Disclaimer: I don't own Jack Harkness, the Doctor, Rose, Jack Sparrow or the Black Pearl. I do claim the rights to Avonic Island, the natives, and Sha-Sha. If you want to use any, ask my permission first.

Chapter 3: Sha-Sha

Jack was tossed roughly into an empty cage, the natives chuckling as they left. Hearing the word "sha-sha" repeated several times, the time traveller asked himself what this "sha-sha" was. Did it really exist? Or was it just a imaginary god? Well, it seemed like he was going to find out eventually. Leaning back against the bars of the cage, Jack looked around his small prison, realizing this was a good time to catch some sleep. Stretching his legs out as far as he could, Jack closed his eyes and attempted to sleep.

His dreams were full of the Doctor and Rose, the sound of the TARDIS fading in and out throughout it all. Later on, images of Jack appeared, with a flag featuring the skull and crossbones behind him. Eventually, everything faded to black as Jack drifted deeper into slumber.

"Get up. Now!" Jack awoke with a snort as Otto prodded him with a stick through the bars of the cage. The black man was grinning, obviously very happy about something. Chuckling, the small native opened the door and thrust in a stone filled with food. After eyeing the food for a moment, Jack reached out and grabbed the platter, setting it on his knees. Otto grunted and slammed the door shut once again, wandering off to annoy one of the other captives. Jack then noticed that he was the only one who had received food. Not that any of the other prisoners was drooling over it. In fact, the all seemed a bit apprehensive, as if something big was going to happen.

Shrugging, Jack dug into the small meal, making the most of each bite. His wounds were temporarily forgotten as his stomach revelled in having food for the first time in over a day. Burping softly, he shoved the stone aside and waited to see what would happen next.

- - -

After waiting most of the morning for something to happen, Jack got his wish. Hearing boots crunching through the vegetation, Jack looked up just has the English masked man exited the woods. The mask was still in place, and he was being followed by about twenty natives, all carrying long poles. Narrowing his eyes, the man watched as the group came to a stop in front of his cage, Otto bending down and opening the door. "Come." was all he said. Arching an eyebrow, Jack crawled out of the cage, his back screaming in pain. Gritting his teeth, the time traveller straightened up slowly, ignoring the grins on many of the natives' faces.

"Well boy, today is your lucky day! You have been chosen to meet the fabled Sha-Sha, guardian of Avonic Island. Don't you just feel special?" Chosen? Yeah right, he had probably been picked to meet this Sha-Sha the moment he had arrived on the island. Realizing that he had no other choice but to follow along, Jack sighed and gave a cynical smile.

"Oh, I'm honoured that you have picked me out of all these men, sir." Jack said, waving a hand around at all the other cages. "I'll be sure to tell Sha-Sha that you said hello." Laughter from the masked leader and Otto met this last comment as the band of natives surrounded Jack. One gave him a soft push forwards, motioning for him to go towards the cliff. Walking forward, he was immediately flanked by Otto and his leader, both who kept a sharp eye on him. Not that there was anywhere Jack could go to. Natives were behind him, and he wasn't about to do a suicide leap unless he really had to.

As the group moved, Jack realized that they were heading towards a slight depression in the ground. Reaching the area, he saw that it was actually a rough set stairs that led downwards. Where were they going?

Heading down the steps, Jack slipped a few times of the damp stones, but a hand always grabbed his collar and pulled him back to safety. Although the rough handling did nothing to improve his attitude, Jack was grateful that he hadn't fallen to his death. Reaching the bottom, the time traveller found that they were on a wide ledge just above water level. The area was still in shadows, the high cliffs blocking the light of the midday sun. In the centre of the ledge, a ring of blackened stones surrounded a stone pillar. The pillar sparked in the dim light, and jack wondered what it was made out of. He had seen many different kinds of stones during his travels, but nothing like this.

Feeling a hard shove from Otto, Jack strode forward towards the pillar, determined to appear strong. Reality, though, was a different story. His shoulders, back and chest felt like something with sharp claws had attacked them, and his was light-headed from the lack of food and sleep. Ignoring the pain in his back, he stood up straight and waited for further instructions. Just then, the English man walked around in front of him and grabbed his collar, jerking him close.

