Life? Death? Those were the two single worded questions that swirled my brain. Even now, as I could feel air seeping into my lungs, I could still hear the death blows from cannons. Damn. I thought it had all been a dream, that I had escaped out of the Jackdaw and could have been where ever I was before meeting Edward.

I wanted to go home, where ever that was, but as I heard screaming, I knew I hasn't back yet.

The breath that filled me was drenched in rum, and tasted foil, but it was life, and it was sweet. But just as I felt the urge to breathe, I immediately felt my body go ridged and began violently hacking up salty water from my mouth. I coughed so harshly that my ribs felt like exploding.

"You're breathing now!" A voice barked. I opened my eyes and saw nothing my blurs. A blonde blur. "You were knocked off the ship when an enemy cannon hit the Jackdaw." He was calm but alert, "You are safe now."

I tried to get a picture of him in view, but my eyes made waves with my blurs, just like the fogginess of the ocean.

Soon, I felt two strong hands lift me by my arms, but as soon as another cannon hit, I had lost my footing all together. The arms caught me. I wobbled after he tried to regain my balance.

"You will retire in my quarters."

"No, Captain!" Another strong voice shouted to him over the guns, "Your cabin be too close to tha cannons. Take her to her bed down under tha ship." That was the giant I knew as Ace…Ade…whatever his name was.

I began to feel the rushed tugs along my arm, but I had no strength to walk fully. Still, The body I believed to be Edwards was strong. Soon I could feel descending stairs, and the loud cannons and guns decreasing slightly in sound. After that, Edwards labored breathing went along with mine.

I wanted to puke. After I awoke, my headache has become sickness, and I knew I wasn't going to make it now. It was dark, it was smelly, and it signaled my gag reflexes on overdrive. I ended up limping forward, having Edward initially drag me across the molded floor. He let out faint grunts when all my weight fell onto him.

"…You must pick up your feet. We are almost…(Grunt) To your bed…" He struggled, but even he didn't understand why I was leaning over.

Right then and there, before I even made it to my corner, I felt the molted sludge come to my throat as I vomited violently all over Edwards boots. I knew it was his boots, because he trotted after it all nastily came out.

"God Damn-it!" He hissed, jerking me around. I squeezed onto his arm, balancing myself.

"I'm so sorry." I struggled to say, feeling the puke come for a second round.

"It doesn't matter." He hissed, dipping me down now to my bed.

I hit the mattress softly, but groaned loudly after I was at rest. Edward simply stood above me. I gripped my stomach and my head at the same time, feeling both extreme nausea and a migraine.

"Are you in more pain?" He asked, studying his newly vomit smelling boots. I nodded weakly. "See to it that you rest. You took in too much sea water. It made you sick."

A cannon ball hit us, shaking the pit and having Edward loose his footing, falling right on top of me. That made me gag again, in itself. He gripped the mattress and readied himself to lift, but when my eyes opened to see his crystal blue ones, something halted him in moving. As if being in pain meant nothing to him. He stared into mine, but I didn't want to vomit all over him. I hoped I could hold it until his gaze was off me.

Heat bubbled in my gut, and I knew it was coming. I pushed him off and plummeted down to the floor, looking desperately for any hole or bucket. Edward reacted quick and grabbed a pale and quickly jetted it to my looking hands. As soon as I touched it, I vomited in it. Edward got down on his knees to the floor where I was and quietly waited for me to finish. After everything was out, I slid the bucket away from me, but passing out was my next move.

"You are running a fever. Best you get into bed and rest." More gun shots rang as he spoke, "I rescued you from drowning and got the air into your lungs. The rest is on you."

I leaned forward to catch my breath, trying to comprehend what he was saying. I wanted to reply back, but I feared puking again. He rumbled to his feet as cannons rocked the ship more. He seemed in a hurry, and didn't stall long. But he did turn to look once more before disappearing up to the deck.

"Next time, don't stand too close to the edge of a ship during cannon fire. You won't be rescued again."

I coughed out wet blows, regaining my own voice in a hurry that he might leave before I could say something. "Why were you so kind to me?" I asked, making his face furrow, "You could have easily let my fate end in the depths of the ocean."

"You are more useful to me, alive. What you fail to realize is that I could have killed you on the beach. Your end ain't gonna be by the hands of any other."

I was slightly insulted, but I was too exhausted to waist energy on that. Besides, in a strange way, what he said was comforting. He was going to do all he could to keep me safe…until it was really my time to die. Then he would do it himself. It makes me want to kill myself, really, but at least I knew I was safe until we arrived on land.

"Remember…" He began, "If a pirate gets down here, use that blowpipe, then yell for me. The vermin won't make it out alive."

I got extreme chills from that, which made me sick.

He dipped away and immediately ran back up to the deck, where guns and cannons and men roared in fire and fights. I managed to get myself back onto the bed, but I always had the pale by my side. This ship rocked crazily, and I was sure to vomit more.

I woke with a new feeling in my pit. The guns had stopped firing a while ago, and the rocking had slown. I didn't hear anything, and all fear from earlier had left. It was extremely quiet, but almost too quiet for my comfort. I didn't even know why I was on edge. I looked over to the hole on the walls to see a clue about the time of day. The sun was peeking through with an orange tint. It must have been setting.

I jumped up.

…..Bad idea. My head ache returned briefly, zapping my balance for a few seconds. I wobbled to stable conditions and then grabbed the blowpipe I was given. I wanted to be safe. I didn't know if id be facing dead bodies or pirates. All I knew was that this situation was bananas, and how I had lost my mind.

