Chapter 7

Her eyes stared at the dove gray sky over head, her mind trying to figure out how she'd come to this position. Katherine remembered staring into Bega's eyes as his fingers cruelly squeezed the life from her body. He'd said he had no intention to kill her, but maybe he went too far, she thought as she raised a hand up to her bruised and sore throat. Perhaps this was her afterlife; a cold, desolate eternity which she would have to spend alone.

She never imagined that her afterlife would consist of a boat and the open ocean, but it really shouldn't have surprised her either. She moved slowly across the rough wooden deck, staring out over the dark waves with a keen eye. There was nothing out there except for a bitter, cold wind and choppy water. Her Uncle Jack had once said that heaven was anywhere she made it, and as she remember the saying she couldn't help but think that this was all wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

Heaven to her wasn't this cold and lifeless place. It was a warm ocean breeze on the crystal blue waters, surrounded by her family and all those that had passed before her. In a red dress, she thought with a sad smile, glancing down at what she wore with surprise. Well, she could at least say that one part of her vision had come true, she thought as she ran her hands over the fine brocade of her gown.

Leaning against the railing of the ship with a sigh, she looked over the side into the water before her, seeing her reflection shown back to her in a mixture of muted colors, grey mingling with the paleness of her skin while her hair shown a bright red, almost like a halo. "Hell." She muttered as she pushed away, walking around the deck as if she were in a daze.

This couldn't be the end, it just couldn't, she kept telling herself as tears of anger come to her eyes. Her entire life, fighting for just a simple place in the world only to have it ripped away by a mad man and to be thrust into the dark and unforgiving afterlife. The anger came swift, causing her to pick up a piece of loose wood from the deck and throw it at the windows that were on the captain's cabin of this strange ship.

She listened with a strange satisfaction as the glass shattered, sprinkling along the wood with a high pitched crash. Then, on the calm of the air, Katherine heard a voice. A familiar voice with a familiar song, one that made her feel like she was a young girl once more. She hurried forward, her shaking fingers fumbling with the door handle as she yanked the cabin door open.

The inside was dark, smoky from the tapers that were burning on the walls to illuminate the interior. A figure sat hunched over a desk placed in the center of the room, their head bowed in concentration as they scribbled notes hurriedly on a piece of parchment. A soft song came from their lips, lifting her heart and soul to a level of unimaginable joy. A few steps forward were all that Katherine dare take, so afraid that this would all disappear in the blink of an eye.

"Papa?" She managed to say softly, startled as the figure's quill stopped and his head slowly rose to look at the source of his interruption. The song that he'd been singing died on his lips as he set aside the pen and stood, staring at Katherine with a critical eye. "I ... it's me. Kit." She murmured, suddenly nervous as he stepped around the desk and came to stand just in front of her, still not saying anything.

His eyes took her in, a crooked smile crossing his lips at the way she looked at him with such hope and a nervousness that had her shifting from foot to foot. "Do you honestly believe that I could forget my own daughter, Katherine?" He asked as he engulfed her in a fierce hug, pulling her against the solid wall of his chest and never wanting to let go again.

She couldn't believe what was happening as his strong, warm arms wrapped around her, holding her tight as his cheek rested against the top of her head. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she gripped his tunic tight in her hands, sobbing into the fabric as she heard him murmuring about his little girl finally being home.

"I've waited so long for this, little one." He whispered, pulling her away slightly and tipping her head back so she looked him in the eye. With a warm smile, he used his thumbs to brush away the hot tears on her cheeks. "I've worried about you, Kit."

She reached her hands up, holding onto his wrists as he held her face. "Papa, how can you be here?" She whispered softly, so scared of the answer that he could give her. "I saw you die." Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she thought of what it meant, sobbing softly as she struggled to find her voice. "Am I dead?"

Her father looked at her, the smile slowly falling from his face as he looked her in the eye. "No." He murmured softly, knowing that there were many more trials ahead of her.

