-Little Miracles-

Author's Note: My most sincere and profound apologies for the long delay. Not only was I even more busy than usual, but this chapter gave me exceptional problems, and I wasn't satisfied until I got it right. Still, a late chapter is considerably better than a poke in the eye. :p

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the rights to any movies. If I did, I'd be set for life.

Chapter 15

How was he to tell her? Would she still hold him in the same esteem as she had before? James wasn't entirely certain. The real question plaguing him, though, seemed to be should he tell her. She was, most likely, too young to fully understand.

After his arrival and subsequent visit to the Birch household in the middle of the night, he had awoken in the early evening to find that Lily's slight fever had broken close to noon. Not only that, but he found also that Captain Teasdale had tracked him down to give him a notice that had arrived in with some dispatches from England. Despite Mister Burke's insistence that James have absolutely no obligations of office until he had been cleared for duty. James found he was rather glad Roger had disregarded those orders and brought the missive anyway.

Silas Cooper was wanted for, among other things, murder and piracy.

How this news might affect Lily, he had no idea, which was the reason he hesitated to tell her. Though, now that he truly thought on the matter, perhaps he shouldn't say anything after all. The beatings, lack of food and how her mother had been treated was all she had known before she came to stay with him. Also, to take into consideration was the fact that she was only three.

If she should ask, he would tell her or wait until she was older.

James glanced down, then, and found that he had been distracted from his work for what must have been the thirtieth time in the last hour or so. At this rate, he would never finish. Perhaps now that he had resolved what to do about the information concerning Lily's father, his mind would allow him to finish these few reports that were to be sent to Admiral Coulter and the Admiralty.

Shoving all other thoughts from his mind, James forced himself to focus on the matters at hand and finish. Harrison Burke had only released him for light duty two days ago—three days after the injury itself—and James had been forced to leave Lily's side so that he could be brought up to date on the last two weeks. There was not much that had changed or merited speaking of.

Not wanting to impose further on their hospitality, he had taken Lily home the morning after her fever broke. This was, of course, after gaining Mary Kate's reassurance that it was safe to do so and that Lily's illness was nothing serious at all; just a mild cold. In the few days since, she was recovering quite well. Jacob had said yesterday evening that she had been irritable from being confined indoors. James was also pleased to note that her appetite was returning as well.

He glanced down to make the few final touches to the reports, happy that his day was at its end, when there came a polite tapping at his office door. "Yes?" he called, looking back up.

Lieutenant Stone entered, immediately paying his obedience to his commander. "A letter arrived for you, Sir."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said, accepting the letter. He set it aside and quickly gathered the reports into a small bundle before passing them to the younger man. "You may take these as well."

"Aye, Sir," Stone said, saluting once more before leaving as quickly as he had arrived.

James gathered what little he needed to take home again, including the letter. He glanced at the seal and handwriting, his shoulders dropping upon recognition. He contemplated leaving it in his office to read later, but decided he might as well take it home and see what drivel his father might have written this time. Perhaps it would be something of true importance for once.

Stepping through the gates, he found himself face to face with Jacob and Lily. "What brings you out and about? I thought certain little girls were to stay indoors until they were well."

"But I am," Lily answered, then promptly coughed. And she was, James knew, except for that lingering cough. He suspected it would plague her for several more days at the very least.

"I thought some fresh air would do her some good," Jacob said, shifting her into James' arms.

"The grounds at home are not sufficient enough for that?"

"Oh, they would be at that, in a typical situation." James raised an eyebrow. "This, however, is nowhere near typical."

"In my experiences, nothing ever is with you. How is it different this time?"

"I was planning the evening meal when I noticed I had no bread to serve. Since Lily has been so very well-behaved during her confinement, I rather thought a bit of an outing was in order."

"An outing?" James smiled. "And how is Lily finding her outing?"

"Mister Jacob bought some sweet bread for me."

"Did he?"

"Mmhmm. I saved some for you, too."

"If it was your treat, Lily, you needn't save any for me."

"But I wanted to," she answered, holding a hand out toward the older cook with an expectant expression. James glanced over at him with a small smile.

"You're very kind." Lily smiled and gave him a small portion of bread. From the cut of the slice, he could see that she had divided her small portion in half, or nearly so. Starting away from the fort gates, he fished his letter out and held it for Jacob to see. "What would you wager that the contents of this letter are the same as all the others?" he asked.

"You'll get no wager from me on this matter. If your father hasn't changed in all the years I've known him, he won't start changing now. You'll find a pirate with the pure heart of Christ himself before that man changes for the better."

