Eye of the Storm
1 Chapter IX
In spite of what he expected from Leo, Cole could not help being slightly amused. The poor man had actually fought him for the wrong reasons, but that did not make it less honorable. What amused Cole, on the other hand, was the seriousness that the man kept, even though his face was so busted.
One of his eyes was closed shut, while his upper lip was so swollen that he had to keep his mouth opened. Maybe it was the incredible night that he just had, or simply a renewed respect for his first officer, but he kept his amusement to himself, and instead tried to be as pleasant as possible under the circumstance.
"Well Mr. Wyatt," he began calmly, "you are up very early this morning…"
Leo grunted, and then replied: "So are you…"
Cole preferred not to answer that one. Seeing this, Leo continued.
"To tell you the truth sir, I have not really slept. For some reason, I was experiencing discomfort." Cole thought it strange that the man seemed to be handing him an olive branch now. Maybe this day would not be as bad as he had feared.
"Sir," Leo pursued, "I must say that last night was somewhat of a shock for me…For many reasons," he added after some more hesitation, vaguely indicating his own face. Cole answered cautiously:
"I suppose that it was…"
Leo just observed him for a moment longer, and Cole felt uncomfortable under this scrutiny. "What made you do it," Leo suddenly questioned, at last voicing his real concern. Cole eyed his first officer suspiciously.
What might he be thinking, he wondered? Of course, he knew that Mr. Wyatt had rather liberal ideas long before he, himself, had his eyes opened about the black people. Still, he could not be certain that the man was ready to go as far as Cole intended to. After all, this was much more than a moral decision. It was a career breaker. Moreover, if he succeeded, then he would become a fugitive. Even as he was debating what to tell Leo, another possibility came to him. He had been putting off a certain conversation for a while, thinking that this would be dealt with once they were in Santo Domingo, but now he saw an opportunity.
"Sir," Leo questioned impatiently. Cole realized that he had forgotten about the man in front of him, as his plan was now taking form.
"Mr. Wyatt, I do not know what to tell you, really."
"The truth would do, sir." Cole could sense the irritation in the man's voice.
"Don't you have your own opinion already made up, Mr. Wyatt?"
"I still would like to hear what you have to say. I must admit that my convictions about you were shaken last night…"
Cole lifted an eyebrow in a dubious gesture.
"Well, you will be glad to learn that you were not completely wrong," he began. "Indeed, I did not let this girl stay with the ladies for her sake."
Cole was surprised to see a hint of disappointment on Leo's face.
"But," he continued then, "Things have changed."
Cole wondered why he was telling him this. Maybe it was this whole very emotional night, or most probably because he realized that whatever he was going to do from this moment on, he could not accomplish alone.
He had stopped at this, and Leo's impatience grew.
"Changed how, if you do not mind my asking?"
"In the sense that I can't do this anymore… In the last few weeks, I have learned a thing or two about our…passengers."
Leo noticed the hesitation and suddenly realized that his captain was not talking about the girls.
With growing interest, he questioned:
"Could you be more precise, sir?"
"I have come to question just about everything I ever believed in. These people that we have been using for so long… well until recently, I had not seen them as such. They were just a workforce to me. I'd never stopped to think of what they might want. Now, I know that I could never be a part of their misery anymore."
He could not believe that he had said this. Taking a deep breath, he waited anxiously, expecting that his first officer would threaten to divulge his dispositions to the crew, and then simply take over the ship.
He knew from Leo' stunned expression that the man had understood the implication. After his first movement of surprise, Leo cast furtive looks around, as if he feared that someone else might have been listening in on them, which somewhat reassured Cole.
Stunned was an understatement as far as Leo was concerned.
He watched the Captain for a long time, trying to figure out if this one had not been fishing for information, or one worse thing to put on his report against him. Yet, he could not imagine what advantage the Captain would have to risk this. This coupled with the strange activities that had been reported to him, which he had not believed then, finally led him to trust Cole's sincerity.
"I heard things," he said hesitantly. Cole grimaced:
"I always thought that I was not severe enough on this ship. Obviously, my orders were not followed." "I can assure you, Captain, those men only told me, as they were somewhat concerned. There has been no other talk on the ship about this that I know of..."
Cole's smile told Leo that he was not actually angry.
"So it is true…"
The smile vanished from the Captain's face, replaced once more by a very serious expression. As he looked closely, Leo could read some anxiety as well.
"What matters now," Cole replied, in lieu of an answer, "is what you'll do about it… I know that I have no right to ask you to help me with this. However, I can't do it all by myself…"
"Captain," Leo interrupted, increasingly astonished, "you really mean that you…"
Leo stopped abruptly and Cole saw him stiffening. He wondered for a moment if he was about to do just what he had feared, but then he also heard the heavy steps behind him.
A moment later, three sailors were passing them, obviously getting to their stations. This reminded Cole of how long this night had been.
Once they had left, he turned back toward Leo:
"Mr. Wyatt, I cannot tell you what to do. Whatever you decide, I'll abide by it."
Leo was about to say something, but Cole continued quickly.
"Don't give me your answer now, Mr. Wyatt. We're both exhausted and in great need of rest. If you intend to have me arrested, so be it. But I'm asking you to give it some thought before you make up your mind."
Without giving Leo a chance to reply, Cole turned decisively toward the bridge and left the first officer to mull over what he'd learned.
Cole immediately noticed the curious looks on the bridge officers' faces, but these did not make any comments and simply returned to their duties while he entered his quarters. He had managed to stay impassible for them, but as soon as he was alone, he leaned back against the door, barely believing that he had committed himself so deeply. There was no turning back.
He could not help feeling a selfish regret at the thought of what might happen next. If the first officer decided to follow procedure, then not only his career, but also his first real relationship would end. Phoebe had opened the door for him, but now he was stepping through it, at the risk of losing her. For a moment, he wondered if it was really worth it, but he had never been one to do things halfway. All he could do was wait and see, as Leo's next step would make or break his newly formed plan. Only when he knew for sure, could he go ahead and have this other crucial conversation…
Meanwhile, Phoebe had to face her irate sister.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Prue said the moment she entered the cabin, taking Phoebe by surprise. She had expected a discussion, but not so soon.
"Can't this wait?"
"Like you could wait to give in to that…That monster…"
Phoebe had been somewhat contrite until that moment, but this ended her budding remorse.
"Watch what you're saying, Prue. I will not let you insult him in front of me."
Prue seemed to become even angrier after this.
"What lies did he serve you? You were the first one to say that he had no compassion, nor remorse." Phoebe took a step forward, the anger now swelling in her as well. "I was wrong. You do not know him as I do now."
