DISCLAIMER- Still don't own PotC :(

Chapter 8- Torture

As they walked along in silence, Jack mused over the situation. Will was refusing to speak with him and he knew by the daggers sent by Alexis' eyes meant she would strangle him in an instance if only her hands weren't bound. The only person who seemed willing to acknowledge him was Barbossa, as he walked swiftly near him.

"How'd ye know me and me men were here?" Jack asked him casually.

Barbossa looked at him with feint pity in his eyes, "Jack, when will ye learn. I'm the better Captain outta the two of us. If I wanna know something, all I 'ave to do is ask."

The insult hurt Jack's pride, but he didn't allow it to show, instead he inquired, "So who'd ye have to kill to gain that sorta information?"

Barbossa gave him knowing smirk, but didn't answer. Instead, he called for his crew to halt, and gazed towards Alexis, who stood defiantly silent as she met his stare. "I believe ye call this ya home."

Alexis continued to stare at him, refusing to comment on his snide remark. All the men could see the cave that her parents had turned into a home when they arrived on the island and she dreaded what Barbossa would do to it. On their Captains command, they all went inside. Her stomach turned as the pirates scanned the small cave, their sickly yellow eyes running over the wooden furniture her father had made, the beds they used for sleeping, and old books that she had used to teach herself to read and speak well after her parents death. As Barbossa picked up a tattered book in his scarred hands, Alexis realized she could no longer call this her home.

'If I live that long,' she thought bitterly to herself.

A tall man with dark skin walked over to the mattresses and threw them against the side of the cave, revealing a trapdoor underneath. 'I ne'er thought this would come in handy when me men found this las' time. It seems I was mistaken," Barbossa said with laughter behind his voice.

Jack pulled a face and said, "I really think we can work this-"

"Move!" Barbossa growled at him. With that, Jack's crew and Alexis were forced down the steep wooden steps into the dark cellar below.

Lined up along the hard cement wall, Barbossa had cruelly sat Alexis next to Jack. She sat in silence, refusing to even look at him, as Alexis went over in her mind the days she had spent with his crew, giving them her trust, something she thought was next to impossible. Now she realised why her parents had warned her against them.

Hearing footsteps descending the steps, the crew looked up to see the dark man with markings on his face march straight past them until he stopped in front of Alexis. Alexis kept her expression impassive as he pulled her harshly to her feet and shoved her up the rickety steps. Entering her home had never felt so different in all her time on the island. The cruel face of Barbossa leered at her where her parents once stood smiling back at her.

'No,' Alexis decided, 'I'm not going to let him win; not this time.'

Standing to the side of her, Barbossa studied her closely. "It seems a shame to 'urt a girl so pretty," he said with a tinge of sarcasm, "Perhaps ye can help me without 'aving to resort to violence?"

Her mouth was set in grim determination as Alexis replied, "My parents died before they told you where the treasure was. What makes you think I'm going to be any different?"

"Ah, but they didn't get a lot of opportunities to answer. With ye, I have plen'y of time," he answered with madness in his eyes.

The dark man at Barbossa's side came up to Alexis, drawing a knife from his belt. The sharp edge seemed to shimmer in the dull glow from the torches brought in from their crew. Moving closer to her, he brought the knife up to her face. Not willing to let them hurt her, she spat in his eyes. His face contorted in rage and the back of his hand came hard across her face. The rings on his fingers cut deeply into the side of her cheek. Alexis could feel the soft trickle of blood from the wound, but she refused to cry out .Through the burning sensation in the right side of her face, she met the hard glare of the pirate.

Nodding knowingly, Barbossa said in a voice ringing with authority, "Ye might be stronger than ye parents girl, but we ain't gonna leave until we get what we came for." Settling himself back on Alexis' father's chair, Barbossa watched his first mate work.

Will sat on the right of his Captain, his stomach twisting as he wondered what Barbossa would be doing to Alexis. Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about it. Instead, he turned his thoughts to Jack. Will had never been told that Jack had once been apart of Barbossa's crew, so the news came as much of a shock to him, as it had to Alexis. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked opening his eyes, "Why were you there, Jack? I don't believe you were a member of his crew."

"Aye," came Jack's reply through the darkness, "I wasn't." Pausing for affect he said, "I was the Captain."

Noting his reluctance to add anything more about the subject, Will filled in what Jack didn't want to say, "A mutiny," he surmised feeling guilty for his previous anger, "I'm sorry Jack."

Anymore discussion was ceased when the creak of the trap door sounded once more and footfalls on the steps could be heard. Through the dark, the outline of a tall, thin pirate and a short, solid pirate could be made out. In their arms was the limp figure of Alexis. Will felt anger rising inside and Jack stiffen slightly beside him. They propped her up against the wall, and in the dull light by their torches, Jack's crew could see the blood that covered her arms and neck. Strands of hair were plastered to her face which Will knew surely hid more injuries.

"You bastards! What did you do to her?" Will's voiced echoed in the small cellar.

"We didn't do anythin'. The Cap'n did," sneered the shorter pirate.

"Yeh!" the thin pirate agreed, "The Cap'n!"

"Shu'up Ragetti!" said the shorter pirate elbowing his crewmate in the side, "Apparently the poppet 'ere gave in. She's gonna take us to the treasure!"Ragetti grinned stupidly at his mate while his fake eye rolled around in its socket. Prodding Ragetti in the back, the shorter man and his mate left.

Leaning over towards Alexis, Jack pushed her long hair back from her face with his hands still bound. A nasty cut could be seen even in the gloom, and blood caked her cheek. Sighing deeply with regret, Jack leant the back of his head against the hard wall and began thinking earnestly of a way to get himself, his crew and Alexis out alive.

Author's Note- There you go! Chapter Eight, I hope you liked it! Thankyou to Antonette my beta-writer and to the reviewers! You guys are wonderful:)

Jess- Thankyou for your review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Mystic Moon Maiden- I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you had tissues on hand! ;)' Yes, poor Alexis :( She's pretty upset with Jack at the moment! And thanks for your review as always!
Countess Jackman- Lol! I'm sorry I took so long to update! Please don't hurt me:) Thanks for the review!
Daftlilme- Hehe, yes! You were right ;) Thankyou so much!
SpectralLady- Awww, I hope your feeling better now! Thanks for reviewing again!