Author's Note: Yes, another chapter out.  It's been more than a week, but things have picked up for me.  I'll do my best to post again within the next week.

IMPORTANT: For future reference, Hannover was the name of the ruling kings of England during the 1700's.  Know that.

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"What day is the hanging scheduled for?"

   Politics.  He hated politics.  Unfortunately, it was one of the negatives that came with the rank of Commodore.  James Norrington didn't especially enjoy dabbling in politics like so many other men of his rank.  He steered clear of them whenever he could.  But now, when he could least afford the dance that walking a fine line required, he had no other choice.  "I still haven't talked to Mrs. Smith, the woman involved in all of this, and since I have not, I have not yet scheduled Mr. Sparrow's execution."  Norrington tried to appease that man currently sitting behind his desk.

   Paxton Tyndale, King's Chancellor, was a man in his late fifties.  He was a short man, but the intensity of his face made up for that.  "Why haven't you questioned this young woman and why should that have any bearing on what day Sparrow – a pirate with a long list of charges against his name – meets the Crown's justice?"

   "Because I do not wish to hang the man with undeserved charges against him."

   "Your integrity and honor are admirable, Commodore, but we're speaking of a pirate.  Even if he didn't abuse this woman, there is undoubtedly at least one somewhere in his past that he has."  Tyndale stood up and started pacing.  "When His Majesty, King George, sent me out here to evaluate the conditions of his troops and subjects, it was with the understanding that I would report back to him directly, and that my report would be free of embellishment.  Now, the news I have regarding the tensions in the colonies to the North is not what I had hoped to give His Majesty.  But the English colonies in the Caribbean, especially those under your watchful eye, have been prospering.  Flourishing even."

   "Thank you, sir."

   Paxton waved a hand, acknowledging and dismissing Norrington's comment at the same time.  "However, this matter of Sparrow is of greatest importance to not only His Majesty, but to all of England's citizens.  The man is a parasite and a scourge.  I find it hard to understand how the man escaped your custody last time, even with the interference of that carpenter."

   "Blacksmith."  Norrington corrected absently as he pulled his shoulders back at the implication that he'd been careless.   "I can assure you, Lord Hallington, that provisions have been made to prevent Sparrow from escaping."

   "And the girl?  What is know of her?"

   "Her name is Winifred Smith, formerly Winifred Morgan.  She arrived in the Caribbean roughly twelve years ago.  For those years she's been living with her family, until approximately four years ago when she marries d the captain of a merchant vessel.  No one knows how she ended up floating in a rowboat off the coast of Hati."

   "Sparrow hasn't confessed to anything?"

   "No, my lord."

   "Has he volunteered any information?"

   "No."

   Paxton stared out the window at the fort grounds.  "I want to speak to Sparrow, and then I want to question to girl.  The sooner we get things cleared up, the sooner we can rid ourselves of Sparrow."

   "Very well, sir.  Give me a moment to send a message to Mrs. Morgan, and then I'll escort you to Sparrow's cell myself."  The pirate was going to twist Tyndale's head into a knot as efficiently as he would tie a knot in a length of rope.  By this point, Norrington would be more than pleased to see that.

"Is there anything else you were wishin' to be askin' me, Commodore?  Or can I return to m'nap?"  The sound of angry footsteps was fading.  "Not that the distraction wasn't welcome."

   As Norrington had predicted, the pirate had managed to so utterly confound and evade Tyndale's questions, that the older gentleman had stormed off in a huff.  Sparrow – to all appearances – had enjoyed the chance to tweak the Chancellor's tail immensely.  However, there had been an air of distraction around him the entire time.  One that led Norrington to believe that questioning, if gone about in the right way, would offer some results.  "I wouldn't mind hearing the truth."

   Jack hid his surprise.  This was the first time that anyone had asked that of him.  Norrington learned from his failures, apparently.  "Ah, but would you believe the truth even if I told it to you?"