"And you do? Sleeping with a man is not the same thing as knowing him."
"You should know," Phoebe spat, "after all, you've been sleeping with a pirate for the last two weeks, or did you think that we didn't notice?"
"Leave Paul out of this, you little brat! You were always so lacking in judgement. Now you let your desires blind you to the truth."
"And what would you know about the truth, Prue? Ever since you started seeing Mr. Mckail, you have not paid any attention to what was happening to us."
Prue felt this reproach deeply, more so because she knew that it was the truth. The last few weeks, she had tried to forget all about what would happen once they were in Santo Domingo, but the fear was always there, keeping her every thought on Paul. In fact, the night before, it had come to a head with him, which was the real reason why they had been back so early, and found Cole and Leo fighting. Until then, she had kept her worries at bay while with him, but what he had told her changed things.
Like every night, of late, she had come to him and everything had been fine until he had begun talking of how little time they had left.
"Prue," he had said, as she was cuddling to him in their favorite hideout, "I think that it is time for us to face reality here…"
Prue had stiffened at this.
"What do you mean?"
Sighing, he had pulled her up to him, forcing her to look at him directly.
"We have little time left, and every day, I feel worse about leaving you. We've been behaving as if that was never going to happen, but now…"
She had answered much more brusquely than intended, but it was due to all of her fears returning at once. "What about now?"
"If I feel bad about leaving you, I feel even worse about leading you on…"
"I knew what I was doing."
"Did you, really? Prue, you have to know that I never wanted to take advantage of you…"
The anxiety had risen dramatically in her.
"And now what? You want to end this to relieve your conscience?"
"Prue, please, that's not what I meant." "That's what it sounded like."
She had gotten up very quickly, without giving him time to answer, and almost ran out of the hideout.
Paul had gone after her, intent on defending his point, but the disturbing fight that they had witnessed had prevented him from pursuing it right away.
Later, after the baby's birth, he had managed to calm her down, but only after a lengthy discussion. This had resolved nothing, but she understood that he had never meant to hurt her, and that he suffered just as much as she did about it.
These thoughts had distracted her from Phoebe, and she now realized how much her relationship with Paul had kept her away from her sisters and their problems. Deflated somewhat, she answered more calmly:
"I know that I was not there as much as I should have been, but that doesn't make what you did right, Phoebe."
Phoebe took a deep breath and tried to calm herself in turn. There was no point in this ugly fight. "Maybe, if you took the time to know him, you would find that things have changed. No matter, I know all I need to know about him, and nothing that you could say or do will change the way I feel."
Prue frowned and gave a sad look at her sister.
Phoebe saw that Prue was still unconvinced. She was almost tempted to describe to her what he had done, but refrained from it for fear that Prue would again view his actions as interested. She realized that until Prue could see an actual proof of his change, she would never believe it.
Determined to end this conversation, she simply moved on toward the alcove, crossing path with Piper, who looked exhausted.
This one barely glanced at Phoebe, and only with a non-committal expression. She obviously had heard the argument, but did not want to be part of it. In a way, Phoebe was grateful, although she would have liked to have someone on her side.
At least, Piper had reproached anything to her, and actually, seemed to be preoccupied by something else, as she continued toward her own cot.
Phoebe wondered about it, but she was too tired to get into another problem that morning. She entered the alcove to find that the black women, as well as the baby were fast asleep, thankfully. Forgetting all about Prue's outburst, she smiled at the sight, and even more at the thought of what happened after his birth. She still barely believed that it was real. The joy that she had felt at being with Cole lingered with her, and even as she laid herself on the cot and fell asleep almost immediately, a soft smile stayed on her lips.
While what he had said to the Captain about his discomfort was in great part the truth, there had been another reason why Leo could not find sleep that night.
Earlier, after Cole had left and then subsequently, the youngest Ms Halliwell, he had found himself face to face with Piper for a short instant. He had almost talked right then, but decided that he was not ready for the unpleasant conversation. Turning away from her without a word, he had left the cabin, and ever since wondered about her lack of trust.
How could she have said that she loved him and still kept something so important from him? And of course, as if that was not enough, now he had learned another disturbing truth, this one about the Captain.
The latter had troubled him so much that he had decided to postpone confronting Piper again. In fact, following the Captain's advice this time, he had gone back to his quarters and finally managed to get some rest, albeit through an agitated sleep. After a few hours, he woke up feeling every part of his body on fire, but with a slightly clearer idea on what he should do. Once he had made his decision about the Captain, however uncomfortable it felt, he decided to go to Piper first…
Piper had simply gone by Prue without a word and laid herself on the cot with thoughts more disturbing one than the next.
After the joyous event that was the baby's birth, she had felt exhilarated. But then, she had seen Leo there, and the shock had almost been too much. Throughout those two weeks, at times, she had felt terrible remorse at keeping the truth from him. Yet, she had reasoned that maybe he would never need to know, and that he might even have preferred it this way. However, seeing him there, and mostly reading the disappointment in his expression had been almost too painful. She would have run after him, but Phoebe had just left, and Prue was on her way out with Paul, thus leaving her alone to take care of the new mother and child.
She had been too stunned to call to Prue about it, and after she departed, Piper had wanted to strangle both of her sisters for their selfishness. Soon however, her thoughts had returned to Leo.
What might he be thinking? Would he ever forgive her this lie?
Being forced to wait before she could find the answer to these questions was torture.
The next few hours, she had spent in the alcove, sitting by Li and her baby. She had fallen asleep a few times, but every now and then, she would wake up with her throat constricted by worry.
More than once, she was tempted to go to him anyway, but as time went by, and he did not come back, she saw this as an insurmountable obstacle to their love. It took her everything that she had to hide her pain from Li and her mother. In the end, she was awakened once more, this time by the loud voices of her sisters.
She had been unwilling to intervene, even more so that she was still somewhat angry with them for their lack of consideration.
They had obviously assumed that she would not mind staying behind, and now, their problems did not interest Piper in the least.
It took her a long time to find rest that morning, but she still managed to fall back asleep in the end. When she awoke a few hours later, it was because of a knock on their door…
After Prue left, Paul had lain awake for long hours in his bunk. At first, he had been thinking of their upcoming arrival in Santo Domingo and what it would mean for him and Prue, causing him to ignore what his bunkmates were talking about. However, eventually he caught bits of their conversations and realized that the medic had not lost time spreading the news. The men were very agitated and stunned mostly by their Captain's actions. From what he heard, however, there were no obvious signs of a revolt brewing. Still, he decided that he would talk to the Captain about this later, worried that he was about the volatility of the situation.
