A Line In The Sand
Chapter One

Author's Note: I was horrified at what happened to Norrington in At World's End and I've always been disappointed that Elizabeth is the only woman in the franchise. So I decided to save Norrington and create a new female character.

So, warning! For those of you that really aren't into original female characters, there's one here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Victoria Turner had loved James Norrington as long as her brother had loved Elizabeth Swann.

She still remembered that first meeting. She was curled up beside Will on that board, one white cold hand hooked round the edge, the other thrown across Will's chest; her legs trailing in the water. They took Will aboard first and she hitched herself further on the plank and stared at the faces peering down at her. Another sailor reached for her and she shrank back from him.

"Honestly. Out of the way."

She heard the brusque, annoyed voice and next thing she knew someone had swung over and was bracing himself against the side of the ship, hanging onto a line with one hand and reaching for her with the other. She blinked at him. He wasn't like the other man, he was in a uniform, the sparkling officer kind and his hair was tied neatly back.

"Come on," he said gently. "It's all right. You're safe, come here."

She reached up and he caught her hand, holding on so tight that it almost hurt, but it steadied her enough to allow her to haul herself to her feet. She grabbed him with her other hand and with almost superhuman strength, he swung her into his arms and carried her back to the deck, where she slithered from his arms and crawled towards Will.

Her brother was still unconscious and a girl younger than herself was watching him with a slightly anxious frown.

"Has he said anything?" her rescuer asked.

"His name's Will Turner," the girl said.

"And I'm Victoria Turner," Victoria turned and stuck out her hand. "I'm his twin sister."

The officer blinked at her and seemed amused, but he suppressed his smile and took her hand. It was tiny, lost in his long-fingered grip, but he gave it a firm shake anyway.

"Miss Turner. Lieutenant James Norrington, at your service."

Her love for him was deep, loyal, unconditional and unnoticed. He found them their places at the blacksmith, where she and Will gradually learnt their trade, though she was employed as maid only. Neither James Norrington nor Mr Brown knew of her involvement in the making of the swords, especially the Commodore's sword. She had laboured hard over the delicate filigree on the handle and her brother had put her beaming smile when she had finished down to pride. He was completely right, though he misjudged the focus of her pride.

The day Jack Sparrow came to Port Royal was a day of childish excitement for her, though she hid it and even managed a smirk at her brother's wide-eyed adoration of Miss Elizabeth Swann (in a new dress, unless Victoria was very much mistaken).

She and her brother heard about the pirate Sparrow threatening Miss Swann in the marketplace. They walked home in silence and Victoria rolled an apple between her hands and studied her brother's calm, but closed expression out of the corner of her eye. When they found Jack Sparrow in the blacksmiths, she had settled down to watch them fight, her apple in one hand and an interested look on her face. Jack barely noticed her, but he soon realised she was there when she brought a sword up to his throat when he pulled his pistol on Will.

"Now, now, sir," she said. "Play fair."

But Brown had brought an empty bottle crashing down onto Jack's head as the naval officers burst in. When Norrington had congratulated Mr Brown, he caught sight of the sword in Victoria's hand.

"Are you all right, Miss Turner?" he asked sharply.

"Perfectly fine," she paused and met his eyes. "Commodore."

He heard the unspoken compliment and treated her to a flash of that rare smile.

Later that day, aboard the Dauntless, James could not have been more stunned than when Gillette cried out from his longboat, "Commodore, that's Miss Turner! Miss Turner is aboard with her brother and Sparrow!"

His disappointment in her sliced deep, but any anger he felt he directed at her fool of a brother.

"I thought better of Turner – I would not have imagined he would have involved his sister in such an escapade."

"Should we still fire, sir?" Groves asked urgently.

There was a moment of indecision. He laid his hand on the hilt of his sword, stroking the delicate filigree with his thumb before his mouth set in a grim smile.

"I know enough of Miss Turner to know that she is an able swimmer."

It was not the last time she and Norrington were to be on opposite sides – the second time it happened she stood with her brother and Elizabeth beside Jack Sparrow, having sliced the rope that ought to have hung him. She might have stood against him and disappointed him, but she would have followed him to the ends of the earth.

And she did.