CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: COMING TO THE RESCUE

"Jack! Jack!" the youngest member of the crew jumped down the last flight of stairs where the rest of the crew were readying their weapons.

"What is it, lad?" Jack asked, cleaning out his gun.

"I was just in town," he gasped. "An' th' rumor is that they hired a torturer from St. George. He just picked up Sunni an' took her back ta his prison."

Jack saw red, but stopped when he felt an arm on his shoulder. It was Will. "We can't go follow him, they're expecting it."

"A torturer, Will!" Jack roared. "How long does it take to get to St. George?"

"Two days," the young man answered.

Jack tossed a bag of coins to Gibbs. "Get us some horses," he growled.

Sunni rode across from her new interrogator for two days. She didn't utter a word. He told her his name, which happened to be Terrance Bilhall. He threatened her, which she didn't respond to. He coaxed her, which she ignored. Finally, when they arrived at their destination, he left her alone to check with their driver.

She sighed, sick of this game, and wondered when this whole thing would be over. She gently rubbed her stomach, just wishing to be back on the Pearl with her husband, getting ready to give birth to their daughter. She smiled at the thought of "daughter." She frowned, however, when she didn't hear Jack's rebuttal of "son." She really had no idea what the baby was going to be, but she had been getting excited. Of course, that was until she got into this awful predicament.

"You realize," a voice interrupted her thoughts. "If you want to get out of this, all you have to do is utter the words I want to hear."

Sunni looked up to see Terrance getting back in the carriage. Suddenly, they began moving again.

"Where are we going?" she asked, ignoring his suggestion.

"Back to the coast."

"Why did we come all this way?"

"My counterparts in Liverpool were looking for movement when we transported. We were looking for Jack Sparrow to give himself away. Now that we know he is looking for you, we can use you as bate back in Liverpool."

Sunni swallowed and tried to figure out how to react to this news. Jack had given away that he was after her. How would she respond? "Do you have any food?"

Terrance looked startled. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I was wondering if we would be stopping for food. I really have a craving for chocolate."

"Are you mad, woman?" he exclaimed, his temper getting out of control. "We already have to stop every fifteen minutes so you can relieve yourself, and now you expect food?"

"I'm a pregnant woman, you aren't feeding me enough. I'm feeling weak."

"What you are receiving is plenty."

Sunni opened her mouth to protest, but he smacked her again. She set her jaw and sat back. Whenever he struck her, it was in the face, so at least her child wouldn't get hurt.

Jack, Will, Liz, Gibbs, and another ten men from the crew rode toward St. George, keeping a fervent pace. They had already been riding for a half a day when they were stopped. A ragged man riding an old horse crossed their path and stopped them. He had a hood over his face.

"Jack Sparrow?" he asked.

"Captain Jack Spar-" Jack started to correct him, but was elbowed in the ribs by Liz. "Yes, I'm him."

"Your wife is on her way back here," he muttered. "They noticed your movement and think they can use her as bate when they return to Liverpool. Stay here for two days and you will cross their paths. They aren't expecting you here."

And then he rode off.

Jack sat on his horse, looking off after the man. "Who are you!" he called off into the distance.

"Your Dad sents his love," was all the response he got.

"What do ye think, Cap'n?" Gibbs asked.

"He looks familiar."

"Are you going to put my sister's life on the word of a man who appears out of no where?" Liz screeched.

"Yes," Jack said, jumping off his horse. He knew that man. He was an old friend of his father- back in the pirating days. His father still had his connections. It was obvious he found out about Sunni's containment.

It had been nearly two weeks since Sunni saw Jack. She was bored sitting in this stupid carriage, and was really getting sick of being smacked across the face. She could feel herself growing weaker from the lack of adequate food. Terrance was really getting on her nerves.

Sunni sighed and went back to thinking of Jack. It had been two weeks. Where was he? Of course, she didn't want him to get caught, and there was no way she was giving him up. But was he giving her up? Sunni shook her head and reprimanded herself for the ridiculous thought. Instead of thinking, she concentrated on the steady rain pouring down outside. It had been raining all day.

Terrance jumped as one of their horses whinnied. He ducked his head out in the pouring rain to yell at the driver. "What was that?"

There was a caravan of officers surrounding them, and all of them were stopped.

"What's going on?" he shouted.

There was a sudden outcry of gunshots, swords clanging and men shouting. Sunni sat up straight and met eyes with Terrance. She smiled a bit. "He wasn't supposed to come until we got to Liverpool, was he?"

"Shit," the man muttered and pulled out his own cutlass before hopping out of the carriage. "You're comin' with me," he growled, pulling her out in the rain.

Sunni staggered, having not used her legs in a while. She realized she was weaker than normal. Around her, men she recognized were battling those she couldn't. It was dark and hazy and she couldn't see much farther than a few feet. She couldn't see Jack.