I held the blowpipe gripped at my shoulder, ready to swing at anyone who had plans to hurt me. It was the wrong way to use it, but I was too afraid to blow anything out of it. The darts could have ricocheted the other way and hit me, or I could have accidently sucked one in my mouth. Either way, not a good idea.

I slowly and quietly walked up the stairs, bracing myself as the cool wind and orange light hit me gently. I stepped fully out on the deck….and just paused.

I almost dropped my weapon and forgot about it. Among the dead bodies being dragged away on deck, the Jackdaw's crew seemed to have survived, cleaning up all the mess in a sort of peace I had never seen. Shaw and Ace…?...were sweeping up the deck from debris. The rest were quiet, doing their duties. I was simply stunned by the gorgeous view of the ocean and the red, orange, and yellow colors the clear sky gave me. I was almost too hypnotized to notice the merging crew men with horror in their eyes, coming toward me. Once I noticed, the fear of their shocked gazes made me shivers, and their approaching bodies made me wish I had never emerged. Next thing I knew, Ace was shoving past them with the same worry.

"What is it!?" I asked, rudely, "Aren't you supposed to be ignoring me!?" I hissed, growing pained by the gathered men.

"Captain Kenway!" Ace shouted toward the helm, coming closer to me. He reached out for my shoulder with fear. I shirked away a bit.

"Are you alright, lass?" One of the crew asked with concern.

"Is there pain?" Shaw asked that time.

"Yes!" My brow furrowed, "Just a tad nauseous, but nothing I can't handle."

"Must-a cut ya self when knocked into da water." Ace explain, squeezing my shoulder now.

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm fine. I'm not hurt." I hissed.

Edward jumped down and rushed to us, shoving past the others who were gathered.

"What is it, Ade?" He asked, but then looked at me and nearly panicked. His blue eyes became wide, and soon his arm was reaching for my other shoulder. I shirked away more violently then, growing a tad aggravated by all this.

"What is with you guys? I said I was fine!"

"Are you certain?" Edward asked, touching me that time, and squeezing my collar.

"YES!" I barked, shoving away both his and Ace's arm. They back away, as did I, studying their newly stained hands.

I Looked at what they were studying, and grew curious myself when I saw the color.

"What is everyone so worried about?" I hissed, looking at my own shoulders.

The sight almost spooked me, making me want to piss my pants. I already puked. I didn't need to soil myself. However, when I saw blood red covering the entirety of my shirt, I almost panicked too.

"What happened?" Edward demanded to know, "Were you attacked below deck?"

I shook my head quickly, still looking at my shoulders, "No, I don't remember even being touched!"

"You think it could be tha dive she dun took to da sea?" Ace asked, Edward.

"No. She wasn't bleeding when I got her out." He answered back.

"I don't feel any cuts or pain…." I hesitated.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, urgently.

"Yes!" I bit again.

"Take off the shirt." Edward demanded something else.

"what!?"

"Just do it."

"WHY? What for? I began backing away, but Edward only took steps forward.

"We have to be sure you aren't injured!"

"I told you I'm fine, you brute!" I spat, backing away quicker, but as soon as I saw his feet hastening, I attempted to make a run toward the helm. Too bad his feet were quicker than mine. I didn't even touch a step before I could feel strong hand wrap about my arm.

Edward gripped me harshly and marched me into his cabin, where I felt a push through the door.

"At ease men!" He shouted out before he and Ace were closing themselves with me in the captain's quarters.

"Unbutton the shirt, now." He bit, coming closer to me.

"No way!" I shouted, backing away again. As if I could get far.

"We just need to make sure you really are ok. I can't have you injured here. It could risk infection."

"I don't think that's necessary." He began stepping toward me

"Take the shirt off, Lady Of Fire!"

"No!"

"You want to make it bloody difficult?"

"No, I don't want you seeing my naked chest, Captain! That's my dignity!"

"You'd rather bleed and possibly suffer from infection then have an absolute answer?"

I didn't really know how to answer that, so I stayed silent. All I knew was that my gut told me not to disrobe in front of this man, no matter how hypnotizing he may be.

"You are going to make me do something I don't want to do, woman." His voice was growing in depth, and I could already see the red rising in his face as he droned on me.

His hands were so incredibly quick, I couldn't answer him before he was pinning me to the table in the middle of his cabin. I think I screamed, but the force he had, swept my voice away. Besides, I was so terrified, I thought he might have hit me. He didn't however, but I was still being pinned. My heart was racing, almost enough for me to grow sick. One arm was locked behind me, as he leaned on it to add pressure, and my other arm was over my head. The man was too swift.

Ace backed away from us with a similar fear to mine in his eyes.

"Captain?" He questioned with hesitation.

"Don't think little of me, Ade. I only wish to look at her shoulders."

I let out a growl from my pit, but Edward only got stronger.

"Help me disrobe her, Adewale!" Edward hissed.

In seconds I could feel the pulling of my shirt, until it was barely on anymore. At that, I tried my hardest to get out of Edwards grip, but the more I tried, the more my face was pressed harder against the woodened table. Soon, my shirt was yanked off, but Ace looked away as soon as he realized I was bare at the chest. Still, I was pinned by the Captain.

"Alright…." He struggled to hold, "Now, I am only going to look at you. I ain't doin nothing, so don't assume I will. I am not that type of man." He growled to my wiggles, "But it'll be difficult, and will take longer if you are jerking around!" He hissed, squeezing the arm behind my back, harder.

I whimpered from the pain, but didn't want to ease up, but in reality, I had to. It hurt too bad.

"I am only making sure you are not injured…." He calmed.

A/N: There you go.