Eye of the Storm

Chapter XII

Cole found himself in a demented sea, carried deep in the water, then pushed out for mere instants, where he could see Phoebe, just as much a prisoner of the merciless storm as he was. Every time he emerged, he tried to reach for her, hearing her desperate calls, but all he could manage was to extend his arms toward her before the sea engulfed him again.

This endless agony seemed to last forever. Then, slowly the storm died away, and he wondered why he was still there, floating in the endless sea. "Why me," he asked, "when all I have ever cared about is gone." Like a mirage, he saw a vessel approaching. He should have hoped for a rescue, but all he wanted was to let himself sink and drown, as only then would he be able to forget the pain. When he looked again, the vessel was almost on him, but it was burning. He recognized his ship, but most importantly, he saw Phoebe in the midst of the flames. She was extending her hand toward him, but rather than the screams of agony he expected, she was calling to him. "Come back to me Cole, please come back. Please!"

This seemed so incongruous that he finally understood he was having a nightmare. In the next instant, he was with her on a deserted sand beach. She was caressing his face, telling him that everything would be fine, that they would be together always. This, he did not want to wake up from. He felt the dream slipping away, but refused to let it go. In the real world, he knew, she was gone. He had not been able to do a thing to save her. He did not want to face a life with this pain in his heart. Suddenly, she seemed to move away from him, but he soon realized that he was the one falling endlessly, while she watched him go with a painful expression. The water was engulfing him again, but this time, he did not come back up. Instead, he hit the bottom hard, and stayed there, eyes closed, wondering why he was not dead already.

Then, she called again. "Cole, please wake up. Come on Cole, please you have to wake up. Look at me."

There was something new. A pain throughout his body that he had not felt until now. Maybe the nightmare was becoming more real. He could still hear her, but he refused to open his eyes for fear that she would disappear again. He could feel her trembling hand on his forehead now. In spite of the pain, he wanted desperately to stay there and know that she was still with him.

"Cole, you have to wake up." She was telling him more impatiently.

"Why," he thought. "If I wake up, you'll be gone."

However, the pain was bothering him so that he moaned and tried to move. Immediately, he heard her scream.

"Cole, thank god, you're awake!"

Without opening his eyes, he tried saying her name, but could only let out a scratchy sound. She was now taking his face in her hands and he felt her lips on his. He finally dared look, half expecting her to vanish. Nevertheless, she was there still, now looking at him with those beautiful eyes, full of tears even as she smiled.

"Phoebe," he managed hoarsely. His throat hurt as much as the rest of him. However, he did not mind the pain.

"How?" He uttered weakly. "You would not wake up, I was so worried."

He closed and opened his eyes again, barely believing that he was not dreaming still.

"I mean, how are you here? I saw you die, I saw the ship go down with you."

She smiled softly. "It's a long story, but suffice to say, I did not die, and now that you have come back to me, I can start living again."

She leaned toward him, depositing light kisses on his eyes and cheeks, then his lips, to which he responded. He lifted his hand slowly toward her at first, then, only after he had felt her hair and her soft skin again, did he finally realize that it was true. She was there, with him, alive.

For a long moment, they just reveled in each other's touch, feel, totally forgetful of everything else. He was so happy that for a moment, he could not feel the pain, only joy.

After a while, she pulled away slightly and he tried to hold her back, afraid that she might still go away. She smiled anew, while taking his hand in hers.

"It's ok my love, I'm not going anywhere…"

He sighed in relief, as she sat on the bed that he now realized he was lying on.

"Where are we?"

"On one of the Islands that Mr. McKail indicated to us. Everything is fine now. All that matters is that you will be ok. The rest is not important."

He wondered how she could say that, however. He remembered vividly his ship's last moments and the battle. Still, he was worried that questioning her further might bring some painful memories to her, which she apparently did not want to talk about…

Smiling weakly, he nodded in the affirmative instead.

Another voice caught their attention.

"Oh, I see that you have worked miracles, Ms Halliwell."

Cole turned halfway toward the voice, trying to sit up, but he immediately put his head back on the pillow, as dizziness took him over.

"Don't move," Phoebe warned him uselessly. He had understood that he would need time before he had regained his strength. Understanding however, did not keep the frustration away. The man, whose voice he had heard earlier, came closer, allowing him to put a face on it.