"Now lad, have you ever heard about the legendary tale of Sha-Sha?" As Jack shook his head, the masked man nodded and continued. "As I thought. Sha-Sha is mythological creature of immense proportions, and it lives in the deepest oceans of the world. Sha-Sha is said to be a pearly white colour, and legend has it is forced to protect those who worship it." Ending his speech, the masked man stepped back and dragged Jack over to the sparkling stone.

As he got closer, Jack saw that the stone was made up of many different rocks, all held together by some unknown substance. As the masked leader shoved him face-first into it, the man realized the sparkly stuff was actually quartz. Why was there a pillar made of quartz in the middle of an island in the middle of nowhere?

Arms wrenched behind his back, Jack gasped with pain as his wrists were bound together with a length of rope. Opening his mouth to protest the treatment he was getting, he instead let out a moan of pain as he was spun around and punched hard in the stomach. "Yes, that's it. Let me hear you beg for mercy!" the masked horror cackled, punching him in the groin this time. Knees buckling, Jack was prevented from falling by a sharp uppercut to the chin.

Staggering backwards, Jack figured he was finished being the model prisioner. Gritting his teeth, he glared at the man in front of him and smiled. Then he charged, head butting the leader in the stomach. As the man doubled over in pain, Jack backed up and kicked him in the shins, adding to his discomfort. The band of natives hadn't moved, but had lowered their poles so they were aimed at Jack.

Regaining his breath, the leader growled, "Li sai uno!" Ka!" There was complete silence for a second as the natives stood there, then all charged at once, their poles at the ready. Staggering from the pain from his injuries, Jack dimly thought he might want to run while he still could. Turing towards the direction of the water, he took a step forward and was immediately knocked off of his feet by about ten pole butts hitting him in the back.

As he fell, Jack rolled over onto his back and kicked savagely at the native who was attempting to crush his head with the wooden pole. The kick caught the boy in the face and sent him reeling back into the mass of other natives, several who paused to catch him. The delay gave Jack the time he needed to roll backwards and onto his feet, his back burning with the imbedded dirt and pebbles. Facing the water, he once more ran towards it, but was brought down by a hard tackle from behind.

"Bad. You very bad!" Otto growled, pinning the time traveler down. Hearing boots crunch on the dirt, Jack looked up to see the leader standing over him. Giving the man a cheerful grin he said, "Hey, I don't mind being put in a cage and all, but all the beatings were getting to me. I think the law calls it abuse. Heard of it?" For a reply, Jack got a swift kick to the side of the head.

Feeling the blood start to flow, Jack shook his head to clear away the pain that threatened to cause him to black out, and was lifted to his feet by Otto. Dragged back to the stone, the man leaned against it while the natives tied him to the rock with vines from the forest. Raising his gaze to the blue sky, Jack drifted in and out consciousness while the natives hooted and hollered and danced around the ring of stones, singing in their own language.

As he waited for the ritual dance to be over, Jack thought about the Doctor and Rose, wishing that he could have at least said goodbye to them. They would miss him, that he knew. Captain Jack probably wouldn't care if he lived or died, but Jack hoped he had his crew had escaped this island and had returned to their normal lives.

When the final notes had faded away, Jack realized it was past sundown. The time had just flown by, and he hoped he hadn't missed anything too important. Lowering his gaze to the band of people that stood in front of him, Jack wondered what was next. Stepping forward, Otto reached out and tied a piece of string to Jack's collar. Attached to the string was a clear stone made of quartz. Brown eyes blinking in confusion, Jack tried to figure out the meaning of the quartz. Was it just a decoration?

Otto strolled over and cut the ropes away, giving Jack a hard shove to make him move. Grumbling under his breath, Jack shuffled forward until he was in front of the masked man. Chuckling, the man grabbed Jack by the collar and led him over to the lip of the ledge, right where the rock met the water. Giving the knot a tug to ensure he hands weren't going to come free, the leader spoke once again.

