"What do you mean she is not here?" he glared at the young servant trembling before him.

He shoved his way through the door and took the stairs in two's to the top calling her name. Bellamy stood by below in silence as Justin's voice rumbled throughout the house calling for Tempest.

He knew he promised not to search for her but he needed to see his child. He needed to know that they were well. Anguish and worry filled his veins as he went throughout the empty house of the lieutenant and there was not a soul in sight except for the maidservant that answered the door.

He rushed down the stairs to face them all.

"They're gone.." He hissed.

"Where are they?" Bellamy turned to ask the young girl.

She averted her gaze and lowered her head. Justin impatiently stepped forward, towering over her. He held her chin up forcing her to look at him.

"Where. Are. They?"

Her lips trembled as her tears fell. Filled with fright, she sobbed.

"Tortuga, m'lord. They left to Tortuga." Another maidservant stepped forward and pulled her friend out of his grasp gently before hugging her close.

Stepping back, he nodded.

"And the child?" He inquired anxiously.

He knew he would be crossing dangerous ground if he said his child.

They said nothing but exchanged worried glances.

His chest tightened with the eerie silence and a dreadful feeling fell over him.

"My great-grandchild, girl speak up, " the Coronal stomped his walking stick.

"He...." The younger girl began to speak.

"He?" Justin repeated with a smile but they looked at one another with saddened eyes.

"He did not make it." The other girl blurted out.

"What?" His breath left his lungs.

"No. No. That cannot be." He shook his head in dismay.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Ashbourne finally spoke up and stepped closer.

"Yes. Yes, we were there for the birth. He was stillborn, " she held his gaze.

A large black cloud was taking over Justin's brain. It was impossible. It just could not be true.

"And what of my granddaughter? " the colonel asked.

The girls lowered their gazes before answering. The youngest took off crying leaving the other to face them.

"My mistress took the loss of the babe to heart," She dashed away a tear.

Big John and Bellamy exchanged sad glances and said nothing.

"I need to find her, " Justin turned towards the door.

"Cap'n?" Bellamy whispered reaching for him. He was dazed, he staggered back a few steps as if a blow had struck him.

They watched as he stumbled out of the entrance door to the carriage.

Seconds had passed before they joined him and they returned to the ship.

As he made his way back to the Floating Vengeance, in his cabin, Justin with rage, cursed and shouted as he furiously tossed the contents off of his writing desk. He stumbled over to another table then slumped in his chair and pulled a glass and the decanter towards him and started drinking.

*****

They had drifted for weeks on the Atlantic with no direction in sight until they finally made it to an island not far from Tortuga. The ship's crew made their way to a seedy tavern along with an eager Colonel and horrified Ashbourne as Justin let grief envelop him.

It ran through him just as warm and hot as the rum in his veins. The nightmare of losing his child dogged his steps.

Guilt stabbed at him viciously in his heart because he gave her over to Haines. Now, wherever he looked he could see honey brown hair framing the most beautiful face he had ever seen on the faces of every bar maiden that crossed his path.

He felt numb, totally numb.

He wasn't himself. He was unkempt and he had been drinking for the past week which amazed his crew because they had never seen him in such a state. He was always in total control.

"Cap'n please, ye can't go on like this," Bellamy said putting his hand on his friend's arm.

"Perhaps ye need a rest." He added.

"Nothing will take away this sick feeling Bellamy, I should never have given her to Haines, I should..." He hiccuped slouching sideways. " I should have taken her with us."

"Ye can't be blamin' yerself for this, man," Bellamy said struggling with him to keep him from toppling off the bar stool.

"Quinn is right, I did this to her, I am to blame for it all."

"Don't talk foolishness, man. Quinn said those things out of anger. Only an idiot would believe that, and yer no idiot boy, now pull yerself together." Bellamy shook him, almost shouting, he was worried about this strong man before him, he had never thought to see the Black Scourge like this. Especially now when he needed to get back his life and the woman he loves.

"Don't speak to me in that tone, " Justin's voice was low and murderous, each word pronounced carefully. His reddened eyes now fixed on his first mate. His lips had drawn back in a vicious sneer.

Bellamy leaned over the table with his face coming closer to Justin's with equal ire.

"In what tone will you get it through yer thick skull, that ye will never get her back in such a fashion, " He said in a low voice.

"I'm the Black scourge, I don't need you to tell me what to do," Justin teetered to the side.

Bellamy looked over to the far corner and made eye contact with big John. He knew he was dancing sketchily with death for treating Justin like this. But he needed his captain to react.

He struggled with Justin until Big John stood before them.

"Let's get ye back on the ship. Ye need to sleep off the rum."

"No ....." Justin sputtered drunkenly, he was immediately tossed into big John's hold.

He struggled furiously, determined to take on the giant of the man before him; balling up his fist and connecting it with Big John's jaw. He merely flinched before Justin aimed once more only to pass out in the struggle.

On their orders, the Floating Vengeances crew were to meet them on the ship in the morning. They had reveled in whoring and drinking for the past couple of days and it was time for them to leave.

Bellamy, Big John, and with a drunken Justin slung over his shoulder, made their way between dark alleyways towards the docks.

They barely made it towards the plank before they were surrounded by a few men brandishing sharp scabbards.

The three of them were outnumbered.

They stared in dismay and awe as a willowy figure stepped from the shadows and the men parted the way.

"Hello, Bellamy, " the familiar feminine voice greeted him.

Shock froze his throat.

"Mistress Tempest, " Big John gasped with a smile stepping forward but stopped the moment the end of a pistol rose up to his chest.

"Lass, what are you doing?" Bellamy grasped big John's arm to pull him back.

She said nothing. Her gaze rested entirely on Justin, slouched over big John's back.

"Drop him." She said.

"Tempest...?" Bellamy was taken aback by the demand.

"I said. Drop him, " she insisted waving the pistol.

Bellamy sadly met the grim glint in her eyes.

"Big John put the Cap'n down. Do as she says."

The giant of a man frowned in hesitation before doing as he was asked, placing Justin's limp body on the ground.

A second had passed before two men stepped forward and dragged him away.

"Why are you doing this?" Bellamy's voice caught in his throat.

"I have my reasons, " she whispered, backing away slowly.

"We will come for him, lass, " he warned.

"And I will be waiting, " with those last words, she turned away.

"What just happened?" Big John shook his head in dismay; watching her disappear into the night.

"She is angry big John, " Bellamy said patting him on his huge broad back.

"I could see it in her eyes, that wasn't our Tempest." Big John shook his head sadly.

"Ay it wasn't, " Bellamy agreed.

"Will the cap'n be a"right?"

"Yes, John, he'll be alright, " Bellamy said, praying to God that he was right.