Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 12. I want to thank you guys for reading this story and reviewing it. It truly does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story. I hope that you guys will enjoy this chapter and I have to admit that I'm sad to see this story go, but we have one more story, maybe a few more that will go on. I can't wait to show you guys what happens next in this series. Without further ado Chapter 12. ENJOY!

Chapter 12

Cutler Beckett sat at his desk signing papers. His mind drifting to the young women that left not so long ago. The one defending her younger sister and the woman that he wanted to marry was never too far from his thoughts ever. Perhaps he would be able to get her to wed him if things go even more wrong. But it was only a hope.

Mercer came into the room looking at the man that he called his boss. "The last of our ships has returned."

Beckett looked up from the papers that he was signing. "Word on the chest?"

"None. But the ships picked up a man, set adrift by the look of it. He had these." Mercer said handing over the Letters of Marque over to him.

Beckett glanced at them and spotted the name written on them. He looked up. "James Norrington?"

James was to the one side under arm escort. "I took the liberty of filling in my name."

"If you intended to claim these, then you must have something to trade. You have the compass?"

James's lips quirked. "Better." He tossed the burlap bag on the desk with a thump and the bag began to beat. "The heart of Davy Jones."

Beckett approached the bag and peered inside of it before closing it up. "Remarkable."

James took a breath looking at Beckett. "Then I've won commission as a privateer?"

"Better." Beckett took the presentation case from the shelf behind him and set it on his desk. He flipped it open and walked towards the balcony door.

James gazed into the case, it held his sword. He lifted it out reverently examining it. His old life. The man that Rose would want to marry. The man that he could become once again.

"Reinstatement to your former rank and status, all rights and privileges attendant. And I believe a promotion is due, as well. Do you agree, Admiral Norrington?"

James took a breath. That was something more than he could ever dream of. A step higher from before and Rose would be happy. They could live their lives together. Then with military precision drew the sword and rested it over his left arm aimed at the heart. "Give the order, sir."

"Oh, no, no, no. No. That would be terribly imprudent. Where is the profit in killing Jones when we can instead add another ship to your fleet?"

James gave him a confused look.

"The Flying Dutchman." He opened the door staring out to where the Dutchman was in the port. "Whoever controls the heart of Davy Jones, controls the sea."

"The map is finished sir." The artist said looking up from his work.

Beckett stared at the map, his lips quirking. "Just the way I imagined it."

"Sir…" James said moving forward. "About my fiance."

"Ah your lovely wife to be, Rose Swann… the woman that denied me marriage…" Beckett let out a soft hum. "What about her?"

"Will she be free?" James asked softly. He couldn't bring himself to watch Rose even go to the gallows. It was something that he refused to see.

"You want Rose Swann to be free?"

"Sir…"

"And if Rose Swann is free…"

"She and I will follow your every order sir." James said, bowing his head in respect. He was doing everything that he possibly could to make sure that she was free.

Beckett let out a hum in thought. He had to admit that it was rather tempting to have the woman that he fancied and the man that she loved under the same contract that he would be able to watch them both. But what made him angry was that James was willing to do what he could to save Rose from the gallows. He had his own idea of saving her from the gallows but he knew that she would rather go to the gallows than accept his offer to be his bride. So this was the only way that he could agree.

"Sir?"

"Right, of course. Miss Swann will be free from the gallows upon her return. She will follow every order that you give her."

James swallowed the lump in his throat knowing that he was accepting a deal that was going to be hard on Rose to accept. Following orders of a man that he knew that she disliked. But the only thing that he could do was to save her life. "Yes sir." He said firmly knowing that he was sealing her fate along with his own. He could only hope that Rose would forgive him for what he had done.

Beckett's lips quirked into a smirk knowing that he had clipped the elder Swann sister's wings and there would be nothing that the woman could do about it. Not against her husband's wishes. He knew that he had the Swann family right where he wanted them and he wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon.

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This is the end of Chapter 12. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. We are well on our way to the final chapter. I can't wait to show you guys what happens next in this story in the final chapter. I'm sure that you guys have some idea of what is to happen. But I promise you that there is more to it. I wanted to add this chapter in to make sure that you guys knew I wasn't forgetting James and what he was doing for Rose. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews help me keep going when it comes to writing. I have the title for the next story all ready to go. The next story in this series is called Tortured. There is a reason because both James and Rose will be going through a lot in the next story. I hope to have the final chapter out soon. Until next time.