Eye of the Storm

Chapter II

The delay was getting on his nerves. By all account they should be well on their way by now…Yet, this salvage operation was prolonging well beyond what he had agreed to…

It had been two whole days since they had spotted the first debris, and they still had not found a single survivor. What's more, they did not even know which ship it was. Not for a moment did Captain Turner imagine that it might have been the frigate. To him, these ships were the best in the world and practically indestructible.

He made a decision about this on the spot and did not lose time before implementing it. He went to find his first officer, which was busy watching the waters, obviously still searching for possible embarkation…

"Mister Wyatt," he called to him.

Leo turned to him with a startled expression. He had been concentrating on his task and did not expect his superior.

"Captain," he answered, slightly uncomfortable.

The Captain approached stiffly:

"I do think that this endeavor of yours has lasted long enough. The more time we waste, the more likely that we will lose some of the cargo and I won't have it… It is now obvious that no one survived this wreck…"

Leo tried to insist:

"Sir, it's only been two days and the current might have pushed some of them well out of the way. I don't think that…"

The expression on his Captain's face stopped him short.

"Mister Wyatt, I will let this pass one last time. However, know that when I say something, I always mean it, and do not expect anyone to contradict me. We are returning to our original course now. Is that clear?"

Leo had to repress a sigh before he answered stiffly:

"Yes, sir…"

Cole stared at him a moment longer then turned toward the bridge, knowing that his first officer would not attempt any more protests.

He was almost there when a clamor from the watchman stopped him.

Looking back, he saw many of his men massing on the port side. The helmsman was already turning toward the sighting, and Captain Turner took once more the direction of the bridge, intent on getting a closer look with his spyglass. From this distance, he could only see a canoe, but not much more, except that it was fitted with a strange little sail…

As they were closing in, he recognized what he had thought to be a sail as a woman's undergarment. This was the first surprise, but not the last…

Prue squinted when opening her eyes, as she was directly facing the bright sky. She was barely conscious, as it was, half-dreaming, half-aware of her environment. The memories of what had brought her there were still flooding her mind painfully.

She could feel her sisters huddling against her, telling her that they, at least, were still with her…

Two days earlier, they had watched the ship sink quickly after their escape. They had not capsized themselves only by miracle. However, not all of them had survived, she remembered bitterly. At some point, one of the pirates had made a move toward them. It was still unclear what his intentions were at the time, but Prue, always the defender, had tried to stand up to protect her family. Her mother had reacted to this and, fearful that Prue would go overboard, had gotten up in turn to prevent it. To do so she had to unfasten the rope holding her to the boat and unfortunately, she was ultimately the one who fell, carried over the side by a wave. What happened next astonished Prue and her sisters. The pirates, of whom they had been so afraid, actually tried to save her… Prue tried to jump after Patricia but Paul, the first pirate that she had seen on the ship, held on to her while the other two tried to reach for Patricia. However, they too fell overboard and no matter how hard they tried to find them afterward, they soon realized that it was hopeless. Prue had been angry with Paul at first for what he did, but he soon stopped her protestations:

"Miss, if you'd jumped, all you'd have accomplished would've been to kill yourself. I lost my friends too, remember?" He added this sadly, and this impressed on Prue more than his words. "We tried and failed," he continued, "I presume that it was your mother? Well, I'm sure that she'd have wanted you to live… "

Prue had still struggled a moment longer, but could not deny what he was saying. However, the situation being what it was, she did not believe that they would actually survive.