"Mm." The corners of his mouth quirked.

"It's from your papa?" Lily asked. "What does it say?"

"Oh, I imagine it says much the same as all his other letters," he answered.

"But how do you know?"

"All of his other few letters were nearly identical."

"This one might not be."

Seeing that Lily simply would not let the matter rest, he set her down for a moment so he could break the seal. To be honest, her questions had piqued his curiosity, though he knew better than to hope for anything. Lily held on to his jacket, standing in his shadow, and gazed up at him. He read through the letter quickly, doing his best to ignore the expectant stares of the other two. It was much as he had anticipated. "He asks about his house and its condition, if I have managed to secure a wife of proper wealth, if I am maintaining his house, and what the local arrangement of society is." All in all, it seemed an ill omen.

Lily's face grew puzzled. "Doesn't he ask about you like you ask me when you come home?"

James gave her a wry smile. "He does not."

"He doesn't sound like a very good papa. Not like you."

James smiled. "No, he is not."

"Was he ever scary like my other papa?"

"I never really had the opportunity to find out. I went to live with my grandfather when I was not much older than you are now, but I don't recall him being frightening."

"Is your gran'-fath-er nice?" she asked, stumbling a bit over 'grandfather'.

"He was," he answered, swinging Lily back up into his arms.

"He was a fine man, Lily," Jacob said. "One of the greatest, to my mind. Not counting James, here, I never worked for a better man. Although, seeing as James was raised by him, he's turned out to be exactly like Geoffrey."

"As was Mother, if you recall," James reminded.

"Aye, but your father could turn the most faithful priest into a brigand. It's no wonder she's the way she is now."

"Where is he?" Lily asked.

"The same place as your mother and my grandmother, I would wager," James answered.

Lily was silent—thoughtful—for a long moment. "Maybe they foun' each other so they aren't sad any more. 'Specially Momma."

Stunned, James turned to gaze at her as she sat perched on his arm, then smiled. "I imagine they have, Lily, and are having a grand time together."

Lily smiled then, as well. "Are they nice?"

"They were both exactly like James, Lily. If your mother is with them, she's in very good hands."

"She's safe from Papa, too."

James sobered a little at that. "She is, indeed. She'll never feel any pain again."

"That's what Emmie tol' me." Her head drooped down onto his shoulder. "I just wish she didn't have to be in that box to be safe."

"So do I, Lily," James replied softly. "So do I." He suspected Lily might be starting to realize just what had happened to her mother and to understand what that implied. At the moment, however, she was just a little girl who needed and wanted her mother. He glanced over at Jacob momentarily and found a sympathetic expression. The moment was disrupted seconds later, however, when Lily coughed again. "Please cover your mouth when you cough, Lily. It's more polite." He softened the request by rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry." Something caught her attention, though, and she quickly squirmed to be let down for a moment. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she took off before James could catch her. His worry was only fleeting as she quickly called out a greeting. "Mister Arthur!"

James searched and quickly found the man, who still looked and carried himself as a naval officer. That was understandable, though. Old habits died hard, and as he had never spoken of it, James could only assume the retirement had not been by choice.

"Ah, Norrington," Arthur Birch greeted, Lily now perched on his own arm. "I believe this little treasure is yours."

"She is. She got away before I could catch her."

"Should she still be in your care, you'll need to be wary of that as she grows older. Some young lieutenant or captain may steal her away before you know it. But that is not something to be concerned with at the moment." He set Lily down again, guiding her back to James. "I trust you are well-recovered? Though you would have to be, if you've been returned to duty."

"I am. There is just a bit of swelling, still, and I've grown used to it enough that it does not disturb my concentration as it did." He paused, consciously restraining the urge to touch the back of his head. He wore his hat and secondary wig anyway. "And as you can see, Lily is much improved as well. She does still cough and she's still a bit congested, but she's doing wonderfully. And yourself?"

"That is good news. I am well, though I really have no reason to be otherwise. I gather you were on your way home for the evening?"

"I was. Jacob and Lily caught me on my way out of the gates."

"We were getting some bread to go with supper," Lily informed them. "Mister Jacob said I was good."

"Oh? Had you much to prepare before you realized you needed bread?" Arthur asked.

"I'd just been trying to decide, actually. I haven't rightly made up my mind, as yet, Sir," Jacob answered.

"In that case, I invite you to dine with Mary Kate, Rosemary and myself. All four of you."

