Fic: 'Three Days'

[dwgm]

Wrote this for the merrypirates fic exchange per mirageofmae's request: Elizabeth/Norrington - During DMC, Elizabeth notices things she hadn't bothered to notice before. Can have some Elizabeth/Jack, too. Many thanks to hereswith for the beta read and edit, and to penknife for organizing the merrypirates fic exchange!





~ Three Days ~


"James Norrington, what has the world done to you?"

Elizabeth squatted near (but not in) the mud of the sty as James looked up at her in wonder. No. Horror.

"Elizabeth?"

The corner of her mouth quivered against a singularly inappropriate smile. "Didn't you know?" she asked. "In the tavern?"

He said something rather vehement under his breath and struggled to sit up. She reached to give him a hand, but he waved her away with every sign of revulsion. "Don't touch me!"

She lifted a brow, but quelled her slight annoyance - she had, after all, knocked him out with that bottle and it couldn't have improved his head in the least. She rose to her feet. Watched him struggle to his own, cursing softly, swaying, then straightening to his full height (which invariably made her feel far too young) and fixing her with a narrowed, if somewhat blurred eye. She straightened herself, and lifted her chin.

"Did Turner teach you that swordplay?" he demanded, his eyes flicking over her boy's garb critically.

"Yes, of course."

He sniffed, and seemed to be casting his mind back to the fight with some difficulty. Then he looked her over again, and his mouth twisted. "It appears I owe you thanks, ma'am."

"It's miss, still."

"Not married?"

"No. It's complicated. I'll tell you while we go find Jack."

A grim expression crossed his face and he said softly, "Ah, yes. Jack."

*

She slept like the dead, lulled by the motion of the Pearl, the comparative privacy, and the comfort of the ridiculously decadent bed: all silks, velvets, and gold-shot brocade, every bit of it illicitly obtained, no doubt, and all redolent of Jack (though not unpleasantly so, strangely enough). The sun was well up by the time she roused, and nearly everyone else was already on deck when she finally emerged from the Great Cabin. Jack was consulting with Gibbs on some point of navigation and paid her no heed at first. James, however, on completing the flemishing of a rope with surprising deftness, caught sight of her and favored her with a most sardonic expression. She elected to ignore the implication.

"Are you feeling more the thing today?" she asked as she approached him.

"Tolerable. And you seem fit. I gather sharing Sparrow's bed agrees with you."

She stiffened at the overt attack. "I slept well, if that's what you mean."

"I daresay."

"That's all it was, James," she said sharply. "Sharing. He didn't touch me. He wouldn't."

"I bow to your superior knowledge of men in general, and of Sparrow in particular."

She gave a roll of her eyes at his sarcastic tone. "You are hardly in a position to throw stones."

He inclined his head. "More true than you know. And the habit of years is very hard to break. My apologies, Miss Swann."

"You've always been determined to see the worst in people," she challenged.

"In criminals, certainly," he agreed. "They seldom disappoint. But as it happens I was speaking from concern for your person. Foolish, of course. You must forgive me."

He straightened and moved off down the deck, as at home with the rolling motion as Jack. She frowned after him, her thoughts in turmoil.

The habit of years.

*

"Norrington, you're with us," Jack snapped, more in command of himself since fetching his jar of dirt (though what good such a thing would do Elizabeth couldn't fathom).

But James. "You're taking him along?" she asked Jack, concerned.

Jack glanced at her. "Him and a shovel. He can make himself useful, bloody dig up the chest for us."

"Jack!" she objected. He'd constantly poked and prodded the "former-commodore" in devilishly subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways since they'd all met on the dock in Tortuga, and this proposal seemed to indicate he hadn't tired of the game.

But Jack said, reasonably, "Have to keep an eye on him, don't I? There's too much of the commodore in him yet, and just enough pirate to make him unpredictable."

Pirate. This matter-of-fact assessment was something of a compliment, coming from Jack. As he walked aft, Elizabeth turned to study James where he stood at the rail.

His clothes were worn, almost ragged, his brown hair imperfectly tied with a black cord, straggling locks teased by the wind. He was looking out across the blue sea to Isla Cruses, a tall, straight, commanding figure even in these reduced circumstances. A formidable man. And yet Elizabeth had seen how he had fit in with the Pearls, as handy as any of them in the ways of the ship, friendly but with an indefinable air of reserve that was the province of an officer. He'd followed Jack's orders and endured his jibes with tolerable patience (and an occasionally smoldering eye), but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that here was a man of knowledge and capability, a man other men had followed, and would follow again.

Elizabeth had to agree. Jack was right to be wary.

*

"I've had it! I've had it with wobbly-legged, rum-soaked pirates!"

That's what they were, the lot of them: Jack with his airs and nonsense and cunning, Will with his Guard the chest! and his refusal to listen to her, to see reason. And James, James was the worst, skilled as Will, slippery as Jack, and maddened by fate and ill fortune, completely focused on his own needs and desires.

Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them.

James should know. Did know, now!

Shouting did no good, playing on their sympathy - Oh! The heat!-- produced not so much as a glance in her direction. These men she loved and admired were behaving in a way that made her want nothing more than to knock their heads together!

