Enjoy!

Act Two: Scene Three; Malaria, Again

My time in that ship was none to pleasant. Soon I lost track of the time we spent in there, with nothing to mark the passing hours except a meager tray of food pushed through a flap in the door - it would always be locked.

For a voyage that only took one day, it felt like a year.

You may find this hard to believe, reader, but I was actually thankful for my time on the Courageous – once you gain sea legs you never let them go. At least I hadn't spent the time with my head in a bucket.

At first I had decided to spend my time in the ship in stubborn silence after my weakness with Syd.

But malaria had different ideas.

I always kept the medicine the Obeah man had given me safe, I kept it with me always. I knew there would be a time I would need it in an emergency and this was then. At first I felt cold and then blisteringly hot – I just shrugged it off, to stubborn to say anything. Then great shivers were wracking my body and I knew what was happening. Malaria was mounting and it was going to ride me hard.

I'd neglected to tell anyone but Pedro about my deadly disease. So when I doubled over in pain in my small corner of the room Syd didn't have a clue what to do.

He rushed over placing a large hand over my forehead.

"What's wrong? Cat sit up! What's wrong?"

I'd never seen someone look so worried. Syd was beginning to swim in front of my eyes, I blinked heavily, forcing out four words:

"Malaria – medicine...in...shoe." Before I blacked out completely.

The last I heard was a faint, strangled cry of, "Sophie!" but then again I could have been hallucinating by then.

"Will she be alright by tomorrow?" Came a gruff voice, I felt a hobnailed boot prod me in the lower back.

"Leave her alone!" I heard an outraged cry before the sound of a hand meeting flesh with a loud slapping sound aroused my deadened senses. I heard a small whimper and, opening my groggy eyes a crack, a large hand balling into a fist – Syd and someone else, the girl.

"Enough talking back, we'll be arriving in France in two days time, you must do exactly as I say when we arrive, do you understand?"

They must have nodded.

"Will she be alright by tomorrow?" He repeated.

"There's a chance."

Bailey must have been satisfied with the answer, I heard the door snap shut and a key turning in the lock.

"Are you okay?" I asked hoarsely, trying to sit up.

"Cat? What happened to you? Are you alright? Will it happen again? Why-"

I closed my eyes against Syd's rush of questions and put my fingers to my temples, my head was beginning to ache.

"I'll be fine." I whispered, before laying back to sleep. I was exhausted.

I spent the best part of that day asleep and awoke later on feeling much refreshed – the medicine was working.

I tried to remember who had looked after me but my fever induced state was haze of cool flannels against my forehead and bitter tasting medicine. However, I had a faint memory of someone cradling me against their chest and a smell of peppermint, but that could have been at any time. At one point I thought I was back in Billy's house, yet I don't remember anyone smelling of peppermint.

I was on the lower bunk looking up I saw Syd asleep on the upper, snoring softly.

The girl was sat on the edge of the bed, eyes drooping slightly, she started when I tried to sit up and pushed me down gently.

"Don't try and get up you should rest." She murmured.

I defied her angrily, no raven haired hussy could tell me what to do! I pushed my self up against the wall and jutted my chin out.

"Who are you?" I asked harshly.

"My name's Claudia Tivern."

"No." I growled. "I meant 'who are you' as in who are you and how have you managed to get me and Syd mixed up with the likes of Mick Bailey and his paymaster?"

She blinked her large grey-blue eyes owlishly at me. A picture of innocence – she wasn't fooling me I matched her stare with a furious glare.

"He's wrong. You may look like her but you're nothing like Sophie."

This strange statement silenced me from a torrent of angry abuse for a moment, but when I finally opened my mouth to ask who Sophie was the door flew open and Bailey stood tall brandishing a piston. The noise startled Syd awake he sat up banging his head on ceiling causing him to start an avalanche of swearing.

"Good. You're up. Time to leave we've arrived in France."

He grabbed me around the shoulders pushing the gun into my ribs he threw a dark cloak over me hiding his hand. To anyone on the outside it would look like he had put a protective arm around me.

"Either of you try anything and she's dead." He said menacingly applying more pressure to my shoulders.

I didn't risk trying to pull away – he didn't look like he was joking.

We shuffled onto the dock. Somehow Bailey had managed to get us into France without any papers – with the help of a fat purse and a few lies he charmed the guard into letting us through.

He spun a tale praising France on it's hospitals and how I was delicate with a life threatening illness which only the people of France could treat properly. I must have looked convincing because we were let through without a second glance.

Bailey's luck held and we had good horses and a good driver which enabled us to arrive in Paris not long after – well, not as long as it had taken me and Frank. The thought of Frank brought reality down with a crash. Worries of rent and being evicted seemed petty now. Just the other day I was fretting about what to wear at a formal dinner at the Avon's home, now I was worried for my life and Syd's.

Not to mention the mystery surrounding the Claudia Tivern girl.

Tivern. The name struck a chord with me and I eyed her shrewdly. She was sat across from me in the carriage next to Syd. I racked my brains for who I'd met or heard of with that name, but came up with nothing.

The carriage jolted causing the pistol to bump against my ribcage.

Too many things were going on at once.

After hours of traveling; a night in an inn and a further three hours jolting through France we finally made it through the City's gates. Mid-morning in Paris had not changed much since my own brief visit a mere year before.

I found myself wondering where our ultimate destination was and who had gone to these great lengths trying to capture us.

However, Bailey's luck didn't hold and I didn't find out.

The carriage stilled suddenly and Bailey grinned without showing his teeth.

"We've arrived."

He shoved me outside with the barrel of his gun...straight into a crowd of people. We were in the market square. Bailey made a grab for me eyes wide with shock but two arms grabbed me from behind, pulling me into the crowd. A sack was pulled over my head and I was hauled over the person's shoulder.

I kicked and struggled to no avail. I'd gone from one kidnapping to another. Today was looking better and better.

I couldn't help the sarcastic bitter thoughts circling my mind. Nothing seemed to be making sense. My latest adventure seemed to be getting more and more far fetched.

The pounding of feet stopped and silence followed.

I was dumped unceremoniously on the floor, the sack pulled from my head.

I pounced on my captor knocking him to the floor in surprise. He rolled over so I was the one now pinned down. I struggled for second before spitting in his face.

"Unhand me now!" I screamed.

He brought a hand over my mouth.

"Shh.." He said putting his face close to mine. "Nice to see you too, Firecracker."

My eyes widened as I recognised him.

A/N: Okay...Don't throw rocks at me but I'm putting this story on hiatus until I get it finished because I'm taking too long between updates and I'm gonna try and get ahead by a few chapters.

Meanwhile I've got a few Cat/Syd oneshots that I had an urge to write so I'm looking for a beta. Anyone interested?

Reviews are welcome!