Worried for the short notice, James asked "Are you certain—"

"Don't you worry about anything," Arthur interrupted, seemingly reading his mind. "I glanced into the kitchen on my way out, and they were preparing more food than we would know what to do with. Mary Kate and Rosemary, bless their hearts, always prepare far too much."

Jacob shook his head slightly. "I can't speak for Cecil, but I wouldn't want to impose—"

"It would be no imposition at all. We would be delighted to have you." Jacob looked to James uncertainly. Seeing this, Arthur spoke again. "Please. Between Lily's illness and your own injury, I should think you all deserving of a break and change of scenery."

"But Cecil and I are naught but servants."

"And that is no reason. Rosemary is as well, and yet she has dined at Norrington's table."

"It just isn't right," Jacob tried again.

James could easily recall several occasions that his grandparents had tried to convince the man to dine with them. He felt much as the Birches apparently did; that servants who became as close to family as Jacob and Rosemary had, and as Cecil was becoming, deserved a few luxuries and time away from their typical duties. "We would all be delighted," James said with a smile, ending the debate.

"Traitor," Jacob shot back under his breath. James only gave him an innocent smile.

"Good! It's settled, then," Arthur said.

"If it's all right, shall I go inform and retrieve Cecil?" Jacob asked.

"It is," James answered, though he looked to their soon-to-be host for confirmation.

The former admiral nodded in response. Jacob gave one curt nod and left. "I was actually on my way to the docks," Birch said, almost apologetically. "One of Richard's merchants has apparently just limped into port under naval escort, and as I am here, I feel it my duty to see to the matter and offer what aid I can."

James glanced over at him sharply, confused. "I thought Richard was Mary Kate's father's name."

"He was." Arthur allowed a small smile, though it was cheerless. "Four years since his death, and we still consider them to be his ships. My other brother, Marcus, is overseeing Richard's small company, now. I must say that it flourishes a little more under his care than it did under Richard's. I think that is, perhaps, due to Richard's rather severe condition of wanderlust."

"And he took his family everywhere with him?"

"He did. Though he settled here in Port Royal for a time—nearly two years, I believe. I think that was the longest time he had been in any one place, save England during his childhood."

"Did Mary Kate like traveling like that?" Lily asked.

"I'm not entirely certain." He sobered, then, his gaze focusing on some point unseen. "If she did, I believe she lost any love she had for it the morning Richard and Aislinn were buried."

James didn't press further, as Arthur had ended in a near whisper. By tone and actions and the fact that neither had really ever spoken of her parents, he had gained the impression that Arthur and Mary Kate—she most especially—still grieved their loss very deeply. Either that, or she did, and Arthur allowed her the choice of what was to be told out of respect. Lily seemed to pick up on this as well, as she, too, kept silent on the matter. Instead, he changed the subject. "Did you hear anything further on how the ship came to be limping into port under escort?"

"Pirates were mentioned as a possibility by the lad who informed me, but I've heard nothing further."

"Would you mind if I accompanied you? I would like to hear from both captains and find out what happened."

"As is your duty. I would expect nothing less, though perhaps Lily should have gone with Mister Craig."

James gave Lily a reassuring look as she tightened her grip on his hand, a worried expression on her face. He swept her back up into his arms as Arthur increased their pace toward the docks.

"Commodore Norrington!" James turned toward the voice and glanced around, Arthur pausing just ahead of them. He found Lieutenant Stone approaching at a near run. "Sir, the watches reported an inbound ship of the line. I apologize for the delay in informing you, but I had quite the time in locating you."

James nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant. We were just on our way there, now."

"If I may ask, would you like me to accompany you? I could keep an eye on Miss Lily while you speak with the captains."

Relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about what she did or didn't hear or how close to the edge of the docks she went, James nodded. "I would greatly appreciate that, thank you." The young lieutenant gave a short nod and a slight smile, then fell into step a respectable distance behind them.

They arrived at the waterfront a few short moments afterward, and the moment their feet touched the wooden planks, James set Lily down. "Lily, I want you to stay with Lieutenant Stone. Please don't get too close to the edges, and do as he tells you," he said, then leaned in close to his aide and lowered his voice. "Please don't let her out of your sight."

"Aye, Sir," the younger man answered with a quick salute. He reached down and began leading her away. "Come along, Lily. Shall we see if we can't find ourselves a bit of an adventure?"

James straightened, watching Lily choose where they should go, then turned back to his companion. "Shall we?" the other man asked, indicating the merchant and naval captains pulling alongside the docks.

