~Time Skip ~
It had been a year since James and Ekaterina had last saw of each other. James was in Tortuga at a bar drinking. His ship had sunk in the depths of the ocean. He felt as if he had nothing left.
Ekaterina is in her Russian Navy Uniform. She is near the Tortuga island. She had ordered the marines to stay aboard and she along with her lieutenant will go to the tavern and get some drinks.
James sat at the table thinking what had happened over the past year.
She entered the tavern and ordered whiskey.
James noticed her and walked over to her. "You look fimaliar" he said to her. He was sitting in a bar stool next to her now.
"James? Is that you?" She asked. He is really unlike James, his wig is messy,his uniform is dirty and his hat has deformed.
"Yes its me. Although I am a mess right now" James said he was happy to see her.
"I am in the Russian Royal Navy now...and I am just come here to get one drink." She told him.
"Oh...well I'm here because my ship has sunk and I had no where else to go" James said.
"Oh...I saw Sparrow is here...recruiting..."
"He is?" James asked looking surprised. He came up with a plan.
"Yes..." she asked "What are you thinking?"
"Possibly joining his crew" James said.
She raised an eyebrow at him. She drinks the whiskey in her cup.
"To get something important like a compass and deliver it to Cutler so I won't get hung." James said.
"But he's evil! From what I have heard."
"No He's just a bastard" James said.
"Hope to see you soon." She stands up and starts to walk away.
James grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a hug then let her leave.
She looks at him at a moment and she walks to get some whiskey for the navy ship with her Lieutenant Baker.
James walked over to Gibbs.
She watched him in the corner. She ordered her lieutenant Baker to take the whiskey back to the ship first. She heard Gibbs asked "And what's your story?"
"My story...it's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a man across the Seven Seas. The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life." James said looking at Gibbs.
"Commodore?" Gibbs asked.
"No, not anymore, weren't you listening?I nearly had you all, off Tripoli. I would have, if not for the... hurricane." James said to Gibbs.
Jack takes a leafy plant and hides behind it.
"Lord.You didn't try to sail through it?" Gibbs asked.
"So do I make your crew...or not? You haven't said where we are going. Somewhere nice?!" James said as he upturns the table and Gibbs falls off his stool, then starts strutting around the tavern "So am I worthy to serve the Captain Jack Sparrow ?" Jack tries to inconspicuously walk away with the plant clutched in front, James spots him anyway and points his pistol at him. "Or should I just kill you now? " James continues to say.
"You are hired." Said Jack.
"Sorry. Old habits and all that." James said and is ready to shoot when two pirates raise his pistol hand to the ceiling.
"Easy Sailor." said one pirate and the pistol fires and the bullet ricochets off the lights and breaks someone's bottle. A brawl breaks out.
"Time to go." Said Jack.
"Aye." Said Gibbs and they carefully make their way upstairs.
Elizabeth spots James and helps him fight off his attackers. James keeps on drinking.
Ekaterina helps him to fight as well.
Jack keeps trying on different hats, but not one seems to suit him well enough, then he takes another.
"Thanks, mate." Said Jack and he touches the pirate's shoulder and the man falls off his perch on the railing. "Ooh." said Jack and puts the hat he took off him onto another being carried off to be thrown off the second floor and he steps aside. "Carry on." said Jack and the man is thrown over.
James is surrounded by unfriendly swords, Elizabeth and Ekaterina at his back. "Come on, then! Who wants some? For an orderly line, I'll have you one by one. Come on, who's first?" James shouted.
Elizabeth grabs the bottle in James's hand and smashes it over his head. "I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself." Elizabeth said. The rest cheer. They heave him out into the pig pen and leave cheerfully. Mr. Mercer, Beckett's man, is standing in the doorway watching. Elizabeth helps James get himself out of the muck. "James Norrington." said Elizabeth and sighs. "What has the world done to you?"
James looked at her.
Ekaterina looks at them for a moment and go to her ship.
Elizabeth helped him to stand and asked "Who is the one that fight with us just now ?"
James looked at her calmly.
"Who is he?" She continues to ask him. "He wears a navy uniform."
" A friend of mine" James said to Elizabeth "in fact that was Evans" he added.
"Lieutenant Evans? But he is not wearing the Royal Navy uniform like his old ones."
"He went back to Russia to work with his father"
"He's Russian? I never knew that. Come on we have to go to the Pearl...and I guess you need to clean up as well..." said Elizabeth.
