Obligatory disclaimer: The Mouse owns all, save my own original characters.

Norrington made a point of avoiding Miss Ramage the rest of the day and only saw her once in passing that evening, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Julia. After giving her a full access tour of the ship, where Julia was shown more of the ship than she could ever imagine, Captain Norrington disappeared into his cabin and did not emerge until many hours later, the dismissal of his passenger rather abrupt.

Left to her own devices, Julia opted to roam the passageways below deck for a bit of time, finding a bevy of animals eager for attention. Knowing the chickens were for later meals as well as a source of eggs, Julia found the goats on board a strange anomaly. If I ask, I know I will get an answer I do not want to hear, so do not get too attached to them, Julia. Sighing, she scratched a goat between the ears before continuing her exploration of the hallways. Outside her room, she ended up making friends if the feline persuasion when a cat flopped down at her feet, demanding attention. A smile curved Julia's lips as she realized that she had just met the only friend she had to her name.

Scooping the cat up in her arms, who chirped in agreement, Julia retired to her cabin also as the crew, especially First Mate Thaddeus Cobb, were a little too attentive for her comfort. After her full access tour, Captain Norrington had the men line up on deck so he could formally introduce his passenger to his men. The introduction was overwhelming, as there were so many whose names Julia struggled to recall and their enthusiasm was a wall of energy pressing against Julia. Granted, some met her with open hostility, but, overall, she felt like a prize mare being paraded before a herd of stallions. Banishing herself to the small room, despite feeling the toss of the waves more violently, was preferable to the company of the crew of the Amphitrite. At least, for the time being. After all, she now had a cat for companionship, for he now followed Julia everywhere, like a little puppy.

The next morning, after a visit to his crew's quarters, Captain Norrington came above deck and was surprised to spot Miss Ramage at the bow of the ship. Gone was his decision to watch the sun rise, for his passenger was leaning far over the rail. Although it did not appear as if she were ill. But, he surmised, she could be looking to jump ship. I could not be that lucky. Intrigued, he closed the gap between them with a purposeful stride.

Careful that his words did not startle her to badly that she did indeed topple overboard, Norrington quietly asked, "So what has caught your attention this morning?"

Julia looked back over her shoulder, strangely disappointed to find company, but once she saw it was the captain, she instinctively smiled a greeting. He stood a few paces to her left, his hands clasped behind his back. She was in such a jolly mood that she wanted to laugh with joy; the wind rushing over her as the ship sped through the waters was more invigorating than she could ever recall. But seeing his brow arched in puzzlement was more than she could bear – a peal of laughter rang from her throat in the early morning air. Julia was beyond thrilled to see the captain smile in return; it seemed that, at the moment, he was not irritated with her.

Why, when he looks happy, he is almost devilishly handsome.

Indeed, the captain was sporting a clean-shaven jaw and the clothing he had worn for the past two days, if not longer, had been replaced with a fresh ensemble. His shirt was of the latest style with wide cuffs turned back, decorated with braid and ornate buttons. A cravat, the newest rage, was tied jauntily at his throat. Plain breeches flowed into the tops of boots at the knees. The only pieces missing from his ensemble was a waistcoat and hat. His dark hair was freshly washed and tied back with a black silk ribbon. If she was not feeling so exhilarated, Julia might have been curious as to what precipitated his new found cleanliness.

Instead, Julia bobbed her chin in acknowledgement, her smile slipping into smirk, and turned her attention back to the water. She would be damned if she would give him cause to mock her, so Julia decided to be evasive. If Captain Norrington wanted to see what was of interest, he could step up and find out. Until then, Julia decided that since he had ignored her yesterday, she was going to show him that turn about was fair play.

A grin nearly threatened to split her face in two as Julia leaned so far over the railing, the captain worried she would soon swing a leg over. Julia was standing on the very tips of her toes, causing Norrington to become very apprehensive over the precarious position his passenger was putting herself into. He quickly closed the distance between them, in case she got any wild ideas and he had to stop her. Standing close enough to her to smell the lavender oil she dabbed in her hair, the captain closed his eyes for a moment, remembering standing so close to another woman, mumbling a proposal, and how she smelled like a field of lavender dancing in the wind.

