A Line In The Sand
Chapter Eight

Author's Note: Here's where things change because Norrington's now part of the action. I suppose this is the line in the sand - the point where my story really does diverge from canon. However, I have no intention of trying to recreate the battle sequence, because it would be very long and I would be completely unable to do it justice. So, I'll just highlight the main points and say where James and Victoria were.

Elizabeth was stunned when Victoria crawled on deck, turning to help a waterlogged James aboard.

"You came," she said distantly, as though she hadn't believed he would.

"I had no choice," he muttered.

"Come below," Victoria said. "I'll find you some dry clothes. You can't go before the Court dressed like that. Excuse me, Captain Swann."

He followed her below deck, his uniform cold and heavy, dripping water in his wake. He felt like one of Jones's men, oozing water all over the place and felt an odd sort of lurch inside him as he realised she had saved his life. He broke his concentration for a moment, determined to see both women off the ship and had she not stepped in, he would be dead. Jones would be offering him a place before the mast. He squinted through the gloom and could see her riffling around for clothes as though nothing had happened.

"Father. It's all right... It's me. Victoria. Victoria Turner. You're Bill Turner - I'm your daughter. I'm Will's sister."

That man had been her father.

James stood watching her, a puddle forming around his feet, feeling like a fool. She had impaled her father - pinned him to the ship. She had done that to save him. Because he hadn't been paying attention.

Above, he heard the drum of boots, Elizabeth's shrill orders

"She's making for Shipwreck, isn't she?" he said thickly.

"We don't have a choice. There's nowhere else. There's nothing else. You picked a losing side, Norrington. Here," she tossed him a pair of trousers. "They look like they'd fit. Here's a shirt. There's some spare boots over there. I'll get you a sword."

He grabbed her as she went to leave, harder than on the Dutchman, but in the same place, in the crook of her elbow.

"We must speak."

"Later. Get changed. There isn't time for this now."

"Where is Will?"

She was halfway up the stairs when he asked and he couldn't see her face, but her hands were trembling at her sides.

"I don't know," she replied after a moment. "He remained with the Pearl when Elizabeth and I came to the Empress," she came down a few steps so that she could lean over the rail. "But he's still alive. Of that I'm certain."

She came back when he was straightening his sleeves and handed him a new sword.

"It's not as good a sword as yours, but it will do."

"No," he studied the sword. "But that was an exquisite piece. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in my life. You and your brother are very talented," she gave him a sharp look, surprised. "I am not always a fool, Victoria."

They looked at each in silence for a moment. He still had not mentioned what had happened on the Dutchman. She took a step towards him and raised her hand. Her fingers skimmed past his cheek and up to his hair. She slipped her fingers under his wig and pulled it off. She squeezed it in her fist and the sound of water rattled against the floor. He put his hand over her clenched fist.

"I'm sure you're father will be all right."

"I know he will," she said roughly, but she turned a sickly white and he heard the slop of his wig hitting the floor as it slipped from her suddenly limp fingers.

"He'll forgive you."

"It won't matter. He won't remember."

She was gulping hard, but James pressed the point ruthlessly, almost cruelly. He wasn't sure why he asked the question, only that he needed to know and that this might be his only chance.

"Would you… Would you still have done it, if you thought it would hurt him?"

"Would I have chosen you, you mean?" he nodded and she pulled her hand away from his and sighed. "Yes, I would."

"Why?"

She gave him a look that was almost pitying. She managed a weak, sad smile and walked away from his as she said, "You are not always a fool, Norrington."

"How did you convince him to leave the Dutchman?" Elizabeth asked, sitting down beside Victoria, who was coiling a length of rope with unnecessary concentration.

"I didn't," Victoria shrugged. "I dragged him overboard."

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up and Victoria bristled slightly.

"You asked him to come with us. I was only following your orders."

"It's not that. It's just…" Elizabeth searched the deck for him and watched for a moment, as he helped Tai Hueng adjust the sails. "You've always loved him, haven't you?"

"What makes you say that?" Victoria asked sharply.

"You followed him through a hurricane, Vicky," Elizabeth said gently. "And you've always been… close. He was always interested in how you were getting on. And I remember how you would follow him all over the ship when we were sailing to Port Royal."

Victoria went to pick up the rope, but Elizabeth grabbed it and forced her to stop.

