Chapter 8

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this chapter, sorry for what you're going to read. Major Jack Sparrow fans, what can I say. It can't be all peaches and cream can it? I hope you like it, this is no doubt one of the longest chapters yet. Thanks to all the great people who left nice reviews. Lol. I'm getting new ideas all the time for it but I don't think there will be much updating tomorrow. We're going up to Pennsylvania for the day, but hopefully I'll be able to do some writing in the car. Anyway...

"Jack!!" he opened his eyes, he already knew what she was trying to alert him of. He had heard to door creak open, heard the arguments of two men as they tried to decide whom to 'question' first. There was no doubt in his mind, they would take him and if need be continue to question him. They would in no way touch Annamaria, if they did he'd fight to the bone to have her spared.

What he wasn't prepared for was the whip Turak held in his hand. It whistled through the air and wrapped then unwrapped itself around his leg. His pants had only survived the storm. Now along with the tattered fabric he had a long, cruel-looking whiplash scar.

The sharp pain registered in his mind a moment later, but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of showing it. At least it wasn't a burn, or worse yet a burning hot fire- poker.

"You bloody cowards!" Annamaria gathered her energy and jumped up and grabbed the bars closest to where Turak and Ruyifor stood. Jack groaned in his mind, she was all spitfire and fury he expected no less but did she have to defend him every time? He knew deep within that he welcomed it, someone who cared about him at least should he pass over into the next world but he also knew from experience that anyone who helped him ended up hurting for it.

"They can't help it, love." Jack said mockingly from where he still sat, "If they have to

attack a chained and fettered man then we have nothing to fear from them."

"Oh, you have everything to fear from us, Jack Sparrow. You're forgetting that we hold

something that you'll regret losing."

"I haven't forgotten, but I think you're smarter than you look and you'll heal her 'fore she

dies else you have nothing of leverage, am I right?"

Not liking the calculating light in the pirate captain's eyes, "Personally, we don't care

whether the wench dies or not. It's just extra security, if you will."

"Talk, talk, talk, that's all we do." complained Ruyifor, "you promised me blood. I have

yet to see it."

"Go get him." Turak acquiesced. Jack smiled grimly within his mind they were so

predictable.

"Lets see if you'll have anymore smart words." Ruyifor smirked as he opened the cell

door. Jack stood, he didn't want to give them any extra chances for hurting him. The least

amount of pain he had to face the better.

Annamaria didn't say anything as they walked past her cell. She had caught Jack's

warning glare and the more that she spoke out against it the more they would hurt him.

She hated herself for being so weak, not able to help him when he was going to sacrifice

everything for her. She refused to cry, the only time she had… three years ago, in Jack's arms after… no, she didn't want to think about it. He would be fine. He had to be.

Jack entered the small room above the stairs cautiously. The floor was, at least, clean and

there was a wooden table and two chairs in the middle. A fireplace was in the corner and

a roaring fire was lit.

While the room was certainly brighter than it was downstairs he almost preferred the cell.

Up here it was too quiet, there was a certain evil feel to the room that made his skin crawl. Turak pushed him forward and then moved a bureau away from left wall.

"Decorated for the occasion, eh?" Jack commented to hide the slight edge of nervousness.

"Walk through these doors and…" Turak wrenched open a door concealed behind the

bureau, "...welcome to hell." It took all of his will-power not to fight his way out of the

room. There were no fancy trappings in this room, in fact, it was exactly the opposite.

On the table were a variety of both weapons and surgical instruments. Some of them

weren't even clean, dried blood and dust was settled on them it was obvious they hadn't

been used in a very long time.

"Cuffs or ropes?" Ruyifor asked holding up both. Jack's pulse picked up speed but torture

was nothing new to him. Annamaria would have lost it just over the handcuffs. It was still

a deep regret in his memory that he had allowed that to happen to her. One night the men

had docked at the Barbados for a raise in morale. That had been three months after he was

marooned and Annamaria was a sound member of the crew. She hadn't wanted to go

ashore, so entrusting her with the care of his ship he as well as the other crew left.

Feeling a certain prickling at the back of his neck he decided to leave the tavern. A

tankard or two of rum would suffice for the night, while the company of a young woman

was welcome he didn't really want to stay on land too long. There was already an itch in

his blood to be back on the ocean to feel the boards creak and groan with the ocean's

assault.

There was something wrong, he felt it right away as he approached his ship and

Annamaria. It was too quiet onboard, usually when he returned from port Annamaria

would be stretched out on deck in his hammock singing a pirate song or just talking to the stars.

That was something he found endearing in her, her love of the night. But tonight there

was nothing, no singing, no sounds. Mist and clouds crept slowly over the stars and hid the moon. He walked silently aboard and unsheathed his sword, the pistol he wouldn't use save for one person.

He found Annamaria locked in one of the storage pantries next to two men who had been

fatally stabbed. She had her hands bound and a terrified look in her eyes. That was the

turning point in their relationship, while she had shrugged it off and said it was nothing,

Jack felt the deep-seated fear in her. He unbound her hands and helped to calm her down.

That was the first time he had ever seen her cry.