He was tall and with thin features, tanned by obvious long exposure to the sun. His hesitant smile was mixed with some amazement.

"I must say that I never believed you'd wake up…"

"Who are you?" Phoebe answered, while giving the man a grateful look:

"He is the doctor who saved your life."

The man protested with some amusement.

"I don't think so. I'm still wondering whether it was prayers to the good god, or all this voodoo nonsense that your friend," he said, looking directly at Cole, "has brought in here."

Cole wondered not so much about the banter, but rather at the word friend.

"Friend?" "Yes, Fred…"

Cole frowned in total puzzlement.

"To be honest Doctor, I do not have many friends, if any. And I think that I would remember one named Fred…"

The doctor looked just as puzzled, and turned to Phoebe for help.

"He is talking about the old black man that carried you here. We could not pronounce his name and gave him a nickname instead."

"Oh right," the doctor retorted, " I suppose that you would know him by his real name."

Cole did not answer that, as he was slightly embarrassed that he had not known the man's name either. In truth, he had barely understood anything that he ever told him. However, in the end, it had not mattered. They had communicated just fine without a word.

"Fred has been here all week with me. I must say that his idea of prayers made me slightly uncomfortable, but I was not about to say no to any kind of divine intervention," Phoebe was now saying. "All week?"

Her expression turned serious at this.

"Yes, you have been in a coma for the last week, Cole. You had lost so much blood that the doctor did not believe you would recover. Nevertheless, neither Fred nor me ever lost hope." He squeezed her hand gratefully, but still wondered about all this. So much could have happened in that time…

The Doctor examined him quickly, then declared:

"I will send someone with light food, you must be famished."

Hunger had been the last thing on his mind, but he now realized that indeed he was hungry, but mostly very thirsty.

Soon after the Doctor had left, a young black girl came in with a bowl of soup and Fred was with her. He immediately gave Cole a wide grin, to which Cole responded the best he could. He still barely believed that the man had been so interested in his health, but was grateful nevertheless. The thought warmed his heart.

He tried to protest when Phoebe began to feed him, wanting to do it himself, but she smiled mockingly, reassured.

"I see that you are much better, if you are already showing your temper."

If it had not been for the smile that accompanied it, he might have wondered if he had done something wrong. As it was, he settled down and decided to let her do as she pleased, even if it embarrassed him greatly, particularly with Fred still in the room…

For the next few days, all he could do was rest and accept their care, although all he wanted to do was to get up and go out of this room. Not once had he dared ask her what happened on the ship that night. It still bothered him not to know, but he was convinced that she was not ready to talk about it. He hoped that when he could go out on his own, he would find someone else to tell him.

Neither Phoebe, nor Fred would let him get up while they were with him, obviously afraid that he would have a relapse. However, every chance he got, on the rare occasions where they left him alone, he tried to do it on his own… The first few tries were painfully unsuccessful. He almost fell to the floor a few times, and raged at his own weakness. However, he never showed his frustration to Phoebe, although, he was certain that she guessed. On the third day, he finally managed a few steps and was almost caught by Fred, who was just coming in. He had barely managed to get back in bed before the black man entered the rustic house that served as his hospital room.

This one looked suspiciously toward him, as Cole realized that he was slightly out of breath. Giving the old man, what he thought was his most innocent smile, he then pretended to want to sleep. Fred turned around then, but not before giving him a severe look, telling Cole that he had not fooled him. This did not take away from his satisfaction, however. The next few days, he emboldened himself until he finally thought that he could go out on his own.

It was a beautiful morning, and he could finally get a look at the settlement where he had now been staying for the last two weeks.

There were many small houses. None very sophisticated, but they were obviously forming some kind of community. It surprised him greatly. Piracy had never felt all this homey to him. Yet, he could see women and children playing outside as in a real village.

When he saw that no one paid any attention to him, he went out and took the direction of their small harbor.

One ship was anchored. A ship just about the same size as his own. Then, he remembered bitterly that his ship was no more. Looking out, he could see the narrow passage that most probably gave to the open sea. As he had suspected, their port must have been protected from prying eyes. The Island itself was tropical, as all the ones in this part of the world. The vegetation was luxurious and almost reaching the village. All in all, almost a paradise, he told himself.

