Eye of the Storm

1 Chapter VIII



Piper woke up with a start, almost shaking at hearing the agonizing scream coming from the next room. She looked at the cot where her older sister usually slept, and was not at all surprised to see it empty. For the last few weeks, she had spent most of her nights out. Piper had been thinking of commenting on this, but had not found the right way just yet. All of this flashed quickly in her mind as she rushed to the alcove, fully expecting to find her younger sister with the black women.

There, she saw that something had changed with them, as Li was very agitated, her face contorted in pain. Her mother was simply holding her hand with a very frightened expression. Looking around, she realized that Phoebe had deserted the cabin as well with some wonderment.

She was pondering this when the next scream brought her back to the situation at hand. From where she stood, it was obvious that the labor must have started. Although a natural process, it still scared her. She had no idea on what she should do. She worried as well about the undue attention that the girl' screams might bring to them.

In spite of her apprehensions, she went to the girl's side, and tried her best to calm her down. Both the older sisters had counted on Phoebe being the one communicating with them at this point, and she was not certain that whatever gesture she might use would work. Indeed, the girl seemed even more nervous, casting worried looks to the empty cot between each wave of pain.

This lasted at least an hour, during which Piper's anxiety did not diminish in the least. Li had not screamed this loud again, telling Piper that she had understood the necessity for discretion. The little she knew of childbirth was that it could take a long time. At least, that was another good thing, as she truly hoped that her sisters would be back for the big moment. However, the look on Li's mother, Kari, told Piper that there might be more problems than she had thought. Kari was becoming very agitated, not knowing how to express her worries to Piper and this one was just about as nervous, seeing that Li's pain intensified by the moment.

Kari was now palpating her daughter's belly even more apprehensively and that did it for Piper. She had to find at least one of her sisters, and quickly. What's more, she remembered about the need for hot water and clean cloths, which she still had to fetch.

She got up, and was already on her way out of the alcove when Li's mother called back to her in her strange language. Piper could not understand a word of it of course, but she most certainly noticed the edge in her voice. She turned to her and gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile before rushing out, increasingly worried. She did not have to go far, however…

Just as she was about to open the door, she cringed at the renewed scream coming from the alcove. She was so upset about it that she almost bumped into Phoebe, this one rushing in.

As soon as Piper saw her, she uttered nervously:

"Where the hell were you? I was stuck in here, and both you and Prue had deserted us!"

Phoebe shrugged, just as nervously. "Never mind that, what is going on?"

Piper cast another worried look behind her before answering:

"Well, obviously, I think that our little protégé is having her baby, but I believe there might be some complications…"

Phoebe just pinched her lips anxiously before walking fast toward the alcove, leaving Piper to face the Captain.

She most certainly had not expected this. Not after Phoebe had gone out of her way to avoid him lately. Although she never said, Piper had guessed that something very bad had gone on between them. She had no doubts that his good deed had come to a high price, which caused her to give him a dirty look as soon as she was back from the surprise. "What are you doing here?" She asked with a clearly angry edge to her voice.

Instead of answering this however, he looked back and forth, as if worried about being seen. That reminded Piper not only of the purpose she had been going out for, but also of the risk they were all in at the moment. She had already begun to worry about discovery earlier, when Li had screamed. After a while, and when no one had come, she had relaxed somewhat. However, now her fear was renewed by the obvious concern on the Captain's face.

Forgetting all about how upset she was with him, she decided that he might as well be of use. This decision at least helped her focus, and the fear seemed to slip away for the moment. "We need clean cloths and hot water, can you provide that?" She asked curtly.

Her tone of voice or maybe the strangeness of being apparently ordered around snapped him out of his uncertainty.

"I am the Captain of this ship, not a medic," he answered, but he did so almost mechanically. Even he at this point thought that his pride was ridiculous.

"Right now," Piper replied impatiently, "you are the only who can help us. After all," she added with a point of irritation, "you are the one who insisted that we told no one else."

