A Line In The Sand: Deleted Scenes
Scene 5: How James Came To Sail Through A Hurricane

Author's Note: I was going to write this as a stand-alone piece within the film canon, but I thought I could just as easily use it as a deleted scene. This is my interpretation of what happened to make James reckless enough to sail through a hurricane, although, of course, in film canon, Victoria Turner is not there to witness it.

James realised who Edward Smith was towards the end of the first day, when he was inspecting the ship. The cabin boy was taller than he had expected and there was something familiar in the particular motion he was using for swabbing the deck. The boy put a hand up to push his long fringe out of his eyes and tuck it under his hat when James caught a glimpse of the face. Immediately the blue eyes snapped away from his and became intent on their task.

It took James less than a second to make the connection. He himself had taught her how to be a good sailor, her lessons starting on the passage to Port Royal and continuing in the stories of his men he had told her on their walks. On the passage, she had gleefully helped swab the decks of the Dauntless, her merry laughter making him grin as she surveyed the damp front of her dress.

He did not mention Victoria Turner's presence to her or his men, thought her safety was constantly in his mind and he felt an odd prickle of pride when he heard Master Smith praised.

The days passed with no hint of the Black Pearl before them and James became restless, wondering how it could be that one day's head start could have put so much distance between them. Perhaps Victoria's presence on board made him more restless, knowing she was so close that he could talk to her, but was unable to.

Their first glimpse of the Pearl came two weeks after they set out and James's heart leapt, thinking they could return to Port Royal soon and no harm would be done. But Jack gave him the slip.

It was to become a familiar pattern and James began to feel something new – a sense of mounting panic and desperation. How many times would Jack escape before his men started questioning him? How many times before even Gillette began to wish they could give up this wild goose chase?

And yet he couldn't go back to Port Royal empty-handed. What a fool he would look – especially before Elizabeth and Will Turner.

He thought of Victoria's loyalty – that unwavering belief she had in his abilities and he soldiered on. Determined to catch Jack Sparrow – increasingly determined to catch him or die trying. Because something else was stirring along with that ever present worry for her safety – a wish not to fail while she was there to witness it.

The men had grown restless by the time they reached Tripoli, but James's zeal had reached maddening proportions. When the weather changed, it was Groves who came to him, a feeling of relief making him feel light.

"Commodore Norrington, it's a hurricane. Unmistakable, sir."

Groves knew James of old. He was certain James would not be foolhardy enough to sail through a hurricane, but he knew just as well that James was unlikely to turn back without good reason. And in the darkening sky, the uneasy rumble of the waves below them, Groves thought he had found the reason.

The word "hurricane" bit into James and he considered for a long moment. He had never once sailed his men into any danger that he felt they were unequal to and he would never have sailed them into a hurricane. He had never done it before – valuing their lives higher than anything else.

But James also knew Tripoli. He knew it as well as Jack Sparrow could know it. And hurricanes in Tripoli were rare. Not exactly unheard of, but rare. Jack would sail through the storm, thinking James too weak to follow. But James was no fool – his men could survive a mere storm, they had survived worse. He would show Jack Sparrow that he knew how unlikely it was that they would hit a hurricane off the coast of Tripoli.

"Then we sail through it, Lieutenant, as Sparrow undoubtedly will."

Groves blinked, as though not quite certain he had heard correctly, but he nodded and walked away to convey the message to Gillette.

It was as James was returning to his cabin that he noticed "Edward Smith" and realised with a lurch that he hadn't thought of her at all.