James Norrington / Reader - Part 5
However Gillette was not done yet, oh no, he had barely started. He was furious because you had turned his friend, Captain Norrington, into a person whom Gillette did not recognize anymore. He had always looked up to Norrington, ever since they had sailed from Great Britain as young lads and then gotten into Royal Navy at the same time. They had always talked how Gillette would be Norrington’s first captain when Norrington had climbed the career-ladder all the way up to be the commodore. Everything had been fine and the plan had progressed as scheduled… until Norrington had met you.
Sure Gillette had known that Norrington would meet someone and most likely even get married someday. Hell, Gillette was already married himself with an agreeable and amiable woman from a respected family, but had never considered himself “in love” with her. Oh no, Gillette was actually in love with someone else, even though he never had admitted it to anyone, not even himself. However, his own suppressed feelings had made him unimaginably jealous when Norrington had met you; there he was, his best friend, falling helplessly in love with a woman who looked like a fine lady, sure, but carried an aura of wild, reckless adventures as well as danger.
Then you had left and Norrington had been so heartbroken that he had orchestrated many risky search-sailings that had eventually led into the event of Dauntless exploding and the men, the honorable soldiers of the mighty British Crown, had been forced to accept help from pirates and then the man whom Gillette had looked up to his entire life had betrayed the Royal Crown by just letting the pirate-captain go. Yes, the pirate who was in fact the woman Norrington had fallen so intensely in love with.
After this Norrington had started to change and in approximately fourteen months he had turned into a man who had betrayed his best friend and the first officer… for a pirate. Norrington had not only betrayed Gillette but also embarrassed him in front of his superiors and this was unacceptable. However Gillette did not hate Norrington, he hated you and saw you as this embodiment of evil and therefore he had to free his friend from your wicked spells… but first he had to prove the commodore that Norrington had destroyed the evidence and that way assisted the dangerous pirate to escape the long arm of the law.
If Norrington lost his status as the captain of the Royal Navy, especially now that he was about to be promoted as the commodore, he surely would value his career and honor more than he valued you. Then, when Norrington had been put into that difficult situation, his ranks taken away from him and his career ruined, Gillette would appear as a savior and offer his helping hand to the man, Norrington, who had been blinded by foolish love and stepped astray from the path which he was supposed to walk until the very end with his most loyal friend, Gillette.
During the following weeks Gillette worked in secrecy, gathering evidence to prove that not only was Miss (Y/N) a pirate but she had also put Captain Norrington under her wicked spell and like that orchestrated her escape. She had charmed Norrington by pretending to be a fine lady and then used the tragic situation where Norrington’s obsession, clearly due to some unearthly and sinister reasons, had driven him and his crew for her own benefit. Miss… or Captain (Y/N) had saved the lives of the British sailors but surely this had been part of her plan… a plan that had clearly worked because Norrington, who had always been a man of the Royal Crown above everything else, had then helped the pirate to escape by destroying evidence and betraying his first officer.
It was the end of the stormy season, two and half months since you had left Port Royal when Captain Norrington was called by the commodore, who was just about to retire. The first weeks after helping you to escape Norrington had been quite nervous, constantly looking over his shoulder and keeping an eye on Gillette but as the days had slipped away and the entire event had been forgotten Norrington had put his mind at ease and moved on with his life. Now he was on his way to the commodore’s office, assuming that the commodore wanted to talk with Norrington about the duties of a commodore and the ceremony that was supposed to take place in just few short days.
However when Norrington arrived to the room, he was greeted by Gillette and the commodore who both looked very serious. There were papers on the commodore’s desk and suddenly Norrington got a very bad feeling about the situation he was now facing, especially because Gillette did not greet him like he usually did. Gillette was actually avoiding eye contact with Norrington, or that was what his friend’s behavior was making Norrington to think. The commodore gestured Gillette to leave the room and asked Norrington to sit down. The captain sat on the other side of the table and put his hat on the table.
- I have heard some very alarming news, Captain Norrington. the commodore said when Gillette had left the room.
- That is very unfortunate. What kind of news? Norrington asked with a concerned yet casual tone.
- I think you know, Captain Norrington. the commodore said and handed a document to the captain. Norrington glanced through it and then shifted his eyes back to his superior sitting opposite from him.