A look of disbelief crossed her face, her heart dropping into the very pit of her stomach. She wanted it all to be over, to be here with her father and never have to face that cruel world again. "Papa, I can't face it all again. Please, keep me here."

"Katherine Gabriella Moore, you speak of things as if I've taught to just give up." Jim scolded his daughter, watching as she cast her eyes towards the floor, embarrassed that she'd had such thoughts. "Kit, we are made of strong stock, built to withstand even the most violent of storms. God has a plan for you and although it seems that there is no rhyme or reason to everything that's happened, trust me when I say that there is."

"How can you know, Papa?" She asked softly, slowly lifting her gaze to his, watching as the tears slowly gathered in his eyes. She'd only seen him cry once in her entire life and that had been the night that her mother passed away.

"How can I not, Kit? You're as fiery as your mother." He said, brushing his hand over her red curls, watching as his hand passed over it, the feeling like the finest silk. "And as stubborn as me. You'll be alright, Katherine. Besides, you still have to keep your promise to Danny and I."

Katherine looked at him strangely as he said that, thinking him absolutely mad. How could he ask that when he had to know her current situation? "Papa, I can't..." She started, silenced when he pressed his finger to her lips, shaking his head silently.

"There is no can't, Kit. Never. Moore's don't give up." He scolded her gently, giving her a reassuring smile as he saw the tears gather in her eyes. "Give him hell, Katherine." He whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss to his only daughter's forehead.

She closed her eyes, expecting to feel the soft pressure of his lips, frowning when there was nothing. "Papa." She whimpered, opening her eyes to an empty cabin. It ripped her heart out all over again to not have him there, like watching him die that dreadful night, she felt as if her world had been ended once more.

"Come back." A voice from the blue whispered in her mind. She shook her head, wanting to die and be through with her horrible life. "Come back." It whispered again, drawing her from the safety of her mind. Philip, she suddenly thought, his green eyes appearing before her as she reached out to touch his face. "Come back." It was there again, that voice calling incessantly to bring her back to the world of the living.

Why not? She thought as she let her eyes close once more, falling through that dark void to appease the voice that was calling her back. When she finally opened her eyes again, it was to harsh sunlight streaming through the cabin's window, the evening sun turning everything orange and red as she squeezed them shut once more with a groan of pain. Her head thudded harshly and she reached a shaky hand up to rub the ache away. She was surprised when her hand touched the cool, wet cloth that had been placed over her brow.

Her eyes flew open once more when she heard the cabin door open and close, the soft sounds of footsteps drawing closer as she turned her head to see who it was, a groan of pain escaping her bruised throat at the simple movement, her mind shattering in numbing pain. Someone was there in an instant, moving the cloth from her brow and mopping gently at her fevered face as they muttered soothing words, trying to draw her eyes open once more.

She was surprised to be looking into a pair of caring eyes, her swollen throat barely able to form the words that she so desperately wanted to say. She gratefully took a drink from the cup of fresh water that was held against her lips, closing her aching eyes against the harsh light as another cool cloth was placed across her brow.

"You needn't say anything." Shelley whispered softly to her, wiping away the tears that leaked from her eyes as her face twisted in sadness. "I thought that you'd been taken by the angels, Kit." He continued to talk in hushed tones, obviously afraid of what would happen if it were discovered that she were awake.

When a strangled sob escaped her throat, he quickly covered her mouth with his hand, looking to the door of the cabin with a fearful look and then down at the woman that was beneath him. "He can't know you're awake. Not yet." Shelley murmured, his heart pounding wildly as he thought of the mutiny that he was committing at the moment. The two listened to the silence for the longest time, both praying that the door wouldn't open. Shelley sighed hugely in relief, glancing at the figure beneath him as she stared at him with wide blue eyes, trembling as he slowly moved his hand from her mouth.

"Philip," Was the first thing that she managed to croak out, searching Shelley's face for the truth of what had happened to her lover. "Is he... ?"

