Well, this one is a bit longer, to apologize for the extended wait. But, it's not an apology for the last story, and this one will make you no happier. But, you know. :) Like I said several chapters back, Amelia and Arthur do live happily ever after...eventually. Well, enjoy! ^^

Also, just a warning, there is mention of rape in this chapter, so if that is disturbing to you, please feel free to skip this chapter. Nothing is explicitly mentioned. Absolutely nothing. Just a warning. Also, there is a little more swearing in this chapter than usual.

Amelia clung to Arthur, weeping desperately. Arthur looked around him, despairing when he realized that his entire crew save for himself and Amelia had lost their lives to the demonic crew of Captain Maleki. He tightened his hold around Amelia as the said Captain approached, smiling evilly. "Well, well, well. If it isn't little Arthur Kirkland. Most feared pirate in all the world. I am so scared."

Arthur scowled at him, refusing to rise to the bait. Maleki clicked his tongue. "Now, now, yer supposed to answer when someone speaks to ya. Didn't yer mummy teach ya any manners?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes, but did not respond. Maleki sighed. "Yer no fun. Get the girl." Arthur stiffened as several pirates surrounded him. He tightened his hold on Amelia and said, "Over my dead body."

"Well that's no fun, now is it?" He pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Amelia's head. "It's not as fun this way, but at least I'll let you see her die, in your arms, bleeding. So pretty. What a shame."

Arthur stiffened and Amelia whimpered slightly, crushed in his arms. "Hand the girl over, or she dies."

"No."

Maleki cocked the gun and said, "There are no other options, laddy. Give 'er up, or feel 'er die."

Arthur sighed and released Amelia. "I'm sorry, my love."

Maleki grinned maliciously as one of the men dragged a still sobbing Amelia over to him. He picked her up by the hair and smirked. "Why so sad, girly? Did I kill yer friends?" He laughed and the crew joined in, laughing raucously. Arthur lunged forward, growling, but Maleki made a small hand motion and Arthur was pinned to the ground by Maleki's crew.

Amelia hung limp in Maleki's graps, too shattered to really care. Maleki grinned. "You're quiet now, sweetie, but you won't be later tonight."

Arthur struggled to get free. "You bastard!"

Maleki tsked. "Language in front of the lady, Artie. Language."

"Do not call me Artie."

"Why not? Is it her pet name?"

Arthur scowled. "No. Only one person was allowed to call me that. And you killed him today."

Maleki chuckled. "Homosexual, are we, Artie?"

Arthur growled. "He was my best friend and her brother, dammit!"

Maleki grinned. "Oh? Excellent. I love families." His mile turned dark. "I love destroying them and tearing them apart, piece by piece."

He turned on his heel. "Come on, boys. Let's leave this ship to burn, and let's put these two lovebirds in the brig!"

Arthur struggled as he was pulled upright and dragged across the boards onto the Black Ship. The crew of Hell's Howl removed the boards, cut the ropes and pulled away. When they were a safe distance, Maleki ordered the firing of cannons and incendiary shot and Arthur was forced to watch as his beloved ship, the Midnight Siren, burned, gutted, and covered in the blood of her men. Not only that, he had to sit back and watch while Maleki held Amelia as one would a doll, quietly stroking her hair in a cruel possessive manner. Then, he and Amelia were dragged below-deck to the brig which, by comparison, made the naval prison seem like paradise. Even his brig was better than Maleki's, and brigs were never pleasant.

There was dried blood, vomit, and all other bodily fluids coating the walls, and there was a thin layer of sludge over all the floor, piled up in the corners. Arthur refused to think about what the sludge was composed of. The smell was ghastly, full of decay, rot, and all the worst smells, combined. Arthur choked on the air, and stalled at the door, resisting the prodding of his captors. With a shove, he was pushed into the depths, and Amelia was dumped in after him. She landed with a small whimper and as they shut the door, leaving them in darkness, he crawled towards her and gathered her into his arms.

"Shh, it is going to be alright, Amelia. It is going to be alright."

She clung to him and sobbed into his shoulder and he tried not to think of the future that lay ahead of them.

After an indeterminable amount of time, the door opened and he shut his eyes against the light. Someone grabbed Amelia and he fought back, but they had no trouble fending him off and he was forced back, holding his stomach, gasping. Amelia was shrieking, fighting like a caged cat, but as his eyes began to adjust, all he saw was her being dragged out of the brig. He felt a feeling of dread settle on him and he prayed to a god long forgotten that Amelia would be safe.

His pleas remained unheard and the silence of his confinement was interrupted by a piercing scream that could only belong to Amelia. It continued, and he felt his heart break, since all he could do was listen as she screamed through most of the night.

When she was brought back into the brig, she lay on the floor, sobbing, curled into the fetal position. He crawled over to her in the dark and touched her, feeling warm liquid coating much of her skin. She clung to him, sobbing, and he hated Maleki for what he was doing to this strong-willed girl's fiery spirit. Her tears subsided eventually and she pulled a little away, but did not release him.

"Are you alright, my love?"

Amelia did not respond. Arthur felt his heart plummet. "Amelia, I am so, so sorry. I am such a failure. I cannot even protect the woman I love."

