Chapter Fourteen

Ace watched eagerly as the Frolicking Monkey slipped quietly through the water and came to rest beside the Saucy Wench. He jumped nimbly to the railing, turned his rear to the bitches he could see already on deck, dropped his pants, and began to talk with his butt. "Hello, bitches! Care for a bit of partying? It's time to P-A-R-T-Y! Why?"

As the ship had began to slide into place, Hansel had appeared beside Kat. She'd quickly given him the wheel and ran to her place. She listened as Ace gave his line, and then she jumped up to the right side of her man. "'Cause yer the ugliest bitches tae e'er sail the seven seas!" Flames shot from her clenched fists.

"And you have our people!" Delvira concluded as she appeared on Ace's left side, fireballs also shooting from her pale fists.

Ace turned around, pistol holding in his hand, even as he pulled his pants up. He looked for a target. He saw several bitches running straight for them, took careful aim, and shot one right through the forehead. "Got one!" he grinned and blew his pistol's smoke away before aiming for another one.

"FREEZE," a voice thundered out, "OR I'LL SHOOT THIS ONE!" The rescuers' eyes turned to see a redhead with her pistol pointed directly at the heart of a prisoner they recognized to be Fred Burkle.


While the commotion caused by Ace, Kat, and Delvira had began, Willow reached out, touched Jack, and teleported the both of them into Anamaria's cabin. Jack and Willow stared at the scene before them. Never had either seen so much blood. Their eyes did not even take in the crumpled donkey against the wall but instead stared at Will who they could see just beyond Anamaria, who still had her back turned toward them. His member was completely gone, and his testicles lay on an end corner of the bed like two deflated sacks. Blood spilled from beneath him and ran down the sides of the bed. A cruel instrument was in his mouth, and his jaw hung at a strange angle as Anamaria extended the Pear even further into his mouth.

Anger hotter than any Jack had ever felt before flooded through his veins. With an animalistic cry, he reached for both of his swords. "ANAMARIA, YOU WHORE BITCH, LET GO OF HIM AND FACE ME! Get to Will. Do what you can for him, Willow, and take care of Donkey." Jack had now seen Donkey laying in the floor and was afraid that he was dead. Blood was flowing out from his legs and underneath his body.

At the sound of Jack's voice, Anamaria turned to face him. "Why, Jack, honey, I thought you'd never come!"

"DEFEND YOURSELF, BITCH!" he bellowed even as he reached up and, with one stroke of his right sword, cut one of her arms straight off. Her high-pitched squeal only agitated him more. He didn't want to let himself go as he had once before. After all, Will, Willow, and Donkey were in there and he had not been able to stop himself the last time, but now a screen of red was flashing before his eyes. Though he fought against it, it took him completely over, and he began to slash at Anamaria with his swords, each one making contact and cutting another part of the bitch off.

At first, she had tried to defend herself, but now she was not able to, and the man that his family might have been surprised to see in the midst of battle was more a Demon than a man at this point. He cut her into fine, tiny pieces so small that Wesley couldn't have found one even with a magnifying glass.


As soon as the ships had sailed through the portal and had began to line up against the enemy ships, Aphrodite stopped trying to figure out where Ares had gone, closed Her eyes, and again reached out with Her mind. She could feel the pain that each of the prisoners were in, and it tore Her heart to the point that She had to stifle the cry that arose in Her throat. She touched each mind that remained conscious enough to think. We are here, she assured them. We have come for you.

Just hold on and remember this word: rutabaga. Hold to that and remember it even if it is the last thing you can remember. If one of your people asks you for it, hold your tongue and wait, but if you should meet one instead, ask them for the password. If they give you the wrong password on the count of three, you will know that it is not them. Defend yourself the best you can, and remember that We are coming.

She then reached out to the rescuers' minds. Most of the prisoners know the password now, but there are some who are too far gone to acknowledge Me. If you should meet Gabrielle, Faith, Angel, Emma, Ororo, Piper, Zora, Will, Donkey, Vang, Paige, Brendan, Wolf, Jareth, Clark, Wesley, or Crystal, know that they are greatly injured or lost, too far to even be able to walk on their own.

