Chapter Nineteen
"DAMN IT!" Xena yelled. "COLE, GET ME OUT OF HERE AND TO GABRIELLE!"

Cole shimmered in, grabbing Xena. Sniffing the air, he carried her
straight to Gabrielle who stood on top of the ship's railing, her back to them.
The sun glinted on something silver, and they realized that she had her sai
pressed to her bosom.

"Gabrielle?" Xena called in a quiet voice. "What are you doing? You want
to kill both of us? If you do that, you kill both of us. Maybe I don't deserve
to live, but you do. You're the best part of both of us. I love you! Please
don't do this!" She wanted to rush forward and grab Gabrielle but knew that
Gabrielle would be quicker than she.

"Xena," Gabrielle's voice trembled, "stop lying. There's no more point
in it. I know what you did. I know who you chose. I just don't know why you
bothered to lie about it. Why toy with me? Why lie to me? Why make me think you
loved me when it was him all along?"

Xena's voice came steady and true. "I've never loved any one like I love
you, Gabrielle! That's why I lied -- to protect you! I didn't want you
endangered. If you were killed in battle, it would have killed me too. I would
die a thousand deaths if it would spare you one instant of pain! That's why I
lied! That's why Wolverine became my second-in-command, because after the
Captain, they go for the second! If I had known for one minute you would have
hated me for it and would have misconstrued and thought I wanted Wolverine . .
." she said, her voice turning to one of disgust as she spat his name. "For
Gods' sakes, baby, I never wanted any one but you! But I wanted you to be safe!
Can't you please forgive me?" She was down on her knees, oblivious to any one
and anything except Gabrielle.

Cole wondered for a minute if he could shimmer and stop Gabrielle in
time. It hurt him just to be close to these two. Their pain was so intense yet
their love was even greater. "Gabrielle?" Xena called to her, waiting for her to
forgive her or condemn her for all eternity. Cole closed his eyes; he knew he
could not interfere. He shimmered away from them.

Slowly, Gabrielle turned to face Xena, hoping and praying to see the
same truth in her face that she heard in her voice, but as she turned on the
railing that they had both walked on countless times before, her booted feet
suddenly slipped. She threw the sai to one side even as she fell forward,
bracing herself to hit the deck only to collide with a softer body.

In one breath-taking move, Xena had flown from her knees to catch
Gabrielle in mid-air. She slid her slowly down her body even as her lips sought
hers, her heart beating a hundred miles a minute. It had scared the heck out of
her, but she had seen Gabrielle throw the sai away. Did that mean she was
forgiven? She prayed that it was so even as Gabrielle returned her heated
kisses.



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Cole shimmered directly in the path in front of Piper Halliwell. He
surprised her so much that she dropped the load of dishes that she was carrying,
and he barely caught them. "Sorry about that, Miss Piper. Can I carry these for
you somewhere?"

Piper's bosom heaved as she tried to calm herself. "Cole!" she
exclaimed. "How -- ?!" She shook her head in amazement.

"I'm a Demon, and that's how I get around. I had to get away from Xena
and Gabrielle. They were having a very strong exchange and needed to be alone. I
mean you no harm."

"Well, I know that," Piper assured him with a smile, "but you're a
Demon?"

"Well, half any way. I didn't mean to scare you." He smiled at her,
thinking she was more beautiful every time he saw her.

Her smile grew with his explanation and smile. "That explains it; you're
too handsome to be a full-blooded Demon." She blushed a deep red as she realized
the words that had slipped out of her mouth. "I mean -- well, hum -- I know that
sounds prejudiced, but I never met any Demons before today and I thought they
were all kind of like Lorne. Not that he's ugly, because he's not. Just . . .
just different . . . "

He could not believe she thought him handsome! His smile grew even
brighter as his heart sang out, {She likes ya, boy! Move on it!}, but his mind
refused to move any faster for fear of the knowledge that he could scare her to
the point that she would never want to see him again. "Huh, Miss Piper, the
dishes?" he asked, glad that he had something that he could talk about.

"The dishes?" she asked in confusion. "What about them?"

"Where can I put them?"

"Oh. In the kitchen, of course. Do you guys even call it a kitchen?" she
asked, that thought having just occurred to her.

"It's called a galley, ma'am." He headed straight for it with the dishes
and set them down on the table. "Are you finding everything okay? Do you need
help of any kind?" He was having trouble coming up with a mundane topic, because
all his mind wanted and kept telling him was, {Kiss her, you fool, before
somebody else does!} He desperately wanted to but was afraid of her reaction.

"If it's not too much trouble," she asked hesitantly, "I could use some
help getting the supplies moved in here and set up. Lorne was going to help, but
I understand there was some kind of problem with a wolf not liking his pants or
something . . . "

Cole laughed, and Piper's heart warmed at the deep, throaty sound. "You
could say that. He should be over in a minute, but I'll help you until he comes.
He had to change his clothes. He's all right now, but I wouldn't ask him about
it." He walked back out, picked up another load, and brought it in. "Where do
you want this put?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Where do you think the ship's chef would
want them?"

"Oh, you're the ship's chef now, ma'am. We really didn't have one, just
somebody filling in. Captain Jack's been off his diet for a while, and I don't
think Captain Xena's eaten much either. Can't blame either of them. Autolycus
and Joxer are awful cooks. I don't know where they're at or why they aren't here
yet. I had brought them in a little while ago. They've had time to get here to
help. They're supposed to be your kitchen helpers."

She looked at him curiously. "Did one of the Captains tell you that? I
haven't had a chance to ask, what with everything else that's been going on."

"I'm third-in-command over here. They don't care who's in charge of the
cooking as long as something get's cooked that's edible. I haven't had a real
chance to talk to either of them yet, but I know they'll both clear it. We've
been without good food for so long that it's ridiculous, and it's not because
Captain Jack doesn't buy the best supplies either. He does. It's just what those
two goonies do with the food. It should be a crime!"

He then began to show her around the galley and introduce her to the
equipment she'd be using. "This is the oven, but I don't know how to use it. I
can light it for you if you want. This is our cooler, but it doesn't really keep
things cool." He opened the door to reveal a small, dark chamber. "It'd work
better if we had some ice, but it melts about as fast as we get some, so we
don't get much of milk and eggs," he said longingly. Cole simply adored good
food, and he hadn't had any in a long time. "We can put any kind of food you
want in these cabinets," he said as he opened the doors. "Just make it the way
you want it to be."

Piper was grinning from ear to ear. She loved her mother and grandmother
but had always wanted her own kitchen. Now, it seemed that one had practically
been dropped into her lap! "Well, it sounds to me like you are all in desperate
need of a good meal."

"That we are, ma'am; that we are. Can't remember when the last time was
that we had one. Maybe when we were at Derek & Hansel's. They both cook good.
They're in Tortuga."

Piper smiled at him even as she reassured him, "Well, you won't have to
wait for Tortuga to get good food any longer. Just as soon as we can get things
set up, I'll get to work, and I promise you a good meal."

They heard voices and looked up only to see Lorne finally arriving.
"Sorry, Miss Piper, but I had to hunt for a pair of pants. I don't have much
clothes. Somebody had my pants, and a wolf ruined the pair I had on." He was
eagerly anticipating learning to cook.

"If you still have the cloth or something else I can use to patch them,
I could fix them for you," she offered, not daring to ask about the wolf. Who
would have such a beast, any way?

"Why, thank you, ma'am. I'll bring them the next time I come, and the
wolf gave me back the cloth."

Piper's mouth fell open at that. "The wolf gave you back the cloth?" she
repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, ma'am. She's a very smart wolf, and she was only protecting her
mistress. She didn't mean me any harm personally, but she sure took a bite out
of my butt! Then her mistress even healed it!"

Piper looked at Lorne as if he had two heads. A wolf being apologetic
for biting a Demon, even a kind and gentle one like Lorne, and then her mistress
healing said bite was just too much for her to take in. Piper nodded slowly,
reminding herself to shut her mouth so that the men would not think she was a
complete idiot, but did not know what to say.

Cole looked at Lorne. "Give me a hand out here with the supplies, and it
won't take us long."

"Sure," Lorne said. Between the two of them, it didn't take long.

Once the supplies were put away, Cole lit the oven, showing Lorne and
Piper how it was done. "You put the firewood down here," he said to both of them
as he opened the lower door, "and the firewood's just outside the door. It'll
take a while to heat up, so you'll have plenty of time to prepare. I've got to
go hunt for Jack; I've got to tell him something." He was going to tell him all
about Xena and Gabrielle making up; he knew he'd want to know. "If you need me,
call me," he said and shimmered out.

Piper stared at the place where Cole had just stood. "Do you ever get
used to that?" she asked Lorne.

"Not really. That's not one of the powers I have," Lorne said. "In fact,
I don't really have any powers as such. I'm an empath. I listen to people sing,
and I can see their future sometimes. Not really powerful powers,
unfortunately." He smiled at her. "I'm sure looking forward to this; I always
wanted to learn to cook!"

"Then it's time we got started," Piper told him with a grin. "I suggest
a simple recipe first, something we can make as a sort of appetizer for the
crews until we can get the whole meal done."

He rolled up his sleeves and looked at her eagerly, waiting to be told
what was to be done.



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Wolf and Elvira had finally reached her house only to see that it was on
fire. Wolf's hackles began to rise. "Don't tell me we've gotta go in there!" he
said in a high-pitched voice. "Wolves and fires just don't mix!"

She knew he was terrified, and her heart felt for him. However, she also
knew that she didn't have much of a choice. Turning away from her house and to
him, she told him, "I have to go in there, but I won't ask you to."

"You know I'm not letting you go in there by yourself! Just make it
quick! Don't slow down anywhere! I can almost feel the fire smoking my bones!"
His voice came out nearly in a howl.

She placed a gentle hand on the side of his face and reassuringly
stroked his cheek. "I understand," she told him, "and honestly, Wolf, you don't
have to come. But I have to at least get that Book. That damn thing won't burn.
Believe me. I know, because I've tried to burn it in the past."

"I'm coming, dear heart. I'd never allow you to go in there by
yourself." He nuzzled her. "Whither you go, I go."

Delicious chills shot through her, and she leaned into his nuzzling. "We
could just wait for it to burn down and stay out here," she said, barely able to
think for the emotions he inflicted in her. Her black fingernails gently kneaded
his chest even as she added, "But then if something happens to my dress, I'll
have to run around naked until I can get some more from Delvira."

