CHAPTER WARNINGS: ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT, VIOLENCE, GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS, SYMPTOMS OF PANIC ATTACK

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Chapter Thirteen: The Pirate Queen

Part Two

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No one dared to speak until sunlight poured in through the hatch and the general raucous of the ship's crew began to compete with the constant thundering of the sea.

"What was it?" A frightened woman was the first to break the hush. She was short and squat with shiny black hair and gorgeous brown eyes that were wide with fear. "Did anyone get a good look at it? What did it do?"

"It ate Chen!" The shaky voice of a man responded from the cell the furthest down. "It's mouth unhinged like a snake!"

"Is it coming back?" Someone else cried.

The room exploded with frightened wails and voices clamoring over each other with plans of escape, prayers, and the usual 'we're all going to die'.

I was doing something along those lines too, but in my head, and instead of praying I was mentally pleading with the Doctor to hurry up and find me. He would fix this… he could fix this so long as he was here. But he wasn't here. We were at sea. My phone was long gone, having been accidentally dropped in the water when I was being dragged on board.

Sure, he could probably find me in the end… but that could very easily be a long time away.

I would probably be dead by then.

I shuddered and buried my head in my hands. Just couldn't catch a break, could I? I had a feeling that the creature was only here because I was. It was after me. My fault.

A hand rested on my shoulder, causing me to jump. I looked up to see the pretty girl with the beautiful eyes that had tried to establish order a minute ago.

She smiled at me reassuringly. "We'll be alright, yeah?"

"Yeah," I agreed half-heartedly, brushing my hair out of my eyes. No one had really spoken to me since I'd been brought on board. I was too much of an outsider, all foreign-looking with strange hair and clothes. "Sure we will."

She settled down beside me. "I'm Pei-Pei, by the way." Her oval shaped face shone like the moon, full of a vitality that I wasn't sure I'd seen before in anybody else.

"Buffy." A slight blush rose to my cheeks and I combed my fingers through my hair a little nervously.

"Funny name," she giggled. "I like it. Where are you from?"

"England." Pei-Pei had a very calming presence. I found myself relaxing slightly. "Well, sort of."

Pei-Pei's eyes lit up with curiosity. "I've heard of that place, but I've never been." She brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I grew up in Macau. My uncle is a businessman there. I was on my way home when…" She trailed off miserably, beautiful eyes downcast for a moment before she forced another smile. "What were you doing here? You're a long way from home."

I shrugged. "Traveling with a friend of mine. I lost him when I was captured." I frowned as the image of the Doctor getting hit in the head and dragged off flashed through my mind. "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he will be." Pei-Pei grabbed my hand and squeezed it comfortingly before reaching up to examine a lock of my hair. "You have the most interesting hair."

"What, because it's red?" I laughed, my cheeks turning hot again.

"Yes. But it's purple too. How can you have purple hair?" She had found a few strands of purple that were poking out from underneath the red.

"I dyed it," I explained simply.

"Like you dye cloth?" She frowned and ran a finger along the split ends. "Why would you do that? Is the red dye too?"

"Because I like it." I laughed at her expression. "And the red is normal, I just added the purple."

"Oh." She dropped the strands and settled back on her heels. "Do the girls all dye their hair where you're from?"

"Sometimes," I replied vaguely. They didn't in this time period as far as I knew, but explaining that I was a time traveler was out of the question. "I just wanted to look different."

"Is that why you wear strange clothes?" She asked eagerly. "To be different?"

I grinned. "Sort of."

Pei-Pei seemed satisfied with my answer. "What do you think that thing was?" She asked softly. The other people were starting to quiet down now, so it was probably important to not get them started again.

"No idea." Well, I had an idea, but it wasn't one I could share with her. "Some kind of sea monster or something?"

She nodded in agreement. "My uncle always told me tales of monsters in these waters, but I never believed them. Guess I'll have one of my own to tell when I get back."

"My friend's like that," I agreed. "Always telling stories that are so weird you don't believe them." A wave of worry washed over me. "What are they going to do to us? The pirates, I mean."

"You don't know? Oh, I guess you wouldn't, would you?" Pei-Pei leaned back against the wood and stretched her legs out in front of her. "This is a ship of the Red Flag Fleet. They practically own these waters. Hundreds of ships, if not more. They think they can make a profit off of us, so they'll either ask for our ransom, or sell us."

