Eye of the Storm

1 Chapter IV



It had been a whole month now, and he still barely understood what had happened. To him, what he had done was justified. Even though, it had caused one of the slaves to die eventually, in the whole, it had kept peace among the cargo afterward.

Yet, she would not talk to him anymore. They had crossed path a few times, and she had made great efforts to avoid even looking at him, leaving his feelings hurt like they had never been in his entire life. That night, he had seen the look in her eyes and at first, he was puzzled…

'Cole could see that she was displeased and, in a way, he understood that for a lady, such a display of violence must have been awful. He moved toward her, intent on getting her out of this unsavory place, but she took a step back from him, the anger now obvious on her face. He frowned at this and moved faster, to stop her from running away. "Miss Halliwell?"

"Stay away from me," she uttered between clenched teeth. Up close, he thought that beside the anger, he could also see the hurt in her expression.

"I know how upsetting this must have been, but you shouldn't have come here…"

"Why," Phoebe questioned angrily. "So that I would not know how cruel and monstrous you can be!" The frown deepened on his forehead, as he stared down at her. He kept silent for a long moment, trying to stop the harsh words that had come to his mind.

When Cole thought that he could reply without showing his anger, he started:

"Miss, I do not think that you understand what just happened. One of my men died in there. These savages needed to be punished for it."

Phoebe stood up very straight at this, the anger threatening to overcome her.

Meanwhile, sailors on the main deck had stopped Prue, Piper and Paul from going down themselves. "No Miss," one of them was still arguing with Prue, "it's not safe, and I can't let you go down there."

Prue was becoming increasingly impatient and scared:

"My sister might be in danger. I have to get to her."

The sailor just stood fast in front of her, even when they heard the shot and Prue tried to go by him.

Paul came to her, pulling her gently away:

"I know how worried you are, Miss Halliwell. However, the young man here is right. There is no point in exposing yourself too. I'm sure that your sister will stay out of the way. Besides, listen…It's already calming down."

Prue tried very hard to believe this, and she gave her sister a little more time to come back. However, when she didn't after a few minutes, Prue pushed the sailor rudely out of the way when he didn't expect it, and ran down the stairwell, soon followed by Paul, Piper and the said sailor.

Phoebe was replying, barely containing herself:

"How could you say that? You are treating them like animals! Putting them in cages! What do you expect them to do but react violently?"

Cole again tried to answer reasonably:

"As a woman and a person who hasn't dealt much with them, I can understand your misgivings. However, you have to know that we're doing them a favor by giving them a purpose in life. Other than just exist without any…"

"A purpose…?" She almost screamed. "You call slavery a step up for them?"

This did it, as until now, he had kept his temper in check, but no longer…

"You and all the people like you are such hypocrites. For almost four hundred years, our country and most other civilized worlds have been practicing this commerce. You, yourself have certainly benefited from the prosperity it has given. And now, all of a sudden, people are screaming that it's an obscenity? Rubbish, I tell you."

Only then did he see a hint of fear in her eyes. This had him regretting his outburst, but he never had a chance to apologize, as her sisters and the others were coming toward them. Prue took a hold of Phoebe's arm and pulled her away rudely, her anxiety making her too nervous to be considerate.

"My god, girl, what were you thinking," she asked, ignoring Cole altogether.

Phoebe stared at him for a moment longer, then she said in a flat tone of voice, worst than if she had screamed: "I have no idea."

She turned away then, soon followed by Paul and her sisters, and it was the last time that she had looked at him since.

At first, he had simply been angry with her. Angry at her lack of understanding and her judgmental attitude… Then, after a couple weeks of this silent treatment, he had become despondent, since it was obvious that she was not going to change her mind, as he had hoped. Just now, he could see that man, Paul Mckail, he believed, his back against the rail. His face was lighting up as he observed him, and he soon saw what had caused this. Phoebe's sister was walking toward him with a bright smile.

Cole could not help the twinge of envy at seeing them. For the first time in his life, he longed for a relationship, but the one he wanted obviously despised him.

His gaze moved toward the cabin where he knew she was…

Phoebe observed her sister and Paul wistfully. She did not want to feel like this but could not help it. For the umpteenth time, she wondered how she could have such strong feelings for a man like him, and she sighed heavily.

Piper noticed her stare, and with a little frown, she came to her.

She started softly: "Phoebe?"