   "With you neck on the line, I would hope I wouldn't have to doubt you."  Norrington walked closer to the bars of Jack's cell.  "Why weren't you safely on that island, Sparrow?"

   "I told you, I'm a gentleman of fortune.  It's against my nature to ignore a damsel in distress."  Especially when said damsel is my wife.

   "So, who was it that poisoned her if it wasn't you?"

   Jack's eyes darkened and he went to stare out the grate at the back of his cell.  There was nothing but grey stone and redcoats to meet the eye.  Not even a glimpse of the sea.  "Someone with less morals that I."

   Norrington detected a trace of anger in the pirate's voice.  That was intriguing.  What stake did Sparrow have in all this?  Other than his neck, of course.  "Does this man have a name?"

   "Aye."

   Norrington waited to see if Jack was going to give him any information at all.  Silence.  "Poisoning a woman and her unborn child is considered illegal by most, myself included.  Give me his name so we can find and punish him."

   Jack glanced away from his bleak view to snidely say, "Thanks for the offer, Commodore, but I'd rather punish him myself."

   There was that trace of personal involvement again.  Norrington glanced around the room as if he were looking for Jack's crew.  "I don't know if you've noticed, but Tyndale is determined to see you hang.  How do you propose to gain revenge if you're dead?"

   Jack smiled, growing more comfortable with the conversation.  It amused him to drop hints about his plan that Norrington could later piece together.  "That would be a neat trick, wouldn't it?  Risin' from the grave.  Jack Sparrow's greatest escape."

   "Are you telling me that you are trying to reserve yourself a date on the gallows?"

   "No, but I have aspirations."

   "Sparrow –"

   "As I said before, Commodore, thank you for the offer, but no.  There's too many people mixed up in this as it is."

   Norrington had a rather startling epiphany as he watched Jack try to hide his mounting agitation.  The woman, she was the key to all this.  Sparrow wasn't trying to protect himself, he was trying to protect her.  But why?  And from what?  Playing his hunch, he asked, "She's important, isn't she?"

   "I don't know what you're talkin' about, mate.  I just hate seein' a wench treated so poorly." 

   Jack had hesitated before answering, and Norrington had to hide the spark of success that lit in his eyes.  "Tyndale is set on questioning her, you know.  And I doubt she has the strength to evade his questions as neatly as you did.  Although, if I remember correctly, she was a rather retiring young woman.  I don't suppose that's changed."

   "I don't know, Commodore.  I'm afraid that I'm not very well acquainted with 'Winfred.'"

   "I suppose not."  The woman's name had never come up during the conversation with Tyndale, and Norrington had been referring to her as 'Mrs. Smith.'  There was more going on than met the eye.  But Tyndale was undoubtedly becoming impatient to go question the girl – perhaps she would let more slip than the pirate before him.  Norrington turned to leave, but threw over his shoulder, "For what it's worth, Mr. Sparrow, I believe that you didn't hurt her."

   "Captain, lad.  Captain."  Jack briefly thought about replying further, but decided against it.  Last words could wait until he was free of this place.

   As he settled back into his now customary position, he wondered if he'd heard back from Old Tom soon.  Time was running out.

"Freddy?"  Grace and Elizabeth entered Winn's sickroom, becoming alarmed when they didn't find her in her bed.  "Winn!"

   "Calm down.  I'm fine."  If Pigeon's whines and whimpers were any indication, Winn was nothing of the sort.

   The two women rounded the bed to find their patient kneeling on the floor by the room's single window.  Her face was pale and several scraggly locks of hair were sticking to her sweat dampened temples, but her voice was stronger than it had been on her arrival in the house.  Nearly a week had passed since she'd been poisoned; three nights had come and gone since they'd arrived in Port Royal, but she was still weak.

   "Winifred Eloise Morgan!"

   "Morgan-Sparrow," Winn muttered as her two friends and foster-sisters levered her to her feet.

   "I don't care if it's Morgan-Hannover.  What are you doing out of bed?  Are you trying to undo all your progress?"