- Needless to say, I am very disappointed. the commodore stated and then continued “You would have had a very bright future here-“. Norrington shifted his gaze elsewhere for a fraction of a moment and repeated “Would have had” with a barely audible tone. Norrington was disappointed; he had hoped and eventually assumed that he could just move on like nothing had happened, he after all had acted according to his conscience but apparently his good deeds were about to be punished after all. Suddenly he felt a terrible wave of shame washing over him and making him think what would his family say if they knew about this… that he was going to get dismissed from the Royal Navy.
- Yes. These are very serious allegations, Norrington, and therefore I cannot ignore them. the commodore spoke with a disappointed and stern tone, which made Norrington feel that it was better to just listen silently.
- Gillette has provided me evidence that you helped a dangerous pirate to escape. the commodore said and leaned back in his chair. “Normally that is an offence which would be atoned for death sentence” he stated and took a deep breath during which Norrington’s expression changed from neutral and calm to calm but extremely serious. “However now, considering your loyal service and the fact that the woman was unnaturally cunning…” the commodore continued with a slightly thoughtful voice and then added “…You merely will be banished from the British territories and you will no longer serve under the Royal Crown.” Norrington swallowed once and nodded.
- Therefore I must ask you to get your belongings, leave the property of the Royal Navy… the commodore said and then listed “Your uniform, musket, sword…” with a calm tone, to which Norrington responded by nodding again.
- And you will no longer be addressed as captain. Is this clear? the commodore asked and gestured Norrington to stand up.
- Yes. Norrington replied and took his sword, put it on the commodore’s table and left the room. Just as he was about to step into the corridor, the commodore stood up and told Norrington to stop.
- Here, your final paycheck to pay for your journey away from Port Royal. the commodore said and handed a leather pouch filled with coins to Norrington. “I hope she is worth this” he added and then dismissed the former captain.
Norrington walked into his private chamber, changed his clothes and packed his personal belongings into a bag although there were not that many. Then he said goodbye to his friends, left the fort and headed to the harbor. On his way there he heard Gillette, who had been promoted as the new captain, calling his name and requesting him to stop. Norrington sighed and turned with a calm, yet not very friendly expression on his face, to talk with Captain Gillette, who was walking towards him with great haste.
- I hope you are satisfied now, Gillette. Norrington said with an irritated tone.
- Hardly. I would be satisfied if I had my best friend by my side and the pirate hanging from her neck in the gallows. Gillette responded and then continued “Therefore I am offering you a deal, old friend.”
- Let me assure you, I am not interested. Norrington said with a firm tone. However the truth was that even though he had been positively surprised how well the confrontation with the commodore had gone, considering that he could have been sentenced to death for assisting a pirate, Norrington couldn’t help feeling disappointed in himself. He after all had screwed up his career and yes, betrayed both, his friend and the Royal Crown. This, awareness of his betrayal and severe disappointment in himself could make any suggestion that his friend, Gillette, presented very interesting for Norrington, if it promised to correct the plan that had gotten so badly scrambled along the way… and put Norrington back to the path that he had thought that he was supposed to walk on. Yes, Norrington had thought that he knew himself and he had always had a clear picture of what his life was supposed to be. Sure there had been a couple of mishaps here and here but he had always managed to find his way out from those tricky situations… but now, his luck had finally run out.
- I think you will be. Gillette said and then continued. “I managed to persuade the commodore that if you bring the pirate to face trial, you will get your status as the captain back” he said and after a small pause added “…Even the promotion.” Norrington shifted his gaze elsewhere for a moment and then looked at Gillette with a confused expression. Gillette smirked proudly because finally he had managed to show Norrington how good and loyal friend he indeed was.
- Yes. You as the commodore, me as your first captain. Gillette stated and bowed as the sign of leaving. He turned away and started to walk into the direction of the Fort Charles. “Like we always planned!” he exclaimed to which Norrington responded with a brief smile. Yes, he remembered the plans… Two righteous and courageous men, defending the Royal Crown by chasing pirates, sharing adventures and facing danger, never shying away from a battle and never betraying each other, especially for a woman. That was the man he had wanted to be, that was the man that he didn’t have to be ashamed of!
