Silence reigned. Three sets of staring eyes. Three open mouths. Two bringers of bad news.
“Giles?” Buffy's voice was weak, almost childlike. “She’s wrong, right?” Polishing his spectacles once again, Giles simply shook his head. “No Buffy, I’m afraid that Willow may indeed be correct.” Three sets of eyes focusing on one single redheaded witch.
“We can just turn the boat around, go back the way we came.” Xander offered, his voice displaying the rising panic and hinted with guilt. “What did I do?” he breathed.
“It’ll be ok Xand.” Willow tried supportively, crossing from the galley to the table her oldest friend was sat at. Her hand came to rest gently on his shoulder. “We’ll get out of this. And besides, I'm probably wrong.” she smiled weakly as his eyes searched hers. When he saw no doubt in her emerald eyes, he shook his head. “When are you wrong, Will?” he asked her solemnly before shaking off her hand and disappearing into his cabin.
Buffy had gone to study the charts and maps laid out next to Giles. He was explaining what he knew and what they had managed to piece together. Willow held her head in her hands, she hated being the bearer of bad news, especially when it was quite possibly caused by one of the group. Tara's warm hand suddenly wrapped around her own and she looked up into the oceanic blue before her. “You sure?” she asked, searching Willows eyes, much as Xander had done. Willow nodded. “Willow, I think I may….” Giles’ words were cut short as the redhead rushed from the room, closing her cabin door firmly behind her.
“I’ll talk to her.” Tara told the two remaining Scoobies quietly. “We’ll get through it, we always do.” she offered a weak smile and followed after Willow.
“Can we get through this, Giles?” Buffy asked.
“I don’t know Buffy. It’s possible, but I just don’t know.” he answered honestly.
In Xander’s cabin
Xander was pacing the tiny cabin, his mind racing and full of ‘what if’s’. On his bed he had laid a picture of Anya. ‘She’s not the most conventional girlfriend’ he thought as he continued to pace the tiny compartment, ‘But she’s my girlfriend. Oh god, what if I never get out of this. I might never see her again.’ his eyes stung when he realised how she would feel about not seeing him ever again. He had let her down so badly when he left her at the alter, although he had done it for the right reasons, he still carried the guilt and pain and not speaking up sooner and sparing her the pain and heartbreak. ‘Dawnie. Buffy might not see her. What will she do without her?” his mind raced through the possible scenarios. ‘Foster care? An orphanage?’ Slumping back onto his bunk, Xander rubbed the bridge of his nose. ‘And all because I wanted to be so James Bond’ he thought sadly.
In Willow and Tara's cabin
Willow was curled up on the bed, her knees bent up to her chest. “Willow? Baby?” Tara's soft voice warmed Willow instantly. Crossing the average sized cabin, Tara crawled onto the bed, wrapping her arms gently around Willows waist. The smell of her hair, the slightest aroma of her perfume, the scent that was entirely just Willow filled Tara's nostrils and she inhaled deeply. “It’s not your fault.” she whispered, her breath tickling Willows neck and causing her to shiver slightly within her embrace.
“I know.” Willow replied, her tone flat and unconvinced.
Tara turned Willow to face her, cupping her lovers face until their eyes met. “It’s not your fault.” Tara repeated.
Willow managed a weak smile, in the face of such a beauty, how could she feel so awful? Simple, she couldn’t.
“You know something Tara?”
“I know lots of somethings.” Tara's voice had dropped to a purr and her eyes sparkled in the light.
“I love you.” Willow told her.
“I love you too.” Tara leant in to kiss the soft, warm lips of her angel, nipping gently at the lower one as a request to gain deeper access.
Granting her lovers tongue access, Willow moaned softly. It never failed to surprise her how something as simple as a kiss could wash away her every fear and doubt. As they pulled apart, both were breathless. Searching the others eyes, Willow broke the silence. “Just hold me?” she asked. Safe in Tara's embrace, Willow closed her eyes and tried to figure out a way out of this mess.
Back with Buffy and Giles
“Maybe I should turn in.” Buffy said, she couldn’t help but sound disappointed. This was meant to be a fun summer on the ocean, away from demons, vampires and other supernatural menaces and now they were lost in the Bermuda Triangle. ‘Falls under the heading of ironic.’ Buffy thought.
“Oh yes, I think we could all do with a good nights sleep.” Giles voice cut into her thoughts and he stifled a yawn. “Things will look better in the morning. They always do!” he told her, squeezing her shoulder gently as she passed him to go to her own cabin.
Offering him a weak smile, Buffy walked slowly, her mind racing through what they could all be facing.
“Mornin’ matey!!” a tall black man towered over Xanders bunk. He tried to scream, to call out to the others and found he was gagged. Struggling to get up, Xander realised that his hands and feet were bound and so he wiggled like a huge worm on the end of a fishing line. “Nice day for some piratin’” the large man continued, and flipped Xander from his bunk.
