Meg could tell there was tension between John and Jim when they returned to the ship, but she didn't bother to get involved with what was going on with them. She had something else on her mind. She went into Hercules' office and quietly closed the door behind her. He looked up from some papers he was going through and smiled at her.

"Hi, beautiful," Hercules greeted.

"Hi."

"What can I do for you?"

"I need a favor."

"Anything you want."

"I want to go back home so I can tell my mom and sister about our engagement."

"Of course."

Meg smiled excitedly at her fiancée. "Really?"

"Yes. We'll head out right away while most of the crew is still on leave."

"Thank you so much, Hercules. I can't wait for them to meet you."

X X X

They arrived in Meg's home village just a couple days later. The members of the crew who had already returned took the opportunity to get off the ship one last time before they went back out on sea without a known time frame of when they'd be on land again. Meg put on one of the nicer dresses that Kida had left behind and did her best to make herself look more like a respectable woman and less like a pirate. Although, when it came right down to it she could put on a pretty dress, fix her hair and paint her face, but she was still a pirate. At least she would look nice when she saw her mom again for the first time in years.

"Are you ready?" Hercules asked her.

Meg nodded. They made their way off the ship and Meg led him through the village. Meg's house had been just outside of the marketplace, secluded in a clearing. As they reached the outskirts of the village, Meg's heart raced in anticipation. She knew without a doubt they would accept Hercules; he was perfect. But, would they even welcome her back? She had been gone so long and had chosen to live a lifestyle that her mother would not approve of.

Every concern Meg had vanished as soon as they reached the clearing where her house should have been. Instead she found the burned remains of her family's house. At some point while she had been gone her house had burned down and now all that was left of it was the ashen foundation, part of a wall and a broken window. Meg slowly walked towards the house and ran her hand along the edge of the wall.

"Meg?"

Meg had momentarily forgotten Hercules was there. She turned to acknowledge him, but something lying under a thin layer of dust and ashes caught her eye. She knelt down and picked it up. It was a metal star with a small blue sea glass stone set in the middle. At least, that's what it used to be. The star had melted slighty and was now deformed- no doubt from the fire. The blue stone was now black. Meg turned it over. On the back the name Kayley was in engraved into it.

"Who's Kayley?" Hercules asked her.

"My sister," Meg managed to choke out. "She used to wear this on a ribbon around her neck all the time; she never took it off. My father gave it to her before he left to fight in the war."

"Did he die in the war?"

Meg was only half listening to Hercules. She looked around and spotted the small farm on the other side of the clearing. It had belonged to the Van Tassels when Meg's parents moved into this house, but their daughter Katrina eventually married Brom Bones and he inherited the farm. They still lived there when Meg left and she hoped they lived there still and knew what happened to her house. She slowly stood up and faced Hercules.

"I don't know," Meg finally replied. "He was still alive and fighting when I left. But, that was a long time ago."

Meg gathered the bottom of her dress in her hands, then started running towards the farm. She heard Hercules call after her, but she didn't stop. When she reached the house, she pounded on the door.

"Please be here," she whispered to herself.

Hercules caught up to her just as the door opened and Katrina stepped out. It was clear she didn't recognize Meg at first.

"Katrina, it's me; Meg."

"Oh, wow, Meg; I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Katrina, what happened to my house and my family?"

Katrina gave her a sad look. "I'm so sorry, Meg. Your house burned down one night a few years ago and we never saw any of them again."

A cold fear squeezed Meg's heart. "W-were they in the house?"

Katrina slowly nodded. "Yes, they were home at the time."

X X X

Jim and John stayed on the ship while the rest of the crew wandered around Meg's village. They were alone on the ship and Jim had hoped to have some more time to be with John, but John was too busy going over some work Hercules had left him to pay attention to Jim. Still, Jim stayed in the office, but kept to himself. He didn't want to bother John, but at the same time he still wanted to be with him.

John looked up at Jim and gave him a crooked smile. "You're handsome, Jim Hawkins." Jim raised an eyebrow at him, not sure how to respond to that. "I don't know how I'm supposed to get any work done with you sitting in here. You're a distraction."

"I'm sorry." Jim stood up and started walking towards the door.

John came out from around his desk and grabbed Jim's arm before he could leave. "I didn't say I wanted you to leave."

"I don't understand; you said I was distracting you from your work, so what do you want me to do?"

"Kiss me."

Jim didn't hesitate before giving John what he wanted. John's kiss was the same has it had been the whole time they were on the island: firm, gentle, guarded. Jim kissed him tenderly and didn't let himself lose control. However, the kiss was cut short when the office door slammed open. About eight men Jim had never seen before barged in. They instantly seized Jim and John. They tried to fight to get free, but they were greatly outnumbered. Once they were completely restrained, another man walked in. He was tall with tan skin, black hair and dark eyes. He was attractive in a dangerous kind of way. He ignored Jim and walked straight over to John.

"I've been looking for you, John," the man said.

"What do you want, Sinbad?" John demanded.

Jim stared at Sinbad. That's who had been John's lover before him? How could Jim possibly compete with someone like that? Sinbad was all man, while Jim was just a boy.

"I want you back," Sinbad replied.

Jim's heart pounded and he thought it would burst right out of his chest. He looked over at John. John's face was expressionless, but his eyes were intense.

"I don't want you, Sinbad," John stated. "I love someone else."

Sinbad glanced over at Jim and smiled. "The kid? You'll tire of him soon enough. You need a real man."

"Jim is a hundred times more of a man than you will ever be."

Sinbad glared at him. "I'll show you." He nodded at his crew. "Bring John, leave the kid."

The men holding John started dragging him out of the office. John struggled to get away, but it was futile. The other men let go of Jim and followed them out of the office. Jim immediately grabbed the sword John kept in his office and ran after them. They were already off The Damned and making their to another ship that was preparing to set sail. Jim kept chasing after them but he couldn't reach them in time. Without thinking, Jim dropped the sword and dove into the water. He swam as fast as he could, but it was no use; he would never be able to catch the ship. He swam back to the dock and pulled himself out of the water. Hercules and Meg were just returning to the ship then.

"Jim? What were you doing in the water?" Hercules asked.

"Sinbad boarded the ship and took John. We have to go after him."

Hercules frowned. "We will. But we have to wait for the rest of the crew to return or we'll be outnumbered and we'll lose."

"We can't wait that long." Jim was starting to panic.

"Why did Sinbad take John?" Meg asked, although the distant look in her eyes suggested she was thinking of something else entirely.

"He said he wants him back," Jim told her. "If he hurts John in anyway, I'm going to kill him."