Lorelei stood in the commodore's cabin patiently waiting for him to give her something to wear. Not that she particularly minded being naked, but he apparently wanted her to be clothed. Damn, those British men and their uptight sensibilities.

James felt Lorelei's eyes on his back as he dug through his wardrobe looking for anything that she could wear. He didn't have a single dress for her to wear, but he did have a shirt and some trousers that she could fit into. They were meant for a boy, but they would fit her thin and lean body.

"These will have to do," he said as he held them out to her.

The mermaid took them and started to put them on right in front of his eyes. He quickly turned his back to give her some privacy all the while blushing like a fiend.

Lorelei pulled the shirt on over her head and draped her long red hair over her shoulder. She noticed the commodore had his back turned to her and she laughed.

"No need to be so modest, Commodore Norrington," she said, "You've already seen everything."

"I'm afraid that I must be," he retorted.

"And why is that?" she asked as she took a few steps towards him.

"I am a man of the king's navy and I must be of the utmost moral character."

Lorelei laughed as she stood behind him.

"I've never met a navy man as dedicated to morality as you," she said, "Most men would be begging for me to take all of their troubles away."

"I'm not like most men."

"You've most certainly proven that," she retorted, "Now I have a question for you, Commodore."

He turned to face her and found that she was, to his relief, clothed.

"And what would that be?"

"If you're not interested in having me in your bed, then why did you save my life?"

James was silent as he pondered her question. Why exactly had he saved the mermaid's life? He wasn't interested in what she was trying to offer him, but he had to admit that she was beautiful. Her eyes spoke to him and her hair was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was much more vibrant than anything he had ever seen before in all of his travels.

Lorelei raised an eyebrow and watched the man before her closely as he was deep in thought.

"It's what any good man would have done," he finally answered.

She frowned at his response. He was hiding something and she would do all that she could to uncover it.

Night fell and James didn't know what to do about Lorelei. She couldn't sleep with the crew because they would no doubt kill her. The only option was for her to stay in his quarters. They could share the bed or… he quickly pushed the thought out of his head. She would sleep in his bed and he'd sleep in a chair.

Lorelei was already stripping out of her clothes as he looked over some charts. She watched him for a bit and walked up behind him.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked.

He was startled by how close she was and had to hide his surprise.

"You will be sleeping alone, Ms. Lorelei," he said, "as will I."

She gave him a judgmental look and grabbed his chair. She started dragging it across the room towards the bed and he was stunned at her strength. She came to a stop at his bed and leaned in to his ear.

"Either you get in willingly or I'll dump you out."

"It's improper," he said before she quickly cut him off.

"Nobody will know," she countered, "so your precious reputation will be safe. I won't tell a soul. Cross my heart, James."

It felt strange to hear her say his first name so casually.

"Make your choice," she said, "or I'll make it for you."

James reluctantly rose from the chair and sat on the edge of his bed. Lorelei grinned at her handiwork and picked up the chair to return it to its rightful place. He watched her return and felt uncomfortably warm. She sat next to him and smiled at him.

"Relax, commodore," she said, "I don't bite."

He couldn't relax with her right next to him! He stiffened as she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"If you want, I'll wear clothes to bed," she offered.

"Please," he muttered.

"As you wish."

She got up to get dressed once more. James looked away and tried to occupy himself with thoughts that were anything but her.

Lorelei slipped the shirt over her head and padded across the floor to Commodore Norrington. Was he this nervous around every woman? No wonder he wasn't engaged!

"Better?"

He looked up at her and nodded his head silently. She sat beside him and eyed him curiously.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to make you so shy about women?"

"Not on your life."

She frowned. Oh, he was going to be a tough nut to crack. But she was up for the challenge.

"Why don't you lay back, commodore?"

He was silent. Lorelei rolled her eyes and shoved him back against the pillows.

"There," she said as she laid down next to him, "Now just relax."

He quickly glanced away and she frowned in response. She grasped his chin and forced him to look at her as she leaned over him. Her blue eyes stared straight into his and he felt his chest tighten uncomfortably at how close she was.

"You haven't been sleeping well," Lorelei said as she took in the dark circles under his eyes.

He brushed her hand off of his chin and rolled onto his side away from her. She sighed loudly and grabbed his shoulder tightly before rolling him onto his back. She pressed him down into the mattress and James was surprised to find that he couldn't move that half of his body. How was she so strong?!

"Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you," she said with a harsh edge to her musical voice, "it's very rude to ignore a lady when she's speaking."

"I'm not sure if I could call you a lady," he muttered dryly and she laughed in response.

"And I thought you were a model gentleman. Glad to see you have some fire to you."

James did not like the way she had said that. It sounded like she was plotting something.

Lorelei grinned and tilted her head slightly to the side. Her fiery red hair cascaded down her shoulders and framed her unearthly beautiful face.

"Should I sing you to sleep?" she asked teasingly.

He snorted and gripped her wrist tightly.

"I'd rather not be treated like a child."

Suddenly her other hand was on top of his. It was warm and strong.

"A mermaid's voice can lure a man to sleep," she said, "I could help you sleep through the night, commodore."

He stared up at her as he mulled over her words. He had been having trouble sleeping. Sleep brought dreams and dreams brought along reminiscences of his past failures. He'd stay awake until he couldn't any longer, so that he would have a dreamless slumber. Lorelei raised a red eyebrow as she watched him think.

"Whatever haunts you won't you find you while you sleep," she assured him, "I'll make sure of it."

Did she really have the power to keep the dreams at bay? He glanced down at her hand and felt the pressure of her palm on his shoulder. She was already stronger than he had initially thought she was. Perhaps she could do other things that he had never even considered possible. Finally he nodded his head and the mermaid smiled.

Lorelei began to sing in a melodic and soft voice. Her voice was utterly captivating and soothing at the same time. James could distinctly hear every word she sang, but recognized that they sounded foreign to his ears.

"Kuulin äänen, kuulin, kuulin äänen kullaltani
Heläyksen, helä-heläyksen hertaltani
Luulin luona, luulin, luulin luona olleheni
Läsnä lämmitelle, läsnä lämmitelleheni"

His eyes were growing heavy as the melody echoed in his mind. For the first time in months, his mind seemed to finally be at peace.

"En mie luona, en mie, en mie luona ollutkaan
En mie läsnä, en mie, en mie läsnä lämmiteltkään
Olin viien, olin, olin viien viikon päässä
Kuuen kuukauen, kuuen kuukauen nenässä"

His eyes finally closed and his breathing became peaceful. The last thing he heard before he drifted off into sleep was Lorelei's foreign melody and the sound of waves.

Lorelei finished her song and watched the commodore as he slept. His once rugged features were now softened by sleep and she couldn't help but smile. He was quite a handsome man. She moved her hand to his cheek and gently touched his warm skin.

"Tulet kiinni minua kuin oravakuusen," she said softly as she watched his chest rise and fall. She laid down beside him and closed her eyes. In her mind's eye she could see the frigid waters in which she had been born and raised. She could hear the musical language of the seafaring men and the songs of the women as they gathered water from the river. Villages were surrounded by canopies of green forest and she smiled before finally succumbing to sleep.

(Author's Note:)

The song Lorelei sings is a Finnish folk song called Kuulin äänen. The Finnish phrase she says translates to "You will cling to me like a squirrel on a fir tree" in English.