"He's alive. That's all you need to know for now, Kit." He murmured as he reached to the side table and picked up a brown vile from its resting place, pouring it into the tankard he'd been using to feed her liquids. "I can only buy you so much time, Katherine, and then he'll begin to take it out on me. I can give you time to heal, but you have to face him sooner or later."

Katherine nodded her head slightly, trying to suppress the groan of pain that bubbled from her chest as the movement caused her head to pound harder. She knew well of what Bega would do to those that tried to help her and she'd put Shelley in enough danger was it was. "Thank you." She said quietly as the cup was lifted to her lips and she took a deep draw from it.

Her nose wrinkled at the taste and she was soon in a world of numbness, her head felt heavy and her limbs quickly followed. Her eyes grew heavy as she turned them to Shelley, a bit of fear filling her chest as thoughts of betrayal flew through her mind.

"I promised you time, Kit. Trust me." He said as he stroked a hand over her brow, pushing stray curls aside before he replaced the cool cloth. "Just something to help you heal and sleep." Shelley spoke in soft tones, lulling the frightened and abused girl into a deep slumber. He knew the masquerade that he was trying to pull off couldn't last for long before Bega would be demanding his answers, but he was damn sure going to try and give Katherine Moore the time she needed to heal not only her body but her mind as well.

The next few days passed in a fog to Katherine, the vile drink that Shelley created for her seemed to do its job. She drifted in and out of a feverish sleep, her body slowly healing and feeling more and more under her control even if the current situation that she found herself in was anything but normal.

Most of the time it was Shelley's concerned face that she woke to, softly stroking her brow with that same cool cloth, but other times when she'd fade in and out, it was Bega's face she saw. When Shelley was there, his lips would move as if he were trying to tell her things, reassure her that things would be alright, but she truthfully never heard the words. When it was Bega that she saw, the dark look that he glared down at her with needed no words.

On the forth day that she'd been aboard the Ocean Blue, Katherine sat in a high backed chair at a table that was filled with all sorts of delicious and exotic fruits and foods, but she dare not touch a single one. She didn't trust Bega in the least and for all she knew all that was before could contain horrible and deadly secrets.

Twisting the soft cotton shift she'd been given to wear between her fingers, she glanced nervously towards the door, wondering just what her fate would be. Surely there was a chance for her to live beyond all of this, but when she thought of all that she'd already been through, she knew that she'd be killed the instant this mysterious treasure was found. Her thoughts turned towards Philip, wondering just what had happened to him.

Tears formed in her eyes as she thought about the man that she'd come to love, wondering how all of this would turn out and praying that nothing would happen to him. Raising her hand, she brushed her fingers over the silver necklace that was still around her neck. Shelley had said he still lived but hadn't given her much more information than that. After all she had put him through, she would make certain that they both made it out of this.

The door to the cabin clicked and slowly began to open and when she raised her gaze to the figure that stood there, she felt a shiver pass down her spine. The hopes that she'd had a short moment before seemed to fly out the open windows and scattered on the soft sea breeze that blew. Bega stepped into the cabin, a dark vision from the depths of her nightmares, his dark his immaculate as always and his dark clothing only adding to the allusion that he were a demon. What she wouldn't do in that moment to learn that this was just a dream, something that her battered mind was conjuring.

"I see that you're awake, finally." His voice was like poison in her mind, her eyes closing tightly against the invasion as she took a deep breath to steady herself. When she opened them again, she glanced at him for a short moment before averting her gaze elsewhere in the cabin.

"No thanks to you." She said, her voice still raspy and rough from his hands.

"When I last saw you, it seemed that you were more docile. What's happened since then?" Bega asked as he pulled off his overcoat and laid it carefully across his chair before he sat across from her. "I like this spark I see. I'll be so much more entertaining to watch you break."

"You assume I will." She tried to sound confident, but her voice shook with irrational fear. "Perhaps I've changed."

