The steady drip of liquid from the ceiling was beginning to grate on Alice's nerves. Unfortunately she wasn't sure if the drip was water or something far less sanitary from the cells above her, or else she'd attempt to stop it. Glancing around for what seemed like the hundreth time, she attempted to locate a weak spot in the bars that let semi-fresh air flow into the underground pens they called solitary. Just like every time before, the three inch steel gave her absolutely nothing to work with. Baring her teeth in the growing dark, Alice clawed at her hands, the glass under the skin was beginning to become irritated and itch.

---

As the carriage slowed in front of the jail house, Elijah's pulse thundered in his ears. He knew the plan, but he was worried they were all going to get caught. Jack and Sebastian appeared as if nothing was bothering them, that this whole plan was going to go off without a hitch. If only his gut was so sure. He couldn't help but see the look on his mother's face as they all left the house to rescue his sister. Marabelle's concern was nearly tangible. One child was already caught, the other and her husband were going in to break her out.
"Where's Jo?" He peeped after doing a quick scan of the area. It wasn't like her to break away from orders, but she was nowhere to be seen.

The bushes were starting to give Josephine an itch as she watched the side entrance of the jail. She scowled to herself and scratched her neck. "Where are they?" She mumbled to herself. Sebastian hadn't given her any other orders than to scope out the perimeter. She wasn't even sure where they had gone. After an unidentifiable amount of time watching the doors and wondering if she was going to die of boredom, she finally noticed the hurried activity up in one of the windows of what seemed to be a cell. She couldn't tell what exactly was going on so she poked out of the bushes and started to creep forward. Just as she had taken a couple steps, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What's this, eh?" She froze and slowly looked up to see a fat police guard looking down at her with a toothy grin. She swore to herself and started to run, only to get caught again. "Not so fast, Lass. Where are you trying to go in such a rush?" Josephine took a breath and looked up at the man with a batting of her eyelashes, "I'm just trying to get home, Officer." She said, her tone flirtatious. The officer, however, did not give into her bait, "Well, we can talk more about where you came from and why you are here inside." He took her by the arm and dragged her inside the station despite all her protesting.

---

Sebastian frowned, "I'm sure she is around here somewhere." He said as they stepped out of the carriage. He checked for his pistol and looked at Jack, watching him check his weapons as well. "Alright." He said, "Eli, you know what to do. Distract as many officers as you can. Jack and I will take the side entrances and find Alice. We'll meet back here and be back in time for Amy's cake. In and out. Try not to kill anyone if you don't need to." He nodded at the two of them before sending them to their positions and taking his own.

Voices floated in from street level, bringing Alice's awareness back to present for the moment. From the time of the christening this morning to now was a bit of a blur, but if the tightness of her shackles and the drying blood on her face was any hint as to what transpired, she was in it deep. The speakers were too far away to make out what was being said, but the tone and rhythm sounded familiar. Above her, sounds of scuffling feet made it's way through the wooden door leading to the solitary chambers. Shifting carefully to her feet, she squinted in the darkness, trying to make sense of what was going on.

---

Nodding at his father, Elijah glanced at Jack, but looked away before he got caught. Tensions were high and any little thing could set any one of them off. The plan was rock solid, he just needed to play his part. Jogging to his position, a flash of auburn hair grabbed his attention. Sure enough, Josephine had gotten herself caught and was currently being lead into the building by a rather portly looking security guard. "'EY!" He called out, using this as an opportunity to create the distraction necessary to protect the captain and his navigator. "Where in the 'ell are you taking her?" Grabbing the door before it shut and locked on him, Elijah boisterously made a scene on the front steps of the police station. Standing just outside of the foyer, he made sure Sebastian could hear him and get the ball rolling.

Jack and Sebastian parted ways around the building, arriving at the two entrances. Jack hid in the bushes and waited before he took the yawning guard out from behind, knocking him out. Rummaging through his pockets, he found the keys and opened the door to the entrance, slipping inside. He slipped the keys back in his pockets and started to creep around. He found that sneaking around in plain clothes was harder than they had anticipated. More than once he had a close call with officers who were roaming the halls.