For the next few hours, which seemed like eternity, they held on for dear life. At last, the storm subsided, but then, all they could see was the vast ocean with nothing else in sight. The small sail that had been on the canoe was torn apart by the winds, so Paul asked for one of their garments as a replacement. Prue had agreed to this, even though, she felt very embarrassed to shed any clothing in such proximity to a stranger. However, once more the man surprised her by giving her the little privacy that they could afford on such a small embarkation. Afterward, as they watched him fit the makeshift sail, she found herself curious about the man. This pirate was becoming more of a surprise at every turn, and Prue found herself wondering what might have happened had they any hope at this point. Even in their grief, exhaustion was getting the better of them, so they had soon fallen in an uneasy sleep, drained by their emotions and their struggle to survive. For the next excruciating two days, they had spent a lot of time in contemplation not only of the loss that they had suffered, but also of the terrible fate that most probably awaited them.

They talked very little except that at some point, Prue felt the need to know more about what had happened on the ship. Paul was definitely not the kind of man she had imagined a criminal would be. However, she could not forget the fate of the officer, so that when her sisters had fallen asleep once more, she questioned him about it:

"Sir?"

He was looking away at the time and turned to her:

"What is it? And please call me Paul. Formalities seem rather ridiculous at this point," he added with a little smile.

His expression was so peaceful and calm that Prue almost backed out of it. She could not imagine that such a man would have willingly hurt the poor officer. At least, she did not want to imagine it.

"Miss? Did you want something?" He questioned at last, when her silence prolonged.

"Well, yes…" She still hesitated, unsure of his reaction.

Then, she blurted it out:

"Why did you kill that man?"

Paul grimaced at this.

Yet, he answered right away:

"I know what it looked like. But I assure you, none of us meant this. We offered him to come with us… Instead, he pulled his saber and came after us. In hindsight, I imagine now that he was afraid of what we might do to you…"

He added convincingly:

"I swear to you, it was an accident…"

Prue was still a little doubtful however:

"Maybe so, but I can't ignore that you were prisoners on that ship…"

He shrugged irritably but replied nevertheless:

"In the present situation, I don't think that it matters much anymore… However, know that there's a difference between contraband and murder. In fact, our kind of activities was not so badly regarded until we unfortunately hit on a target that got the attention of the Americans. Foreign ships are frequent sights over there, and usually unwelcome. However, the last one that we attacked had some dignitary on board, who had some influence with the authorities." He shrugged again at her dismayed expression.

"Anyway, like I said, it doesn't matter much now…"

Prue really wanted to believe that he was not as bad as she had thought first, so she simply dismissed her lingering concerns for the moment… However, there was another question burning her lips, and even more so when she recognized the signs of discouragement in his speech:

"Do you think that we have a chance?" She asked fearfully. As he seemed to be thinking about it, Prue felt some remorse at her own worries. She could not help feeling selfish to think of her own survival, while her mother had not…

Finally, he uttered:

"I can't promise you anything. However, I will do my best to get us out of this," he added sincerely, while observing the sky. This seemed to Prue as if he thought that salvation would come from it.

"I don't want you to think that I do not appreciate your optimism… However, how are you supposed to save us?"

For the first time since the accident, Prue saw that he was actually looking at her, and a thin smile formed on his lips, which gave her a warm feeling inside in spite of her worries.

"The clouds are receding as we speak, soon I will be able to point us in the right direction. Hopefully…"

Prue gave him a questioning look, seeing his hesitation.

"Hopefully, we are close enough to the coast to reach it in time…"

Afterward, they kept silent, as Prue contemplated the thin hope that they had left. They said very little from then on…

The second day saw them increasingly desperate and weak from dehydration.

Sleep, or rather semi-consciousness, was their only relief…

Now, Prue was waking up to the same hopeless situation, or so she thought until she heard what sounded like muffled calls…

They were now close enough that Cole could read the faded lettering on the side of the boat, and this confirmed the suspicion he had since he had identified the sail material. He deciphered the words RN Dictator, and finally had to admit that he had been wrong. "Then, it was the frigate," he thought, appalled. He would never have believed it possible. He immediately was reminded of the girl, while an uneasy feeling coursed through him. It had been a long time since he had had any feeling for another. He could only remember vaguely the affection that he had for his mother. However, it was so long ago, when he was still a child. His parents had raised him with strength in mind, not love. Being an only child, he had never really made any friends or known camaraderie. His father's motto was that work was a reward in itself, and that only a dedicated person could succeed in this life. He had convinced himself long ago that his parent's lack of affection was simply a sign of strength. Love was for the weak, as well as worrying about others. However, at this moment, he was experiencing this weakness and it embarrassed him somehow. The urge to go join his men, who were now putting a canoe to the sea, was almost overwhelming. Nevertheless, rather than succumb to this urge, he berated himself for what he considered an unbecoming emotion and steeled himself against it.