"What happens if they can't?"

"They let the ugly women go, usually. The ones they can't sell or ransom."

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "Sell us? What gives them the right to do that? I'm not for sale!" I already knew why, but it didn't make me feel any better. Not in the 21st century any more, Buffy.

Pei-Pei shrugged as if she hadn't really put much thought into it. "That's how it is."

"So we just sit and wait?"

"Yep."

"And those are our only options?" The medallion was cold against my left breast. Somehow I had managed to slip it into my bra in the chaos of being captured. When they had searched me for valuables, they hadn't thought to check there.

Pei-Pei furrowed her brow. "What other option is there?"

I shrugged. It was a long shot. Besides, I might be able to get out of the cell, but we were still on a ship in - as far as I knew - the middle of the ocean. So if I got out, what then?

Pei-Pei drew her own conclusions. Her pretty eyes widened. "You mean escape?" She hissed.

I shrugged again. "Just an idea," I whispered back. "Beats sitting here for God knows how long."

"A couple of weeks at most," she said reassuringly, reaching out to pat my hand. "That's all they will keep us here. Any longer and we will be a waste of supplies."

"And then what?" I challenged, keeping my voice down. "What if we don't get a ransom? I don't know about you, but sold into a brothel or whatever is not something I'd like to do. I mean… some girls want to do that line of work and… I mean… that's okay… if that's what they want… good for them… you know. But I… I don't…"

Pei-Pei nodded understandingly. "It is much easier to escape a brothel than it is a ship at sea."

"Yeah, you're right," I relented shakily. "Of course you are. I just REALLY don't like the idea of being here much longer. Especially with that THING."

"I agree." Pei-Pei glanced around thoughtfully. "When the pirates bring food, we will try to convince them that something is here. They'll post guards overnight. We'll be safe then."

But unfortunately, as per-freaking-usual, luck was NOT on our side. As much as all thirtyish of us begged, pleaded, and wailed, the guards wouldn't budge. We were desperate, they said, not worth the effort. Nothing could get on a ship several miles out to sea. There were night guards on the upper deck, and they would've seen if something had boarded. There was no such thing as sea monsters.

They didn't even notice that one of us, Chen, I believe, was missing.

God, we were so screwed.

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The Doctor was worried.

Well, of course he was. He'd been worried for the last five days, but now it was worse than ever.

True to their word, the Imperial ship had taken him back to Macau after three days at sea.

The Doctor was getting more and more anxious as time wore on. Upon returning to the TARDIS, he had scoured the TARDIS interior and the area around where he had last seen his young friend for any indication of what had happened to her.

No luck.

No one had seen her, no matter who he'd asked.

He'd tried calling her and tried to track her phone.

Another dead end.

Next, he set up a TARDIS scan that sought out extra dimensional disturbances. It worked, but only within a ten mile radius. Extra Dimensional forces were fickle things. But at least it was something.

Much to his dismay, the crack had gotten bigger. He swallowed hard and hoped that the change didn't have anything to do with Buffy's disappearance.

But that was two days ago.

He left a note on the TARDIS door on his way out, just like he had done every other time he left Time Ship, purposefully written in English so as to decrease the probability of some random passerby understanding it.

It read:

Buffy,

Key's behind the fake phone.

Be back soon.

The Doctor considered going farther in his search, out of Macau and maybe even into the ocean, but he decided that, for the time being, that course of action was risky. Buffy could still be nearby, looking for him the same way he was looking for her. And in theory, she knew where the TARDIS was. So if she happened to come back by to look for him, he would still be here, waiting. The best course of action when two people were looking for the other was to stay in one place, especially when you're in a very memorable spot.

Unless the other was in a position that prevented them from coming back.

The Doctor grumbled to himself in frustration and kicked at loose stones as he set off down the street. What if she was in trouble and couldn't come back? She could be dying and he was just SITTING THERE.

The Time Lord decided that he would give her a few more days before he extended his search. A few more days for her to find the TARDIS.

And for the time being, that was pretty much all he could do. Wait, scan, and ask.

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It came again that night.

None of us dared breathe, let alone sleep, as the angle of the stream of light pouring in through changed slowly, becoming narrower and fainter until it vanished altogether before the pale light of the moon crept in to take its place.