On what seemed to be the fifth or sixth close call, Jack decided to approach it in a different matter. He waited in the shadows for the officer to pass before he pounced, putting his hand over the surprised guard's mouth and pulling him into a supply closet. After a very brief tussle, he knocked the other man out, taking his clothes. "You'd think they would be stronger, being police officers and all." He mumbled to himself, cinching the belt tightly. He checked the pockets of his new uniform, finding another pair of keys. His eyes glinted when he saw that the officer had put tiny labels onto each key, indicating what they were for. "Thanks Rookie." He saluted the unconscious man before stepping over him, leaving the supply closet and locking it behind him. Straightening his hat on his head, he continued his search for Alice.

As he searched for the cells, Jack passed by what he assumed to be a break room. The conversation had carried out into the hall.
"...Yeah, heard she was gonna start a riot with the prisoners."
"You can never trust the pretty ones. Especially if they are rich."
Jack paused, midstep before peeking in and seeing three officers dealing out cards on a round table.
"I bet underneath all those skirts are bigger balls than you, Thomson." The men all laughed except for Thomson who glared at the offending officer.
"Why don't you go check, Jacobs. She is in Solitary. Ya might only get a couple injuries. But who knows, she might fight less than your wife and you may actually get some." The other man laughed, slapping a scowling Jacobs on the back.

A muscle twitched in Jack's jaw as he clenched his fist. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Focus on the mission. You need to get Alice out of here. She's in Solitary. That shouldn't be hard to find. He had almost calmed down and was about to walk away when a new voice cut into his thoughts, "But seriously, slip a little pill in her meal and--" He whistled low, "She would be ripe for the picking."

Jack opened his eyes and stalked into the break room. The men looked up, surprised. "Jenkins? Wait, you aren't Jen--" Thomson was interrupted by a fist in his face, knocking him backwards over the chair and sprawled on the ground, out cold. The other two men stared in surprise before charging at Jack, reaching for their guns. In two swift movements, Jack disarmed Jacobs and cracked his back over his knee, leaving him groaning and disabled on the ground.

The final man was stunned and raised his gun, ready to shoot but Jack was too fast. He twisted the gun out of his hand and slammed the man to the table, his arm pressed against his throat and the gun held to his forehead. "Where is Solitary?" He growled. The man gasped for air, staring at the gun with wide eyes. Jack loosened his weight just a bit to free his windpipe. "B-Basement." The man choked out. Jack released the man and he rolled on the table, wheezing and coughing.

Jack barely gave him a second before he picked him up and rammed him into the wall, holding him up by his collar, "And next time," He spoke in a soft voice laced with danger, "Don't even think about touching a pirate's woman again." He dropped the gun and traded it for his knife, running it into the man's abdomen, "Understand?" The man bubbled out blood, coughing slightly. "Good." Jack pulled the knife out and dropped the man. He wiped the blood off on the fallen officer's pant leg before picking up the gun and stepping over the bodies. As soon as he left the break room, he sprinted for the stairs. It was only a matter of time before the bodies were discovered. He had to get Alice out of here before the place was on lock down.

---

Both the officer and Josephine stopped, looking towards the commotion. Josephine's eyes widened ever so slightly, surprised to see Elijah. Is this the plan? She thought. She didn't dare look around to see if Sebastian and Jack were nearby, not wanting to give away their position. She needed to figure out a way to help and she only had a second. "Oh Officer!" She cried, turning to look at the man, "You have to save me! That man over there is my awful husband! Please! Keep me safe!" They were half inside the station and her voice carried, causing all of the officers who were in the main office areas to stop their work and watch the scene play out. "He is just so terrible!" The officer looked from Eli to Josephine with narrowed eyes, "What did he do?" He asked.