He felt finger rest on his lips. "Sh, Arthur. It's alright. It's not your fault. There's nothing you can do. I'll be fine. It just, hurts, a little."

He groaned and hugged her close. "Oh, Amelia. I am so, so sorry. Alfred would kill me for this."

Amelia released a strangled chuckle. "Alfred would do no such thing. He would come up with some clever way to get out of here. Of course, if he were still here, we wouldn't be here." She hiccuped and Arthur touched her face to find tears. "I am sorry. I should not have brought him up."

Amelia did not answer, but just hugged him tightly in the darkness.

They never brought them food, the only time the door ever opened was for Amelia's nights with Maleki. It happened regularly, in fact, it was the only way they knew that time was actually passing. It destroyed Arthur to hear Amelia's screams, but it did not take long before the screams fell silent and she turned a sobbing mess. If his count was correct, it had only been twelve days since their capture. It was only a few more days when even her tears dried up and she became an empty shell, destroyed on the inside and outside. The visits stopped after that.

The only comfort found in the darkness was that they were together. Sometime after the visits stopped that the door opened, earning a flinch from Amelia, and a small loaf of bread of was dumped into the vile mess. All pride gone, Arthur quickly scrambled to find it. When he did, he felt a leap of joy and broke it in half, giving part to Amelia. She did not so much as glance at it. He sighed, ate his share, then touched her face. "Amelia. You must eat. We will get out of here, somehow, someday. You must keep up your strength. Please."

She sighed and took the bread gingerly from his hands and ate it, slowly. Realistically the bread was probably months old, hard as rock, and staler than unwashed socks, but for the first food in close to a month, it was much needed, and most welcome.

They sat in the darkness, holding each other, for an inordinate amount of time. The darkness was absolute and the only time the door opened was for a measly loaf of bread. The food came about once a month, just enough to keep them alive. Barely. There was no lack of water in the brig, and they eventually caved to it, desperate for it. The water, aside from being half seawater, was filled with everything that is definitely not for human consumption. But, they remained alive, weakening slowly but surely, slowly dying in the filth.

Luckily, no storm hit, which saved them the painful experience. However, it also made it all the more clear the strangeness of Amelia's sudden nausea, a few months after her 'visits' with Captain Maleki.

Arthur tried to figure out what was the matter with her, but she just continued vomiting, sicker than a dog, and weak as a baby. It was then that he realized a chilling fact. "Amelia, pardon me for asking this most ungentlemanly question." She gave a bitter laugh. "But, have you experienced your time of the month, yet?"

He could feel her stiffen. "No," came the answer, whispered so quietly, he almost could not hear it. She curled into a ball, pulling closer to him, suddenly sobbing. "No, I haven't. Not once. And I should've. It's been plenty long enough. Oh God, Arthur. Oh God. Oh God, no. Please no. Arthur, please tell me I'm wrong. Please."

He could not answer, but he felt bile rise in his throat. The bastard had not only had the gall to rape Amelia, brutally from the sounds of it, but he impregnated her with his bastard spawn. He held Amelia tightly while she sobbed desperately, overwhelmed by shock, hormones, and despair.

The tears finally dried once again and she sat up, silent once more. "We can get rid of it, you know," Arthur said softly, stroking her matted hair.

She stiffened. "It is not an it, Arthur. Bastard it may be, hell fiend the father may be, but this is still my child, my baby. I will do my best to let him live."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said quietly, and the way she said it left no room for argument.

He began giving her bigger shares of the bread, and gradually became aware that she was growing in size. He could only imagine what she must have looked like, thin and gaunt, covered in everything unpleasant, matted hair and hollow eyes, with a round baby bump.

Unfortunately, there comes a time when a pregnant woman can no longer hide the news from the world. And, Amelia was no exception. A few more food drops later, one of the crew noticed that Amelia was not nearly as thin as expected. So, they reported to Captain Maleki. He ordered her and Arthur brought up. "Have yous been fuckin' in my brig?" he asked after examining Amelia, who could barely stand due to her size.

Arthur growled. "It's your's bastard."

Maleki chuckled. "Well, can't leave evidence lyin' 'round can we? Throw 'er over the side."

Arthur gave a cry of protest. "No! You can't!"

He was quickly beaten down, far brutally than was even necessary, and Amelia was placed in a small wooden dinghy. He chuckled, leaning down to leer at Amelia. "If ye do servive, make sure to tell yer little baby 'bout his daddy!" With that he shoved the boat over the side where it floundered than quickly righted itself. Maleki chuckled as the dinghy faded away into the distance and Arthur could only moan in despair as he was beaten and dragged away, left to die in the brig.

You are welcome to call me whatever you like. I know I am a cruel, cruel person. Couple of things. This chapter is not in anyone's perspective because I can't write men very well, and I did not a) want to write rape, b) Amelia is incredibly broken right now, her memories are going to be rather fracture and scattered.

So, anyway. Enjoy.

Review, please. I would like to know how much my evilness is appreciated.

BTW, thank you everyone who has liked, reviewed, followed, etc.d this story. You guys are so awesome. You are the reason I keep writing.

So...anyway, good luck. Also, any guesses on the future? And, did any of you see that coming? Did you? XD If you did, I am seriously impressed.