"Y-yeah" James said realizing how messy he was.
"You have mud and other things in your face...and your uniform..." said Elizabeth as she starts to walk to the dock that where the Pearl is with him.
James followed her.
" Captain Sparrow? " Elizabeth asked.
"Come to join me Crew, lad? Welcome aboard. " Jack said to her.
"I'm here to find the man I love. " Elizabeth told Jack.
"I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea." Said Jack and he looks alarmed and indicates to Gibbs to get the 'lad' away from them. James throws up into the bay.
"Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow. " said Elizabeth.
Jack finally turns all the way around. "Elizabeth?" He asked and turns to Gibbs. "Hide the rum." Gibbs takes the bottle from his hand and walks onto the ship. "You know these clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin. " Jack said to Elizabeth.
James was standing next to Elizabeth.
"Jack. I know Will came to find you, where is he?" Elizabeth asked.
"Darling, I am truly unhappy to have to tell you this, but through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with me, poor Will has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's Crew. " Jack said.
"Davy Jones? " Elizabeth asked.
James is still throwing up. "Oh, please. The Captain of the Flying Dutchman?" Said James.
"You look bloody awful, what are you doing here? " Jack asked.
"You hired me." Norrington said. "I can't help it if your standards are lax."
"You smell funny." Jack said childishly.
"Jack! All I want is to find Will."
"Are you certain? Is that what you really want most?"
"'Course."
"Because I would think, you'd want to find a way to save Will the most."
"And you have a way of doing that?"
"Well, there is a chest..."
"Oh, dear." Norrington said.
"A chest of unknown size and origin." Pintel and Ragetti walked by, together carrying a crate of bottles, and overheard the conversation.
"What contains the still-beating heart o' Davy Jones." Pintel said.
"Unh-unh... unh-unh... unh-unh..." Ragetti made noises like a heartbeat, pretending to hold one.
"And whoever possesses that chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants, including... saving brave William from his grim fate." Jack said.
"You don't actually believe him, do you?" James asked.
"How do we find it?" She asked.
"With this. My Compass... is unique."
"'Unique' here having the meaning of broken." Norrington said.
"True enough. This Compass does not point north." James vomited over the side again.
"Where does it point?"
"It points to the thing you want most in this world."
"Oh Jack. Are you telling the truth?"
"Every word, love. And what you want most in this world is to find the chest of Davy Jones, is it not?"
"To save Will?"
"By finding the chest of Davy Jones." Jack handed the compass to Elizabeth, then drew away quickly so as not to influence the compass. Elizabeth consulted the compass, for her the dial clearly pointed in a specific direction. Jack slowly rose up to peer at the face of the compass. "Mister Gibbs!"
"Cap'n."
"We have our heading."
"Finally! Cast off those lines, weigh anchor, and prow that canvas!"
"Miss Swann."
"Welcome to the crew, former Commodore!" Pintel said putting a goat in his arms.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh..." Norrington glared as Pintel walked away. James is quite ashamed of himself.
Port Royal
Beckett unsheathes what used to be James Norrington's sword. "There's something to knowing the exact shape of the world and man's place in it. Don't you agree?" Beckett said to Governor Swann.
Governor Swann is without his wig, looking bedraggled and in chains. "I assure you..." he said and holds out his chained hands. " these are not necessary."
"I had you brought here because I thought you'd be interested in the whereabouts of your daughter." Beckett said to him.
"You have news of her?" Governor Swann asked.
"Most recently seen on the island of Tortuga. The left in the company of the known pirate, Jack Sparrow, and other fugitives from justice." Ian Mercer replied.
"Justice? Hardly." Said Governor Swann.
"Including the previous owner of this sword." Beckett said putting the sword back "I believe. Our ships are in pursuit and justice Will be dispensed by cannonade and cutlass and all manner of remorseless pieces of metal. I personally find it distasteful to even contemplate the horror facing all those on board" Beckett said looking at Governor Swann.
"What do you want from me?" He asked after seeing James's sword.
"Your authority as Governor, your influence in London, and your loyalty to the East India Trading Company." Beckett said to him.
Governor Swann scoffs softly. "To you, you mean."
"Shall I remove these shackles?" Beckett asked walking up to Governor Swann.
"Do what you can for my daughter." Said Governor Swann and with a glance from Beckett, the chains are unlocked.
"So you see, Mercer, every man has a price which he Will Willingly accept. Even for what he hoped never to sell." Beckett said.