Norrington stared at the man who walked further away and finally disappeared behind a building. His head was spinning and the bag he was carrying felt heavy, just like his shoulders… like he had been dragging the weight of the world with him. It had been ages since he had felt… free. Perhaps he had not been free since the moment he had met you because from then on he had started to change and his priorities had started to change as well. Maybe you indeed were the source of his misadventures… and maybe his life would return to its original path if he sold you out. Maybe you were a cunning sorceress who had tricked Norrington to fall in love with you to avoid gallows and he had been stupid enough to walk into your trap. Perhaps Norrington had to free himself from you and from the intense feeling that consumed him every day and night. Maybe it was the right thing to do; you after all were a pirate and Norrington had acted very recklessly since meeting you. There however were two major problems; Norrington loved you and… he had no idea where you were.
It had been almost six months since you had left Port Royal and you had not heard from Norrington ever since, which made you assume that he had gotten away with the crime he had committed and had moved on with his life. The thought made you feel conflicted because on the other hand you knew that you had said goodbyes and there really was nowhere left to go anymore, but then again you had secretly hoped that you would keep running… or sailing into Norrington and next time things could be different for you and him. It surely was a foolish daydream but you couldn’t stop yourself from hoping, although you never talked about your hopes and dreams with anyone.
You and your father fought nowadays almost every time when you saw each other and one of his loyal men, there weren’t many but still few stubborn drunks, had told him that you were planning a mutiny and therefore your father had actually threatened your life more than once. You however had managed to talk your way out from such situations but each one of these events had brought you closer to the moment when you would actually seize the power by making yourself the new commodore and forcing your father to retire.
You were sailing home with your crew when you saw a large ship appearing to the horizon, basically gliding over the sea and getting closer very fast. You looked in the telescope and rolled your eyes as you realized that the ship was your father’s vessel, which meant that you were most likely going to get engaged into yet another argument with him. You however decided to sail to the harbor anyway since it was just around the next peninsula anyway. Your father’s ship arrived to the harbor less than hour after you, by the time you had unloaded half of the cargo your ship was carrying.
Your father basically jumped into your ship as soon as his had reached the harbor and started shouting about the terrible news he had heard; he had been told that the treasure you had seized was smaller than it was supposed to be and you had let the crew of the robbed ship just sail away instead of killing them and sinking their vessel. During the heated verbal battle you heard a familiar voice behind your back calling you by your first name. You froze still for a moment and turned to look over your shoulder.
- Norrington? you exclaimed with a surprised tone when you realized that you were in fact staring at… him. He was wearing trousers and boots, a frockcoat but instead of a long vest he was wearing a simple, casual shirt that had a flattering V-shaped neckline, or he just had a couple of buttons open from the collar, and ruffled sleeves. He did not have a wig so for the first time you saw him with his own brown hair that was neatly tied back with a silk ribbon, like it was common and fashionable.
- What are you doing here? you asked when you abandoned the quarrel and basically ran to him, wrapped your arms around him and gave him a long, welcoming hug. You did not really care about the reasons why Norrington had come, they did not really matter at all because you were just overwhelmingly happy to see him again. The truth was that, now that you thought about it, you had felt his presence but ignored the feeling due to the heated battle you had been having with your father. Your attention indeed had been elsewhere and therefore Norrington had managed to sneak into the ship without you noticing him.
- My superiors found out about what I did. Norrington replied and breathed in your scent. He had missed you so much during these past months and he almost couldn’t believe that he had finally found you after crisscrossing the Caribbean with various merchants and trying to discover your whereabouts. “Gillette managed to find evidence that I had destroyed the documents and helped you to escape” he explained and squeezed you even tighter against his body.
- So… you’re no longer a captain? you asked after drawing back a little. You felt sorry for him because you knew that he had valued his career and duties above everything else. It had been clear from the very beginning.
- Yes. he replied and then chuckled “Please do not tell me that you only loved me for my rank and the white wig.” The statement made you laugh but your laughter was cut short when your father walked behind you and asked “Norrington? Captain Norrington?” You went silent and as pale as a ghost. “Shit” you sighed half-aloud and turned to face your father.
- The Captain Norrington who has killed many of my friends? your father asked but this time he was almost shouting and it was clear that he was angry. “Why were you hugging this man, daughter?” he shouted and clenched his hands into fists.
- James Norrington is the man I love, my fiancé. you stated with a determined tone and kept yourself between your father and Norrington as your father tried to get to him by sidestepping and bypassing you.
