He made a stern figure, that James Norrington, as he stood on the ramparts of the fort in the moonlight. Hands clasped behind his back, feet planted firmly shoulders' width apart. Full dress uniform, even though he hadn't been on duty for hours, standing attention for the sea and the stars and the moon.

Jade eyes lift upwards, silently counting constellations out of the random smatterings of light; small ports of order amongst a sea of seeming chaos.

Almost imperceptibly, the tension leaves Norrington's shoulders and back, and a small smile forces itself onto the man's face.

"One day's head start, Sparrow. Just one."

-

Captain Jack Sparrow leaned against the mast in the crow's nest, arm curling playfully around it as the other hand lifted the bottle to his lips once more.

'Or would that be a Sparrow's nest?' he thought to himself with a grin, swaying along with his Pearl.

'No matter,' he decided after a moment. 'I got ye back, luv, and that's all that matters. Just so long as it's you and ol' Jack.' Hands caress the warm wood softly.

Aye, Captain Jack had all he needed now, didn't he? The black ship laughed along the water as her captain's gaze shifted to the horizon, to a port put far behind, to a promise he knew had been made.

He couldn't say how he knew. It was just one of those things that happened sometimes, he surmised.

"One day's head start, eh?"

Jack tilted his head a moment, thinking.

'Ye sure ye couldn't spare anymore, mate?"

-

A/N: It's been a long time since I last posted a fanfic, so feedback would be greatly appreciated.