Opening his eyes, Norrington found himself still on the main deck of his ship, the memory he recalled fading into the past. Before him was his passenger, leaning over the railing, her lips parted in near rapture. His curiosity piqued, he looked to see what kept her attention rapt.

Dolphins.

Of course.

Bracing herself against the railing, Julia spread her arms wide in glee, as if embracing the world around her. Norrington had a passing thought that she looked similar to the figurehead on the front of the ship. A goddess rising from the sea? Surely not. More like nightmare rising from Hell. However, when was the last time the ocean caused you such rapture? Is that not why you took to the waters in the first place? He had met many people in his life – had transported many passengers in his day – but none had the guilelessness as Miss Ramage. In others, Norrington knew he would find such enthusiasm irritating, but, for the moment, he found Julia quite refreshing. The last several years had caused him to age beyond his years, but at that moment, Norrington reveled in his passenger's enthusiasm.

"Have you ever seen a sight so grand? Looking at them – the smiles on their faces – they are almost… human!" Her face practically radiated with a fervent glow and a pointed finger punctuated her passionate answer to his question.

Norrington was barely able to resist the urge to laugh, but found holding back a grin an impossible feat. It had been a long time since he had seen anyone show such uncontained, unabashed excitement. And reflecting on that, Norrington mused that it probably had been even longer since he, himself, had felt any sense of giddiness.

Actually, the last time you felt any sense of joy, you fool, was the day you proposed to Elizabeth Swann. Nothing has made you as happy, or as sad, since.

Out of the corner of her eye, pulling her attention from the dolphins, Julia saw the flash of his teeth in the sun. As she turned, Julia noticed the smile ebb from his lips and in its stead, a firm line of anger settled in the smile's place. Biting her lip, she turned back to the pod of dolphins, trying to rekindle the small moment they had just shared.

Sighing, she propped her elbows on the railing and placed her index finger against her jaw, tapping gently, as if trying to remember something from the deep recesses of her mind. "'Once I sat…'" she began to quote. "Oh dear, now how does it go?"

"Pardon?" Norrington drew his brows together in confusion and cocked his head, as if he his hearing was poorly. What was this confounded woman talking about?

She shook her head in exasperation. Men were so frustrating, always rushing to push their ideas, their values, their judgments on women. "Hush now. I am trying to remember my Shakespeare. I think from his Midsummer Night's Dream. What is it that Oberon says? Oh yes…

'Thou rememberest
Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres
To hear the sea-maid's music.'"

Although Norrington hated to admit it, Miss Ramage surprised him – a feat few people were able to do. Norrington took pride in always being a few steps ahead of everyone else so that no one was able to blindside him in any way possible. Especially since Elizabeth Swann was able to do so quite nicely. But quoting Shakespeare was the last thing he would have ever expected out of his passenger. He would have to be more perceptive.

But Norrington felt an obligation to respond to her soliloquy. "Out of all the plays and poems, I do not recall that particular… monologue."

Julia curved her lips into a rueful smile, her blue eyes darkening as distant memories were relived. "When I was twelve, my tutor made me pick a passage from Midsummer to recite. I chose that particular portion because, at twelve, I loved the image of riding on the back of a dolphin, skimming the tops of frothy waves together. I spent days rehearsing that section over and over until I thought my parents would strangle my tutor. However, once you learn something like that, it will never leave the recesses of your mind. But I must confess, I had not even thought of that passage in years. It is odd what the mind chooses to remember when sparked by different situations."