Sitting cross, cross-armed, cross-legged on the sand, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye: Pintel and Ragetti, making off with the oh-so-precious chest.

Elizabeth scrambled to her feet, swearing.

Bloody Pirates!



~.~

Comments

[bombazzinedoll.livejournal.com]

Seeing as I'm in a very Norrington-y mood, this really hit the spot. The paragraph with Elizabeth realising how full of potential James was, still, was my favourite.

*waves enthusiastically out from under her rock*

[erinya.livejournal.com]

I really like this. Especially the description of James in the penultimate part. A formidable man.

[rez-lo.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful! I love seeing Norrington through Elizabeth's eyes and you've got it beautifully, here: her residual social defiance, his enduring regard for her (well camouflaged though it be), and finally her pirate's assessment of him, clouded by neither resentment nor affection. And I adore the last scene: totally, hilariously perfect.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I particularly enjoyed the last scene -- always like that scene in the movie, though I know others have criticized her behavior. I think it's spot on, myself, and funny for the audience to boot.

So happy you enjoyed!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you, ma'am! So nice to see you emerging from the depths -- I, for one, have missed you. I'm very glad you enjoyed the story!

[mary684.livejournal.com]

Wonderful. I am especially taken by Jack's ridiculously decadent bed. ;) When I can tear myself away from that image (and it's not easy), my but you have your finger on the pulse of James Norrington. I love Jack prodding Elizabeth to look deeper into James -- and her fabulous assessment. As with the films, by the time all is said and done, the highest compliment one can earn is that of 'pirate'. James well deserves the title. As always, you've done them all beautifully. *needs James icon*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

The Bed, yes. Rather mesmerizing. But I'm so glad you were able to move on, and enjoyed the rest. Thank you so much for the thoughtful comments!

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

This just made me grin and grin throughout! Elizabeth handles the whole bloody lot of them! But it's interesting watching her reconsider James, and reconsider what she thinks of his capability.

I love the description of Jack's bed, and of course James thinks she's sleeping with him. (If he were a pirate and had nothing to lose, he would be?)

I enjoyed this so much, as always!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

That was fantastic! You have such an amazing grasp of all the characters, they were all so true & vivid here. And I loved the description of Jack's bed - perfect! :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

If he were a pirate and had nothing to lose, he would be?

Could be... I need to write another fic, for 3fan_holidays, and that's one of the elements I'm considering for the story.

I'm so happy to have made you grin! Thank you so much for commenting.

[viva-lla-gloria.livejournal.com]

You really have James' and Elizabeth's voices and characterizations down perfectly. I loved this. It's really interesting to see Elizabeth's thought process as she considers Norrington in a new light. And the last section is wonderfully humorous. Great work!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you found the characterizations believable, and enjoyed the humor of the last part -- I really enjoyed the dynamics of that scene in the movie.

Love your icon, btw! :D

[the-cornettist.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you for letting me know you liked it!

[viva-lla-gloria.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

Oooh I love this. It is a good little character study, and I, more than anything, love Scruffington fic, especially from Elizabeth's point of view. I like how you've described the characters in this - Jack's wariness, Norrington's command even in reduced circumstances. This was brilliant :)

[ophelivia.livejournal.com]

I don't think you've ever written anything I haven't liked. You understand James and all the changes he goes through in a way I'll never even scratch the surface to. I think my favorite bit was "Don't touch me!" something about that really went straight to my heart. Excellent

[the-cornettist.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome - I thought you caught and portrayed them very well - no mean feat.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! In many ways I found Norrington's story arc in DMC really interesting, though it disappointed many fans. I was very unhappy with his end in AWE, though. There should have been some other way for him to redeem himself.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

James Norrington is such a fabulous character, though it took the great authors of Sparrington fic to make me see that, way back when I first got involved in the fandom. Thank goodness for fanfic! And thank you for reading, and leaving me such a lovely comment!

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

I couldn't agree more. I really liked what they did with DMC Norrington, and was sad about how his arc ended.

[were-lemur.livejournal.com]

Wow. The story had an arc all of its own, from the heartwrenchingness of his "don't touch me" to Liz's frustration at the end.

[were-lemur.livejournal.com]

I love your icon. It's so funny and SO TRUE!

[viva-lla-gloria.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I agree, it speaks the truth! :D

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you thought it worked well.

[radiotardislive.livejournal.com]

Yay! Loved it - I liked the bit about him having a little bit of pirate in him now. Very true! Thanks for sharing! :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[ikeepfishinmytv.livejournal.com]

Yumyumyumyumyum! Oh I could eat this all up with a spoon!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear you liked it! Thank you for commenting. :))

[aussiemozzie.livejournal.com]

I suppose I should have read this story a long time ago. But I'm glad I read it.

I love the way you wrote them both- you really got into their heads well. I could just see Jack Dav walking along the ship and being annoyed (and jealous) at Lizzy's behavior.

This was my fav. line: There's too much of the commodore in him yet, and just enough pirate to make him unpredictable."
Spot on!

Loved it. Thanks for sharing!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed this! I really appreciate that!