Bob the Bloody dragged Willow to the centre of the room, chaining her to the central pillar before returning to Tara who was lying, shaking and in tears in the doorway and dragging her inside and chaining her on the opposite side of the pole.
Buffy, Giles and Xander looked on in horror as they saw the blood flowing freely from the blonde witches back. The door slammed closed and Bob was gone.
“What the hell happened?” Buffy asked, her concern clear in her voice.
“You happened!” Willow spat back, “Always trying to be the hero.” her voice was reaching supersonic proportions and the scream that tinting its edges made them all cringe. “She took your beating because you can’t leave things alone!” Collapsing back on the floor, sobs overtook the redhead and she scooped Tara into her arms, kissing her forehead softly.
“Will, I…” Buffy began but was silenced by the stares she received from both Xander and Giles.
“Tara? Baby?” Willows tear choked voice chilled the group as she gently brushed the blood stained hair from her lovers face. “You gotta stay with me.” Willow whispered.
“Willow?” Giles’ voice caressed her senses, providing much needed warmth and comfort. “I think I have some antiseptic wipes in my pocket. If we work together, we can get them.” he offered, his own voice shaky with emotion.
“I need to clean her back.” Willow said, if she had heard Giles’ words, she made no acknowledgement. “I need water.” She looked around, then stared dumbly at a bucket that sat in the middle of the floor. Stretching out as far as her chain would allow, she used her feet and legs to pull the vessel in towards her. After much struggling, the pail came to rest at her side and she carefully dipped a finger in the liquid and tasted it. “It’s fresh!” she announced brightly. After the incident on deck, she didn’t want to bathe Tara's wounds in any more salt water, although it would probably help, it was more pain than she could bare to inflict. Cupping her hands, she drank deeply before Tara stirred and then screamed as the pain searing her back hit her again. “Baby, I'm here. Its going to be ok, I’m going to look after you.”
Spinning her attention back to her lover, Willow offered her some water.
"Here... you alright?" she asked softly.
Tara’s eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, her face pale and clammy with beads of sweat forming rapidly on her brow. "I'm great. I... I can't see but, I'm good." she replied, the pain seemingly to make her sarcastic.
Despite herself, Willow smiled, Tara was awake and talking, which was much better than being unconscious. "Try using both eyes," she said with a giggle.
A slow smile crept over Tara's face and she forced her eyes open. "Oh, ah, yeah, that's better, uh huh."
"Think you can sit?" Willow asked, eager to get Tara's back away from the floor so she could try and tend to her wounds.
"You mean I'm not?" Tara replied quizzically. Her head was spinning and she was sure that she was at least sitting up, after all, she had tried.
Willow shook her head and helped Tara into a sitting position, the blonde screaming as the skin moved and stretched with the movement.
"C'mon" There you go!" Willow said sweetly as they managed to get Tara sitting upright, her left side leaning up against the post for support.
Looking up into Willows face, Tara looked astounded "By the Gods!" she exclaimed, slipping slightly from the post and forcing Willow to catch her.
"What is it?" The redhead asked, her fingers pushing a few stray strands of hair behind Tara's ear.
"You are beautiful!" Tara announced loudly, a pained smile spreading over her face.
Leaning in, Willow kissed the blonde fiercely. “Don’t do that!” she laughed as she pulled back. “You scared me!”
Tara smiled and tried to move, freezing in place when a fresh wave of pain scorched her back. “It hurts Will.” she whimpered, tears leaking from her misty blue eyes. “I know baby. I’m going to make it better.” she told her, although she still wasn’t sure how.
Willow filled her hands and offered Tara a drink from the bucket. The blonde took a few sips before turning away. “I don’t think I should have anymore.” she told her. “Feeling kinda blechy.”
Willow regarded her sadly, dragging the bucket and crawling to sit behind Tara. The open wounds on her back were mainly superficial, but a couple looked like they needed stitching. The flesh was split and oozing but the bleeding seemed to have slowed dramatically. Ripping a rag from the bottom of her pyjama top, Willow dipped it in the bucket. “I’m sorry sweetie, but this is going to hurt.” she apologised as she began wiping and cleaning the wounds carefully. Tara growled in her throat, a scream trying to force its way out. She knew if she had screamed during the lashing, then she would have received something much worse and now, all those screams were bursting to come out.
