Obsessed With the Thought of You

"Dylan, what have you done?" I whisper.

"Made the best decision of his life," Jorel grins down at me as he places a hand on the small of my back.

"We better get off this ship captain before it reaches the bottom of the ocean," Matt speaks up.

"Aye," Jorel says keeping his gaze on me. "That we better had," he agrees. "Lads, secure Disgruntled to a lifeboat and sail him across. We don't want him to hurt himself even more now, do we?"

"You heard the captain boys," a crewman shouts. "Let's get to it!"
"Aye," a small group agree and pull Dylan away from me.

I look up to Jorel and slap him hard across the face so that his head turns to the side. When he reels back to look at me he is smirking. "I like 'em feisty," he grins and I growl at him in frustration.

"As much as I'd like to keep flirting with you m'lady," he says and I inhale deeply. "We really better go," he says and pulls me along with him as he grabs some rigging.

He pulls me so that we're near the edge of the ship and presses my body length against his. I immediately try to pull away but he yanks me back. "You're gonna have to hold on sweetheart," he says close to my face.

I frown realising he is going to swing us across the sea onto his ship. "I'd rather drown with my home," I reply and take a step away as the Gallow's Tears continues to sink.

"That's nice honey. But your captain made a deal and you're coming with us," he tells me and pulls my arm again. He tangles the rope around his forearm and grips hard as he circles his other arm around my waist.

He leans down and looks deep into my eyes and I feel his breath against my lips making them tingle. "The sea is cold this time in the morning princess so you might wanna hold on," he says in a low, quiet voice.

I look over the edge of the ship to see the waves crashing against my sinking ship. I sigh and look over at Dylan and Jordan in the rowboat with Matt and George as they are lowered into the water.

I look back up at Jorel, who is still staring at me, and adorn a disgusted face closing my eyes as I wrap my arms around his middle.

"You can wrap your legs around me too to be doubly safe," he suggests as he lifts his own leg and rests his foot on the side of the ship. I step up with him and scowl at him as he looks at his own ship in front of us.

"I'd sooner eat seaweed, you scoundrel," I hiss before screaming out of surprise when he leaps us across.

I shut my eyes tightly and grip him more as we fly through the air. I bury my face in his neck frightened until I feel something solid beneath my feet again. I feel him put his other arm around me and realise he's dropped the rope.

"We should do this more often," he says. "I like having you in my arms."

I open my eyes and see we crossed safe and sound so I shove him away from me forcefully. "That's the last time you ever touch me," I snarl as I take a few paces back before bumping into someone.

I turn around quickly and come face to face with a black-toothed crewman. I gasp and take steps back only to then bump into Jorel who clutches me by the shoulders. "Oh really?" He replies ironically and I let out a cry of frustration as I walk away from them.

"Sir Captain Disgruntled is on board. What would you like us to do with him?" The man asks.

"Bring him and Cutthroat to the medibay," Jorel says and looks at me. "We'll meet them there."

The man nods and Jorel moves to grab my hand but I snatch it away and glare at him making him sigh. "Follow me," he says and gestures to where we need to go.

I tighten my dressing gown around my waist and walk swiftly in the direction he pointed to with a huff. We go a couple floors down and open a door immediately making the moans and groans of pain sounding louder in my ears.

I gasp and don't know where to turn or look as I see more blood than I ever have in my life. The boys always made sure to shelter me from such traumas. I get shakey and jumpy as we make our way down the isle in the middle of the room.

I feel Jorel wrap an arm around my middle and pull me so my back is against his chest. I feel his breath on my ear as he leans down to speak to me.

"It's ok princess," he whispers to me in a comforting voice. "Just look at the floor in front of you. I'll steer you the right way and I promise I won't keep you in here long."

I nod and keep walking with him directing me with his arm around me. I wonder why he is being nice to me. I would have thought that he would have enjoyed the fact that I was being disturbed by all this.