He still watched the maneuver from his post, however. The men were already moving toward the boat, while they were calling to any possible survivors. No one answered apparently, because they kept on calling until they were almost to it. As soon as they had a hold of the boat, the men gestured wildly toward the ship, indicating no doubt that they had found people inside. They hooked up the boat to their own and simply hauled it behind them.

Prue saw the men, but her exhaustion kept her from reacting, as she actually thought that it might all be part of some dream, at first. In fact, none of them did, as her sisters were still asleep apparently, as was Paul. She wondered about it, suddenly worried that they were more than simply asleep, but realized that she herself did not have any strength left. She still tried to speak but the words would not come out, her mouth and throat being on fire. Soon she felt strong arms pulling her toward the ship that she now could see was a merchant ship of some kind, and only then did she realize that someone had really found them. In a daze, she thought that the ship seemed familiar somehow. However, long before she had figured out why, she blacked out.

Phoebe thought that she was dreaming, or rather having a nightmare, as she felt herself being pulled and pushed without quite knowing who was doing it. With great effort, she opened her eyes for an instant, and was astounded when as she looked up, she saw the Captain that had been on her mind for the last few days. He was watching her from a distance, and she wondered if this was simply a trick of her imagination. "Maybe, I will just wake up and found that it was all a nightmare," she thought wistfully, as she closed her eyes again and willed it to be just that. By the time that she reopened them, the Captain had gone, but in his place, she saw many men, just as unkempt as she had seen before their departure. They were now picking her up again from the hard surface that she was lying on, and carrying her god knew where. Like her sister, she blacked out long before she found out…

Captain Turner felt an emotion that was unusual for him: apprehension. He watched as his men were bringing in the survivors, practically holding his breath. When he saw her among them, he could not resist leaving the bridge and coming closer. As they lay her down on the deck, she opened her eyes and seemingly looked directly at him. All at once, he felt an infinite relief and an uneasiness that was just as unfamiliar to him. She closed her eyes again, and the worries came back flooding. However, he also noticed the curious looks that some of the sailors were giving him. Immediately, he put on a dignified expression, but instead of going back toward the bridge, he went to his cabin.

The men watched him still, but soon dismissed this as another strange occurrence in their captain's behavior, no more.

They then busied themselves, carrying the survivors toward the lower deck, where a medic took care of them as best he could. The man soon woke up, but was weak and only stayed conscious for a few minutes. He had still taken the time to inquire about his companions before again falling into a deep sleep.

Phoebe had no idea how much time had passed when she felt water on her lips and woke up with a start, surprised by the sensation. A man of about thirty was leaning toward her, with a concerned expression. She felt dizzy and disoriented. The memories of the last two days were slowly coming back to her, but she could not reconcile them with the sight of the stranger before her. Then she remembered seeing the captain and the other men around her. She finally let herself believe that they were safe, with an inward sigh of relief. However, when she tried to talk, no coherent sound came out of her mouth. She felt horribly weak, and accepted the water gratefully, which the man was offering again, managing to drink some in spite of her swollen throat.

After she had a few painful sips, she moved her head slowly side to side, trying to find her sisters. These were no where in sight, although she could see other cots in the room. The man seemed to understand what she wanted because he offered:

"Your friends are well. They awakened already and only went out for a moment. You need more rest, miss. You were in a pretty bad shape…"

Phoebe looked back painfully toward the man. She had no trouble believing him about her condition. She felt cold and drenched. Every muscle in her body was hurting.

