Eye of the Storm

Chapter III

Phoebe was finally up and about, thankfully. That made for a nice change from the painful last few days.

Her sisters were still watching her anxiously, and it told her how scared they must have been.

"I'm ok, I promise," she reassured them.

Prue came to sit by her.

"Are you certain? You had us worried sick for a while there."

Phoebe smiled sweetly:

"I promise that I won't do it again…"

Prue could not help being amused:

"That's my girl," she said with a bright smile.

Phoebe had been so weak even after the fever had broken that it was a pleasure to see her smile. At last, Prue felt that her sister was well on her way to recovery.

There were still a few obscure points for Phoebe however, as most of the last week was a blur.

"How long have we been here? I can only remember bits and pieces, and it's hard to know what was real and what wasn't…"

Piper and Prue got the distinct feeling that she was asking about more than the length of time, but they were not too sure what she meant.

"You've been sick for over a week, ever since we've been rescued…"

Phoebe noticed the peculiar tone of voice that Prue adopted and looked curiously at her. "Is there something wrong?"

Prue seemed only then to realize that she had let out more than she had meant.

"No, of course not, they saved us and we're very grateful."

However, Phoebe still believed that something was amiss:

"Are we getting to port any time soon?" Piper entered the conversation then:

"Well that is the thing, see…We are not going back. The Captain has decided that he would bring us along on the trip to Santo Domingo…"

Phoebe felt a twinge at the mention of the captain, but did not tell them about it just yet. Instead, she questioned: "Santo Domingo? But that is nowhere near where we are supposed to go…"

"We know that, Phoebe. The first officer assured us that once we are in Santo Domingo, it should not be a problem to find transportation to America…"

Phoebe contemplated the news with some apprehension but her immediate concern was still what she remembered, and the question that was burning her lips came out then: "Huh…What ship is this?" Prue pinched her lips before answering:

"Well, you remember that merchant ship that we saw in England? The one where two sailors were fighting… and you…"

"Oh! So I was not dreaming… What a strange coincidence."

"Isn't it," Prue answered with a hint of disdain.

Phoebe remembered very well what this ship was transporting, and she felt like her sisters about it, maybe even worse. However, she still could not get the Captain out of her mind, even in her weakened state, or possibly even less because of it. The last clear memory that she had of the last few days was of him in the quarters below deck. Now she knew that it had been a true memory, and she wondered how she would react at seeing him again…

A discreet knock on the cabin door got their attention.

Piper went to it and seeing the first officer, she could not repress a joyous smile.

"Yes?" He seemed embarrassed at the moment, and she guessed that he probably was coming with the same request as he had for the last few days.

"Huh, well…The Captain sent me to ask you…"

Piper did not let him finish: "Again?" She sighed heavily, the smile vanishing from her lips. "Our sister is still very weak sir. Besides, I thought that we had made it abundantly clear that we would let him know when the time was right."

Leo felt trapped: "I'm sorry, I know what you said, but Captain Turner is not known for his patience…" Prue came toward them:

"What is the hurry anyway? You have already told us that the voyage would last at least two months."

"Well, I am not exactly sure, but I would imagine that he wants to properly greet you on his ship…"

Even as he was saying it, Leo could not help wondering himself.

Prue answered irritably: "He might want to start by apologizing for the way he treated us initially." Leo did not know what to answer to that, as he did not believe it to be very likely to happen. Instead, he replied:

"So I'm guessing that it's a no?"

"I'm afraid so," Piper answered for Prue. She knew that her sister was getting very upset with those requests, and did not want Leo to pay the price for her anger.

Leo was about to turn back and return to the bridge, albeit not very enthusiastically, when another idea came to him. He did not feel like going back to the Captain with bad news just yet…

"Miss?" He asked, looking directly at Piper. "Yes?" This one answered expectantly.

"Huh, I was wondering if you would like to…"

"Yes," she responded eagerly, slightly amused by his embarrassment.

"Well, I have some free time right now, and thought that maybe you'd like to take a walk? With me, I mean…" He had blurted out the last part and she had trouble repressing an amused chuckle.

Piper was very tempted, but the clothing that they were forced to wear gave her pause. Walking around in men's clothing did not sit well with her.

"Sir, in any other circumstance…"

The disappointment in his expression was so evident that she felt guilty for her pride. "Oh well, I think that I would love to, after all…"

She felt her sister' stare but ignored it, as she could see Leo's face brightening visibly. He offered his arm and she took it graciously, waving slightly to her sister and following him out quickly before Prue could say anything.

