Norrington's Darling

An Alternate Choice

POV: Zuri Sparrow

I ran to him.

"But—" He searched for words, at a loss. "I didn't want you to follow me! I told you not to wait!"

"They didn't," I whispered. "I did."

"Zuri, you gotta go back!"

"No! I won't leave you!" I cried, my front pressed right up against his front. "James, please..." My eyes were brimming with tears.

"Zuri, I can't go back to them," he said, sounding broken and desperate. "I can't go back to being a pirate."

"You have to!" I cried. "Don't leave me!"

James pulled something from his pocket. I recognized them as the Letters of Marque. "Zuri...I can't live like this. I'm not a pirate. You are, but I'm not. I...I just can't anymore." He sounded close to tears himself.

"But then how can we...?"

"I'll find a way," he whispered. "I promise. Just...please go back to the Black Pearl. Please be safe."

"Jamie..." I swallowed and James looked at me, surprised at the use of my old nickname for him.

"Please...go," he whispered.

"I can't leave you," I said, my lower lip trembling.

"Naut," he began, referencing the nickname he had for my real name, the name even Jack does not know. "Naut please."

I sobbed into his chest. "Jamie...don't leave me..."

"I'll never leave you," he whispered. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was a fool...to leave you behind, to tell you not to wait for me, to hope you wouldn't follow me." He kissed me gently.

"Jamie...where are we going?" I asked.

"Port Royal," he said. "The only place we can go."

"But...how?" I asked. "We don't have a boat. Especially now that the Pearl—" I break into sobs.

"What happened?" James asked, his voice frantic. "Naut, tell me what happened, sweetheart."

"You—you saw Tia?"

"Dalma? Yes," he said.

So I explained what happened and then what Tia said to me. He told me what Tia said to him, then wrapped me in a hug and sat me down. 

"Oh, sweetheart..." He kissed the top of my head. "I'm so sorry about your brother. Are you sure we can't go back and save him?"

I shook my head weakly. "W-we can't. We've got to get to Port Royal...and then I've got to go searching for a way to get Jack back," I said firmly.

"You'll find a way," James promised.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you and I know you won't stop until you get what you want—and right now, you want your brother." James hugged me. "Now come on. We've got to find a way to get to Port Royal."

"Alright," I said shakily. "As long as I'm with you...I'm okay."

"You're a sweetheart," James muttered as he helped me stand. He twined our fingers together. "Ready?"

I nodded and we set off, continuing in the direction James had been stumbling along in. He glanced to his left and almost fell over. I glanced left and found Tia Dalma watching us. She points toward the beach behind her, where a ship is visible.

"It's the British," I said.

At the same time, James said, "The Royal Navy."

We looked at each other and I was reduced to giggles.

We started toward the beach—

And suddenly James was gone. The beach was gone. Isla Cruces was gone. Tia's house came rushing back. Tia grabbed me.

"What happened?" I demanded. "What went wrong?"

"Fate has intervened," Tia snapped angrily. "It appears the best I can do is send you directly to Port Royal. You will reach the town after your beloved. Find him quickly, before he speaks to Cutler Beckett—"

"WHAT?"

"—and tell him what happened. You must be present when he speaks to Beckett. You must convince Beckett to allow James back into the Royal Navy. You must help your beloved regain his honor."

"What's going on?" Gibbs demanded, but Tia did not give me time to explain. She clamped her hands around my wrist and with a sickening lurch, her house and the swamp was replaced by Port Royal—directly in front of the house of Lord Cutler Beckett, as James Norrington was being pushed inside.