Her eyes reopened as She blinked, taking Herself to Roxanne's cabin.


Sam looked at LeBeau. He was trying to locate Paige, sensing her, and when he finally found her, he grabbed LeBeau and orbed into Belladonna's cabin. Once there, he released LeBeau and surveyed the scene. He did not know what the bitch had done to his beloved daughter, but he could feel that she was fading fast. He moved forward to her even as LeBeau moved on Belladonna.

Paige was covered in sweat and orange and red spots. When he reached out to touch her, she was so hot it was as though he touched a red-hot fire. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate on trying to heal his beloved daughter even as his foot slipped in something and he looked down to see the blood all over the floor. He immediately closed his eyes and began working on Paige again.

Gambit had crept up behind Belladonna, who was too busy using every inch of her body to sexually attack a mustached man chained to the wall. His low voice was solemn as he spoke her name. "Belladonna."

The voice of her ex-husband surprised and excited Belladonna so much that she jumped off of her prisoner's steed and whirled to face him. "Remy!" She smiled. "What a delight! What brought you here -- ?"

"What you been doin', chere?"

"Huh . . . I . . . Hum . . . Well, I was just havin' a little fun!"

"Fun? Dat what you call what you did to Paige?"

"Oh, that! I just saved mon life by usin' -- "

But Remy was shaking his head sadly. "You know what, Bell? I don' really care." He withdrew a packet of cards from a pocket on his trench coat.

"Remy, what -- ?" Belladonna started to back up and slide across the wall in hopes of somehow making a break for it.

Remy waited until she was far enough from the mustached man that his life would no longer be in danger. Then his cold voice informed her of a fact that had finally happened. "Sorry, chere. Mon give a damn's busted." He flicked three cards at her in an expert toss. One exploded into her breasts, but the other two dropped lower into her groin. Gambit then turned his back on her final scream and hurried to help the man.

Autolycus was speechless. He'd never seen anything like cards exploding before! "Thank ya! Thank ya! Thank ya, mister!" he kept repeating over and over again. "Is the girl gonna be all right?"

Remy's red eyes looked at Paige and Sam even as he draped one of the mustached man's arms over his shoulders. "I hope so, mon ami. I hope so."


Faith had cried out every time that Dawson's whip had met her back, and she cried again even when it paused in mid-air above her bloody back. "Damn it!" the boy exclaimed.

"What?" Lilah asked the same question that Faith would have wondered had she been more coherent.

"Hit the other button," Dawson commanded. At Lilah's questioning look, he nodded toward the door, indicating that they had trouble. Lilah, comprehending his indication, hit the second button, and they walked out even as Faith found herself flipping through the air again. This time, however, the table flipped, as well, and when she landed, countless spikes tore into her backside. Her agonizing scream split the cabin's now-still air but could not be heard outside.

Faith knew that her life was over and that she would never know what had happened to the others or why Dawson had betrayed her. She knew that there was no hope left for her and that she was dying. What she did not realize, however, was that the spikes fed her blood into tubes that ran into bottles attached to every inch of the table. She also did not know that below the table lay an inverted pentagram intricately drawn into the wood of the deck.


Dawn stared in shock at the pistol pointed straight at Fred's heart. She had believed that Jack and the others would somehow come to rescue them, but she had never stopped to think that they might be so easily defeated. Her thoughts were broken off, however, when she saw their redheaded captive pulling her own pistol.

Kalena reached out with both hands. With one, she pointed her gun directly at her crew mate. The other tossed a key to Dawn that the girl's trembling hands quickly caught. The redhead did not pay attention to the brunette's confused glance but whispered quickly to her. "Skeleton key. Use it to your best." Without a further word of warning, she pulled the trigger.

Jocelyn barely had a chance to register the gunshot that came from her target's direction, but her finger managed to pull the trigger of her own gun even as Kalena's bullet blazed into her back. Kalena shoved Fred out of the way with a yell, and the bullet hit her own heart instead.

Fred was in total shock. She thought she was dead. She had fallen when Kalena had pushed her, and now she raised up and looked at the two Piratesses laying unmoving on the floor. Kalena had just saved her life! She couldn't be dead! Fred crawled over to her and touched her, but her eyes didn't open. She reached for her heartbeat but didn't get one. "She's dead." Fred looked up at Dawn. "Why'd she save us?"