- Step away, daughter. he shouted and drew out his sword.
- No. you answered firmly and moved your hand to the handle of your sword as well. It seemed that the moment of the mutiny had finally arrived and this time there was no way to walk away from it. “Is it not enough that you’re planning a mutiny? Do you want to crush me by marrying an enemy?” you father asked bitterly and then spit at you which was a terrible insult. You wiped the spit off your face and held your ground. The gesture made your father even angrier and the angrier he was, the more dangerous and unpredictable he became.
- Step aside! your father shouted with a voice that was filled with rage and tried to bypass you by a sudden jump. You however saw it coming and jumped to cover Norrington, drew out your sword and stated loudly “If you want to get to Norrington, you must go over my dead body.” Your father took a small flask out from the pocket of his pirate coat, emptied it with one long gulp and threw it on the floor. “With pleasure” he said and wiped his mouth to the sleeve of his coat before attacking you.
You fenced the attack with your sword quite easily which annoyed your father even more. He attacked with more force and even though he was currently very drunk, he was still a skilled swordsman. You told Norrington to stay back and not to interfere because you did not want him to get blood in his hands for your family quarrels. Your men as well as your father’s crew knew already not to interfere because your father had become ruthless and deceitful opponent during the years which made it very dangerous to fight him. You however knew his tricks and therefore the men trusted you to handle it by yourself. You and your father fought with swords on the deck, sometimes chasing each other to the quarterdeck and then returning back to the main deck, occasionally hanging from the ropes and balancing on the wooden railings. The truth was that you did not want to hurt your father. Oh no, not at all and your goal was to exhaust him and show him that this was not a battle that he could win.
Norrington stayed back in a safe distance, sometimes running away when your father chased him but you always managed to block his attacks before he had even mustered one. You defended him and fought skillfully, using the surroundings to your advantage as well as the fact that your father was drunk and old, but no means was he weak. Oh no, your father was a strong, tall man and he was not going to give up. He had been betrayed by his own daughter who was in fact defending a man that was a notorious captain of the Royal Navy. To your father it made no difference that Norrington was not serving the Crown anymore, there were many deaths to settle anyway. Your betrayal was so great in fact that your father was ready to kill you to get to Norrington, who currently did not possess a sword.
Your father was just backing out when he suddenly stepped on the metal flask, slipped and fell on his back to the deck. He hit his hand to a wooden mast and lost the grip of his sword, making him realize that his weapon was out of his reach and he was now at your mercy. He groaned in pain and cursed as you jumped at his feet and threatened him with your sword. However instead of hurting him you lowered your weapon and offered him your hand while speaking calmly that in your opinion the smartest thing to do now was to end this fight, of course meaning that your father had to admit his defeat first. Norrington followed you from the distance and sighed relieved; you had seized the power and were the new commodore. But then… then happened something that neither of you had anticipated.
Norrington noticed your father reaching down to his boot as he was about to take your hand and just as Norrington shouted a word of warning, your father grabbed a small knife from the fold of his leather boot and stabbed you on the left side of your stomach with it. You stepped back and dropped your sword as you pressed your hand over the stab-wound. You felt your hand getting sticky as the warm liquid dripped out from the hole and stained your clothes. For the first few seconds you did not feel any pain, you just stood there in front of your father in shock, pressing the injury with your left hand and then brought it in front of you. You felt a sharp pain hitting you as you stared at your hand that was covered with deep red blood and then you fell on your knees.
- Well, die already. your father scoffed, bent down to take your sword and then pointed it at Norrington who had decided to come and help you, despite the obvious risk. Norrington raised his hands up as a sign of surrendering as he tried to look around for a weapon, or at least something to defend himself with… or to buy himself some time so he could come up with a plan.
- I just want to help your daughter, Sir. Norrington said and jumped backwards when your father swung his sword as he tried to hit Norrington with it.
- Let’s see if you bleed, Devil! your father groaned and attacked Norrington again. This time he managed to cut his arm a little.
You were on your knees, head bowed down as the seconds slowed down. You heard your own breathing getting into slow, shallow gasps as you felt your mind slipping into unconsciousness and the surrounding world faded away. However suddenly you heard the sound of Norrington groaning in pain and you recoiled from the state of exhaustion and dizziness to the reality. You noticed your father’s sword laying on the deck, a bit further away and you forced yourself on your feet. You got the sword and pressed the stab-wound with your hand as you fought through the excruciating pain that walking caused you. You struggled to hold onto your consciousness as you walked along the railing, supporting yourself with it, getting closer to Norrington and your father who were in the bow of the ship.