He looked carefully at the house. "I think if we go in this part and
run, we can beat the fire. I don't want you running around naked for others to
see, only me," he nipped her on the neck, bringing a squeal of pleasure from her
black lips.

"Wolf," she purred to him, "if we keep this up, we're never going to
make it in there."

"Go, and I will follow you," he said, releasing her.

Elvira nodded, but although he released her, she still had to force her
body to pull away from his for every part of her screamed desperately to be one
with every part of him. She yanked at the hem of her skirt, and it pulled away
to reveal a bodysuit. Folding the cloth in her hands to beat against the fire
should they need to, she ran into the house.

The minute she had slipped out of her skirts, revealing her long, lithe
legs, Wolf had howled. She burned him worse than the flames were threatening to!
He had to have her soon! His tail was jerking and would not stay in his pants.
"Soon," he promised. "Soon." He dived into the burning house behind her.



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Elvira's long, pale legs streaked out in front of her as she ran for her
bedroom. Once there, she grabbed the Book from her dresser before running over
to her closet. She threw the door open to reveal a row of dresses exactly like
the one she had on. She snatched a few of them and grabbed her cape before
turning back. She frowned. "I'm missing something."

"Yeah, me," Wolf said with a snarl as he moved up to her, wanting those
long legs wrapped around him. It was driving him almost mad with desire. "I . .
. want . . . " He was breathing heavily. " . . . you!" he concluded as his lips
fell upon hers.

As his lips touched hers at long last, she found that she could
withstand the burning inferno he had built inside of her no longer. Her Book and
clothes fell to the floor as her hands grabbed him, fondling every part of him
that they could reach. As she deepened their kiss, her tongue quarreling with
his, her arms wrapped around his body, bringing him even closer. Her hands
dropped in search of his rear but instead found his tail; without hesitation,
she stroked it with the fur.

He howled even as her hands stroked him. "I'm going to die if I don't
have you soon!" he roared. "The big, bad wolf has got to eat, and the little
wolf is hungry too!"

"Then eat me now!" She tore her lips from his to sink her fangs into his
neck.

Wolf almost came on the spot before his mind cleared at the snapping,
crackling fire that was getting ever closer to them. Holding her close, he
whispered, "We've gotta get out of here. The fire's getting closer." He
reluctantly let her go.

Though he released her, she did not release him. "Do we have to?" she
mumbled from around his neck even as she slid one leg up and cradled the bulge
in his pants.

The back part of the house fell in at that moment. "Soon, my darling!"
he promised. "We have to get out of here!" He scooped up the Book, the dresses,
and the cape from the floor only to realize, as he stood back up, that she
wasn't there. "ELVIRA?!" he screamed. The smoke-filled room kept him from seeing
her.

"I'm just grabbing my tassels!"

"Tassels?" he asked even as she rejoined him, dangling something in her
hand.

"Yeah," she grinned up at him. "They're something you can play with
later."

"Promises, promises, baby, but I want to play with you the most." He
didn't even know what tassels were.

"You can play with them while they're on me," she purred lustfully to
him.

Holding the Book and clothes in one hand, he grabbed her with the other
one and almost flew out of the house just as it finally crumbled to the ground,
burning. He found an alley just behind the house, and he released her long
enough to drop the stuff to the ground. He moved in to nuzzle her neck. His heat
rose in his loins, and he felt his member stiffen even more. He had to have her
and soon!

"Wolf," she gasped out between the nibbles and licks she rained over his
neck and the sighs that he brought forth from his nuzzling on her own, "do we
have to go to the ship now?"

"No," he said even as he grasped at her clothes, trying to strip her
naked. When the clothes finally fell away to reveal her glistening body, his
mouth moved immediately to her breast where he nibbled and sucked her. His hands
roamed over her body, finding her secret place and touching her there.

She arched in his hand, and her gasp of thrilled delight echoed in the
alley. Her hands moved to his chest, and her fingers tore blindly at his shirt,
her nails bursting his buttons as she fought to get the annoying cloth off of
him. He stepped away from her a moment, pulling his clothes off swiftly and
revealing himself in all of his full glory. He was afraid Little Wolf would
scare her as it stood swiftly and boldly, welcoming her and quivering for her
attention. He knew he was bigger than normal males; most wolves were. He would
be gentle if she needed gentle, but his body was crying out for wild. He started
to move back toward her.

Her black eyes glistened with excitement and longing even as they
feasted upon his mighty sword. Her body tingled as it ached so desperately for
his that she could stand it no longer. Without warning, she ran at him and leapt
into the air. Her arms and legs reached out for him, her arms wrapping around
his strong shoulders and her legs entwining around his body even as she lowered
herself upon his steed.

Little Wolf shot home immediately as though he had at long last found
the perfect anchor. He howled even as he filled her completely. He thought the
excitement would make him come immediately, and he fought to keep it down,
wanting to make it good for her. He bore her to the earth, never losing contact,
and began to pump madly into her as though Little Wolf had a mind all his own.
He hoped he was not hurting her, but the screams that came from her mouth were
of pure delight.



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They were wild together! Wolf had never known such pleasure. Somehow,
each time he almost came, something stopped him. He wasn't sure what it was, but
it built the excitement even more. His tail twitched madly, but he ignored it as
his mouth once again found her creamy breast and he gave it the long-needed
attention it so desperately craved.

Her fangs nibbled his neck as hungrily as though she had never drank;
indeed, he was the best she had ever experienced in all ways. Her legs were
still wrapped around him, and she tightened and squeezed around him as he pumped
into her.

When her fangs sank into his neck, he felt himself cumming, and it felt
as though it would never stop. He howled again and again, her screams matching
his howls. Her nails raked his back before grabbing his tail once again.

It was the most wonderful experience Wolf had ever had! He hated to
think it might never happen again, especially as he wanted her again just as
badly as he had just had her. He just couldn't get enough of her! He lay on top
of her, Little Wolf still embedded in her silky sheath. Her fangs had came out
of his neck, but suddenly she began to nibble and lick him again, growling
lustfully in his ear. He felt Little Wolf jerk and begin to grow. He had never
thought he could get it up again this fast, but he just could not get enough of
her!

Her fangs dipped back into his neck, taking a sip here and a sip there,
as she marked him again and again as hers. Her hands had never left his tail,
and she began to stroke him once more. Her strokes always stayed with the fur.

He felt himself grow bigger and bigger, and he was afraid he would split
her in two as Little Wolf again worked with a mind all his own. His mouth moved
to her throat, and his fangs bit into her neck. He felt her jerk and held
himself still as he was afraid he had hurt her.

Elvira had done a lot of biting, but never once had she been bitten
herself. It was the most pleasurable sensation she had ever felt, and her gasp
of pleasure caressed his ears like a butterfly's gossamer wings. "Are you okay,
beautiful?" he whispered against her skin even then as he licked her skin and
blood before nipping her again.

Her breath trembled in delight as she sighed again. "Okay? Wolf, I'm so
good I don't even know the word for it!"

With relief, he let Little Wolf have his way again, moving slowly in and
out and then faster. He did not think he could go any deeper, but he wanted to.
He wanted to be part of her. He raised her up slightly and then pushed in just a
little deeper. He was surprised when he went a lot deeper. She was built like no
other woman he had ever had, because she was able to take all of him! The
sensation that he felt threatened to explode him, but he held on, wanting to
increase her pleasure.

When he felt the volcano building to a peak, he sank his fangs into her
neck once more. The explosions hit him so hard that he fell over the edge and
into the stars, carrying her with him. This time, he was not even aware of her
fingernails clawing his back although they drew blood. They remained fully one,
his sword filling her sheath completely and their fangs embedded in each other's
necks, as they rode the waves together before finally crashing back down into
the Heaven they had discovered in each other.



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Cole had arrived just in time to see Jack starting to rummage again for
his rum. He did not make a comment on it as he did not want Jack to know what
had become of the rum. Jack looked up at him with questions in his eyes. "Xena
and Gabrielle have made up; I heard them before I left the Witch. They may be
partying by now."

"Good," Jack said with a grin.

"Piper is getting set up in the kitchen."

"Can she cook?" Jack asked.

"Well, she says she can. It's got to be better than what those two goons
were putting out. Lorne's helping her."

"Good thing," Jack said. "Make sure she's got everything she needs."

"I hate to tell you, but the time is growing short. Evil approaches. We
have several saying this, including Doctor Doom and his new woman."

"New woman?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir. She's a scientist," he said as though that explained
everything.

"Well, they should be happy together."

Cole was used to reporting to Jack everything that was going on on the
Witch, because even though he was on the Witch and Xena was technically his
Captain, Jack was his Captain of choice. He was Jack's inside man, and only he
and Jack knew that. "I've got to locate Wolf and Elvira. They have not returned
to the ship, and they could be in danger. If you can get a woman to go with you
as a decoy, when I return, I'll shimmer you to the Governor's room. It'll be
quicker and faster, but I don't want to know what you're doing in there, sir."

"I don't want to know what I'm doing in there until after it's over
with," Jack said. "I wanted some rum to handle it with, but there's not any on
the whole damn ship! So I'm going to have to go it without it. I'll pick some up
while we're out. Report to me as soon as you know about Wolf."

"Yes, sir," Cole said and shimmered out.



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Meanwhile, Prue, after being escorted to the Witch, had gotten settled
in and decided to go in search of a little adventure. She had been totally
smitten by the man called Brendan Richards. She knew Piper had already marked
her a man, though she hadn't even admitted it to herself yet, and Prue was
determined not to be outdone. After all, she was the oldest.

She carefully concealed herself in the shadows and began to search out
her prey. She watched him walking around, checking on things and talking to
other crewmates to be sure that everything was set for sailing. She gave him
enough distance that he wouldn't know that he was being followed.

Brendan began to check to be sure that all the ropes were secured.
Nothing could go wrong. They had to get out of the harbor. He had not been
paying particular attention to any of the people passing around him. All of the
newcomers' scents had crossed his nose at different times, and he had not paid
attention to them. He was checking on one of the ropes in the northeastern
corner, however, when he heard approaching footsteps accompanied by the sweetest
scent he had ever smelled. It was vaguely familiar, but he could not place it.