"I know you will, Katherine, but the real question is how long will it take me to do it?" He laughed as he said that, snagging an orange from the table and peeling off its skin as he savored the look her face took on. He could see her gulp, her throat moving in the most charming way as she snuck a look at him and then looked towards the table. "Or perhaps I should ask what will it take to do it?" He grinned at her as he took a bit of the juicy orange, savoring the texture and taste.

With eyes lowered to the table, Katherine paused when she saw the knife situated next to her plate. Why hadn't she noticed that before, she asked herself, barely listening as Bega continued to talk. With her hands resting on the soft linen tablecloth, she slowly began to creep her fingers towards the gleaming blade. Before her fingertips could touch the cool metal, his hand clamped down over hers, her eyes wide as she forced herself to look at him.

"If you touch the blade, intend to use it." He whispered across the table to her, his fingers clutching hers in a cruel grip, bones groaning as he squeezed. Katherine stared passively at him, not giving him the satisfaction at seeing her pain, denying him what he wanted.

"You believe that I will?" Their eyes locked from across the table, Bega's grip beginning to lessen as his fingertips brushed on the across the top of Katherine's hand and down her fingers, a lover's caress almost or perhaps it was an understanding of sorts. Katherine just couldn't decide what that touch meant. "Are you so certain that I'm as ruthless as you?"

"I know you are, Katherine. It's deep inside you, but it's there. A darkness that's been festering for so many years. It started with your father and his 'good intentions'."

"That's not true." She said, her hand jerking away from his as an angry look passed over her face. "It's a lie."

"Nay, lass. It is the truth. Always favoring your brother, molding him into the man that would be captain of this ship in time, and always leaving poor Katherine to other devices. That hatred growing in you and I know it's still there."

"I loved my brother." Katherine said, her jaw set in a tight line as she ground her teeth, her fingers tangling in the tablecloth as she tried to control her anger. "There was no hatred between us."

"It has nothing to do with love, Katherine. It has to do with what your father did. You can't deny it." Bega smiled wider, knowing that he was wearing her down, taking her to that breaking point where she'd be more docile and receptive to his questions.

"My father was a good man..."

"Was he?" Bega interrupted her, laughing as she stood suddenly, grabbing the knife from its place as if she were going to throw it, the blade resting between her fingers as she cocked her arm back. "It's why he had to die. He lied to his crew. Is it so hard to believe that he lied to his daughter? Told her she could be whatever she wanted to be when he really intended you to marry some rich bastard and keep you away from the sea. I can show you the proof if you wish."

Closing her eyes to block out the man's harsh words, she could see before her all the hope and dreams that this ship had brought to her. A young girl's fancy, thinking that some day she might too be able to command the ship as her father did. It had been crushed so suddenly and here she was, holding a knife in her hand and ready to kill with a simple flick of the wrist.

"And how would your dear father feel to learn that he raised a heathen?" Bega asked, smirking at the girl as the knife in her hand wavered, her face becoming a tight mask of emotion as she struggled with herself. "All those years trying to raise you right after your mother passed into God's open arms and here you are threatening me with a knife. Where's the civil young woman that I use to know?"

Katherine glared at him, tears swimming in her eyes as she screamed at herself to just throw the knife, lodge it in his chest and be done with this whole horrible state of affairs. But she couldn't; something in her wouldn't let her do what she so wished. It seemed that killing Bega wouldn't make her feel any better and the death that he deserved was so much worse then anything she could provide him. With a growl of frustration, she threw the knife down, the blade sinking into the table as she glared at the bane of her existence. With a sick, hot feeling in the pit of her stomach she slowly sank into her chair again, unable to bite back the scathing words that she'd wanted to say all along.

"I believe it ironic that you wish to talk to me about morality." Katherine managed to say after a few long moments of silence. "The same man that killed my family with no provocation."

Bega laughed at that, his head tipping back with the force of the laughter. "Dear, dear Katherine. Are you going to hold a grudge against me for all eternity?" He asked, draping his arm across the back of his seat and settling back comfortably.