When the ship was silent and the crew more or less asleep, it came. Chillingly familiar unearthly growls tumbled through the still, musky air as it crept along the edges of the room.

I screwed my eyes shut, hoping that it was just my imagination.

It almost worked, too. I had myself half convinced that this was all just an EXTREMELY vivid nightmare. But all that went to shit when I was hit by a wave of hot breath.

My eyes snapped open on instinct and I immediately regretted it.

About two feet from my face, a mouthful of long needle-like fangs seemed to hover in the darkness, dripping long strings of saliva.

Once again, on instinct, I brought my left hand up slowly to slip up my shirt. The cold medal of the medallion froze against my palm, but I hardly noticed.

The creature snarled and lunged.

My instinct kicked in for a third time, and I brought up my hand, the one clutching the medallion, hitting the monster on the underside of its jaw with the lump of golden medal.

I wasn't a very strong person, but the beast staggered sideways with the force of the impact. It snarled, shook its head to clear it, and launched itself at another woman with a dull roar.

The woman cried out in terror as the thing seemingly unhinged its jaws and dropped its mouth down over her head, gripping her tightly in its mouth before tossing its head back, swallowing the woman whole.

Within moments, it was over. A twitching pair of feet sliding down the creatures throat and out of sight, and she was gone. I swear I could still hear her muffled cries echoing out from inside the creature.

With a satisfied grumble, the monster slunk back through the door, appearing to melt through it like the bars weren't even there.

It vanished into the shadows, the only evidence of it having ever existed were the devastated cries of those in its wake.

Pei-Pei let out a whimper and flung her arms around my neck. She was trembling, practically crawling into my lap. Terrified, or so I thought.

"We need weapons," my friend hissed in my ear, not at all sounding as shaken as she appeared. "You said you could escape. Do you think you could really do it?"

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I crept along the walls of the ship. Only staying in the Otherside as much as I had too.

After explaining the 'magic' medallion to Pei-Pei, she had sat in front of me, acting as a shield to keep the others from noticing my vanishing act.

From there, I quickly found out that the 'footprint' thing the Doctor had talked about… how the amount of time an object stayed in one place had a direct correlation with how solid it appeared to me in the Otherside… was very VERY true. Because I almost immediately found myself sinking through the floor of the ship, it not being solid enough to actually stand on.

After a few seconds of blind panic, I managed to claw my way onto the correct level and somehow command the manipulator to make the floor solid. Don't ask me how, because I don't have the faintest clue, but the whole place just seemed to… highlight… itself. Literally, it started glowing a yellow-gold color like someone had highlighted it with a yellow marker.

I filed that under 'things to ask the Doctor about later' and moved on. But I didn't trust the glowing floor at all, so I was staying out of the Otherside as much as I dared. Not to mention that it was hard to pick out individual details when you're looking at them through the void.

I found a weapons locker pretty quickly. After a few minutes deliberation, I picked out a handful of knives out of the cluttered mess of shaft edges and metal. We needed small weapons that could easily be hidden during the day.

Within five minutes, I was back in the brig.

"How did you do that?" One man asked as I slipped a few blades to him through the bars. His eyes were wide in awe, causing a blush to rise to my cheeks and pride to flutter in my chest.

I was good at something.

I flashed a cocky smile and winked at him, taking a leaf out of the Doctor's book. "I'm clever."

"Thank you." He smiled back and passed the blades out, keeping one for himself. "When that thing comes back, we'll be ready."

I should've just counted that as a victory and gotten back in my cell with Pei-Pei, but me being me, I made the stupid decision and tried to push my luck.

Pei-Pei caught my eyes as I turned to go back out of the brig again. Although she seemed pleased, she shook her head in disapproval.

I shrugged back at her and smiled. More knives meant that more people could defend themselves, right?

Though I wouldn't mention it out loud, part of the reason why I wanted to go back was because it felt good. Not just the breath-of-fresh-air feeling that came with rebelling against the pirates that had kept me locked up for days and days, but the sense of purpose. I hadn't had one of those in a long time. No purpose. No ability. No skill. No direction. I wasn't cut out for all the dangerous stuff the Doctor did, but I could sure as hell steal knives.

I should've listened to Pei-Pei.

