Norrington's Darling

Take 2?

POV: James Norrington

Sparrow shoos Elizabeth away from the spot. "Move." He whistles to me. I take the shovel off my shoulder—and nearly decapitating Zuri. She yelps and dances out of my way.

"Sorry—!" I started, panic racing through my body.

"Norrington!" Sparrow called.

I snap my mouth shut and start to dig.

Sparrow sits down and begins to meditate. Elizabeth, who remains sitting in the sand, shares a glance with Zuri and both girls raise an eyebrow at Sparrow. Zuri shrugs and remains standing behind me. 

Shortly after, Zuri moves over to my right, clearly in my sight line, and sits down. What game is she playing? I wonder, but continue to work.

Suddenly my shovel hits something solid and hard, jarring my arms. Zuri scrambles closer as the four of us look into the hole. Together, we brush the sand of the top of the chest and open the large wooden chest. Elizabeth takes out a few letters and flowers, observing them. Zuri and I glance at each other for the first time without our argument between us. Both of us have been guilty of sending each other love letters, some of which surface to my mind—the letters in the wooden chest are clearly love letters, in one way or another.

Sparrow, unlike Elizabeth, holds no awe upon looking at the letters. He sweeps them off to the side and lifts out the chest of Davy Jones. We lean close to the chest, our heads drawing close together.

Thump, thump thump.

"It's real," Elizabeth whispered.

"You actually were telling the truth." I stare at Jack, surprised. Elizabeth is giving Zuri a pointed look, but I don't turn to look at her.

"I do that quite a lot, yet people are still surprised," Sparrow replied.

"With good reason." The voice of Will Turner cuts through the air like a knife.

Elizabeth is up on her feet in a matter of second. "Will!" She throws her arms around him. "You're alright, thank God! I came to find you!" Will kisses her deeply and instantly I look away, searing pain going through my chest. I can't tell if it's jealousy or just pain because Zuri doesn't want anything to do with me. But then my eyes land on Zuri and the feeling melts away. Zuri steps closer to me without even casting me a glance. Her hand slips into mine, her fingers rubbing comfortingly across my palm and curling around my own fingers. She gives my hand a gentle squeeze and I return it instantly. 

"I'm sorry," she whispers to me, her pride crumbling visibly to love.

"It's me who should be apologizing," I whispered back. Gibbs was right: my own pride doesn't matter when it comes to my girl. "I'm the one who couldn't see beyond my own nose."

"But it was me who didn't listen to you when you tried to apologize, James," Zuri said before I could go on. My heart swells upon hearing my name from her voice. She squeezes my hand again. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," I whispered.

"How did you get here?" Jack demanded.

"We'll continue this conversation later," I murmured, not surprised Sparrow was the one to interrupt. Zuri nodded.

"Sea turtles, mate," Will said upon separating his mouth from Elizabeth's. "A pair of them strapped to my feet."

"Not so easy, is it?" Sparrow asked.

Confusion flows across my features. I glance at Zuri. I'll explain later, she mouthed.

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack," Will continued.

"You do?" Sparrow sounds rather confused himself.

"After you tricked me onto that ship, to square your debt with Jones—"

"What?" Elizabeth demanded.

"What?" Sparrow said in a high-pitched tone. I fight to control a smirk at the sound that came from the pirate.

"—I was reunited with my father," Will finished.

Sparrow is silent for a moment. Then he said, "Oh, well, you're welcome, then."

Elizabeth looks like she'll murder the pirate. "Everything you said to me—every word—was a lie!"

"Oh, boy, here we go again," Zuri mutters to me. She presses in closer to my side and whispers, "I'll be right back. See if I can keep Elizabeth from murdering my brother, eh?"

"Mmm," I agree. Zuri moves off toward Elizabeth. I instantly miss her warmth in my hand and on my side. She pulls her away from Will, muttering to her, trying to calm her down. 

Sparrow nods a while before admitting, "Pretty much. Time and tide, love." Will unsheathes a knife from his belt and kneels next to the chest. "Oi, what are you doing?"

Will answered as if it was obvious: "I'm gonna kill Jones."

Sparrow unsheathes his sword and levels it at Will, his eyes narrowed. "I can't let you do that, William." His voice has turned deadly serious. "'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh?" Will looks like he's relented and stands up, still tightly clutching the key. "Now, if you please. The key."

Will snatches up Elizabeth's sword. "I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father. And I hope you're here to see it."

I draw my own sword. "I can't let you do that, either. So sorry." I allow a sarcastic edge to slip into my voice.

Zuri meets my eyes and she shakes her head.

Sorry, Zuri, I thought. But you saw what happened between us. Without my commission, I am bitter. I can't let this happen to us again.

Sparrow flashed a grin at me, giving Zuri a significant look. She sticks her tongue out at him. He ignores it and turns back to me. "I knew you'd warm up to me eventually."

I swing my sword around to Jack and away from Will, and the swords make a triangle: me to Sparrow, Sparrow to Will, Will to me. "Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it: I get my life back." My eyes flick briefly to Zuri. Her expression is carefully controlled, and I try to reassure her with my expression that everything will be fine. 

"Ah." Sparrow sounds like he swallowed a mouthful of sand. "The dark side of ambition."

I tilt his head and a small smile quirks on my face. "Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption."

Their swords cross and the fight everyone was expecting begins.

"Stop it!" Elizabeth calls.

"James!" Zuri yelps as Will takes a swing at me, providing me a warning. I slash at Will and push him back, forcing him to lose his balance. Will stumbles and falls. Elizabeth cries, "Will!" She runs to help him.

"Guard the chest," he tells her and runs after me and Sparrow, the two of us taking swings and slashes at each other without remorse. 

The girls stare after us in horror and disgust, and I have a feeling I'm in for it later when Zuri and I talk about our argument.