He was about to protest further, but thought better of it. In a way, he was glad to have something to occupy himself rather than debate what he was really doing there. He would have plenty of time later to wonder about that.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. But for god sake, keep her silent. The whole ship will soon know where she is the way she's going. And then, the real trouble will start…"

Piper snidely remarked. "Trouble for you."

He eyed her severely at this. "Young Lady, you should know better. These men are not children. If they feel that their Captain has faltered in any way, there will be trouble enough to go around…"

Piper shrugged hesitantly, unsure if this warning was real, or just some manipulation on his part. "If you're going to help," she added then, "now would be a good time." Not paying him any attention anymore, she turned back toward the alcove. Cole hesitated only a few more seconds, and then went to fetch what she asked for. Unfortunately, he realized almost immediately that his fears had been founded. The watchman was coming his way, obviously alerted by the latest screams of the slave.

Cole looked back toward the cabin, wondering if they would succeed in keeping her quiet. Then he turned resolutely toward the watchman, who was coming fast.

Closing the gap between them, he stopped abruptly in front of the man.

"Where are you going?" He asked him, thinking that the best solution was to show authority at this point.

"Captain? Sir? I did not recognize you. I heard screams coming from around here. I was just coming to check it out."

Cole stayed impassible while answering: "I was here and heard nothing of the sort. You must've heard whales. Just go back to your post."

The watchman hesitated. He did not want to contradict the Captain, but he was so certain of what he heard. "Sir, I know what whales sound like…"

Cole changed attitude right then. "And I don't?"

The man stood at attention, alerted by the coldness in his Captain's voice.

"Of course you do, sir…I'm sorry."

Cole fixed him for a long moment, and then continued firmly:

"Just do what you're told."

"Yes sir!" The watchman turned on his heels and retreated to his post in a hurry. He was still certain of what he heard, but he was not willing to go against the Captain.

Cole stood stiffly for a moment longer, and then took a deep breath. Hardly enough, he had felt a hint of fear just now… What would happen if they understood what he had done? He had kept a strong and steady discipline on his ship ever since he had become her Captain. Now, he was the one breaking his own rules. Guilt was not what troubled him however, because by now, he was certain that he had done the right thing. It was mostly the fear of losing what he had worked for all his life that did. As he moved on to finish the errand he had started on, he could not help wondering if his career was coming to an end… As he was approaching the galley however, his concerns receded rapidly. Oddly enough, he realized then that it did not matter as much as it used to…

Phoebe felt slightly overwhelmed by the situation. It was one thing to know what would eventually happen, but another to be faced with it. The poor girl seemed in such pain. And even to her inexperienced eye, it did seem too much pain to be perfectly normal… Kari had found something for Li to bite on, which was keeping the noise level lower now, but the tense features of the young girl worried Phoebe. Even more so, the fact that Kari was very agitated, while indicating her daughter's belly worriedly. It took a moment for Phoebe to understand what she was so upset about, but when she believed that she had understood, her eyes widened in fear.

Piper, who had rejoined them a while ago, did not fail to notice her sister's expression. "What did she say? What is it?"

Phoebe turned to her nervously. "I can't be sure of course, but it looks like the baby is not coming because it's in the wrong position. Kari seems to fear for both their lives…" They turned toward Li with apprehension.

Cole was finally returning after having realized that he did not know enough about the inner workings of his vessel. It had taken him much longer than he anticipated rounding up the water and cloths. Even boiling the water had been somewhat of a challenge. Now, back to the cabin, after he had thankfully managed to stay out of sight from his men, he went straight to the alcove. There, he stopped short, feeling ill at ease in the face of this feminine event. He almost turned back, but Phoebe spotted him and came to him quickly. "Captain, we need your help…"

He looked behind her with a certain embarrassment, not knowing what else he could possibly be needed for. However, when she began talking, he stared at her incredulously. "We need the medic. Li is having serious complications, I'm afraid."

"You can't be serious! If he learns of her presence here…"

Phoebe almost stomped her foot at that.