   "No."  Heaven's, she was sore.  The muscles of her legs were burning, her abdomen quietly complaining.  Her body was more than happy to let her know that it didn't appreciate all the activity.

   "Then what were you doing?  What were you thinking?"

   "That I was starting to feel like a beached whale.  I've been lying in one bed or another for nearly a week now.  Before that I was being very good about limiting my activity.  I was starting to worry that my legs had forgotten how to work – and I was very nearly right."

   "Your legs don't need to work right now.  You need to stay in bed.  You need –"

   "Yes, I know.  I need to take it easy."  As much as Winn loved Grace and respected her knowledge of the human body, she couldn't help but snap.  She was tired of being told things.  She was tired of staying in bed, of being tired, of being weak, of not seeing her husband . . . .  "I was taking it easy."  Her temper was getting the best of her.  "I walked all of five feet, Grace.  I hobbled all of five feet.  Using the wall to support myself."

   "Yes, and you collapsed because you overextended yourself."

   "You assume too much."  Winn felt her temper flare and suddenly knew that if she didn't make her point soon, she would end up making her sister's case for her.  She simply didn't have the energy to maintain a tirade at the moment.  "I know I'm supposed to be playing the part of an invalid, but I'm not a bloody idiot.  I collapsed nowhere.  I knelt on the floor because I wanted to feel sunshine on my face again.  I wanted to be in something other than a prone position.  If you knew what I was wishing I could do, you'd be overjoyed that I contained myself to that."  Grace noticed that Winn's face was now flushed.  She tried to determine whether her sister-in-law was running a fever or not, but Winn jerked away.  "I'm fine, Grace."

   "You're red in the face.  I just want to make sure that you're not running a temper.  That wouldn't be good for the baby."

   Winn let Grace do as she wished.  But not without protest.  "I'm not running a fever – this is just the first time that anyone's let me exert any energy since I discovered I was pregnant."  Well, other than running off after Jack.  "And you better not start holding my baby hostage to get me to cooperate with you either.  I'll just upset me."  Drat.  I'd be ever so much more convincing if I didn't sound so petulant.

   Grace and Elizabeth (who had been rather silent through all this) traded knowing glances.  Winn might get upset, but she'd do what was best for her child.  "Don't do foolish things, and I won't have to remind you that you're pregnant."

   "I don't need any reminders, thank you.  The babe rarely gives me a moment's rest anymore.  I'm starting to understand how bread dough feels when it's been kneaded for too long."

   "That will stop within two months or so, since no one seems to know how far along you truly are.  Soon the child will simply be too big to move around much."  Winn nodded in understanding.  "So, now that we have things settled to a certain degree of satisfaction, would you like to know why Elizabeth and I came in here in the first place?"

   "You mean you didn't come in merely to lecture me?"

   "Winn."  Winn knew that tone in Elizabeth's voice – it meant her friend thought she had stepped out of line.  Perhaps she had.

   "I'm sorry."  Winn looked down at her lap, wondering why she hadn't been whisked under the covers of the bed yet.  Surely someone thought she would get a chill sitting here in nothing but her borrowed and therefore overly-large nightclothes.  "Why did you two ladies come to visit me?"

   "Good news or bad news first, Freddy?"

   Winn looked up from her lap to meet Grace's eyes. "Does any of the news have to do with Jack?"

   "No, I'm afraid not."

   When she saw the understanding and sympathy in Grace's eyes, Winn looked away.  She didn't want sympathy.  She wanted her husband, true, but there was nothing her friends could do at the moment.  "Good news first.  I've heard so little of it of late."

   "Alright, then the good news is, we came up here because we decided that you could use a bath."

   "I hope that isn't your way of trying to find a polite way to tell me that I stink."

   "No, but it does have to do with the bad news."

   No.  Please tell me that I'm not to expect visitors.  Please.  "Which is?"