You managed to get behind your father without him noticing you and just as he was about to stab Norrington with your sword into his chest, most likely aiming at his heart, you shouted “Hey!” which drew the attention of your father away from Norrington to you and when your father turned to face you, you used the last bits of your strength to impale him with his own sword. Your father looked at you with disbelief in his eyes as he dropped your sword on the deck and felt the handle of his own sword sticking out from his stomach now. Then he looked down and fell on his knees.
You felt your strength getting drained as well and immediately sought support from a cannon, behind which Norrington had been trapped. You took a couple of steps sideways and then fell on your knees, ending up laying on your back on the deck, at the bow of your ship. Norrington jumped to help you and pressed his hand immediately on the injury. He was bleeding as well but he knew that his cuts were not life-threatening like yours. You stared at Norrington as he bent over you and shouted for help. You felt cold and numb, exhausted and unable to talk even though you had a deep desire to say something… to at least declare your love to Norrington or… ask him to step into your shoes… but you couldn’t get a sound out from your mouth. Every sound, Norrington’s voice, the sound of seagulls flying above the ship and your crew running around on the deck, got muffled in your head and finally faded away as you slid into unconsciousness. Now there was nothing but total silence and darkness wrapped in a freezing void as you felt your life slipping away from you.
It was late afternoon when you started to recognize sounds again; curtains rustling in the breeze, light chatter… footsteps getting closer... You realized that you were in bed, laying on a soft mattress, among fluffy pillows and covered by a warm blanket, the air in the room was pleasantly cool and you were wearing very light nightgown that felt heavenly against your skin. You opened your eyes and scanned the room, which you recognized to be your room. You were home, in your own bed. Suddenly the footsteps stopped and there was a sound of a tray hitting the marble floor and a glass vase shattering into tiny pieces at it hit the hard surface. You turned your head to the direction of the noise and tried to raise it to see what was going on but all you saw was a blurry image of your maid staring at you and then storming out into the corridor. You closed your eyes for a moment because the light was hurting them.
Soon there was a loud sound of someone running closer in the corridor and then stopping at the doorway of your room. You opened your eyes again and this time you saw a blurry image of a tall man standing at the opposite side of the room. He stood still for a moment and then walked to your bed, sat on the edge and took your hand. The sound of glass pieces getting trapped between that someone’s boot and the marble floor hurt your ears but you did not mind because unpleasant sensations made you more convinced that you were alive. Finally you recognized that the man was Norrington, wearing only black leather boots, trousers and a white shirt that had large sleeves and a row of buttons in the front. He had a couple of buttons open revealing his neck and making him look casual yet very handsome.
James squeezed your hand and lifted it on his lips. He pressed soft kisses on your knuckles and sighed relieved. He knew that the wound had not been that deep or wide but the doctor had feared for an infection that could have possibly claimed your life. However after having a high fever for some days you had slowly started getting better and now you were awake which meant that the wound was healing well and you were going to be alright. You could hear James talking to you but it all was still so blurry so you couldn’t really make any sense from his words.
- Are you thirsty? James asked and placed his hand on your forehead to check your temperature.
- Yes. you sighed and tried to push yourself to sitting position but you were too weak to do so. James told you to stay still and he stormed out from the room to get a glass of water for you. Soon he returned, sat on the edge of the bed again and put the glass on a small table that was next to the bed.
- Can you help me to sit up? you asked with a hoarse voice. James hesitated and spoke with a soft, kind voice
- I don’t think you should-
- Please. Just for a moment. you pleaded. James leaned closer, wrapped his arms around you and then helped you to sit up, staying very close and making sure that your position was as comfortable as possible. He helped you to drink a little bit and then put the glass back on the table.
- Are you alright? you asked with a fragile, shaky voice.
- You’re asking me? James chuckled and brushed your hair as he leaned in to press a kiss on your forehead.
- I am, so, are you? you asked and smiled wearily.
- Yes. I cannot say the same thing about you, though. he commented with a smirk on his face.