Staring up through the darkness into the direction she thought the stairs were, Alice strained to make out the muffled voices. The stone caused the sound to carry well, but the wood of the doors and stairs blurred the words just enough so it was difficult to make out what exactly was being said. Murmured whispers from those around her slowly increased in volume, drowning out any additional hints as to what was going on. Men who had been in the hole far too long began scratching at the walls and banging on the bars of their cages with rocks and remnants of meals past. Swallowing back the rising panic that was beginning to form, she twisted her arms against the solid metal of her shackles, causing the edges to cut further into her wrists and the tops of her hands. Baring her teeth in the dark, she backed as far away from the front of the cell as she dared, not wanting to get caught under that questionable drip in the corner. Alice had a bad feeling about what was going on as her gut was telling her it was some of her step-father's men coming to pay her a little visit for what she did.

Looking around in more of a panic, she found herself defenseless. Hands bound behind her back, her feet bare on the wet stone floor, her dress in tatters from the rough treatment of the guards, and not even a splintered chicken bone as they hadn't even bothered to feed her yet. Risking contamination, Alice pushed herself back into the far corner of her cell, every sense alert to the sounds and motion around her, waiting for whoever decided to come through that door.

---

Awful husband? Elijah was stunned for a moment at the direction Josephine was taking the encounter, but quickly recovered, not giving the officers time enough to see that this was just a rouse. "Awful?" Stepping forward, he let the door close behind him, knowing that just that small scene would have alerted Sebastian. "I'm awful because I work out in the sun all day to provide for you? That I have given you a home to live in, clothing to wear, and food to eat?" Clenching his hands at his sides,Elijah continued his approach. "Please, enlighten me and these officers as to how that makes me such a bloody terrible husband." Holding himself in a more aggressive pose, he stared down at Josephine, not giving any attention to the men around him.

The lock sprung open and two figures, shadowed by the flood of light, walked in. "What a sight this is." The first man sneered, stepping into the small, dank cell. "The beautiful, arrogant Alice Elliott, in rags and dirt. It's a good look on you." The accompanying officer barked a laugh. "And yet surprisingly," The man continued, taking a couple steps closer, "You are still irresistible." He twirled his mustache, eyes glinting dangerously, "I might as well have some fun with you before I kill you." He started to reach out to touch her cheek.

"Well I am sorry to ruin your party," A voice with thinly veiled anger made the mustached man stop. He and the officer turned around quickly, looking to the door. Sebastian stood in the doorway, his revolver out. Before the men could fully react, he fired two shots, both bullets embedding themselves in the chest of the mustached man. His companion stared before fumbling for his own gun. "Don't be an idiot, officer." Sebastian warned. The officer didn't take his advice and pulled his gun out, training it on Sebastian. But Sebastian was quicker. He fired and the officer fell back with a grunt. Lowering his arm, Sebastian crossed the cell in three long strides and bent to grab the keys from the officer before unlocking Alice's shackles. Rage filled him as he took in her battered state. He vowed to find out who did this to her. Setting that matter aside, he focused on his daughter, gently putting a hand on her cheek. "Are you able to run?" He asked.

---

The officer that had held Josephine tried to place himself in front of her at Elijah's approach but she just pushed him aside, glaring up at him. "Don't make me laugh." She barked, "You just spend all your money at the pubs, leaving me to support the family with the little I earn from doing others laundry." She could see that the other officers were starting to lose interest when they saw it was just another marital spat. Panicking internally, she racked her brain for something else. "And don't think I know about you and my sister!" She shouted, shoving Elijah. The turn of events caught everyone's attention.

The sudden flood of light was blinding, forcing Alice to squeeze her eyes shut and turn her head. Opening one eye just in time to see the officer reach for her, the mask slid back into place. No emotion was present on the girl's face, she just stared up into the guards' faces as they leered and plotted how to take advantage of her. The gunshots from her father's pistol made her ears ring, but her body didn't have the energy to flinch, instead Alice just stood there, seeming completely vacant. The muscles in her arms burned and rebelled once they were released from the cuffs, having been strained back behind her for the last six hours. Slowly her eyes came to focus on the face of the man who she so closely resembled, but she couldn't hear what was being said over the ringing and the pounding of the pulse in her ears, so she just looked up at him, attempting to read his lips. Drawing her eyebrows towards one another was as much as she could muster to show she wasn't comprehending what was going on. The sound of the howls from the other prisoners was slowly making its way into her ears as her hearing slowly returned.

