Disclaimer: None of POTC is mine. Only the original characters and plot elements are mine.
AN: Although I am a Norrington woman through and through, I began to develop more affection for Jack while writing Peacock's Plumage. This idea came to me and I wanted to share it with all of you. Some of the characters, Katherine and Millicent are original characters from Peacock's Plumage but I doubt that it is necessary to read that story to follow along. (Although I would love it if you read it because I always like people to read my stories!) You could always cheat and just read chapter 10 to get a feel for them.
When she at last could draw enough breath to speak, Katherine protested, "James Norrington that was not at all fair. You were supposed to be the captured one not me."
James merely rolled to his side and laughed at Katherine's complaint. After nearly three months of wheedling, he had finally broken down and agreed to play captured commodore. Katherine had been so delighted and empowered by her role of captor that she had not realized that using silk scarves was an unwise choice. For close to an hour she had teased and tormented him, unaware that he was using the time to slowly work the knots free. The slipperiness of the silk had aided him a great deal. It was just about the time that she was commanding him to beg her for completion, that he freed the last knot and surprised her by swiftly rolling her under him and pinning her hands above her head. The look on her face had been priceless and what had followed had been delightful.
"Since this was part of my birthday present, we shall simply have to start again. You can not give a gift only to take it back," Katherine determinedly announced.
Sanctimoniously he informed her, "I did not take it back. There is always a risk of a captive freeing themselves. It is not my fault that you failed to tie the knots securely enough." Then he wickedly added, "Besides, I do not believe that you have any room for complaint as to the outcome of that little encounter."
Muttering, "Arrogant beast," Katherine snuggled further into his embrace. He was right. She had no real room for complaint. Still she was somewhat miffed that he had worked himself free. Idly tracing her fingers along his chest she thanked him for throwing her such a lovely birthday party.
"It was my pleasure, Kat. I must confess that I was surprised at Jack's decision to attend."
"Yes, so was I. It seems as if he truly does intend to make a respectable life for himself. Are his letters of pardon even still valid?"
"I believe so. Since our encounters with Jones he has not engaged in any true piracy to speak of with the exception of robbing the ship that you and I were on." James smiled as he recalled that night. That was the night when Kat had first kissed him and declared that he tasted like heaven. "And even that will not count against him because Captain Wilson chose not to make a formal report."
"I can understand his desire to have a more normal sort of life but why on earth would he choose her?"
James chuckled at the appalled tone of Kat's voice. However, he had to agree that Jack's choice of bride was puzzling. "Well she does have a large dowry."
The two were silent for awhile just enjoying the fact of being in each other's arms. Then Katherine broke the silence, "James, I have an idea."
James stifled the groan that he wanted to emit at this comment. He had discovered during the past months that nothing good or remotely proper ever followed these words.
"James, my friend who bought my house will be arriving the next few weeks. You remember. I told you about her."
James cautiously offered, "You mean the Widow Smith?"
"Yes, well I was thinking that she and Jack might suit very well. Certainly better than Jack and that odious woman. At least they would be closer in age."
"Katherine, I think that it best if we let Jack handle his own life. It is never wise to interfere in matters of the heart."
Tartly Katherine inquired, "You mean like how Jack did not interfere in our relationship? If he had not assisted then we might not yet be together. It is practically our duty to help him out."
It was on the tip of his tongue to forbid Kat to interfere but he had made that mistake before and learned the hard way that forbidding Kat did not go over especially well. Instead he said, "It is too late. He has made his decision and announced their betrothal tonight in front of half of Port Royal."
Katherine conceded that James had a point. Still, she was not ready to give up. Frustrated she complained, "But why did he have to choose her of all people? I mean really, why would anyone choose to marry Millicent Witherspoon?"
Jack swallowed yet another glass of rum, pondering on how much his life had changed in the past few years. He had been perfectly happy living the life of a pirate with no one to answer to but himself. Then slowly he had found himself more and more firmly tied by binds of friendship; first it had been Gibbs and then Anna Marie and then the circle had grown ever wider, until it even included of all unlikely people Commodore Norrington.
He supposed that he should be thankful that he had a group of friends now that his life had changed so drastically. At least he knew these people liked him for himself, in some cases in spite of himself, not the title that he would now someday inherit. Abandoning the glass and just taking a swig directly from the bottle, Jack left out a humorless laugh. The letter had arrived a month ago. Just when he thought that he had experienced all the hell that life had to offer, he had received the news. Against all odds, his brother had died and left no heirs and now Jack was first in line to inherit both fortune and title. The only thing that made the situation at all bearable was the certain knowledge that his father must be even more appalled by the situation than he. He was the second son, the dissolute irredeemable good for nothing son. He was not supposed to be the one to carry on the family name.