James forced his gaze from Lily and turned back to Arthur. Beyond the man's shoulder, he saw two other boats were rowing ashore filled with what appeared to be pirates. "Yes," he answered, his attention still caught on the incoming boats. The longer he held them in his gaze, the more he wanted to check on Lily. Short moments later, he managed to shake the feeling and focus on the matter at hand. "Yes, I should like very much to find out what happened."

As he and Arthur worked their way to the now-moored boats, he couldn't help but glance back toward Lily, just to be certain she would be well away from the incoming prisoners. She and the lieutenant were speaking with the dockmaster's young slave, Lily sitting next to him as he fished. A part of him—the part that paid attention to the various levels and rules of society—recoiled at the sight, but another part of him was pleased, since this seemed to be her first interest in speaking to someone close to her own age. For the most part, however, he simply didn't have time to choose a side or make a decision at the moment.

"Commodore Norrington," the naval captain greeted with a quick nod.

"Captain Harland." James looked to the other man, one appearing to be close to his own age. "Captain…?"

"Adams. Captain David Adams of the Swan's Wing, last I heard," Arthur supplied.

The other man smiled. "Arthur Birch, fancy meeting you here, of all places. Though last time, it was…somewhere off the coast of India, wasn't it?"

"It was, though you had just made first mate, hadn't you?"

"Second." The man sobered. "How is young Mary Kate? The last time I saw the both of you, she was quite the sight."

"She was not herself at all that year," Arthur replied quietly.

"Yes, well, losing one's parents in one blow will do that to a person like her. I hope she has recovered?"

"She has, for the most part. She's here with me, as a matter of fact."

"Perhaps I might be allowed to call on her while I am in port? I-"

"Gentlemen, as happy as I am to see two obviously old acquaintances brief each other on recent, personal histories, I would much rather see my prisoners escorted to the fort so my men and I might return soon to report to Admiral Coulter," Captain Harland interrupted.

"Oh, yes. Of course. My apologies, Captain," Adams said.

Harland turned to James. "We found them up on the fringes of our patrol route, a little over eighty-five leagues due South East of here. The Swan's Wing was nearly completely crippled when we came upon them. They were also able to damage the Crimson Dawn just enough that we easily caught up and finished her. We then escorted Captain Adams here, as this was the closest friendly port. Those two boats mooring now hold the remaining pirates."

James nodded, watching as the prisoners were forced from the boats and into a line on the docks. There was one man, however, that caught his attention. He appeared to be older, though James knew that was no real indication of age. He also had the look of one who knew alcohol quite intimately. "Lieutenant Stone," he called.

The younger man quickly called Lily to her feet, took her hand, and brought her with him. This, of course, brought attention he would rather not have had to her. The one prisoner showed an unusual amount of interest in her.

Once she was only a few feet away, Lily let go of the lieutenant's hand and ran forward to grab his own. She seemed to know what was going on around her as well, because she merely stood at his side and kept quiet. "Aye, Sir?" Stone asked.

"Please fetch a squad of marines to escort the prisoners to the jail."

"Aye, Sir," Stone saluted, then turned on his heel to carry out the orders.

"Captain Adams, if you will come and see me first thing tomorrow morning, I will see what I can do to help you get refitted and on your way as soon as possible," Birch said.

Any response made by the merchant captain went unnoticed by James as Lily's hand suddenly tightened and didn't let go or loosen. Looking down at her, he found she stood stiff as a board, trembling slightly, though one wouldn't know it to simply look at her. "Lily?" he questioned quietly.

She only shrank back against him, her gaze locked on the prisoners.

He exchanged a quick glance with Arthur, who appeared just as puzzled. He glanced, rather distractedly, at Harland for a brief moment. "Please, excuse me a moment." He bent more to her level. "Lily? What is it?" When she didn't answer, he followed her gaze and found it locked on the prisoner who had caught his attention moments ago. He found himself staring at eyes that seemed so familiar. A weight settled into the pit of his stomach as he realized why. He turned his gaze to her. "Who is that, Lily?" he asked, wanting confirmation.

Lily backed away further, choosing to hide behind James. She clung to the back of his coat as one afraid of being cast out into a stormy sea. He nearly had to strain his ears to hear the only two words she spoke. "It's Papa."

I hope this was up to par.

Sorry, Beth. I tried to wait. :(

Author's Responses for Chapters 13 and 14:

Rennie1265: He is… At least he is in most of the few stories I read in this category. It saddens me, since Gillette's behavior often seems to be based on his remarks at the end of the movie. I'm glad you like him, and that my Murtogg/Mullroy argument was in character. :p And everyone needs someone to rant to on occasion. Gillette just seemed to be the one Norrington would go to the most.

