A Cold Morn at Sea (M)

[Mercury]

Disclaimer: I do not own Norrington nor the common cold, which, I feel, is one of the greatest tragedies known to man.

Authors Notes: Someone requested a Norrington fic and I looked around for one... Why are there none? Seriously, I'm aghast. Although this isn't a response to the request as it seemed to be aimed more at Norrington from the second movie, and this is set before the first. I'm starting to think that I'm the only person who prefers Commodore Norrington to Pirate Norrington. Oh well. Enjoy!

A Cold Morn at Sea

Captain James Norrington the Third was a proud man; he had faced fearsome pirates and sailed through the most ferocious storms. On a quiet morning in the middle of the ordinarily warm Caribbean waters he found himself feeling almost ashamed of the sorry condition he was in.

He tried not to hunch over the helm folding in on himself. He stayed straight backed, alert, and with his chin held high. He was sniffing constantly as the angle cause his nose to run, but he refused to lower it. His men all crowded the deck in front of him, and he observed them with fondness. He was their captain, responsible for the happiness and health of them all, which was why he was quarantining himself on the bridge.

A harsh cold had spread throughout the ranks and had sent many able bodies to the crew's quarters, leaving a skeleton crew to man the ship. Luckily the weather was mild, cold air and light rain, with no wind or waves to threaten The Interceptor off course, but James was weary and prepared for the worst. He remained on deck, just in case, despite the throbbing headache and congestion, which were weighing heavily on him.

He coughed breathily, suppressing the heavier coughs which bubbled in his throat. His sea green eyes scanned the hands on deck to insure that everyone was occupied with their duties, and as such unlikely to glance his way. Pulling a soft handkerchief from his breast pocket he gave a nose a soft, gurgling blow, careful not to make to loud of a sound. He carefully folded and replaced it with haste.

He sniffed. The blow had relieved some of the stuffiness in his sinuses, but aroused a tickling sensation that had been coming and going throughout the day. His eyes fluttered closed as he stiffened and braced himself for a battle; James Norrington did not concede to defeat easily.

"Heehhhh..." His head tilted back slightly, the rain reached under his hat to sprinkle his face. "Ehhhhh..."

"Captain," spoke a clipped voice, followed by footsteps as one of the shipmen ascending the stairs.

James tried to compose his appearance quickly, to leave no visible evidence of his internal battle. The moment his control slipped, he found himself overwhelmed. His hand came back to the lower half of his face, the back of his knuckled pressed to the underside of his nose, almost painfully, as his nostrils flared.

"HEH'EESSSHOOO!" His nose thundered; the wet sneeze tearing through him. He did not want to dare moving the loose fist from his face, but it felt foolish to keep it raised. He blinked his eyes to clear them of the spots that danced in his vision. "Excuse be," he muttered stuffily, his pale cheeks reddening pink.

The cautious hand of a man unsure of the professional boundaries in this uncomfortable situation lay on James' shoulder. A clean, white handkerchief entered his vision. The rain dusted the cloth with damp marks, and the captain waved it away, but his stoic pride was already lost to temptation. He retrieved his own handkerchief from the folds of his uniform and blew soft enough to only relieve half of his congestion, lest he revive the sneeze inducing sensation. He also cleaned his hand on a dry corner of the material.

"Sir?"

James almost jumped. He had almost forgotten that he had company. Turning his head slightly, he saw Groves, a lieutenant, standing beside him looking unsure about how to proceed. He also looked worried, and James took pity on the brown wigged young man, and gave him a way out of the silence.

"I'b sorry; you wished to speak with be?"

Groves blinked and seemed to pull himself together. "Right... I mean; 'Yes, Sir'." Groves offered a small smile as an apology. He frequently let remarks fall from his lips without a thought, and it had gotten him in trouble with his previous commander on many occasions. James mostly let it slide by without comment or reprimand.