Norrington had to admit that the woman before him was rather charming, although doing so publicly nigh on would have killed him. She looked so proud of herself as she tossed him a look over her shoulder, her chin nearly touching the fabric of her dress, a dimple kissing her cheek. Hating himself for taking up residence against the railing, Norrington found himself scant inches from Miss Ramage. So close that he could see her pulse beat on the inside of her wrist. If anyone found him in such close proximity to Miss Ramage and questioned his motives, Norrington would swear that she put a hex on him. As it was, spending time with his animated passenger was actually more rewarding than he was willing to admit. Even to himself.

Noticing how close Captain Norrington was to her and yet silent, Julia tried another tactic to draw him out of his self-imposed shell. Dipping her head demurely, she asked, "Captain, if I may, do you know why is it the dolphins are following the ship?"

His forearms resting on the rail, hands resting on top of the other, Norrington eyed the aquatic creatures frolicking with his ship, then Miss Ramage. A corner of his mouth quirked up in an attempt at a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. The idea of joy or happiness seemed more like a concept that Norrington had read about in books, but never actually experienced for himself, for it was so long ago that he last felt such an emotion. Yet being next to someone who wore their emotions so openly was almost intoxicating. Plus, she smelled like lavender.

Focus. On. The. Damn. Dolphins. You. Dolt.

Sleek and gray, there were about twelve of the animals swimming amongst the waves kicked up by the ship. Their chatter carried over the roar of the surf as the ship plowed through the water. Miss Ramage was right, the animals looked as if they were smiling, as if sharing some sort of secret amongst themselves. Captain Norrington was not at all sure of which was more entertaining – the dolphins surfing or Miss Ramage and her excitement.

Lacing his fingers together, clasping his hands, Norrington shrugged nonchalantly. "I must admit, I wondered for quite some time myself. At first, I used to think it was curiosity on their part. I had heard that dolphins have extraordinary sight and I always thought that they were being inquisitive about us on board. After all, we look nothing at all like other creatures in their sea. But I have since altered my theory and think that they are just playing in the waves. After all, look at how much fun they are having. But, regardless, their presence is viewed as a sign of good luck." Maybe their appearance will counter the bad luck of having a woman on board. Norrington shrugged his shoulders again and pivoted so that his back was to the rail and he was resting his weight on his elbows behind him. The sun was starting to slip away from kissing the horizon, a sign that he needed to get started with his duties. But, for some reason, he found himself wanting to loiter in Miss Ramage's presence.

But Norrington could linger no longer. Much work was to be done that morning, as the afternoon promised to be quite eventful. It was best to tackle to the tasks that awaited him. And the next one on his list was to clue his passenger into the upcoming events that were about to transpire.

Stepping away from the railing, his hands clasped behind his back once again, Norrington began to slowly pace as he began to formulate his train of thought. Knowing that she would be less than happy with the information he was about to divulge, Norrington figured that it was best to spit it out and retreat before Miss Ramage could protest. After all, there was little she could do about the situation.

Unable to look at her, lest he lose his nerve or bravado, Norrington looked past Julia to the horizon as he conveyed his plans. "By the way, I thought you should know that we will be docking in Nassau sometime this afternoon to pick up a sugar cane shipment bound for Charles Towne. The men will no doubt want to spend the evening on shore, entertaining and being entertained if you will, so once we dock I will help you find accommodations for the night. Your room will be covered by the cost of your fare, so please, do not worry about that. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it cannot be helped. Now, I must get going. Either I or one of the crew will let you know sometime this afternoon when we will be approaching port. Until then, good day."

A sputter of protest died on her lips when she realized that it would fall on deaf ears, as Captain Norrington beat a hasty retreat to the far side of the deck. Realizing it would be pointless to follow, Julia stood in frozen outrage as she watched Captain Norrington slip from sight. She was not as upset about the delay as she was the manner it which it was conveyed. What had happened to the moment of camaraderie that they had just been sharing? What did she do that caused him regress back to his aloof self? Frustrated that he denied her the ability to ask any questions, as well as his manner of conveying the information, Julia glared as loudly as she could in his general direction before stomping off in a huff and disappearing below deck.