Precious Bargaining chips

Chapter one: shock of a lifetime

She banged against the door as steadily as the rain beat against the side of the yacht. Her blonde hair whipped across her cheek as she heard the thunder roar and watched the bright flash of lightening streak through the velvet black night through the small square windows that lined the wall. She shuddered involuntarily. It wasn't that she was scared of storms but it didn't help that she was being held captive by an obsessed arms-dealer on turbulent waters. She was never much for sailing the high seas as it was. Couple that with the continuing flickering lights due to lack of electricity and the thought of the safety of her baby and it was all a little overwhelming. Her hand went to her midsection and rubbed across it protectively and soothingly. It was becoming sheer habit with her. Looking down at her stomach she sighed. "It's going to be okay. I'm going to get us out of here. I promise you." She whispered. She continued to rub for a moment before looking back up at the blockade that was the door. "Hey is somebody out there? Anybody, can you hear me?" She screamed. When she didn't get a reply she began to bang once again. Out of sheer frustration she grabbed for the handle just as lightening struck and a surge of electricity traveled throughout the boat right into Courtney's body. She felt her whole body shake violently before being thrown with force away from the door and straight to the floor.

Luis stood outside Kelly's watching Carly from the other side. He could see the way her shoulder length blond hair just barely hid the side of her face giving him a teasing view of her profile. She was beautiful. magnificent. She was too much for one man. she was too much for Sonny Corinthos. She had more power and fight that most women would never know of. She was solid fire and he loved every minute that he spent with her. She was like nothing he had ever known. the last time he had seen a woman with this much passion. well it had been a long time ago. Sophie had had all the intensity of a tornado wrapped within a hurricane and she had loved him that fiercely. Snapping back to the present he watched as she pulled out a cellular phone and began to talk. even her silent dialogue was thoroughly animated. He looked around and although he didn't see a bodyguard in sight he was no fool. he knew that they were around. But he also knew that in all honesty no one would lay a finger on him, not as long as he had Corinthos' sister. Thinking about her made him instinctively rub his arm where she had thrown him on the bed. He had to admit that although she had a smart mouth on her and didn't understand how expendable he deemed her, she was at least brave. She also held something that he couldn't put his finger on. Standing there in the oncoming evening he let his mind wander to their last conversation.

"Look I don't know anything about my brother's business." She stated flopping down into the chair.

Walking around to the other side of the table he sat. "Tell me something about Carly."

Folding her arms across her stomach she gave him a sarcastic smile. "I thought you knew everything about Carly."

"You seem to disagree." He remarked folding his hands together. "So far I've found Carly to be.Competitive, fiery, determined and um. quite beautiful." He listed off.

"And married." She piped in.

"People get divorced."

"She would never leave Sonny and certainly not for you."

"Anything that Sonny has I can take." He quipped.

She scoffed as she leaned across the table. "My brother is a better man than you will ever be." She whispered.

He rose from the table. "Well you had an opportunity to make your stay more comfortable and you turned it down." He walked toward the door not liking her attitude.

She stood up seeing him making a retreat. "Okay.So what. if I told you something about Carly you would do what exactly? Give me an extra pillow; I get desert with dinner?" Her voice became almost teasing.

"Right now you get nothing." He shot back frustrated with her insults.

Her sarcasm could be tiring but at the same time quite amusing. She may turn out to be an interesting hostage after all.

The Yacht.

The guard had passed her door multiple times and had yet to hear a sound. This was unusual and finally after about fifteen minutes he went in to check on her. He thought about knocking but thought better of it. If she was as sneaky and manipulative as Luis had said, then he wasn't taking any chances. With extreme caution and making sure that his guard was up he opened her door and found her lying motionless on the floor. He wasn't too quick to run to her rescue lest she may be trying to escape. The last guard that tried to help a prisoner had ended up knocked out with a hairdryer after being sprayed in the eyes with perfume. Then stripped down into his boxes, tied and gagged. It was a story that everyone had a good laugh about and he wasn't about to be the next humorous story for the guards. Instead he stayed by the door. "Hey! Miss Matthews! Okay you can cut the act and get up. The storm is far from over and we have enough theatrics around here with the inconsistent electricity." When he didn't get a reply he started to get nervous. "Miss Matthews?" He called again and once more was met with silence. Taking cautious steps toward her body he leaned down and checked her pulse. It was barely beating. "SOMEBODY GET IN HERE QUICK. SOMETHING IS WRONG!" He shouted. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out his phone and dialed.

Chapter Two: Breakfast and Battles

Kelly's

She was still talking on the phone and he was still standing outside looking in. Finally just when he got the nerve to go inside his cellular phone rang. With a frustrated sigh he reached inside his lapel and pulled it out. "What?" He barked impatiently. Listening intently his ears perked and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you sure that she's not faking?" When he got the positive response he automatically sprung into action. "Call the doctor and get him on that boat. Make sure that she is all right. and be careful, Miss Matthews is with child. I'm on my way back right now." He snapped and then hung up. Taking one last look at his blonde bombshell he walked away.

Carly looked up just in time to see a faint shadow of someone that looked familiar. She raised her eyebrows as she stood up. Walking over to the door she peered out into the night but saw no one. Perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her. She shook her head and exhaled deeply.

The Penthouse.

Jason sat on the couch staring out into nothing. His heart in his throat as he fingered his wedding band absently. They should be married right now. Why weren't they married? So many things had gone wrong. so many problems had gotten in the way. What was the point of trying so hard if it always ended the same? Would there ever be a happy ending for him? By the looks of it the answer was pretty clear. dismal but nonetheless clear.

The Yacht.

Luis arrived soaked from head to toe and chilled to the bone. He spotted the doctor stepping out from Miss Matthews's cabin.