"I came to inform you that during the night fevers have broken on three of the men, however, seven more have fallen ill." He shifted his stance and tilted his head. "Yet, perhaps the tally should be increased slightly? With respect, Sir, if you are feeling off colour it would be best if you retire to your quarters. If I am permitted to suggest so, half of the crew has come down with this chil-"

"Which is precisely why The Captain should remain on deck." James finished. The men needed to be encouraged, to feel secure despite the conditions surrounding them. James also needed to observe them for his own peace of mind, but the lieutenant didn't need to know that.

He turned away from Groves, a subtle sign of dismissal. He did want so desperately to crawl into the bed, which lay in the cabin below his boots. He cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and gave a wet sniff. With restrained alarm, his eyes snapped open, his breath already hitching in anticipation.

"Goves, dake the helb," he muttered. He clasped the handkerchief loosely to his mouth and headed to the most sternward railing, away from the edge overlooking the deck.

"Ehshhooo, Kishhshoo, Hehhhssshhoo... Tishhooo," He stopped, panting slightly from the effort. The material around his neck had tightened damply due to the rain, and felt far too cold on the back of his neck. His body felt as if it was going into spasms as erratic shivers shook his frame. The explosions were tearing at him from deep inside his sinuses. He pressed the fabric tighter to his face. "Hih'Isschhmm, Eh'Kushumph!"

Energy drained, James tried not to sigh with the fear that it would set off the series of cough which were resting in his lungs. He did give a small sniff, which produced a gurgling noise but no relief. He sighed involuntarily, which, as predicted, sent him into a series of coughs, which he also smothered. His head gave an angry throb of protest.

He dabbed delicately at his running nose, James straightened his posture, but the violent motions of sneezing and shifted the position of his hat, which had in turn moved his pristine wig from its position. The hair pins pulled at his hair, which only served to intensify the ache in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut. He stood there, one hand clinging tightly to the handkerchief and resting on the railing, the other gripping the wood tightly. He wouldn't have been able to say how long he had stood there; the sound of the sea around him soothing his nerves.

A few curls had fallen from beneath his wig, which he normally wore straight and with pride. His nose felt raw, and still twitched and flared when the breeze tickled it. Tired and sore, for the first time in two days the distress lines around his eyes fade and he relaxed.

He took a long breath, a welcomed change from the sharp hitches, and released it freely over the side of the boat; A wet, relaxed "Haisshhhhh," followed by a sniffle.

James slowly opened his eyes and turned around to face Grove's back, glad that the younger man had given him his privacy in a small, yet rare moment of vulnerability. He approached the lieutenant and went to place a hand on the uniformed shoulder, but pulled back at the last minute, aware of how quickly the virus had been spreading throughout the vessel. About to speak, James noticed that the other's hands tightened around the handles of the wheel, and he turned his head slightly as to better see the captain.

"If I may I would like remain here, Sir, it is quite a beautiful view."

"Lieutenant, I am perfectly capable of doing my duties."

"I don't doubt that, Sir."

James looked out at the very few officers who were out. They had all been carrying more than their share of weight, having had to pick up the slack for their fallen comrades. "I need to remain on deck." He said, trying to explain to his subordinate, although he could have ordered the other man away if he so wished. "I..."

He paused, his eyes fluttering closed once again, but this time he was only given enough warning to bring up his hands and turn away.

" Hih'Issshhh, Hehh'Aisshhh, EhIsshhhoo" He gasped an inhale, "Ehshhooo, Kishhshoo, Hehhhssshhoo, Tishhooo, EHCHHOO!" he kept a hand to his face as he coughed and dug in his jacket to search for his handkerchief. Finding it and cleaning himself up, he resurfaced from the folds to find Grove had placed a hand on his chest to support him as he had bent over, and that his outburst had caught the attention of the men beneath them.

They each looked to him with surprise and worry in their eyes. James felt his face flush and he straightened up, feeling that Groves had hastily removed his hand, and tugged his uniform back into place. Holding the handkerchief loosely in his hand he cleared his throat, a task more difficult than it should have been, and was about to order the men back to their previous tasks when one spoke up.