They obviously had not removed her wet clothes. And although she was grateful that her modesty was preserved, she longed for warmth, as she felt herself drift into unconsciousness once more.

Meanwhile, Piper and Prue had managed to get up, and then decidedly gone to find someone in authority on this ship.

They found Leo coming down from the bridge, and he stopped short at their arrival.

"Mister," Prue called.

"We were wondering what your intents were about us? We need to go back to port as soon as possible and to get private quarters with some dry clothes as well."

She had said this all in one breath, only to realize that the man was looking at her sister rather than paying any attention to her.

"Mister? It's vital that we reached a port shortly," she insisted.

Leo finally turned to her:

"I'm afraid that it won't be anytime soon, Miss. Our Captain feels that we have lost enough time as it is. I'm afraid that you will have to accept our humble hospitality for the duration…"

Prue and Piper gave him dismayed looks, and then Prue questioned:

"Where are we going?"

"We are bound for Santo Domingo, which is about 2 months away…"

He gave them an apologetic smile.

Prue exclaimed:

"Two months! That won't do, and it's not even our destination…"

Leo' smile vanished, but he continued calmly:

"That is the best that we can do. In all truth, the cargo we carry can't take any more delay. Rest assured that we will try to make your sojourn as comfortable as possible."

Piper had jumped at the sight of this man. She could hardly believe that they were on the same ship, and contrary to her sister at this point, the idea of staying around longer had some appeal for her. However, being reminded of the cargo, and even more of the possible living conditions, shook her out of her contemplation.

"We can't possibly stay in the quarters that have been assigned to us. There is no privacy there…" she uttered, appalled.

Leo seemed to think about it for a moment.

"I'll have a talk with the Captain about this, but that's all I can promise you…"

Earlier, he had found himself in the Captain's cabin and had already discussed the situation with him.

Leo did not know him very well, but by now he had heard talks around the ship, and understood that something was up with his Captain. However, he knew better than to ask about it. Instead, he took his courage in hand and began:

"Captain, I think that we should consider turning around and bringing the survivors back to port, as we are not so far out in our journey…"

Captain Turner had stared at him with what he thought was utter disbelief:

"Are you implying that after losing two whole days to look for them, now we should lose more time just to bring them back?"

His tone of voice warned Leo not to push the subject. However this one still tried.

"Sir, it's simply that one of them is in very bad shape… And besides, having women on board…"

"Stop right there. The women will have to adapt, because I have no intention of returning to port." Then his expression seemed to change noticeably:

"How sick is this person?"

Leo was surprised at his concern, considering his first reaction, but answered nevertheless:

"The medic thinks that she should get well, but would need better conditions than the men's quarters…"

His Captain changed back to his severe stance again, which just confused the first officer more. "Then, if she is to recover, I don't think that it warrants any delay. We are continuing on our route, and if we meet a ship going either where they were destined to, or back to England, we will see then…Dismissed!"

Cole turned away from Leo and this one understood that he would not get any further with him. He left and considered what he had witnessed. If he had not known better, he would have thought that the man was actually losing it. His sudden mood swings were so strange…

Outside the cabin, he'd sighed and decided to wait a while before informing the survivors…

After Leo had left, Cole almost went to find out for himself who was so sick. He could not help the worry from invading his thoughts even if he tried very hard. For a long moment, he debated with himself, dying to know if she was all right, but unwilling to let anyone know of his feelings… At this point, he had no idea what those meant… "Why should I worry about her?" He questioned himself. "She is only a girl, one among many…"

Now of course, Leo saw that his problem was back. Even if it had not been for their comfort, he still thought that keeping the girls in the men's quarters was a bad idea. Already, some of the men had been hovering near their quarters, disrupting the work, and he told himself that maybe it was the right argument to use with his captain. This time, he promised himself that he would make him listen.