Dawn shrugged. She didn't really know how to answer Fred. "I guess she was one of the good Pirates, after all." She had not moved toward the two even as the battle had erupted all around them for she had been busy unlocking her bonds. Now she dropped them to the floor and knelt beside Fred.

Fred trembled as Dawn began to unlock her bonds. "We gotta get out o' here!" she said in a small voice.

"The others are here. We'll be okay now, Fred. I don't know where Jack is, but Delvira was next to that man who talked with his butt. He looked kind of familiar, but I didn't get a really good shot at him. I think I know the redhead, too."


Bishop had the Harlot in his sights, but he had not yet fired and had also noticed that they had not. They seemed to still have the element of surprise, and that was something he knew better than to freely give up. As they watched the other ship, his dark eyes caught sight of a struggle near the cannons. A Piratess had her knife pressed against the throat of a brunette girl, but the girl was shaking her head. The cat on Bishop's shoulder mewed, and Bishop mused in agreeing thought even as he got to his feet.

He had long ago learned to read lips, and his well-trained eyes were able to make out the dark-haired Callisto's words to the girl. "If you won't shoot them, I'll go shoot your sister!"

"You won't have a chance to!" Phoebe threw back at her. "They'll stop you!"

"Nobody's going to stop me from doing what I want to do, landlubber!" Callisto snapped even as she sheathed her knife and knocked the girl to the deck.

The punch granted Bishop the chance he'd been waiting for. He pulled out his gun and, in the blink of an eye, had sent a bullet soaring home in the bitch's chest. He then swung over for Phoebe.


Derek's heart had soared when he had realized that rescue was at last at hand, but it had been the shouting of a voice he believed to be his dear Hansel that had set him into motion. He had been fighting the bitches off of himself with the mop, but the current Piratess' sword was slicing through the mop's handle like the wood it was.

Her onslaught caused Derek to stumble backwards, but he grinned impishly when his leg brushed against something. While continuing to use the mop's handle to block her advances, he reached even further back with his foot and knocked the bucket. Water raced over the deck. The Piratess struggled to keep her footing, but when she fell, Derek used the handle to hit her across the head. The combination of the hit and the fall knocked her out.

He leaned down to pick up her sword, but his arm cuff bit into him even sharper. He could feel his own blood oozing down his arm, and the hand of his free arm changed direction. Instead of picking up her sword, he began to search her body in hopes of finding a key. He found a ring of keys and began trying them to no avail.


Katrina looked up in surprise as a beautiful woman dressed in black appeared in the cabin with them. She recognized Her immediately but couldn't believe that She was no longer in pink.

Elektra jumped to her feet from where she had been sitting next to the table where her daughter lay and pointed her gun at the stranger the very moment She appeared, but the blonde faced her with a calm smile. "Put your gun away, Elektra Natchios. I am Aphrodite, and these people," She gestured to where Katrina, Celina, and Morph were still huddled together, "are your daughter's friends."

Questions raced through Elektra's mind, but it was a protest that left her lips. "I just can't -- "

It was then that screams broke out, and Kitty jumped to a sitting position, her eyes rounded with shock. "Rachel!"

"Yes, Katheryne," Aphrodite answered the brunette. "That is your friend. She is in the galley." Her eyes returned to Elektra. "This is your one chance, Elektra, to do right by your daughter. The battle outside are her friends coming for her. Whose side are you on?"

Katrina was using this time that their attention was drawn away from her to unlock her collar. When she finished hers, she turned to Morph and handed him the key to undo Celina. Morph's shaking hands quickly worked on his wife's collar even as he prayed that Roxanne's chains would hold the roaring Werejaguar and that Aphrodite was not making a terrible mistake by talking with Elektra.

Morph's prayers were soon answered, however, as Elektra got to her feet and began unlocking Kitty's collar. Her eyes turned toward the other prisoners, and she saw Morph undoing his wife's. She looked at them in puzzlement. "If you already had a key, why did you wait so long?"

"The time wasn't right," Katrina told her, not revealing from whence the key had come, "but it is now. Our family needs us, and we are going to them."