Prue stared a moment longer at the door, now closed behind her sister. She could not help worrying about this development, and promised herself to have a talk with her sibling as soon as possible.

Phoebe got her attention then. "Who was that," she asked in a tone that told Prue she meant more than polite curiosity.

"Oh, it was the first officer. He's been here a few times already."

"Was that the same man that caught Piper's fancy?"

Prue came back toward her before answering with a hint of irritation:

"Yeah, the same one."

"I gather that you're not happy about it?"

"Well, we just know so little about these people… And what we know…"

"True," Phoebe answered, but with a little hesitation that her sister did not fail to notice. "What?"

Phoebe caught herself:

"Oh nothing, I think the same as you of course…" Prue replied dubiously:

"Hum." Phoebe looked back at her:

"No really, I do… So, did he just want to see Piper or was there any other reason for his visit." Prue was now convinced that her sister was not really asking about Piper's little crush.

"Well no. Actually, he came at the request of his Captain."

Phoebe could not help a little intake of breath then.

Still, she tried to sound casual when she questioned:

"What does he want?"

Prue was not fooled but figured that her sister was not in shape for a discussion:

"He has sent many times to request a visit with us…"

"Oh!"

"Yes…"

"And what did you tell him?" Phoebe questioned as casually as she could.

"Well, I wanted to tell him that we had no interest in meeting his captain again…"

Then she shrugged at her sister's dismayed expression:

"But of course, I did not. We simply told him that now was not a good time. However, the man is very insistent."

Phoebe knew that she should have been displeased with this, but she could not help being flattered. There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted to see her. She remembered vividly the way he had looked at her the last time. Moreover, in spite of her resentment for his occupation, she was still very much attracted to him. Not willing to let her sister know how she felt however, she pursued:

"Well, maybe he just wants to be polite?"

"If that's true, he's going at it in all the wrong ways…"

Phoebe replied distractedly:

"I suppose…"

Prue gave her a meaningful side look. However, she stopped herself from criticizing her sister, as she remembered her own interest in a certain ex- prisoner.

She had not seen Paul since he had thanked her a few days earlier, and could not help worrying about him. Right now, if she had not felt obligated to stay by her sister's side, she knew that she probably would have gone to look for him on her own.

Captain Turner was pacing impatiently. He was increasingly irritated by the repeated negative responses he had received to his requests.

The medic had assured Mr. Wyatt that Phoebe was doing much better and he wondered if they were stalling on purpose.

That is when he spotted his first officer on the deck with one of her sisters.

Leo had already given her the tour of the upper decks and she was now expressing curiosity about the cargo hold. Somehow, he knew that it was not to his advantage to agree with this.

"No, really Miss Halliwell, the lower decks are not for ladies. This is of course why we offered you the captain's cabin…"

Piper frowned slightly and it made him feel uncomfortable.

"That was not obvious on our first day…We were left with the impression that the subject had been debated before we were offered this…"

"I assure you that we only have your wellbeing in mind…"

Piper did not see it this way.

"If you did, this ship would have turned around and Phoebe's life would not have been so much at risk."

Leo then felt the need to defend his captain's decision, even if at first he had disagreed. "As much as we'd have wanted to accommodate you, Miss, I don't think that turning back would've been of any use. We found the first debris when almost a whole day at sea already, and did not find you until two days later, well out of the way. No matter what, if you sister had not recovered on her own, no one else could have saved her. Besides, there were other considerations, and lives at stake, here…"

Piper was not going to be swayed so easily:

"You mean what you are carrying in your cargo hold…"

Right then, he knew that she was very much aware of the nature of the cargo.

"How could you sail on such a ship?" She asked almost angrily.

Leo did not like the turn this conversation was taking, but he never got a chance to defend himself, at least not that afternoon.

He was about to try, when he noticed that she was looking intently behind him. From the almost fearful look on her face, he guessed that he had prolonged his absence from the bridge a little too long.

Turning quickly toward the newcomer, he saw that his assumption was correct, as the Captain was coming fast toward them and looked more furious than he had seen him yet. And it was not saying nothing, considering the roller coaster that had been his assignment on this ship until now.

For all the assurances that the other sailors gave Leo about the coldness of their Captain, he could not believe it to be true. The man had just been increasingly irrational in the last few days, and it was definitely related with the repeated denials of his request. Cole only stopped a few feet short of Leo, and did not lose time in amenities, totally ignoring Piper:

"What the hell are you doing here? Do you think that we are on a cruise ship? I gave you specific instructions and expected an answer…"

Piper opened wide eyes at the harsh speech. She had not thought that Leo was facing that kind of wrath for them. She tried to intervene then. "Mister?"