"It's her life that's on the line; not just your career!"

His head snapped back toward her, as he stared down at her angrily. He obviously had not liked her accusatory tone of voice, and Phoebe was tempted to take a step back. Nevertheless, she stood her ground, staring at him decisively. For a long moment, they did just that. Then she saw him falter, maybe realizing what she had meant, or so she hoped. He looked at the slave with obvious indecision.

"Are you certain that it's necessary?"

Her voice softened when she answered: "Yes I am."

He sighed.

"So be it!" He said, looking back at her. She saw that all trace of anger had vanished. In its place, she thought that she recognized shame, to her utter surprise. His next words just plain floored her: "I am sorry, you're right of course."

Barely looking at her, he turned around and walked away, while she found herself speechless. However, a new muffled scream coming from the alcove brought her back to the problem at hand, and then she decided that she would think about this later.

Leo was walking on the deck when the watchman signaled to him. He had tried in vain to sleep, and thought that a little walk would help, but he was not very happy to be stuck with some ship's problem. Reluctantly, he went toward the man that he knew as sailor Richardson. He remembered him well, although, he was certain that the Captain had totally forgotten about him. He was one of the two men who had received lashes for that stupid fight before they left England. The man did not lose time, for as soon as Leo was close enough, he began talking: "Sir, I need to talk to you about the Captain…"

Already, Leo did not like the turn this conversation was taking. He might not have been an example as far as discipline went, but speaking about the Captain behind his back was not something that he had planned to do. He mostly preferred to keep his thoughts for himself.

Still, he wondered what the man had to say and just nodded encouragingly.

"Earlier, I heard screams coming from aft, near the Captain's cabin. Where those girls live now…?"

"What do you mean, screams?" Leo asked, suddenly anxious.

"Like real screams of pain. And when I went to check up on it, the Captain stopped me…"

Leo gave him a doubtful expression. He could not help wondering if that man was not seeking some kind of revenge, as small as it was, on the Captain. Still, this thing about the screams worried him more and more as he thought about it. What if one of the girls was hurt, and in the back of his mind, he thought, what if he did something to them. The thought was a terrible one, but it simply jumped in his mind. "What did the Captain tell you exactly," he asked intensely.

"He said that I must have been mistaken, like that the screams must have been whale's songs. But I know the difference, and I'm sure that this was not coming from a whale…"

Leo barely let him finish before he rushed toward the cabin. All the way, he was imagining what he would do to Captain Turner, had he hurt one of them.

His fears seemed to be confirmed when he saw Cole walking quickly toward the cabin, accompanied by the medic. Without thinking, he rushed even faster and caught up with them before they had reached the stairs. Immediately, he grabbed the Captain by the shoulders and twisted him around to face him. Cole was so surprised that he did not react at first. He was dumbfounded to see his first officer's expression. This one almost had murder in his eyes. Before he could place a word, Leo began screaming: "What did you do to them? Are you trying to cover your tracks?"

His tone of voice was rising for every word and Cole thought that he was almost hysterical. He raised a hand with authority toward him, but it just made Leo more upset. "You bloody monster, I should have known what you were from the first atrocity you performed. How dare you lift a hand on the women?"

This time, Cole had enough. He did not know where this all came from, but he was not going to be insulted like this without reacting.

He punched him hard, sending him flying backward and falling roughly on the deck's floor. Then, remembering the medic, he sent him on his way, this before going to pick up the first officer. He held his fist over the man's face, barely containing himself. "This time, Mr. Wyatt, you've gone too far. If I was not curious as to what brought you to that ludicrous conclusion, I would throw you over board right now."

Leo was still reeling from the first hit and he did not really pay attention to what the Captain was saying. All he could think about was that for some reason the Captain might have hurt Piper, and as soon as he had found his breath, he counterattacked, hitting Cole as hard as he could in the stomach. Cole lost his breath in turn, almost folding in two from the blow. Leo took advantage and hit him again, in the face this time. The third time however, he did not get to make contact, as Cole blocked him, and then pushed him away roughly.

