Chapter 12

Love?

Saihrena gasped as she bolted up from sleep. She had a nightmare about Jack being tortured. "God Jack, I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You okay Rena?" Gabriella asked, and Saihrena noticed she was not alone. On the floor sat Gabriella, Rakasha, Jonathon, Gibbs, and the helmsman.

"I'm alright," she said as she pushed the blankets off her and went to join them.

"We were trying to plan an escape for Jack, the problem is we don't know where he is," Rakasha said, smiling as Saihrena sat next to her.

Well there's two places he could be, Baga or Chaves. I would put money on him being in Baga though, it's much closer to where we were. I don't think they would chance taking him that far," Saihrena said, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "By the way, what's your name again?" She asked as she turned to the helmsman.

"Jack, but everyone calls me Lil Bandit, or Bandit," he said smiling.

"Why is that?"

"Because I was a bandit before I joined the crew, and the lil part came from Jack because I was shorter than him," he told her. She nodded and turned back to the problem at hand, Jack's escape.

"What do we have to work with?" Saihrena asked.

"You," Jonathon said sweetly, his smile was brilliant as he looked at her.

"Blimey yer right," Gibbs declared.

"What?" She asked, looking back and forth between them.

"There's a reward out for anyone that can give information as to your whereabouts," Rakasha proclaimed.

"The people think ye've been kidnapped," Jonathon murmured. A smile moved around the group, the plan was beginning to form.

Saihrena was standing on the deck of the Pearl as she sliced through the dark waters. It was night out, and she was standing by herself. She was at the rail looking into the roaring ocean as they moved. The plan had been decided, and they were on their way to initiate it. They were going to Baga. Saihrena couldn't help but think about the few times she had stood here talking with Jack, she missed him terribly.

"I've only known him for a short time though," she told herself. She would give anything to have Jack next to her, holding her in his strong arms. "How can I feel this way, it's not as though I love him, is it?" She asked herself quietly. "Oh God, I can't love him, I barely even know him," she chided herself. Silently she sat and leaned her head against the rail, her thoughts running through her head. She did love him, she knew she did. She couldn't deny it any longer; the feeling had been building inside her since she could remember. "I love him," she said out loud, wanting to hear it. She sat in silence for a few moments, trying to come to grips with the new feeling that had manifested itself. She wondered idly when she had actually fallen for him. "When I came down the stairs and saw him," she decided abruptly.

"I thought you would be in bed?" Gabriella asked, switching back to French. They still spoke back and forth in different languages often confusing the crew with their chatter, though they stayed away from Turkish not wanting to remember their captivity.

"Couldn't sleep," she answered back in Spanish.

"Ah, well, I understand how you feel, even if you don't," Gabriella said secretively.

"Ah, well, I think I do know what you mean Gabby," she said after pondering for a moment. "How long have you known?"

"That you're in love with him? Since you got back to the ship, I think Rakasha knows too, but the men are all clueless, they don't know you like we do."

"I see," Saihrena murmured quietly, patting the deck where she sat for Gabriella to sit.

"Do you think it will work?" She asked as she took a seat and laid her head on Saihrena's shoulder.

"It has to, we have to get him back Gabby."

"The nights are beautiful on a ship, no buildings to block your view," Gabby said, changing the subject suddenly.

"They are," she whispered hugging her friend close. She knew that the stars would never be as beautiful as they were with Jack, nothing would. They had to get him back, and soon.

Jack woke up soaking wet. "Damn it," Jack cursed quietly, looking around him. He was still tied to the splintery board of wood, but the King was gone. His wrists and legs were still tied, though the rope had been loosened somewhat, he could move his arms an inch, and his legs a little less. He didn't like it though, he knew they were going to do something much more drastic. Jack swallowed his unease and brought forth his smirk. The four guards surrounding him just smiled back, this was worse than he thought. Without warning Jack felt a searing pain on his left arm and cried out, having been unprepared. It felt as if his skin was melting. Jack lost his smirk suddenly and began cursing the men around him.

"Where's your ship?" One of them asked, and he saw a fifth guard walk in front of him, holding a hot poker. The man stuffed it into a fire to the left of Jack and they waited for a moment. How long had he been captive? Had they moved yet, or were they waiting for him to return? These questions moved around in his head as the fifth guard grabbed the poker again and brought it to his leg. He noticed offhandedly that his pants leg had been ripped open to expose his calf and thigh.

"Their gone," he whispered, more to himself than to the guards, but apparently having taken this as a sign that he would speak, the guard with the poker pulled back for a moment to watch.

"Where?" He asked. Jack looked up surprised, had he spoken out loud?

"Tortuga probably," he smirked, his good humor replaced.

"Where?" The guard asked again, confusion clearly written in his eyes.

"Tortuga, place in the Caribbean," he said, knowing that wasn't true, but not wanting to be touched with that poker again. The guard paused for a moment, watching Jack closely.

"Why would they leave you?"

"Why wouldn't they leave me?" He asked back, liking the verbal sparing better than the torture.

"I see. Ravi, you stay here and watch him. The rest of you come with me," the guard said, and the man with the poker put it down and left, three others following him out of the room. Jack relaxed visibly and closed his eyes. He knew they would come for him, he had better be prepared when they did.