Piper almost went back to sleep, still groggy after the short night. However, the knocking became insistent and her sisters did not react to it.
She saw that Prue was moaning in her sleep, while Phoebe did not come out of the alcove, so Piper dressed up hurriedly and went to the door. She was still so sleepy that she had not taken the time to theorize on who was visiting them, so that when she saw Leo there, she gasped. Not only was she somewhat surprised to see him, but even if her worries of the night were not enough, she could now see clearly the marks left by his fight with Cole. She had not noticed them the night before in her state of shock. "What happened to you," she asked anxiously.
Leo was standing there very rigidly, and she made a tentative move toward him, bringing her hand to his face. He almost took a step back at her gesture, and Piper was immediately reminded of their problem. "Leo…"
"We need to talk," he replied in a flat tone of voice that unnerved Piper more than if he had screamed.
Nevertheless, she nodded in the affirmative as calmly as she could while showing him in. Her sisters were apparently still asleep, and she led him toward the corner of the cabin where they were in the habit of taking their meals.
There, she saw the breakfast that had obviously been delivered that morning, but had remained untouched… She wondered vaguely if the steward had let himself in, and noticed the black women. However, she soon dismissed this concern, as she was convinced that the whole ship must have known by now. She even admitted to herself that this had only served as a distraction from the confrontation to come.
After they were seated, and trying again to postpone the inevitable, she realized, but also out of concern, she questioned:
"Won't you tell me what happened? Who did this to you?"
Leo pinched his swollen lips before turning to her resolutely:
"It really doesn't matter anymore, Piper. This does not hurt nearly as much as what you did…" Piper breathed deeply, trying to stifle the tears that she felt coming.
"I never meant to hurt you…"
"Then why did not you trust me?" He replied forcefully.
"I trust you, of course I do."
"Don't lie to me Piper. If you had trusted me, you wouldn't have kept this from me," he continued, vaguely indicating the alcove.
"You have to believe me; I wanted to tell you… But I made a promise to keep it a secret." "To whom?"
She lowered her eyes, unable to sustain his harsh stare. She could not even justify herself in her own eyes, let alone his. "I know that I should've, but your Captain asked that we told no one."
When he talked again, she could feel the sadness in his voice.
"I thought that you loved me, that you believed in me."
"But I do," she answered anxiously. "You have to believe me; I never wanted this to come between us…" "And what did you expect? That I'd never find out?"
The fact that this had been on her mind made her feel ashamed.
"I'm so sorry…Will you ever forgive me," she pleaded with a tremor.
He looked away then, sighing heavily.
"Leo please, I don't know what I will do if you can't find it in your heart to forgive me." She had said this in a broken voice, the urge to cry so strong now that she had pain repressing it.
For a long moment, he kept silent, still refusing to look at her.
"Piper, I want to believe that you love me, I really do. However, it's difficult to understand how you can say that you love me and still keep something so important from me."
Although, she understood his anger, the fact that he doubted her love as well was too much for her. In that instant, resentment replaced the urge to cry.
"How can you doubt my love? Have I not proven it to you? Yes, it is true that I have not been completely honest with you, but I had good reasons. Be angry for that, but do not doubt my feelings for you." Her outburst shook him. "Piper?"
She could not help asking: "Maybe it's you who don't love me enough?"
"How could you say this?" Leo turned back to her with a pained expression.
This deflated her and she could not repress the tears any longer.
Seeing this, he went impulsively and took her in his arms.
"Please don't cry, I'm sorry. I was so afraid that…"
"I love you, Leo. You have to believe that."
She buried her face in his shoulder, relieved to feel his arms around her.
"I love you," he whispered, as he began stroking her hair, while still holding her tight against him.
Right then, he felt foolish to have doubted her love, and also to have risked losing her in doing so. The baby's cries interrupted the moment. As Piper pulled away reluctantly, Leo wiped away a tear from her cheek delicately.
They gazed at each other for a moment longer, hopeful that they had a new understanding, but the renewed cries from the baby distracted Piper.
"That's ok," Leo said, as he saw that she was reluctant to leave him, "I have another visit to make this morning, but I'll be back later…"
She smiled sweetly and gave him a light kiss before moving toward the alcove. Leo watched her go and still lingered a while before getting up. Outside the cabin, he looked toward the bridge with a sigh.
It was now the time to face a difficult task.
Cole had been agitated at first, but then he had resigned himself to whatever would happen. He found sleep much faster than he had anticipated, and he awoke thinking that maybe it had to do with feeling that he was doing the right thing. He knew that the consequences might be serious, but he also believed that for once in his life, he was following his heart. Somehow, it felt right, as it never did before.
This did not keep him from starting at the knock on the door.
He had been waiting for this, but now that the moment had arrived, it still left him a little anxious. He opened the door and was surprised to find not Leo, but Paul McKail.
Paul had been hesitating to go to the Captain, even after he decided that it was necessary. After the attack on the ship and the Captain's intent on having a talk with him, he had been convinced that Captain Turner was on to him and would have him arrested soon. However, after a few days without a word from him, Paul had begun to relax considerably, imagining that he had misread Cole's comment.
Still, now that he intended to go to him, he felt that it might be tempting the devil. There was the possibility that Captain Turner had simply judged him already and decided to have him arrested once in Santo Domingo. Alternatively, this might just invite the unpleasant conversation. Nevertheless, he felt that the situation was serious, and could escalate, threatening not only the Captain, but also everyone on board…
Therefore, it was with trepidation that he stepped on the bridge, greeted by some curious stares from the officers. "Sir?" One of them questioned.
"I need to talk to the Captain," he simply said.
"What about?"
"Huh… It's personal."
The man hesitated, looking back toward the closed door. The officer, who had been there earlier, told him that the Captain had come in very late. However, he saw no reasons to be considerate toward Captain Turner, and he simply indicated the quarters to Paul before returning to his post.
The Captain opened the door at the first knock and seemed understandably surprise at seeing him there.
"Captain, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have something to tell you and I think that you should hear me out."
Moving aside to let him in, Cole waited until the door was close to reply: "As a matter of fact, I might also have something to talk to you about very soon…"
Paul thought, "here we go."
"Have a seat, Mr. McKail," Cole offered. Then, he didn't lose anymore time in amenities. "So, what did you want to tell me?"
Paul was a little surprised by the Captain' strangely calm attitude, and took a moment before answering.
"I am afraid that Li's presence in the girls' cabin is no longer a secret…There has been a lot of talk and gossiping among the men…"
Cole sighed perceptibly before replying.