Cole then took a moment to recuperate, but his anger had swollen too much for him to be reasonable anymore. He went after Leo with a vengeance. Rather than hitting him with his fist, this time he rushed him, sending both men falling down on the deck. They started to roll and hit each other repeatedly, seemingly with the intent of finishing each other off.

That is when Paul and Prue came out of the lower deck, witnessing this incredible display. Paul hesitated a moment, unsure if he should intervene. However, he was not about to watch them kill each other and do nothing. He signaled for Prue to stay behind, while he ran toward the two men. Once there, he got a hold of Cole, who was on top at the time, and pulled hard on him, putting some distance between the two combatants. He only avoided being hit in turn by a hair, as Cole turned on him suddenly, his eyes flaring with anger.

"Captain, what's the matter with you?" Paul asked very loud, trying to get through to him. Leo was slowly getting up and moving toward them. Cole tried to shrug Paul Off of him, but both men were of equal strength and Paul had not been fighting until now, so that he had an advantage on him.

Leo was coming closer, obviously intent on using the Captain's temporary disability, but Paul saw him in time, and simply pushed the Captain behind him, casting rapid looks between the two men.

"Ok now, what is the matter with both of you?" Leo almost screamed in his face:

"That is not of your bloody business, get out of the way!"

Paul saw the blind rage in the man's expression and worried slightly. However, he was not a man to be intimidated so easily.

"I make it my business when people are trying to kill each other in front of me. What the hell has gotten into you," he asked firmly.

His tone of voice seemed to have a mild effect on Leo, as he stopped advancing on them. "HE got into me. He hurt one of the girls…"

Paul was now looking back suspiciously toward the Captain, but this one seemed dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? Are you insane?"

Leo was not going to be deterred so easily. "You were trying to cover your tracks, but you didn't do a good enough job of it." He turned toward Paul, trying to impress on him. "He turned away the watchman, who heard the screams, and then went for the medic, no doubts with orders to keep his mouth shut. Lord knows what he's done to them."

Prue had heard enough, and although she wondered seriously about Cole, another possibility came to her mind. Rushing back to the cabin, she left the men to work this out between them.

Cole was now outraged. "Have you lost your mind, Mr. Wyatt? Why would I want to hurt any of them?" Leo took one more threatening step.

"Probably because you didn't get what you wanted. Everyone knows the kind of man that you are." Paul had to restrain Cole again, as he almost managed to go passed him. Cole could not believe it. After all that he had been through, now that he had finally seen the light so to speak, that was when his first officer accused him openly. Of course, he had always known that Leo doubted his good character, but this really was beyond outrageous.

Still, he did not feel like defending himself to Leo, not while he could feel every spot where the man had hit him painfully. It took him everything that he had in him not to try and go after him again. Paul sensed that the situation was still very explosive, but he knew that there had to be an explanation. In fact, just like Prue, hearing of the medic had given him another perspective, and the outraged expression on the Captain's face seemed to confirm this.

Still staying between them, Paul turned halfway toward Cole and questioned:

"Is it what I think it is?" Cole was still staring angrily at Leo, but he peeled his eyes from the man to acquiesce warily.

"I would say so… And Mr. Wyatt, here," he spat, "seems to have assumed the worst immediately."

Leo frowned, suddenly unsure. "What are you two talking about?"

Paul saw that he was better to do the talking, as the Captain was still too agitated. Nevertheless, he knew that this would blow the secret out of the water and he gave a questioning look at the Captain first. This one shrugged and nodded in the affirmative.

"Mr. Wyatt," Paul began calmly, "there is something that has been kept from you these past few weeks, I'm afraid."

This time, Leo's curiosity was picked. He had been wondering for a while already. For the last two weeks, he had been kept out of the cabin, and if Piper had not been just as loving and friendly as before, he might have thought that she had a change of heart. Every time that he had tried to talk to her about it, she had given excuses that were increasingly far- fetched.

When he saw that he finally had the man's attention, Paul pursued.

