(Norrington's POV)

And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now


And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

She was leaving. My heart had stopped and my throat clenched when I head her utter those three sentences: "…And the explanation is that I've found my way back. The door you saw me at is my way home. I'll be leaving in a few days, so if I don't see you again, goodbye."

I made my rounds, completed my duty in the normal manner and without thinking on it much. When I returned to my quarters, however, the realization that she would no longer be in Port Royal come the end of the week was a bit of a shock.

I could not just let her leave. The image of her bruised face was amazingly still fresh in my mind, and the story she had told of how she had come by it was horrifying. Who would beat their children and make them feel so worthless? My father could have, but he was too much of a gentleman to actually do it, I thought. And her way back was in the fort.

There were several ways in which I knew I could approach this. One was simply to have her banned from the fort. Another was to request that she not leave. She would suspect something either way. What baffled my mind was that she wanted to go back at all.

"Fiona, what are you thinking?" I said aloud, resting my head in the palm of my hand. "Perhaps I should go talk to her…in the morning." Could I wait until then? Wait, the hanging was in the morning. "Perhaps she is still up." I glanced at the table clock – 11:56. No, she would not be. I would have to wait until after the hanging, to my utter chagrin.

I went out onto the ramparts, trying to dispel my restlessness. Everything was peaceful, calm, in order, everything perfectly in place, just as it should be. Except me. What the devil was going on? I kept my outward appearance under control, staring out at the docks as my insides twisted and my chest clenched. As my eyes traveled along the edge of the beach, where small waves broke upon the shore, I saw a figure sitting on the edge of the pier, in the dim starlight. It was too dark to distinguish anything from this distance. Retrieving an eyeglass, I peered down at the figure, who was holding was appeared to be an instrument, something similar to a…guitar. The eyeglass dropped.

"Fiona," I whispered. Shoving the eyeglass into the hand of the nearest guard, I left the fort, going quickly down to the docks. I slowed, trying to be as quiet as possible on the pier she sat on the end of. She had put the guitar down by this point. Walking forward and maintaining a calm disposition, I confronted her.

"Miss Fitzgerald, may I be so bold as to ask what you're doing out on the pier at this time of night when most of the rest of the town is asleep."

She jumped with fright, on her feet in a scrambling hurry. Breathing hard, she put her hand over her heart and leaned against one of the poles keeping the pier anchored.

"You have a nasty habit of surprising people," she gasped. "Especially me."

"I suppose that's why I'm so good at catching pirates." She smirked, but said nothing. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking."

"Why are you leaving?" I asked, knowing it was useless to avoid the subject any longer than necessary.

"Why do you care?" she returned softly, not raising her gaze from the dock's wooden slats. I lifted her chin, and in the dim light of the torches saw tears on her cheeks. My brow furrowed, and she turned away.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," I confessed in a murmur, surprised at my own boldness. I felt much younger than my 31 years. With difficulty, I continued. "I have been struggling with my emotions ever since that day in the library, maybe even before. Elizabeth is not the forefront of my thoughts now. You are…you have so many admirable qualities that I could never hope to find in a woman. Admittedly, you lack on a few points, but those can be fixed because I know you have the strength to fix them."

Fiona faced me, her cheeks dry.

"I swear, if you break my heart, I'll make your life miserable," she whispered, eyes blazing but suspicious and timid.

"I shall do my best not to. I only want to help you." Tears fell down her cheeks, and she came forward, arms open, putting them around my waist. For a moment, I was unsure of what to do in this situation. Here I was, being hugged by a woman who I had known only a few months, and yet felt the world for. Perhaps the rules did not matter now, in the middle of the night. Moving her over into the shadows under the overhang of houses on the path that led up from the beach to the city, I held her, putting aside all second thoughts and damning, for the moment, proper etiquette. Her head came up to my chin, which I rested on her sandy-blond hair, and she nestled into my chest.

"Thank you, Lawrence," she said, voice thick with tears. My heart throbbed with new warmth, and I felt about 10 years younger. I wouldn't say I was giddy, I would say I was spilling over with happiness.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
How you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

Intro Lyrics By Goo-Goo Dolls.

Ending Lyrics By Don McLean, "Vincent"