"No." Katherine said softly, raising her heated gaze to Bega's, the blue depths swimming as the ocean did when a summer tempest hit. "I shall hold my grudge until you're dead and then, and only then, will I forget you and never let you cross my mind again." She saw the slight narrowing of his eyes and knew that she was crossing into dangerous territory. "What's worse, Toby? To be remembered or forgotten?"

Bega grinned maliciously at the woman in front of him, picking up his ale from the table and taking a long draw. "Certainly to be forgotten, Katherine. But I do not believe that you'll ever forget me." He laughed loudly at his own words, a chill coursing through Katherine's body as she listened to this mad man's joy.

"How could I forget the face of a man I've come to hate so much?" She asked, her voice soft but full of spite and venom as she lowered her eyes to the table. "What do you want from me, Toby? After all of our time together, you have to know that I have absolutely no idea of what to say to you."

Bega smirked, the corner of his mouth upturning in the most charming smile that he could muster. "It's simple, Miss Moore. I want the truth."

Blue eyes suddenly snapped to meet his, a slight smile gracing her lips as she heard his words. "Alright, Toby," she murmured, a sly look crossing her eyes for a brief moment before it was gone. "I'll play your game." Sinking back against her seat, arms crossed defiantly across her chest, Katherine stared at the man that she loathed, her mind clear and focused on the task at hand. She was going to beat the infamous pirate at his own game and she knew the art of talk was a beautiful thing.

Philip's head pounded and his thoughts now were nothing more then a jumbled mess. His crew was dead, his best friend was dead, his ship had been sunk, and now he was nothing more then a prisoner. It was a fine situation that a proud sea captain should find himself in. Looking across the brig, he saw Anne frantically rattling the iron bars of the cage she'd been put in. He knew that it wouldn't matter how much noise they made down here; they were completely at the will of the most disgusting and sadistic man that had ever roamed the seven seas.

"Captain Montard, we have to get out of here." Anne finally spoke, her eyes wild and frightened as her voice shook with barely controlled panic. "Surely he can't just leave us down here forever."

"No, Miss Mickelson. You completely underestimate the man." Philip said as he lounged against the wooden wall of the brig, his appearance calm and cool even though he felt out of control. "He can leave us here for as long as he likes. In fact, he could leave our bodies for the rats without food or water for days if he so wishes. I suggest you make yourself comfortable. We are in for a long wait."

The highbred woman in the opposite cell let out a frightened sob, tears coursing down her cheeks as she gave the iron a swift kick with her foot, whining under her breath as she sank to the ground in a heap of cloth. "Surely Kate is doing something to help us. She has to be alive, right?"

Philip let out a long sigh, shaking his head at the thought. It pained him a great deal to not know what had happened to Katherine. Watching her as she struggled for breath and then turning as pale as death before those blue eyes closed as the air was cut from her lungs. He had hoped in that moment that she were dead, able to leave the world that had haunted her so much but his dreams were short lived when Bega announced to the crew that she was most certainly alive.

How could he have been so stupid to think that he could have saved her? Quite simply, this entire situation was all his fault, from the moment that he first lay eyes on her and thought back to the legends of his youth. It was all a curse now, he scolded himself as he hung his head low and sighed. The money no longer interested the youthful captain and now he'd simply settle for a happily ever after with his mysterious beauty, but even that seemed too far out of his grasp.

The talks between the two in the captain's quarters seemed to have reached a stalemate, both simply staring at each other from across the table, Bega ready to unleash his fury as Katherine sat secure in the knowledge that there was nothing more he could do to her that could top the horrible deeds of her youth.

"You toy with me, Miss Moore, and I will have your head on a platter." Bega growled at the woman in front of her, his temper boiling even more when her eyes lit up and she smiled smugly at him.

"You kill me, Toby, and you lose your treasure. As much as you hate it, you need me." She leaned back in her chair, very much the master of the situation as the man across the table from her trembled in fury. "So, threaten all you wish. I know that until I deliver what you want, you'll never do away with me."