- Hey! I’m fine… It is a bit unclear what happened, though. you mumbled and rested your head against James’ shoulder. “It is all… Blurry” you added and breathed him in.
- Well, you defended my life. James replied a bit hesitantly, almost like he had not been able to decide whether it was smart to tell you what had happened or not.
- My father was there… wasn’t he? you asked and inhaled in slowly.
- Yes. James replied, sounding even more nervous, which made you nervous as well… or not exactly but it gave you a feeling that something was not quite right… that something serious had happened.
- Where is he? you asked. James ran his fingers up and down on your back without saying a word because he did not want to shock you with the truth, especially now that you seemed to have forgotten what had happened.
- Where, James? you asked again.
- He stabbed you, (Y/N), and you could have died. James spoke and held you a little bit tighter against him, constantly cautious about your injury though.
- You’re avoiding my question. you stated and as you shifted yourself a little, you felt a terrible sting that reminded you about the stab-wound in the left side of your stomach, almost on the region where your stomach changed into your side, just above your hipbones. This sharp, unexpected pain gave you a vivid memory flash of the swordfight and… how it had ended. James felt your muscles tensing up as you drew back a little and shifted your gaze from his chest into his eyes.
- He’s dead, isn’t he? you asked with a voice that was filled with shock and disbelief. “I killed him” you mumbled as the picture got clearer in your mind.
- I was unarmed and he was about to kill me. James explained and then added “He had already tried to kill you, stabbed you when you helped him.” You processed the information for a moment, buried in strong disbelief; you couldn’t believe it… surely there had been a mistake. Of course you now remembered yourself impaling your father with his sword and then seeing him falling on the wooden floor of your ship’s deck… but you had hoped that it was just a nightmare. You however knew that it was the truth, you could feel it in your bones. The thing was that you just did not want to believe it because it did not feel real… but it started to feel more real by every passing moment… by every wave of sharp pain that was spreading from the wound now that your breathing was into turning erratic, shallow gasps.
After a moment of processing the shock you burst into tears as the overwhelming flood of memories washed over you. Now you remembered everything! You indeed had killed your father… and even though it had been self defense and defending the man you loved, you had killed a person. You had never killed anyone before and you had always been very proud of it… but now your hands were stained with blood and there was nothing that could un-stain them, so to speak… make them clean again. Norrington however assumed that you grieved for you father, which was true, only partially though, because mostly you were disappointed in yourself for failing your own rules.
- So… I am a dangerous… criminal now. you sobbed helplessly. “You cannot possibly love… love me anymore” you whimpered as you struggled to catch your breath.
- What? James asked with a deeply puzzled tone. He loved you deeply but sometimes you made no sense to him! You had defended him with your life… and now you thought that he didn’t love you anymore because you had been forced to take a life.
- You said… that y-you could… never love… a pir-pirate. you explained among the violent sobbing and gasping for air. “I used… to-to con-consider… myself as an illegal… mer-mer-merchant, but… now… I’m a… pir-” you whimpered with a heartbroken look on your face but James interrupted you by muffling your words with a kiss. He kept his lips pressed against yours until you calmed down a little. Then he drew back to give you space to catch your breath and then leaned closer again.
He brushed your lips with his and caressed your back with soft, comforting brushes that made you feel better almost instantly. He tangled his fingers into your hair and guided you to change the angle of your head slightly, which would give him an opportunity to deepen the kiss without taking risks of being rough and possibly hurting you. You after all were still recovering from a serious injury and James did not want to cause any delays for your recovery. You let James guide you into the familiar embrace and to make your head spin with his caresses. His lips mapped yours freely, sometimes abandoning them and finding all the sensitive spots on your neck, paying much missed attention to them all and using a generous amount of time to connect with you on all levels; mentally as well as physically… but also on a deeper… spiritual level. It indeed felt like the puzzle pieces had fallen into their rightful places and even the planets had lined all around the cosmos.
This time neither of you, you or James, had to leave and there was no reason to hide your feelings anymore therefore you surrendered yourself entirely to the kiss that intensified and subsided… intensified again and changed more possessive, more demanding, making you feel new and whole again, almost like you had been reborn. James drew back to smile against your lips every once in a while and then continued kissing you, like it was the only purpose he had now in his life. He had never dreamt about such intense and consuming love but despite of demanding so much from him, his full focus and costing him his career, he felt that it was worth it now because he felt energized and enthusiastic about the future. He was happy, truly happy.