"I..." Alice started, her mind in a fog. Stepping down off from the outcropping of stones in the corner, she stumbled, crashing into her father. The lifeless bodies of the guards jogged something in her mind and suddenly what Sebastian was trying to ask her made sense. They needed to leave. Someone would have heard the gunshots and would likely be investigating soon. Drawing on the last bit of strength and energy she had left, Alice pulled herself together and began walking towards the mouth of the cell, her movements reminiscent of someone who had been drinking a little too much.

---

Stumbling backwards a few steps, Elijah grabbed Josephine's arms before she had time to pull them back after the shove. Yanking her off balance, he spun and forced her against the wall. Leaning in close, he bared his teeth at her, "It was never a secret." Pinning her arms down, he tried to seem as intimidating as possible to get the officers to pay more attention to him than the noises coming from down the hall. "Maybe I wouldn't have to go looking for it somewhere else if you would just shut yer trap every once in a while and just take it!" The tone of his voice startled even himself as he snapped at Josephine. He would have to apologize for it later, but for the time being, they had to keep the guards distracted until they had Alice free.

Immediately, Sebastian knew something was not right. His usually feisty and spirited daughter was broken. He caught her as she fell into his arms and steadied her, "Alice?" He asked, watching her unsteadily make her way to the door. She didn't respond. He stepped over the bodies and followed her. She had a very unstable sway to her walk. "Come on, love." He mumbled, "I'll carry you. Don't worry. You're safe now." He scooped her up in his arms and prayed they wouldn't meet any officers on their way out.

As his luck would have it, just as he turned the corner, he almost ran into an officer. He swore and was about to fumble for his gun when he heard a familiar voice, "Relax, Seb." Jack said, taking off his hat. Sebastian let out a breath, "Jesus, Jack. I would have shot you." Jack frowned, taking in Sebastian and the almost catatonic Alice in his arms. "Is she alright?" He asked. Sebastian shook his head, "We have to get out of here. This place is gonna be overrun with guards any minute." Jack nodded, not taking his eyes off of Alice. Sebastian scowled, "Jack." He barked, breaking the other man's reverie. "Cover my back. We have to go now!" Jack cleared his throat, "Yes sir. I know the way out." He motioned for him to follow as he started to jog back down the hall.

---

Not expecting to be shoved against the wall, Josephine let out a small yelp. She stared, wide eyed at him, never expecting to hear such a tone. Even though she knew they were acting, it still sent shivers down her spine. She struggled against his arms, "Unhand me you swine!" She shouted. At that, a couple officers approached them, one of them putting a hand on his shoulder, "Settle down, mate. You don't want to do anything rash." He said.

Not putting up a fight as she was scooped off of her feet, Alice was practically a rag-doll as her father carried her towards the stairs. Her eyes were trained on Sebastian's face as he stared down at her, concern written all over his features. Reaching a battered hand up to what she was staring at, she wiped at a splotch of blood off of his cheek. The second voice drew her attention and she looked over at this second person. Her brain picked up on the startled nature of Sebastian's stance and speech pattern as they began retreating back down the hall and reacted accordingly. All at once, it seemed as if someone had stuck her with a live wire. Shrieking, Alice tried to claw her way out of her father's arms and away from the man in the guard uniform. "Where...?!" She breathed, panicked, as she found herself trapped against Sebastian as he held her still. "No more..." She cried, looking for a way out of this situation, nothing making sense. She thought she could trust this man her brain was telling her was okay, but he was following a prison guard.

---

The flash of legitimate surprise and slight fear tore at Elijah's gut as he used his strength against Josephine. He was going to pay for this later. "Shut your mouth, wench!" With a single motion, he pushed off the prison guard and backhanded the woman he has loved since he first laid eyes on her. It wasn't hard, just enough to make the sickening crack of sound of flesh on flesh and force her head to one side. Yanking her from the wall, he pushed her towards the door, pointing one finger back at the men staring at him wide-mouthed. "You mind your own goddamn business." He snapped, still holding tightly to one of Josephine's wrists.