She was determined to get something from him, even if only a kiss. She
had managed to sneak up on him when he suddenly turned and sniffed the air. She
froze, hoping he wouldn't see her, but as his head turned again, his yellow eyes
looked directly at her. She grew bold at his appraisal and moved to stand right
in front of him. Quickly, before she could change her mind and run, she threw
her arms around his neck and pulled his head toward hers. Their lips met,
sending thrills racing down her body that she'd never felt before.

Brendan had been about to ask Prue if he could help her when she had
suddenly stolen a kiss. He tried to push her away, but she refused to release
him, clinging to him instead. Her kiss was burning him! He longed to be able to
enjoy the sensations that swept through him, arousing his manhood, at the first
kiss he had ever had, but he could feel the beast within already reacting. His
mind was frantic, and his eyes were already on yellow as fur began to grow.

In sheer desperation, he shoved her away, hating to use force but
knowing that there was no other way. "You -- You shouldn't have -- " he gasped,
trying desperately to rein in the wolf but failing completely as a howl broke
forth from his lips and he fell to his knees. "You . . . shouldn't . . . have .
. . " he tried again. His nose and mouth enlarged and grew together to become a
snout, and his words ended in a howl that echoed out over the dock and across
the water.

Prue, who had fallen on her rear, had never seen such before! "What are
you?" she asked and watched in amazement as he continued transforming. She was
roughly grabbed. She realized that the man called Captain Jack Sparrow had
arrived as he told to get out of there quickly and placed himself between her
and the monster that had been Brendan. Cole, too, had heard the activity and
arrived just in time to knock Brendan on his butt and prevent him from attacking
Jack.

"WOMEN!" Jack said, shaking his head. He knew fully well that Brendan
had never made the move on Prue but that Prue Halliwell had just made a move on
Brendan. Even then, the Werewolf was scrambling to get to his feet. Hating to do
it but knowing he must, Jack raised the silver walking stick that he had brought
with him and brought it straight down on Brendan's head, knocking his friend out
cold. "Damn!" he muttered.

"I'm gone to get Wolf, Captain," Cole said and shimmered out. Jack sat
down on the floor beside Brendan with his back against the ship's side. He
breathed a sigh of relief as werewolf transformed back to man, but still he
waited for his friend to wake up.



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Prue ran as though the Demons of Hell were behind her and did not stop
until she reached Piper in the galley. Holding onto the table so that she would
not fall, she looked into her sister's face. "He -- He's a wolf!" she finally
gasped out.

Piper looked at Prue in concern but did not know what to make of her
sister's exclamation. "Who's a wolf?" she asked. "The wolf that bit poor Lorne
in the rear?"

"No, I don't think so," Prue said as she pulled a chair out and sat down
in it. "He's -- Brendan Richards," she said in a voice of disbelief. "We kissed
. . . "

"You didn't!" Lorne interjected. "No wonder he changed! True he's a
Werewolf and he can't control it, but he stays away from women so that he
doesn't hurt anybody. How'd you manage to kiss?" He could not believe that she
had actually managed to steal a kiss from him. He knew Brendan would never have
kissed Prue.

"I wanted him!" Prue said. "There was just something about him that
seemed to call to me!"

"Hold it right there," Lorne said. "This is women's talk. I'll see you
in a little while, Piper; I'd best go check on him."

Piper nodded and took out the seat in front of Prue's. She sat down in
it, the food completely forgotten as she turned her full attention to her
distraught sister. "Prue, what did you do?" she asked her. "You know better than
to kiss a stranger!"

"But I wanted him, Piper!" she protested in a small, quiet voice. "I'm
so drawn to him! I've never felt anything like this before! I followed him and
surprised him. I kissed him! Then the most awful thing happened! He began to
change and howled! Then the Captain was there, and he beat him!" She had heard
the whack when Jack had hit Brendan. Tears were running down her face. "I still
want him! I don't care if he is a wolf!"

"Prue, you don't know what you're talking about," Piper gently told her
sister even as she gathered her into a hug, softly stroking her hair as their
mother had always done whenever one of them was upset. "You just met the man. I
know he's burning you and I know it's hard to control yourself -- I almost
slipped up already with Cole --, but he's a wolf. You need to give it time. Talk
to him; figure out if you can do anything. You don't want this happening again."

Prue hugged her sister to her as though she was a lifeline, burying her
face into her sister's shoulder. "I want him, Piper! I want him desperately!"

"I know, Prue. You might not believe me, but I know better than you
think I do. There's one on here who sets my very blood on fire, too, but we
don't know what we're getting into. We have to take it slowly, and you're going
to have to talk to Brendan eventually, before you make another move on him. You
don't want him to change again on you like that."

Prue looked up at Piper in wonderment. "You found some one?" It finally
dawned on her what Piper had been telling her. "So why didn't you go after him?"
she asked her sister.

"Because I just met him today, Prue. You have to give things like this
time. I know it's hard, but it takes it to make sure."

"Too much time, Piper, and somebody else will grab him! That's why I
didn't wait! I know I want him, and if I wait for him to come to me, he won't do
it."

"Then don't wait for him but don't move on him either. Talk to him. What
would you do if you made another move toward him and he changed again, Prue?"

"I promise. I'll talk to him tomorrow if I can catch him." He had been
very hard to catch that day, and she knew he'd be more wary and even harder to
catch the next.

"I'll tell you what, Prue," Piper said, lifting her sister's chin and
gently wiping away her tears. "If you promise me you won't move on him again
until you've talked to him and are sure he's not just going to wolf out again
right away, I'll even help you catch him."

"You will?" Prue asked with a smile. "Then I promise I'll talk to him
and not move on him again until I'm sure it's safe."

Piper nodded. "I will," she promised, "tomorrow."

"So which one is it, Piper?" Prue asked with an impish grin. "Mister
Green or Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome?"

Piper had to laugh at her sister's question. "Cole," she admitted, then
dared to blushingly make another admission. "I actually told him I thought he
was handsome!"

"You did?" Prue asked in amazement. She had never known Piper to move on
any one. "And he didn't pick up on it?"

Piper shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't call me on it, at least. But,
Prue," she added with a frown, "I think we might both be in trouble. Brendan's a
Werewolf, and Cole's a Demon, half any way!"

"We might be, Piper, but I'm willing to face it just to have a chance at
getting closer to him. Are you?" She smiled when her sister nodded. "Then we'll
work on them together!"

She raised her pinky finger, and Piper hooked hers with it. "Pinky
swear," they said together. "They'll never know what hit 'em!"

Chapter Twenty
Cole shimmered into the alley behind a burning house that had completely
fallen in on itself. He had smelled Wolf and had tracked him there. He appeared
and saw Wolf and Elvira falling together again! Closing his eyes, he called out
to him. "Wolf, you're late for the ship. We were worried."

"Cripes!" Wolf murmured. "It'll have to wait, sweetheart."

"Put some clothes on!" Cole pleaded. "I have to take both of you back.
Let me know when you're dressed." He kept his eyes closed.

Elvira winked playfully at Wolf. "Maybe we don't want to get dressed
just yet?"

"Look, Elvira! It's not safe out here, and I can tell you two have been
at it like rabbits already! Save it for later! Honestly, how some of you wolves
can continually get down amazes me!"

Elvira sighed. "Yeah," she agreed in a throaty voice, "isn't it
wonderful?!"

"I wouldn't know," Cole said. "I've never done it with a wolf, and I'm
not about to start now."

"I'm dressing," Wolf said, "but I want you to know that I am objecting
strenuously!"

"You can play later, Wolf, after we leave port. The Captain has a little
unfinished business, and then this town's going down. He wants you back aboard
the ship immediately."

"I swear, Wolf," Elvira commented as she slipped into her bodysuit but
did not bother to put any further clothes on, "I think you must be the only one
on your entire ship that isn't a party pooper!"

"I might be a party pooper," Cole said, "but I keep my mind on the
business at hand." He never saw the raspberry that Elvira shot at his back. "You
two can party later." He opened his eyes, relieved to see that they were dressed
or, at least, what evidently passed for being dressed in Elvira's case. He
reached out, touched both of them on the hand, and shimmered them to the Pearl.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawson went in search of Faith and finally found her in the sleeping
quarters. She was sitting on her cot with her naked back turned toward the door.
He slipped quietly inside. "Faith?" he asked. "Can I help you? Will you let me
help you?" He knew she was hurt and only wanted to make her better.

Faith dropped her shirt, which was darkened beyond black with all the
blood from her shoulder. She had been trying to use pressure to stop it for a
while but had had little luck. A part of her knew she needed help, but she had
never accepted help before. "Why?" she asked him quietly.

"Because I want to. I care about you. I want to make you feel better,"
he said even as he drew closer to her.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't have the first idea
what you're getting into here, ki -- " She started to call him "kid" yet again,
but for some reason -- she told herself that it was only the pain --, the word
wouldn't come out.

"I'm not a doctor, but I'll do what I can. Let me get a pan of water and
some cloths. Stay here; I'll be back." He made his way to the galley and saw two
of the Halliwells sitting there. "Can I have a pan of hot water," he asked, "and
some cloths?"

Piper turned to look at Dawson. She opened her mouth to ask him why he
needed it but changed her mind at the look in his eyes. He was deeply concerned
about some one, but she could somehow sense instinctively that he wouldn't give
up the person's identity. Nodding instead, she rose and retrieved the pot of
water she had had boiling on the stove. "I'll make another one," she told him,
"and you can have this one." Opening a cabinet, she retrieved a cloth and
wrapped it around the handle of the pot before he could touch it.

"Thank you," he said. "I'll bring the pot back later."

Piper nodded and started to reach for more cloths. "How many do you
think you'll need?"

"Maybe a couple more," he said and gratefully accepted them. Making his
way slowly back, he managed to get back to Faith's side without spilling much of
the water. Dawson noticed that her back was scarred but did not say anything. He
wondered who had beat the Hell out of her so long ago that the scars were
completely healed. He began to bath her wound gently with the water that was now
warm. "Would you let one of the Lewis sisters heal you? I don't know how to
stitch up wounds, but they could heal you completely. Please, Faith; let one of
them look at you."

"Damn it!" Faith growled out. "I knew I should have told you to get
fucked!" She jerked away from him, stood, and walked away from the cot. "You're
the only one I've ever even considered letting help me, and I was an idiot for
doing that much!"