"I thought that it might happen."
"Yes, well, although there doesn't seem to be any serious problem at the moment, I would certainly recommend some damage control, just in case."
Cole was about to ask what he had in mind when another knock on the door caught his attention.
He had no doubt that this time, it would be Leo, with or without a party to take him in…
Paul noticed Cole's reaction in wonderment.
That seemed so out of character for the Captain to be anxious about anything, that he almost questioned him about it. However, Cole was already at the door in spite of his obvious reticence.
This time, it was Leo, albeit a very serious Leo. However, Cole saw that he was alone and wondered if he intended to escort him to the cell on his own.
"Captain, I have come to a decision…"
Cole let him in and Leo showed his surprise at Paul's presence there.
He turned questioningly toward Cole. This one closed the door before answering the silent question.
"That's ok, Mr. Wyatt, I don't think that discretion will matter much if you have come to arrest me. Moreover, in the other eventuality, well then I won't have to explain myself twice…"
Leo, as well as Paul stared at him in puzzlement. Even though, Leo had a pretty good idea on what the Captain meant by this, he still found it difficult to wrap his mind around it. This was such a radical change…
"I do not want to pressure you Mr. Wyatt, but since you said yourself that you had come to a decision, I would appreciate if you shared it with me now."
Leo read the anxious note in his Captain's voice, even through his apparent calm.
"Well sir, I must admit that it was not an easy one to make. Although, I agree with your new opinion regarding our…passengers…I must say that the thought of betraying my offices and the company we both work for, was a little disturbing."
Leo saw a shadow crossing Cole's features, as he probably already assumed the worst.
"However," he continued quickly, "I happen to think that a man must follow his conscience before following orders…"
Cole could not help a sigh of relief at this.
"I must say that if you are not an obedient officer, you are most certainly consistent." Leo winced at the apparent semi-reproach, but realized that once more the Captain had this vague smile on his lips while saying it.
Instead of answering, he simply nodded, then turned to Paul.
"So Mr. McKail, are you in on whatever is going to happen?"
Paul was simply trying to make sense of the little exchange even now.
"I'm afraid that you have lost me here."
Cole intervened: "I haven't had time to give Mr. McKail any explanation yet. In fact, I was planning to do this after you gave me your decision. However, I want to reiterate that you don't have to be an active participant in this. I simply need for you to provide some information and turn your head the other way when the time comes…""I think that you are splitting hair, Captain…"
"Nevertheless, it would keep you safe from the authorities…"
Paul's confusion grew by the moment, but he decided to wait and see.
He became astonished, as the Captain explained to Leo what he needed from him. In the end, Leo just nodded in the affirmative, and then he waved a vague good bye in Paul's direction before going out.
Paul watched Cole coming back toward him calmly and return to their conversation as if nothing extraordinary had transpired.
"So you were saying about damage control?"
Paul was flabbergasted now, and let him know.
"Captain, I think that what just happened warrants a better explanation."
"You heard what I had to say…"
"And frankly, that is a far cry from letting those women stay with the Halliwells."
"Yes," Cole simply answered.
Paul shifted position on his chair nervously.
"Are you seriously planning on freeing the slaves?"
"If all goes well… yes. And also, I'll need your help if I want to succeed…"
"How?"
Cole just stared at him for a long moment and Paul became uncomfortable.
"Mr. McKail, as you know," Cole finally uttered, "I had intended to have a talk with you about your foreknowledge of the pirates a few weeks ago."
"I surmised as much but…"
Cole gestured him to wait.
"From that day, I have been convinced that you could not be so well informed without having intimate knowledge of who these people were. What's more of course, this gave me the idea that you might have been one of the prisoners supposedly on the Frigate…"
Paul grimaced, as he realized that his fears had been founded.
"However," Cole continued, "things have changed considerably, as you have seen. Now, I am in great need of your expertise in order for my plan to succeed. I am mostly hoping that your trade brought you around the Islands of our destination…"
Paul did not see any more reasons to deny.
"I, indeed have a very good knowledge of them…"
"Then, I have an offer that I think you won't want to refuse… But first thing first, let's address your concern."
"The damage control?" "Yes."
"Well, sir, in light of what you just told me, I am even more convinced that you should act quickly in order to calm your crew…"
"What did you have in mind?"
In the cabin, the girls were very quiet, all of them for their own personal reasons. Phoebe and Prue were avoiding each other altogether; meanwhile Piper felt some relief, but still worried that her fragile reconciliation with Leo might not hold.
Li and the baby were doing well thankfully and the new mother had demonstrated a healthy appetite already. The baby had begun nursing and seemed very healthy in spite of the terrible conditions his mother had been exposed to. When the loud knock resounded, the three girls turned almost in block toward it, all of them expecting visitors. It was still Phoebe, who got there first and smiled widely when seeing Cole. Her smile vanished however, when she took in his very serious expression. Gone was the sweetness from his eyes. He actually avoided her gaze altogether, and she suddenly had a sinking feeling. Only then did she notice that he was not alone. Behind him were two of the handlers that she had seen guarding the slaves. They were carrying a stretcher, and it did not take her long to put it all together. She looked back in horror toward Cole, but this one still avoided looking at her directly. Instead, he curtly ordered the men in.
"Cole what are you doing?"
"Ms Halliwell," he answered, "I will only tell you this once. First, no one speaks to me so familiarly on this ship. Please refrain from it. Secondly, you should count you and your sisters' blessings that I do not have you thrown in the brig on the spot."
Phoebe was so stunned that she could not find the words to protest. She still searched for an explanation in his expression. She could find none that wouldn't be the worse.
Prue, however, found that it was very much what she had expected.
"You monster! It's not enough that you're a heartless slaver, but you had to take advantage of my sister's goodness…"
She stopped only because of his hard stare, suddenly thinking that things might just get worse if she pursued her comment. The handlers did not lose time getting the black women, and then they carried Li on the stretcher with her baby. The poor girl looked at the sisters with terror in her eyes.
They had no idea how to alleviate her fears and had to watch helplessly as the men took her away.
Phoebe tried once more to appeal to Cole.
"Please, don't do this. I can't believe that you could have changed your mind so soon." "Who said that my intentions were ever any different?" He had questioned loud enough for even the handlers moving away to hear. Then without giving her another look, he left.
As the handlers were moving away, they glanced at each other with lurid smiles.
"Well," the first one said, "It looks like the Captain finally got what he wanted. We might be able to return to business as usual after all."
"He sure was acting weird," said another, "but hey, for such a nice prize, I guess he had an excuse."