She almost regretted it, as the Captain turned furiously toward her. He obviously fought to control himself however, and she took advantage.

"You should not blame Mr. Wyatt. I insisted for him to show me around the ship."

Although it didn't seem to have much of an effect on him, the tone of his voice still went down a notch when he turned back to Leo.

"You should have reported to me immediately, and then helped the Lady, Mr. Wyatt. I warned you about your disregard for authority…"

Leo finally found his voice:

"I'm sorry, sir. I promise that it won't happen again…"

The Captain looked down on him, and then simply said:

"Somehow, I doubt that."

Then he turned back toward Piper, barely calmer:

"I see that you finally are coming out. So am I to understand that you will finally agree to my request?"

Piper hesitated, made very uncomfortable by his insistence.

"Our sister is still not well…"

This time, she took a step back when his expression became irate once more:

"Rubbish, I know for a fact from the medic that your sister is doing very well. I have had enough of this stalling. I will see her… Huh, all of you in your cabin tonight. Be ready."

Not waiting for an answer, he turned around, walking quickly toward the bridge, and leaving Piper and Leo wondering. Piper had not failed to notice his momentary lapse, and no doubts, he had gone so abruptly for this reason alone.

She turned questioningly toward Leo, but this one had also changed attitude. This confused her even more. "What is it?"

"I would appreciate that you'd not intervene on my behalf in the future…"

Piper was flabbergasted. For once, she had stood up for herself and someone for whom she felt a great affection. Yet, instead of thanks, he was giving her reproaches.

Granted, she thought, it did not work very well, and now she would have to face her sister's wrath. Prue was certain to be very miffed by this turn of events. However, Leo's attitude displeased her greatly:

"How dare you? I was trying to help…"

Leo couldn't help feeling diminished by this. He had wanted to impress her and instead found himself in her debt somehow…

"I can very much defend myself…"

Piper frowned before answering impatiently:

"Well, don't worry, it won't happen again."

Without waiting, she simply turned her back to him and walked quickly toward their cabin, leaving Leo slightly confused and disappointed.

As he was returning to the bridge, he thought about the whole thing and finally decided that since he was in such hot waters with his captain already, he might as well try to convince him to wait… "Maybe," he thought again, looking back to where Piper had left, "it will make up for whatever I did wrong?"

The Captain was not on the bridge, and Leo guessed that he must have retired to his improvised quarters. He still wondered about his attitude, but at the moment, he was more worried about his reaction to him.

He knocked on the door a few times and waited a long moment but didn't get any answer.

Turning toward the Helmsman, he gave him a questioning glance, but this one just shrugged, indicating silently that he too believed the captain to be in his cabin…

Leo took a deep breath then and knocked louder. This time, he got a grumpy answer and entered cautiously. He had no idea what to expect, as Cole's moods had been changing non-stop without warning. Indeed, when he found him, he saw that Captain Turner was calmer, even subdued to his impression.

"Sir?"

"What do you want?" Leo closed the door behind himself and blurted:

"May I speak freely?"

Cole gave him a dubious stare. "Haven't you been doing that already?"

Leo hesitated to continue, but he finally got it out:

"Sir, I think that you are insisting too much, too soon…"

The Captain frowned, but waited for the rest.

"Our passengers have been through a terrible ordeal, and only now are they starting to get better. Maybe you should be more patient," he trailed…

He expected an explosion at this point and braced himself. Instead, the Captain looked away, seemingly thinking about it. Then he turned back abruptly:

"You know Mr. Wyatt; your impertinence is boundless… I'm afraid that you maritime career might be short lived…"

Leo tried to say something, but Cole lifted his hand firmly to stop him.

"However, I must admit that you might have a point…I have no experience in these matters, and I am probably going at it the wrong way…"

Leo was now flabbergasted. The man was giving him reproaches, and then was obviously asking for his advice.

"Sir?"

Cole turned to face him, and Leo could see that he was uncertain.

His next question surprised him even more:

"What do you think I should do?"

Leo could see that this time the man was very sincerely puzzled as to the course of action. "Sir, I think that you should heed my advice about patience… And also, maybe…" Cole listened intently.

Piper came in the cabin blazing, still flushed from her disagreement with Leo. "Before you jump on my back," she said a little too loud, "know that it's not my fault. These men are insufferable."

