Obsessed With the Thought of You

The rest of the meal went by happily. We talked, joked and reminisced on old times. That night, after my nap in the day, it took me a while to get to sleep so I read my book to help tire my eyes.

I wake up to loud noises and bring a hand to my face as I rub my eyes. As I wake up more, the loud noises register in my ears with smaller intervals and they sound more familiar. I hear water splashing and shouting.

I get out of bed and grab my dressing gown to put over my thin night dress. I jump as I hear a very loud noise and it all becomes clear as I become completely awake and alert. I recognise the sound immediately as cannon and gunfire. I gasp and rush to my door opening it to hear frantic yelling of the crewmen.

"Man the cannons!"
"All hands on deck!"

"Run a shot across the bow!"
"Shiver me timbers!"

"Caroline! Caroline!" I hear Dylan shout and I know he is worried otherwise he wouldn't use my full name.

"I'm here captain," I call back knowing he will be listening out for his title rather than his first name right now. "In my cabin still."

Moments later he is by my side and grasping me by my shoulders and staring me dead in the eyes. "Now listen Bones, I want you to stay here. Bolt your door and sit tight."

"Who is it Dylan?" I ask who is attacking us.
"Bones, it's the Undead Mercy," he tells me and my eyes widen, knowing that if Bloodbath is starting a fight then he sure as hell is going to want to finish it.

"Are we ready? Can we do this? Can I help?" I blurt.

"Bones don’t worry about a thing," he smiles down at me and I can hear Jordan yelling out orders and instructions amongst the chaos. "I meant what I said about this ship being the most reliable man-made thing in this world."

I nod and look up at him. "Be careful," I worry and he smiles and strokes some hair down my cheek.

"I gotta right?" He smiles. "Otherwise how else am I gonna take care of your needy ass?" I smile back and we look at the crewman stood behind Dylan who just called him.

"Sir the helmsman has been shot," he says. "But we have someone else up there now. All the cannons are being filled and fired. Everything is in order."

"Good," Dylan nods. "We better find out the swords and guns."
"You don't think they're gonna come on board do you Dylan?" I ask frightened as I grab his arm knowing that that is his preparation for hand-to-hand combat.

He looks at me and smiles reassuringly. "It's a precautionary procedure Bones, you know that. But don't worry, it'll be fine. Just don't you dare leave this fucking room."

"I promise," I reply and he kisses my forehead before leaving.
"Dead bolt this door!" He calls through it and I do as I'm told.

My room is on the highest floor just below deck so that I only need to go through the hatch to be on top deck. Dylan said he put me there because it would be too obvious to room me right by the caption's cabin.

He said that if in a fight someone came looking for me to take me hostage he couldn't place me there as they would find me straight away. He didn’t put me on the bottom floor because he also said that if the Gallow's Tears ever got a hole and filled with water or sank, it would be harder for me to escape if I were on the bottom floor.

So he said putting me in a random room, near the deck would be the best when considering all scenarios. Jordan is stationed close by. Dylan of course has the best quarter and is under the quarter deck so he can reach the helm as quickly as possible in emergencies.

I pace my room as I listen to the anarchy surrounding me. I wonder why on earth Bloodbath would pick a fight out of nowhere. If anything, his men were ruder to us when we spoke in the market place, so why did he feel the need to do this?

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Meanwhile on deck

"Captain, the new helmsman's been shot as well," Jordan calls over to Dylan as they both make sure all the men are keeping the canons loaded after firing them.

"Fuck," Dylan mutters. "We can't keep putting men up if Bloodbath will just keep shooting them down."

"We need someone up there because we can't set the anchor down either captain," Jordan advises. "We need to keep retreating. We weren't ready. The men haven’t made up enough ammo to supply this fight."

"I know Cutthroat, I know," Dylan sighs. "We're just gonna have to manage. Come on lads! Move faster, faster," he shouts to the crew.

"Aye, cap'n," some of them shout back while they continue to load the canons with whatever they can.

"Is Bones ok?" Jordan asks as he helps Dylan loads the guns.
"She was calm but I know she's scared," he replies. "You shoulda seen the look on her face when I told her it's Bloodbath who's doin' this."

"She locked her door right?" Jordan then asks.

"Yeah. I stayed back to hear her do it and I bolted it from the outside before I came up on deck," Dylan replies and they both fall forward as the ship takes a hefty blow.

"Sir, they're getting closer," Jordan says anxiously to Dylan.
"They're gonna come on board," Dylan predicts. "We better get our best combat men ready."

"I'm all over it like rum on cereal," Jordan nods and runs off to round up their best hand-to-hand fighters.