He heard the story as he held her. Men had came aboard and catching her sleeping had taken her into the pantry as easy prey. Unfortunately for them Annamaria had taken out the small dagger Jack had bought for her at Singapore. She killed the two men before the lantern went out. Even with her hands bound, disoriented, Annamaria was still a force to be reckoned with. She had been trapped in the pantry for nigh an hour in pitch black before Jack found her.

As she cried as if her heart were breaking Jack swore that he'd protect her. He'd let nothing bad come to her, she was his, part of his crew, part of something deeper.

The silence was becoming more terrifying then a scream. She forced herself to stay calm

and count the seconds, but all she could think of was Jack in pain and alone.

Wrapping his shawl around her more closely, she knew she should have spoken out more,

maybe forced them to take her in his place. He was so protective of her, despite his ribald nature, the way he dared fate, he watched out for her.

She knew it would have destroyed something within him if they'd taken her, but what worth was pride if he ended up dead?

The door was bolted securely no doubt the bureau was back in place. There was no

window in the room, just stifling heat, but Ruyifor didn't seem to feel the discomfort.

Perspiration beaded on Jack's face and torso stinging the open cuts, bruises, and gashes but there was nothing he could do about it. He was lucky that he was still awake and conscious.

"Answer me something, pirate." The guard sneered pausing at his task, "why not her

instead of you?" The knife was now almost covered in blood, the hilt's engravings were

dripping rivulets of it.

"I dunno." Jack managed to say between struggling to draw breath, "sounded like… good

Idea… at th'time."

"Ever noble. How revolting." The knife made another shallow mark onto his torso. Every

time the knife cut into him he could feel the metallic coppery taste fill his mouth. He had

long ago forgotten that he bit his tongue to stifle any noise he might make.

While he had been unable to still the twisting of his body after the sixth cut to try and escape the knife, he'd be damned if he screamed for their amusement. The pain was all slowly fading into one massive throbbing that echoed throughout his body. There wouldn't be much more he could take of this, but he had to try for Annamaria's sake.

"That's enough for now," said a blurry voice from the doorway. "He's not feelin' it

anymore. Does no good then, does it. Release him."

Jack managed to keep his balance through sheer force of will. If he had fallen to the floor

no doubt Ruyifor would have kicked his already painful ribs and chest. He blinked his

eyes trying to regain a sense of where he was. Everything was dark and he could hear

voices from far away. Only the thought of going back to his blessedly quiet cell kept him

on his feet.

"A strong one, ain't he?" remarked Turak.

"Everyone has a breaking point. This is only the first day." As they spoke to one another,

bound as he was he still managed to take and conceal the flask that rested on the table. While he didn't know whether it was full or not, it was definitely something to drink. Annamaria and he would have need of it later.

He walked, mostly fell, down the long staircase before they hurled him through the door of his cell. Nothing could have prevented him from collapsing into a heap on the dirty straw-lined floor. The two men laughed and locked the door behind him.

"Jack?" he heard Annamaria whisper horrified. He painstakingly made his way over to

the bars of the cell to stare into her tear-filled eyes. Digging out the two flasks he had he

held one out to her with a slightly trembling hand.

"Right here, love." He said hoarsely. It felt like the lining of his throat were rubbing

against one another. She took one and then he opened the other. There was only one

swallow of water in the bottom. It was old, stale, and hot but it was still water. "I'm never

better, don't fret. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow remember?" Annamaria heard the terrible

hoarseness in his voice rather than his usual rich timber. She slipped the rum back onto his side, he needed it much more than she did.

Jack looked at it but didn't make a move to reach for it. Bloody stubborn man. Annamaria

wanted to smack him for such a sacrifice but wouldn't have dared. He was in too much

pain at the moment anyway.

"Let them take me tomorrow, Jack. D'ye hear me? You will not be able to take any more

of their torture." She took his hand and a tear dropped onto his knuckles. The raving

animals had cut him four times on the hand.

"No." Jack whispered vehemently squeezing her hand slightly. "Never." Then he couldn't

keep it at bay any longer. The soft wave of sleep fell over him and left him unable to talk

anymore that night.

Annamaria watched over him almost protectively, she wiped away another tear angrily

when she saw the condition they had left him in. Blood dripped slowly down his chest

from the sixteen cut marks they had left.

"Oh god, Jack." She whispered, "What have they done to you." She wanted more than

anything to take some of the pain they had enforced on him. It didn't look like they had

gone past the waistband of his pants, no blood or new rents marked his legs, but she couldn't see his back. She wanted to untie the shawl and give it back to him, but was afraid that the fabric would irritate the wounds.

No matter what happened in the morning, whether she was on the brink of death herself

she was not going to let them take him again. He wouldn't make it through another round

and that had only been a couple of hours. Tomorrow they would have the entire day. No.

They wouldn't get him tomorrow.

She sat alone in her cell calling upon gods of old to avenge them, Poseidon, lord of the sea, Apollo, god of the sun, those who traveled the sea once paid them homage. Their wrath was merciless, their revenge exacting, she let the rage hold her in its thrall and prayed to them. They were far from the water and there was no sun in this dingy building, but the sea took care of her own. Someone would help them, she wouldn't let Jack die.