"Alright, now the real fun begins…" Trailing off, he repeated it in the native tongue, listening to the laughs that locals gave. Extending a hand towards the moon, he whispered, "Oh mighty creature of the deep, hear my prayer. We of Avonic Island thank you for all the protection you have given us, as well as providing a clean source of water and a steady supply of food. Sha-Sha, come to our aid once more and rid us of the filth that defiles our paradise. Rise from the depths of the ocean and feed upon this sacrifice!"

Sha-Sha was the creature that they worshipped? So where all those prisoners up there food for this thing? A chill ran down Jack's spine as the dark waters in front of him started to churn, the while caps reflecting the light of the moon. Smelling the breath of the masked man, he froze as the leader whispered, "Dinner time!"

Realizing that he was going to go for an unplanned swim, Jack took a deep breath as a bunch of the natives picked him up and tossed him into the chaotic waters. As he sank beneath the waves, he heard the sound of the natives yelling and saw them throwing something into the water with him. A flash of light caught his attention and Jack saw that it was a small piece of quartz, similar to the stone around his neck. Sinking further downwards, Jack looked up and saw the moon through the water. It looked so pretty…

Feeling something brush him legs, Jack looked down at froze in horror. A shark had just swam past him. A really, really, really, BIG shark. From his angle, Jack estimated that it was about thirty feet long and six feet wide. It was the biggest shark Jack had ever seen on Earth.

Realizing that he was rapidly running out of air, Jack kicked his legs and tried to go back to the surface. Then the shark bumped into him. It was probably trying to figure out if he was edible or not. Well, he wasn't gonna give it time to figure out. Kicking the fish in the nose, he shot towards the surface, desperately trying to hold onto the last bit of air left. Bursting to the open air, he took a deep breath and swam sideways, hoping to confuse the shark with his erratic movements. Hearing the fish break the surface, Jack dove under as more quartz stones whipped by his head. It was then he mad the connection with the quartz.

Sharks had a habit of going after anything that moved, or was particularly shiny. By throwing quartz into the water, the natives were creating the movement and the moon reflecting off of the stone sis the rest. So that was why the stone had been attached to Jack! Whenever he moved, it would attract the shark!

Cursing in his head, Jack glanced back and saw that that enormous shark had spotted him. Kicking his legs faster, Jack realized he was bleeding. Great, just great. Even if he stopped moving, the blood would lead the shark right to him. That masked man sure knew his way around sharks.

Feeling a large shadow pass over him, Jack looked up through the water, expecting to see another shark. Instead he saw the hull of a ship. What was going on? Glancing back, he jerked his feet out of the way just before the shark had them for dinner. That was a bit too close….

Swimming upwards now, he cursed the fact that he hands were tied behind his back. That slowed him down and made him easier to catch. And he didn't feel like becoming a midnight snack for the shark. Knowing that the shark was still close behind him, Jack broke the surface of the water and looked up. A large ship with black sails was bearing down on him, Captain Jack standing at the bow. The pirate was scanning the waves with his telescope, obviously searching for Jack. As the lens turned on him, the captain lowed the device and ran off, shouting orders. Treading water as best he could, Jack hoped that the pirate wouldn't take too long to get to him.

As the ship passed by Jack, a rope was flung over the side and Captain Jack came sliding down it, a large grin on his face. As he came to a halt near the end of the rope, he called out, "Lovely evenin' for a swim, eh?"

Sighing, Jack swam a bit closer and called back. "Yeah, the water is warm, there is a gigantic shark after me, and my hands are tied behind my back. All in all, it's a perfect swim!" Laughing, the pirate reached down and grabbed Jack around the waist, hauling him partway out of the deadly waters. Looking up, the older man yelled, "Haul away, mates!" The rope jerked, stopped, and started to move steadily upwards. Looking down, Jack gave a yelp as the shark advanced up out of the water, still trying to claim it's meal. Row upon row of teeth surrounding a black pit as the shark's mouth got closer and closer, filling Jack's vision.

Closing his eyes, he hoped the end would be quick, but there snapped open as he was swung into the air and dropped to the deck. He was rolled onto his stomach and his wrists were unbound, then flopped back over. Hearing the splash of water as the shark re-entered the water, Jack sighed with relief. Well, he was alive, although the rough landed had caused the whip marks to re-open and start bleeding again. Groaning, he looked up into Captain Jack's grinning face.