"All right, everyone freeze!" Terrance yelled, holding a gun to Sunni's head.

The men froze, seeing Sunni.

"I want everyone to drop their weapons, or she gets it!"

"Don't listen to him," Sunni screamed. "Keep fighting!"

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, Sunni let out a scream of anguish and dropped to her knees. "Oh," she clutched her stomach.

"She's in labor!" someone cried.

The distraction worked like clockwork and the Pearl's crew sliced through their opponents. Jack was battling a lieutenant in a swordfight, but the other man was hopelessly less skilled than Jack.

Terrance, however, knelt over Sunni, thinking she was in labor. When his face got close enough, she rammed the heal of her hand upwards, into his nose. The man fell, nose broken and bleeding, unconscious. Sunni let out a sigh of relief as the rain fell on her.

Jack pulled his cutlass out of the abdomen of the man he was fighting, and turned to his wife. The man who had held her was unconscious, lying on the ground. He smiled and hurried to her side.

"'Ello, luv," he said, staggering up to her. She smiled through the rain. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms. "Back to th' Pearl! We got our treasure!"

"Ms. Sunni!" Perch cried upon seeing the absent woman now in Jack's arms upon the Pearl. She was drenched. "Are ye all right?"

"She's fine," Jack answered for her. "Tell Anamaria to get us on our way, immediately!"

Jack didn't stay on the deck to make sure everything was done right, he felt the ship move and that was good enough. He took Sunni straight to their room. Liz and Will were waiting.

"Oh, Caty," Liz cried, wrapping blankets around her sister. "You look exhausted."

Jack looked at his wife. She was pale and gaunt, her eye had bags under them and were sagging with fatigue.

"You need food," Elizabeth said, and hurried out the door. Will smiled at Elizabeth's eccentricity, leaned down to give Sunni a kiss on the forehead, and then followed her out.

Sunni looked at Jack, and they locked eyes. "I've been holdin' my breath for th' last two weeks," he said. "I haven't heard yer voice in so long."

Sunni smiled. "I missed ye so much, Jack."

"Let's get those wet clothes off," Jack said. Slowly, he stripped her clothes off until she was lying on the bed naked. He skimmed a rough hand over her large stomach before wrapping her in a large, dry towel.

"Jack," Sunni said, pulling him up toward her. She insistently pressed her lips to his and held him tightly.

Jack kissed her back with force, and held onto her as if she would be whisked from his arms any minute. He ran his hands up and down her back, through her hair, over her cheeks and down her neck. "God, Sunni, I love you," he whispered. "I thought you were gone for a minute, there. I thought I lost ye."

"Ye'll never lose me."

Jack ran a finger lightly over one of the bruises on her face. "Did they hurt ye very bad?"

"Nah. Nothin' a pirate can't handle."

Liz interrupted their moment by bursting in with a tray of food. "Jack, get off her, she's in no condition. Sunni, ye need ta eat."

Sunni laughed, a sweet sound for Jack. He took the tray and set it down on his wife's lap, and then tried to shoo his sister-in-law out of the room.

"I can take care of her, Liz. You go back and take care of Johnny and Will."

"But-"

"Go on, Liz," Sunni said, her voice sounding tired and a little strained. "We'll talk tomorrow. Jack will take care of me tonight."

"Well. . . okay," she finally said. Her sister bent down and laid a kiss on Sunni's forehead. "I'll be here tomorrow. Make sure you eat all of that, understand?"

"Okay, mother," Sunni teased.

Jack sat down next to his wife and fed her himself.

"You know, I can feed myself," Sunni said. "I'm not a weakling."

"Then how come ye couldn't stand up?"

Sunni froze. "Ye noticed?"

"Once that bastard was on the ground, ye just laid there. Th' doc at Tortuga said ye'd have trouble walkin' once ye got big."

"I'm just so sore, Jack."

"Honey, just relax," he sighed. "Lay down, huh?"

She finished her food and laid back against the headboard. She pounded a pillow behind her. "This is hard," she complained.

Jack scooted behind her so that she could lie against his chest in between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her stomach, feeling their child. He gasped. "I think he just kicked."

Sunni laughed. "Yeah, she did."

Jack laughed, too, and kissed the top of her head. "I'm never lettin' ye go, Catybird, savvy?"

"Savvy."

"I missed ye. Th' bed was so empty."

"Let's not dwell on that tonight," she sighed, running a hand up and down his leg.

"Darlin', yer in no condition fer that tonight, an' ye know it."

She laughed. "Shouldn't I be th' one ta decide that?"

"Ye need yer rest, sweety."

"I love ye, Jack."

"I love ye too, luv."