"You see Mr. Wyatt, I'm sure that you heard of the slight discrepancy in the slaves' count?"

Leo's curiosity intensified, as he had indeed heard of it, along with some rather fantastic explanations on the men's part.

"Well, there was a reason for it. Unbeknown to almost everyone on this ship, the two missing slaves have been staying in the cabin with the girls…"

Leo was flabbergasted. He did not know what surprised him most. The fact that they had managed to keep this a secret so long; or the fact that the Captain had obviously been aware of it… He looked at his superior with an intense astonishment.

While Paul was explaining the situation to Leo, Cole had time to calm down somewhat, and although he was still very upset with his first officer, he sort of understood where the man had come from. As a matter of fact, he reflected that if he had thought that someone might have hurt Phoebe, he would have reacted in the same manner. Probably worse…

Finally, Leo realized what was really happening:

"You are saying that this girl is having a baby right now?"

"Well, it is pretty likely, yes."

As if to prove his point, they heard another loud scream. Obviously, the girl had not been able to stop herself this time. It gave the three men a chill.

Warily, the three of them made their way to the cabin, worried all for their own personal reasons. For his part, Cole wondered if the medic had found out what was wrong with Li.

In the cabin itself, Prue was standing at the alcove's entrance, watching intensely. She barely noticed the men at first, but as she looked back, she saw that the three of them were together, and although the Captain and Leo were obviously worse for wear, they were not fighting anymore. Seeing this, she returned her attention to the young girl, who seemed even more in pain, if possible.

Although the three men were just as curious about the situation, it was Paul who asked the question that was on all their lips: "What is happening?"

Prue moved back toward them, just as the girl screamed anew, although, this time it was obviously muffled. They all guessed that she must have been biting into something.

"I think that the baby was not in the right position, but your medic," she said turning to the Captain, "has managed to turn it."

He looked behind her, wondering what was really going on in there.

"And?"

"And I think that it won't be long anymore…"

As if on cue, they heard one last scream, and then a baby's cries. Hesitantly, the men followed Prue, who was now rushing back toward the alcove. Births were a woman's business usually, but Cole in particular, felt somewhat involved into this one. Maybe more for a selfish motive however. He was certain that the day he helped Phoebe with Li, had been a big step in his altering his life, albeit with many setbacks, he admitted to himself painfully.

When he got close enough, he stopped and watched in amazement. In spite of the obvious pain she had been in before, Li was now smiling widely to the small infant cradled in her arms. The medic had stepped away, giving space to the girls, whom were watching Li with the same happy smiles. Looking at them, he felt wellbeing like he had never experienced in his life. For a moment, he was completely at peace. Then, Phoebe looked his way, and in that instant, he knew that he had found the angel that he had been looking for all this time. Maybe it was the exhilaration of this birth, but in that instant, she had never looked more precious to him. She was obviously tired, but her eyes shone with life and affection. However, her expression changed after a moment, seemingly out of concern. Looking one last time toward the mother and child, she moved toward him with a frown.

It was not until she spoke that he realized what had motivated the change in her attitude. If at first this had worried him, her first words reassured him immediately: "My god, Captain, what happened to you?"

She was close now, her fingers almost touching him as she was indicating his cheek, which indeed felt painful at the moment.

He understood that she was making reference to the marks left by the fight, but was unwilling to talk about it just yet. "Don't worry, it's nothing," he replied with a smile. "It doesn't look like nothing…"

That was also when she caught sight of Leo and things became clearer, although she didn't have the faintest idea of what had provoked them…

Looking back toward Cole, she saw him grimace in pain, even if he had tried to keep it from her. "You are hurt pretty bad…" she said with such concern that once more his heart melted. Forgetting all about Leo, his accusations, the pain; he saw only her. He wanted so much to be with her, to take her in his arms and never let her go. "Please let me help you?" she was saying, as he felt her light touch on his face.

He gazed at her gratefully.