   "Norrington has finally decided that you've had time enough to recover sufficiently for questioning."  Grace and Elizabeth watched Winn's eyes slowly close in defeat.  "But that's not the bad news."

   A bitter laugh escaped from Winn' throat.  "Of course it isn't."  No, for months now, their luck – hers and Jack's – had been growing worse and worse.  Why should that stop now?  "And what is worse than being visited by the man who imprisoned my husband?"

   "Marcus believes that Norrington is hesitant about hanging Jack."  Winn looked at Elizabeth.  The woman had been her friend for nearly her entire life.  "Will and I both agree with that assessment.  If it were just Norrington who was going to be questioning you, we wouldn't be nearly as worried as we are.  But Norrington is coming alone."  Elizabeth sighed and sat on the bed by her friend, taking one of Winn's hands in her own.  "This is a restless time for the British colonies on this side of the Atlantic.  The settlements in America are being obstinate, the French are overtaking Canada, and the Spaniards are sending more and more men to their lands along the Caribbean.  King George is getting uneasy, so he sent one of his own men out here to judge what must be done to see that England doesn't lose any of her holdings."

   "What are you trying to tell me, Liz?"

   "You're not just being visited by the Commodore.  You're being visited by Lord Hallington, Chancellor Tyndale, personal friend and confidant of the king."

   Winn just barely managed to hold in hysterical streams of disbelieving laughter.

"Ah, Mrs. Smith, I'm glad to see that your recovery as been swift, thus far."

   "Thank you, Commodore Norrington.  Please forgive me for not recognizing you earlier."  Winn was sitting up in her bed, wearing another borrowed nightgown and her own chamber robe.  She'd asked for something of her own so that she might feel more comfortable while talking to these men.  Also to help her feel more comfortable – and to allay any suspicions that either man might be holding – she was wearing the wig she wore when out in polite society.  Respectable women simple didn't have short hair.  And while she hated the wig on principle because it was black – the particular shade of brown bordering on black was impossible to find – she knew that Jack would want her to wear it.  The only things that were lacking to make her feel completely at ease were her husband (who was detained) and her dog (who'd been banished to the gardens along with the children).

   "Forgiveness is not necessary, Mrs. Smith, unless you wish to forgive me for not recognizing you.  We were both under extenuating circumstances at the time."

   As much as Winn hated the endless sessions in which her grandmother had crammed proper etiquette in her head, she had to admit that they came in handy now.  She was able to behave in the way that was expected of her while hiding her true feelings of distaste.  Honest or dishonest?  Is etiquette a pardon for polite dishonesty?  "Please, Commodore, call me Winifred," she had to fight not to grimace at her full name.  "I was barely out of childhood when we first met, and if I remember correctly, you did manage to teach me a thing or two about chess during the crossing from England."

   "As you wish, madam."  They both knew that he wouldn't relax his propriety farther than that title.  "I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, but I'm afraid that we're in desperate need of answers."

   "Please, Commodore, Chancellor, have a seat.  Would you like some tea?"

   "Yes, please.  But first I must admit to being remiss in my duties."  Norrington gestured to the man at his side.  "Please, allow me to introduce you to Lord Hallington, Paxton Tyndale, member of His Majesty's private counsel."

   Winn gave a demure smile to the man, holding out a single hand for him to clasp, or whatever it was that noblemen did to women so far below their station.  The smile faltered as she saw the intensity of the man's eyes.  "It is an honor, Lord Hallington, to know that my . . . difficulties have attracted the attention of one in such an exalted position."  And if I live to be a hundred, I hope never to lay eyes on you again.  According to her family, this was the man that pressing for a swift hanging.

   "A pleasure, Mrs. Smith.  I hope that you will accept my sympathy on your current condition."

   "Of course, my lord."  Winn murmured in a fashion meant to sound as if she were awed by meeting someone of such high political standing.  "Please, do give me the courtesy of having a seat.  I'm afraid that too much moment within my field of vision is still a thing to be avoided."