Prue and Phoebe turned to her in surprise. Their sister was not in the habit of getting this excited over anything…

Phoebe was the first to question her, beating Prue by a hair:

"What are you talking about? What did they do to you?" She added with a hint of worry. Piper seemed to snap out of it somewhat.

"I'm sorry… no they didn't do anything to me. It's just that I had never realized how men could be…" Prue finally placed a word:

"Be…?" "Just stubborn!"

"Ok now," Prue asked, "what is the matter?"

Piper fidgeted a little before continuing:

"Well, you're going to be mad, but you know that captain? He has invited himself, and there was nothing that I could do to stop it…"

She grimaced, ready for the expected reaction from her sister.

It did not take long to come.

"I thought that we were agreed not to let this arrogant man in here…"

Piper looked sheepishly toward her older sister:

"I would have liked to see you there. If you haven't noticed, he isn't one who will take no for an answer easily…"

Prue was about to protest further when another knock on the door caught their attention.

She jumped and went to it, ready to pounce on whoever was coming this time. Opening the door abruptly, she began before looking at the newcomer:

"The nerve of you to come here without our consent…!"

Paul just looked at her in total bewilderment. "I'm sorry, is it a bad time?"

Prue babbled in embarrassment, as her sisters looked at her with amused smiles:

"No of course not, come in…"

Paul still hesitated. "Are you certain? I had the distinct feeling that you did not want any visitors?" Prue tried to smile.

"Don't worry, it's an unpleasant story, but it has nothing to do with you."

She moved away to let him in, and he smiled almost shyly.

"So," he asked then, "is everything alright here?"

Prue showed him to a wooden chair while talking:

"Much better now," she answered, indicating Phoebe.

"We had a little scare but it's all over."

"Glad to hear it."

An uneasy silence fell between them, as Phoebe and Piper tried to give some room to their sister. They knew very well that she had been hoping to see that man again. Moreover, if they had some reservations about him, he still had helped them before.

Prue finally said: "We…I… I was wondering how you were? Are they treating you well? I mean, they don't know, do they?"

Paul smiled anew before replying:

"Thanks to you, they have no idea. And yes, I have been treated well under the circumstances…" "Circumstances?"

"Well, it's not a passenger ship, as you know. I've had to share quarters with some unsavory men, but they're behaving quite well on this ship. The captain seems to have a good hold on the discipline around here."

The grimace that came to Prue's face told him that he had hit a nerve.

"Would the long story have to do with him?"

"Huh… Well, yes as a matter of fact, it does."

Another knock on the door was heard and Piper went for it in a much calmer fashion than her sister had earlier…

All the while, Prue was turning her back to the door and venting her frustrations to Paul.

"The Captain may be big on discipline but he is not very big on social skills."

It was Paul's expression that told her something was amiss. She turned toward the newcomer and gasped. Cole was standing very straight at the door, with a severe frown wrinkling his forehead.

"Well, Miss. I see that I might have made an even worse impression than I had feared."

He was already embarrassed that he had come all this way fully intending to apologize, as Leo had offered. However, seeing Paul there, he also got angry that he had been singled out as an undesirable visitor.

All his good resolutions flew away as he continued:

"I decided that the supper would take place three days hence. Be ready…"

He had wanted so much to just get a glimpse of her, and yet he could not bring himself to stay in this place one more second.

Phoebe, on the other hand could not resist coming forth. Prue looked at her, as she moved quickly toward the door. The Captain had already turned his back on them, not waiting for an answer.

"Captain?" Phoebe called a little too eagerly.

He stopped short, but not turning back. He knew who it was right away, and his heart raced slightly. "I am sorry about what my sister said, you have to forgive her. Our present situation is very difficult."

She hesitated, as he kept his back to her. "Captain?"

He finally looked back, and when she saw what she had not until now, her heart melted. There was a hint of vulnerability and hurt in his eyes that she had not expected. In spite of what she knew of him, she found herself hoping that maybe, there was more to him than what she had seen and heard.

He didn't know what to do. He had wanted so much to see her again, but now, he was almost afraid of the way he felt. He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms and never let her go. Yet, he was worried that this would just make her run away. His only experiences with women had not prepared him for this need he had of her. It was not just the physical need, as it had always been for him. He wanted her to love him back.

"Will you forgive us?" She was questioning.

He could hear the tremor in his own voice when he answered.

"Do not worry yourself. I would not want to cause you more hurt…"

She smiled then, and he could not see anything but her.

"I apologize for my insistence," he continued hesitantly, "if you do not wish for this supper to take place, I will not insist anymore."

He could barely believe that he had said it. Apologizing was not in his nature. Let alone relinquish control over anything to another.