It was as though he was holding onto a fish with the way she was wriggling and flailing in her arms. "Alice, Alice its alright." He grunted, avoiding her fists as he held her close. "It's me. Your father." Sebastian doubted she could hear him. He didn't know what caused this. Jack looked back and noticed her freak out and approached her, "Alice! What's wrong!" But she started to fight even more as Jack came closer. Sebastian narrowed his eyes, "Idiot! Take off that uniform!" Confusion colored Jack's face before he realized his error. "Alice! Alice, it's just me, Jack!" She fought even harder against Sebastian's hold and he growled. "I said take off the uniform!" he barked. Jack looked heartbroken as he undid the uniform jacket, discarding it on the floor and leaving him in just his under shirt and the blue pants. He discarded the badge, hat, and belt but kept the gun in his waistband. "Now get us out of here." Sebastian barked. Jack took one last look at Alice before running back down the hall. Sebastian held his daughter close, "It's alright, love." He murmured, "You're alright now. We're going to get you home."

---

If Josephine was not expecting the shove against the wall, she certainly was not expecting the slap. She was stunned, speechless as her cheek burned. Sure, she had worse injuries done to her and yes, this was all an act but it still didn't take away the burning of her cheek and the fact that she was hit by Eli. She kept having to remind herself that it was just an act but that didn't stop her from flinching slightly when he took her hand and dragged her out of the station. When they were well away from the station, she looked up at him, "You...you hit me."

Tucking her face against Sebastian's chest, she tried to hide from the man in the guard uniform. Panicked breaths puffed in and out of her at a rate that would cause her to pass out if it continued much longer. Shards of glass pressed deeper into her flesh as she gripped her father's shirt as they ran towards the exit. Fresh blood seeped through the wounds on her limbs and her face, staining the white fabric she was holding on to with all her might. "No more..." She whimpered, tears seeping from between her tightly closed lids. It was the first time she had cried since this whole situation started. Part of her knew she was on her way to safety, but she still couldn't make sense of what was going on. Her confusion raised her anxiety and just added to the panic that was clouding her judgement. "Please..." Her voice was nearly lost to the sounds of their footfalls. They had to be getting close to the exit as they had been on the move for a while already.

Taking the risk and pulling her face away from its hiding place, Alice looked up in time to see more disabled guards laying sprawled on the floor. A sound escaped her throat that was halfway between a whimper and a sob. She was almost free of this place.

---

As soon as they were free of the station and the door was shut behind them, Elijah dropped Josephine's wrist like it was on fire and moved out of the easily accessible range. "I'm so sorry, Jo.. A m-million times, I'm sorry." Bringing his hands up, palm out, he felt the rush of the ploy run out of him, leaving him cold. "I-I-I had to sell it." Swallowing hard, he grimaced, his stutter only came out when he was really nervous. "They were losing i-interest, and chalking it up to a lover's s-spat." Tell number two reared it's head, over selling of the reason he was doing something. God, Eli, just shut up! He scolded himself, still keeping his sights on Josephine, his body on alert and ready to take off if she came at him.

Sebastian looked down when he felt the wetness soaking his shirt and his heart broke seeing his daughter so scared and beaten. He held her tighter and sped up the pace. They had encountered a couple of guards but before they could sound the alarm, Jack took them out swiftly. They were just outside the threshold of the exit when the bells started to ring. "They probably found the bodies." Jack mumbled, glancing back. Sebastian grunted in acknowledgement and they put in a burst of speed, disappearing into the bushes and making a roundabout way to the street where Jack had flagged down a cab. Even after they had climbed into the carriage and settled down, Sebastian didn't let go of his daughter. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "You're safe, love. No one can touch you anymore."

Jack was staring at the two of them, feeling tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. He closed them and took a deep breath, expelling all his rage and worry in a shaky exhale.

---

Seeing him become a blubbering mess made Josephine breathe easier. It was easier to understand that it was all an act when he apologized profusely. He never meant what he did. She rubbed her cheek a bit, testing her jaw, "It's alright." She said, giving him a smile and patting his cheek, "You're a good actor." She was about to go on when she heard the muffled bells from inside. "That's our cue to go, I'm guessing." She said, taking Eli's hand and running down the steps to the streets, "Let's hope Jack and the Captain got out alright." She prayed silently that they did.

