A/N: I have come to the conclusion that it is ultimately beyond me to
capture the true nature of CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow's character. So I came
upon the idea of working on a fanfic featuring a character that wasn't, I
believe, truly developed in the film. Commodore Norrington. Yes, I admit
it. I rather liked the commodore, especially after I saw some of the
deleted scenes on the dvd. I feel a bit sorry for him, though I wouldn't
dream of pairing him with Elizabeth. She belongs to Will. I will not
dispute that.
In short, if you don't like Norrington, or if you're not open-minded enough to give him a chance, you're not going to like this fic. If you feel inclined to flame me, keep in mind that all flames will be used to light a bonfire on a deserted island while I sit on the beach with Jack Sparrow. You will not be invited. Unless, of course, you leave an encouraging review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two years after the film
"Sir, this letter just arrived for you."
Commodore James Alexander Norrington took the envelope from the lieutenant and studied it for a moment before waving his hand in dismissal. After the lieutenant had gone, the commodore stared in amazement at the name on the envelope. Instantly, he was transported back to a rather unpleasant memory.
***************Flashback: London, England- Seventeen years earlier.
"It's what I've always wanted, Edwina! Just imagine. Your own brother in the King's Navy!"
"I don't want to imagine it. James, I thought we agreed that you would go to a regular university and, after graduation, you would take over Father's business. Harrison and I have been running it long enough. We have our own affairs to look after."
"Actually, Edwina, I rather enjoy running the business."
The man was silenced by a cold glare from his wife. He looked on in sympathy as she continued to berate her younger half-brother.
"I will hear no more of this Navy nonsense. You come from a good family, James Norrington, and as the only son of that family it is your duty to take over the business that Father left behind."
"You do not have the final say in this, Edwina. I am eighteen years old and I will not be told what to do. Grandfather was in the Navy and so was Uncle Charles. I intend to become part of that family tradition and I have not come to ask for your permission. You were the one who decided that I would take over Father's business. We never discussed my taking it over. You simply decided that's what I was going to do. If you will recall, I was only eleven years old when he died. Hardly in a position to argue with my caretaker."
"James, I absolutely forbid you to go into the Navy."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Harrison watched his brother-in-law with thinly disguised interest. Never before had James gone against Edwina's wishes. But Harrison was of the opinion that his wife had pushed too hard this time. His suspicions were soon confirmed.
"I am going into the Navy, Edwina. You should get used to the idea."
He spoke in a low tone, but there was no doubt in Harrison's mind that James meant every word. His brother-in-law's eyes were like steel and his jaw was set in a determined line. Harrison's glance flickered over to Edwina. Oh, this was not going to be good.
"You will pack your things and leave, James. If you cannot abide by my wishes, you will not live in my house. I'm sure that Uncle Charles will be more than happy to have you."
"Edwina!" exclaimed Harrison, shocked by his wife's proclamation. She ignored him and swept out of the study in a flurry of silk and lace. James locked eyes with Harrison and attempted a smile.
"Well, that went well, didn't it?"
"James, I'm sorry. She'll come around. You know Edwina."
"Yes, I know Edwina. There's about as much chance of her changing her mind as there is of me changing mine. Well, I suppose I should start getting my things together. Do me a favor, will you? Cecily won't be home from school before I leave. I'll write her a letter if you'll give it to her. And don't let Edwina see it."
"Of course I'll give it to her. And Edwina will be none the wiser. It will break that little girl's heart, James. She absolutely adores you."
For a moment James felt his resolve weaken. His whole world revolved around his baby sister. It had been that way since her birth ten years ago. If he went ahead with this, there was a possibility he might never see her again. Edwina could keep Cecily from him quite easily. But he could still write to her. Perhaps he would even be able to visit her at school, away from Edwina's prying eyes. The moment of weakness passed. The Navy held his future. He was sure of it.
"She will not understand at first, Harrison. Please try to make her see why I've done this. Estrangement from Edwina is bad enough. I do not think I could bear it if Cecily turned her back on me as well."
"Cecily will come to understand in time, brother. She's too much like you to not understand why you are leaving. And I will look out for her. I promise."
********************
James had not seen his older half-sister since he left her house all those years ago. He had joined the Navy against her wishes and she had kept her distance from him since that day. He had never even received a letter from her.
That didn't mean he didn't know anything about her. Cecily wrote to him almost every week and he had even received a letter from Harrison now and then. He knew that Harrison and Edwina's son, Richard, was now attending a prestigious university. He knew that their daughter, Victoria, who had been born after he left, was considered a great beauty and had been engaged at least three times already.