The two men started laughing even as they were carrying the stretcher toward the lower deck…
1 Chapter IX
In spite of what he expected from Leo, Cole could not help being slightly amused. The poor man had actually fought him for the wrong reasons, but that did not make it less honorable. What amused Cole, on the other hand, was the seriousness that the man kept, even though his face was so busted.
One of his eyes was closed shut, while his upper lip was so swollen that he had to keep his mouth opened. Maybe it was the incredible night that he just had, or simply a renewed respect for his first officer, but he kept his amusement to himself, and instead tried to be as pleasant as possible under the circumstance.
"Well Mr. Wyatt," he began calmly, "you are up very early this morning…"
Leo grunted, and then replied: "So are you…"
Cole preferred not to answer that one. Seeing this, Leo continued.
"To tell you the truth sir, I have not really slept. For some reason, I was experiencing discomfort." Cole thought it strange that the man seemed to be handing him an olive branch now. Maybe this day would not be as bad as he had feared.
"Sir," Leo pursued, "I must say that last night was somewhat of a shock for me…For many reasons," he added after some more hesitation, vaguely indicating his own face. Cole answered cautiously:
"I suppose that it was…"
Leo just observed him for a moment longer, and Cole felt uncomfortable under this scrutiny. "What made you do it," Leo suddenly questioned, at last voicing his real concern. Cole eyed his first officer suspiciously.
What might he be thinking, he wondered? Of course, he knew that Mr. Wyatt had rather liberal ideas long before he, himself, had his eyes opened about the black people. Still, he could not be certain that the man was ready to go as far as Cole intended to. After all, this was much more than a moral decision. It was a career breaker. Moreover, if he succeeded, then he would become a fugitive. Even as he was debating what to tell Leo, another possibility came to him. He had been putting off a certain conversation for a while, thinking that this would be dealt with once they were in Santo Domingo, but now he saw an opportunity.
"Sir," Leo questioned impatiently. Cole realized that he had forgotten about the man in front of him, as his plan was now taking form.
"Mr. Wyatt, I do not know what to tell you, really."
"The truth would do, sir." Cole could sense the irritation in the man's voice.
"Don't you have your own opinion already made up, Mr. Wyatt?"
"I still would like to hear what you have to say. I must admit that my convictions about you were shaken last night…"
Cole lifted an eyebrow in a dubious gesture.
"Well, you will be glad to learn that you were not completely wrong," he began. "Indeed, I did not let this girl stay with the ladies for her sake."
Cole was surprised to see a hint of disappointment on Leo's face.
"But," he continued then, "Things have changed."
Cole wondered why he was telling him this. Maybe it was this whole very emotional night, or most probably because he realized that whatever he was going to do from this moment on, he could not accomplish alone.
He had stopped at this, and Leo's impatience grew.
"Changed how, if you do not mind my asking?"
"In the sense that I can't do this anymore… In the last few weeks, I have learned a thing or two about our…passengers."
Leo noticed the hesitation and suddenly realized that his captain was not talking about the girls.
With growing interest, he questioned:
"Could you be more precise, sir?"
"I have come to question just about everything I ever believed in. These people that we have been using for so long… well until recently, I had not seen them as such. They were just a workforce to me. I'd never stopped to think of what they might want. Now, I know that I could never be a part of their misery anymore."
He could not believe that he had said this. Taking a deep breath, he waited anxiously, expecting that his first officer would threaten to divulge his dispositions to the crew, and then simply take over the ship.
He knew from Leo' stunned expression that the man had understood the implication. After his first movement of surprise, Leo cast furtive looks around, as if he feared that someone else might have been listening in on them, which somewhat reassured Cole.
Stunned was an understatement as far as Leo was concerned.
He watched the Captain for a long time, trying to figure out if this one had not been fishing for information, or one worse thing to put on his report against him. Yet, he could not imagine what advantage the Captain would have to risk this. This coupled with the strange activities that had been reported to him, which he had not believed then, finally led him to trust Cole's sincerity.
"I heard things," he said hesitantly. Cole grimaced:
"I always thought that I was not severe enough on this ship. Obviously, my orders were not followed." "I can assure you, Captain, those men only told me, as they were somewhat concerned. There has been no other talk on the ship about this that I know of..."
Cole's smile told Leo that he was not actually angry.
"So it is true…"
The smile vanished from the Captain's face, replaced once more by a very serious expression. As he looked closely, Leo could read some anxiety as well.
"What matters now," Cole replied, in lieu of an answer, "is what you'll do about it… I know that I have no right to ask you to help me with this. However, I can't do it all by myself…"
"Captain," Leo interrupted, increasingly astonished, "you really mean that you…"
Leo stopped abruptly and Cole saw him stiffening. He wondered for a moment if he was about to do just what he had feared, but then he also heard the heavy steps behind him.
A moment later, three sailors were passing them, obviously getting to their stations. This reminded Cole of how long this night had been.
Once they had left, he turned back toward Leo:
"Mr. Wyatt, I cannot tell you what to do. Whatever you decide, I'll abide by it."
Leo was about to say something, but Cole continued quickly.
"Don't give me your answer now, Mr. Wyatt. We're both exhausted and in great need of rest. If you intend to have me arrested, so be it. But I'm asking you to give it some thought before you make up your mind."
Without giving Leo a chance to reply, Cole turned decisively toward the bridge and left the first officer to mull over what he'd learned.
Cole immediately noticed the curious looks on the bridge officers' faces, but these did not make any comments and simply returned to their duties while he entered his quarters. He had managed to stay impassible for them, but as soon as he was alone, he leaned back against the door, barely believing that he had committed himself so deeply. There was no turning back.
He could not help feeling a selfish regret at the thought of what might happen next. If the first officer decided to follow procedure, then not only his career, but also his first real relationship would end. Phoebe had opened the door for him, but now he was stepping through it, at the risk of losing her. For a moment, he wondered if it was really worth it, but he had never been one to do things halfway. All he could do was wait and see, as Leo's next step would make or break his newly formed plan. Only when he knew for sure, could he go ahead and have this other crucial conversation…
Meanwhile, Phoebe had to face her irate sister.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Prue said the moment she entered the cabin, taking Phoebe by surprise. She had expected a discussion, but not so soon.
"Can't this wait?"
"Like you could wait to give in to that…That monster…"
Phoebe had been somewhat contrite until that moment, but this ended her budding remorse.
"Watch what you're saying, Prue. I will not let you insult him in front of me."
Prue seemed to become even angrier after this.
"What lies did he serve you? You were the first one to say that he had no compassion, nor remorse." Phoebe took a step forward, the anger now swelling in her as well. "I was wrong. You do not know him as I do now."