Tara focused her mind and turned her head slightly. “Was that…?” she asked quietly. Willow nodded, her face hardening and she rinsed the rag, wringing it out forcefully.
“Did you see who did it?” Xander asked. “Do we know them?” The Scoobies had heard Tara's question and each one was mortified to think that someone they knew would do this to Tara.
Willows headed snapped in his direction. “It was the Captain.” she told him. “And no, we don’t know them!”
“But Will, Tara thinks…. and you do too.”
“NO!” she snapped. Faiths words hadn’t been forgotten and although Willow wasn’t entirely sure what ‘keelhauling’ was, she doubted it would lead to hugs and puppies.
Xander hung his head sadly, he was only trying to help and was being shouted at for his effort.
Giles eyed Willow suspiciously. ‘She knows who it is.’ he thought. ‘So why won’t she say?’ He pondered the thought for a moment before realisation dawned on him. “Another threat had obviously been made against Tara!!” he rolled his eyes and berated himself for his own stupidity. “Good going Giles.” he mumbled.
Once Willow had finished tending to Tara's wounds, she slipped from her pj top, to reveal a plain white vest underneath, and carefully laid it over Tara. In all the commotion and screaming, no one had really noticed anything but the blood. “Thanks!” Tara whispered as Willow covered her exposed chest and kissed her softly.
An hour passes without a word, each Scooby lost in his or her own thoughts. “Giles?” Tara asked suddenly. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for most of the hour but suddenly and strangely, she now felt wide awake. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, she remembered a quote from ‘G.I Jane’. “The best thing about pain is it reminds you that you’re not dead yet!” ‘That’s true’ she thought, although when Willow had stuttered over #45 and she had to suffer it 5 times, death seemed like a happier option. “Giles?” Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard the Watcher reply and wondered if he had managed to get some sleep.
“Yes Tara. How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice was husky and it was clear that his throat was dry.
“Oh, it’s not so bad now.” she lied.
Giles smiled weakly, he knew that she wasn’t telling them the truth, but whatever had transpired on deck was obvious vicious and bloody and somehow, Willow had been involved. From the look Tara had taken at Willow, Giles couldn’t help but think Willow was in some way, involved in Tara's injuries.
“What’s ‘keelhauling’?” she asked him.
The watchers eyes went wide and Tara thought that had he been a cartoon character, they would have popped clean out of his head. Willows gaze fixed first on Tara, then on Giles as she waited for his answer.
“Well, it’s a particularly brutal punishment, popular with the most savage of pirates.” he began. “A rope runs under the boat, it’s used to scrape barnacles from the hull.” The others looked at him, four sets of terrified eyes peered from under wrinkled brows.
“Keelhauling is when a person is tied to this rope, and pulled by means of another rope along it.” he said.
“So you mean, under the boat??” Willow choked. “And over the barnacles?” All gazes returned to Giles who nodded slowly.
“The victim of this punishment rarely survives, if they don’t drown then the barnacles usually rip them to shreds.” he added. “In some instances, sharks have been know to appear and….”
“Ok, thanks Giles.” Tara cut him off mid-sentence. Her face had paled further and she looked as though she would vomit and pass out.
Resting her head on Willows shoulder, she allowed the smallest sob to escape her lips.
“Will?” Buffy asked. She had remained silent since Willow had reacted so aggressively towards her but now found her voice once again. “Why did you ask about this key-hauling?” she questioned.
Fixing her eyes on each member of the group, Willow finally settled her gaze on the Slayer. “The captain said, if we don’t behave, then Tara will have to suffer keelhauling.” she told her. Her voice wobbled in fear and misery but her eyes remained clear and menacing.
“You get that? Tara will die if you pull another stunt like that!” Willow finished averting her gaze back to her lover and trying to comfort her and ease her sobs.
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