"I'll be fine, I promise. I'm sure that you'll be needed here," he added regretfully. "I should be going…"

For a moment, he thought that he saw disappointment in her eyes, but he did not dare hoping for too much. He had been so enthralled by her and the birth of the baby, that only now, he considered the consequences of all that happened. The medic was watching his officers with a very curious expression. Cole knew that it would not be the end of this. What's more, he met his first officer's eyes, as he turned to leave, and realized the depth of trouble that the next day would bring. Yet, at this moment, he simply refused to be concerned by this.

Leo tried to say something, but Cole dismissed him, moving passed him toward the door. Once outside, he took a deep breath and lingered there, wondering why he had not stayed, but knowing deep down that the answer to that was simple enough.

In spite of all the problems that he could see coming, that was not what bothered him at this point. He had already made so many mistakes with her, he was afraid that one more would be the last, if it was not too late. Looking back longingly at the cabin's door, he sighed, and then went down the steps heavily. He had almost made his way to the bridge, when he got sidetracked by what he recognized as whales' songs. For real this time, he thought, slightly amused in spite of the seriousness of the situation. Instead of going up to the bridge, he went toward the rail, listening intently to the sounds coming from the sea nearby. He was so concentrated on this that he did not hear the steps coming toward him. He almost jumped out of his skin at her voice. "What is that?"

He turned halfway, as she came to lean against the rail.

"Whales…"

Phoebe tried to distinguish something in the dark but could see nothing.

"It's so beautiful, almost haunting."

"Makes you wonder what they're thinking…"

She knew as well as he did that he was not talking about the whales.

They kept silent a moment longer, simply listening.

She caught him holding his side for a short moment and turned toward him:

"You won't tell me what happened?"

He went on staring at the sea, while answering:

"I would've thought that you would know by now. Didn't Leo or Paul tell you?"

She could hear the slight bitterness in his voice. Her hand went almost of its own up to his face, as she tried to get him to look at her.

The light touch of her fingers had been enough to reawaken the desire in him, and he resisted painfully the urge to take her hand and kiss it.

"I didn't want them to tell me, I wanted to hear it from you."

She delicately pulled his face toward her. She was smiling sweetly, not at all angry or worried. On the contrary, for the first time since that first night when they had kissed, she looked happy to be with him.

"You really have to tell me," she was insisting.

"It's not important anymore."

Her fingers left his face and he felt cold suddenly.

She sighed, and as she turned away, she uttered:

"Well, good night then."

He frowned, afraid that once more he had scared her away.

"Miss Halliwell," he called anxiously.

She stopped and turned back.

"Phoebe, you can call me Phoebe…"

"Phoebe," he said then, almost savoring the name. "Please don't go…"

She waited, while he walked toward her, his eyes locked with hers. His hand went hesitantly to her hair, which he caressed lightly, simply overjoyed that she was not running away.

He let his hand slide behind her head, pulling her slowly toward him. Their lips were almost close enough to touch, but once more he hesitated, trembling for the need of her, and yet so afraid that it all would go away if he acted upon it.

This time, she was the one who closed the gap, pressing her lips against his, searching, wanting, and he stopped fighting. Pulling her tight to him, he gave in to his desire only to find that hers was just as strong. He could not breathe, nor think… All he could feel was the touch of her lips, the warmth of her mouth, her breasts against his chest.

When his mouth left hers, she gasped for air. She could feel his heart racing madly as he held her close.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her, just as out of breath as she was.

"Phoebe, I…If you want me to stop…"

She knew that it was not what he wanted. At this point, she hesitated however. As much as she wanted him, she had to worry about what would happen next. So many misunderstandings had plagued their relationship…

"I want this too," she began, in a whisper, "but…"

As soon as she had said this, his hold relaxed on her.

"That's ok," he said, although obviously struggling for control, "if you still have doubts, I can wait…"

The change in him amazed her even more now. She realized that where before there had been smugness, almost a selfish need to satisfy his needs first, she could sense something different. A caring that she had not believed he could feel.

