Skye Says: Let's see how Antonio and Caterina are adjusting to the servant lifestyle, shall we?

And for those of you who are curious as to the identity of the Dread Pirate Roberts… relax. You'll find out soon, I promise. ^^


Chapter Seven- A Fight, A Dream, and An Unfortunate Encounter

The Dread Pirate Roberts' ship, The Revenge

The sea, seventy miles off the coast of Guilder

The night of the Italians' capture

It seemed to Caterina that Antonio was determined to ruin her life. "What do you mean we're not 'convincing' enough? We're sleeping in the same bed, aren't we!"

"Keep your voice down," Antonio chided, shifting around in his chair at the desk. He'd just expressed concern that Alejandro was starting to see through their little game- the first mate had told Antonio earlier that he wanted Caterina when Antonio was done playing around with her. Antonio was angry, and that was understandable; if they were discovered, they would certainly be murdered. "I was simply remarking that we should try to be a little more… public if we want to avoid suspicion."

Caterina clutched the sheets to her chest. She'd already changed into her sleeping robe and had slipped beneath the covers early, anxious for sleep. The Sicilian had hoped that her roommate would be just as exhausted, but she'd been sorely disappointed. "What in God's name do you mean, Antonio? Venetians are always so vague, I swear."

He showed no sign of being offended. "Caterina, we need to act as if we're really a couple when we're out there. For a while, at least, we've got to lay it on thick so Roberts and his crew never catch on."

"You want me to kiss you in front of everyone," she said, more of a statement than a question.

"Well, you put it rather awkwardly, but yes, that's the general idea."

"Great." Caterina thought that maybe she had put too much sarcasm into that comment, judging by the pained look on Antonio's face. There was certainly no excuse for treating him so poorly, especially as he was only trying to ensure their safety, but she just… she just didn't know how else to respond. Truth be told, there was something strange and yet familiar curled up deep inside her- something associated with Antonio- and she wasn't quite sure she was ready to acknowledge it. Not yet, at least. Not now.

Antonio's face fell, and he turned away from her, presumably to write in the travel log he'd brought along with him.

She felt a pang of guilt. He was trying to hide that she'd hurt him, and he was failing miserably. That journal was probably the only thing keeping him sane right now- she wondered if her frequent rejections were eventually going to kill him.

Why had she suddenly become so hateful? Everything had been going along smoothly until-

The letter.

Roberts' letter to her had changed absolutely everything, and her bloody, vengeful oath had created a rift inside of her, a bitterness that nothing could heal- and it was not only tearing her apart, but Antonio, too, and that conclusion nearly drove her to tears.

"I think I'll go abovedeck to get some air," she said weakly.

"No," Antonio breathed. "I'll go up. I shouldn't have disturbed you, I'm sorry."

He left the cabin before she could stop him, and Caterina was left alone to ponder her curious emotional state.

The people closest to her always seemed to get the raw end of the deal.


Caterina tried desperately to wait up for Antonio to return so that she could apologize, but after an hour, she began to lose hope. Her eyelids had been drooping ever since he left the room, and she had a hard time sitting up straight. What was taking him so long?

She was startled by a sudden knock at the door. "Yeah."

"Caterina, it's me, Rosalina." She poked her head in, squinting in the dim glow of the candle Antonio had lit. "I was just abovedeck. Your husband says he'd like to sleep under the stars tonight."

She really had hurt him, then. Poor Antonio. "Thank you."

She hesitated. "Is anything the matter?"

"No, not at all. Everything's fine," Caterina lied sleepily, sinking back down against the pillows. "Buona notte, Rosalina."

"Bonny what?"

I smirked. "Buona notte. It's Italian for 'goodnight.'"

"Well, then, buenas noches. That's Spanish."

"I know." Her father had taught how to speak Spanish as part of her "world education". The tutor her parents had found for her said that she would never use it, but Rosalina had just proved that wrong. "Véale mañana."

She was impressed. "See you tomorrow, Caterina."

The door softly clicked shut. Caterina closed her eyes, praying for sleep to come.

As soon as it did, however, she wished that it had never found her that night at all.


Caterina reclined in a long gondola, bathed by summer sunlight. She wore a light, silky robe of some sort, and her dark hair fell down around her shoulders. She felt herself smile, happier than she'd been in quite some time.

The man steering the gondola turned back and smiled at her, but the brim of his hat cast his face in shadow. It was impossible to decipher his identity, but Caterina got the feeling that this was someone she was very comfortable around, someone she trusted.

"Weather's fair today, bella, but not nearly as fair as yourself."

That voice was familiar, but she couldn't seem to place it. She let a contented sigh escape her lips and leaned back, relishing the warmth of the afternoon. "You shouldn't flatter me as often as you do, mio amore. You'll spoil me."

"Well, you deserve to be spoiled," he replied smoothly, pulling the pole out of the water and setting it down in the gondola. They were in a Venetian canal, Caterina realized, and it reminded her immediately of her father, of peace, of safety.