It wasn't until they had slid neatly into a cab that Alice pulled her face back away from her father's chest. Her pulse was still racing but her breathing finally began to slow. She had to trust his word that she was safe. Feeling her eyes dart around the dark interior of the carriage, she glanced at Jack, her mind unable to process the expression on his face. Feeling uncomfortable with the rawness of emotion, she looked away, back to her Sebastian. This was safe. Within moments of calming down, her body gave out, releasing her mind into the darkness of unconsciousness.

---

Jumping as Josephine patted his cheek, Elijah gave her a half smile, knowing that this wouldn't be the end of it. "If the alarm is going off, it means they got close enough to the exit to alert the other guards. They're out." He said, picking up speed to keep pace with the woman in the lead. Shouts behind him made him forget the dangerous situation at hand and the repercussions he was going to face later. A full on grin formed on his lips as his breath puffed out between them. "They're definitely out.." With a laugh, he veered away from the road and took the lead. He knew these woods and could get them home faster than a carriage would. "Follow me." Releasing her hand, he ran with easy strides over the dark, uneven terrain, trusting that Josephine would keep up.

Josephine couldn't stop her own grin when they realized that the plan had gone smoothly. She laughed along with Elijah, following him into the woods. "You know where you're going, right?" She asked, eyes straining to distinguish the different dark shapes. She kept her eyes on Elijah's back, watching him dodge and weave through the trees. He made it seem so effortless, but then again, almost everything Elijah did seemed effortless. She mimicked his movements with much less grace and almost tripped over a root several different times. But in no time, the woods broke and they could see Amy's home at the top of the hill. The uphill terrain was smooth and simple. She caught up with Elijah and looked over at him with a smirk, "Race you to the top." She said before lifting her skirts and putting in a burst of speed.

---

The ride to the house seemed like eternity and Alice had slept through it all. When the carriage reached the front of the house, Sebastian got out first, carrying his daughter into the house. Amy ran to the door when she heard the door open, "Thank goodness you're back! I was wond-- Oh my God." Amy breathed, hand over her mouth when she noticed the state Alice was in. "She has wounds that needs to be treated." Sebastian said, walking past Amy and going to one of the open rooms.

Using his height to his advantage, Elijah lengthened his strides to cover more ground with less effort. Unfortunately, his attempt to beat Josephine up the hill wasn't the best idea as the speed he gained caused him to move faster than his mind had expected. A slight dip in the ground towards the top tripped him up as he fell flat on his face just before the crest. Groaning and laughing at the same time, he rolled over onto his back, his hands over his nose and face where they connected with the ground. "Bloody hell..." He said between laughs, attempting to get back to his feet and make it the rest of the way to the house.

---

The rush of voices from the entryway drew Marabelle out from the back room where she had been prepping for such an event as this. Alice had her father's blood coursing through her veins and she knew that she wouldn't have gone down without a fight. "Sebastian, this way." She said, directing him towards the room she had just exited. She was prepared to see her daughter in bad shape, but even in worst case, she hadn't expected to see her this way. Sucking in a surprised breath, she pushed hair out of her face as Sebastian laid her on the bed. "Oh baby, what did they do to you?" She asked softly, looking down the exposed flesh and seeing nothing but scrapes and bruises. Pulling her own hair back, she looked up at her husband and Jack as they hovered at the foot of the bed. "Both of you need to leave the room. Amy and I need to clean her up to see just how bad everything is. Once we get her in some fresh clothes, we will let you know." Waving her hands at the boys, she shooed them out.

Josephine ran backwards a bit when she heard a soft thump in the grass to see what happened. She laughed, "Good luck trying to catch up." She called, turning back around and sprinting the last leg of the race. She reached the top first and did a little victory dance, grinning when Elijah finally arrived. "Better luck next time." She said with a chuckle as she turned to go into the house.

When Josephine opened the door, she nearly collided with Sebastian who was looking grim. "Captain? Where are you--" She trailed off when he just pushed passed her and broke out into a run down the hill towards the village. She blinked and looked at Elijah before walking into the home. Her good humor vanished completely when she saw Jack, sitting at a door with his head in his hands. "Oh God." She breathed, going over to her ex-fiance, "Jack? What happened?"