Dawson recoiled from her and was about to say something when he heard a
meow. Changing his mind, he said, "There's some one to see you, Faith. A furry
some one," he said quickly before she would have a chance to throw something.

"Kid, what the Hell are you -- ?" she started to demand as she turned
around to face him. Her angry eyes fell on the cat.

"Meow?" said the cat even as she walked closer to Faith, her green eyes
peering into Faith's angry ones. "Meow?"

Emotions flickered in Faith's eyes as they changed from being full of
anger to being haunted by sadness. She stepped back from the cat. "You don't
want me," she told it, shaking her head. "I'm a bitch; I already got one
killed." She nodded toward Dawson instead. "You want him."

"MEOW!" the cat insisted, gazing intently up into Faith's eyes, her
black fur shining as smooth as silk. She stood up on her hind legs and brushed
at the girl's hand with her head as though to let her know that she was indeed
the one she wanted to be petted by.

Despite herself, Faith had to smile. Slowly, she stroked the cat's head,
and when the feline did not recoil, her smile turned to a grin. "Hell, looks
like you're as crazy as me."

"Meow meow!" the cat said as though it was agreeing with Faith. Standing
on its hind legs, she bumped her hand again.

Faith had to laugh. The laughter that came from her was a sound unlike
any one on either of the ships had ever heard come out of her for it was truly
of happiness. She had not had a cat come to her like this one had since she had
been a child, barely old enough to remember the events that had been the first
to scar her for life. Slowly, she slid down so that she sat on the floor beside
the cat, her hand running from its head down to its back.

Unbeknownst to Faith, while she patted the cat, the cat was working a
spell on her that would heal the girl's arm completely. As soon as it was done,
she looked up into Faith's eyes again. "Meow meow meow!" It was as though she
was saying, "See you soon; gotta go," as the cat then strode majestically out of
the room with a backward glance at Faith. "Meow!"

Faith cocked her head slightly to one side. Why, she wondered, did she
have the strangest feeling that she had been had? Dawson looked at Faith's arm
in wonderment. It was healed. He did not mention it but could not help a smile
that she caught as her eyes turned upwards. "What?" she asked.

"You like cats, huh? It appears they like you too."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside, Katrina changed back to her catwoman form. It had worked, and
she could not wait to tell her sister! She did not know what she would tell
Faith when Faith finally decided to come looking for the black cat, but she
would not willingly tell the girl that it had been her. She thanked Bast for the
healing and smiled as she caught Celina's arm. "It worked! She's healed!"

"What," Celina asked in wonderment, her blue eyes full of questions,
"did you do?"

"Nothing that a little, black cat couldn't handle," Katrina said with a
grin. "I hope something works out between the two of them. I like both of them."

"Leave it to you!" Though she was beaming, Celina had to shake her head
from side to side in amazement. "Only you would finally figure out how to get a
hold of that girl!"

Katrina beamed back at her sister. "A pure stroke of genius!" she had to
admit. "I did it! She might not like it, but not even she could find fault with
a good healing."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Celina warned her, "but I'm
certainly glad you did it!" She hugged her sister tightly, pride swelling in her
heart.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, I like cats," Faith admitted, "but they're better off without . .
. " She had been standing while speaking, and as she stood, no pain registered.
Surprise flickered over her face as she realized that, and she looked down at
her injured shoulder only to find that it was completely healed. Not a single
drop of blood remained. "Black cat," she muttered under her breath. "Green eyes.
Suddenly healed. KATRINA!!!!!!!!" she roared angrily.

Just as Faith headed for the door, Dawson tackled her. "For once, Faith,
give in and be thankful that somebody cared about you enough to help you!" He
held her down, laying on top of her, his eyes gazing down into hers. "You know
you're lucky. You've got people on these ships that care about you. I've never
had any one who cared about me," he said sadly.

As she looked up into his eyes, she found the most absurd notion taking
a hold of her. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to roll with him again.
{You know better than that, Faith. Get a hold of yourself and stop being so damn
stupid!} "That's a bunch of bullshit, Dawson," she growled out at him, not
realizing that she had used his name. "Nobody cares about me; nobody's that much
of an idiot." She then rolled out from under him.

He let her go, knowing how wrong she was but knowing that only time
would prove to her that she was wrong. "I think you're wrong, Faith. You've got
a family here, and they care about you a great deal."

"You know, after all you've been through, I'd think you'd know better
than that by now. Families don't exist, not in any way other than blood, and
that gets you in more trouble than anything else." She had walked over to her
cot and was putting on a new shirt even as she remembered his. She picked it up
and tossed it to him.

He grabbed it and then looked at it. "Might as well throw this away.
Totally ruined."

"I'll steal ya another one when we hit Tortuga. Just don't go anywhere
till I can get it."

"Why, Faith? You're afraid somebody will see me naaaaked?" he asked,
stretching out the word "naked", with a grin.

She glared at him. "Why would I give a damn who saw you naked? But I'm
not going to chase you down to give it to you."

He laughed out loud, rolling onto his back. He had to shake his head at
the wonderment that Faith was. She was a crazy woman and child rolled into one,
and he was determined to make her his. If it took one day or a hundred years, he
would never stop until he could claim her as his own. "I'll make it easy for ya,
Faith. I'll stay right where you can see me."

"Didn't ask for a shadow, kid," she told him, now fully dressed once
more and heading again for the door. "Don't want one; don't need one. But I do
need to get my hands on that conniving catbitch."

Dawson didn't try to stop her this time. He knew he couldn't. "Just
remember, Faith. She helped you."

Faith was about to step over him when he said that. Instead, she paused,
her foot in the air, as she looked down at him. "Haven't ya learned anything?
When somebody helps somebody, they're always after something."

"Not always," Dawson said, remembering Brendan's kindness and that
Brendan had not requested anything in turn except that Dawson keep himself safe
and out of trouble. "Not every one wants everything they can get out of you."

"Let me tell ya something, kid. I've encountered two of the people that
practically every damn body would have told you could be trusted, and neither
one could be. I've got the scars to prove it. If you wanna survive in this
world, the best thing you can do is count on yourself and no one else."

"I can never be that way, Faith. I need others to be there for me, and I
need to be there for some one."

She shook her head. "Then you're going to die a fool."

"Maybe, but I won't die alone . . . " his voice trailed off and he let
her go.

She wanted to stay. She wanted to talk some sense into him but
stubbornly ignored what her lips wanted to do. She knew better than to stay,
however, and took the stairs two at a time. Bursting through the door, she
bellowed, "KATRINA!!!"

Katrina appeared in front of Faith. "Yes, Faith?" she asked in a calm,
quiet voice. "Figured you'd be coming once you found out what I did."

"Why?" Faith snarled. "Why the Hell'd you bother?"

"Maybe because I care about you."

"No, really, why?"

"Like I said, Faith, I care about you, whether you want to believe it or
not."

"Why?"

"We're family, and as family, we take care of each other."

"You know, Katrina," Faith growled at her, "you could have come up with
something a Hell of a lot more convincing than that. I don't have any family."

"Nothing's ever more convincing, Faith, than the truth," Katrina said.
"One day you'll see that."

"Yeah, but the truth is that I don't have a family, Katrina. You wanna
care for your family, you go look up the rest of them. I don't have one."

"Yes, you do," she reaffirmed what she already said. "One day you'll be
ready to let us in. In the meanwhile, we'll have to be content to care for you
from afar."

"I don't need any one to care about me," she spat. "What I need is to go
kill something." She turned away from Katrina and descended back into the
sleeping quarters, slamming the door in the redhead's face.

Sadness in her heart, Katrina watched the girl go, hoping that one day
she'd let them all in and knowing, just as she'd told Faith, that they were
indeed a family and families had to be there for each other even when they
weren't wanted.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peering through the darkness, Faith shook her head as she realized that
Dawson was still laying on the floor. She did not bother to give him a second
glance as she ran down the stairs and jumped over him. She walked to her bed and
picked up the sword she normally used. She shook her head. A normal blade would
suffice for what she intended, but it wasn't what she wanted. She let it crash
onto the floor with a clatter, then flipped her cot over.

Dawson jumped as though a bee had stung him. Crawling to his feet, he
asked, "What the Hell?", and then saw it was only Faith having what he caught
was a temper tantrum. "What's a matter now?" he asked.

"Just looking for something," she called back to him. "By the way," she
added, keeping her voice casual, "I've been meaning to ask you something . . . "

"Yes?" he asked.

"How the Hell'd you go from getting deflowered to winding up at that
damn place?"

"My Father sold me," he said in a quiet voice. "He's always hated me. He
blamed me for my Mother running off on him, and he's mistreated me all my life.
He even beat me, and then today, he sold me as though I was nothing! I've done
all I can for him ever since I've been big enough to work to help make a go of
that store. He never once thanked me, touched me except in anger, and then
today, after you left, he decided he wanted to . . . " His voice trailed off.
"Use me in a whole 'nother way. When I refused, he beat the crap out of me. He
knocked me unconscious, and when I woke up, I was there." He did not look at her
the whole time he was talking.

She had been detaching a sword from the bottom of her cot when he had
began talking. Her fingers had stilled on the straps as she had listened to him.
"You know," she said quietly, "what he did isn't your fault."

"I know that, but I never realized just how much I hated him until I
woke up in that place. He drove my Mother away by abusing her. Then he wanted to
use me in her place. What kind of father does that to his kid?" He shook his
head sadly. "I want to forget about him. I don't ever want to see him again."
His hands clenched by his side. "I'm afraid that if I do, I might kill him."

She was not surprised at his words, but she carefully stilled her tongue
from telling him that he would never have to look upon his father again. She had
managed to keep that quiet but nonetheless slipped up as she returned her
attention to unfastening the sword. "I can't answer your question, though,
Dawson. I'd like to be able to, but I've always wondered the same thing ever
since my Mother . . . " She stopped herself just then, realizing what had
slipped out.

Dawson didn't pick up on what she had said. He hoped one day she would
feel free to tell him. Maybe they could help each other get through this awful
nightmare. He could tell she was preparing to go out, but he did not want to go
with her. He had had enough blood and guts for one day. "Be careful, Faith, and
come home soon." He had not even realized that he was now calling the ship home.

"Told ya before," she said, finally freeing the sword and setting her
cot back down. "I don't have a home."