Yet in spite of being disowned and disavowed by his father and not having had any contact with the majority of his family for the past fifteen years, he had felt that immediate tug of duty and family obligation when he read the letter from his cousin Bertie. Bertie. Now there was a good egg. Bertie had been one of the few who had stayed in regular contact with Jack. That was probably because the two of them had often gotten into scrapes together and Bertie was not far off himself from being blackballed by the family. However, Bertie had never resorted to piracy or breaking the law. Jack had not only done so but had relished each act that firmly pushed him further away from the son that his father wanted him to be.
However, he could not deny that, the moment that he had finished reading the letter, he had not only known where his duty lay but had already resigned himself to fulfilling it. He supposed that Elizabeth and Katherine would offer this as proof of the "good man" that they believed him to be and there might be a grain of truth to that belief. Old habits died hard and even at the height of his piracy Jack had always stuck to a strict, if a bit unorthodox, code of honor. A short knock interrupted his thoughts and was quickly followed by Gibb's entrance into his quarters.
"I thought you might be needing a bit more rum Captain," he explained dangling three bottles from his hand.
"Aye. Rum is exactly what I need. Sit down and join me Gibbs. Let us toast to my upcoming marriage," Jack bitterly offered.
Gibbs poured himself a glass and then cautiously offered, "You know Captain, you need not be marrying so soon. You certainly have time to think things through and scout about a bit for a woman who takes your fancy."
Gibbs had been the only person in who Jack had confided the news, and thus was the only person who had not been caught completely unawares by the sudden betrothal of Millicent and Jack and Jack's apparent willingness to settle down to a normal respectable life. He could not help but wish that Jack had not been so hasty in his decision. There were certainly some young ladies out there that would be a better match for his Captain. That Katherine or even Elizabeth would have been a good pairing and if those two existed surely there were more women like them. He decided to once again point this out to Jack. "You know that Miss Katherine or Miss…"
Jack interrupted the refrain that he had heard a dozen times the past weeks, "That would be Mrs. Norrington and Mrs. Turner, wouldn't it now? Both ladies are married and as much as I'd not say no to a romp in the hay with either of them that wouldn't get me my heir now would it?"
"I'm just saying a lady like one of them would be more suited."
"Ah, but that is not what I'm looking for Gibbs. If I have to do this, I'll be doing it on my own terms. A sweet quiet young biddable wife is exactly what I need." Jack instinctively went to fiddle with his hair trinkets as he always did when deep in thought and once again took a moment to realize that he no longer sported them. "Miss Witherspoon has been born and bred to be the perfect society wife and that is all that I require."
"But what about love and passion, Captain?"
Jack laughed and took another swig of rum. "Now who'd ever thought that you'd be such a romantic Gibbs? You've been holding out on us," he teased. "Besides, the ladies of Tortuga will provide me with all the passion that I need." Jack was highly amused to see the shocked expression that passed over Gibb's face. The old goat was really rather a prude despite his years of pirating. "Don't be such an old lady. I have it on the best of authority that all of the more upstanding members of society seek their pleasures outside the martial bed. I expect I'll fit right in."
Gibbs could not let the assertion passed unchallenged. "I don't know bout all society marriages but I don't expect to see the Commodore sniffing around whores' skirts anytime in the future. Or come to that, young Turner either."
Frustration at his situation caused Jack to snap, "That'd probably be because Norrington could not imagine anything but engaging in the missionary position once a week and young Will is such a puppy dog that he'll take whatever scraps Elizabeth offers him." As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew that they were untrue. He had seen the blush that had spread across Katherine's cheeks tonight when she had opened a present from James. The package had only contained a small slip of paper like a gambling marker, but whatever was written on it had caused her to first flush then laugh delightedly and send James a wicked look. As for Elizabeth and Will, the two could hardly keep their hands let alone eyes off each other. A small part of Jack yearned for what those couples shared yet he also knew that with that kind of love came strings and obligations and sod it all he had enough on his plate without those added complications. No, Millicent Witherspoon would do just fine. There were a whole host of reasons why a quick no fuss marriage was the best course, most of which he did not wish to dwell on tonight or in the near future. He would wed her, bed her, beget an heir, and then virtually forget her: the perfect wife. "Leave it, Gibbs, and have some more rum with me. I've a mind to get drunk tonight."