"And you do? Sleeping with a man is not the same thing as knowing him."
"You should know," Phoebe spat, "after all, you've been sleeping with a pirate for the last two weeks, or did you think that we didn't notice?"
"Leave Paul out of this, you little brat! You were always so lacking in judgement. Now you let your desires blind you to the truth."
"And what would you know about the truth, Prue? Ever since you started seeing Mr. Mckail, you have not paid any attention to what was happening to us."
Prue felt this reproach deeply, more so because she knew that it was the truth. The last few weeks, she had tried to forget all about what would happen once they were in Santo Domingo, but the fear was always there, keeping her every thought on Paul. In fact, the night before, it had come to a head with him, which was the real reason why they had been back so early, and found Cole and Leo fighting. Until then, she had kept her worries at bay while with him, but what he had told her changed things.
Like every night, of late, she had come to him and everything had been fine until he had begun talking of how little time they had left.
"Prue," he had said, as she was cuddling to him in their favorite hideout, "I think that it is time for us to face reality here…"
Prue had stiffened at this.
"What do you mean?"
Sighing, he had pulled her up to him, forcing her to look at him directly.
"We have little time left, and every day, I feel worse about leaving you. We've been behaving as if that was never going to happen, but now…"
She had answered much more brusquely than intended, but it was due to all of her fears returning at once. "What about now?"
"If I feel bad about leaving you, I feel even worse about leading you on…"
"I knew what I was doing."
"Did you, really? Prue, you have to know that I never wanted to take advantage of you…"
The anxiety had risen dramatically in her.
"And now what? You want to end this to relieve your conscience?"
"Prue, please, that's not what I meant." "That's what it sounded like."
She had gotten up very quickly, without giving him time to answer, and almost ran out of the hideout.
Paul had gone after her, intent on defending his point, but the disturbing fight that they had witnessed had prevented him from pursuing it right away.
Later, after the baby's birth, he had managed to calm her down, but only after a lengthy discussion. This had resolved nothing, but she understood that he had never meant to hurt her, and that he suffered just as much as she did about it.
These thoughts had distracted her from Phoebe, and she now realized how much her relationship with Paul had kept her away from her sisters and their problems. Deflated somewhat, she answered more calmly:
"I know that I was not there as much as I should have been, but that doesn't make what you did right, Phoebe."
Phoebe took a deep breath and tried to calm herself in turn. There was no point in this ugly fight. "Maybe, if you took the time to know him, you would find that things have changed. No matter, I know all I need to know about him, and nothing that you could say or do will change the way I feel."
Prue frowned and gave a sad look at her sister.
Phoebe saw that Prue was still unconvinced. She was almost tempted to describe to her what he had done, but refrained from it for fear that Prue would again view his actions as interested. She realized that until Prue could see an actual proof of his change, she would never believe it.
Determined to end this conversation, she simply moved on toward the alcove, crossing path with Piper, who looked exhausted.
This one barely glanced at Phoebe, and only with a non-committal expression. She obviously had heard the argument, but did not want to be part of it. In a way, Phoebe was grateful, although she would have liked to have someone on her side.
At least, Piper had reproached anything to her, and actually, seemed to be preoccupied by something else, as she continued toward her own cot.
Phoebe wondered about it, but she was too tired to get into another problem that morning. She entered the alcove to find that the black women, as well as the baby were fast asleep, thankfully. Forgetting all about Prue's outburst, she smiled at the sight, and even more at the thought of what happened after his birth. She still barely believed that it was real. The joy that she had felt at being with Cole lingered with her, and even as she laid herself on the cot and fell asleep almost immediately, a soft smile stayed on her lips.
While what he had said to the Captain about his discomfort was in great part the truth, there had been another reason why Leo could not find sleep that night.
Earlier, after Cole had left and then subsequently, the youngest Ms Halliwell, he had found himself face to face with Piper for a short instant. He had almost talked right then, but decided that he was not ready for the unpleasant conversation. Turning away from her without a word, he had left the cabin, and ever since wondered about her lack of trust.
How could she have said that she loved him and still kept something so important from him? And of course, as if that was not enough, now he had learned another disturbing truth, this one about the Captain.
The latter had troubled him so much that he had decided to postpone confronting Piper again. In fact, following the Captain's advice this time, he had gone back to his quarters and finally managed to get some rest, albeit through an agitated sleep. After a few hours, he woke up feeling every part of his body on fire, but with a slightly clearer idea on what he should do. Once he had made his decision about the Captain, however uncomfortable it felt, he decided to go to Piper first…
Piper had simply gone by Prue without a word and laid herself on the cot with thoughts more disturbing one than the next.
After the joyous event that was the baby's birth, she had felt exhilarated. But then, she had seen Leo there, and the shock had almost been too much. Throughout those two weeks, at times, she had felt terrible remorse at keeping the truth from him. Yet, she had reasoned that maybe he would never need to know, and that he might even have preferred it this way. However, seeing him there, and mostly reading the disappointment in his expression had been almost too painful. She would have run after him, but Phoebe had just left, and Prue was on her way out with Paul, thus leaving her alone to take care of the new mother and child.
She had been too stunned to call to Prue about it, and after she departed, Piper had wanted to strangle both of her sisters for their selfishness. Soon however, her thoughts had returned to Leo.
What might he be thinking? Would he ever forgive her this lie?
Being forced to wait before she could find the answer to these questions was torture.
The next few hours, she had spent in the alcove, sitting by Li and her baby. She had fallen asleep a few times, but every now and then, she would wake up with her throat constricted by worry.
More than once, she was tempted to go to him anyway, but as time went by, and he did not come back, she saw this as an insurmountable obstacle to their love. It took her everything that she had to hide her pain from Li and her mother. In the end, she was awakened once more, this time by the loud voices of her sisters.
She had been unwilling to intervene, even more so that she was still somewhat angry with them for their lack of consideration.
They had obviously assumed that she would not mind staying behind, and now, their problems did not interest Piper in the least.
It took her a long time to find rest that morning, but she still managed to fall back asleep in the end. When she awoke a few hours later, it was because of a knock on their door…
After Prue left, Paul had lain awake for long hours in his bunk. At first, he had been thinking of their upcoming arrival in Santo Domingo and what it would mean for him and Prue, causing him to ignore what his bunkmates were talking about. However, eventually he caught bits of their conversations and realized that the medic had not lost time spreading the news. The men were very agitated and stunned mostly by their Captain's actions. From what he heard, however, there were no obvious signs of a revolt brewing. Still, he decided that he would talk to the Captain about this later, worried that he was about the volatility of the situation.