"I think the ship's going to be mine. I feel welcomed here. Something I
never felt before anywhere."

"Better find some place else, kid," she muttered. And she'd better talk
to Jack. She attached the sword's scabbard to her belt and made the decision to
confront Jack before she left. Without another word to Dawson, she headed back
up.

He stood there, watching her go and praying for her safety, before
seeking out a cot and laying down. He could not remember a time he had ever been
so tired, and his eyes drifted quickly closed.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brown eyes blinked open and looked around hazily. Swords hung in various
places on the walls, and they were the only bit of familiarity he could see
until his eyes fell upon a familiar, perhaps too familiar, face. She sat beside
him, her blue eyes shimmering with tears and her blonde hair framing her face as
she gazed down at him. "Elizabeth."

"Will!" she gasped. "You're awake! How do you feel?"

He had half expected to find himself dead when he awoke, but much to his
astonishment and amazement, Will found that his body did not seem to hurt at
all. He was exhausted, however, and could barely keep his eyes open. {I must be
too tired to feel it,} he thought to himself. "Tired," he answered aloud.
"Where's Jack?"

"He needed to deal with some other matters," she told him. "There's so
much activity on board today, but I can call him if you want me to?"

"No," Will said and slowly shook his head. Although he was having
difficulty focusing, he had not forgotten the decision he had made and knew that
if he did not act upon it now, he might not have the courage to do so later.
"Elizabeth," he said, reaching a weak hand up towards her, "there's something I
have to tell you."

"What?" she asked him, catching his hand and pressing a kiss to its
back.

He stilled himself from showing the repulsion that fluttered in both his
gut and heart. "Please," he whispered, "don't do that."

Confusion creased her brow. "What?" she asked innocently.

"I never wanted to hurt you," he struggled to explain, "and I'll always
care for you, Elizabeth, but I can not hide any longer." Her heart stilled, and
she knew she did not want to hear his next words. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but I
do not love you."

She gasped aloud and drew back from in shock. "Will, no!" she exclaimed.
Tears welled in her eyes, and her frantic words stumbled over themselves. "You
-- You don't know what you're saying! You're too tired!"

"No," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "I do know what I'm saying,
Elizabeth. I'm sorry. I know this hurts you, but I must be true to myself and to
my heart. I. Do. Not. Love. You. I never have."

"But why . . . ?" she tried to ask, shaking her head and continuing to
look down at him in disbelief.

"I thought I did, but something happened when I set sail with Jack to
rescue you. Something happened that I never would have thought possible. I found
myself out on the sea, Elizabeth. I found myself. I found what I always felt
missing from my life, but I'd never known what it was before. I found out that
I'm a Pirate, through and through; that the sea is my home; and most of all, I
found . . . " He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes for a brief
moment as he stilled himself for her reaction. Then opening his eyes, he looked
directly into her eyes as he told her, "And I found the man I love."

"NO!" Her shout of denial rang throughout the cabin and echoed past its
walls. "NO! Will, you're delirious! You don't know what you're talking about!"
Tears streamed down her face, and she turned to run from him.

He caught her wrist before she could, however. "Elizabeth, look at me.
Please look at me. I never wanted to hurt you, but marrying you, no matter how
great a woman you would be for any other man, when I did not love you would not
have been fair to either of us." He did not want to hurt her, but he nonetheless
tightened his grip on her wrist just enough to bring her gaze unwillingly back
to him. "I know this is hard for you to believe, but you must believe me."

"Please, Will," she whispered, her tears increasing and tearing at his
heart, "let go of me."

"Not yet," he told her, shaking his head. "I can't yet." He had to make
her understand. "Honestly, Elizabeth, I didn't want to hurt you, but it only
would have ended up trapping us both in a loveless marriage had I continued the
charade."

He breathed a sigh as a thought finally came to him of a way he might be
able to convince her of the truth. "Elizabeth, do you remember when Jack sailed
away after we rescued him from being hung?" She nodded slowly, and he could tell
from the look on her face and in her eyes that she remembered what he had not
yet made mention of. "Do you remember how I was crying when you kissed me?"

"Yes," she answered reluctantly with a slow nod. Her voice was so faint
that he could barely hear her.

"Do you remember what I told you when you asked me?"

She nodded again but was still having trouble finding her voice for the
tears that choked her throat. "You . . . You told me that you were crying for
joy, joy that I loved you."

"And did you believe me?" he persisted. "Honestly?"

"No," she admitted with a sigh, the truth finally sinking in. "But I
wanted to."

"I wish I could take that back. I wish I would have had the courage then
to tell you the truth, because it would have hurt you less than waiting as long
as I have has. But you were right then. I wasn't crying for joy. I was crying,"
he admitted with a deep breath, "because the man I love was sailing away and I
thought I'd never see him again."

As the truth sank in, she trembled at the realization that the man she
loved loved another. She did not hate him even then. She did not throw the ring
he had given him at her; she did not even think about it. She did not curse him
or even slap him. Instead, as he released her wrist, knowing that she finally
knew the truth and trusting her to keep it to herself, she ran from the cabin as
if it was Hell itself and the Devil was trying to ensnare her. Her tears blinded
her as she continued to run.

Will's sigh echoed in the room where he had been left alone. His
shoulders sagged as he dropped back into the unfamiliar but comfortable bed. He
had done it. He had finally broken it off with Elizabeth and told her the truth.
But how, he wondered even as sleep claimed him again, would he ever have the
courage to face Jack with the truth? How could he ever tell the man he loved,
who he knew would never love him in the same way, how he truly felt for him,
that he loved him with his entire heart and soul, that his lips thirsted for
his, that his body ached desperately for his? And what would he do when Jack
turned from him in disgust and his only chance for a happy life with the man he
loved was gone forever? What would he do?



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lorne sniffed the air until he located Jack. Making his way slowly
toward where the scent was coming from, he finally came upon Brendan laying out
on the floor and Jack sitting beside him. Jack seemed to be lost deep in thought
and did not stir as Lorne first came up. "Captain?" Lorne asked.

"Don't ask," Jack said. "Women are more trouble than they're worth. I
had to stop him. Gods knows what he would have done to Miss Halliwell had I
not!"

"Miss Halliwell's in love with him, sir, or at least she thinks she is.
I had to leave the galley, but I heard some of her words as I was leaving. She'd
probably be the best thing for him, but Gods knows what kind of trouble lays
between them! I'll sit with him till he wakes." Lorne knew Jack had other
problems on his mind and that he had to be about attending to them.

"Thanks, Lorne; don't leave him until he wakes up. He'll be disoriented.
Tell him I'm sorry." He reached out and gently stroked Brendan's head. "I don't
know what's been happening between Brendan and me lately. Seems like every time
I turn around, I'm asking him to forgive me. I guess it's true that you only
hurt those you love."

Lorne knew that Jack loved Brendan as the younger brother he never had.
They watched over each other even when they were fighting.

Jack slowly got to his feet. "Well, I'd best get changed before Cole
returns. Thanks, Lorne," he said again and headed off for his cabin. Suddenly,
he was almost knocked from his feet by a running figure. He managed to catch
her, realizing at the same time that it was Elizabeth. "Elizabeth? Is Will
okay?" he asked, his voice showing deep concern.

Elizabeth nodded but did not speak. She choked back the sobs that rose
in her throat even as tears continued to run down her face.

He lifted her chin and reached in his pocket for his handkerchief. It
was a lacey, silky thing and not worthy of much of anything. He gently wiped her
tears away. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes looking deeply into hers. "Did
some one say something to hurt your feelings?" He hated to see women cry but
most especially when he knew them and cared about them. He was at a loss until
she could tell him what was wrong.

"Oh, Jack!" Elizabeth wailed, throwing her arms around him and
desperately clinging to him. "It's so awful!" She managed to slowly gasp out an
explanation even as she sobbed into his shoulder. "Will . . . He . . . He just .
. . He just broke off our engagement!"

He hugged her gently. "The boy is distraught, my dear. If you had been
through what he's been through today, you would probably not have made it, but
he's built of stronger stuff. He survived but not without cost. Give him time,
and I'm sure he'll change his mind again. I've seen how he looks at you. I know
he loves you. He's just afraid now, and deep down, probably associates, in his
mind, what your father did to him with you. He's not thinking clearly." He
continued to hold her gently.

She shook her head fiercely, her long, blonde hair shimmering down her
back as she did so. "No," she cried out, "that's not it! I thought it was at
first, too, Jack, but it's not!"

"What did he say he was?" he asked her in a steady, calm voice, patting
her on the back.

"He . . . He said he loves another."

"Have you ever seen him look at another woman? Think, Elizabeth! The
only woman I've ever seen him look at is you, and he makes cow eyes at you every
time he looks at you!"

Remembering who it was that her beloved truly loved, she pulled away
from Jack's embrace. She did not move any further from him but had difficulty
forcing her eyes to meet him as she told him slowly, "It's not another woman."

Jack had to smile at that. "I've never heard anything more far-fetched
than that, Elizabeth! What better thing could he come up with to get you to
leave him alone than to claim he loves somebody else and that's it not even a
woman?! Please, Elizabeth, use your brain, not your emotions! You've got to give
the boy time. I could never see him with a man." He had to cover his mouth to
keep from laughing. Gods, if it were only true, he thought, that he loved a man
and were he that man! He'd never ask for anything else for himself again, but he
didn't dare to believe it.

"I am using my brain," Elizabeth snapped, her eyes blazing up at Jack
despite the tears that still filled them, "and time isn't going to do any good!"
She sighed, realizing she had bitten his head off though she had not meant to.
"Jack, he explained everything. There's been . . . problems all along in our
relationship, and he finally told me the truth about them all. He used to cry
whenever we kissed, and now I know why."

"Elizabeth," he said softly, "a man can not always perform though he
would love to. Some men can't for one reason; some can't for others. Will's a
virgin. It will be his first time. Don't you think he's scared to death? I can't
remember when I was a virgin. I think I was eight, but I've been having problems
lately, as well. I think it's got to do with my diet and lack of rum. You've
seen women passing by and slapping the fire out of me. Well, the only one of
those I actually deserved was Anna Maria. The rest of them were just mad at me,
because I couldn't perform. A man will use anything for an excuse, especially
when he's failing the woman he loves." He paused to give her time to say
something.