"Bones ain't gonna like this," Dylan mumbles to himself as he arms up with a gun and sword.

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"This was so out of order Jorel," Ada growls at her captain as she dresses a crewman's wounds.

"Just do your damn job and leave me to do mine," he replies as he watches more men fall into the doctor's area where Ada works.

"I'm tryin' to but it's fuckin' hard when men are coming in left, right and fuckin' centre!" She yells and he glares at her before storming up onto top deck.

"If anything happens to that nice girl Jorel, I swear to fucking god, I will do something to you so horrible you'll be begging for me to fix you up in my sickbay but I will just sit back and fucking laugh," Ada calls up to him but he doesn’t respond.

"Idiotic scoundrel, bastard," she mumbles and lifts the gauze she was holding over the man's leg to see if it had stopped bleeding. "He shouldn't go about picking fights. Especially when it's with people like them. We're just gonna end up sinkin' each other."

"Madam, with all do respect, the more worked up you get the rougher you are," the man led on her operating table cringes and she looks down to see she is pressing the gauze a lot harder than necessary.

"Oh shit," she gasps. "I'm really sorry."

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"How are we men?" Jorel asks his crew as he looks around to see them all still fighting.

"Captain the Gallow's Tears looks like it'll be goin' down any time now," Matt says walking by Jorel. "We've weakened one side so the lads are focusing on that spot."

"Excellent," Jorel smiles as he pulls his sword out of the holster and lets it gleam in the sunlight. "Scuttle that blasted ship!" He calls to his men who cheer. "I want it at the bottom of the sea by the time we're done."

"Sir," George calls as he runs up to his side. "There's a giant hole in the bow of their ship. What say you we do now?"

"I say get ready boys," Jorel grins and shoves his sword back with a loud swish sound. "It's time we go have a chat with a captain who I imagine is very disgruntled right about now."

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I fall to the floor as the ship jerks from a blow. I stand up swiftly and look out my window. The water splashes violently around the ship and I notice it looks as though it has risen. I gasp as I realise there must be a hole somewhere and water is flooding in.

I shake my head no and bring my hands to my cheeks as I fear this is the end of the Gallow's Tears. I snap my gaze to my door as I hear swords clattering together and screams of pain.

"Where is she?" I hear a familiar voice yell.
"We'll never tell," someone replies and then I hear a howl before the sound of someone falling to the floor.

"Where is she?" I hear that same voice repeat.
"Skullcrack we haven't looked in here," another familiar voice says and my eyes widen as I recognise the name to be one of Bloodbath's men.

They're on board I think as a ripple of fear goes through my body. My thoughts immediately turn to Dylan and Jordan and I pray that they're ok.

"You're right and it looks locked from the outside," Matt replies. "Come on Johnny, we'll use this to bash that door in."

"You'll do no such thing," I hear someone shout and I assume it's my crew trying to keep them away from me. "En garde!"

"I wouldn't go startin' a fight you can't finish bucko," George says.
"It'll get finished, don't you worry," another voice joins in.

I hear the sounds of sword fighting and I look around my room to see if there is any possible place I could hide. My small closet would be too obvious and so would under my bed. Apart from that, there is nowhere else.

I look at my window and make my way towards it. I look around it to see if I can find any rope. I hear loud groans and more falling to the floor. I figure out that my men were killed when I hear Matt and George then congratulate each other and start hitting my door.

I grab the nearest bit of rigging I can reach and start to climb out of the window. I hear the wooden door start to splinter and know that I have merely seconds to get away. I have one leg out of the window and both hands full of rope when the door caves in.

I gasp and look to my doorway to see the two men stood there smirking at me. "Alright sweetheart?" George says.

I then rush to try and get out of the window but they leap towards me and grab me. I kick and scream as they drag me out of my room. "Calm down babygirl," Matt smiles down at me. "You don't wanna be all hot and flustered when you reach the captain."

"Unhand me!" I demand as I continue to struggle.
"Baby I’d do more than just handle you if I could. But someone else got dibs on you sweetie," Matt says getting my face and I frown in confusion.

I manage to free a hand and slap him across the face catching him by surprise. "You fucking wench!" He yells and brings his hand up, ready to backhand me.

"Don't you dare or Bloodbath will have a noose around your neck quicker than you can say Davy Jones' Locker," George shouts to him as they keep pulling me with them.

"Let me go! You'll regret this," I threaten.
"Oh yeah?" Matt chuckles as they drag me up the stairs to the top deck.

"You think your captain will make us sorry?" George laughs. "Look how sorry he is right now," he says and nods his head gesturing forward.