Her sister turned toward her but apparently barely noticed her, as she passed her on her way to one of the seats.

She was again staring distractedly, and Piper decided that now was a good time to have the talk. "Phoebe, you have to get a grip. It's obvious that you won't get over that man so easily." Piper's forthcoming comment startled Phoebe.

She had never even mentioned that she knew of her feelings before.

"Whom are you talking about," she answered. Piper came to sit by her with a little smile. "Oh come on Phoebe, I have eyes. I saw the way you looked at the Captain. We all did. Whatever it is that's keeping you away from him, I think that it's not worth it."

Phoebe looked at her in surprise then:

"Are you suggesting that I should forget what I saw and heard? Coming from you, that is shocking…" Piper sighed as well.

"Well, you know, I'm learning myself that pushing someone away because of an opinion might not be the answer." Phoebe suddenly stood up, pacing nervously:

"There is no comparison with what happened between you and Mr. Wyatt. Captain Turner is a cold and monstrous man. I cannot believe that I even thought for a moment that he could be otherwise…"

Piper bit her lip, unsure of what else she could say to help. Then:

"Do you really know him that well Phoebe? He might not be as bad as you think. After all, maybe he simply acts like this because that's expected of him…"

Phoebe stopped pacing for an instant, looking curiously toward her sister.

"I would've thought that you would be of the same mind as me on this…"

"But what if you're wrong? And besides, how much longer are you going to try and deny your feelings?"

Phoebe understood that her sister only wanted her to be happy. However, she could not help the irritation from mounting in her.

"You know, maybe you should follow your own advice rather than try making me change my mind…" Piper forgave Phoebe her harshness only because she knew where it came from. "Maybe you're right… maybe I should forgive and forget."

Phoebe's voice softened considerably:

"You like him don't you?"

"I think so. No… I know so!"

"Well, at least he seems like a good man…"

Piper turned toward the door, looking as if she was expecting him to barge in.

"Come on Piper, I think that it's you who has to do something. For my part, I'm afraid that I can never be with a man who has no compassion."

Piper hesitated some more, sorry to see her sister so sad. Still, now that she had finally made up her mind, she was ready to act upon it. It had been long enough, too long…

Phoebe saw her sister's dilemma. "Go, don't worry about me, I'll be just fine."

Piper got up and squeezed her sister's hand gratefully before going out.

By now, and thanks to the first officer, they knew, each of them had been able to sow some dresses for themselves. Apparently, there was a reserve of fabric on board, mostly meant for the men, but with a little work, the girl had managed to make it look at least feminine, if not fashionable. They were still grateful for this, as none of them were very comfortable in those men's clothes.

The only problem was that woman' skirts were not very good against the elements, as Piper felt the moment that she went out. In spite of the warmer climate, the windy afternoon still gave her a little chill, but she ignored it. She walked resolutely toward the bridge, stopping only a few feet from the stairwell, where she hesitated again. It was one thing to want to talk to Leo; it was a whole another thing to barge in on the bridge.

Suddenly, she was feeling a little stupid and embarrassed, but Leo saved the situation by coming out of the bridge at this point. He looked surprised to see Piper and she smiled timidly toward him. Unsure, he still went to her, stopping a few feet short. "Hello," she said, trying to sound natural.

"Huh, hello. How are you today?"

Leo felt ridiculous. Although, he had been taking care of their needs for the last month, Piper and he had not exchanged a single word since that day.

"I'm well, thank you…" An awkward silence fell between them, as they were casting each other furtive looks.

Then they both spoke at the same time. "I'm sorry…"

This felt so weird that they both started laughing at this…

They were so into each other that Piper never noticed Prue and Paul having left the upper deck, or Phoebe sneaking out of the cabin and toward the lower deck with a package. However, the Captain did…

Prue was happy to see Paul, as she had been on the many occasions that they had spent time together in the last month. Nevertheless, something still bothered her. She had gotten over him being a pirate, as he was such a gentleman, and because of what she now knew of him. However, it was the gentleman part that bothered her somewhat. Deep down, Prue was a passionate woman, with intense desires. His quasi aloofness made her uncomfortable, as she wondered if he felt anything for her beside friendship. At first, she had been certain of it. Yet, he had kept his distance, never crossing the line, and now she wanted him to, very much so.

"Hello there," he greeted her with a smile.

She smiled back and came to lean on the rail beside him.