"You really mean that?" She asked, as her hand caressed the frown forming on his features, trying to erase it.

"Phoebe, I want you so much that I feel like I might die if I lost you. I never felt like this in my life. If I have to wait to prove it to you then, yes I will."

He was now closing his eyes, obviously reveling at her light touch on his face.

"I want you too," she whispered so softly that he wondered if he heard right.

He opened his eyes and stared at her with uncertainty.

His doubts flew away however when she leaned against him on her own, turning her face up to him, and offering her open lips to him, almost impatiently. This time, his kiss was not sweet but wanting and impatient. She responded in kind, the force of her passion surprising even herself. Her hand slid behind his neck, urging him even more. She felt that she could never be close enough, as she molded herself into him, wanting to feel all of him against her. She had completely forgotten about their surroundings, or all modesty, as she felt his hands on her back like burning iron, caressing her with increasing intensity. Her entire world now revolved around him, in his touch, his lips against hers. When his arms encircled her tightly and lifted her, she felt like she was floating in them. She felt herself being lowered onto something that seemed at once, hard and soft. Only then did she open her eyes, as he left her lips to kiss her neck, struggling with almost trembling fingers to open her garment. They were still outside, as she could see the bright stars in the open sky, and feel the breeze on her face. In his haste, a few of her buttons were torn off but she did not care. Slipping her hands under his shirt, she caressed his bare skin, and feeling how tense he was from the desire only drove her madder with want. She felt a fire inside that only his touch could appease. On her now bare breasts, she could feel his warm breath, as he seemed to hesitate. Unable to wait any longer, she arched herself toward him, almost letting out a scream of delight at the touch of his lips on her. Every touch, every kiss sent waves coursing through her until she thought that each one would be the end of her, as if she could die of intense pleasure. She was losing track of time and space, living only through the sensations that he gave her. He undressed her, then himself never stopping his caresses, and then it seemed to her like the most natural thing to feel him against her, as if their bodies were always meant to be intertwined in such a manner. She did not know anymore where she ended and he began; pleasure was a delectable little death, which she felt intensely, almost knowing his as much as hers, until the last wave exploded inside of her, and she almost passed out. For a long time, she kept her eyes close, letting her senses return to quasi normal slowly. Then she opened them to find him gazing at her with a dreamy expression.

He smiled and she thought once again, that no one could be so charming. Somehow, she knew that he had kept this expression only for her, and her heart melted at the thought. Then, he seemed surprised, and she questioned softly:

"What?"

"Until now, I never knew what it meant to love another more than oneself. There is no doubt in my mind that I would give anything to be with you forever."

She closed her eyes, just delighting in his words. Each one felt like one more caress, a balm over all the moments of pain that they had endured.

"I love you too, with all my heart." She answered with a sweet smile, as he came down and deposited a light kiss on her lips.

However, even in this beautiful moment, there was still a dark spot, something that she had not wanted to remember until now. Taking a deep breath, she began:

"It is true that I love you. However, there is but one thing that I have to know."

He frowned and she almost regretted starting this.

"Now? Now you're having doubts." He asked incredulously.

"I have no doubts about us, none whatsoever." She replied quickly, staring frankly at him. She breathed deeply again, worried, but unwilling to let it go.

"What…" she sighed, fearing to lose this precious moment… When he said nothing, she went on. "What are you going to do about the slaves?"

She could see that it was not such a shock to him, as if he had anticipated her question. "I was wondering when it would come to that," He said with a hint of sadness. "And what were you intent on doing?"

"Oh Phoebe, I wish that I knew, I really do."

"How could you not know? After what I have seen…"

She wanted to let it go so bad, she wanted him to smile again and be happy, but she could not. This was still too much of an issue for her to ignore it.

He pulled away from her, letting himself fall on his back, and he stared at the sky with a deep sigh.

"You don't know what you are asking."

This time, it was she who turned to him, trying to get him to look up at her.

"How complicated can it be? You know now that they should not be enslaved, don't you?" He would not meet her gaze and she began to worry.

