Chapter 12:  A Little Party

 

“What shall we do with a drunken sailor, what shall we do with a drunken—.”

“Pirate!” Robin interjected, causing Jack to stop singing and turn to where Robin sat on the sand.

“I’m singing it, and I’m saying pirate!  I mean sailor!  I mean—never mind, pirate’s better…”

Robin laughed brightly, taking another drink of rum.  Elizabeth shook her head as she took a dainty sip of rum.  She made a little face at the taste, but took another sip anyway.  Norrington sat nearby, drinking what he knew was far too much rum.  He was already on his second bottle, yet found that he was surprisingly alert.  Of course, that was possibly the rum talking…

“Captain Barbossa wants to know what’s happening here.”  Norrington turned to see Pintel getting out of a jolly boat.

“Actually, I think he said something more like, ‘what in blue blazes is going on on that island,’ but you get the idea.”  Ragetti stepped out of the boat as well, pulling it by a rope onto the shore.

“We found ourselves a little cache of rum,” Robin said, standing and walking over to the two.  “And we are having a little party.”  She moved behind them and threw her arms about their shoulders, holding a bottle of rum in each hand near their faces.  “Why don’t you join us?”

The two pirates grinned and eagerly grabbed the rum, and Pintel wrapped his arm around Robin’s waist as they walked back to the fire.  Norrington’s eyes narrowed when the pirate did not let go when Robin tried to bend down to get another bottle.  “Pintel,” she said warningly, glaring at him.  Pintel instantly withdrew his arm and laughed nervously.

“Come on, Lizzie,” Jack said, trying to pull Elizabeth to her feet to dance with him.

“I said no!  I haven’t had that much rum yet.”  Elizabeth made Jack fall down on the sand next to her as she tried to pull away from him.

“I like this position better anyway.”

“You’re drunk!” Elizabeth accused.

“And loving it, love.”

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…” Robin sang quietly.  Norrington looked over at her, surprised to hear her singing—and more surprised by how lovely her voice was.  “We’re rascals, we’re scoundrels, we’re villains and knaves, drink up, me hearties, yo ho.”  Norrington vaguely remembered hearing this song long ago.  Robin glanced towards Jack and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth smiled slightly.  “We’re devils, we’re black sheep, we’re really bad eggs, drink up, me hearties, yo ho!” she sang, joining in.  The two woman’s voices harmonized perfectly, quite unlike their personalities.

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” Jack sang along, quickly destroying the harmony.  The group of pirates began doing a sort of tribal dance around the fire, each man dancing briefly with Robin.  Elizabeth continued her protests when Jack tried to get her to dance, but she continued singing the pirate song.

Norrington neither joined nor was invited into the festivities.  Not that he wished to join the drunken pirates, of course.  Norrington watched Robin and Ragetti dancing quite formally as Jack began to sing some strange ballad with rather obscene lyrics.  He could hardly stand watching as Robin and Ragetti danced elegantly (though a bit drunkenly) around the bonfire.  It was too much a reminder of the woman Norrington had thought Robin…or Jacqueline…or whoever she was, had been.

Finally unable to tolerate watching Robin and the others, Norrington stood and slowly walked away from the group, taking his bottle of rum with him.  He looked out onto the open ocean, avoiding looking toward the Black Pearl.  He sat back down rather far away from the group, so the singing of “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest,” was faint.  He was not sure of how long he was there when he was suddenly brought back into reality by a voice.

“Do you like being alone?”  Norrington whirled his head around toward Robin, startled.  Robin giggled.  “You all right?  Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  She collapsed onto the sand next to him.  She sighed and took a swig of rum.  “Got sick of the off-key singing,” she said to explain her presence there.

“Did you?”  Norrington took a drink of rum.

“And why did you come ‘ere?”

Norrington swallowed nervously.  “Sick of the singing.  This island.  Pirates.”

Robin laughed.  “Pirates, huh?” she stood up.  “Then I suppose I’ll be taking my leave, Admiral,” she said playfully, bowing to him drunkenly.

“You can stay.”  The words were out of Norrington’s mouth before he could stop them.

Robin shook her head.  “I doubt I’m very good company, what with being pirate scum and a whore and all.”  She examined her fingernails.

Norrington sighed heavily, his cheeks darkening slightly in embarrassment.  “You know I didn’t mean that.”  Robin arched an eyebrow.  “At the time I did,” Norrington admitted.  “But I was…upset.  So were you.  You threw quite a few insults at me yourself.”

Robin chuckled as she sat down next to him again.  “True.  But that lady comment cut deep,” she said, drawing a finger across her heart in a slicing motion to accentuate this.

“And I especially didn’t mean that.”  Norrington glanced at Robin.  “Though you must admit to not being exactly ladylike.”  Robin laughed and tossed her hair, causing some of it to gently brush against Norrington’s face.  “But believe me, you are…”  Norrington coughed nervously.  “Much more than presentable.”  Robin laughed, giving Norrington the impression that she was not taking him seriously.  “Actually, Robin, you’re quite attractive.”  Robin turned to look at him, appearing slightly confused.  “Beautiful, really.”

