Chapter 42:  Interruption

 

Norrington’s skin tingled as Jacqueline wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer and moaning softly as he kissed her slowly and deeply.  The touch of her hands gently touching his bare skin seemed to spread a burning sensation throughout his body that was completely unrelated to his injuries.  Jacqueline ran a hand through his hair, pressing him closer to her and intensifying the kiss almost greedily as her tongue touched his.  Norrington finally released Jacqueline’s mouth and allowed her to breathe as he pressed his lips to her ear and then moved down her neck.  Jacqueline’s chest was heaving as Norrington began kissing lower, his lips gently trailing down the neckline of her shirt.

“You smell of the sea,” Norrington whispered.  “And rum,” he added with a chuckle.

Jacqueline giggled as Norrington’s hot breath tickled her soft skin.  “How else would a pirate smell?”

Norrington moved back up her neck and then caressed her lips with his own.  “You taste better than rum,” he murmured in her ear.  “And even better than the finest wine.”

“Why, thank you.”  Jacqueline giggled again as Norrington kissed her throat.  His hand traveled up the side of Jacqueline’s body, resting first at her neck before lowering to Jacqueline’s shirt and fingering the top button.  As Norrington undid the first button, he looked up at Jacqueline through his eyelashes, silently asking her permission.  Her smile was enough.  He brushed his lips over her delicate skin, trailing his mouth lower as he unbuttoned another button and he suddenly wondered why he had put the trousers on…

“James…”

Norrington slowly made his way back up to Jacqueline’s lips, meeting her in a hungry kiss that was more passionate than any he could recall, and a shiver shot through his body.  After the hell in that old tavern, he was now in a place higher than heaven.

There was a knock at the door.

Norrington kissed Jacqueline’s ear as whoever was interrupting this paradise knocked again.  “Tell them to go away,” he breathed.

“What do you want?” Jacqueline asked, attempting to mask her breathlessness.

“It’s Ragetti.”

Norrington growled softly as Jacqueline tried to sit up.  “What is it?” she asked, not noticing Norrington’s annoyance at her sudden interest in the man on the other side of the door.

“Another prisoner,” Ragetti said.  “He says he has something important to tell the Pirate King.”

Jacqueline sighed heavily, catching Norrington’s gaze, who was looking at her with jade eyes filled with desire.  “Now?” she asked regretfully.

“I thought it’d be wiser, considering what happened to the last prisoner who did not get to see you right away.”

“A very good point,” Jacqueline admitted, sitting up and sliding out from under Norrington, who rolled back to his side of the bed and glared at the door with extreme irritation.  Jacqueline fumbled with the top buttons of her shirt, her face furiously flushed as she tried to hide all evidence of what had just been occurring in her room.

Because of the low lighting of the room, Norrington was unable to make out the exact facial expression Jacqueline had upon opening the door but he could see that she was smiling.  “Thank you, Ragetti.”  She turned to whoever was with the pirate.  “Come in.”

Norrington’s eyes widened as a man in a Royal Navy uniform stepped into the room.  Even with little light, Norrington knew who it was—but he could not believe it.  He also could not believe what horrible timing a single man could have.  “Gillette?” he exclaimed in disbelief.

Captain Gillette froze as he laid eyes on Norrington.  “Not again,” he muttered, glancing from Norrington to Jacqueline, his cheeks darkening.  “Not really…”

“Yes, you have terrible timing, now what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

“Miss Elodie?” Gillette said uncertainly.  “You are the Pirate King?”

Norrington was continuing to stare at Gillette in shock.  “You were dead!” he suddenly exclaimed.

“I thought so too, sir.”

The fact that the recent addition to those in the bedroom had been dead seemed to have little affect on Jacqueline.  “Well, you’re obviously here now,” Jacqueline said, taking Gillette by the hand and pulling him towards the bed, sitting down and motioning next to her.  Gillette looked at Norrington again, this time his eyes following the various gashes on the man’s chest and face.  “Come on,” Jacqueline said, motioning again.  “I don’t have any other furniture.”

“I’ll stand,” Gillette said, shifting his weight awkwardly.  “I could come back…not now, later, if that would be better…”

Jacqueline sighed.  “You’re already here; you may as well say whatever it is you came to say.”

Gillette nodded slowly, looking at Norrington nervously when he noticed the glare Norrington was giving him.  “Lord Beckett sent me.”

Jacqueline glanced back at Norrington.  “Go on,” she said, eyeing the man in her bed suspiciously.  Norrington had no idea why he had apparently said that Beckett was dead.  Had he been lying?  Had he been delusional?  Again the question of why and how he had come to Shipwreck Cove came to mind, a frustrating question that seemed to have no answer—at least, no answer that he could recall.

“He wishes to Parlay with members of the Brethren Court,” Gillette said quickly.

“Is that all?” Jacqueline asked.

Gillette thought for a moment.  “I believe so…”

Jacqueline was silent as Gillette looked down at his feet, shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously.  “Did Lord Beckett say anything else?”

“That’s all he told me to tell the Pirate King, Miss Elodie.”

“That isn’t the answer to the question I asked.”  Jacqueline stood and took a few steps toward an increasingly apprehensive Gillette.  “Did Lord Beckett say anything else?”

Gillette gulped nervously.  “He told me not to come back.”

“He told you to remain in Shipwreck Cove,” Jacqueline clarified.

Nodding, Gillette said, “I assumed that he meant I would likely be killed, and thus not return.”  Gillette swallowed and bit his lip, perhaps fearing that he would indeed be killed.

