Narrowed brown eyes cast a calculating gaze over the cards in Jack's hands,
then glance up to watch Norrington's next move.
His mind is not entirely on their card game, partially, instead, on other matters. Mostly on why Norrington had taken care of him, why he hadn't wanted Jack to die. A small part of him - and Jack is astounded that it's only a small part - is thinking of the sea and his ship.
When Norrington puts down a card, Jack finally asks, "Why?"
The green-eyed man looks at him strangely, glancing at the card he just put down, then back at Jack. "Why what?"
Jack waves a hand in the air. "Why all this? Why nurse me back to health? Why keep me here?"
Norrington sets his cards down on the table. "I'm not keeping you here, Jack. You're staying of your own free will."
"Like that!" Jack exclaims, cards dropping from his hand when he points at Norrington. "That right there. What happened to all the hunting me down and hanging me?"
"People change, Jack," Norrington sighs, rising from his chair to stand by the only window in the room, facing towards the sea.
Jack looks at him now with a calculating gaze and comes to stand next to him. "Not usually so suddenly, James." And Jack wonders at the small thrill that goes through him at seeing Norrington smile at the use of his newly known name.
"It wasn't sudden. I just hadn't realized it yet." He furrows his eyebrows as he gazes at the sea, the setting sun alighting it with reds and oranges.
"Hadn't realized what?" Jack inquires curiously, a strange note of hope in his voice.
James continues to look out the window, watching the distant waves roll against the shore. He couldn't tell Jack. It wouldn't work out anyway, him being the Commodore and Jack being a pirate. Maybe if he weren't the Commodore, and if people didn't look to him to keep them safe, if he hadn't joined the Navy in the first place. "Maybe," he murmurs, softly, not knowing he speaks the word aloud until Jack says something.
"Maybe what?" An annoyed sound comes from Jack when the Commodore doesn't answer him again. He watches where James' eyes are looking and, with a small wistful sigh, says, "I miss the sea," and he's about to finish his sentence with, 'but not that much,' but James interrupts him suddenly.
"You can go, Jack." When Jack gives him a surprised, questioning look, he elaborates, "You can leave. I'm not keeping you here, and you obviously long to be reunited with the sea. And your ship," he adds, pointing out the window to where a black ship almost blends in with the coming gloom.
Jack's eyes light up at seeing his ship again, but he tears his eyes away from it to look at James again. He can see the pain in his eyes at telling him to go, and when James turns to him, he can see in his green eyes that he knows Jack knows now.
But when Jack opens his mouth to say something, James holds up a hand and says, "Just go."
So Jack does go, picking up all his belongings from around the room, giving Norrington one last look before going out the door and shutting it softly behind him. ~*~*~*~
His mind is not entirely on their card game, partially, instead, on other matters. Mostly on why Norrington had taken care of him, why he hadn't wanted Jack to die. A small part of him - and Jack is astounded that it's only a small part - is thinking of the sea and his ship.
When Norrington puts down a card, Jack finally asks, "Why?"
The green-eyed man looks at him strangely, glancing at the card he just put down, then back at Jack. "Why what?"
Jack waves a hand in the air. "Why all this? Why nurse me back to health? Why keep me here?"
Norrington sets his cards down on the table. "I'm not keeping you here, Jack. You're staying of your own free will."
"Like that!" Jack exclaims, cards dropping from his hand when he points at Norrington. "That right there. What happened to all the hunting me down and hanging me?"
"People change, Jack," Norrington sighs, rising from his chair to stand by the only window in the room, facing towards the sea.
Jack looks at him now with a calculating gaze and comes to stand next to him. "Not usually so suddenly, James." And Jack wonders at the small thrill that goes through him at seeing Norrington smile at the use of his newly known name.
"It wasn't sudden. I just hadn't realized it yet." He furrows his eyebrows as he gazes at the sea, the setting sun alighting it with reds and oranges.
"Hadn't realized what?" Jack inquires curiously, a strange note of hope in his voice.
James continues to look out the window, watching the distant waves roll against the shore. He couldn't tell Jack. It wouldn't work out anyway, him being the Commodore and Jack being a pirate. Maybe if he weren't the Commodore, and if people didn't look to him to keep them safe, if he hadn't joined the Navy in the first place. "Maybe," he murmurs, softly, not knowing he speaks the word aloud until Jack says something.
"Maybe what?" An annoyed sound comes from Jack when the Commodore doesn't answer him again. He watches where James' eyes are looking and, with a small wistful sigh, says, "I miss the sea," and he's about to finish his sentence with, 'but not that much,' but James interrupts him suddenly.
"You can go, Jack." When Jack gives him a surprised, questioning look, he elaborates, "You can leave. I'm not keeping you here, and you obviously long to be reunited with the sea. And your ship," he adds, pointing out the window to where a black ship almost blends in with the coming gloom.
Jack's eyes light up at seeing his ship again, but he tears his eyes away from it to look at James again. He can see the pain in his eyes at telling him to go, and when James turns to him, he can see in his green eyes that he knows Jack knows now.
But when Jack opens his mouth to say something, James holds up a hand and says, "Just go."
So Jack does go, picking up all his belongings from around the room, giving Norrington one last look before going out the door and shutting it softly behind him. ~*~*~*~