"We've never been close, you and I, have we?"

"Captain, I really must get on –"

"I know you think I took Will away from you –"

"You didn't," Victoria replied, more fiercely than she had intended. "Will is my brother. He will always be my brother. But… for fourteen years, Will was mine and then he met you and I had to share him. He loves you so much and I – I suppose I never thought I'd lose him to another woman."

Elizabeth pulled the rope towards her, forcing Victoria to sit down again.

"He thought you died in that hurricane – we were so certain you were with James. We postponed the wedding for three months. He's always talking about you. When we were coming to Port Royal, while James was showing you the ship and Will was recovering, he talked about you so much. I envied you."

"I'm just his sister, Elizabeth. I'm nothing to envy."

"Neither am I," Elizabeth said, so softly that Victoria barely caught it. Elizabeth's eyes flickered to James and Victoria followed her glance. "I treated him badly. But you have never wavered."

"Much good it has done me. I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I really should get back to my duties. We must make Shipwreck by nightfall. Will'll be worried."

"Yes," Elizabeth agreed, standing up. "About both of us."

If Jack had been surprised to discover that Elizabeth was now Captain Swann, it was nothing to the surprise he felt when he realised who the tall man at Victoria's side was.

"Commodore?" he cried, then turning incredulously to Elizabeth. "Your first act as Captain is to bring the Scourge of Piracy before the Court?"

There was the immediate thunder of chairs and the metallic clicks of pistols being cocked and swords drawn.

"Former Admiral actually," Victoria replied quickly, drawing her pistol. "Which means he has information that could save our lives."

"Which means you will lower your weapons," Elizabeth added.

Barbossa, rolling his eyes, gestured at the others to lower their weapons.

"What were you saying about a traitor leading the Armada here?" Victoria asked Jack.

"If there is a traitor, he's hardly likely to be among us," Barbossa interjected quickly.

"Where's Will?" Elizabeth glanced round the table, then looked at Jack for an explanation.

"Not among us," Jack replied, shooting Elizabeth a smirk.

"But there is a traitor among us," Gentleman Jocard said, pointing to James. "Admiral says you. Enemy, says I."

"He rescued us from the Flying Dutchman," Victoria said.

"Which means I'm as likely as any of you to hang as a traitor," James added. "But I do have information about the Armada – its size and strength. Its possible battle plan. That is, if you intend to go to war with them."

"This is all your fault," Jack muttered to Victoria. "You had to bring that bloodthirsty pirate along when I'm trying to keep the peace."

Victoria insisted in accompanying them to the sandbank for the Parley: "I don't want to interrupt your meeting. I'll wait in the boat. I want to see Will."

And James, despite the disgruntled look she threw him, said he would come too: "I'm a stronger rower than Miss Turner. And we can't have the Pirate King and two Captains' rowing themselves ashore, can we?"

When Barbossa, Jack and Elizabeth left them in the boat, Victoria fell silent and stared down the bank to where Beckett, Jones and Will were waiting.

"I can't believe it," she muttered. "I never thought he'd go this far to save our father. He must have a reason."

When James looked at Victoria; her expression was like a dragging claw in his heart. She was glowering at her brother's figure at the end of the sandbank, her lips were curved down and her eyes were wide with disappointment.

She watched as Jack and Will switched places and scrambled out of the boat, squinting in the sun for a better look.

"Something's happened," James commented. "They wouldn't give Jack to Beckett without good reason."

"But what good reason?" Victoria asked. "What can Jack do for us on the Dutchman?"

She ran to meet them when they turned back to return to the boat.

"What's happening?" she asked. "Why did you give them Jack?"

"He's a fool," Will answered cryptically. "And he has a cause to fight for."

She stared at him and he placed a hand deliberately on his hip and ran his finger across the dagger he had tucked there. She didn't understand for a moment, until she heard his voice, from back when they were sailing to World's End, "Our father gave me this."

"You really have got the hang of thinking like Jack, Will," she commented as they reached the boat.

"And you're still full of surprises, Vicky," Will replied, casting a look at James and inclining his head. "Norrington."

"Mister Turner."

James turned swiftly away from Will to hand Victoria into the boat. As he climbed in himself, he realised she was stilling holding his hand.

"And so," she said. "We are at war."

He squeezed her hand and was pleasantly surprised to feel her squeezing back.