Fic: Saints and Sinners
Jan. 30th, 2008 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafina20Title: Saints and Sinners
Pairing: Jack/Norrington
Rating: M (for mature)
Summary: An unexpected gift falls into James's life.
Previous Parts
"Morning," Mariah said as she let herself through the Turner's gate into their small yard. "Did you know a new ship's come into harbor?"
Elizabeth looked up from the laundry she was scrubbing. Her hair had fallen from her pins and stuck to her flushed face; obviously, she'd been working for quite some time. "No, I hadn't heard." She frowned. "Don't remember Father mentioning anything being expected today. Maybe an independent ship?"
"Not by the look of it." She pulled the blanket she and Elizabeth used for Gavin and laid it on the ground before depositing the sleeping baby in his basket. "I passed, just on the chance James was back. Looked like the East India Trading Company."
Elizabeth blinked. Frowned. "Oh. Strange, I don't remember anyone talking of them coming this week. I guess I'm more separated from society than I thought." She dropped what she was holding and stood, pushing damp hands through her hair. "Would you mind? My back is killing me."
"No, of course not." Mariah took Elizabeth's place at the washtub.
As she took up the scrubbing, Elizabeth picked up a basket of mending and sat on the blanket next to Gavin. "So. Is Jack gone?"
"Left last night. Said he was going to see a sea witch about a charm for Gavin."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "A charm? Well. Suppose it's better than the tattoo I know he'll leave on Gavin one day while James is off. I swear, that man."
"He's not going to tattoo Gavin."
"He drew it for us just last week."
"And I told him quite clearly what would happen to him and any part of his body he was particularly fond of should he ever try."
That drew a laugh from Elizabeth. "And I do believe you'd do it."
"As does he."
"Very well. What's this charm, then?"
"Something to protect him. So if Gavin is in trouble while Jack is away, he'll somehow be able to call for his papa. It's nothing. Innocent. Let the man have his fancy."
"And when James sees it? Will it be so innocent? I mean, what would you say? To explain how Gavin got it." She frowned. "I just don't like lying James, not about his son."
Mariah sighed. Scrubbed down the washboard with a pensive look on her face. "Well," she said slowly after a moment. "Perhaps James wouldn't mind. Another set of eyes watching out for his son when he's gone. Another heart loving him."
"James hates Jack."
"And how do you know that?"
"Well." Elizabeth's needle paused and a winkle appeared at the bridge of her nose. "He's a pirate. James tried to hang him."
"But he let Jack go."
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Wrinkled her nose. "Not exactly. Just gave him a day's start, that's all."
"A day's start that stretched for weeks."
"But that's not... there was work to do."
"There was a notorious pirate to catch. One, upon being caught, who would have bumped James up from young Commodore to young Admiral, I'd wager. And yet, he chose not to pursue."
"That doesn't mean he likes Jack."
"No, it doesn't. How much time did they spend together on the ship? Before you returned to Isle de los Muerta?"
Elizabeth frowned and studied Mariah closely, trying to work out her train of thought. "A few hours. Quite a few. Not together, though. I... well, I was in a cabin. I don't know where they were. Not together?"
"Are you sure?" Mariah asked. Then she pulled her hands from the soapy water and straightened. "What's that?"
"It sounds like soldiers." She put her mending down. Rose and walked to the fence. "It is. I wonder where they're going."
Wiping her hands on her skirt, Mariah joined her. "With Marines, it could be anything. Criminal, skirt, ale. They're always..."
"Coming here," Elizabeth said. She barely had time to pull Mariah away from the gate before the men burst through it with no care as to who was on the other side.
The Marines poured through, forcing the two women back, weapons drawn. Elizabeth pushed Mariah behind her with one hand and scooped up the baby from his basket with the other. "Will!" she shouted, cursing her lack of foresight. Had she known her home was to be invaded, she'd have brought out her sword.
Mariah took Gavin from Elizabeth and exerted a gentle pressure, getting her to stop. Still, Elizabeth made sure Mariah was safely behind her before stepping forward, head lifted regally.
"What, exactly, is the meaning of this?" she asked in an icy voice.
"Orders."
"For what?"
"To arrest you, Mrs. Turner," an unfamiliar voice replied.