Laughing, the pirate wandered back out into the main living area. “Some fine girls to trade, arr.” Xander heard and rolled his eyes. ‘Please, that's the lamest pirate voice ever!’ he thought.
From the bow of the boat he heard screaming. Not the screams he imagined Willow or Tara to make, but the screams of a fully grown man. “She be a witch! A witch I tell ye.”
Xander grinned against the restraint. ‘Good going Will.’ he thought.
Buffy was finding it equally difficult to move. Although she was tied and gagged, she couldn’t find the strength to rip through these measly restraints. ‘Bloody Bermuda Triangle’ she thought as she struggled.
One by one the group were carried on deck, before them, a huge pirate ship floated alongside their yacht, dwarfing it. ‘Yep, no stereotypes so far.’ Xander thought as he was dumped unceremoniously next to Giles. The Watcher looked scared but otherwise unhurt. Buffy was soon dropped next to Xander, and Tara beside her.
Two large black men rushed from the boat. “She’s a witch I tell ye! Cursed we’ll be, arr!” they called as they returned to their own vessel. Willow was dropped hard onto the deck next to Tara. A large man with a huge hoop earring crouched before her. As a grin spread over his face, it exposed yellow and black teeth, the breath coming from the man before her made Willow almost gag. “You be a witch do ye?” he asked her, poking her shoulder with a grubby hand. “Your witching’ll do ye no good now.” He cackled viciously as he straightened and gave her a sharp kick with one square toed boot.
From within the huge pirate ship in front of them, they heard a vague voice, possibly that of a female, barking an order. “Bring ‘em aboard!” she called, causing four of the men to rush back down the gangway and hauling the Scoobies aboard the magnificent vessel.
When they were ‘safely’ deposited in what seemed like some sort of storage room below deck, they had their gags removed and their hands and feet untied, their captors preferring to shackle them to the wall. “Screamin’ll do ye no good. Might get ya a beatin’.” the foul toothed pirate told them. “Go on, scream!” he dared them as he slammed the huge door behind him, leaving the Scoobies in darkness.
“Is everyone ok?” Buffy asked, “I mean, is anyone hurt? Will?”
“I’m ok Buffy, ribs hurt but I’m of the good.” Willow replied in the darkness.
“Everyone else?”
One by one the Scoobies confirmed they were ok. “So c’mon Buff. Break us out!” Xander whispered.
He could hear her struggling against the restraints but the familiar crunch as they released her never came.
Without being told, they all somehow knew that whatever power they may have had had been somehow affected by their disappearance into this void of Bermuda.
Willows voice broke into the darkness. “Occisor ab Castimonia?” she said, it was obvious from her tone that she was trying to work something out.
“It’s Latin.” Giles said, “It means, erm.” His mind raced, trying to find the translation.
“Slayer of Purity.” Willow burst out. “So, a slave ship?” she asked, not expecting anyone to know the answer.
Before they had a chance to speculate on the nature of the vessel, a bright beam of light burst in through a small window that had been opened in the doorway. Almost as soon as it was opened, it was slammed shut again.
Outside, the Captain turned to one of the men and whispered something in his ear. “Ei, ei Cap’in” he said and rushed off, returning second later with some rags and disappearing into the room and towards the captives.
“Cap’in wants ye blinded.” he told them all, crossing first to Tara with a lecherous grin. Terror flashed across her face momentarily until she saw the blindfold. “Oh, blindfolded.” she said aloud, letting the others know that they weren’t all about to have their eyes poked out with something unpleasant. Collectively, the Scoobies let out a huge sigh of relief. “Captain who?” Giles asked the grubby man as he knotted the blindfold behind Tara's head before moving on to Xander. “Cap’in Bloody Charity Vane!” he told him proudly. “You have the pleasure of bein’ her new toys.” It was well known that pirates enjoyed leaving their mark, being identified by the trail of destruction they left in their wake. “For some o’ ye, it’ll be good, ye’ll die quick. For ye who ain’t so lucky.” his filthy fingers traced across Willows cheek. “Ye’ll be played wiv. She like to torture ye pretty ones.” he licked his lips, fingers still tracing the contours of Willows face.
A loud thump at the door caused him to spin and quickly finish the task he’d been sent in to do.
The Scoobies heard another person enter, firm boots striding purposefully towards Buffy. A soft, undeniably female hand caressed her cheek before pulling back and slapping her hard. Spitting blood onto the floor, Buffy snarled up at the person who had hit her. ‘So much strength’ she thought. The person in the room, the Scoobies could only guess it was the Captain of the vessel, stood silently. From beneath their blindfolds, minds whirled and spun, each one trying to work out where their captor was.
With no torture to bestow on them at this time, the confident figure strode from the room, the tiniest laugh escaping her lips as she slammed the door closed, leaving them with the greatest torture. The unknown.
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