by Kenovay
"Aye." Jack said nothing more. Neither did he remove the hat. Norrington exhaled sharply.
"I came to� are you comfortable?" That made Sparrow tip his hat back, just slightly. He regarded the Commodore solemnly until the man twitched and looked away.
"I'd be a deal more comfortable with a deck under me, seeing the back of this jail, Norrington." There was an uncomfortable silence. Jack remained still.
"Sparr- Jack." Norrington kept his voice soft. "You will die tomorrow. There will be no rescue, no miraculous escape from death. Your time is at an end." The pirate showed no reaction. Norrington waited for an answer, but when he didn't get one, he continued. "I wanted� wanted to tell you that I'm not enjoying the prospect."
Jack sat up suddenly, and came closer to the bar on his knees, looking up at Norrington. "Then why the hell are you doing it?" he hissed. "Put all in all, I'm� I'm not a bad man, Norrington, I've always made sure of that. I don't rape, I kill only in self-defence." He sagged. The caged bird was exhausted. "I don't deserve it." His voice had sunk almost to a whisper. "I know I don't deserve it."
"The law says you do." Norrington worked hard to make himself seem unaffected. Sparrow made him question his beliefs, and the firm foundation of his life was being shaken.
"Is the law infallible?" Sparrow looked up at him again. "Norrington� look at this as a man, not a law-giver. Please. I don't want to die."
Norrington hesitated in his answer. But somehow, Jack's question made it all make sense again. "They're the same person, Jack. The law-giver, and the man. And maybe the law isn't infallible, but the only way it can remain a usable tool is if I always keep to it. I know you're better than some, but godammit, you're no hero, Jack. Some of the ships you stole from� you ruined lives. People who couldn't stay in business because of you, people who starved to death because they'd lost their revenue. And if I let you go, how will I justify keeping any pirate? You must die."
Jack's face twisted. "How can you stand there and say that, Commodore?" His voice sounded like the hissing of snakes. "Just end a human being's life like that? In cold blood?" Jack scrubbed a hand across his face, and then his chin came up. "I'll not beg. But one day, Commodore, I hope you're left relying on the mercy of someone. And I hope to fucking God, Norrington, that they refuse you." They were suspended in time for a moment, the dark eyes boring into Norrington's brain, until the mobile face crumpled and the kohl began to slowly trickle down Jack's cheeks. "Don't want to die." He scrubbed at his face and turned away.
When Norrington watched Jack Sparrow's body dance at the end of the rope the next day, losing control of his bowels and creating a dark patch on his breeches, he was at the same time broken-hearted and more sure of his duty than he had ever been. To keep the hunting skills keen for the hawks it was sometimes necessary to use them on the sparrows.