"I can search for a spare bed-warmer if you desire one, Sir."

James squinted at the man who had spoke, a youngster by the name of Gregory Milton, a new man, and one who was still trying to learn the proper manners in addressing his superiors. He had been the first to fall too the cold, the quickest to recover, and no one else would have been so brazen to speak up. Now that he had it sparked something in the other men on deck. Although none spoke, they all had a steely resolve in their eyes, one that James easily recognized as it had been in his own green orbs since he had first felt the tug of the virus a few days before.

He brought the handkerchief to his nose. "HIESSSHHuump!!" His head bobbed, and when it rose he looked Groves in the eye, his back straight and his chin held high. He spoke without a hint of shame.

"If you need me, Groves, I will be in my quarters."

[W.I.N.]

Hee! A Norrington fic! HURRAY!

Are you serious? There were no Norrington fics at all before this? Unthinkable!

Great characterisation, btw. I love how stiff-necked Norrington can be. Good job!

~W.I.N.

[silentdreamer789]

Beautiful. Such lovely sneezes, and always nice to see somebody who's normally so tightly controlled slip a little. And you're not the only one who prefers Commodore to Pirate, btw

[tma]

Oooooo.... this is Great!! I like the Col. better than the pirate too. And the whole "stiff upper lip" thing like this just MELTS me completely.

His eyes fluttered closed as he stiffened and braced himself for a battle; James Norrington did not concede to defeat easily.

"Heehhhh..." His head tilted back slightly, the rain reached under his hat to sprinkle his face. "Ehhhhh..."

"Captain," spoke a clipped voice, followed by footsteps as one of the shipmen ascending the stairs.

James tried to compose his appearance quickly, to leave no visible evidence of his internal battle. The moment his control slipped, he found himself overwhelmed. His hand came back to the lower half of his face, the back of his knuckled pressed to the underside of his nose, almost painfully, as his nostrils flared.

"HEH'EESSSHOOO!" His nose thundered; the wet sneeze tearing through him. He did not want to dare moving the loose fist from his face, but it felt foolish to keep it raised. He blinked his eyes to clear them of the spots that danced in his vision. "Excuse be," he muttered stuffily, his pale cheeks reddening pink.

Absolutely Delicious!! Thank you!!

[Cerulean Flower]

This is the first Norrington fic I've read (call me inexperienced) and I loved it. You have such a lovely writing style. You drew me into the story right away. Thanks! Keep on writin'!

[scent]

This is the first Norrington fic I've read (call me inexperienced) and I loved it. You have such a lovely writing style. You drew me into the story right away. Thanks! Keep on writin'!

Great story! It's not surprising how stubborn men are when they get sick.

[Selene]

OMG! A Norrington-Fic?!

I love you for writing this because this is so great! I was hoping for a Norrington fic for ages and then you're posting this! It is not only just Norrington, it is also Commodore Norrington (whom I prefer much more than the pirate version) and as if this wasn't enough awesomeness, this story is so well written! Thanks a lot, really!

[Orionbob]

Oh, I'm so glad I overcame my embarrassment squick to read this. (And he wasn't as embarrassed as I thought he would be, too.)

I love the image of Norrington all disheveled with those little squiggles of hair loose from his wig. I also enjoyed your characterization of Groves, and how clearly you can tell that Norrington's men care for him. Oh, so lovely. Thanks for sharing this.

[doggo]

"His nose thundered"???? That is one of the best ones ever. Thundered, well of course, one shouldn't except anything less from a man of his calibre!

Can I also say that your first paragraph is so perfectly tempting. Yes, a proud man, and a sorry condition... and handkerchiefs, uniforms, sniffles and thundering noses.

Thank you. I loved this. And you have such a great style!

[Mercury]

I'm glad I'm not alone with the Commodore love. Thank you all for enjoying!

(and, yes, it thundered . Apparently Norrington's nose doesn't show the same restraint that he does.)

[crazy_cat_girl]

Yum. I really liked this.

[ichixshiro14]

woot love the details