He was now experiencing some pain on his side, where the wound still reminded him of his misadventure. He knew that he was somewhat unreasonable but the confinement to his room had become unbearable. Lost in thoughts, he almost jumped at Phoebe's voice. "I see that you won't listen to reason…"

"I will be just fine thank you," he answered gruffly, but he immediately changed his tone of voice, when looking at her, he realized that he had been hurtful.

"I'm sorry, I was just so tired of staying in that bed…"

The slight frown vanished from her forehead, and she came by his side, taking his hand in hers while he returned to his contemplation of the harbor. After a moment, she questioned: "What is it?"

His pinched his lips before answering.

"It's nothing…"

Phoebe turned toward him curiously: "It doesn't seem like nothing. Are you thinking about your ship?"

"I do not have a ship anymore," he answered a little too quickly, and she realized that it still was a painful subject.

"You can't blame yourself for this. No one could have foreseen what happened."

"It was my ship, I failed in my duties."

This time his answer had been brusque and unapologetic. Fortunately, she knew that it was not her that he was angry with, but himself.

"There was nothing that you could do. I am sure that when you…"

"When what," he questioned, turning toward her suddenly.

She hesitated. "When you go back at sea…"

"I am never going back at sea. I was not a worthy Captain. The navy was right about me…"

"That's not true. Do not put yourself down like this."

"Why not," he asked, with a derisive laughter. "You said yourself that I was a monster. The men hated me…"

"But they respected your competence and authority."

"You know, it's almost funny that you would defend my qualities as a Captain, considering your former opinion of me."

She smiled gently. "I had time to revise this opinion."

He sighed.

"Nevertheless, it doesn't matter anymore, since I will never be a Captain again."

A familiar voice was heard then.

"I would not be so sure about this."

Cole recognized Paul's voice with some surprise.

He had not been certain whether Phoebe was the only survivor, since she had been so reluctant to talk about it. This, of course had been the reason why he had not dared questioning her about the wreck.

Turning toward the newcomer, he reiterated.

"I do not see how I could ever captain another ship. First of all, the authorities probably think that I'm dead, and even if they did not, they would pursue me as a criminal."

"Wrong again," Paul answered with a little knowing smile. "I see that Phoebe did not have time to fill you in on our plan."

Cole frowned, his curiosity picked now.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Phoebe intervened, addressing Paul directly:

"I did not want to get into this, yet. He was still too weak to make any decision."

Cole turned incredulously toward her.

"I think that whatever it is that you are keeping from me, I deserve to know."

She sighed in turn.

"Right. Well, if you will come back to the house with me, Paul and me can begin telling you about it."

He lifted his eyebrows in puzzlement, but still replied:

"By all means, do." Then, indicating Paul, "and maybe you could start from the beginning, and tell me what happened while I was out, starting with how you escaped the wreckage?"

Ignoring his question for the moment, she indicated that they should go now.

Only when he was back in bed and Paul as well as Phoebe were seated, did she start explaining.

"Well, as I told you earlier this week, it's a long story."

"I'm listening."

He was passed his hesitations now, as Paul's comments had intrigued him.

"Well," Phoebe began, "if you remember, Piper was stuck in the cabin after the first hit, and I went back to help the others, while Fred carried you into the canoe."

This, he remembered painfully, although not the part about being carried.

"After we got her out," she continued, "there were no canoes left for us to escape the ship, except the one on the bow."

She gave him a little knowing smile, and he knew exactly what she was thinking of. However, Paul's presence prevented any reminiscence.

"We were in the process of putting it down at sea, when the pirates started the attack again. Paul had moved away, but he came back screaming at us to jump. We barely made it out before the explosion. We were stunned, but Paul and Leo helped us in the canoe and we paddled away as fast as we could. Piper and me were fine, but Prue had been hit by one of the debris, and Paul had to haul her into the canoe. She has recuperated now, but it was touch and go for a while. Plus, I must say that seeing another ship that I was on sinking was not exactly a pleasant experience."

Cole had no trouble imagining this. The wreck of his ship had been a horrible vision, made atrocious at the thought that she had died. Now, however, he knew better but it did not erase the terrible anguish that he had felt then. He never wanted to feel like that again.