Bega's eyes narrowed for a moment before a cold grin crossed his own face. She thought she was so smart, that she had him backed into a corner, but he'd been here many times before with men more menacing then a teenage girl. "You're right. I can't do anything to you." He glanced over at Shelley, motioning him close and whispering an order into his ear. "But that doesn't mean that I'm at the end of my rope." He said, his voice full of something that Katherine couldn't place. She knew where this was going, and when Shelley came back a short while later dragging Anne behind him, reality settled like a cold limp in her stomach.

"You wouldn't dare. You know that she's worth more then a king's ransom." Katherine quickly said as Anne looked around the room with wild eyes, frightened at what could possibly be happening.

"And what do you believe I'll do, Miss Moore?" Bega asked, a leering grin on his face as he stood and cordially bowed to the frightened lady, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.

Anne stared at the man before her with a horrified look on her face. Never in her life had she been treated as she was now and the very lessons that she'd been taught by her nannies and governesses filled her with a sense of self righteous outrage. She jerked her hand away from the pirate as if she'd been burned, backing away from him until she hit the boy that had drug her from below decks.

"Now, now, my lady Mickelson, no need to be so prim and proper." Bega said as he strode forward the swept the refined lady into the chair that he'd just vacated. "I just thought that you might like to spend time above the decks. Enjoying a nice meal with myself and Miss Moore."

"Anne, say nothing." Katherine quickly said, up and out of her seat so quickly that it threatened to tip back and crash to the floor.

Anne's face was screwed up with confusion, fine lines appearing on her brow as she looked from the pirate to Katherine, gasping at the appearance that the other woman had. "Mister ... Bega?" She fathomed a guess that this was the man that Captain Montard had been talking about in the brig. "With all do respect, sir, but shouldn't she be in clothing?" She whispered softly, quietly mortified that this man would have her maid running around in nothing but her undergarments.

"Such a refined lady," Bega murmured as he trailed his hand over Anne's neck, brushing over her curls as he glanced at Katherine with a wicked grin. "You see, my dear, young Katherine simply hasn't appreciated all that I've given her. I fear that if I were to give her a gown, it would simply be treated with the same disrespect."

"Anne, for once in your life, shut your mouth." Katherine hissed, her hands gripping the sides of the table until her knuckles were white, her teeth set on edge as she saw the spoiled lady walking straight into Bega's carefully lain trap.

"And what would you do, Miss Mickelson, to give dear Katherine what you think she needs?" He asked, his hands resting against her shoulders as he continued to smirk at Katherine, just waiting for the words that he wanted to hear. He knew deep down inside that this high born lady was actually stupid enough to say it.

Anne looked up the pirate and then at Kate, her face thoughtful for a moment as she reached up and played with a piece of hair, twisting it between her fingers as she chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide what she should really do. Finally, she left the hair from her fingers, her shoulders squaring under Bega's hands as she tipped her head to look at him once more.

"Anything, sir. I would do anything." Her voice was clear, full of courage as if she really thought that was the right decision.

"As I thought." Bega laughed as his fingers began to turn painful on her flesh, a cry of pain escaping from Anne's mouth as she looked to him with a question in her eyes. "Well, you did say anything, milady, and I am a man with certain needs." The meaning was clear and Anne began to panic, her pale skin turning another shade of white as she looked to Katherine for help.

"Toby, don't." Katherine tried to reason, the single thought passing through her brain that she'd never seen him with a woman in all of her years on the ship. She didn't know what kind of game he was playing or if he'd finally lost the last shred of sanity that he had, but she knew that she had to stop this quickly.

"Tell me, Katherine, did you do your job? Is she still pure?" He asked, laughing as Anne let out a scream, trying to scramble out of her seat and unable to break his grip on her shoulders. "No matter. I guess there's one way to find out."

Anne was jerked from her seat, gasping at the suddenness of the situation, her feet barely touching the floor as she was forced across the room. She stared with frightened eyes at the pirate as she was swept backwards towards his bed. "Kate!" She screamed, her eyes looking over his shoulder towards her maid as she felt the softness of a mattress against her legs.