   "Certainly, Mrs. Smith.  Indeed, it would be churlish of me to deny such a politely phrased request."

   "My lord gives me courage to ask another boon."

   "Anything within my power, madam."

   "I ask that my dear friend, Mrs. Turner, and my new friend, Mrs. Morgan, be allowed to stay with me.  I'm afraid that they are rather zealously guarding me at the moment.  Apparently weariness is a state to be avoided at all costs."  Winn had to avoid looking at either one of her friends out of fear that she'd make a face at them.

   "Of course.  It is entirely proper for you to think of chaperonage, especially after your ordeal."  The man accepted a saucer and cup of tea from Elizabeth as Grace gave one to Norrington.  "Are you not going to have some tea yourself, madam?"

   Winn paled at the thought.  "No Chancellor.  I'm afraid that my stomach will not permit it."  And would never permit it again.  It had occurred to her some time ago that it had been the tea that had been poisoned.  It had been so bitter.  She'd never be able to touch the stuff again for the rest of her life.  Of course, she hadn't liked tea to begin with – it had simply been a craving caused by her pregnancy – but there was a difference between choosing not to drink something, and being unable to drink something.

   "Madam?"

   "Yes?"

   "I inquired if it was alright if I asked you a few questions about what happened before Commodore Norrington and the Redemption found you."

   Not to mention my brother and the fact that I was only found because my husband was willing to sacrifice himself to see me safe.  But let's not give them any credit.  "Yes, I'm sorry.  I'm afraid that my mind still has a tendency to wander.  An annoying and persistent side effect.  My apologies."

   Norrington answered before the Chancellor could.  "That's quite alright.  No one can blame you for that.  Not only is this sure to be unpleasant for you, but I apologize for our haste.  I know that Mrs. Morgan in particular would have liked to see us wait another day or two before coming to see you."

   Hallington was glaring at his protégé.  A very polite, well-bred glare, to be certain.  "What the Commodore means, is he regrets the urgency with which we need information.  If Sparrow had cooperated with us, we wouldn't need to be here right now.  But seeing as he is a pirate, and refused to do anything but be . . . difficult," the tone of voice that accompanied that word told Winn exactly what her husband had been, and that the appropriate word was much stronger than 'difficult.'  "Well, we were left with you as our only other source of information.  Not only is it your duty as an English citizen to help us, but I thought you might be eager to see the man who did this to you brought to quick justice."

   "You know who did this?"  Winn was confused.  She thought that Jack was refusing to say anything.  "Then why do you want to hang . . . Sparrow . . . so quickly?"  She'd almost used her husband's first name, which would have been unfortunate.

   "Are you saying that Sparrow wasn't the one who harmed you?"  There was a mild amount of disappointment in the Chancellor's voice.

   "What would motivate a . . . a pirate to harm a pregnant woman, my lord?  There's no profit and no glory in it.  I don't know much about pirates," a blatant lie, "but I was under the assumption that most of their actions are governed by survival and mercenary matters."

   The Chancellor nodded, Norrington watched her, Elizabeth and Grace traded looks, and Winn simply tried not to squirm under the weight of the tension in the room.  She was good – or had been good – at hiding her emotions, but she'd never been a good liar.  Jack better appreciate this.

   "Mrs. Smith, if I might be so bold as to ask you some questions about your past?"

   "Certainly, my lord."  Yes, steer the conversation into safer waters.

   "Your maiden name is Morgan, is it not?"

   "Yes, my lord."

   "How is it that you are now recuperating in a household of a family that shares that name?"

   "Coincidence, my lord.  Morgan is a fairly common name."

   Hallington nodded again.  "Commodore Norrington mentioned that you had been living with your family before marrying the captain of a merchant vessel.  Where exactly is this family based, and with whom?"

   "My brother, my lord.  His name is Richard.  He runs a sugar plantation outside Santiago."

   "He lives on an island under Spanish rule?"  There was a shade of condemnation in the man's voice.