She breathed deeply in the sea air. They had gotten use to being at sea much faster than they had expected, considering their first experience. And although, she still felt some queasiness on occasion, it was mostly a pleasant trip, surprisingly enough. She knew that having him around might have had a lot to do with it however.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Prue smiled sweetly and turned to him.

"What makes you think that I'm having such worthy thoughts," she asked softly.

"I'm interested in whatever interests you…"

She wondered, as she observed him, if that was some sort of move on his part.

"What?" He asked, a little puzzled by her silence.

"Nothing really…"

"It seemed like something."

"It will seem too forward if I tell…"

"Let me be the judge of that…"

He was smiling widely now and she was certain that he knew exactly what she was thinking. The words did not come however, as she felt pressure.

Instead, she simply acted upon her impulse and leaned suddenly toward him, depositing a light kiss on his lips. For a moment, she thought that he was going to protest, as he looked curiously toward her.

Then, he simply took her hand and indicated that he wanted her to follow him. She hesitated only a second before allowing him to lead her away.

Cole felt increasingly upset at this point, as he had witnessed not only this little display of affection, but now he was watching his first officer flirting with the other sister. He almost missed Phoebe going below deck, but when he noticed her, not only did it give him a jolt, but he also worried about what she might be doing there…

He almost ran out toward her, but then remembered his first officer, still standing out there.

For some reason that he could not even identify himself, he did not want the young man to know where he was off to… And even less her sister.

He finally went out when he figured out that all he had to do was to be himself…

"Mr. Wyatt," he asked, with his usual cutting voice. The young man almost jumped, as he had forgotten about anything else but Piper. This one gave a severe look toward the Captain, and almost spoke up again, but she thought better of it. "No need to reopen this discussion…" she told herself.

"Sir?" Leo asked.

"What are you doing there? This kind of activity…" his voice changed to an almost disdainful tone at this, "should be kept for your free time."

Leo looked back nervously toward Piper but this one just nodded, and he replied:

"Of course, sir. Did you need me for anything?"

"Simply for you to perform your duties, Mr. Wyatt… That would do well enough."

Without wait, Leo took leave of Piper, even if he was a little worried about parting from her like this, but her smile told him that he would have other occasions.

In spite of the Captain's reproaches, he felt lighthearted as he was going back to the bridge.

Piper hesitated, almost lifting a finger toward the Captain, as she was opening her mouth to say something, but once more she thought better of it and simply went back toward the cabin. Cole thought that they would never leave.

He believed that he would never have a better pretext to talk to Phoebe again. He needed to or he would go crazy, he knew…

He looked for anyone who would be observing him, and when he was satisfied that none did, he moved toward the lower decks in turn.

Paul directed Prue to a recess away from prying eyes, and as soon as they were in, he took her in his arms, crushing her lips with a passionate kiss to which she responded in kind. All doubts flew away about the way he felt then, but when he pulled away, she took a deep breath before looking directly at him.

"I hope that I did not offend you," he asked, almost timidly.

She uttered a muffled laugh then, amazed that he could still doubt after this kiss.

"I was wondering myself why you did not try before…"

He seemed slightly uncomfortable at this.

"I did not think that you could be really interested in a man like me. I am a wanted man…"

Prue came closer. "I only know that you are a good man." Moreover, she truly meant it, as she remembered some of what he had told her about his dealings as a pirate. What had struck her the most were his ideas about slavery, which reached her own fully. This had amazed her more than anything else. Paul had told her about his encounters with slave ships, and of the horrible conditions found on some of them: slaves, who were dying by the dozens of plagues and malnutrition. When telling her of this, he had mentioned the fact that the ship they were sailing on did not fall into this category at the very least, however unpleasant its purpose was. He still thought that no matter how well treated, men should not be enslaved. In fact, he had told her that when they had made their escape toward Africa, they had also brought along some of them. From that moment on, she had seen him not as a criminal, but almost as a hero. Yet, there was no denying that the authorities might see it differently.

"Still a wanted one, Prue," he was telling her. "When we get to Santo Domingo, I will have to run again…" She breathed deeply, this time with a hint of fear.

"I can't think of this, not now…" Paul smiled weakly:

"I have to… How can I commit to any relationship when I have nothing but a life on the run to offer?"

"Why this kiss then? Why do this now?" She asked with barely disguised anger, as she took a step back. "I'm sorry, I wanted to do this from the moment I saw you, that first day on the frigate…"

Prue uttered a derisive laugh:

"When you were in chains?"