He waited anxiously for her answer. However, she seemed to hesitate and he took it for another refusal. "If that is what you want, I won't bother you again." He said this while turning abruptly away.

Seeing this, she called to him:

"I would love for you to come have this supper with us."

Once again, he stopped, but this time he just turned and smiled before leaving without another word.

Only then did Phoebe realize how cold it was outside, as she had felt warmth inside before. She still stood there for another minute, wondering about the way she felt.

Prue called to her:

"Phoebe, you will make yourself sick again, what are you doing there?"

Phoebe took a deep breath and reentered the cabin.

"I just told him that we would be pleased to have him visit…"

"You what? Phoebe, are you sure that you don't have a fever still?"

As a matter of fact, she thought that her sister looked flushed.

Phoebe would not look at her when she answered:

"Of course I don't. I just thought that we should be polite to our host, that's all."

"Hum!"

"I think that I'm still very tired and need some rest," Phoebe added, moving quickly toward the recess she used as a bedroom without waiting for a reply.

Prue almost went to her, but a look from Piper told her to wait.

Instead, she turned back her attention to Paul, who had observed all this excitation with some interest. "What was that all about?"

"Who knows…?" Prue answered irritably.

Then she seemed to think of something pleasant, because she smiled again.

"I believe that it might be appropriate for me to invite you to this supper as well. It could just make this tolerable." Paul smiled back, and simply nodded in agreement.

Leo was waiting anxiously; wondering if he should expect thanks or lashes…

He was soon reassured when he saw the unaccustomed relaxed expression on his captain's face. Unwilling to test his mood however, he did not ask what happened. He figured that he would know soon enough…

If he had expected that Cole would soften in any way, he was very disappointed. As he had apparently found a new balance for the moment, the captain took back the reins of his ship with zeal.

In spite of Paul's assumptions about the discipline on board, the fact was that the men had relaxed considerably since the girls had arrived. The Captain being mostly absent during that time, had given them the impression that they could loosen up. Captain Turner however, saw to it that things went back to what he considered normal. Complaints started to arise among the men, but a few severe punishments tended to calm them down, at least for the time being.

Three days later, they had the supper as planned, and although Cole still slightly resented Paul's presence there, as a reminder that he was barely tolerated by his hostesses, the meal was pleasant enough. His only problem was that not having much experience on the social front, as Prue had so rudely reminded him, he had not much to say and looked stiff to the others around the table. Phoebe tried a few times to get him into the conversation, for which he was grateful, but all he could do was answer by monosyllables. He had barely looked at her even then, for every time he did, he was convinced that everyone could see how he felt.

Leo had also come along for this, but he had received only the cold shoulder from Piper, telling him that he had a lot more to do to be forgiven whatever offense he had committed toward her. The girls had put on the only dresses that they now had left. And although they were worse for wear, the change in clothes still made them feel better.

They were already coming into warmer waters and it allowed them to go out and simply enjoy the night air afterward. At that point, Cole felt so apart from the company that he almost left, but Phoebe, who was doing much better by then, took the initiative once more. She startled him by putting her hand on his arm decidedly.

She seemed slightly amused at his nonplussed expression.

"You were not going to leave so soon. were you?" She asked sweetly.

"I do want you to give me a tour of this ship, now that I am up to it…"

He just smiled and they followed the others out.

They had only been out for about ten minutes, when clamors coming from below deck alerted them. Cole and Leo immediately went down there and Phoebe couldn't help her curiosity, as she followed them before anyone could stop her.

The relaxed attitude that the men had adopted caused some problem with the slaves that no one anticipated. A few of them had gotten sick and didn't get any help. The meals had been coming irregularly, and even though what they were given was not exactly gourmet food, they were hungry. In spite of the Captain's efforts, there were still unresolved issues there and the slaves had decided to protest that very night.

Cole and Leo saw immediately what the situation was, as a few of the men were getting beat up by the strongest slaves. They had obviously turned their frustration toward the handlers. They came in at the same time as other sailors carrying guns. The men were already shouldering these, ready to fire, when Cole stopped them.

Instead, he got his own pistol out and shot once over the crowd.

This had the anticipated effect as many of the slaves had looked up in fear.

At gunpoint, the slaves backed away from the men. However, one of sailors had not survived the attack. Cole coldly watched, as he was carried off. Then, turning to the slaves, he ordered 50 lashes for two of them and the rations cut for the next two days. He had not even flinched. At least, not until he turned away and found himself face to face with an appalled Phoebe…