"He doesn't love me, Jack!" she exclaimed the moment he gave her a
chance. "I wish he did, but he doesn't! Didn't you hear what I said?! I didn't
mention his not being able to perform, as you call it! What I said was that he
cried every time we kissed!"

"Virgin," Jack repeated. "You're the only woman he's ever kissed. Guys
pretend to be hard, but we're not as hard as we make out. A kiss with you would
be a beautiful thing, and I can see Will clutching it to him as though it were a
jewel yet believing himself not worthy of you so he would cry. He would hope you
wouldn't know, but how can you kiss somebody and not know if they're crying? You
want me to talk to him? He's lost right now."

"You can try," she said, "but you're going to find out the same thing he
already told me. That's the same line he originally fed me about his crying,
Jack, but there was always sadness in his eyes, never happiness. The first time
it happened was when we kissed as you were leaving." She silenced herself
quickly before she could tell him that it was he her beloved loved but then
spoke instead, "Whoever he loves is on this ship, but it's not me."

"Maybe he loves the Pearl?" Jack said. "I know I do. She's my mistress
and my one true love. He seemed to take to piracy rather well. Maybe he was
crying for all the missed adventures he knew he'd never have. Let me have a talk
with him, Elizabeth. My question to you is this: Do you love Will or are you
just infatuated with him? Do you truly love him?"

"Of course I love him," she answered immediately for there was no doubt
in her mind that she did, "but that doesn't matter! He doesn't love me!" She
shook her head in frustration. "You can try talking to him, Jack, but I'm
telling you: It's not going to do either of us any good."

He reached out and touched his right index finger to her lips.
"Patience, dear lady. Time heals everything. I promise I'll talk to him first
thing tomorrow. Just leave him alone for now; get some rest. I've got to go out
for a while, and the ship will be moving just as soon as Cole returns. It needs
to be outside the port."

She nodded understandingly but did not bother to tell him yet again that
she knew his talk with Will would do no good. She wondered for a moment what
Jack would think if he knew he was the one who Will truly loved.

Releasing her, Jack continued on to his cabin. Once there, he quietly
entered, walked over to the trunk that was at the foot of his bed, and began to
rifle through its contents. Will was asleep, or at least so Jack thought, and
Jack was quiet as a mouse as he did not want to wake him although he kept
stealing glances at him. From the looks that kept flashing over his face, he
could tell that he seemed to be deep in sleep and having a bad dream. In truth,
however, Will was continually stealing glances at Jack but quickly shutting his
eyes every time the pirate moved to look at him.

Finally, Jack located the outfit he was looking for: black pants, black
shirt, and a black hat. He pulled them out of the trunk and carried them over to
one of the chairs that was in the room. He sat down in it, took off his boots,
and began to change his clothes. He heard a sharp gasp from behind him, but as
he turned to look back at Will, he found that he was still asleep. With a shrug,
he turned back to changing his clothes, never realizing how desperately Will was
fighting to keep from looking.

Jack's mind was on what he was about to do, and the only woman he could
think of who would help him in his quest was Faith. He knew she had intentions
of returning as well though she had not told him so; he had a good ideal what
she was going to be doing but would not interfere. He felt whatever heartless
bastard had sold the kid deserved it, too.

He felt the ship begin to move and realized that Cole had returned with
Wolf and Elvira, a woman he had yet to meet. He hoped she'd be good for Wolf. He
desperately needed an anchor who could hold up to him and settle him down some.
He usually ran after every woman while he was in port, trying to find one who
could match him and came away saddened.

He pulled his hair back and bound it. He decided to keep the same sword
he had used earlier that day. It was a perfect slice and dice sword and that was
what he was planning on doing. He put his hat on his head and looked back one
last time at Will, who seemed to be resting better now. Then he went out the
door in search of Faith, never hearing the sigh of relief that echoed after the
sound of the door shutting.

Chapter Twenty-one
Jack stood on the railing, balancing precariously, as the Pearl made its
way out of the harbor and passed the Witch where upon he leaped onto the deck of
the Witch. It was at that moment that Faith exited the sleeping quarters, and he
could tell from the expression on her face that she was already angry. Then
again, he thought, when isn't she angry?

Faith had been about to make her way over to the Pearl when she saw Jack
standing just inside the railing. She began to head towards him the very instant
she saw him, and her glaring eyes cut through him even from that distance. "I've
gotta talk to you!"

"I need to talk to you too, Faith. I need a favor," Jack replied. "I
know you don't do anything for free, so name your price."

"Don't know or care what it is," she answered without hesitation, her
eyes looking up into his even as she folded her arms in front of her chest.
"There's only one way I'm doing it."

"And what is that?" Jack asked.

"You get that damn kid out of our crew."

"Done," Jack said. "I need you to play a woman."

She quirked a brow at him. "What the Hell do I look like?"

"I mean, a woman of the street," he said, grasping for words. "I need
you to pretend to be all fired up for the Governor and unable to wait. Get him
to come to his room, dismissing his guards. That's why I said to wait until you
heard what it is to name your price. Is that all you want?"

"Jack, you know me enough to know that I don't have any problem luring
his fat butt to his bedroom to get slaughtered. It'll be kind of fun actually,"
she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "But I want that kid gone. I don't
care how you do it as long as you don't hurt him. Just do it."

"He won't be here when you get back. Are you ready?" Jack asked even as
he heard Cole come up behind them.

"Captain?" Cole asked.

Jack continued looking at Faith. "Faith?"

"Ready whenever you boys are."

Jack, looking at her face, suggested, "Maybe you should freshen up a
little before we go?"

Cole remained quiet. He knew better than to say anything to Faith and
feared that Jack had bitten off more than he could chew at that comment.

She again quirked an eyebrow at him. "You sayin' I'm not hot enough
now?"

"No. I'm saying you've got blood on your face, and it might turn the
Governor off. It might look like he had beat you up." He quirked an eyebrow back
at her. "Then again it might turn him on, but it'll still draw the guards'
suspicions."

She made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat. "You know damn well
that I could turn him on, blood or no blood, but give me a minute and I'll get
it off." Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed off for the
sleeping quarters.

Jack turned to look at Cole. "Don't hang around after you've taken us. I
don't know how long it's going to take, and you don't need to be a witness.
Thank you for everything, Cole. I know I don't get around to thanking everybody
for their contributions, but without each and every one of us, we'd all be at a
loss. If something should happen and I don't make it back by dark, get everybody
out of here. I don't know what evil is coming. It keeps getting stronger all the
time. Even I can feel it. I want my family out of here."

"You're welcome, Captain," Cole said. "You know Angel and I will protect
them, but I don't like the ideal of sailing without you."

"If I'm not there with you, it'll be because I can't be," Jack said,
"but you've got to keep them safe, even the kid that Faith wants gotten rid of.
She's not going to find it so easy to get rid of him." He broke off talking as
he heard Faith coming back.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Jack had talked with Cole, Faith had returned to the sleeping
quarters. She took the stairs two at a time, thinking that she was alone and
that Dawson had moved off somewhere, until she reached the beginning of the
cots. It was only then that her eyes adjusted enough that she was able to see
that he was indeed still there, stretched out on a cot that he had placed next
to hers. "Great," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Just what I would've
needed to wake up to in the morning: a lovesick pup."

She moved to her cot and quickly washed her face with the pot of water
and cloths he'd brought down from the galley. As she stood, she glanced back at
him and was surprised to find that her breath stilled in her throat. He seemed
so innocent, laying there, and she knew that, despite everything he'd been
through that day, he still was. He needed to get out of there. She knew it was
the best thing for both of them even if she would not allow herself to admit the
tinglings of emotion that stirred within her at times like then when she looked
at him.

Shaking off her thoughts, she headed quickly back up into the daylight.
As she exited the sleeping quarters again, however, she found that no sunlight
hit her. Looking up at the sky, she saw that the dark clouds and snow had
completely blotted out the sun. She shrugged and, without another thought to the
weather, headed back to where she had left Jack and Cole.

"Ready," she called to them the moment she could see them again. As she
reached them, however, she looked up at Cole. "Take it you're shimmering us in,
Demon boy?"

"Yes, ma'am, and right away," he said as he reached out and touched her
and Jack simultaneously. Seconds later, he had them in the hallway outside the
Governor's bedroom. He had been there before, but he wasn't sure which bedroom
belonged to the Governor. "Be safe," he whispered to both of them as he
shimmered away and back to the ship.

He was at a loss as to what to do with himself while he waited for their
return to the ship. Only then did he remember that they had not completely taken
on provisions and set about to do just that for both ships. Half of it would
have to wait to be delivered until they had rejoined their sister ship. He
shimmered from shop to shop, appearing only long enough to grab what was needed
and disappearing before any one could even try to stop him. He continued the
process, returning to the Witch after each shop and leaving what he had taken on
her deck.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xena and Gabrielle had been lost in each other for some time, their
tears intermingling with the sweet tastes of their lips, when Xena finally ended
their kiss. Her blue eyes continued gazing deeply into Gabrielle's green ones as
she spoke, "We are long overdue for a talk, Gabby. I didn't mean for it to go on
for as long as it did, but I was scared. I didn't want anything to happen to
you, and I knew that if any one attacked the ship, they'd go for my
second-in-command after me. Wolverine was a tough, old bird like I am and agreed
to be my second-in-command. In fact, he welcomed the challenge."

"I am not ashamed to say that my love for you clouded my judgment, but I
am ashamed to say that I didn't talk to you about it and kept it a secret for so
long. You know me. I'm not good with words, but the chance of almost losing you
scared me to death. I barely made it to you! Please promise me you won't try
anything like that again! I don't want any more secrets between us."

"There never should have been any secrets between us, Xena. I still
don't understand why you couldn't just tell me," Gabrielle answered, shaking her
head. "You should be able to trust me, but you didn't. I can't promise you that
I'll never try that again, because we don't know what lays ahead of us and if I
were to lose you, I wouldn't want to live."

"As I would not want to live if I lost you. I swear to you that is the
only thing I have ever kept from you. I wanted to protect you, and I never
realized until today that you don't need protecting any longer. You're as strong
as I am, and that scares the Hell out of me. I was proud of you in everything
you've ever done, but I never accepted the fact that you had grown up to be such
a strong woman."

