Author's Note: Just a little one shot written in response to a challenge issued on "The Black Pearl Scrolls". Enjoy!

-Angie

A Mutual Understanding


When Commodore James Norrington arrived at his office that morning it was with heavy resignation as he sighted the rather large stack of paper work awaiting him. Tossing his hat carelessly onto the rack that stood in the corner, he ruefully crossed the distance to his desk and threw himself into the chair. Continuing to ignore the horror that mocked him from its neat pile, he stared longingly out at the beautiful Caribbean day and silently cursed the stone walls that kept him from it. With a sigh he reminded himself that every job had its up's and down's and getting this torture out of the way early would certainly make next week's patrol with the Dauntless that much more fulfilling.

Scooping up the seemingly endless mass of parchment, he began shuffling through each sheet, discarding some and setting others aside for later attention. Ten minutes later he was almost half way through the mess and feeling quite pleased with himself about it, when one particular report caught his attention, making his heart skip a beat. It was a capture announcement, and from the bolded script at the top of the page, it appeared to be one of some prestige. Scanning the page's contents, Norrington's expression grew grim as he attempted to process what he had read. The day had finally come; Jack Sparrow had been caught.

Still gripping the lone sheet in his hand, James again turned his attention to the window. As an officer of the British Royal Navy, he was aware that he should have been feeling quite satisfied with the situation. A long wanted criminal, one who had evaded him once in the past, had finally been brought to justice. The solely human side of him however, felt remorse. Pirate though the man was, the events that had transpired those seven years ago had been enough to convince the Commodore of what Will Turner had known almost from the start. A pirate and a good man. And Sparrow had undeniably made every effort to keep his place in Norrington's good graces since then. The Black Pearl avoided English ships like the plague, and had proven helpful in the capture of other less than law abiding citizens on several occasions.

The more James thought about it, the more he wished he had been more persistent in his efforts to convince the pirate to apply for Letters of the Marque. But, no matter now, the execution date was set and the Commodore knew that even he was powerless to stop it. Still, he refused to sit idly by. Folding the announcement harshly, he stood and made his way hastily from Fort Charles. Passing by the docks, he ordered the HMS Valiance to be made ready before turning north toward his destination. Walking swiftly, he tore threw Port Royale and did not stop until he reached the guest house of the governor's mansion. Taking only a second to catch his breath, he knocked loudly and waited for an answer. Within minutes he was led inside to the parlor and was promptly greeted by Will and Elizabeth.

The merry looks on both of their faces was enough to almost crush his spirits completely but he remained steadfast in his mission. That was until it was time to speak. Eventually he settled for simply handing will the crumpled piece of parchment and waited patiently as they too absorbed the information.

"He's being held at Fort Lyons. It's just over a day's time away. The Valiance is being made ready to sail if you should like to go," he offered gravely.

"We would, thank you," was Will's short reply as he held Elizabeth to him tightly.

"We'd be best to leave as soon as possible."

"Give us just a moment, we'll leave immediately."

They left him sitting alone in the parlor as they retreated upstairs to gather their things. Aware of the graveness of the situation, they wasted no time in preparing and were back downstairs not fifteen minutes later. Together, the three of them returned to the harbor where, they found, James' order had been taken rather seriously and the Valiance was ready to go. Stepping aboard the Turner's were directed to their cabin, and out of simple respect for the Captain whose end was near, Norrington himself took the helm and remained there until they arrived at Fort Lyons.

Upon entering the fort, the Commodore offered a silent prayer of thanks to the powers that be that the Admiral had not yet arrived. As such, he remained the highest ranking officer on site, which played heavily to his advantage. Without too much hassle, he gained access for the Turners and led them to where Jack was being held in a special containment room, which ended up to be an unused office. Dismissing the guard at the door, he waited until the midshipman was well out of range before allowing Will and Elizabeth to enter.

How long they were inside he could not tell. With no intentions of limiting their final moments together, he had stopped keeping track after the first hour and a half. He simply remained outside, keeping watch and deterring any interference, and occasionally renewing his prayer that the Admiral would not arrive until after they had finished. Some three hours later the door opened and a teary-eyed Elizabeth and somber looking Will stepped out. With as much of an encouraging smile as he could muster, the Commodore called out to a pair of passing officers, instructing one to escort the Turners back to the Valiance, and the other to stand guard at the door while he spoke to the prisoner.

After all was taken care of, Norrington himself entered the small office where he found Jack sitting inside the barred window ledge gazing out at the clear blue waters.

"I was right," Jack greeted him with his trademark grin. "It was you who brought the whelps."

"I thought perhaps you could use some familiar company."

"Aye," the pirate nodded before returning his attention outside.

Stepping up beside where Jack sat, Norrington joined him in his silent reverie. They remained that way for some time, neither speaking a word to one another, simply sharing a silent, mutual respect for one another.

"You ought to have accepted my offer for Letters of the Marque," Norrington said at long last.

"The thought had crossed my mind once or twice in 'ere. But, no sense in coulda, woulda, shoulda's now."

The Commodore nodded. Placing a hand over the pirate's should, he offered a small squeeze of reassurance.

"You're a good man Jack."

"Same to you mate. Same to you."