"Buffy?" Giles voice echoed around the room. "Are you alright?" Concern coated every word and he wanted more than anything to be able to cross the room and check on his young charge.
"I'm ok Giles." the Slayer called back to him. "Nothing like getting your face thumped to make your face hurt!" she tried to giggle it off and the pain screamed through her cheekbone.
They tried to chat idly for several moments before dropping into silence. The only sounds came from the heavy footsteps of their captors above them. Willow had tried reaching out with her mind, tried calling to Tara to offer some morsel of comfort and had found herself unable to reach her.
"Why are they doing this Giles?" Tara's voice cut into the dark silence. "I mean, leaving us down here like this?" she clarified. Contemplating the question for several minutes before answering. "Well, it has been known for pirates to leave their captors in complete isolation for several days, without food or water and when they are on the verge of total physical and mental collapse, they release them and torture them." The others inhaled sharply, the word 'torture' conjuring various mental images, each one worse than the last.
"However," his voice carried a hint of hope. "Since we aren't in isolation, we can hope that that isn't their plan."
Willow wiggled her face, trying to free the blindfold from her eyes. She didn't know what she hoped to see, if anything but the material was making her face sting and itch and it smelt of something that had maybe died about a hundred years ago. After many minutes of struggling, she finally gave up, resigning herself to the fact that she would have to deal with the itching.
The door suddenly burst open once more and the same confident footsteps fell into the centre of the room. Buffy stole herself for another blow as the figure crossed towards her, the soft hand gently stroking her cheek. Almost as soon as this gentle blessing had begun soothing the rapidly swelling flesh, it was gone and the figure moved on.
Standing before Willow, the figure reached out and, using one finger, traced a line across her throat. Willows mind flashed with the memory of the time Faith had held a knife to her throat, how she had so gently caressed her cheek with it previously. Shuddering under the touch, Willow tried to control a scream that rose from her core, uttering the slightest whimper in its place.
"Willow!" Tara called out, her ears were finely tuned to Willow-fear and even with all the other sounds, she had heard the whimper above all else.
Striding towards the blonde, the figure balled a fist and brought it down heavily across the soft cheek of the woman.
"Tara!" Willow screamed into the hull, her first thought not for her own safety, but that of her lover.
Tara hung silently from her restraints, the blow having knocked her out cold.
"Tara? Baby?" Willows voice demonstrated her terror and desperation. "Talk to me Tara!" she barked the last few words out and received silence in return.
Footsteps closed the gap between their producer and Willow and the redhead shrunk back into the wall, turning her head and preparing herself for the blows she was sure were to come. Willow could feel hot breath on her face and she wriggled against the restraints.
"You stay the hell away from her!" Xander yelled, starling everyone in the room. The figure crossed to stand before him.
Suddenly he grunted loudly and began coughing after a fist came into hard and fast contact with his stomach. "Xander!" Buffy called out.
The figure had, apparently moved back to the centre of the room and clicked their fingers. "Ei Cap'in?" a male voice filled their ears. The owner of the powerful punches crossed to the doorway and whispered something to the pirate who had appeared in the doorway. "Ei ei, Cap'in!" he said and the entire gang could picture him saluting the woman.
Footsteps were heard crashing overhead, before they stopped and then returned over the same path they had just trodden. Back in the doorway, keys jangled and the door slammed shut once again.
Once again, silence filled the room, the Scoobies trying hard not to breath so as to hear their captor. Giles mind raced for the Captains name. Willow barely breathed the words to various spells, each one unsuccessful. Buffy tried to get a grip on the chains, hoping to pull herself up and deliver a swift kick should this woman come near her again. Xander, well he wished he had never asked to drive the yacht and cursed himself for landing his friends in such trouble.
Keys jangled in a lock and each one pricked up their ears, trying to work out how was being released. Tara groaned as she hit the solid floor. "You keep your god damned hands off of her." Willow screeched, yanking at her restraints with all her might. "I swear, if you hurt her, I'll kill you!"
Footsteps closed in or her rapidly, a swift flying kick being delivered to her stomach and knocking the wind from her lungs.
"Will!" Xander yelled, his voice wobbly with emotion. "I'll gut you, you bitch!"
Buffy cut in before Xander received punishment for his words. "Don't hurt them, take me. Just don't hurt my friends." she yelled. "Unless you're too scared!" A torrent of punches washed over the Slayer almost as soon as her words were out, to her face, torso and chest. Their deliverer grunting loudly as she rained down blow after blow.
As soon as the attack began, it was over although to Buffy's mind it had lasted many minutes.
Footsteps returned to the area Tara had previously been restrained in and the woman grunted once again, shackles rattled and the footsteps headed back towards the door, this time slower and more careful.
Light flooded the small room and the woman was replaced with the ever talkative pirate.
Removing their blindfolds one by one, he regarded each set of freshly revealed eyes. "Ain't ye all purdy!" he announced as he ripped Buffy's blindfold from her face. She snarled at the vile man and spat in his face, momentarily shocked to see blood drip from his face. Her ribs hurt and her head spun wildly.
He laughed manically at her before turning and striding out on deck. "Will?" Xanders voice filled the room. "Willow? You ok?" he asked.
She coughed slightly and groaned from the exertion. "Yeah. Think some ribs are bust up." she admitted. "Where's Tara?" Panic set in as she scanned the room quickly and saw no sign of her beloved.
Tears stung her eyes. "Tara!" she screamed into the room before breaking down into hysterical sobs.
As Willows crying subsided, Xander spoke up again. He knew there was little point in trying to talk to Willow as there was nothing he could say that would make her feel any better. Lying would do nothing but enrage her and he honestly couldn't tell his friend where her girlfriend had been taken too.
"Buffy, how ya holding up?" he asked as Willow choked back and dealt with her mounting fury.
"You're a carpenter." the Slayer replied, causing a wave of confusion to contort his face. "How about building a house in my mouth. Y'know, give my foot somewhere to live!" she said, a hint of amusement tickling her tone.
Despite their terror, each Scooby managed a weak laugh.
"She'll be ok, Will." Buffy continued. "She's strong. She's a fighter."
Willow half smiled, she knew what Buffy was telling her was true but she couldn't help but want to protect her lover. Before the redhead had a chance to respond, Buffy continued; "I know." Sympathy ran through her tone and Willow momentarily wondered if the Slayer had read her mind.
Deciding that Buffy knew what she was thinking purely from their lengthy and rather unconventionally formed friendship, Willow nodded. "I know you do. Now how do we get her back!?"
Each Scooby turned to Giles, after all, he was the man with all the answers. "I'm afraid I just don't know!" he told them sadly. "I just don't know."
