Disclaimer: CBS and the creators of The Princess Bride and The Pirates of Penzance hold the right to all the characters and ships.

A/N: Wow. Three chapters in the space of 12 hours. That's pretty impressive. More to come soon. In the meantime, please leave a review. :)

Morning came without any complications during the night, and everyone awoke early. Again, the Tarantula pirates were served a wholesome breakfast, which they ate quietly this time. The reality of what was to come had hit them like a block of concrete the night before.

During breakfast, Pirate Marty casually wandered over to Roberts and sat down beside him, chewing thoughtfully.

"What is it, Marty?" Roberts had asked, cutting the small talk. Marty almost chuckled – Roberts knew him far too well.

"Well, you see , sir, there's this task that needs to be done just up in yonder forest," Marty requested, pointing his finger in the direction of the forest just north of their campsite. "And I'm gonna need me some prisoners to get it done."

"Take your pick," Roberts agreed. He'd never been one to deny Marty anything. Except that one time when Marty had tried to sleep with his girl. That hadn't turned out well. Fortunately, Marty had learned his lesson in what was reasonable and unreasonable to request.

"Thank you, sir."

"You know where the slave markets are when you're done."

"Aye, sir."

Pirate Marty got up and wandered over to the Pirate KK and her crew, just finishing their food and drink. All looked up when he approached. Pirate Rick gave him a questioning look.

"Job needs to be done," he answered shortly. Rick nodded, satisfied with the answer. Marty roamed around, choosing prisoners for his work detail. The first one he chose was of course KK, who was quick to rise. He chose out the others KK had wished to be saved, which left him with a number of five. He risked a glance at KK, who nodded ever so slightly.

"That all?" Rick asked and Marty turned to face him.

"Why? Are you eager to come, too?"

The younger pirate quickly shook his head and shut up, and went back minding his own business. Prate Marty then led the group away to the northern forest, to a path that would take them to the western mountains, which would then take them to a brand new ship hidden along the west coast of the island.

He had sneakily stolen a key for the shackles from Roberts and had taken enough food to last them for several days, in case the journey was as slow as he expected it to be. The ones he'd selected made no protest, they just followed along quietly.

When they reached the path that would take them into the mountains, which was quite deep into the forest, he stopped. Without a word, he then unshackled them and decided that now would be a good time to explain his plan.

"You lot aren't on a work detail," he admitted. "I've brought you along to save you from the slave markets."

At that, all heads, except Kensi's, heads hot up. Marty pretended not to notice Kensi's unresponsiveness.

"I chose you lot on request of Kensi," he went on. "Evidently, she cared about you four enough to choose you out of all the remaining survivors to come."

"But why?" Pirate G piped up, somehow not afraid of this pirate. Marty shrugged.

"I guess…I just wanted to prove that I'm human," he answered, not liking how close to the truth his answer was, so quickly added: "To Kensi."

At that, he got a smirk from Pirate G and Pirate Sam, who also exchanged glances with each other.

"You like her!" Pirate G teased. Marty fought the blush that threatened to take over his face.

"I'm fascinated by her," Marty responded, amazed at how this man could still be smiling after that voyage. Perhaps he was an eternal optimist, along with his bulky friend.

"That means he likes her," Pirate G told Pirate Sam, who just let out a breath of laughter. Marty shook his head and laughed it off. He then left the chains by the road and led the small group up the path in silence for a while. Then Pirate Dom spoke up.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"West coast," Marty answered, pulling out his map. "There's going to be a ship there waiting, and we're going to make it ours."

"Who's going to be captain?" Pirate Sam asked. Marty almost shuddered at the threatening tone used by him.

"We'll decide when we get on board," Marty answered, smartly avoiding any conflict. The group continued on with small talk. Questions were asked about each other to get to know each other better. Pirate G used the excuse that they had to know each other if they were going to be a crew.

Marty had caved and loosened up, actually becoming friends with most of them. It was just Pirate Sam that he was having troubles with. But the two looked past the differences and tried to tolerate each other for the sake of the group. Even Pirates Nell and Dom joined in the chatter. Kensi was the only one who remained silent the entire time.

Come lunchtime, they had just about completed the forest trail and were about to head into the mountains. Marty sat them all down and handed out just the right amount of rations. It wasn't as good as the food they'd had for dinner and breakfast, but the food they had with them had to sustain several weather conditions, so options were limited.

Still, the group enjoyed their lunch and carried on with their banter. Marty was pleased that the journey was going so speedily. Roberts and the rest of them would probably be halfway to the markets by now, having to spend one more night camping. With any luck, if the journey kept up its speed, they would have reached the boat by the time the market had actually started. By then, it would be far too late for any of his fellow pirates to come looking for them.

The rest of the day went by much like the first half. The group chatted and started connecting, actually getting in a few laughs. But, much the same as before, Kensi remained silent. The hot afternoon sun beat down on them relentlessly, so they stuck to shady areas to try and prevent any unnecessary sun. In doing so, they could slow the process of dehydration and save precious water.

Yet, by the time the sun was setting, they were out of water. Luckily, there was a river that started flowing through the mountains down to the ocean. Also, luckily for them, the river was also a path that led down to the west coast. So, all they had to do was follow the river and they'd get to their destination. It sounded simple enough, but then there were complications such as bears and other wild animals. Then there was the issue of the unsettling feeling in Marty's gut. It still hadn't gone away, and was eating away at him like a termite at wood.

He decided to ignore it for now and just to get to the river before the sun set completely. He picked up the pace slightly and the others imitated him. They arrived at the river at the last light. Marty told them to have a bit of a drink, but not too much. He then led them into a cave right by the river, where he knew they'd be safe for the night. He created a barrier to protect them from any wildlife wanting to also enter and maybe steal their food.

The pirates he'd saved were sound asleep pretty quickly, but Marty stayed up a little while longer, just watching over them like a guardian angel. He was just settling down himself when he heard a sniffle, as if someone were crying. He propped himself up and heard it again. He somehow recognised it as Kensi's, and he felt for her.

Before he knew what he was doing, he'd shuffled over to her and laid beside her. Marty wrapped one arm around her waist, quite clearly shocked by his sneaking up on her. But, she quickly relaxed and cried no more. Marty just lay there holding her until she fell asleep and even after. As he lay awake in the darkness beside Kensi, the feeling in the pit of his stomach intensified.

Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day, indeed.