I follow his gaze to see Jordan is being held with his hands behind his back and a sword to his throat. I see many bodies of our crew scattered around and some men being held hostage much like Jordan. I then look around more and see Dylan on the floor.

I clasp a hand over my mouth as I see his shirt is bloody and a pained expression on his face. I assume he was shot or stabbed somewhere. I see a sword tip pressed against his chest and let my eyes travel up the silver, to the handle then to the hand holding it.

I keep my eyes moving up the arm to see Caption J Bloodbath staring at me. "Well hello poppet," he smirks at me.

"Cat!" Jordan shouts and Dylan turns towards me. George and Matt hold me up and grab my arms and hands so I can't struggle free.

"Bones," Dylan coughs. "You fuckin' leave her out of this Bloodbath," he says looking back up at him.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Jorel smirks down at him.
"She isn't a part of this fight. Leave her be!" He shouts back and coughs more.

"She may not be a part of this fight but she has a real hold over you Disgruntled," he says walking over to me and placing his sword back in the holster. "Yes, very valuable," he says as strokes my cheek and lets his fingertips tangle in a lock of my hair.

I glare at him but he smiles back before looking at George and Matt then back at me. "Are they making you uncomfortable?" He asks me and I grit my teeth. "Make sure there's a sword pressed against the captain's throat too and then you can take your hands off her."

I see one of his crewmembers stand in front of Dylan and do as ordered, keeping him to the ground. Matt and George look to make sure it seems as though Dylan won't move before letting me go.

I immediately grab at my dressing gown and tug it closer around me to recover some modesty. "Why are you doing this?" I ask with pleading eyes as I hear Dylan cough more and I know he needs medical attention.

Jorel smiles at me again. "You really are very inquisitive, aren't you?" He says before taking my hand and tugging me to stand so that Dylan can see us.

"Get your fucking scurvy-dog hands off her right now," Dylan barks as he clutches his midsection.

"Steady with the tone now Disgruntled, I am holding one of the most important things in your life right now so I wouldn’t test my patience with name-calling," Jorel bites back.

"What do you want Bloodbath? Name your terms," Dylan says with thunder in his eyes.

"Oh are we done playing sword fights? I was quite enjoying myself," Jorel pouts at him. "But if you want to get straight down to business then so be it," he says and pauses to watch Dylan's face.

"I will spear your life and let you make good on your promise to her brother," he begins and everyone watching listens intently. "If you join us on the Undead Mercy. You're the toughest pirate besides me, we could rule the sea."

I gasp and Dylan spits before looking up at him and unsteadily tries to get to his feet. I watch him hobble over to us, staring Jorel straight in the eyes. "Fuck you," Dylan says simply, still holding his side.

"Don't answer so hastily Disgruntled," Jorel warns. "It's that or I take her right now and my friend over there, Redbeard," he says and points to the man holding a sword to Jordan's neck. "Has you his head and then that'll make two first-mates you've lost through stupidity."

Dylan glances at me and then Jordan before he calls out. "Don't do it captain. We can never sail together with these scallywags," Jordan says.

"Shut the fuck up," Matt snaps at him as the man holding him grips harder and I see a small drip of blood appear on Jordan's neck as the blade is rubbed harder against his skin.

"Sir you can't do it," Jordan tries again.
"Shut up Cutthroat," Dylan says and sighs.

"Ironic isn’t it?" Jorel smirks as he walks up to Jordan. "Look at you right now and consider your pirate name," he says and chuckles. "It's sad really."

"Fuck yo-" Jordan is cut off as the man holding him yanks him back. He coughs as the man moves his arm so he is holding him that way rather than the blade being against him so that he can pull harder without fatally slicing him.

"Think about what you're saying Cutthroat," Jorel continues. "She will live on my ship," he promises. "It's just whether you will live there with her or not that's up for discussion."

"We will find you and get her back if you kidnap her," Dylan says in a weak voice.
"Not if I kill you right here and now you won't," Jorel says with an acid tongue as he turns back to Dylan.

"So, it's either you take her and kill us now or you take her and we join your crew?" Dylan asks and Jorel nods.

"You really are in no place to bargain Disgruntled. You are beaten," Jorel says and gestures towards our fallen men all strewn across the ship. "Your life and what's left of your crew, that's the offer, take it or leave it."

Dylan looks at Jordan and then stares into my eyes. I shake my head at him but he sighs once more. "Fine," he says with closed eyes as he bows his head. "We'll do it," he mutters and a stunned silence fills the air while Jorel smirks at Dylan.