Piper almost went back to sleep, still groggy after the short night. However, the knocking became insistent and her sisters did not react to it.
She saw that Prue was moaning in her sleep, while Phoebe did not come out of the alcove, so Piper dressed up hurriedly and went to the door. She was still so sleepy that she had not taken the time to theorize on who was visiting them, so that when she saw Leo there, she gasped. Not only was she somewhat surprised to see him, but even if her worries of the night were not enough, she could now see clearly the marks left by his fight with Cole. She had not noticed them the night before in her state of shock. "What happened to you," she asked anxiously.
Leo was standing there very rigidly, and she made a tentative move toward him, bringing her hand to his face. He almost took a step back at her gesture, and Piper was immediately reminded of their problem. "Leo…"
"We need to talk," he replied in a flat tone of voice that unnerved Piper more than if he had screamed.
Nevertheless, she nodded in the affirmative as calmly as she could while showing him in. Her sisters were apparently still asleep, and she led him toward the corner of the cabin where they were in the habit of taking their meals.
There, she saw the breakfast that had obviously been delivered that morning, but had remained untouched… She wondered vaguely if the steward had let himself in, and noticed the black women. However, she soon dismissed this concern, as she was convinced that the whole ship must have known by now. She even admitted to herself that this had only served as a distraction from the confrontation to come.
After they were seated, and trying again to postpone the inevitable, she realized, but also out of concern, she questioned:
"Won't you tell me what happened? Who did this to you?"
Leo pinched his swollen lips before turning to her resolutely:
"It really doesn't matter anymore, Piper. This does not hurt nearly as much as what you did…" Piper breathed deeply, trying to stifle the tears that she felt coming.
"I never meant to hurt you…"
"Then why did not you trust me?" He replied forcefully.
"I trust you, of course I do."
"Don't lie to me Piper. If you had trusted me, you wouldn't have kept this from me," he continued, vaguely indicating the alcove.
"You have to believe me; I wanted to tell you… But I made a promise to keep it a secret." "To whom?"
She lowered her eyes, unable to sustain his harsh stare. She could not even justify herself in her own eyes, let alone his. "I know that I should've, but your Captain asked that we told no one."
When he talked again, she could feel the sadness in his voice.
"I thought that you loved me, that you believed in me."
"But I do," she answered anxiously. "You have to believe me; I never wanted this to come between us…" "And what did you expect? That I'd never find out?"
The fact that this had been on her mind made her feel ashamed.
"I'm so sorry…Will you ever forgive me," she pleaded with a tremor.
He looked away then, sighing heavily.
"Leo please, I don't know what I will do if you can't find it in your heart to forgive me." She had said this in a broken voice, the urge to cry so strong now that she had pain repressing it.
For a long moment, he kept silent, still refusing to look at her.
"Piper, I want to believe that you love me, I really do. However, it's difficult to understand how you can say that you love me and still keep something so important from me."
Although, she understood his anger, the fact that he doubted her love as well was too much for her. In that instant, resentment replaced the urge to cry.
"How can you doubt my love? Have I not proven it to you? Yes, it is true that I have not been completely honest with you, but I had good reasons. Be angry for that, but do not doubt my feelings for you." Her outburst shook him. "Piper?"
She could not help asking: "Maybe it's you who don't love me enough?"
"How could you say this?" Leo turned back to her with a pained expression.
This deflated her and she could not repress the tears any longer.
Seeing this, he went impulsively and took her in his arms.
"Please don't cry, I'm sorry. I was so afraid that…"
"I love you, Leo. You have to believe that."
She buried her face in his shoulder, relieved to feel his arms around her.
"I love you," he whispered, as he began stroking her hair, while still holding her tight against him.
Right then, he felt foolish to have doubted her love, and also to have risked losing her in doing so. The baby's cries interrupted the moment. As Piper pulled away reluctantly, Leo wiped away a tear from her cheek delicately.
They gazed at each other for a moment longer, hopeful that they had a new understanding, but the renewed cries from the baby distracted Piper.
"That's ok," Leo said, as he saw that she was reluctant to leave him, "I have another visit to make this morning, but I'll be back later…"
She smiled sweetly and gave him a light kiss before moving toward the alcove. Leo watched her go and still lingered a while before getting up. Outside the cabin, he looked toward the bridge with a sigh.
It was now the time to face a difficult task.
Cole had been agitated at first, but then he had resigned himself to whatever would happen. He found sleep much faster than he had anticipated, and he awoke thinking that maybe it had to do with feeling that he was doing the right thing. He knew that the consequences might be serious, but he also believed that for once in his life, he was following his heart. Somehow, it felt right, as it never did before.
This did not keep him from starting at the knock on the door.
He had been waiting for this, but now that the moment had arrived, it still left him a little anxious. He opened the door and was surprised to find not Leo, but Paul McKail.
Paul had been hesitating to go to the Captain, even after he decided that it was necessary. After the attack on the ship and the Captain's intent on having a talk with him, he had been convinced that Captain Turner was on to him and would have him arrested soon. However, after a few days without a word from him, Paul had begun to relax considerably, imagining that he had misread Cole's comment.
Still, now that he intended to go to him, he felt that it might be tempting the devil. There was the possibility that Captain Turner had simply judged him already and decided to have him arrested once in Santo Domingo. Alternatively, this might just invite the unpleasant conversation. Nevertheless, he felt that the situation was serious, and could escalate, threatening not only the Captain, but also everyone on board…
Therefore, it was with trepidation that he stepped on the bridge, greeted by some curious stares from the officers. "Sir?" One of them questioned.
"I need to talk to the Captain," he simply said.
"What about?"
"Huh… It's personal."
The man hesitated, looking back toward the closed door. The officer, who had been there earlier, told him that the Captain had come in very late. However, he saw no reasons to be considerate toward Captain Turner, and he simply indicated the quarters to Paul before returning to his post.
The Captain opened the door at the first knock and seemed understandably surprise at seeing him there.
"Captain, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have something to tell you and I think that you should hear me out."
Moving aside to let him in, Cole waited until the door was close to reply: "As a matter of fact, I might also have something to talk to you about very soon…"
Paul thought, "here we go."
"Have a seat, Mr. McKail," Cole offered. Then, he didn't lose anymore time in amenities. "So, what did you want to tell me?"
Paul was a little surprised by the Captain' strangely calm attitude, and took a moment before answering.
"I am afraid that Li's presence in the girls' cabin is no longer a secret…There has been a lot of talk and gossiping among the men…"
Cole sighed perceptibly before replying.
"I thought that it might happen."