"What do we have here?" A voice drawled.

I spun around from where I had been sorting through the weapons locker, accidentally dropping the knife I had been fingering in favor of gripping the medallion tightly with both hands, about to slip away back into the Otherside.

But my treasured object was torn away roughly before I could use it. I distinctly remember the sound it made as it clattered on the wooden boards somewhere to my right.

My breath caught in my chest as I lifted my eyes to meet those of another. They were dark eyes, like Pei-Pei's, but without any of her vitality or warmth.

"An escaped prisoner, eh?" His grimy, clawlike hand held my forearm in a vice grip. I tried to pull away, feeling for the medallion with my foot, not daring to take my eyes off of him.

"Uh, no no…" I whined plaintively, still trying to free myself from his grasp.

"Don't be afraid," the man cooed, baring a set of grimy teeth in a disgusting grin. His eyes flitted down to my chest. "Not gonna hurt you. Wouldn't want to do that now would I? Not at all what I want."

Although his words, if said by someone else, might've been reassuring, his tone suggested something else entirely. Something that disgusted me while simultaneously setting off a reaction of icy fear and boiling wrath.

As soon as the words left his lips, I instantly changed tactics and, instead of trying to pull back and away, I launched myself at him.

My head rammed savagely into the underside of his chin, causing him to loosen his grip enough for me to yank my arm free. Still in close proximity, I brought my knee up as hard as I could into his groin. He let out a pained gasp and collapsed forward, clutching whatever was left of his crushed balls.

I lunged under a nearby cabinet, where I was certain the medallion was. I scrabbled under the wood structure frantically, kicking up dust and getting splinters in my fingers.

The sound of the man struggling to get to his knees reached my ears just as I spotted the manipulator shining dully in the gloom.

My hand reached out for it, only to fall short as another set of hands locked around my hips and dragged me back out from under the cabinet, farther away from salvation.

As soon as I was free from the crawl space, I whipped around violently on the ground like a crocodile in a death roll. I kicked at the person trying to hold my legs and dimly noticed that it was not the same person as before.

I had almost kicked him away when two more sets of hands came down, pinning my arms to either side, effectively trapping me.

I looked at them wildly, still struggling. My anger was gone, or at least shifted. One man was easy, but three…

I swallowed nervously and suddenly realized that getting caught after escaping wasn't nearly as bad as whatever these perverted apes had in store.

So I screamed. Not for anyone in particular, cause in this case I wasn't picky, just a long, drawn out shriek that was abruptly muffled by a large hand clamping over my mouth.

"She's a tough one, isn't she?" The man covering my mouth and holding my right arm commented to the one holding my left, who happened to be the person that first attacked me. "Though you already knew that didn't you? Found out the hard way. Sure your tools are still up for the job?"

"Mind your own business." The first guy glowered at the second guy as he changed his grip so that his knee pinned my shoulder to the ground.

"Alright, as long as — ARRGH!" The man with his hand over my mouth let out a shout of pain when I sank my teeth into his palm.

I tasted blood and dirt but hung on with all I had, but was shocked into letting go when a sharp blow connected with the side of my face.

"Stupid bitch!" The guy I had bitten shouted angrily. I managed to let out another shout before the first man from earlier forced a rag in place of the hand. "Switch places with me!"

I redoubled my efforts to free myself when the man I had bitten switched places with the one holding my legs, but I was tiring, so it didn't do much good.

Though I managed to land a few good kicks, all I could do was watch in horror as the bitten guy started trying to work my jeans down with momentous effort.

But apparently they didn't even want me to do that. The third guy's hand pressed down on my throat, effectively cutting off my air supply.

Stars and dark spots exploded in my vision while my movements weakened and drums pounded in my ears. But through the din came another sound.

More voices.

Surprised and angry voices.

Suddenly I was free.

I rolled over onto my hands and knees, coughing and sputtering. It was a moment before I could at least sort of understand what was going on, but I knew enough to stay on the floor.

Other pirates, better dressed and in brightly colored silks, were restraining my three attackers.

"What's going on here?" The one dressed in dark blue demanded, stringy mustache wiggling as he spoke. "You know the code! You know the punishment!"

The three men practically crumpled to the ground, much to the distaste of the higher ranking pirates.

