The Cry of Liberty

Chapter Twenty Two: Savior

Her mind was blank, unable to process much going on around her anymore. Maybe Jones would get his way the next time he showed up. Sixth time's the charm, Sasha mused to herself. She had run out of scenarios for how her life could have gone and she hadn't seen not one fish or whale in god knows how long. She just stayed slumped against the mast, completely numb to the world. She had been numb before thanks to the curse but now her mind joined her body in the sensationless bliss.

With her eyes closed, head lolled forward, she didn't see the shadow of the ship above her as the sun rose on yet another day of her punishment. She didn't see the figure pulling itself down the anchor chain and pushing off towards her. She was lost in her own void filled mind, unaware that she was being cut loose and pulled towards the surface.

Jack pulled her up by the waist, breaking the water's surface and gasping for air. Allard had been right, she was definitely on the ocean floor but luckily still shallow enough to just barely be reached. He hauled them both up the Interceptor's ladder and poured her onto the deck. Everyone crowded around to see what had taken them to the coast of Sierra Leone. They had dropped anchor in the night but Jack insisted they wait until daybreak before he discarded his long coat and effects before diving beneath the water.

"My god." Gibbs muttered as he laid her out.

"My coat." Jack ordered. Will tossed it to him, looking away from the naked woman out of embarrassment and respect. Jack covered her and gently cradled her in his arms. He patted at her cheeks, trying to bring her around. "Come on, Sasha." Her eyes opened but her blue eyes were dull and unfocused. Allard knelt beside her as well, whispering and praying in French.

"She was down there for five years? Alive?" Will couldn't believe it. Jack moved her head to look at him and hoped she'd pull through. She began to cough and heave, spilling seawater down Jack's front and onto the deck. Her eyes started to register her surroundings and when she recognized the man holding her, they seemed to brighten a bit.

"Find her a clean set of clothes, trousers and a shirt will do." Jack spoke without taking his eyes from hers. He scooped her up and carried her to the lush cabin the Interceptor offered. "Now who's playing dead?" He cooed once out of earshot of his crew. Sasha offered a weak smile.

"Let me look over her!" Allard burst into the room behind him. Jack laid her on the bed and brushed her hair from her face.

"I brought you a present, though it may not seem that way." He chuckled. "I'll be back, love. Got a ship to lead, y'know." He let Allard by and stood in the doorway watching him fret over her for a minute before leaving to give the new heading.

"Mon Dieu, Capitaine! You cannot keep surprising me like this!" He dried her off as best he could, thanking Anamaria for the clothes she brought by. Sasha leaned over the bed and coughed up more water, though her tears mixed with the sea water. Allard wrapped her in his arms and held her close. "It's alright now, we found you." He wrapped her in the linen blanket and laid with her as she continued to silently cry.

Jack set the ship back on course to find the Pearl and rubbed his face, looking out over the water before them. He hadn't known what to expect when he dove down to get her but to see her tied naked to the mast of her own ship, body limp, he put that in the same category as the memory of hearing her screams as Thomas had his way with her or seeing her pass out from blood loss as her back oozed. She had been through too much to keep getting tortured within an inch of her life.

"Are we on course?" Gibbs spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Aye." He sighed.

"That doctor seems to have fallen asleep with her, I think she'll be fine for now. Go grab a bite of food."

"After all this, I've lost my appetite."

"You are going to need your strength to tell her what the hell we are doing." Gibbs chuckled, remembering how fiery she was when she had learned Jack's ship had been filled with slaves. He noticed Will leaning against the railing at the bow. "I tried to warn the boy about her. Wonder how long he'll last before she tears him apart." They both laughed at the thought.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Allard emerged from the cabin and beckoned Jack over.

"I think she'd like to see you." Jack didn't hesitate, making his way to the door and knocking before entering. Sasha was sitting in the bed, leaning against the wall. She had gotten dressed and seemed better than she had been.

"Have a nice nap?" He shut the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled. Her eyes seemed to be red.

"I can't sleep." She croaked out, holding her throat and laughing at how ridiculous her voice sounded.

"You sound awful." He tried to joke, hoping making light of the whole situation would help her process it.

"Five years without hardly talking will do that."

"And who were you talking to at the bottom of the sea?" She shrugged.

"The fish. Much better company than most people I've met." She laughed, a pitiful sound but he was glad she was in good spirits. Her mood seemed to turn without warning and tears poured down her cheeks. He wasn't sure if she even realized it until she looked away from him and wiped her eyes. "Jack, I lost everything." She whispered.

"Allard told me what happened. I'm sorry for your loss, Elias was a good man. And the Liberty, she was quite the beacon of hope out here on the water." She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Why did you save me?" He stroked her hair as he contemplated how to tell her.

"Allard stumbled across us in Tortuga and when telling us about your demise, mentioned a piece of information I was unaware of beforehand. Sasha, if I had known you had gotten some of the Aztec treasure, I'd have rescued you a lot sooner."

"They didn't even know just how bad it is. Not even Elias knew." She sighed. "Tia Dalma told me how to end it but after hearing what Barbossa did to you, I decided that keeping the pieces would prevent him from lifting the curse from himself." Jack pushed her back so he could look at her.

"You stayed cursed to punish him for mutinying me?" Jack wasn't sure how to feel, impressed at her selfless revenge or guilty to have been the motivation behind her decision to embrace undeath.

"It worked out, if I hadn't, I'd really be dead at the bottom of the ocean."

"You won't have to stay this way for long." He grinned. "I have a plan." Jack laid her head in his lap and brushed his fingers through her hair as he filled her in on how he planned to lift her curse, kill Barbossa, and get the Pearl back.