The Marines parted to reveal a man, well dressed, white wig, hat firmly on his head. A small smile graced his face, one that turned Elizabeth's blood cold. He walked until he was quite too close and looked down the short distance straight into her eyes.
She forced herself not to step back, not to give any ground. "Who are you?"
"Dear me, I've been remiss," he mocked. "I am Lord Cutler Beckett. I know your father, as it happens. Don't worry. I'll see that is informed of your unfortunate circumstances."
"But why..."
"What is going on?"
"Will." She turned and reached for her husband.
He had sword in hand, but passed her none. And he just let his rest against his thigh, at the alert, but not good enough. Not fighting these ridiculous men away.
Beckett smiled. "Mister Mercer. The warrants, please."
A craggy, dour man passed three sheaves of paper to Beckett.
"Thank you. Ah, here we are. Arrest warrents for one Mister William Turner, Mrs. Elizabeth Turner, nee Swan, and a former Commodore James Norrington."
"James has not been demoted," Mariah protested.
"Has he not?" Beckett countered. "I believe you'll find his status changed."
"What are we charged with?" asked Will.
"The charge is conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the crown and empire, and condemned to death, for which the punishment is also death." He cocked his head. "Perhaps you remember a man by the name of Jack Sparrow?"
"Captain Jack Sparrow?" repeated Will. "He escaped."
"With your help. Don't insult my intelligence. You and your wife freed that man, and Commodore Norrington failed to do his duty in recapturing him."
Elizabeth couldn't help the guilty look she shot Mariah. The warrants, the demotion, obviously this had been planned long before her conversation with Mariah. But still.
"I don't hear any protests. Good." His smile turned even more smug as he stepped back. "Gentlemen?"
"Wait, stop!" Elizabeth protested, fighting.
"Do as they say, Elizabeth," said Will, allowing himself to be manacled. "Your father will set this right."
"Don't so certain, Mister Turner. My authority exceeds his."
"Elizabeth."
She let out a sharp breath, but ceased her struggles. A moment later, cold metal engulfed her wrists and she stood next to her husband. "Where to now?" she asked, refusing to show any emotion but pride.
"Now, you, the whore, and the bastard shall take residence as the prison. Your husband shall come with me. We have much to discuss."
It took a moment for the words to make sense.
"You can't put a child in prison!" Will said, as Elizabeth was still working through it. "Gavin is just a baby."
"He is the son of James Norrington, and, as such, will stand proxy in his stead."
"He's an infant." It was Mariah this time who spoke. "He's just a baby. Please, sir. Lord. I'll go, but give Gavin to a wet nurse until the commodore returns."
"Do not presume to bargain with me, whore. I am allowing you to be with the babe precisely to provide him sustenance. You are nothing as a proxy. His housekeeper. His wet nurse. Perhaps his mistress, but one cannot be sure. He has not married you, thus you have no importance to him. It must be his son."
"But..."
"I am through discussing. Take them to the fort." With that, Beckett executed a sharp turn on his heel and marched away.
The Marines pushed Will and Elizabeth forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw them be a tad more gentle with Mariah, for which she was glad. That meant not everyone agreed with this insanity of Beckett's. Still. That didn't help them now.
"So," Elizabeth said, sotto voce to Mariah. "Any chance of charm magically working before Jack gets it?"
Gavin shrieked suddenly, squirming in Mariah's arms.
The other woman smiled grimly. "With any other man, I'd laugh. But..." She sighed. Rubbed Gavin's back and tried to sooth him. "James should be back any day."
"Only to be arrested."
"Perhaps," Will said. He reached his manacled hand for Elizabeth's and squeezed it. "Except Beckett seems more interested in holding the two... three of you. Me, he's talking to."
"So?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrow.
"So. What does he want from me? He obviously thinks he won't get it without ransom. And that's what Gavin and Mariah are, too. Not prisoners. Not proxy. You're leverage."
Mariah gave a small laugh. "You're entirely too much like Jack, you know."
Will smiled and shook his head. "No. Not I. I simply... interpret the motives of others. I don't come up with the twisted plans. I just understand them." He looked at Elizabeth. "Her on the other hand."
"What does he want, then, oh brilliant husband of mine?"
His face darkened and he shook his head. "That, lovely wife, we will have to wait and see."
Pairing: Jack/Norrington
Rating: M (for mature)
Summary: An unexpected gift falls into James's life.