The man made his way towards her, humming a song Vizzini used to sing to her when she was a child. He smiled again, murmuring Italian flattery- with Caterina lavishing the attention the whole time.

After what seemed an eternity to the impatient young woman, he reached her, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands in his. Caterina's stomach fluttered.

"I love you, bella. You are my sky, my sea, my everything. Make me the happiest man in the world, mio amore, and tell me you'll be my wife."

She smiled, and everything was bliss. "I thought you'd never ask."

He leaned in to kiss her, and a sudden breeze knocked the hat off his head.

Caterina stopped breathing.

The man was Antonio.


Rosalina's insistent voice woke her from her dream, combined with the commotion abovedeck. "Caterina! Wake up! We've made port and Roberts wants everyone off the ship." There was a slight pause. "He says there's a spring on this island, and I'm sure you'd like a nice, freshwater bath…"

Caterina smiled. When she'd been with Antonio on The Merchant, they'd simply hauled saltwater in to use as bath water. Her skin was so dry, and she was sick and tired of smelling like the ocean…"All right. I'll just get dressed, and then, I'll be out."

It would be wonderful to finally get to relax, Caterina mused. Ever since Solanio's death, she'd been nothing but stressed, and that had happened several years ago… though she could still feel the pain.

Come on, Cat, woman up. It's time that you got over this.

She slipped quickly into an emerald gown and hastily began to pin up her hair.

There was another knock. "There's no time to do your hair," Rosalina quipped, as though she could see Caterina through the door. "If you're dressed, let's go."

"I'm coming." Caterina set down the pins, ran a brush through her hair, and eagerly headed out with Rosalina.

She would soon regret getting off the ship that morning.

Rosalina led Caterina inland through the trees and uphill a little bit until they reached an idyllic glade. A small spring gurgled within the glade, surrounding by several large stones.

"We can lay our clothes on top of these so that they can get some fresh air," Rosalina said brightly. "No one knows about this spring except Roberts, and he promised us total privacy."

Caterina took off her dress and began to unlace her corset. The water was so clear that she could see all the way to the bottom, and there was no doubt in her mind that the water would be cool, too. She couldn't wait.

Rosalina smiled at Caterina and began to take off her clothes, too, and then stopped. "Maldición. I forgot the soap." She shook her head, putting her shoes back on. "I'll be right back, Caterina. The captain gave me some soap for us to use, and I completely forgot it. Wait here."

Caterina nodded and removed the last scrap of fabric separating her skin from the tropical air. She felt freer than she had in a long, long time. "All right."

After Rosalina left, Caterina felt a little uncomfortable, so she stood up on one of the rocks and dove headfirst into the water. The water was just as amazing as she had anticipated- if not better. Her lungs burned after a while and she had to come up for air. Her head broke the surface of the spring, and she gasped.

Now that she thought about it, it would probably be a good idea to take off Solanio's necklace, too. If it ended up falling off and sinking to the bottom, she'd never be able to find it again. Deftly, she reached back and untied the knot, swimming over to the side of the spring and setting the necklace down on top of her clothes-

"Antonio!"

"Scusi, Caterina, spiacente! I-I-I didn't kn-know you-"

"Stop looking! God!" Caterina swore violently and sank further down into the water, feeling her face grow hot.

Antonio averted his eyes, turning almost the same shade of red as Caterina. "Sono perdono. I was… uh, I just… Captain Roberts wanted me to find s-some water, and he suggested I travel in this direction."

"No one knows about this spring except Roberts, and he promised us total privacy."

… yeah, right.

Rosalina was so naïve- they were the only two women on board, for God's sakes!

"Well, why don't you just run on back to Roberts and tell him that I don't appreciate his sense of humor," Caterina snapped, praying that Antonio wasn't close enough to really see her anymore.

Antonio faltered, looking at her again. "I-"

"Go!"

He stammered another apology and bolted into the forest, swearing to himself even as he disappeared out of sight.

Caterina had just finished getting dressed when Rosalina returned, holding a bar of soap.

"Oh," the Spaniard said softly, "is the water too cold?"

Caterina shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. "No, it's not cold at all. If anything-"

She was still blushing, even though fifteen minutes had passed.

- "it's way too hot."

Last night's dream had stirred up feelings Caterina was afraid to acknowledge, afraid to recognize, afraid to name…

… and her unfortunate naked encounter with Antonio hadn't been much help, either.

Caterina gathered up what remained of her dignity and glanced over at Rosalina. She was utterly over being on this wretched island. "Let's go back, Rosalina. Please."

"After I bathe," she replied cautiously.

So, the Italian young woman sat on a rock and waited for her mistress to finish, all the while pondering the strangeness of the past few months, and feeling slightly sick as she recalled the event that had taken place this afternoon.


Skye Also Says: It's a wonder I haven't neglected this story to write my RHPS fic. I'm glad- I think I'm in love with this thing now. I love it.

Thanks for sticking with me thus far, guys, and I hope to see you all in the end.

Oh, and if you like Rocky Horror, you should also check out my fic, Rhapsody: A Plaything, a Dreamer, a Rebel. Just sayin'… =D