"How could I not?" she asked her. "Xena, you taught me, and you're so
much more to me than just the woman I love. You've always been my role model,
but even that and being my soul mate doesn't even begin to cover it. You're
everything to me, and I learned from the best."

Laying on her back and gazing up into her beloved's eyes, Xena said, "I
promise I will never keep any more secrets from you and that I will never, ever
try to keep you from reaching your full potential. You are my love, my life, my
reason for being . . . and I will love you and be here for you forever."

"As long as we're together, Xena, I promise I'll never try that again,
but you," she continued, lovingly stroking Xena's face and hair, "have got to
stop being so afraid for me. I know it's hard. You're the strongest woman there
is, but I still fear for you every time we're in battle. We always will be
afraid for each other. We can't help it, because we love each other and it's
only natural to be afraid for the one you love. But think about this: Even if I
wasn't your second-in-command, we're still together. If any one attacked us,
they'd see that if they stopped to watch for just a moment, and if they did,
they'd go for me over Wolverine any way."

Xena shook her head. "Never thought about it that way, Gabby. Like I
said, we need to talk more, but not now. Now I want to make love to you," she
continued, caressing Gabrielle's cheek and her touch sending tingles shooting
through her lover's body and soul. "I want to show you with my every action just
how much I do love you and that you are everything to me." She reached up and
pulled her down to her, and the breath of her last words brushed across
Gabrielle's lips before she touched them with her own.

Their kiss began gently, but its passion quickly grew. Although Xena did
want to show Gabrielle just how true the words she had sought so hard and long
to find and tell her were, she also couldn't wait any longer. There was just
something about fear that ignited her blood. When she slayed, she had to get
laid, and when they fought like this, she could never wait to make up. She
rolled Gabrielle over on her back and buried her tongue in her mouth.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They took turns opening the doors and peeking inside to see what was in
each of the rooms that lined the hallway. At last, Jack opened a door to a room
that looked masculine in its furnishings. He figured that it was the Governor's
room, and motioning to Faith, he let her know he'd be waiting in there.

Faith nodded to Jack, and even as he went into the room and closed the
door behind him, turned and began to walk in search of the Governor. The halls
were long and suspiciously devoid of activity. She had no ideal that the
Governor had given most of his men the afternoon off so that they might make
sure that the auction was a success and kept her guard up at all times. As she
walked, she made note of the portraits that hung on the walls and the suits of
armor that lined the corridors, thus creating a mental map of her path so that
she could find her way back when the time came.

Finally, after what seemed like forever to her, she heard voices.
Turning another corner, she spotted two guards standing in front of a tall set
of double doors. She did not try to hide but instead walked closer, swaying her
hips seductively from side to side as she did so. The guard on the right noticed
her first and called out sharply, "Halt!" She gasped, pressing a hand to her
arched bosom and stopping still in her tracks.

The left guard had now turned his attention to her, and she could feel
their eyes feasting on her figure. "I haven't seen you around the mansion
before. Who are you?" the first guard asked.

"I'm just a present for the Governor," she told them innocently. Drawing
her lips down into a pout, she added, "They told me that I was supposed to be a
surprise for him. They so wanted to cheer him up," she breathed, still pouting
seductively at the guards, "after what happened with his daughter's wedding this
morning. That's why they wanted me to be a surprise, but they told me that the
guards would be expecting me."

The guards glanced at each other suspiciously. They hadn't heard
anything about a woman being sent to the Governor. Had the morning guards simply
forgotten to tell them, or was she a trap of some kind? "I'm sorry, ma'am," the
first guard spoke again, looking back at the raven-haired beauty, "but we can't
let you in."

"Oh no!" Faith cried out in distraught, a hand flying to her mouth and
her dark eyes shimmering as if she was about to cry. "And I so needed the money!
I was even hoping to get in a little overtime with some of the guards like
yourselves."

Again, the guards exchanged a glance, and again, it was the one on the
right who spoke. "How much do you cost?" he asked her, eyeing her openly.

"I'm usually two hundred pounds, but I'll cut my rate in half and give
you two boys my best at the same time for only fifty each if you'll just let me
complete my job with the Governor first. I'd really hate to have to go back to
Bob and tell him that I couldn't get in because somebody else didn't do their
job." She shuddered and shivered, and fear clouded her eyes as she whispered,
seemingly to herself but keeping her voice just loud enough that she knew they'd
be able to hear her, "Why, there's no telling what he'd do!"

The two guards exchanged a final glance, and then, with a shared nod,
they turned back to her. "All right," the leader of the two finally relented.
"We'll let you pass."

"Really?" Faith asked hopefully, her eyes looking pleadingly up at them
even as her breasts drew taut against the tight fabric of her black leather
bodice.

He nodded again. "Long as you stay true to your offer."

"Oh, I will!" she exclaimed, sashaying up to them and quickly closing
the distance between them. "Why, with two such handsome and strong," she purred
the words as her hands reached out and stroked their armored chests in promise
of things to come, "men like you, it'll be my pleasure!"

The first guard reached out his free hand and stroked the small of her
back. "You know, we could leave our posts for a few minutes."

"Ooo," Faith moaned, wiggling under his touch and running her fingers up
to stroke his lips, "that sure would be great! Buuut," she trailed out the word
reluctantly, "I'd better do my job first."

He nodded in understanding, released her, and opened the door. Several
voices had been talking at once, but all stopped the very second the door
opened. "What is the meaning of this interruption?!" the Governor bellowed. His
thunder died in his throat, however, as he looked up to see the woman standing
in the doorway.

She leaned in the doorway, one hand pressed to either side of the frame
and her breasts arching so that they seemed to be aching to jump out of her
bodice. Her lips curled up into a slow but wide smile as the other men's gazes
followed the Governor's and each sat staring at her, seemingly transfixed.
{Men!} she thought. {They're all the same. It's all business until a hot woman
shows up, and then every thought but their dicks goes jumping out of the
window!} Her face showed no sign of her thoughts as she moved into the room,
walking with the same seductive sway that was so natural to her and made every
head turn.

Their eyes followed her body as she strode slowly around the room before
coming to a stop in front of the Governor. His eyes, huge with lust, looked up
at her, and the way his lips moved told her that he was trying to talk but could
not quite get the words to come out. "Governor," she purred to him, reaching out
a hand to cup his face, "I know you're in a meeting, and I am so sorry to
interrupt something as important as it must be to hold the attention of a man
such as yourself." Her hand had trailed slowly down the side of his face and
neck as she had been talking and continued running down his torso. "But I've
been ordered to report here. You see, I'm here as a present," she concluded,
feeling him twitching under her touch and then jerking straight up as her
fingertips caressed the top of the bulge in his pants, "for you."

The Governor did not stop to wonder who had sent her. In fact, he did
not stop to think about anything except for the fact that there was a gorgeous
woman standing in front of him, willing and waiting to be taken by him alone.
Even now, as her fingertips rubbed the tip of his sword through his pants for
everybody in the room to see, his eyes were not settled upon her face but rather
upon the two luscious breasts that hung down in front of him, just inches from
his mouth, begging him to take a bite. His mouth watered at the sight, and his
hands itched to grab her. He could feel the others' eyes upon him and, for just
a moment, considered declining her offer. It was then that her fingers pressed
down harder on his member.

Reaching up, the Governor started to pull Faith into his lap. She did
not struggle against him and even let him press her body against his. In fact,
she leaned into his embrace, pressing her breasts tightly against his chest and
letting his mouth linger against her bare shoulder. "Not here," she whispered so
close to his ear that her hot breath tickled his skin and her tongue licked his
lobe. "I can't do half the things I can to you without a bed, and I don't work
as good with an audience as I do one on one." She could feel the Governor shoot
up at her whispered statement and was glad for the clothes that kept him from
succeeding in embedding in her at that very moment.

"To my bedroom, then!" the Governor excitedly commanded. He slapped her
on the rear, and she arched her breasts against him before sliding slowly off of
his body.

He watched her rear twisting from side to side as she walked to the
doorway. Standing there, she looked longingly over her shoulder at him. "Don't
be long," she purred to him, her lips turning back to the same seductive pout
she had used on the guards.

"I'm right behind you!" the Governor exclaimed, jumping from his chair
and quickly running after her. He did not give a single second's worth of
attention to the complaints that rose up in the room all around him but
continued after his present. Faith stayed just ahead of him, luring him steadily
closer to his room and disappearing around each corner just as he turned onto
the hallway.

She was at the door to his room when the Governor finally turned onto
the hallway where his bedroom was. She winked and blew a kiss at him before
slipping into the room and quickly shutting the door behind her. Glancing to the
bed, she saw the lump she expected and knew was Jack. Without hesitation, she
ran silently across the room and climbed out of the window. Her hands had barely
disappeared from the ledge when she heard the door open again. She grinned,
knowing that the Governor was about to get exactly what he deserved. She would
have liked to have hung around and watched it happen but had her own heartless
bastard to take care of. Dropping to the ground, she hurried off in the
direction she figured she would find Dawson's father's store.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel was watching over the new woman, but his mind was on Cordelia. He
thought he had never seen a more beautiful woman and wondered just how to go
about courting her. After all, she was a Princess and was used to all kinds of
Knights in shining armor, but he was about the furthest thing one could get from
a Knight. He knew that. He also knew that he was poor and had nothing to offer
her except a heart that didn't beat but was full of love. He wondered how she'd
take it when he told her that he was a Vampire. If she ran screaming into the
night, he'd have to follow her and make sure she didn't hurt herself, but then
he'd have to step back away from her and not make her feel that she was
threatened.

The woman seemed to be quiet. She was pacing angrily up and down in the
cell, but he knew the cell would hold her. After all, it had held him, Brendan,
Wolf, and even the cats during some of their worst moments, and although they
had all tried desperately to get out, it had always been in vain. Doctor Doom
had made the cell. Angel figured it would probably last until the end of the
world and whoever's unworthy hide was inside of it would not be able to get out
even then.

"Crys, are you hungry?" Angel asked.

She turned at the sound of his voice and raised her head to look up at
him. The dark look that shot from her ice blue eyes was so fierce that it could
have killed a lesser man. "Why should you be concerned over that?" she
questioned him. "You have me locked in this cell, and for what?! Healing your
Captain's friend!"

"No, ma'am, you're locked in there for your own protection. I've been
locked in there before, and it was for my own protection."