But he never heard anything from Edwina. Until now. Why was she writing now? Had something happened? Had something happened to Cecily?
It was this last thought that spurred James into tearing the envelope open. It fell to the floor, unnoticed by the usually spotless commodore, and he immediately began to read.
'James,
By the time you receive this correspondence, you will have only a week to prepare yourself for what I am announcing. Cecily has been worse than usual lately and the doctor seems to think a change in atmosphere is what she needs. Although I realize there are places closer than the Caribbean, Cecily has been adamant that, if she must leave England, she will go where you are. The child practically worships you, James, despite the fact that we haven't seen you in nearly ten years.
And so I have taken it upon myself to make plans for Cecily, Victoria, and I to travel to your side in Port Royal. I trust, James, that you will have made all the necessary arrangements by the time we arrive. Since you are not yet married, I feel it my duty to remind you that you will need to employ a few extra maids before our arrival. Although I am bringing two traveling companions with us, we simply cannot be expected to make due with only two maids during the entirety of our stay.
We shall see you soon, James.
Edwina Gwendolyn Norrington-Barclay'
And that was it. After all these years, she wrote a letter consisting of two paragraphs. She was coming to stay with him! If it were just Cecily, he would be ecstatic. He had long thought that the climate in Port Royal would do his sister good. It was much better than all the damp, rainy weather she endured living in London.
But Edwina was coming as well. And Victoria! Three women in his house for an indefinite amount of time. The very thought made the bachelor's head throb. What on earth was he going to do? He had no wife to entertain them, no real knowledge of the social circle of women in Port Royal. These desperate thoughts whirled around in James' mind until his military mind took over.
He was being ridiculous. There was a logical solution to every problem. He had lived by that rule all his life and there had only been one exception. Captain Jack Sparrow. There simply was no logical solution to that problem. If you could call him a problem. Truth be told, James rather enjoyed the challenge of chasing Jack Sparrow around the Caribbean. The man was a pirate but, over the last two years, he had earned Commodore Norrington's grudging respect and secret admiration.
This problem had nothing to do with Sparrow. And so there must be a solution. But James had no time to think one up at the moment. He was due at the Governor's house in an hour for a dance celebrating Will and Elizabeth's first anniversary. With a quick glance at his pocket watch, James hurried out of his office at the fort towards his nearby home to prepare for the event.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Neither? Oh, please review. Reviews are like air to me. I need them to live on. I sound rather desperate, don't I? Oh, well. I guess we all have our little quirks.
In short, if you don't like Norrington, or if you're not open-minded enough to give him a chance, you're not going to like this fic. If you feel inclined to flame me, keep in mind that all flames will be used to light a bonfire on a deserted island while I sit on the beach with Jack Sparrow. You will not be invited. Unless, of course, you leave an encouraging review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two years after the film
"Sir, this letter just arrived for you."
Commodore James Alexander Norrington took the envelope from the lieutenant and studied it for a moment before waving his hand in dismissal. After the lieutenant had gone, the commodore stared in amazement at the name on the envelope. Instantly, he was transported back to a rather unpleasant memory.
***************Flashback: London, England- Seventeen years earlier.
"It's what I've always wanted, Edwina! Just imagine. Your own brother in the King's Navy!"
"I don't want to imagine it. James, I thought we agreed that you would go to a regular university and, after graduation, you would take over Father's business. Harrison and I have been running it long enough. We have our own affairs to look after."
"Actually, Edwina, I rather enjoy running the business."
The man was silenced by a cold glare from his wife. He looked on in sympathy as she continued to berate her younger half-brother.
"I will hear no more of this Navy nonsense. You come from a good family, James Norrington, and as the only son of that family it is your duty to take over the business that Father left behind."
"You do not have the final say in this, Edwina. I am eighteen years old and I will not be told what to do. Grandfather was in the Navy and so was Uncle Charles. I intend to become part of that family tradition and I have not come to ask for your permission. You were the one who decided that I would take over Father's business. We never discussed my taking it over. You simply decided that's what I was going to do. If you will recall, I was only eleven years old when he died. Hardly in a position to argue with my caretaker."
"James, I absolutely forbid you to go into the Navy."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Harrison watched his brother-in-law with thinly disguised interest. Never before had James gone against Edwina's wishes. But Harrison was of the opinion that his wife had pushed too hard this time. His suspicions were soon confirmed.
"I am going into the Navy, Edwina. You should get used to the idea."
