A/N: The next chapter will not in any way be "gratuitous," but I'm going to bring the story up to an "M" rating just to be safe, so look for it in that section. If you have a problem with this, I understand of course, and you will be able to skip that chapter without losing too much information. Thank you!

3 C


I'm not dead just floating
Underneath the ink of my tattoo
I've tried to hide my scars from you
I'm not scared just changing
Right beyond the cigarette and the devilish smile
You're my crack of sunlight

I'm not dead just yet
I'm not dead I'm just floating
Doesn't matter where I'm going
I'll find you…
Underneath the cuts and bruises
Finally gained what no one loses…
I will find you

I'm not dead just floating
I'm not scared just changing
You're my crack of sunlight

Pink, "I'm not Dead"


Evelyn was dreaming.

Happily dreaming, where she was somewhere warm and inviting…and there were tea cakes.

Outside of her bedroom, a blood red Caribbean sun was dawning, but she did not notice, caught within the cool darkness of her shuttered bedroom and the comfort of the dream.

Somewhere, in the regions of Evelyn's mind where she was beginning to wake up, she recalled that she had something to do today, something pressing…

…Oh never mind that, sleep was so much more inviting.

"Madame please!" Marie whispered desperately for the fifth time. "Madame you must rise now if we are to have you ready for the ceremony this morning."

"What!" Evelyn spoke up groggily. "What? No, no tea cakes. So…so much more important."

With a frustrated shake of the head, Marie walked over to the windows and threw back the draperies. Evelyn cried out at the sudden, much hated invasion of sunlight, and turned her face into the pillows. Her sleep fogged mind still had no concept of why Marie was so insistent upon her waking.

"Madame really!"

"No…tea cakes. Sleep. It's so early. Why are we awake Marie?"

"Because your getting married this morning Lady Beckett."

Evelyn's eyes shot open, fully awake.

"Bloody hell."


The sun had barley risen over Port Royal when the wedding preparations were being executed. The ceremony was scheduled for that morning in the island's large, Anglican church, with a celebration following at Cutler Beckett's private estate. Every man and woman for hire in the city was running about, making sure that the wedding of his Lordship's sister was nothing less than perfection.

From the dense shadows of the tropical forest, a lone figure watched them.

Waiting.


"Madame, please, you must hold still."

"Marie, if I hold still any longer I'm going to lose my mind. Quite literally. I shall go stark raving mad and probably run away and become a pirate myself."

"Yes, Lady Beckett, of course you will. There must be at least a hundred buttons running down the back of this dress. Oh it is exquisite though…"

Evelyn bit her lip to keep herself from swearing as Marie finished buttoning her into the wedding dress. After all, the gown had been made to Evelyn's order. If she didn't like the buttons, she had no one but herself to blame. But they were exquisite though…


James Norrington finished buttoning his brocade jacket and swallowed.

Hard.

She was only a corridor away from him.

She.

Her.

Evelyn.

Evelyn Beckett.

Evelyn Norrington?

A cold sweat broke out all over him, and suddenly James felt the smothering weight of his dress uniform begin to overtake him. With a grunt of discomfort he shrugged the greatcoat off his shoulders and pulled at his cravat, desperate for the fresh air to touch his skin.

He wished that his father were alive. Desperately. No, no scratch that. James's thoughts slid once more into darkness. He was glad that his father was dead. Edward Norrington should not have to see what his son had become, Admiral or no…

…James was still the man who was marrying a woman at the command of Cutler Beckett. James was still the man who had handed Cutler Beckett all the power that the seas could offer.

Somewhere, the heart was still beating.


"A creature is going to fly into my head."

Marie made a face, but did not even bother answering as she wove another small blue flower into Evelyn's hair.

"Marie, are you listening to me?"

"Do you think another flower would balance it better?"

"Marie!"

"Of course Madame!" Marie quickly answered, deciding that Evelyn's hair had enough flowers in it. Stepping back to observe her work, the young servant could not help but grin ear to ear.

"What?" Evelyn asked nervously, standing up. Marie watched as the dress fanned out all around her, the blue silk falling gracefully to the floor, creating the most perfectly elegant lines. As far as embellishments the gown was rather plain. It was the magnificent structure that caught the eye, the way that it clung and fell perfectly around Evelyn's body that was brilliant…and the buttons. All down Evelyn's back, one hundred black mother of pearl buttons created a graceful arch of design from the neck to the train. Her hair was all pinned up, the black curls twisting into one another, with small blue flowers and several black pearl clips woven in to them.