Elektra nodded. "Family should always come first." She dropped the last of Kitty's bonds to the floor.

"Katrina," Aphrodite spoke, "Tom needs you. Celina, if you would, I would appreciate it if you would help Xena in Callisto's cabin."

Celina nodded. She would have preferred to be with her family but would go wherever the Goddess sent her.

"Katrina, I'm going with you," Morph spoke.

Katrina slipped out the door, heading for the other ship where she knew somewhere aboard its dark confines lay her beloved Tom. She only prayed that it was not too late to save him. Morph kept directly behind Katrina even as Celina rushed in an opposite direction and Elektra and Kitty headed together for the galley.


Willow had finally managed to figure out how the instrument sticking in Will's mouth worked and carefully close it and withdraw it from the man's mouth. She'd been about to start work on the actual healing process when an instinct told her to look at Jack.

Jack stood still, sniffing the air like a blind man, yet his instincts told him there was some one else in the room with him. He had tried desperately to shake the redness out of his eyes, but he couldn't stop wanting to attack something. He could feel somebody breathing in the room, and he swiped his sword straight toward them.

Willow had watched Jack as he'd became aware of her and quickly uttered a spell, taking the sword from his hand and flinging it against the opposite wall though never touching it. "Jack, listen to me." Her voice was calm, but her words were firm. "I've been where you are before, but you killed her. Anamaria is dead. I'm here. That donkey's here, and so is the man you love. Will Turner is right here, Jack."

Jack shook his head several more times, and finally his vision began to clear. With a cry of anguish, he raced to Will's head. "What can I do, Willow?" he begged her to give him even one thing to do to help.

Willow sighed in relief. "Welcome back, Jack. Undo his bonds while I heal him." She placed her hands on the dying man's chest, closed her eyes, and began to recite the spell that came to her as easily as did her own name.

Jack slowly moved around Will's body, untying him. If the bitch who had done this to him was not already dead, Jack could kill her a thousand times over, and yet he knew that it would not ease the pain in his heart. He had come so close to losing Will yet again, and he didn't know what to do to protect him. If Will didn't make it, Jack didn't want to live. As he finished untying the last bond, he sat on the floor and began to pray.

Willow's eyes cracked open to see if the spell was working, though her words never slowed. She felt squeamish as she watched the man's member and testicles reattaching themselves, but still she continued the spell.


Aphrodite was in the process of making Her way steadily toward the hold when She felt Jack's prayer well in Her heart and mind. She closed Her eyes and saw him and the others in Anamaria's cabin. She did not probe to find out what had happened to Anamaria for She did not want to know the undoubtedly gruesome details. Jack, She thought back to him, Will will live, but Willow will need your help. When his front is whole again, turn him around, but . . . brace yourself.

I will, Oh Blessed Aphrodite, Jack answered Her, and thank You for everything. He got shakily to his feet, not wanting to look at Will in the condition he was in. He waited for Willow to finish.

Aphrodite kept Her attention on them as She, too, watched Willow finish the healing process on the front of Will's body, but when Jack had to turn him over, the pain that shot through Her little Sparrow filled Her own heart. She cried out even as Her eyes reopened and a blade sliced toward Her.

"Oh no, you don't!" Ares said as He rematerialized. "You don't hurt My woman!" Two hands sneaked around the Piratess' throat and choked the life out of her with a single squeeze. The dagger clattered to the floor, and He blinked back out.

Aphrodite had barely recovered in enough time to see Ares come to Her rescue, but His heroic deed had not gone unnoticed by the Golden Goddess. In the midst of the chaos, She smiled and couldn't even help giggling a little. She certainly had Him wrapped around Her little finger -- at last!


Spike, Kyna, and their small group had been charging forward through the throng of the enemy ever since Sean had set them onto the deck. Their swords and guns had both been blazing at full speed when Kyna suddenly came to a stop. "Oh Gods!" Her whispered words of shock brought the others to look up, and Jack cried out at the sight of his cousin hanging like a limp, bloody pretzel with her limbs entwined in the spokes of a wheel.