"Please, I need to know."

As she was waiting anxiously for his answer, she felt a chill, and only then vaguely noticed where they were. He had carried her all the way to the bow, and laid her in a canoe that was kept there. They were lying on the tarp, but deep enough to be out of sight of any passersby, for which she was grateful.

She could still hear the whales singing in the farthest, and knew that no matter what happened next, she would always remember this song.

Instead of answering her directly, he turned to her, noticing her shivering.

"You're cold." He said, suddenly concerned. He took her close to him again, trying to warm her up, as he pulled the tarp around them.

Incongruously, she realized that she did not even know his first name. It provided her with another distraction from the tense discussion, as she began to feel warmer against him.

"You know? You didn't even tell me your first name."

He lifted a corner of his mouth in a half smile, glad to get a moment of relief as well.

"Cole," he simply answered in a lighter voice.

She put her head on his shoulder and repeated it in a whisper, which made him feel even better immediately

"Cole. I like it." "Do you now," he replied teasingly.

Right then, both of them wished that she had not asked the terrible question, but after a moment, they knew that it was one that could not be ignored any longer.

As he became serious again, he began:

"Phoebe, I swear to you, I have no intention on doing this anymore. This trip will officially be my last one as Captain of this ship."

She was overjoyed by this information, but she sensed that he was leaving something out, and she couldn't help worrying again.

"What is it that you are not telling me?"

He realized that he would have to finish this, but he was very reluctant, knowing that she would not like what he had to say. "Phoebe, you have to understand about the people on this ship…" He saw the doubtful expression and continued quickly.

"The men serving on this vessel are not choir boys, by far. All of them have ended up in the merchant service because they were not suited to work on a navy ship…"

"Not even you?" She asked, against her better judgement.

He looked back at her with a little sadness.

"Maybe me more than anyone else…" He hesitated.

"I came here because I was unable to wait for my turn. I needed to be in charge at all cost. Maybe because I could not trust anyone…"

Phoebe frowned. "Still?"

"I have a long way to go, Phoebe…" He looked away suddenly. "Maybe you won't have the patience…" "I love you, and I believe in you…"

Still looking away, he answered bitterly: "You said that you did not. And maybe you were right." She forced him to look her in the eyes: "I was wrong. And I understand that now."

He almost pleaded: "If I were to disappoint you; if you were to leave me…"

Phoebe smiled encouragingly. "I would never leave you, not anymore. I couldn't."

He sighed, unconvinced. "Phoebe, I can't free the slaves that are on this ship. If I did, my men would turn not only against me, but also most certainly against you and your sisters. I have no idea how to prevent this."

Phoebe bit her lips pensively. "Not all your men agree with slavery, I have seen it…"

Cole grimaced unhappily. "Unfortunately, those who don't are the exception. I should know… Before you forced me to see them as people, I never doubted for a moment that I was doing the right thing. Moreover, these men have much more than this riding on the trip. Most are counting on the bonus that they'll receive at the delivery. I can't imagine that they would accept to give that up so easily."

"There has to be a way!"

Cole watched her with a dubious expression.

"Will you at least try to find it? If not for me, for them?" Phoebe tried again.

He sighed heavily. "I will try. But I cannot make any promises…"

Phoebe figured that she could not ask for more at this point and she just lied back down, her head on his chest, simply enjoying presence.

They stayed many hours in this place, the waves of desire alternating with the peace that they now felt between them. However, when it was almost dawn, they had to reluctantly leave their love nest and return to the real world. He accompanied her to the cabin and still kept her in his arms for a long moment. He was fearful, once more, that tomorrow might break them apart. He knew in his heart that he could not take this. However, he was also aware that this day would be a difficult one, and that he would need all his strength and concentration to get through it. He had no idea what might have transpired from the night before, and dreaded to face his officers at this point.

After one last lingering kiss, he let her go inside, where she found that her sister Prue was still awake, and greeted her most severely.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

On his way back to the bridge, Cole found himself face to face with a very serious Leo…