheel, keeping her completely unable to move from her spot on the deck. This was clearly to prevent her from being able to meld into the wall of this ship and flee back to the Dutchman.
James instinctively rushed to free her, but stopped entirely and took refuge behind the forecastle deck's railing upon seeing Defoe approach her. Unseen, James watched as Defoe stalked her like prey, grinning maliciously.
"Welcome aboard!" he said to her, arms stretched out wide. When she only glared at him, continuing to struggle against her bondage, he said, "There's no use in fighting, lass. We're going to be here awhile." He came very close to her, whispering, "And I'm going to need to ensure that you do exactly as I say."
Defoe swung around, examining the broken mast. "We're not going to get anywhere with this," he said, "At least not without a crew. But that can wait for the time being because I have you, don't I?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and took her by the chin to move her face towards him. "But with that lil' demonstration in saving this very ship the other week, I daresay you can turn the tides in my favor to get enough leagues behind me and Turner."
James's eyes went wide at this. So that was Defoe's plan; He wanted to flee Will's command, retaining his own immortality and sailing the seas doing whatever he pleased. With Rose, Will would be powerless to catch him. She could keep the ship in motion, as well as turn them against the Dutchman. They key was actually getting her on his side, and his solution was abducting her and making her do his bidding by force.
Defoe leaned towards her face so that he was only inches away. "So? Get her moving. Show me what ya can do."
Rose just stared defiantly back at him. Enraged, Defoe slapped her across the face. James jumped with a start, and was ready to leap into action when Rose turned back, cheek purple as she shouted incoherently through her gag. She kept doing so until Defoe loosened it and pulled it down around her neck.
"And what will you do if I refuse? Kill me?" she spat. "Do your worst. We're undead, you fool!"
Defoe only snickered, then pulled a dagger out of its sheath on his belt. Slowly, he began to lift up the skirt of her dress, and she continued to struggle away from him before he swiftly stabbed her in her lower thigh. James's blood ran cold as Rose's screamed out in pain.
"That's what I'll do," he growled, twisting the blade deeper and deeper into her leg before pulling it out. "Death, no. Pain? Absolutely."
James knew that Rose would heal, but her winces in pain were excruciating. He unsheathed his sword, preparing to leap over the railing and down onto the deck when he heard Rose say quietly, "Alright. I'll do it." She looked up at him, saying plaintively, "But I can't do it with my hands bound."
He gave a skeptical look, but began to untie the rope that was holding her wrists taught. Rose then nodded slowly and took a deep breath, readying herself to perform her powers. However, she then spread her arms out wide and tensed her fingers, causing the sea around them to thrash about violently. Rose sent a violent pattern of sharp streams of seawater whipping violently around them from all areas surrounding the vessel. James ducked behind the forecastle railing to avoid them himself, covering his head with his arm for protection, but he still felt the sting of the streams as they flew past. He couldn't help but feel pride when he saw how resistant she was to Defoe's objectives. She clearly wasn't going to go down without a fight. His eyes narrowed as he looked through the railing to see what was going on below.
Though behind hit left and right from the streams, Defoe had regained his footing, and with his arms bracing his face against the impact of the water, he was slowly gaining on Rose. She saw this and tensed her arms even more, raising them up, which caused the streams to grow so violent, James almost couldn't make them out.
Everything stopped, however, when Defoe lunged out and grabbed Rose by her wrists, causing her powers to stop entirely. He raised them up forcefully, cursing at her insolence. He then began to bend her hands backward with the obvious intent to break both wrists. It was when she cried out in pain that Norrington leapt into action, leaping over the railing and landing onto the main deck, sword pointed at Defoe's back.
"Let her go!" he said, voice shaking in anger.
Defoe released pressure on her wrists, though still he held them. Rose instantly looked to James, eyes wide and looking relieved that he was there. James's gaze leapt from Rose to Defoe, struggling between his urge to help her and utterly destroy him.
Defoe only chuckled at James's stance, reaching down calmly and refastening Rose's wrists together as he said calmly, "And what do ya expect to do with that sword, Norrington?"
James only tensed himself further. "You said it yourself; I can't kill you, but I can certainly cause you pain."
Now that Rose was once again powerless against her bondage, Defoe was able to fully turn towards him, eyebrows raised. "And what good would it be to torture me? With her, I get a means of transport. Power. Ya can't do a thing to me."
James's heart was pounding in his chest as he realized that he was right, though he kept his sword level to Defoe's chest. "What's stopping me from going and retrieving Turner right now, now that I know right where to find you?"
Defoe laughed wickedly, turning back to Rose. He examined her a moment, then stroked one of her cheeks with his fingertips, causing her to squirm in disgust. He then shot a look over his shoulder back at James. "Do it…and I'll hurt her. You'll return just in time to find it already done."
James's face fell, and he was clearly distraught by the threat. Defoe's eyes then glinted in amusement. "Ahh, I see the talkings around deck be true, then!" he cried. "You do fancy the sea witch." Rose's eyes instantly met James's, and he instantly avoided her questioning gaze in embarrassment. Defoe continued, now stroking Rose's hair, "She's mine one way or the other, Norrington. The choice is yers, though. Leave now, and ne'er return, and forget about 'er. Or, make some ill-fated attempt at a rescue, and you'll get to see just what's become of your bonny lass once I have a go at her."
"That's enough!" James cried, stepping closer to Defoe.
"You must be truly desperate," Defoe snidely remarked, maintaining composure. "We all know of yer past with Turner's wife. And yet ya still try your hand with the gypsy. One last chance at companionship."
"ENOUGH!" James shouted.
Defoe swiftly kicked his sword up from where it lay at his feet on the ground and squared off against Norrington, beginning to push him across deck and cornering him. "Eager to share the warm bed of any female, so you figured this one would do?"