Previous Parts
"Morning," Mariah said as she let herself through the Turner's gate into their small yard. "Did you know a new ship's come into harbor?"
Elizabeth looked up from the laundry she was scrubbing. Her hair had fallen from her pins and stuck to her flushed face; obviously, she'd been working for quite some time. "No, I hadn't heard." She frowned. "Don't remember Father mentioning anything being expected today. Maybe an independent ship?"
"Not by the look of it." She pulled the blanket she and Elizabeth used for Gavin and laid it on the ground before depositing the sleeping baby in his basket. "I passed, just on the chance James was back. Looked like the East India Trading Company."
Elizabeth blinked. Frowned. "Oh. Strange, I don't remember anyone talking of them coming this week. I guess I'm more separated from society than I thought." She dropped what she was holding and stood, pushing damp hands through her hair. "Would you mind? My back is killing me."
"No, of course not." Mariah took Elizabeth's place at the washtub.
As she took up the scrubbing, Elizabeth picked up a basket of mending and sat on the blanket next to Gavin. "So. Is Jack gone?"
"Left last night. Said he was going to see a sea witch about a charm for Gavin."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "A charm? Well. Suppose it's better than the tattoo I know he'll leave on Gavin one day while James is off. I swear, that man."
"He's not going to tattoo Gavin."
"He drew it for us just last week."
"And I told him quite clearly what would happen to him and any part of his body he was particularly fond of should he ever try."
That drew a laugh from Elizabeth. "And I do believe you'd do it."
"As does he."
"Very well. What's this charm, then?"
"Something to protect him. So if Gavin is in trouble while Jack is away, he'll somehow be able to call for his papa. It's nothing. Innocent. Let the man have his fancy."
"And when James sees it? Will it be so innocent? I mean, what would you say? To explain how Gavin got it." She frowned. "I just don't like lying James, not about his son."
Mariah sighed. Scrubbed down the washboard with a pensive look on her face. "Well," she said slowly after a moment. "Perhaps James wouldn't mind. Another set of eyes watching out for his son when he's gone. Another heart loving him."
"James hates Jack."
"And how do you know that?"
"Well." Elizabeth's needle paused and a winkle appeared at the bridge of her nose. "He's a pirate. James tried to hang him."
"But he let Jack go."
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Wrinkled her nose. "Not exactly. Just gave him a day's start, that's all."
"A day's start that stretched for weeks."
"But that's not... there was work to do."
"There was a notorious pirate to catch. One, upon being caught, who would have bumped James up from young Commodore to young Admiral, I'd wager. And yet, he chose not to pursue."
"That doesn't mean he likes Jack."
"No, it doesn't. How much time did they spend together on the ship? Before you returned to Isle de los Muerta?"
Elizabeth frowned and studied Mariah closely, trying to work out her train of thought. "A few hours. Quite a few. Not together, though. I... well, I was in a cabin. I don't know where they were. Not together?"
"Are you sure?" Mariah asked. Then she pulled her hands from the soapy water and straightened. "What's that?"
"It sounds like soldiers." She put her mending down. Rose and walked to the fence. "It is. I wonder where they're going."
Wiping her hands on her skirt, Mariah joined her. "With Marines, it could be anything. Criminal, skirt, ale. They're always..."
"Coming here," Elizabeth said. She barely had time to pull Mariah away from the gate before the men burst through it with no care as to who was on the other side.
The Marines poured through, forcing the two women back, weapons drawn. Elizabeth pushed Mariah behind her with one hand and scooped up the baby from his basket with the other. "Will!" she shouted, cursing her lack of foresight. Had she known her home was to be invaded, she'd have brought out her sword.
Mariah took Gavin from Elizabeth and exerted a gentle pressure, getting her to stop. Still, Elizabeth made sure Mariah was safely behind her before stepping forward, head lifted regally.
"What, exactly, is the meaning of this?" she asked in an icy voice.
"Orders."
"For what?"
"To arrest you, Mrs. Turner," an unfamiliar voice replied.
The Marines parted to reveal a man, well dressed, white wig, hat firmly on his head. A small smile graced his face, one that turned Elizabeth's blood cold. He walked until he was quite too close and looked down the short distance straight into her eyes.
She forced herself not to step back, not to give any ground. "Who are you?"