"Yes, well, although there doesn't seem to be any serious problem at the moment, I would certainly recommend some damage control, just in case."
Cole was about to ask what he had in mind when another knock on the door caught his attention.
He had no doubt that this time, it would be Leo, with or without a party to take him in…
Paul noticed Cole's reaction in wonderment.
That seemed so out of character for the Captain to be anxious about anything, that he almost questioned him about it. However, Cole was already at the door in spite of his obvious reticence.
This time, it was Leo, albeit a very serious Leo. However, Cole saw that he was alone and wondered if he intended to escort him to the cell on his own.
"Captain, I have come to a decision…"
Cole let him in and Leo showed his surprise at Paul's presence there.
He turned questioningly toward Cole. This one closed the door before answering the silent question.
"That's ok, Mr. Wyatt, I don't think that discretion will matter much if you have come to arrest me. Moreover, in the other eventuality, well then I won't have to explain myself twice…"
Leo, as well as Paul stared at him in puzzlement. Even though, Leo had a pretty good idea on what the Captain meant by this, he still found it difficult to wrap his mind around it. This was such a radical change…
"I do not want to pressure you Mr. Wyatt, but since you said yourself that you had come to a decision, I would appreciate if you shared it with me now."
Leo read the anxious note in his Captain's voice, even through his apparent calm.
"Well sir, I must admit that it was not an easy one to make. Although, I agree with your new opinion regarding our…passengers…I must say that the thought of betraying my offices and the company we both work for, was a little disturbing."
Leo saw a shadow crossing Cole's features, as he probably already assumed the worst.
"However," he continued quickly, "I happen to think that a man must follow his conscience before following orders…"
Cole could not help a sigh of relief at this.
"I must say that if you are not an obedient officer, you are most certainly consistent." Leo winced at the apparent semi-reproach, but realized that once more the Captain had this vague smile on his lips while saying it.
Instead of answering, he simply nodded, then turned to Paul.
"So Mr. McKail, are you in on whatever is going to happen?"
Paul was simply trying to make sense of the little exchange even now.
"I'm afraid that you have lost me here."
Cole intervened: "I haven't had time to give Mr. McKail any explanation yet. In fact, I was planning to do this after you gave me your decision. However, I want to reiterate that you don't have to be an active participant in this. I simply need for you to provide some information and turn your head the other way when the time comes…""I think that you are splitting hair, Captain…"
"Nevertheless, it would keep you safe from the authorities…"
Paul's confusion grew by the moment, but he decided to wait and see.
He became astonished, as the Captain explained to Leo what he needed from him. In the end, Leo just nodded in the affirmative, and then he waved a vague good bye in Paul's direction before going out.
Paul watched Cole coming back toward him calmly and return to their conversation as if nothing extraordinary had transpired.
"So you were saying about damage control?"
Paul was flabbergasted now, and let him know.
"Captain, I think that what just happened warrants a better explanation."
"You heard what I had to say…"
"And frankly, that is a far cry from letting those women stay with the Halliwells."
"Yes," Cole simply answered.
Paul shifted position on his chair nervously.
"Are you seriously planning on freeing the slaves?"
"If all goes well… yes. And also, I'll need your help if I want to succeed…"
"How?"
Cole just stared at him for a long moment and Paul became uncomfortable.
"Mr. McKail, as you know," Cole finally uttered, "I had intended to have a talk with you about your foreknowledge of the pirates a few weeks ago."
"I surmised as much but…"
Cole gestured him to wait.
"From that day, I have been convinced that you could not be so well informed without having intimate knowledge of who these people were. What's more of course, this gave me the idea that you might have been one of the prisoners supposedly on the Frigate…"
Paul grimaced, as he realized that his fears had been founded.
"However," Cole continued, "things have changed considerably, as you have seen. Now, I am in great need of your expertise in order for my plan to succeed. I am mostly hoping that your trade brought you around the Islands of our destination…"
Paul did not see any more reasons to deny.
"I, indeed have a very good knowledge of them…"
"Then, I have an offer that I think you won't want to refuse… But first thing first, let's address your concern."
"The damage control?" "Yes."
"Well, sir, in light of what you just told me, I am even more convinced that you should act quickly in order to calm your crew…"
"What did you have in mind?"
In the cabin, the girls were very quiet, all of them for their own personal reasons. Phoebe and Prue were avoiding each other altogether; meanwhile Piper felt some relief, but still worried that her fragile reconciliation with Leo might not hold.
Li and the baby were doing well thankfully and the new mother had demonstrated a healthy appetite already. The baby had begun nursing and seemed very healthy in spite of the terrible conditions his mother had been exposed to. When the loud knock resounded, the three girls turned almost in block toward it, all of them expecting visitors. It was still Phoebe, who got there first and smiled widely when seeing Cole. Her smile vanished however, when she took in his very serious expression. Gone was the sweetness from his eyes. He actually avoided her gaze altogether, and she suddenly had a sinking feeling. Only then did she notice that he was not alone. Behind him were two of the handlers that she had seen guarding the slaves. They were carrying a stretcher, and it did not take her long to put it all together. She looked back in horror toward Cole, but this one still avoided looking at her directly. Instead, he curtly ordered the men in.
"Cole what are you doing?"
"Ms Halliwell," he answered, "I will only tell you this once. First, no one speaks to me so familiarly on this ship. Please refrain from it. Secondly, you should count you and your sisters' blessings that I do not have you thrown in the brig on the spot."
Phoebe was so stunned that she could not find the words to protest. She still searched for an explanation in his expression. She could find none that wouldn't be the worse.
Prue, however, found that it was very much what she had expected.
"You monster! It's not enough that you're a heartless slaver, but you had to take advantage of my sister's goodness…"
She stopped only because of his hard stare, suddenly thinking that things might just get worse if she pursued her comment. The handlers did not lose time getting the black women, and then they carried Li on the stretcher with her baby. The poor girl looked at the sisters with terror in her eyes.
They had no idea how to alleviate her fears and had to watch helplessly as the men took her away.
Phoebe tried once more to appeal to Cole.
"Please, don't do this. I can't believe that you could have changed your mind so soon." "Who said that my intentions were ever any different?" He had questioned loud enough for even the handlers moving away to hear. Then without giving her another look, he left.
As the handlers were moving away, they glanced at each other with lurid smiles.
"Well," the first one said, "It looks like the Captain finally got what he wanted. We might be able to return to business as usual after all."
"He sure was acting weird," said another, "but hey, for such a nice prize, I guess he had an excuse."
The two men started laughing even as they were carrying the stretcher toward the lower deck…