“But that isn’t what he said.”  Jacqueline turned and walked back toward the bed.  “Why would he send such a high-ranking officer?” she muttered to herself, suddenly turning on her heel back to Gillette.  “Were you involved in planning the attack on us?”  Gillette nodded fearfully.  “Have the plans changed recently?  Since James left?”

Gillette nodded again.  “Yes, actually.  How did you know?”

“I doubt a Parlay was part of the original plan,” Jacqueline answered.  “Is that everything?”

“Yes, miss.”  Jacqueline arched an eyebrow.  “Really, Miss Elodie, that was everything.”

“All right.”  Jacqueline climbed back into the bed, leaving Gillette standing awkwardly nearby.

“Where should I go?” Gillette asked after a few moments.

Jacqueline leaned against the wall with a sigh.  “You can’t really go anywhere.  You’ll most likely be killed if you leave.”

“Oh.”  Gillette stood silently for a few moments before asking, “Then where can I go?”

Jacqueline glanced sadly at Norrington.  “You’ll have to stay in here.”

“What?” Norrington hissed.

“He’ll have to, just for tonight,” Jacqueline said apologetically.  She turned back to Gillette.  “Tomorrow morning I can explain to the Court that you have joined us, and I can get you a place to stay.  With a friend of mine, preferably.  Ragetti probably wouldn’t kill you if I told him not to,” she said, the corner of her mouth twitching and threatening to turn into a smile.  Gillette appeared quite astonished at the apparent danger he was in, and he was certainly not comforted by the glower he received from Admiral Norrington.

“I suppose I’ll just sleep on the floor?” Gillette suggested.  He gulped as he looked at the couple on the bed.  “I can, uh, not listen,” he said with a cough, his face turning a very deep shade of red.  Norrington felt his own cheeks reddening as Jacqueline shook her head.  “I can’t have a guest sleep on the floor.”  She tried to get up, but Norrington gently pulled her back.

“You aren’t sleeping on the floor, either.”  Norrington, despite the anger he felt at considering Gillette sleeping in the same bed as Jacqueline, made to get off the bed himself, and was surprised (though pleased) when a hand caught his arm and pulled him back.

“You’re injured, you’re the last one who should be on the floor.”  The three fell silent until Jacqueline said, “Captain, come here.”  Gillette cautiously took a step forward.  “Closer, Captain,” Jacqueline said with an amused grin.

Norrington was rather dismayed to discover that Jacqueline’s solution involved all three of them sleeping in the same bed.  Gillette gave Norrington an apologetic and slightly fearful look as he lay down beside Jacqueline.  Norrington wrapped his arms protectively around his love and held her close.

“Goodnight, James,” Jacqueline said quietly.

“Sweet dreams, my love,” Norrington whispered in her ear.

“Goodnight, Admiral.  Goodnight, Miss Elodie.”

Norrington sighed heavily.  “Goodnight, Gillette.”

* * *

Norrington awoke, but did not yet open his eyes.  He did not want another day to start—he was not ready.  He still had an arm about a body.  He smiled and tried pulling the body closer; but he was suddenly suspicious when he realized that he did not smell rum.

His eyes flew open and focused on a white wig.  “Ah!” Norrington exclaimed, pulling back as fast as he could and nearly falling off the bed in the process of backing away from Captain Gillette, who was curled up contently, still sleeping.

Norrington heard someone giggling, and an aggravatingly cheerful voice said, “You two make such a cute couple.”

Norrington glared at Jacqueline, who was leaning against a nearby wall and smirking.  “That was not funny!”

“Oh, I disagree,” Jacqueline said with a grin.  “It was rather entertaining.”

“Cruel wench,” Norrington muttered as he threw off the sheets.

Jacqueline put a hand to her mouth and gasped in mock horror.  “Bloody bastard!” she spat at him, unable to keep a smile from tugging at the side of her mouth.

Norrington arched an eyebrow and got out of the bed with slight difficulty due to his injuries.  “Pirate scum,” he said with a grin.

“Military rat,” Jacqueline retorted as Norrington approached her.

“Whore,” he growled.

“Mock man!”

Norrington grabbed Jacqueline and kissed her passionately, his hand running through her dark hair and holding her closer as he explored her mouth, goose bumps forming on his back as Jacqueline trailed her fingers delicately across the bare skin.  He parted from her and breathed deeply.  “Good morning, my love.”

Jacqueline laughed brightly.  “Good morning to you too, Admiral,” she said with a wink.  Glancing past him, she flushed, and Norrington turned to see that Gillette was now awake, watching the pair with great confusion.  Norrington chuckled at the incredulous look on the captain’s face as he wrapped his arms around Jacqueline and embraced her tightly.

“Good morning, Gillette.”  Gillette nodded slightly, seeming to be unable to speak.  Norrington laughed again, kissing the top of Jacqueline’s head.  He felt strangely elated, as though nothing in the world could go wrong.

“Go on, get dressed,” Jacqueline ordered, running a finger gently along one of the scars on Norrington’s chest.  “You can’t very well go to a meeting of the Brethren Court like that.  Although you may intimidate some pirates with all of those scars.  You look tough.”

Ignoring the last part of what Jacqueline said, Norrington stared at her in shock.  “What?”

“You and Gillette are going to be my…entourage,” Jacqueline explained.  “You know, follow me around, do whatever I tell you to do.”  Jacqueline giggled as Norrington arched an eyebrow suggestively.  “You know about enemy tactics James, and Gillette knows about the more current plans.  It will be a good way to keep both of you safe, as well.  “Jacqueline gave Norrington a little shove.  “So go get a shirt on!”

Norrington lifted Jacqueline’s chin and kissed her gently.  “If you’re certain that’s what you want,” he said with a wink.  Jacqueline laughed.