Dazzler420: Thank you! :)

Carmen Riviera: Thank you. :) Cliffhangers are evil…if you're the reader. :p But also very fun.

Arendi Star: [blushes] Thank you. I'll try to keep the same quality in future chapters.

Cheska: I've been told I can be quite evil… I'm glad to see that hasn't worn off. Rest assured, I wouldn't electrocute him. I could never do that to a favorite character… Math prelims… Is that like Math ability evaluation? If so, I hate them with a passion. I was never any good at Math. Give me a good graphing calculator, though, that does just about everything, and I can tolerate it. :p I'm always more than pleased to brighten someone's day. :D

Moonbeam: How could I end it right there? Simple. I just type up those last words that leave a reader dangling from the edge of a shear, sharp cliff. ;) Don't worry about offending me about something being too short. Whenever I manage to get my mother to read what I have and get a bit of feedback; she complains about it being too short all the time. Norrington and Lily return your greetings, and thank you for the advice, too. They say they've taken it to heart. :p

Cestrel: I tend to stick to Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion and this category. They're the only ones that interest me in the slightest except for Star Wars, occasionally. Sadly, I haven't found very many decent updates in any of those categories in the last few weeks at all. I'm very particular as well.

Keindra: Thank you for your graciousness. :p I've found some cliffhangers to be annoying in the past, but on the other side of the fence, they're very fun to write. :p And James and Lily do get better, as this chapter shows. :p

Smalldiver: [innocent smile] Thank you; it flatters me that you think it was beautifully written. :D I should think anyone would worry about getting people up in the middle of the night. But then, I tend to be old-fashioned about some things. I just hope I keep everything more accurate to those times in ways of etiquette and such.

Tinkerbell: Thank you! I'll try my best to keep updates coming.

Myself: Backstories will come bit by bit. I don't want to rush them or reveal too much at once. I've found that the lack of details keep readers coming back. :p Don't worry about me doing much to Lily. I'm rather inclined to think she's been through enough already. ;) And James does his best to keep his word… Unlike a certain character who has such a fascination with pirates. It was actually the fact that she didn't eat much that made her more susceptible to illness, I think. At least it seemed logical to me. I also kind of think that Sparrow doesn't need to be in every PotC story. Though I might try my hand at writing him at some point… ;)

Kaitlyn: It was rather mean, wasn't it… [innocent expression] Thank you. :)

MakomKadosh: [blushes] Thank you and welcome. I rather liked Norrington in the movie as well, and I'm glad you like him in this.

Eledwen: Better a late review than none at all. :p I'm glad you like 'my' Gillette, too. :)

Caffinebunny: I'm glad you adore this story. I like Lily, too. I think she's one of my better characters out of all my created ones. She's one of the most fun to write, too.

Instantphoenix: [blushes deep red] Thank you, and welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying this. I'm always open to constructive criticism, as long as it's politely said (though I might prefer it emailed instead :p ) I look forward to your fuller review, as well. I love to know what others think of what I write and what parts they enjoy the most and such. Actually, I don't remember getting any IMs from anyone new. And I have it set where it tells me first. I may not have been at the computer at that time, though, too, and my modem might have disconnected. Sometimes, I might miss messages that way. [shrugs]

immortalwizardpirateelf-fan: Welcome! I'm glad you like Lily. I've been basing her a bit on my small cousin and my neighbor's youngest son. I'm glad she's real enough to remind someone of other small children. :p

Madelynne Rabb: Welcome to you, too, and thank you. I like this more unknown, but hinted at side of Norrington, too. :p I'll do my best to continue.

Jaina Kenobi: Welcome back! :p And thank you very much. :D

starsinthesky: "It's rather apparent that you're building toward it" Are you so certain that what is apparent is what will happen? :p You might see such things, and you might not… I'm keeping that as one of my little secrets under the Author's Privilege Clause, Section 5, paragraph 3. :p Thank you, though, and welcome! I hope you can tolerate this author's little quirks of insanity. :p

Lady Tolwen: Welcome! And thank you, kindly. [blushes] I'm glad you like this little tid-bit of a tale. I understand your concern about Lily, though. And you've not offended me, so don't worry about that. ;) I think she's still adjusting to her new world a little. She'll be getting into some trouble once she feels brave enough to challenge her new boundaries, though. I've been around enough children to know that none can be complete angels, though they might appear to be at first glance. :p

I hope to update again next weekend, but as the last three weeks have proven, it would be better that I didn't guarantee that update at this time.

- Gaeruil