"You look horrible."

"Yeah, being beaten kinda does that to a person."

"Indeed. Want some rum?"

"No thanks…bandages would be nice, though."

"Hm….follow me." Turning, the pirate walked off, avoiding the crew and calling out various orders as he went. Rolling onto his side, Jack rubbed his aching head and went after him, ignoring the stares of the other men. He wasn't in the mood for small talk; getting treated was the only thing on his mind.

Kicking open a door, the captain strode through it, pausing only an instant to made sure it didn't hit Jack in the face. Stopping it with a hand, Jack entered the room and closed the door behind him, turning around to find the pirate digging through a weathered chest. Ducking as a pair of pants came his way, the time traveller edged along the wall, staying out of the line of fire.

"Aha!" Jack Sparrow cried, holding up a role of yellowing bandages. "Found them!" Rising, he walked over to Jack and gestured for him to sit on the bed. Feeling that this might be a bad idea, Jack obeyed, putting his back to the pirate.

Muttering curses aimed at the shark and the natives of Avonic Island, Sparrow unrolled the bandages and began to wind them around Jack's chest and back, making sure to cover all of the slashes. Wincing, the man tried to forget about the pain and listened to the creaks of the ship. He had gotten used to the rocking motion fairly quickly, remembering all the times he had been on a sailing ship. Those had just been for fun, but in this time, ships were the main mode of transportation.

"So…why did you come back for me? I figured you had left me for good." Jack asked, shifting position on the straw mattress.

"Well, since you're stuck here until that box comes back, ya need somewhere to stay. The Black Pearl is probably the best ship there is for that. Besides, those natives were gonna make you shark food, and I don't like seeing my friends eaten by big fish." Giving the bandages and final tug, he slapped Jack on the shoulder and said, "All done, lad. Feel any better?"

"A bit…" Feeling re-energized and mischievous, Jack decided to have some fun with his saviour. Turning around so that he faced the captain, he gave an innocent smile and pushed the older man backwards onto the mattress. Arching a dark eyebrow, the pirate muttered, "Well, yer just full o' surprises, ain't ya?"

"Yep." Conversation was forgotten and Jack leaned down and gave the man a deep kiss, breaking away only to breath. Feeling the pirate's arms around his neck, Jack shifted so that he was laying almost on top of Sparrow. Wrapping his own arms around the man's neck, Jack moaned slightly and gave a passionate kiss.

Grunting the pirate raised himself up on one arm and smiled at Jack. "The only reason you're not tied up is because you're hurt…remember that."

"Aye, captain!" Lowering himself again, Captain Jack kept one arm around the younger man's neck, trailing his other hand down his back and stopping at his butt. Caressing it slowly, Sparrow pulled away slightly and reached up and stubbed out the lantern. Blinking in the sudden darkness, Jack gasped as the pirate pulled him down and started to kiss his throat, moaned very softly. Chuckling, Jack sat up and started to undo the buttons on the captain's vest, Sparrow slipping it off when it was open. The he started in on the shirt, groaning as the man's lips made their way down his body.

Realizing that both men would have to move to get anything else off, Jack sighed and started to pull away. He was stopped suddenly by a sharp tug at his throat. Sparrow had grabbed into the piece of quartz, preventing Jack from moving without choking himself. He was then pulled gently downwards, until his head was resting on the pirate's bare chest. Feeling a hand ruffle his hair, Jack idly wondered why the man had stopped him.

"You don't move away unless I say so, savvy?" the pirate growled gently, squeezing Jack's butt with his other hand.

"Savvy." the time traveller muttered in reply, moving both hands down Sparrow's chest and landing on his belt.

- - -

On deck, several crew members were staring at the captain's cabin, listening with awe to the sounds within. Turning to his partner, one muttered, "Wonder wot's goin' on…"

"No idea…don't want to know…" replied the second as particularly loud groan issued from the cabin.

Hearing footsteps running up from the stern, both men jumped guiltily and turned around to face the newcomer. Panting, the pirate, pointed back at the end of the ship, finger shaking slightly.

"Somethin' is followin' us! A big ol' fin is stickin outta the water just off the stern!"