Rose watched in horror as Defoe's cruel words began to take hold in James's mind. His arm quivered, and she watched as his cutlass slowly grew slack in his hand.
"Did it get terribly lonesome out there in the Locker, Norrington?" Defoe chided, throwing these insults at him one after another mercilessly. "Bet ya got so used to the isolation, you couldn't control yerself once a lass came aboard. No matter or not if she's a gyp, eh, Navy traitor? Lustin' for one of her kind—bet that would do the family proud! It'll be sad to see another one escape yer reach, but don't worry…I'll take good care of her-"
Rose stopped listening, instead focusing solely upon how hurt she felt upon seeing how quickly these words could destroy a man as strong as James. His vacant expression and short, staggered breathing pained her, and she found herself instinctively shouting out, "I'll stay!"
Both men turned and looked at her. She swallowed her apprehension and steadily stated, "If I stay with you and help you, will you let him go?"
James was shaken out of his trance by her bargain, and sidestepped around Defoe, moving towards her. "Rose, no!"
Defoe grinned, keeping in pace with James. "I would love to, lass, but you see how I can't do that, can ya?"
Rose's eyes went wide. "You're…not going to let him return to the Dutchman?"
Defoe cocked his head to the side. "Can't, can I? We both know he'll tell Turner regardless, and I'm not about to lose me chance at freedom." He considered for a moment, then exclaimed, "I've got it! I recall a certain little nighttime chat between you and the crew where you told of Calypso's maelstrom that sent her back to the Locker." He dropped his expression and said stoically, "Send your Romeo there."
Rose quickly exchanged a glance with James, but he looked just as uncertain of what to do next as she felt. She had no idea if that was even possible, let alone the fact that she would never dream of doing that to another person. But what choice did she have?
James's heart sank as he heard her tell Defoe, "I'll do it. Just don't harm him."
Defoe approached her, untying her wrists once more, but holding them firmly close to him, warning, "No funny business this time. You do exactly as I say, or you'll pay."
Rose looked earnestly up at him. "I promise, I won't." She then turned her gaze on James, her eyes lingering there for a moment. Before he quite knew what was happening, all of a sudden Rose began to hyperventilate, her breath growing rapid as she bent down, hands on her knees in a struggle to regain oxygen.
"What's this?" Defoe shouted angrily. "Get up!"
"I'm…just feeling…lightheaded," she gasped.
"Rose?" James asked concernedly, rushing to her side. As soon as he was but a few inches away, she looked up at him, revealing that she was completely fine. Suddenly, James realized what was happening; Rose had done this very action once before as a ruse to throw him off her game. They exchanged a knowing glance, and James immediately knew what was coming next.
In one perfectly timed moment, James threw his body entirely around Rose's, embracing her as tightly as he could. Rose, meanwhile, used every ounce of her energy to summon churning waves to blast the deck of the ship. As she was chained from six different points, she and James were completely stationary as gallons upon gallons of water sloshed on the deck, blowing a completely unprepared Defoe right off his feet. This sent him careening into the portside railing, where he was repeatedly met with Rose's crushing seawater. She kept this steady spray going for quite some time, then finally released, letting all remaining water slosh on and over the deck.
James released his hold on her, though he pushed her sopping yet hair out of her eyes and cupped her face with his hands. "Are you alright?"
"Yes!" she cried, breathless. He then reached down and untied her wrists again, then raced towards Defoe's body, quickly examining it. He was bleeding profusely from the intensity of the blast, but couldn't die, and was therefore rendered unconscious for the time being. James then rushed to loosen the chains from the six points around the deck. She embraced him tightly as soon as she was freed, though she was shaking. "I…I don't know what to do…" she said, voice trembling.
He pulled away to look her in the eyes. "You don't have to do anything," he said firmly. "What you did was already more than enough. That blast was enough to kill a mortal man, so he'll be out for awhile. We'll take him back to the Dutchman before he comes to, you get Turner, and I will sort this out, alright?"
But Rose, upon hearing him say the words, "enough to kill a mortal man," had tears well up in her eyes. She broke free of him and rushed to the starboard side of the ship, whispering, "No, no, no…"
James raced after her. "What is it?" he asked.
Her eyes scanned the waves. "The survivors," she whispered. "There were four of them at work onboard here once we arrived." She then let the tears fall as she said softly, "He said he would kill them himself if I didn't use my powers to blast them off the deck, and…I had no choice. At least they stood one chance of survival if I…" Her voice trailed as she thought back on what she had been forced to do.
James then began scanning the waters. He then breathed a sigh of relief as he said, "No, look!" He pointed to a few specks that were bobbing towards the island's harbor. "You didn't kill them—they're fleeing! You saved them."
Rose squinted, counting out four dark specks on the water. Indeed, they were the men from the ship swimming for their lives. "Oh thank god," she said, trying to calm her breathing. "I was so certain I had hurt them."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "You did nothing wrong," he said. "We're going to bring him to justice, you understand?" He waited until she nodded before asking once more, "You're alright?"
"Aye," she said, voice now level once more.
He then turned and hastily made his way towards Defoe's unconscious body. She stayed behind for a moment before racing to catch up with him, head reeling from not only the stress of what had just occurred, but the revelation that James cared for her. Part of her knew it to be true, but her mind wouldn't let her believe it fully. She recalled how hurt he looked as Defoe repeatedly tore him apart with his words, and as she knelt down by his side before they left back for the Dutchman, she asked, "James?"
"Aye?"
Her eyes searched his. "Are you alright?"
He considered this for a moment, then said, "I will be, yes."
Without another word the two of them grabbed hold of one another and Defoe, and the three transformed back to the Dutchman.