Taking leave of the girls, he went toward the Captain's cabin with apprehension, but also with as much determination as he could muster.

Piper and Prue, worried about their sister, did not lose any more time on the deck. What was more, they were still cold in their clothing, and the wind was making it worse.

When they were almost to it, Paul appeared suddenly by Prue' side.

She jumped, but did not back away.

"Miss…"

In all this time on the boat, she had not told him her name, not even after he gave his own. She hesitated a second, then she uttered:

"Halliwell, Prue Halliwell."

He smiled back, encouraged:

"Well, Miss Halliwell, I wanted to thank you…"

Prue frowned slightly, wondering about this:

"Thank you for what?"

"For not telling them," he replied, almost in a whisper.

Piper and Prue had already agreed that since he had helped them, they would keep what they knew about him to themselves, at least for the moment.

She just nodded in acknowledgement, but could not quite move away. For a long moment, they just stared at each other and then, he was the one who left. Prue seemed transfixed and Piper had to shake her out of her apparent trance.

"Hey, sis…? We were going to check on Phoebe, remember?"

Prue turned to her irritably, as if Piper had broken some spell or pulled her out of a most pleasant dream. Then, instead of answering, she took the direction of the quarters. Piper shook her head a few times, aware that something was brewing between Prue and the pirate, but she soon followed…

Leo got to the Captain's cabin, only to find that he was not there. He knew that he was not on the bridge either, as he had come from there. This left him looking around in puzzlement.

Cole was watching her sleeping and his confusion only deepened while he wondered what he was doing there. He had watched the girls on the deck and knew then that she was the one who was sick. From that moment on, he could not resist his urge anymore.

He had come here without quite thinking about what he would say or do. Once there, he found the door opened and her alone. He wondered where the medic had gone, but was grateful that no one had seen him. He slowly moved toward her but stopped a few feet away. She was so pale. He worried that the medic was wrong about her eventual recovery. He did not know how long he had been standing there, just watching, but then she opened her eyes again and for a fleeting moment, she smiled weakly.

Phoebe again wondered if she was dreaming. The captain was there again, but she assumed that he would simply vanish once more, as he most certainly was a figment of her imagination. In fact, she was feeling feverish now and thought that it must have been a sign of delirium. However, this time the illusion did not go away, and she realized with a start that it was no dream. The smile vanished from her lips, as she debated whether she should be glad that he was for real or simply angry with him for what he did. With the uncertainty weighing on her mind, she turned away from him.

In that instant, when she had smiled, he had felt warmth inside as he did not know existed. Then, as soon as she had turned away, it was as if she had given him something and took it away before he had a chance to understand it. Somehow, he resented her for robbing him of this new feeling. Rather than trying to understand why, he stepped away from her, and almost bumped into her sisters as they were coming in.

They had not seen the Captain yet, and were unsure who this man was.

Prue looked at Phoebe first, and then turned back toward him with fire in her eyes:

"What were you doing here?"

Startled and unaccustomed to have someone addressing him in this fashion, he retorted angrily.

"Do you have any idea who I am, Miss?"

He asked this with a voice that had made more than one man take a step back. However, Prue was not going to be intimidated. Not when her sister' safety was concerned. "Whoever you are, I don't care. All I care about is that you were in this room with my sister and you had no business being here…"

He moved toward her threateningly, increasingly upset with her impertinence:

"It so happens, young lady, that you're on my ship, and I have no need to justify being anywhere on it, unlike you."

Prue finally sensed that she should be careful somehow. She breathed deeply in relief when Leo came in, followed by a man who was carrying clothing. Leo had no idea what the argument was about but figured that he should intervene, particularly knowing his captain's lack of patience.

"Sir, may I have a word with you?"

Cole stared a moment longer in Prue's direction. Then with one last fleeting look toward Phoebe, he turned to leave the room, even as the sailor offered the clothing to the girls.