Spike had seen such in the past but it never failed to turn his gut, and now, for it to have been done to one of their own, it really tore him up. "Can you do anything to help her, Kyna?" he whispered. "We'll fight these bitches off of you and give you the chance."

Kyna thought quickly. She could sense Darla's handiwork all over the wheel and knew that there was no telling what was happening to Angel and the others down in the hold even now. She shook her head slowly. "William, Sean, go on for the hold. We'll deal with this." She knew she need not ask Jack to stay. "Groo, will you cover us?"

Groo's blue eyes stole toward the hatch of the hold, and they knew what he was thinking. Sean clasped Groo's bicep. "Din't worry, me friend. I'll make sure that the Princess gets out o' there alive."

Groo nodded and lifted his sword again just in time to slice the head off of another evil Piratess. "Go then, my friends." He prayed that they would not be too late for his beloved Princess, Sean's Em, and the rest or too late to save the blonde on the wheel.

Spike continued on his way to the hold with one backward look at Kyna. If he didn't make it back, he wanted her to be the last vision he'd see. He stepped into the hold and waited for his eyes to adjust to the even deeper darkness.


Fonzie and Hansel had been spending a lot of time standing back to back and fighting off the Piratesses. Their frantic eyes had swept the crowd and the other people they saw on the deck, hoping to spot Derek, but they had not been able to find him -- not until angry shouts alerted them to a fight going on at another part of the deck. Water had come rushing down, surrounding their feet and rushing over the side of the ship. Their eyes followed the trail of the water and came to rest on Derek, who was frantically trying to unlock himself. They ran to their friend's side, quickly killing any bitch who dared to approach.

Fonzie remained on guard while Hansel knelt down beside Derek, taking the keys and trying each one on the lock. None of them seemed to be working. "Fonz, they're not working!" Hansel told him.

"Come and watch," Fonzie replied. "I'll get it open."

When Hansel tried to hand him the keys, Fonz refused to take them. "Don't need them but keep them. We might need them for something else." Fonz knelt down beside Derek. "Good to see you, my friend. Now hold still." He reached into his pocket and took out a little, sharp object that resembled a needle and popped it into the lock.

After a couple of jiggles, he was rewarded with the sound of the lock popping open. Just as he was about to announce that the lock was open, he heard Hansel slice off another head. "Where's all the blood coming from?" he asked, looking at Derek's arm.

Derek had forced himself to be quiet out of fear that he might admit something where Hansel could hear him that he knew would cause him to lose him forever more. "The . . . The cuff," he answered Fonzie. "It's laced with metal teeth to . . . to keep us in line."

Fonz shook his head. "Damn! I don't have anything to use for a bandage! Hold on a minute." He crawled over to where Hansel had just lopped a bitch's head off and snatched her shirt off. Buttons popped off, and he brought it back and made a bandage out of it. "Can you walk?"

Hansel was tired of looking out. He wanted to get his hands on Derek desperately! He now listened to see if Derek could walk. If not, he'd carry him out of this Hellhole!

Derek nodded. "Thank you, Fonzie." His eyes turned toward Hansel where his secret love had his back turned toward him. "Hansel . . . " What could he say? I love you? I need you more than I need to breathe? No, any of what he really wanted to say would simply make Hansel run in the opposite direction. With a dejected sigh, he spoke instead, "Thank you."

Hansel immediately turned around to look at Derek. Fonzie got up and traded places with him. He thought they needed a minute to be alone, and if the two boys didn't kiss, he was going to push them on each other! He was tired of being caught up between their angst.

Hansel reached down to Derek and, with a grin on his face, hauled his friend up. He didn't know what to say, but he did know what to do. The minute he had Derek on his feet, he pulled him toward him and kissed him. Now let Derek raise Hell at him! The relief of his being safe was just more than poor Hansel could handle!

Derek could scarcely believe it when Hansel's lips touched down upon his and the sweet nectar he'd dreamed of for so long finally poured into his mouth like golden honey. He returned the kiss in full, drinking hungrily of his beloved's mouth. His good arm went around Hansel even as his bad arm nestled into the safety of the blonde's side.