"…I need more bandages! For the love of the Jolly Roger, will you stop fidgeting! Listen, I only have two hands and a queue of people to see to. Will you half-drowned mongrels be useful for once in your wretched lives-" I hear before the woman abruptly cuts herself off.

I feel Jorel stop me from walking and I look up to see it is the girl from the market place. "You brought her on board?" She asks Jorel.

"You told me not to harm her," he counters.
"You would never listen to me," she narrows her eyes. "You did this with your own motives."

"What does it matter what motives I had, she's here and safe," he says.
"Yes and I'm assuming it means her ship is now on its way to sitting amongst the coral on the seabed," she says.

"He scuttled my home," I tell her in a quiet voice.
"Were all your belongings on there?" She asks me and I nod. "Jorel!"

"Don't you raise your voice to the captain," Jorel spits. "You will accept what I do with a smile and courtesy. I shall do as I wish and if it should please me to have her on my ship then so be it!" He yells and she scowls but stands down.

"What brings you to my bay sir?" She then replies.
"Priority case," Jorel says simply. "Drop everything. We need this one alive and kickin'."

"Who?" Ada asks and Jorel nods towards another door behind her. We turn to it as we see Matt and George dragging Dylan in. She gasps as she recognises him and I bite my lips seeing his pale face.

"Please make him better," I beg frantically as I place my hands on her operating table and look up at her with pleading eyes.

"I-I will do my best m'lady," she replies as they lay him on the table and I move out of the way. "What's wrong with him?" She asks as she cuts open his shirt to reveal the wound that the blood is coming from.

"Your ale-guzzling, sea-rat captain tried to kill him!" I wail as I glare over at Jorel once I have seen the full extent to his wound.

Ada looks up to him and raises her eyebrows in question. "He was slashed on his upper arm and shot in the side," Jorel explains and Ada nods as she cleans up and sets up her equipment.

"Cat!" I hear and turn to see Jordan come in after the boys and I rush to him. I fall into his arms and he strokes the back of my hair. "Are you ok Bones? Are you hurt?"

I shake my head before burying it into his neck as he clutches me tighter. "This little arrangement you got goin'," he says and I assume he's talking to Jorel. "It ain't gonna last bucko."

"One thing you might wanna learn about me pretty sharpish Cutthroat," Jorel replies and I feel him step closer to us so I turn my gaze to him too. "Is that I always get my way eventually. So you might as well just get used to this little arrangement before you start to get uncomfortable."

Jordan's jaw tightens as he stares at Jorel with a mean glare. George and Matt step up and look at him too. "What do you want us to do now cap'n?" George asks.

"Let's go take a load off," Jorel says. "Sort out some details," he says and begins to walk out of the door behind Ada.

George tugs Jordan and Matt pulls me so we are separated and made to walk the same way Jorel did. I stamp on Matt's foot and he howls in pain letting me go and I rush over to Dylan.

"Dil," I say and stroke his face.
"Leave her," I hear Jorel growl and assume he was stopping Matt from grabbing me again. "Give her a minute with him."

I glance at Jorel and wonder again why he is being nice and granting me these small mercies before looking down at Dylan who hisses as Ada dabs disinfectant on his cuts. "Dil, will you be ok?"

"Merely a flesh-wound Bones," he smiles and hisses again. "Dang woman," he says looking to Ada. "Do you gosta be so rough?"

"Man up," she smirks down at him and he smiles lopsidedly at her tartness. I look between the two of them and sense something more. I take a deep breath and make him look at me again.

"What are we gonna do?" I whisper and he gives me a small smile.
"When have I ever let you down Bones?" He replies and an evil, bitter part of me thinks about how he failed to protect my brother from death.

I push that thought away, knowing it is entirely unfair before offering him a smile back. "Think of something, please?" I say and kiss his cheek before walking out of the door Jorel went through.

I square up to Matt as I walk past him and he sneers at me. I then reach Jorel and stop in front of him.