   "Yes, sir.  The land was cheap and best for growing sugarcane.  I can assure you that he is loyal to the Crown if that is what you're worrying about."  Yes, crowns, and sovereigns, and even the pence.  He's a merchant in his own right, for all that he avoids the sea whenever possible.

   "How did you meet your husband?"

   "I met Mr. Smith on a ship.  Both our vessels had come alongside each other to exchange pleasantries, as is common.  He says that I caught his curiosity.  He traced me to Port Royal where I was visiting for the Turner's wedding.  My family extended an invitation for him to visit our family holdings, and he accepted.  I'm afraid that at that time, my family had given up on me as an old maid.  They jumped on the chance to see me happily married."  Whether that was what we wanted or not.

   "And where is Mr. Smith now?  Why was he not traveling with his pregnant wife?"

   "If you doubt my devotion to him, or his to me, please save yourself the energy.  My husband's ship was damaged in a fight with raiders several months go.  The need for repairs was extensive, and someone had to oversee them.  I was to stay with family, but decided that I hadn't seen Elizabeth in some time.  So I headed to Port Royal."

   "Does he know that you intended to come here?"

   "Yes, he knows that I'm in Port Royal."

   "And your marriage?  It is a happy one?"

   Oh, she didn't like the direction that this was heading in at all.  "What are you implying, Lord Hallington?"

   "Just that you wouldn't be the first lonely wife to take a . . . consort.  And you wouldn't be the first woman to try to rid herself of another man's child?"

    "Jack Sparrow's child.  That's what you mean, isn't it?" Winn demanded.  Despite the fact that she knew better, she went ahead and let her temper rage.  This man deserved to be on its sharp end.  If only she weren't so weak she'd be able to do ever so much more to disabuse him of his faulty notions.  "Despite my husband's many absences, I have remained a faithful wife.  I love my husband, and even now my thoughts are with him.  This child is considered a miracle by both my husband and I.  Never would I do anything to intentionally harm it.  You insult me with your insinuations, and I don't appreciate it.  If that's all that your sordid mind can come up with, you are free to leave this room now, because I will not suffer this indignity.  I may just be a common woman, a member of the merchant class, but that gives you no right to throw doubts on my character."

   "I'm sure that's not what the Chancellor meant to imply, madam, nor do I think he believed you possible of such things.  It's just that all possibilities must be discarded."

   "Well, that is one possibility, Commodore Norrington, that should never have been conceived."  Winn sank into her pillows.  I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Hallington only stayed for another quarter hour after her outburst.  He was undoubtedly offended that she considered herself his equal, or at least worthy of some consideration.  Winn was going to tell Jack that the first thing he needed to do after getting the Pearl back from her repairs was find a ship with English nobles on it and raid it.  Or at least embarrass them.

   "I'm sorry that the Lord Chancellor upset you, Mrs. Smith."

   Winn turned her eyes to Norrington, wondering why he hadn't left with Hallington.  "It's not for you to apologize for another man's behavior, Commodore, although I do appreciate the sentiment."

   The two were silent for a moment before Winn realized that he wasn't necessarily going to leave soon.  "Was there anything else you wanted to ask me, Commodore?  Because if there isn't, then I really do think that it's time I had a nap.  I still tire easily and dealing with Lord Hallington took what strength I had left."

   It was the similarity of her words to Sparrow's that caught the Commodore's attention.  He wondered if more than coincidence was at work in this dramatic performance he'd found himself in.  There were a lot of coincidences around this woman; the way her last name matched that of those who were tending her, the fact that she'd been in a boat with captain Jack Sparrow – a man Norrington had been halfheartedly searching for, her lack of a husband at her side, all the details that she claimed not to remember but her insistence that it hadn't been the pirate that had harmed her.  And the fact that Turner and Elizabeth were once again pulled into a situation that revolved around Sparrow.  There were too many 'coincidences' for his peace of mind.

   "Do you think that I changed his mind?"  Winn had to know what the chances of a prolonged sentencing were.  The more time they had, the more likely it became that Jack would come out of all this alive.