While they were distracted, I stretched out under the cabinet, quickly snagging the medallion and shoving it down my jeans.

"— but what's the rush? We will meet with the flag ship in less than two days," blue silk guy continued. A cruel smile crept its way onto his features. "I'm sure the Fleet Commander would enjoy being included."

The three men were dragged off, leaving me, blue silk, and a guy wearing mostly red in the armory.

I tried to look up at blue silk, tears clouding my vision. "Than—".

"Say no more," blue silk snapped. "You appear to have escaped—".

"No…"

"— and there could be punishment for that, as well."

"I didn't," I sobbed. "Please you have to—".

"You have made your statement," He snipped imperiously, "but it's best to be certain." He nodded to the red guy, who grabbed me by my upper arms and started steering me out onto the main deck, back towards the brig.

I was shoved roughly into the room that I had spent so much time in. In contrast to my attitude the last time I had been in there, I wasn't much more than a teary, sniveling mess.

The attitude in the room was different too. Everyone was so quiet and solemn.

"This girl was found in the armory," blue silk announced to the room. "Would anyone happen to know how that happened?"

Silence.

You could've heard a pin drop, even on the uneven, soggy wood.

I noticed that Pei-Pei was watching me carefully. Subtly, I held out three fingers against my leg, hoping she would understand.

"They came and got her out of the cell! Three men!" Pei-Pei shouted, jumping to her feet and staring the pirate down, eyes ablaze. She turned to the other prisoners. "Didn't they?"

There was a mass murmur of agreement. Despite my tears, a warm feeling flickered in my chest. I had helped them, so they were going to help me.

Point made, Pei-Pei dropped back down to my side and wrapped her arms around me, petting my hair soothingly while I clung to her like she was the only thing keeping me from fading away.

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The next day a guard unlocked the door to our cell.

"Which one's Pei-Pei?" The pirate demanded, baring a set of rotten teeth as he spoke.

Pei-Pei unlooped her arm from around me and stood shakily. "That's me."

The guard nodded. "Come. Your ransom has been agreed upon."

"Oh!" She gasped in astonishment, turning to look at me with wide eyes. Her dark, gorgeous eyes brightened significantly until they rivaled the stars in shine. But when those two dazzling orbs met mine, they darkened again.

"Hey! You're going home!" I tried, putting more energy into my words than I actually felt. She was the only friend I had in this place, one of the only ones I had in this universe. And she was leaving me. Not to say that I wasn't happy for her, cause I really REALLY was, but after the events of yesterday, the prospect of being without a friend was unappealing to say in the least. "Lucky, lucky, lucky." I grinned at her happily, but couldn't stop the tears from gathering.

"I am." A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up on her voice. Then her face crumpled. "And you're not."

The guard made an impatient noise before trying to snag onto her arm to drag her out. She yanked it away, giving the man a poisonous look.

"Not yet," I insisted as nonchalantly as I could. "The Doctor'll find me sooner or later. Just a matter of time."

The guard made another grab for her arm, and this time she couldn't pull away.

"Tell you what," I called after her as she was hauled out of the cell. I ran to the bars to keep her in sight. "If you see him, the Doctor… weird guy with a leather jacket… or the TARDIS!... Big blue box…"

"I'll tell him!" She promised as she was dragged up the ladder.

And she was gone.

I was alone again.

I sank to the floor, ignoring the way the splintering wood dug into my knees, clutching the rusty bars with all my strength while I fought back the tears that were begging to fall. I was tired of crying.

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Responses to Reviews:

Ghouly-Girl , Emzy2k11 , time-twilight , LPWomer : So glad you all enjoy it! Your support keeps me going!

That's Balderdash : It's good to hear that I'm portraying him correctly, that's something that I'm always worried about while writing him :)

Alikai : Omg thank you so much! I'm picky about the fics I read too and it's wonderful to know that the quality of this story is high enough to make the cut. I've been putting a lot into the background of the Otherside, trying to make sure that it fit with the 'canon physics' of the show. I absolutely love Buffy, too! She's the most complicated character I've ever written and I'm getting rather attached to her. I can't wait to share the rest of her story with you!

Sam : Most people that have been through some shit have some form of mental health problems, so it seemed only fitting to give them both their own. I'll be going much deeper into those as the story wears on and their friendship develops. And you bet right :P