Just before dawn, the blacksmith, the pirate, and the girl returned to the Dauntless; all three seemed rather in melancholy spirits. Two men were set to guard the criminals, while a third went to rouse the Commodore. Elizabeth and Will were stonily silent, taking great care not to look at the other nor even acknowledge the other's existence. It was a shame, really, Jack thought, as he looked over at the two young ones. They'd come so far for the sake of…what? Love was a silly sort of treasure to seek; it didn't hoard well nor spend well and more often than not it ended up being worth nothing at all. Will and Elizabeth weren't the only ones who let treasure slip through their fingers this night. He'd got his revenge, watched that horrid mutineer Barbossa die at his feet…yet it was nowhere near as wonderful as he'd always imagined it would be. It seemed revenge left a bitter taste in Captain Jack Sparrow's mouth. And he'd lost…everything else. He'd watched his golden treasures from the Isla de Muerte sink into the dark waters of the ocean, knowing that he wouldn't have any use for them once they'd taken him back to the Dauntless. It didn't seem to matter that he was losing them – he was already numbed from the greatest loss that night. Once again, the Black Pearl was gone. Nothing else ever mattered as much as the loss of his ship – not even the thought that he was now almost certainly bound for the gallows. Without his Pearl, he'd always be a dying man, so what difference did it make that he was condemned? And somehow the thought of his Pearl in the hands of his allies was infinitely worse than the thought of it being crewed by the enemy.

"Shall we throw them in the brig, sir?" an officer wondered, rather excitedly. It was enough to startle Jack out of his reverie; he looked up at the approach of the Commodore and a handful of his men. Conspicuous in his absence was the Commodore's pretty Lieutenant, and the pirate frowned, wondering if the Commodore's favourite was one of the casualties of the battle – then his eyes fell on the Commodore. Looking him up and down, watching the way he moved, the way he carried himself, noting a familiar satisfied smile that threatened to surface on the other man's face, the pirate quickly determined that the Lieutenant was probably merely still abed. And probably exhausted.

"No. Not to the brig," The Commodore ordered, after a moment's thought. "The pirates already there will likely try to kill this lot; that will never do." He looked at the girl, and his gaze softened. "Elizabeth."

"Yes, Commodore," she replied, looking up, bravely meeting her fiancé's eyes. "Find your father. He'll be glad to see you safe. Go to bed…you've had a long day. And you're not to blame for any of this."

Defiance flickered in her eyes for a moment, then faded. She dropped into a tiny curtsey – an automatic gesture made rather absurd by the male clothing she was wearing. "Yes, Commodore," she murmured, glancing for a fleeting instant back towards Will before hurrying away.

"Mister Turner…" Norrington began, then paused, with a small sarcastic smile. "Do as you please; I don't think you'll be a danger to us." He raised his voice a bit to address the other officers. "Keep an eye on him, just in case he decides to commandeer another ship." This absurd suggestion was greeted with a bit of laughter, as the crowd of soldiers began to disperse.

Now that he'd finally found the opportune moment, Jack Sparrow grinned up at the Commodore. "From the looks of things, you've had a lovely night, Commodore," he murmured, approaching the other man slowly.

Norrington's eyes widened, and he flushed slightly. "What do you…mean…?" he wondered nervously.

The pirate smiled and leaned a bit closer to the Commodore. "That Lieutenant of yours is a very lucky man," he breathed, warmly, into Norrington's ear. Feeling the other man start to tremble, he smiled, bent his head and pressed his lips to the Commodore's earlobe, straightened after the fleeting kiss. "Good morning, Commodore," he murmured, with a grin, before sauntering away.

He was already a condemned man, after all, so what danger was there in flirtation?

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And now, for the author's notes. *grins*

I'd just like to thank everyone for reviewing, and comment on their comments, and hope that this will inspire more reviews. ;)

Firstly – thanks to everyone from the "Norrington Defense League". It's a terribly fun yahoogroup. Everyone…come join it. *giggles*

Sanely Challenged – Yay! All hail the Sexy Look ™!

Littleprelude (star1243@msn.com) - sorry this took so long. Do I still get my cookie? *innocent look*

Jehan's Muse – here it is. Finally. Chapter seven. Ha! Now you've no more leverage, m'dear – and I'll be looking forward to more "Boundaries", or even better, more "Name"… ;)

Mercuria – Well, Jack came back. Enough angst for ya? *il*

Chayter (Blue Wolftin) – I'd like to think they enjoyed it too, *grins*.

August DuMonte – Yay for Norrington getting laid, indeed! (Although, you know…that happened in the second chapter too. *grins*)

Dragon - *dies laughing* Sweet, stuffy old perv indeed! *giggles* I hope you keep enjoying it.

Anastasia - well, I'm glad you like it anyway! Please, keep reading it. J

Seraphim – thank you, I'm always glad to be complimented on my characterizations. :)

MaiaoLilta – I hope you enjoyed your vacation, I'm glad you appreciate the Sexy Look ™, and here's some more for you!

Thanks again for everyone who takes the time to read and review. I'll be sure to acknowledge all of my reviews – so please, keep writing them! And keep enjoying it!

Peace,

Elske