"I do not need to be protected!" she snapped, her tone even making
Elvira cringe. "What I need is to get away from this ship full of ungrateful
wretches!"

"Ma'am, we are extremely grateful for what you did for Will, but we just
can't let you go running back in to that town. It's not going to be here in a
little while."

"I am fully aware of that," she returned. "What you and the others do
not know, however, is that my healing that man may well have been for naught!
You think you are protecting me, but what you are doing, in truth, is
endangering everybody aboard this vessel!"

"Ma'am, we're always in danger. It's just a fact of life we live with.
We're Pirates, and every one wants us."

"You may think that to be so and it may even be to a certain level," she
replied, trying to force calmness into her voice, "but you have never drawn the
wrath of what will come after you if you do not release me!"

He looked at her eyes. "What makes you think that you have the power to
destroy us? We're not some helpless old people, and we're not what we seem to
be."

"I know," she cut him off, looking him dead in the eyes. "You're a
Vampire."

That surprised him. How could she know he was a Vampire as he had not
made that common knowledge? "Well, since you seem to know that," he said, "you
should also be aware that there are Werewolves and Witches aboard. We're all
good at protecting ourselves."

"But not against a force of this magnitude."

"We've been against evil beings many times. The Pearl even had ghosts
with living skeletons aboard it. They almost did us in, but we fought and
finally defeated them. What is this force you keep talking about, and why do you
think it's coming after you?"

"I do not think," she answered him. "I know, but I can not tell you why
nor what he," she did not realize her slip until the word was already out of her
mouth, "is. However, you must release me! You may have gone against the Devil
himself, but you've never fought anything anywhere near this magnitude. He can
kill you and all those you hold dear with a single thought!"

"But he hasn't managed to kill you yet. How is that?" Angel asked.

"Because I've been lucky," she spoke the word with great disgust on her
tongue, nearly spitting it. "He has killed others before, though, to get to me,
and he will not hesitate to do so again!"

"Ma'am, you're in a good place. He will have a hard time finding you. We
have already left the port and are anchored now, waiting for the Captain to
return. We are far enough out that the town cannons can not hit us. It will not
be long, and we will be even further out. Anything trying to get to you will
have a Hell of a time locating you. You will be safe, but I can't let you out of
there until the Captain returns. He has given us an order to keep you safe in
there, and only he can countermand his own order."

She glared at him, and her voice came out almost in a hiss. "You are not
listening to me!" she cried. "The ship is not safe! I am not safe! You are not
safe! Nobody here is nor will they be as long as you have me aboard!" She
paused, looking at him thoughtfully and then asked in a quieter, calmer voice,
"Isn't there any one here you care about? Any one you love who you do not wish
to be hurt, not to mention killed?!"

"There are many here I care about, ma'am, but I can't let you go. I
happen to agree with the Captain. I think you're safe in there."

She folded her arms before her chest even as she announced, "Then you
are a fool and condemn all those you claim to care about to death!"

"Ma'am, you're giving me a headache, and your arguing's not going to get
you anything. I'm going up. I will send another guard down. I have to make sure
everything's okay on the ship." Without another word, he headed upstairs. The
minute he reached the doorway, he looked out to see if he could see either Joxer
or Carl. Surely they could handle this one job without screwing up?

He spied both of them at the same time. "Joxer! Carl!" he called. "I
need you for guard duty. Go down in there," he said when they came up to him,
"watch her, and don't let her out. Be careful. She's smarter than both of you
together. Watch each other and make sure the other one doesn't make a mistake
and let her out."

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison. Then Joxer added, "I'll make sure
she doesn't get out of there, Angel."

"Joxer, don't pull your sword out," Angel told him exasperatedly. "You
could fall down and hurt yourself on it." He did not approve of Jack letting
Joxer even carry a sword, let alone actually pull it out and try to fight with
it. Joxer would be more apt to hurt himself than anybody else.

"Okay, but if she tries to come out of there, I'll have to get my
sword."

"You're really going to hit a woman with a sword?" Carl asked. "Tell
another one, Joxer!" He walked ahead of Joxer, hating the fact that he had been
assigned to duty with him.

"Lead on, shortie!"

"I might be short," Carl said, "but I'm not an idiot and I don't bumble
every job they give me! They just pick on me 'cause I'm little."

"Maybe," Joxer agreed, "but I don't know who the idiot you're talking
about is. It can't be me. They want me to work for them, because they all hope
that some of Joxer the Mighty might rub off on them!"

"Dream on," Carl said just as they came to the place where the cell was
and saw the beautiful woman within.

Then they saw the animals. "What the Hell is that?!" Joxer demanded, his
eyes bulging out at the sight of the one who was perched atop his mistress'
shoulder.

"A dragon," Carl said, his own face showing his disbelief.

"You mean those things really exist?" Joxer asked.

"Guess so," Carl replied. "I believe I'm looking at one. And I've heard
they love to eat Gnomes," he glanced at Joxer, "and bumbling idiots."

Joxer started to answer him, but Crys, having listened to their
conversation, smiled at her opportunity. "That's right," she told them, "and he
is hungry. We haven't had any real food in Gods know when." She stretched a hand
out toward them even as Blue, already having realized how deeply upset he had
made Crys and having been the first of the trio to realize his mistake in
trusting the wolfman, shifted his wings. "Wouldn't you boys please come closer?"

"No, thank you, ma'am. We're close enough," Carl said. "Angel said to
watch and not to let you out."

Her smile grew as she continued to play her role. "What a smart man he
is." She frowned at them as she added, "There's only one problem."

"And what's that, ma'am?" Joxer asked.

"He doesn't know what he's dealing with when it comes to us." Her eyes
had already been narrowed as she had began to concentrate. She watched as the
men before her shivered. The taller one wrapped his arms around himself. The
Gnome's mouth opened to speak, but no sound other than chattering teeth came
out. "Sorry, guys," Crys told them truthfully, "but I'm afraid your friend
hasn't left me with much choice." It was then that they hit the floor.

Her smile vanished, her mask dropping completely as she was left alone
with her animal friends. She glanced at the wolf and lioness as she spoke to
them, "I'll deal with you two later. Right now we're getting out of here." She
gripped two of the bars, and ice spread swiftly from her fingertips. As soon as
the metal had turned completely to ice, she stepped back. A single flex of her
fingers sent the ice shattering, and she stepped calmly through the hole that
was left in its wake.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Jack had first entered the Governor's room, he had walked around
searching for hidden weapons or anything that the Governor might be able to use
as one. He had found several swords and a couple of dueling pistols with white
pearl handles. He thought they might be worth a pretty doubloon or two, so he
wrapped them up in a blanket that he found in one of the closets and laid them
to the side. Any one not expecting them would not see them.

He opened an armoire and rifled through its contents. Hidden under the
underwear, which he flicked away with his sword, he found two leather bags
filled with gold coins. He added them to his treasure. They would be a nice
surprise for Elizabeth. He feared she did not have any money at all and, being
alone, would be grateful for anything. He did not want her to be beholding to
any one.

His mind kept flashing back on their brief conversation. What man aboard
the Pearl could Will be interested in? He shook his head. It couldn't be a man,
but perhaps the ship herself had intrigued his friend? After all, was he not
hooked on her, as well? Was she not his mistress, his home, his freedom? He
would check it out when he returned, and he knew just the Gnome to look into it.
If he found such a man, he would certainly walk the plank, because no man who
could entice Will would remain aboard the Pearl as long as he was the Captain!
If Elizabeth didn't want him any more, perhaps Will would join his crew and he
would be close so that he could watch him even if he couldn't touch him.

He heard noises in the hall and made a mad dash for the bed. Sliding
under the cover, he lay perfectly still. He heard the door open and peeked out
just enough to see Faith hauling it for the window. Then he heard the Governor
enter. He glanced at him and saw that he was looking around the room.

Spying the lump in his bed, the Governor rushed over to it. "There you
are, my little chickadee!" he said as he pounced upon the lump. As quick as a
flash, Jack rolled out from under the covers.

Standing and facing the Governor, Jack raised his sword to the
Governor's throat. "What in the Hell is going on?!" the Governor demanded
furiously, his bloodshot eyes staring at Jack in disbelief. Jack allowed him to
get to his feet, and as soon as the Governor was on his feet, he ran for one of
the swords that he thought was hanging on the wall. "What do you think you're
doing in here," he demanded, "and where is that whore who led me here?!"

"Long gone," Jack said. "She did what I paid her to do: lure you in
here."

The Governor had gone quite ashen in the face. "If you're here to rob
me, best be done with it and get out of here!" His mouth opened to yell for the
guards.

"I wouldn't do that, Governor, if I was you." He was hoping Faith had
taken care of the guards, but if she had not, he still did not want the
Governor's mouth yelling. "I am here for payment of a different kind," Jack
stated. "You have tortured and enslaved many and got away with it, but when you
dared to lay your filthy paws upon Will Turner, that's when I come in!"

"Oh, that's rich!" the Governor said. "You're protecting the little
blacksmithy? Why? You couldn't stand that he was going to marry my daughter?
That makes two of us, because I just couldn't stand him," the Governor said
through gritted teeth. "That filthy no-good son-of-a-pirate thought to lay his
unworthy hands upon my Elizabeth! I have better plans for her! Therefore he had
to be gotten out of the picture.

"Now come, Captain Sparrow, I know you're a reasonable man. I will offer
you the contents of a certain chest I have full of gold and rubies to keep this
matter quiet. Will Turner is long gone and will not be returning. Besides,
you're a Pirate. I know you care for no one save yourself."

"You know very little, Governor. I am not interested in Elizabeth. I
could care less about Elizabeth, but Will is a different matter. You had no
right to do what you did, and I'm here to make you pay for it. Gold and rubies
do not interest me."

He watched the Governor with a slightly amused look as the Governor's
wild eyes roamed to the hidden places that Jack had already gotten the weapons
from. "You won't find any of them, Governor. You don't deserve any of them. I
will give you a minute to prepare yourself, and then I will execute you. I will
do to you what you had done to Will: I will show no mercy." He stood at the
ready, wondering just how to begin to slice this huge turkey.

"But -- But I have no weapon!" the Governor stuttered out.

"Neither did Will, and what you did to him should not have been done to
even a traitor."

The Governor fell on his knees and began to beg for mercy, but he could
tell from the look on Jack's face that there would be none.


To Be Continued . . .


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