- I suppose I should let you rest now. he spoke against your lips. He had been occupying your lips as well as entire being for almost an hour and he had noticed towards the end of the kiss that you were getting tired.
- Or you could stay and rest with me… maybe continue kissing me… while resting. you smirked in return, but it was clear that you were exhausted for being awake for so long. This was after all the first time you were awake since passing out and you should still take it very slowly… even if you felt seemingly alright.
- That would be highly inappropriate. James stated and then added “We’re not married yet.”
- Dear Sir, you have not even proposed. you teased and pressed a kiss on the corner of his mouth.
- I beg your pardon. he mumbled and then continued with a playful, soft tone “I think you already presented me as your fiancé”. The statement made you chuckle lightly and you slipped your hand under his shirt. You had missed the feeling of his warm, soft skin and the strong muscles against your palm. “One could assume that you already proposed” he stated with a chuckle. He had missed the feeling of you slowly caressing his back… his sides and his chest under his shirt. You were gentle and firm at the same time and your touch felt both, seducing and comforting.
- Fair enough. you sighed and moved to open the buttons of his shirt. “However you never accepted” you whispered and teased his lips with the tip of your tongue. "I respectfully disagree" James stated with a firm and overly serious tone and then continued with a proud, festive voice "In case you did not notice, I am your fiancé...". He brushed his nose against yours once or twice and declared victoriously "...Therefore I evidently accepted." The statement made you smile widely as he secured a runaway lock of your hair behind your ear and slid his hand on your neck, down to your shoulder and gently pushed the strap of your nightgown off your shoulder. Then he moved to press soft kisses on the exposed skin and blew warm air down from your neckline on the curves of your chest. You buried your face into James’ neck and kissed him right under his earlobe, murmured into his ear that you had missed his scent and brushed the skin with your tongue, just barely touching.
- You must hold that tongue… or I cannot control myself. James commented with a deep, soft tone, kissed his way up from your shoulder to your lips, stopping to adore every sensitive spot on your neck and nibbled your lower lip as soon as he had arrived to his final destination. He placed his hand on your shoulder and ran his fingers up and down on your arm, traced your collarbones as well as the generous neckline of your nightgown and even let his fingers wander under the silky fabric. He lowered you to lay on your back comfortably and hovered over you without putting any of his weight on you, sometimes allowing himself to steal a kiss or two from your lips.
- Oh, James Norrington, afraid of losing control. you moaned as his fingers gathered the hem of your nightgown and slid under it, slowly getting higher on the smooth skin of your thigh. However just as he was about to touch you, he removed his hand and smirked at you. He stood up, tucked you in and stated “Not before we’re married.”
- Didn’t seem to matter before. you commented and rolled your eyes. James chuckled and shook his head.
- Yes, before the future was uncertain. he said and then continued “Now, it is the beginning of the new life and therefore you must wait.” You groaned playfully, flashed a seductive smile and rested your arm above your head on the pillow, which was a sight that made James sigh. “Patience” he said, mostly to himself. You however responded by tracing the exposed skin of your upper chest lightly with your fingertips and told him that you wanted him to kiss you “Here… and here… definitely here… Oh…” you sighed and slipped your hand under the blanket on your stomach, sliding it lower. “Definitely not here” you stated with a sarcastic voice which made James burst into laughter.
- Oh, I will definitely kiss you there. he stated as he buttoned his shirt, leaving the last two of them unbuttoned, the look that gave him a casual and very charming appearance. “What’s stopping you?” you teased and moaned softly as you pretended to pleasure yourself. James stared at you with a hypnotized expression on his face but soon he shook himself out from his thoughts and cleared his throat with one firm “Ahem”.
- I might not be a captain of the Royal Navy… but I still have my manners. James stated and bowed as a sign of leaving. “You and your manners” you stated playfully while watching him turning away and walking out from the room. “I do love your manners, Norrington, but you cannot just leave me like this!” you shouted and burst into laughter. You heard James laughing as well as the sound of his footsteps got more silent and eventually faded away entirely. You rolled on your right side and hugged a pillow pretending that it was James. Then you soon drifted away into a deep sleep, to dream about the future you would share with the oh-so-noble-gentleman.