   "Is that what you were trying to do?"

   "Let's say that I had aspirations."

   "Excuse me?"  The coincidences were piling up now.  There had to be more to all this than met the eye.

   "Captain Sparrow saved my life, Commodore."  In so many more ways than one.  "It would be ungrateful and uncouth of me to be concerned about his well-being after the lengths he took to ensure the safety of myself and my child.  It's my fault he's here, isn't it?"

   "So, you're sticking to the story that Sparrow didn't harm you."

   "If he had, why would he have given himself up?  Why wouldn't he have done it on the safety of his own ship?  No, Sparrow didn't hurt me."

   "But you don't know the name or the ship or even the description of the man who did."

   This was an area where things turned exceedingly grey.  There was much that she didn't remember about her time in captivity.  Whether that was due to the last effects of the drugs in her system or to her mind being unable to process what had nearly happened, she had no idea.  "No I don't.  All I remember was that I was on a frigate, and that the man had silver hair."

   "And why were you on this ship?  What led you to do such a thing?"

   "I supposed to be meeting my husband, but things went wrong."

   "Your husband who is seeing to the repairs of his ship."

   "I never said that he was seeing to repairs – just that they were needed."

   "And where is your husband now?"

   "Detained – and you can make of that what you will."

   "Commodore, please, I'm afraid that Winn has tired herself out."  Norrington looked down to see Elizabeth standing near him.  "Anything you get from her now will sound more like it should be coming from a Delphi oracle than from a woman who has answers for what happened to her.  I do believe it's time for you to leave, although you are free to send around a message should you have any more questions."

   "Of course, Mrs. Turner.  I apologize if I've overstayed my welcome."

   Grace joined in the effort.  "Not your welcome, sir, just Winifred's ability to stay conscious."  Winn made some sound of protest, but it was to quiet to be clearly heard.

   Norrington was leaving the room when Winn asked one last question of him.  "Commodore, you never answered my question about Sparrow.  Was that by design or by oversight?"

   The Commodore turned back to his audience.  He saw veiled agony in Winn's eyes and wondered if it was mental or physical.  "Design, Madam Smith."  Her eyes clouded.  "I'm afraid that there is nothing I can do to halt Sparrow's sentencing, especially with Hallington calling for his head.  I'm sorry if you feel responsible, but I also have responsibility, although it brings me no joy.  Sparrow will be sentenced within the next day.  It's up to Hallington to decide when the sentence will be carried out."  Unable to stay longer under that blank gaze, Norrington left the room, determined to find answers to the questions this had all raised.  Just as he was determined to ignore the muffled sobs coming from the room he'd just left.

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Author's Thanks:

Dawnie-7 – cracking up, eh?  I not sure that was the effect I was going for.  ; )  Glad you liked the bit of Will.  I think I'm starting to understand him better.

bobo3 – I just wanna say that I really enjoy working with you, and I'm looking forward to ending this fic so we can collaborate.  That's going to be a fun fic to write.

pirate-miss – thanks much.  I'm glad to have Will and Liz back too.

VagrantCandy – doubt this will ever be film unless one of us makes it ourselves.  But that's a whole 'nother story all together.

TaraRose – thanks for taking the time to review while you're at work.  I know I wouldn't.

Dog Star – holidays, while fun, are extremely busy.  No apologies necessary.

EricaDawn – I like that bauble.

Golden Rose3 – oh, the look on Winn's face will not be attractive.  Jack's going to be hearing about this for quite a bit . . . should he survive.  And Will – I'm just really starting to enjoy writing that guy.

BeBe – pretty sure I'm making the last know trick up, but the first two are true according to my dad.  *shrugs*

Ariandir –yay!  You're back!  For a bit of time!  ^_^  As for my talent . . . still think you have more of a plot than I do.  ; )

Elhedwen – thank you.  I really do think I'm starting to get the hang of writing Will.