Black Pearl
The crewmen were scrubbing the deck of the Black Pearl.
"Beckett." said Jack.
"Yes, they're signed 'Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company.' " said Elizabeth.
Jack holds the Letters of Marque closer to study the signature. "Euhh." He said and sticks tongue out.
"Will was working for Beckett and never said a word." Gibbs said.
"Ah." said Jack.
"Beckett wants the compass. Only one reason for that." Said Gibbs.
"Of course. He wants the chest. " said Jack.
"Yes, he did say something about a chest." Elizabeth answered.
"If the Company controls the chest, they control the sea." Gibbs said.
"A truly discomforting notion, love." Jack said as Gibbs nods and agrees "Baaad! Bad for every mother's son what calls himself pirate. I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails. Brace the foreyard!" He said walking off to see to the sails.
"Might I enquire as to how you came by these?" Jack asked as he holds up the Letters of Marque.
"Persuasion." Said Elizabeth.
"Friendly?" Jack asked.
"Decidedly not. " Elizabeth answered.
"Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honor, yet you are the one standing here with the prize." Jack said. He reads the letter. "Full pardon, commissioned as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company..."
James overhears this.
Jack puts the letters away. "As if I could be bought for such a low price."
"Jack, the letters, give them back." Said Elizabeth.
"No. Persuade me. " Jack said to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth comes up behind him and leans in. " You do know Will taught me how to handle a sword. "
Jack turns to face her. "As I said... persuade me."
Elizabeth walks away.
James walked up to Elizabeth "It's a curious thing, there was a time I would give anything for you to look like that while thinking about me." James said.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Oh, I think you do." James said to her.
"Oh, don't be absurd, I trust him, that's all." Elizabeth said to James.
James laughed then walked before turning back for another word "So you never wondered how your latest fiancé ended up on the Flying Dutchman in the first place." He shook his head and continued walking.
Elizabeth takes out the compass and opens it.Its direction changes to point to Jack. She shakes her head and closes the compass, looking a little disturbed.
On a merchant ship
Will is sitting with a blanket over his shoulders and a hot cup in his hands. "Just put as many leagues behind us as you can. As fast as you can" Will said to the captain.
"And what are we running from? " the captain asked.
Will spots Elizabeth's wedding dress draped on a chair , so he walks to it. "That dress... where did you get it?" He asked.
"It was found aboard this ship. The Crew thought it was a spirit bringing some omen of ill fate." The captain said.
Will picks up the dress lovingly and said "That's foolish."
"Ah, yes, exceedingly foolish. " a sailor said.
"It brought good fortune. The spirit told us... pull in at Tortuga. And we made a nice bit of profit there." The other sailor said.
"Off the books, of course. " said the captain.
" I imagine... some of your crew may have jumped ship there. " Will said.
Time skip a little so we are now back at the Black Pearl because I am lazy
James was sitting on a barrel thinking of Ekaterina. He wanted to see her once again.
"Clean the ship !" Jack said to James and throw a rag at him.
James got right to it. He started scrubbing the deck first.
Jack is standing near and is watching him. They are quite near to the island now.
James was now cleaning the sails. He almost fell but caught himself.
Jack is watching James's face, he is thinking where he had seen the former commodore before.
James noticed Jack watching him.
"What's your father's name...?" Jack asked when he saw James has caught his staring.
"Lawrence" James told him.
"Wait...Admiral Lawrence Norrington...?"
"Yes that's him" James told Jack.
"I think you are quite familiar when I first saw you in Port Royal....wait....aren't you the little boy who lost his footing because he saw me....and later my father saved him from drowning....?" Jack said.
James gave him a questioning look "if that was me then I don't remember that" James told him.
"Maybe you are too young to remember that , little Sadie Norrie!!!!" Jack sings that out loudly.
James looked at Jack and smirked.
Jack noticed the smirk and said "What are you smirking at baby Sandie Norrie?"
"You." James said.
"Why? Baby Sandie Norrie?"
"I'm not a baby" James said to Jack.
"You are! I remember you are crying when you first saw me and my dad!"
James gave Jack a dirty look.....
Jack smirked.
James finished cleaning the ship and sat back down on the barrel.
They arrived the island as Gibbs yelled "Land ho"
James looked at where they were "why are we here? This place is deserted" James said.
"Because we need the sea." He said to James and later yelled at Gibbs "I need my jar of dirt!"
James smiled knowing this information.