He spoke in a low tone, but there was no doubt in Harrison's mind that James meant every word. His brother-in-law's eyes were like steel and his jaw was set in a determined line. Harrison's glance flickered over to Edwina. Oh, this was not going to be good.
"You will pack your things and leave, James. If you cannot abide by my wishes, you will not live in my house. I'm sure that Uncle Charles will be more than happy to have you."
"Edwina!" exclaimed Harrison, shocked by his wife's proclamation. She ignored him and swept out of the study in a flurry of silk and lace. James locked eyes with Harrison and attempted a smile.
"Well, that went well, didn't it?"
"James, I'm sorry. She'll come around. You know Edwina."
"Yes, I know Edwina. There's about as much chance of her changing her mind as there is of me changing mine. Well, I suppose I should start getting my things together. Do me a favor, will you? Cecily won't be home from school before I leave. I'll write her a letter if you'll give it to her. And don't let Edwina see it."
"Of course I'll give it to her. And Edwina will be none the wiser. It will break that little girl's heart, James. She absolutely adores you."
For a moment James felt his resolve weaken. His whole world revolved around his baby sister. It had been that way since her birth ten years ago. If he went ahead with this, there was a possibility he might never see her again. Edwina could keep Cecily from him quite easily. But he could still write to her. Perhaps he would even be able to visit her at school, away from Edwina's prying eyes. The moment of weakness passed. The Navy held his future. He was sure of it.
"She will not understand at first, Harrison. Please try to make her see why I've done this. Estrangement from Edwina is bad enough. I do not think I could bear it if Cecily turned her back on me as well."
"Cecily will come to understand in time, brother. She's too much like you to not understand why you are leaving. And I will look out for her. I promise."
********************
James had not seen his older half-sister since he left her house all those years ago. He had joined the Navy against her wishes and she had kept her distance from him since that day. He had never even received a letter from her.
That didn't mean he didn't know anything about her. Cecily wrote to him almost every week and he had even received a letter from Harrison now and then. He knew that Harrison and Edwina's son, Richard, was now attending a prestigious university. He knew that their daughter, Victoria, who had been born after he left, was considered a great beauty and had been engaged at least three times already.
But he never heard anything from Edwina. Until now. Why was she writing now? Had something happened? Had something happened to Cecily?
It was this last thought that spurred James into tearing the envelope open. It fell to the floor, unnoticed by the usually spotless commodore, and he immediately began to read.
'James,
By the time you receive this correspondence, you will have only a week to prepare yourself for what I am announcing. Cecily has been worse than usual lately and the doctor seems to think a change in atmosphere is what she needs. Although I realize there are places closer than the Caribbean, Cecily has been adamant that, if she must leave England, she will go where you are. The child practically worships you, James, despite the fact that we haven't seen you in nearly ten years.
And so I have taken it upon myself to make plans for Cecily, Victoria, and I to travel to your side in Port Royal. I trust, James, that you will have made all the necessary arrangements by the time we arrive. Since you are not yet married, I feel it my duty to remind you that you will need to employ a few extra maids before our arrival. Although I am bringing two traveling companions with us, we simply cannot be expected to make due with only two maids during the entirety of our stay.
We shall see you soon, James.
Edwina Gwendolyn Norrington-Barclay'
And that was it. After all these years, she wrote a letter consisting of two paragraphs. She was coming to stay with him! If it were just Cecily, he would be ecstatic. He had long thought that the climate in Port Royal would do his sister good. It was much better than all the damp, rainy weather she endured living in London.
But Edwina was coming as well. And Victoria! Three women in his house for an indefinite amount of time. The very thought made the bachelor's head throb. What on earth was he going to do? He had no wife to entertain them, no real knowledge of the social circle of women in Port Royal. These desperate thoughts whirled around in James' mind until his military mind took over.
He was being ridiculous. There was a logical solution to every problem. He had lived by that rule all his life and there had only been one exception. Captain Jack Sparrow. There simply was no logical solution to that problem. If you could call him a problem. Truth be told, James rather enjoyed the challenge of chasing Jack Sparrow around the Caribbean. The man was a pirate but, over the last two years, he had earned Commodore Norrington's grudging respect and secret admiration.
This problem had nothing to do with Sparrow. And so there must be a solution. But James had no time to think one up at the moment. He was due at the Governor's house in an hour for a dance celebrating Will and Elizabeth's first anniversary. With a quick glance at his pocket watch, James hurried out of his office at the fort towards his nearby home to prepare for the event.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Neither? Oh, please review. Reviews are like air to me. I need them to live on. I sound rather desperate, don't I? Oh, well. I guess we all have our little quirks.