Joxer had seen Bishop kill the bitch who had Phoebe and then head over to the ship. He just had to get to Phoebe! He scrambled madly toward the rope, and when he'd finally gotten one, he attempted to swing. His first attempt took him nowhere but back to the ship that he was already on. Damn! he thought. They all make it look so easy, and I can't do it! I've got to get to my Phoebe!

He tried one more big push-off, swinging out away from the ship only to run straight dab into something that knocked him back onto the ship. He fell to the deck with what felt like a mountain on top of him. He couldn't say anything as the breath had been knocked out of him. He looked up and opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Bishop shook himself even as he got to his booted feet. "Damn, man! I was bringing her right back!"

"Oh, Joxxy!" Phoebe cried as she flew into his arms and began raining kisses over his face.

"Cat?" Bishop called. "Cat?" He was answered by a strangled mew from underneath Joxer. The big, black man reached down, pulled Phoebe off of Joxer, sat her to the side, pulled Joxer up, and tossed him onto Phoebe. His dark eyes seemed to transfer to the tears of a little boy, however, as he found his cat who now looked more like a squashed pancake than anything else!

"What the Hell? Oh, poor cat!" Joxer quickly changed his words. He, too, was worried about the cat. "Is he okay?"

Bishop knelt beside his little bundle of fur and reached out to the orange tabby with caring hands that belied his size and strength. "Cat? Cat? Cat, speak to me!"

The orange cat rolled over onto his back and peered up at Bishop through slanted, green eyes. "Mrw?" Much like his owner, however, he then quickly shook off his attack and jumped onto Bishop's shoulder.

"Cat, you're all right!" Bishop's grin seemed bigger than the ocean as he stroked the cat, and he purred in return.

Joxer looked up at Bishop. "Thanks, man, and I'm sure glad your cat's all right!" He reached out an arm and pulled Phoebe to him.

"So am I, little man. I'd hate to have to kill you." He grabbed a rope and swung back to the Harlot.

Phoebe had been about to get on to Bishop for his dare, but he was gone before she could say anything. "Oh, Joxxy!" she cried again. "You're all right!" Her lips found his once more.


Willow had finished healing Will and Jack had turned him back around several minutes ago, but still the boy had not opened his eyes. Both faces peered down into his in concern, but Willow finally sighed as she hung her head. "I'm sorry, Jack. Aphrodite said I could heal him, but . . . " She shook her head. "It doesn't seem to have worked."

"Sometimes it takes a little time, Willow, for him to wake up. This is the second time my poor darling has been through this kind of thing. I almost lost him twice, and it took him a little while to wake up the last time when Crys healed him. He's breathing okay." Jack's hands had slowly felt every inch of Will. "His heart's beating good."

Willow was about to answer Jack when she heard a low moan. Her green eyes quickly turned back to Will's face even as his eyes slowly fluttered open. "J-Jack . . . " his hoarse voice croaked.

"Will! You're alive!" Jack reached forward and hugged him. "Thank the Goddess we made it in time!" He found himself drowning in Will's eyes.

Willow was gazing at the pair in relief when she heard a low groan from behind them. The redhead turned back to find the donkey looking at her through eyes that were barely even cracked open. "Me . . . now . . . please?"

"Donkey's alive!" Jack breathed thankfully even as Willow headed over to heal him.

"Jack," Will asked, his weak voice barely a whisper, as he caressed his lover's face, "what . . . what happened? I . . . I knew you . . . you couldn't be dead . . . She kept trying to . . . to make us believe that, but . . . but I knew you'd . . . you'd come for me . . . "

"She's dead, Will. I killed her with the greatest pleasure. Rest for now. We'll take you home soon." He leaned down and kissed Will gently. "I won't ever leave you again," he promised him.

Will's hand found Jack's chest, and he could feel his heartbeat beneath his palm. "I'm . . . already . . . home," he whispered even as his eyes began to drift shut again.

The minute Will fell asleep, Jack leaned down and kissed him again and then turned to see if he could help Willow. He was thankful that Donkey was alive, as well. Now if they could just keep him that way! He grimaced as Willow lifted his hind leg, revealing what had happened to his member, but quickly moved over to hold the leg up.

To Be Continued . . .

Author's Note: We have done a large update to the website at http/k. There is now information for the new characters that the third book have brought into place as well as the torture instruments that have been used.