“You’re drunk!” Robin exclaimed with a grin.

“As if you aren’t,” Norrington retaliated as Robin took another swig of rum.

Robin laughed again.  “You have a point there, James.  But calling me pretty after such remarks as calling me a whore and such…”

“I didn’t say pretty,” Norrington said hastily.  “Beautiful.”  Robin shook her head with a small smile.  “More than Elizabeth.”

This last comment was successful in obtaining Robin’s serious attention.  She bit her lip and looked away, blushing slightly.  “Really?” she said after a moment.

“Really,” Norrington confirmed.

“Wow, you are drunk!” Robin said with a laugh.  Norrington was about to speak when his voice was stolen suddenly as Robin leaned her body against his.  “But thanks.”  After a brief silence, Robin spoke again. “I really am sorry, you know.”  When Norrington did not respond, Robin continued.  “I shouldn’t have…well…it was cruel…”

Norrington pressed his lips to the top of Robin’s head and wrapped his arm about her waist.  A little voice inside his head yelled at him for these actions, but he was not exactly sure why.  “It was cruel.  Extremely,” Norrington said quietly.  “But I forgive you.”  Robin looked up at him as if seeing him for the first time.  It was as though it never occurred to her that she could be forgiven for what she had done.  “I do have a question, though.  About your fiancé…did you actually have one?”

Robin’s eyes suddenly grew cold and she turned away from him.  “Yes,” she replied coolly.

“Is he…dead?”

“No,” Robin admitted quietly.

“So it wasn’t quite all a lie, just mostly,” Norrington concluded.

“You have to keep bringing that up, don’t you?”

“Are you still planning on marrying him?”

Robin sat up sharply.  “No!” she exclaimed.

Startled by her sudden reaction, Norrington asked, “Why not?”

Robin shook her head vigorously.  “Never.  Not after what he did.”  Robin put a finger in Norrington’s face.  “And never ask me again.  I don’t want to remember that part of the past.”

“What about when we were…”  Norrington kept himself from finishing his question, but Robin appeared to guess the rest.

“I…”  Robin smiled slightly.  “I would like to remember that…but, as you keep pointing out, it was all a lie.”

“Not all of it,” he said quietly, leaning closer to her.  “After all…the compass pointed to me.”  He felt Robin’s breath on his face as she exhaled sharply at his statement.  Curiously, he smelled no alcohol, but merely the ocean.  He smiled slightly.  “It makes me wonder if it was really all a lie.”

Robin stared at him silently, almost appearing afraid.  “Well…why wouldn’t the compass point to you?  I mean, you are the most attractive man on this island by far…”  She coughed.  “And…”  She turned away quickly and glared at the bottle of rum in her hand.  “Damn…why do you do that?”

Norrington arched an eyebrow inquisitively, wondering if she was speaking to Norrington or the rum, and what she was referring to.  He set down his bottle of rum and slid his now free hand up Robin’s arm, coming to rest at her neck.  He was pleased when Robin closed her eyes at his touch.  “But the compass doesn’t point to the most attractive person nearby,” Norrington said quietly.  “Though it did when it pointed to you.”  Robin flushed as Norrington moved closer to her.  “It points to what you want most,” he breathed.  He leaned even closer to Robin, their lips almost touching.

Robin suddenly pulled away from him.  “I think that this conversation is headed in a direction we would regret in the morning.”  She smiled nervously as she twisted out of Norrington’s arms and stood.  “You can…you can join us.”  Robin sighed, her eyes sweeping sadly over Norrington’s body, a glint of lust reflected in her eyes.  “If you want,” she finished before walking back over to the group.

Norrington watched as Robin was accosted by Pintel, who appeared extremely eager to dance with her.  Norrington was certain that he caught her looking at him as she danced with the other men on the island.

During another strange slow song, Norrington finally stood and approached Robin, who was currently dancing with Ragetti.  He coughed to get her attention.  “May I cut in?”

Ragetti looked at Robin, as though asking what she wanted.  Apparently Robin answered silently, because Ragetti nodded to her and walked away, picking up an abandoned bottle of rum off the sand.

“Finally decided to join us?” Robin said, taking Norrington’s hand and placing her other hand on his shoulder.  Norrington felt the cold gold of the ring he had given her against his hand.  After a brief moment of hesitation, Norrington put his other hand on Robin’s waist.

Norrington mentally tuned out Jack’s off-key singing, concentrating instead on the rhythmic sound of the waves lapping against the beach.  He allowed his hand to slide down on Robin’s body, but Robin glared at him, causing him to quickly move his hand back up to her waist.  She grinned and shook her head slightly.

The rest of the night was a blur of dancing and singing and rum.  Norrington had a few dances with Elizabeth, and was the only one who achieved a dance with her at all.  But he mostly danced with Robin, and on one occasion, Robin and Ragetti.  He could not remember why they thought dancing in a threesome was a good idea…not that he remembered much at all…