Marie's smile grew.

Evelyn's face dropped. What in the whole of hell was Marie laughing about. She was hot, sweating, and ready to collapse under the weight of her hair. None of that was even remotely humorous! How could any of this be happening? She was Evelyn Beckett, the Evelyn Beckett.

Surely God had never intended for Evelyn Beckett to be married to an honorable man? Or maybe he had? Perhaps God was having a great big laugh, perhaps every one was having a great big laugh and they could all just laugh and laugh and laugh together.

"Marie what is so God damned funny?"

Marie laughed out loud.

"Of for Christ's sake!"

Evelyn no longer cared about checking her tongue. It was her wedding day. She should be aloud to swear.

"Oh Madame, forgive me. It's just that…" She smiled again. "You're beautiful."


The Church was beginning to fill with people.

From the brush, the dark figure watched them all filing in. From all the uniformed men present, the shadow reasoned that it must be an officers wedding.

The sun was rising in the sky. The bride would be here soon.

Perhaps this was the shadow's chance to do what had to be done; to find who they had to find. If every one was here, distracted, then he could be located, spoken to; reasoned with.

Yes, but where—

The shadow's eyes widened when the groom came into view.

It was James Norrington.


James had expected to feel many things today: Apprehension, annoyance, regret, anger…every one of those lovely emotions had made his list of wedding day possibilities…

…but not this.

Not absolute astonishment. Not a confusion so deep that it was painful.

He hadn't felt it when he had walked into the church, surrounded by the society that had once loved him, then shunned him, only to love him once more that he was in Cutler Beckett's favor. He hadn't felt it when he had seen the endless rows of his comrades, all dressed in their best uniforms and smiling on his behalf.

James hadn't even the nerve to look at Gillette and Groves, both of whom had survived the hurricane disaster to return to active duty.

But then Evelyn had appeared, and everything else had melted away.

What he felt towards her, he still had no idea, but up until that moment, James had considered her a plain sort of woman, perhaps one that could be considered mildly attractive if dressed properly.

But this woman, this woman walking slowly towards him down the aisle, being escorted by an ever-clad-in-black Cutler Beckett, this woman was stunning. She was radiant; she was glowing.

And it struck James like a fist to the gut that the reason he found her so beautiful was because she was about to become his.

His.

Cutler handed Evelyn off to James, and the two turned toward the priest before them.

"Thanks be to God, and welcome this day…" he began.


"I do," Evelyn murmured quietly, aware that the words had sounded foreign to her, as if she had spoken another language altogether. They were heavy words, she could still feel the weight of them on her tongue.

I do.

With two words, she had changed her life forever.

With two words, she had left everything behind her. With two words, life began again.

"Kiss your bride." The priest said with a smile.

Evelyn's subconscious raced. Bloody hell. She had forgotten about this part. Perhaps she could—but James was already moving, his face moving down towards her, his fingers brushing lightly on the underside of her chin.

And then they were kissing, finally, in front of family, friends, and God. More than anything, Evelyn wanted to melt into the embrace, to simply let herself go and forget all the reasons why she shouldn't allow herself to care for James Norrington.

But she didn't. As the kiss spun on, she grew more afraid. It was an awkward emrace, dry and unsure of itself, a kiss that did not know where to go or what to do. It was a kiss that was by no means tender and certainly in no way romantic.

But by the time James pulled away, his on fire with something that Evelyn suspected was mirrored in her own, she was trembling anyway.

And that was the moment that she knew that she was well and truly doomed.

Awkward, dry, not tender…and all that she wanted was more. All that she wanted to do was melt into him…and have him melt right back into her.

This man, whom she of course had decided long ago was not worth caring about.

"God help me," she whispered.

Oh. A wedding night. The wedding night. There was still that.

When she looked up, James was staring at her.


The dark figure had been watching the wedding guests for hours, dancing and dining upon the enormous outdoor terrace at Cutler Beckett's estate. The night had been a decadent feast of food, champagne and dancing, but the dark figure had at all times tried to keep their eyes upon the bride and groom…

…and exceedingly difficult challenge, seeing as the pair had been in each other's company for approximately five minutes.

They had had the opportunity to take one dance with each other, but then had been whisked away by various well wishers, and had been detained for the rest of their night, drowning in guests.

Suddenly, the dark figure had a disturbing thought. It was very likely that the Norrington's would be taking a small sojourn in each other's company immediately following the wedding—

—and then it might be too late.

Yes, there was no other way. Norrington would have to be dealt with tonight.