"What happened?" He questioned.

The doctor sighed placing the stethoscope back inside his medical bag. "The young lady suffered a mild shock, probably from the storm. But she should be fine. Right now she's asleep. I gave her something for the mild headache."

"And the baby?"

He sighed. "The baby is fine. She should get to an actual medical facility as soon as possible. She's dehydrated and undernourished also she needs prenatal vitamins. The sooner the better." He instructed.

Luis nodded taking in the information. "Thank you." Turning to a guard he nodded. "Get him back to shore." He ordered and watched as the doctor was led away. He stayed outside for a moment before opening the door and standing stationary in the doorway. She was lying somewhat peacefully on her back. Her arm draped almost maternally across her stomach as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Walking silently across the room he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the side of her bed. Sitting down he rested his chin on top of the back of his palms and watched her sleep. There was definitely something about her.

A few hours later.

She awoke to the insistent patter of rain and the constant rocking of the yacht. She groaned as one hand went to her head, the other straight to her midsection. Rubbing it gently she jumped slightly when she heard Luis.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakens."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him as she took in the sight. There he was sitting by her bed like a dutiful host with a tray filled with everything from fruits to vegetables to bottled water. "What the. what is all this stuff?" She asked. She swallowed hard trying to ease the dryness in her throat.

"Some might call it breakfast. although it is late in the afternoon. Though you wouldn't know it by the storm that continues. It's pitch black out there." He remarked setting the tray before her.

Pushing herself up with her elbows she stared back at him and then at the tray. "I know what it is. what I want to know is why." She stated.

He raised his eyebrows. "Why? Well I certainly can't have you starving yourself. You're no good to me if you're dead, to quote you by the way." He smiled. He saw her uneasiness as she continued to rub her midsection. "You're baby is fine. I had a doctor come in and check you out."

"What did he say?" She asked suddenly.

He cleared his throat. "He said that you and the baby will be fine as long as you drink a lot of water and eat right. Also he said that you need prenatal vitamins as soon as possible to keep your strength up. So I had the chef make up something healthy and I got you plenty of bottled water. The vitamins though I'm still working on." He replied to her silence.

She flexed her jaw muscles. "What do you expect a thank-you?"

"From someone like you, never." He shot back.

She shook her head. "Someone like me? What you mean someone who doesn't find captivity generous or becoming?"

"No how about my hospitality?"

"Hospitality? What hospitality, you keeping me here against my will?" She retorted.

"You know you were out cold because of an electric shock caused by the storm. If it hadn't have been for my guards and myself you and your baby could be dead. Now I believe that warrants an expression of gratitude on your part." Once again he was met with her cold silence. He sighed. "Fine. At least eat something. You don't have to starve yourself in order to spite me."

"Why do you care what happens to me and my baby? I'm nothing more then leverage. nothing more, to quote you by the way." She shot back using his earlier words.

He nodded trying to keep the smile from his face. "Seems you do hear me when I speak."

"When someone's pointing a gun in my direction I tend to be very receptive."

"Okay look we can go back and forth all day but you still need to eat and you're still dehydrated." Grabbing the water bottle he poured some into a cup. Holding it out for her he waited. "Now drink."

"How do I know that you didn't poison my food or my water?"

"Now what would be the point in that?" He asked.

She shrugged. Reaching out for the cup she pushed it in his direction. "You first." She challenged.

He sighed. Never taking his eyes off of her he raised the cup to his lips and drank deeply. When he drained the water he placed it back on the tray. "Happy now?"

She didn't reply. She stared at him and then reached out grabbed the bottle and drank from it. The cool liquid felt good as it flowed nonstop down her throat. It seemed like forever since she had felt anything this good.

He watched her with slight amusement. "The fruit is fresh. and the vegetables are one of a kind." He said gesturing toward the food. She only stared at him as a response giving him the silent order. He shook his head but reached over for a piece when she stopped him. "What?"

"I'll choose." She stated grabbing a strawberry and placing it in his palm. "Who knows? You could have expected my lack of trust." She remarked watching him closely.

"There are a lot of things that I'm rather surprised about you. You may not be as boring as I first thought." He quipped before taking a bite from the strawberry. She watched him intensely as he swallowed making sure that it was safe and only then did she grab for a piece of cantaloupe. Biting into it she savored the taste.

He watched almost transfixed at her enthusiasm. She was beside herself as she ate. "When was the last time you ate something?"

She shrugged as a response not really sure of the answer to be honest. "You know that's not healthy for you. or your baby. In fact I hear that expecting mothers need to take in almost double of what they normally eat in order to sustain a healthy body."

Stopping in mid-bite she turned to him. "So what you read prenatal books in between kidnapping and armsdealing?"

"You know there are a lot of things that you might be surprised to learn about me."

"Not really because I don't care about you. And I won't be a prisoner of yours for very long." She stated knowingly.

"False cockiness won't get you out of here any faster." He stated as he continued to watch her eat. Reaching for a napkin he began to instinctively wipe the strawberry juice from her lips but she pulled away before he could.

"What are you doing?" She questioned.

He stared at her for a moment not sure of the answer to that. What was he doing? "Drool isn't very becoming on a woman."

Wiping it with the back of her hand she rolled her eyes. "Does that mean you'll let me go?" When he didn't reply she sighed. "Of course not."

Pushing his chair back he took a stand. "Finish up. I'll send a guard in here to retrieve your leftovers." He remarked before walking toward the door.

She watched his retreating back and felt an impulse come to her. "Mr. Alcazar." He turned to her and waited. "Thanks. you know for saving my baby's life." She muttered. They held a stare for a moment before dropping it and going back to her lunch.

He stared at her for a moment before leaving her there alone. Once outside her door he stared at it for quite some time before walking away.