"Well, I guess it was a good thing or you might have run away that day…" Her anger deflated almost immediately, replaced by a sorrow deeper than she had thought possible. "I don't think so," she replied seriously. "I don't think that at all."

She looked so sad that he only wanted to take her in his arms and forget all about what was against them. He took a step forward, but she stepped away.

"I hope that I didn't destroy our friendship?" He asked anxiously.

Prue bit her lips, and turned away. "I need to think about this."

"Of course, take all the time you need," he replied, but without conviction.

She went away without looking back, and his expression turned somber, as he simply stayed behind.

Piper was almost to the cabin when she decided against facing Phoebe just yet. Her heart was bursting with joy right then, and she did not want her sister to feel left out at seeing her like this. Instead, she turned around and went for a walk, never noticing her sister's absence…

Cole was looking around the lower decks, still wondering what Phoebe could have been doing there. He had already gone to the men's quarters, almost fearing that she had found someone among them. One who would have caught her fancy, as it seemingly had happened to both of her sisters. This thought alone angered him. In the back of his mind, he knew that he was being irrational, and that his reactions were out of character, but he could not help it. When he did not find her there however, he began to think that she might have gone back while he was debating his course of action on the bridge. He had almost given up and was only checking on the cargo hold while he was there, when he heard the voice that was engraved in his mind. He looked in puzzlement toward the slaves' pen. Careful to stay out of sight, he moved slowly toward it.

There, what he saw appalled him. Fear for her, as well as an obvious discomfort invaded him at first. In fact, at this point he would have strangled the handler who had let her in so carelessly… There she was, standing in the middle of a group of black women. These were sharing some food coming from a package at Phoebe's feet.

He almost went toward them, determined to get her out of there, but then she smiled, and they smiled back. For the first time, he wondered about these people, which he had barely even thought about in all this time. To him, they were simply a work force, without true feelings or even a hint of civilization. Granted, he prided himself with the fact that on his ship, the slaves were treated well, unlike many other merchant ships. However, his reasoning behind it was much more mercantile than humanitarian.

The slaves were worth more if they arrived healthy at destination. Somehow, this brought back to his memory the harsh reproach that she had made to him. Indeed, he might just have thought of them as not much more than animals. Watching her like this, he felt a twinge of guilt. The feeling was so strange that he tried to forget about it immediately. However, the sensation seemed only to grow to his utter dismay. He was so distracted by these disturbing thoughts that he almost was caught, as Phoebe turned toward his hiding place. He saw her just in time and threw himself around the corner, strangely unwilling to intrude.

There, he simply waited, without quite knowing what he would say to her anymore. It had been so clear until then. He was going to tell her that they should forget about the argument that they had. That he so much wanted to know her better. Yet now, he knew that it would not be so easy to forget. In fact, he could not even forget it himself. A few minutes later, he saw her on her way out, and almost did not go to her. However, she seemed to hesitate, as if expecting something, and he could not resist approaching her.

Phoebe sensed that someone was observing her and turned suddenly. She found herself facing the Captain and just then thought that her insides would turn upside down. She felt a mix of fear at being discovered, and of pleasure at simply seeing him there. This was so strange, that she stood paralyzed as he approached her slowly.

She had those beautiful hazel eyes locked with his, and for a moment, he hesitated between getting angry with her for her carelessness and the pure delight that he felt at her not running away.

Unfortunately for him, sweet words were not in his usual vocabulary, and it was much easier for him to show anger than love.

"What were you doing there," he asked in a much harsher voice than he had intended. He was angry with himself now, certain that he would blow it again. However, he had been so scared for a moment that it did not help his being reasonable.

Now, he could see the fear returning in her eyes and the hint of anger as well. He could not stand to have once more been responsible for this.

"I'm sorry, please don't go away," he blurted out, surprising himself.

She had been about to do just that, not only fearing him, but much more herself. And now even more, as his last words went through her and awoke all these emotions that she had kept bottled up inside.

She was torn between the desire to simply go to him and forget all the reasons why this should not be, and the moral dilemma that he caused her. How could she feel like this, knowing that his ideas were diametrically opposed to hers? Yet, she felt the urge to appease the pain that she sensed in him, even more so because she felt the same inside herself. For a moment, he thought that she would come to him, she seemed ready to it, and then suddenly she turned around, taking away his hope so abruptly that anger swelled in him. He should have let her go, he should have restrained himself, and he knew that. Nevertheless, throughout the last month, an intense frustration and longing had built up inside him, and seeing her going away again was too much to bear.

