Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I'm finally out of my hiatus! I'm still going to be in semi-retirement since college takes up a lot of time and does not leave much room for fanfics. I miss reading new Marcus/Tessa fics! Their relationship should definitely be explored more! But here is a short fic that I was inspired to write. I love this song from Ricky Martin called "I Count the Minutes." This story is set when our captain and the queen were trapped inside the mine shaft and as the oxygen slowly diminishes…

Disclaimer: The show and the song belong to their respectful owners and no copyright infringement intended. Thanks!

This world don't turn when you're not in my arms
The sun don't shine whenever I'm without you
And there's an empty space inside my heart
When you're gone
And whenever you're gone, it's too long
And the waiting is driving me crazy
Baby, I'm not alive
Till you're here by my side, oh

"Grisham…" The dark beauty slowly gasped out before she passed out on the cold ground.

When Tessa finally opened her eyes, she was face to face with her sworn enemy.

"Where am I!"

"Shhh…you're safe with me in this place." His blue eyes twinkled softly.

"How can I trust you? Tell me what's going on!" Glancing around, she saw they were not in the material world. They were two spirits in limbo.

Tessa's heart sank. Death was always something she thought she was prepared for since she accepted her destiny as the Queen of Swords. However, when it really happened, she was not ready to let her life go.

"We need to get back. Grisham, we need to wake up!" The panic in her voice rose with each word until he silenced her with a kiss. She looked up to see a small smile gracing his features. She didn't know why, but the smile put her at ease. It was a different smile than the usual smirks he tossed carelessly around. This smile reached his eyes and she was shocked to feel warmth radiating all over her.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I will always protect you. Close your eyes and count to ten. When you open them again, you'll be back where you should be."

Usually, under any circumstance Tessa would never listen to the captain's advice, but she felt compelled to trust him this once. Suddenly…

I count the minutes
I count the hours
I count the seconds
Till you're here by my side again
And every minute (every minute)
Goes on for hours (hours)
Until you're with me
Till I look in your eyes again
And time is standing still till you're here with me
I need your love to set me free, set me free

Shouts broke out as Captain Grisham's soldiers got through the rubble and many more scrambled to catch a glimpse of their commander with the bandita. Tessa jerked awake to find Grisham next to her. She quickly touched her mask to find that it was still there.

"You didn't…"

"No." His eyes hid something from her. But Tessa didn't notice as she realized that her position just got more precarious. She was trapped inside with his soldiers blocking her only way out, Tessa needed to figure something out before his men get through the rocks. A faint memory sparked her imagination.

Smiling coyly she toyed with his obvious desire for her. Her devious escape more than humiliated the captain as he emerged from the cave clad in his underclothes. Ripping the gag from his mouth he couldn't help but grinned at her ingenious plan.

Laughing, Tessa rode all the way home. Midway through, her skin prickled as she realized how easily she got away with undermining the captain's common sense. She tried to remember the dream…Was it a dream? It didn't make sense at all, because Grisham had no way of knowing that the Queen of Swords was Tessa. Did he?

Her heart froze when she remembered the last words before she woke up inside the cave.

"I will always love you, Tessa."

Each night's a lifetime when I'm not with you
And every day just seems to take forever
I'm missing when I should be kissing you
I can't wait
'Cause I live for the love that we make
I can't breathe till I feel you beside me
And I'm lost in the dark
Till you're here in my arms, oh