"Dear me, I've been remiss," he mocked. "I am Lord Cutler Beckett. I know your father, as it happens. Don't worry. I'll see that is informed of your unfortunate circumstances."
"But why..."
"What is going on?"
"Will." She turned and reached for her husband.
He had sword in hand, but passed her none. And he just let his rest against his thigh, at the alert, but not good enough. Not fighting these ridiculous men away.
Beckett smiled. "Mister Mercer. The warrants, please."
A craggy, dour man passed three sheaves of paper to Beckett.
"Thank you. Ah, here we are. Arrest warrents for one Mister William Turner, Mrs. Elizabeth Turner, nee Swan, and a former Commodore James Norrington."
"James has not been demoted," Mariah protested.
"Has he not?" Beckett countered. "I believe you'll find his status changed."
"What are we charged with?" asked Will.
"The charge is conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the crown and empire, and condemned to death, for which the punishment is also death." He cocked his head. "Perhaps you remember a man by the name of Jack Sparrow?"
"Captain Jack Sparrow?" repeated Will. "He escaped."
"With your help. Don't insult my intelligence. You and your wife freed that man, and Commodore Norrington failed to do his duty in recapturing him."
Elizabeth couldn't help the guilty look she shot Mariah. The warrants, the demotion, obviously this had been planned long before her conversation with Mariah. But still.
"I don't hear any protests. Good." His smile turned even more smug as he stepped back. "Gentlemen?"
"Wait, stop!" Elizabeth protested, fighting.
"Do as they say, Elizabeth," said Will, allowing himself to be manacled. "Your father will set this right."
"Don't so certain, Mister Turner. My authority exceeds his."
"Elizabeth."
She let out a sharp breath, but ceased her struggles. A moment later, cold metal engulfed her wrists and she stood next to her husband. "Where to now?" she asked, refusing to show any emotion but pride.
"Now, you, the whore, and the bastard shall take residence as the prison. Your husband shall come with me. We have much to discuss."
It took a moment for the words to make sense.
"You can't put a child in prison!" Will said, as Elizabeth was still working through it. "Gavin is just a baby."
"He is the son of James Norrington, and, as such, will stand proxy in his stead."
"He's an infant." It was Mariah this time who spoke. "He's just a baby. Please, sir. Lord. I'll go, but give Gavin to a wet nurse until the commodore returns."
"Do not presume to bargain with me, whore. I am allowing you to be with the babe precisely to provide him sustenance. You are nothing as a proxy. His housekeeper. His wet nurse. Perhaps his mistress, but one cannot be sure. He has not married you, thus you have no importance to him. It must be his son."
"But..."
"I am through discussing. Take them to the fort." With that, Beckett executed a sharp turn on his heel and marched away.
The Marines pushed Will and Elizabeth forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw them be a tad more gentle with Mariah, for which she was glad. That meant not everyone agreed with this insanity of Beckett's. Still. That didn't help them now.
"So," Elizabeth said, sotto voce to Mariah. "Any chance of charm magically working before Jack gets it?"
Gavin shrieked suddenly, squirming in Mariah's arms.
The other woman smiled grimly. "With any other man, I'd laugh. But..." She sighed. Rubbed Gavin's back and tried to sooth him. "James should be back any day."
"Only to be arrested."
"Perhaps," Will said. He reached his manacled hand for Elizabeth's and squeezed it. "Except Beckett seems more interested in holding the two... three of you. Me, he's talking to."
"So?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrow.
"So. What does he want from me? He obviously thinks he won't get it without ransom. And that's what Gavin and Mariah are, too. Not prisoners. Not proxy. You're leverage."
Mariah gave a small laugh. "You're entirely too much like Jack, you know."
Will smiled and shook his head. "No. Not I. I simply... interpret the motives of others. I don't come up with the twisted plans. I just understand them." He looked at Elizabeth. "Her on the other hand."
"What does he want, then, oh brilliant husband of mine?"
His face darkened and he shook his head. "That, lovely wife, we will have to wait and see."
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-31 07:46 am (UTC)1. I am so glad to see this updated, amusingly I was only re-reading the previous chapters a few days ago.
2. Argh *dies* Cliffhanger
3. It's so good!!!!
*grins*
no subject
Date: 2008-02-01 02:22 am (UTC)2. Sorry! I'll try to get more out soon.
3. Thank you!!!