Without thinking anymore, he moved quickly toward her, grabbing her arm almost rudely and twisting her back toward him. She tried to protest, but only weakly, as he pulled her to him into an embrace that she had longed for from the moment she had laid eyes on him. There was no denying her intense desire as his lips covered hers hungrily. In spite of her misgivings, she responded with the same passion, as she stopped struggling against his strong arms, leaning into him without realizing it.

There was no way to tell how far this might have gone was it not for the loud scream coming from the main deck. This acted like a wake up call for Phoebe, and she began struggling again, this time succeeding in pulling away from him. Flushed and angry as much with herself as with him, she slapped him hard, too irate to be afraid anymore. Then she turned around and ran away, as he watched her with a mix of confusion and shame.

The second call from the watch shook him out of the trance that he was stuck in. Even as he started toward the upper decks, he still struggled to stop the tremors he felt throughout.

Prue had been standing on the deck, looking out at sea and trying to make sense of her feelings, when the loud scream from the man up in the mast pulled her out of it. She looked up at first and noticing the man's stare, she turned back toward the sea, only now noticing a growing point on the horizon. It did not take long for her to recognize that another ship was coming toward them. She wondered with mixed feelings, if this was going to be the end of this part of their trip on the merchant ship, as this could have been a vessel headed toward their original destination. By now, many men were coming toward her, looking in the same direction. Some of them seemed anxious and this caused her to rethink her assumptions.

Phoebe emerged on the deck and barely noticed the agitation, as she was heading back quickly toward the relative safety of the cabin. In all honesty, she feared more her own reactions than him. She still wanted him, even though she had run away from him. She wanted to put as much distance between them, believing that only then she could stop the urge that she felt.

Piper, as well as Leo, and then Paul had now come to rejoin the group to watch the approaching ship. Prue noticed him stopping beside her, but what worried her even more was the strange look on his face. He was looking intently at the ship and just then, seemed to show signs of recognition.

"Oh god! I think that this ship is in trouble," he said obviously referring to their own vessel.

Captain Turner made him jump when he asked:

"And how would you know that?" Paul hesitated at length, knowing that his next words might reveal too much about him. Yet, he had to warn them…

"I know this vessel, and you should prepare for battle…"

Cole looked coldly at him. "I reiterate, how do you know that?"

"I know the ship and his captain. He is a ruthless pirate and well armed…"

Cole looked intently at Paul, apparently weighing the worth of this warning. He seemed to decide that it was true as he turned toward his own men.

"Prepare the canons, and bring up the sails fully. We will try to make a run for it."

The men did not wait for more, as they knew that their ship was not likely to sustain an attack from a pirate ship without severe losses.

After Leo and the men had gone to their respective stations, he turned back toward Paul with a severe expression.

"I think that we'll have to discuss this later, Mr. Mckail…"

He stared down at him a moment longer before going back toward the bridge.

Paul watched him going and then said under his breath. "If we are still in one piece then."

He regretted his comment immediately when he saw the frightened looks that Prue and Piper cast toward him. However, there was nothing to say that could reassure them. Instead, he motioned them to follow him.

Prue called to him. "Where are we going?"

Paul turned briefly toward her:

"To the lower decks... I will lead you to my quarters, as this part of the ship might not be safe enough for you anymore…"

"We have to get our sister first…"

He looked back at sea for a moment, and then offered to get her himself, as he indicated the way down to the girls and told them to wait for him at the bottom of the stairwell.

When he got to the cabin, he had to call twice for Phoebe to come to the door.

"Haven't you noticed what is happening?" He asked, with a growing impatience.

Phoebe had pain to concentrate on what he was saying, as she was still struggling with her own concerns. Yet, the obvious worry in his expression pushed her to consider this new problem more attentively. "No, I haven't. What is it?"

Paul just took her arm and pulled her out as he said:

"Not now, there will be time to explain. You must come with me and join your sisters below deck."

She wanted to protest but he seemed so genuinely concerned for them that she followed him without asking more.

They were already starting down the stairwell when they heard a loud explosion. Paul and Phoebe turned around just in time to see a projectile plunge at sea, maybe 100 feet from the ship…