"There you go Mam," he said, while looking at Piper expectantly.

Piper wrinkled her nose at the sight. The simple idea of wearing men's clothing was almost unimaginable to her. The man became apologetic:

"I'm sorry Mam, but we don't have many women coming on board, and you wouldn't want the clothes from the ones that do…"

Again reminded of the kind of cargo the ship was carrying did not help Piper's reticence, and she kept her distance. Prue took over for her then, picking up the clothes and thanking the man before pushing him out the door resolutely.

"Come on Piper, we need to have something warm and dry to wear. It's only going to be for a while…"

"If you say so…" Piper took one of the garments and began to undress reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Prue took care of her other sister, who could barely move still, and was shivering. She felt her forehead and frowned worriedly when she realized that Phoebe had a fever.

On the way to the main deck, Leo had meant to convince his superior to relinquish his cabin to the ladies, but the distracted look on Captain Turner's face told him to wait a little longer.

'At last, when they were coming out in the open, the Captain seemed to remember his first officer:

"You had something to say," he asked abruptly.

"Well… yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

The Captain looked curiously at him:

"You know Mister Wyatt; I never had an officer with so much bravado. Usually, they do not dare trying to contradict me, or to council for that matter…"

Leo could feel the veiled warning behind these words, but he chose once more to ignore it. He vaguely wondered about his career in this company, but could not back off on this. He then decided to give one last try to his first proposition.

"I do think that you should reconsider turning back the ship…"

The Captain reacted at this and Leo knew that he would not answer favorably to his request.

"I thought that I made myself clear earlier."

"Sir, I thought that you might have reconsidered seeing that you…"

"I haven't changed my mind," the Captain interrupted firmly.

Leo took a deep breath then, and went for what he was really hoping for:

"Then, I would strongly suggest that you gave the ladies the use of your cabin."

This time the Captain just frowned at his first officer, and Leo pursued quickly:

"It would be better for all involved, as the men are already getting distracted by their presence. Besides, the quarters are cold and damp. Not a very good environment to recover in…"

Leo expected another rebuff and braced himself, but instead the Captain only questioned:

"Where am I supposed to go in the meantime?"

His lack of reaction surprised Leo once more, but he did not lose time taking advantage of it. "I've already given orders to prepare the quarters adjacent to the bridge for you, sir…"

"You have?"

"Yes, sir…" Leo replied as dignified as he could under the circumstances.

Without another word, the Captain stepped away and went back to his cabin, leaving Leo wondering what just happened. He shook his head and took the direction of the bridge, knowing that he had done all he could at this point. Less than fifteen minutes later, he saw the captain coming toward the bridge carrying a bag, and he had to repress a smile of satisfaction.

That night, the girls moved to the more spacious cabin and they finally enjoyed some privacy, although their concern for Phoebe deepened, as she was in and out of consciousness, and the fever did not seem to withdraw. They had hoped that it was only a reaction to the cold water and the fatigue, but Prue began to fear that she might suffer from an actual disease. The medic came to visit many times but he was not much help. Therefore, in the end they simply took turns to stand vigil and prayed that they would not lose another member of their family.

Cole had been tempted to refuse his first officer's request when remembering her rejection. Yet, after a few minutes of reflection, he had rationalized that it was the honorable thing to do, ignoring the feeling that still lingered in his heart.

Later that night, he heard the medic talking about her condition worsening and almost went to her again. Still, he could not bear another rejection. For the next three days, he worried silently, barely sleeping and often watching his cabin. He never asked about her, but listened surreptitiously to the medic's reports. On the third day, he could not take it anymore, and was on his way there, when he spotted one of her sisters coming out for the first time. She was the one who had been so impertinent when he had met her. He saw the smile on her face, as she looked out at sea and knew that things must have changed for the better. The relief he felt then finally told him what he had not dared admit until now. He had to win Phoebe's heart, even though he had no idea how to do this…