Jack looked up, his face twisted with rage and sorrow. He just shook his head, "Bastards. The lot of them." He bit out. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as though to calm his nerves.

The humor drained from Elijah's mood as his father ran right past him towards town and his eyes found Jack's somber expression. "What's going on?" He asked, looking over his shoulder as if he could see Sebastian's silhouette as he ran silently through the woods.

---

With deft hands, Marabelle quickly snipped Alice's tattered dress away from her broken body, careful not to catch skin or pull any of the fragile scabs that were barely holding her body together. "Oh, Alice..." She whispered, taking a washrag to her daughter's face and arms, wiping away the mess of blood and dirt, revealing the complex network of bruising that had been hiding.

---

It took longer than she expected to get her cleaned, stitched up, and into fresh clothes, but once she did, the injuries weren't as shocking as they had been. Alice's face was swollen and pale beneath the purple splotches and angry red scrapes, and only time would tell how she would heal, but she was fortunate that nothing was broken. With a final glance at her sleeping figure, Marabelle left the room, wiping the remnants of blood off of her hands. Following the sounds of hushed voices, she entered the living room, "If you want to see Alice, you're welcome to go in there. She's as cleaned up as I can get her..." Sinking to a seat, the stress was visible on her face.

Josephine was pale as Jack explained the best he could the state Alice was in. When Marabelle came out of the room, Jack stood immediately. He went into the room without another word. Josephine looked at Marabelle. The other woman's face was haggared, looking as though she aged several years. Josephine got up and poured her a cup of tea from the pot Amy put out. "How is she doing?" She asked quietly as she handed it to her.

---

Jack took a sharp intake of breath when he saw the bruises and scrapes on Alice's swollen face. He sat in the chair that was beside her bedside and took her hand in his, holding it. He kissed the back of her hand gently, "I'm sorry." He murmured. If he hadn't pushed her away in the carriage, then maybe he could have prevented her from getting arrested. He let out a breath and brushed some hair from her face.

Just then, Sebastian had arrived, the ship's doctor behind him. The doctor let out a breath before walking to the bedside. "Give me a couple moments." He said to Jack and Sebastian. The captain nodded and stepped out to the living room but Jack stayed in the room, only stepping to the side to give the doctor his space.

Marabelle looked up only when Josephine put a steaming cup of tea under her nose. Smiling softly, she took the mug, grateful for the distraction. "I can only guess as to how she is." She said, softly blowing across the hot liquid's surface. "She's pretty beat up. Alice definitely has more of her father in her than either of us ever imagined." A single huff of laughter came out of her, but the smile never made it to her tired eyes. Studying Josephine's face, she reached out and tucked hair behind her ear. "I know you two don't see eye-to-eye at all on anything, but I want to thank you for helping get my daughter out of that jail."

Elijah had gone into the room to look in on his sister, but couldn't bring himself to move past the outer edge of the doorway. The broken girl that lay on the bed couldn't be Alice. Moving out of the way for the doctor and Sebastian, he backed down the hall, not wanting to believe the state she was in. It didn't make sense. Why would she have subjected herself to that kind of beating? Returning to the front room, he sat on the couch opposite of his mother, her haunted expression reflected in his own.

Josephine smiled tightly, "I wish I could have done more." She said, "No one should ever be treated that way." She looked down at her lap, fingers playing with each other. She looked up when the Captain and his son walked into the room. The expression on Elijah's face broke her heart and she got up to sit by him, putting a hand on his and squeezing it. "Alice is a strong girl. She'll be up and picking fights in no time." She said, trying to lift the gloom in the room.

"Let's hope not." Sebastian said, sitting beside his wife. "Picking fights is what got her arrested in the first place." Josephine colored and started to stammer, "I-I didn't mean- I just..." The captain smiled, "It's alright, Jo. Optimism is needed right now, however poorly worded it may have been. Thank you." He put an arm around Marabelle and pulled her in close, kissing the top of her head.