Phoebe was still talking, and he returned his attention to what she was saying when she said the word prisoners.

"The pirates took us all prisoners after the ship sunk. And in a way, that is what saved you and Prue. Their doctor began taking care of you right after Paul convinced Captain Riley to help us."

Cole turned to Paul with a hint of suspicion:

"You did that?"

Paul knew what he was thinking, but it really was not much of a concern to him now.

"Captain Riley and I were old acquaintances, yes. Although, we had a strained kind of relationship, as I did not agree with his brand of piracy. However, once he knew that I was among you, he listened to me. That is fortunate indeed, because you might just have been hung on top of getting shot. Overkill if you ask me…"

He was smiling in amusement, and Cole thought that his humor was somewhat crude.

"I guess that I should thank you, then…"

"You're welcome," Paul answered comically, almost bowing like after a performance.

"That still does not explain the rest. How are we here and apparently free?"

"Well," Phoebe replied, "after we had convinced him to have his doctor take care of the both of you, Paul had a long discussion with him. He was very unhappy about the first attack and you almost destroying his ship, but Paul made him see that he had his revenge. Captain Riley finally agreed to drop us here, but with the promise that no reprisals would come his way."

Cole wanted to protest.

"Please, remember that he still saved you…" Phoebe interrupted before he could say anything.

Cole could not help adding:

"Yes, but not before destroying my ship and possibly killing many of my men."

Phoebe gave him an irritated look, which compelled him to stop there.

"Most of the men who were killed fell during the battle between them and the slaves. The majority was picked up by Captain Riley's crew and brought along."

"Where are they," Cole then questioned.

"Well," Paul answered this, "we dropped them on a nearby Island with the promise that we would let them know soon what would be done about them…"

Cole gave him another suspicious look.

"I may not be a Captain anymore, but these were my men and I demand that they be released."

"Hola! Demand? Remember, Captain Turner that you are not on your ship anymore. This is my turf."

Paul and Cole stared at each other somewhat angrily for a moment, but Cole backed down first.

"You're right. I'm no Captain anymore. However, I will still ask you to free those men, and send them home."

"It is all up to you, actually. We have done nothing until now, because we did not know whether you would live or die."

Phoebe flinched at this, and Paul gave her an apologetic glance.

"Now that you are better however," he then pursued, "it is time for you to make a decision."

Cole was perplexed and decided to wait and see.

When Paul realized that he would let him continue, he did so.

"There are a few options that offer themselves to you. We could keep these men indefinitely, and then you could return home saying that the ship was attacked by pirates and that only you and Mr. Wyatt survived, by some kind of miracle…"

Cole could not help being tempted by such an option, but the idea of doing so at the cost of his former men's freedom was too much.

He saw that Phoebe was holding her breath, possibly wondering if he would take the coward way. It hurt him slightly that she still doubted him. Yet he could not reproach her to have doubts. This even though, he would never have taken that route, not even before knowing her.

"What else," he replied curtly.

"Well, you could also go back with them and take the chance that they will not talk. After all, they are very much afraid as well, since one of them shot you…"

This would have been the more or less honorable thing to do. Yet, it could mean losing Phoebe for good, if he was found guilty. This option had no more appeal than the last one.

"Whatever other option might I have?"

Phoebe let out a long breath at this and he realized that she had feared his answer even more than to the first option.

"I was kind of hoping that you would opt for something else."

"Honestly, I do not see what other option there is short of staying here, and being a fugitive for the rest of my life," he replied bitterly. No matter what however, he would take it, if it meant being with her.

"There is another possibility," Paul began then, somewhat hesitantly. "But it all depends on if you still have it in you to be a Captain."

"Do I have to remind you that I do not have a ship anymore?"

Paul just gave him an enigmatic smile then.

Phoebe remembered how bitter he was earlier, and thought that it might be better to wait for this. She also worried that the news might agitate him too much and hinder his recovery. Looking intently toward Paul, she tried to convey her opinion to him. Obviously, he understood because…

"Rest a little longer, and in a few days, we'll discuss this again."

Cole stared at him even more perplexed, but neither Paul nor Phoebe would tell him what it was about.

After Paul had left, he tried to question her again.

"Please, just rest. You are not completely recovered and now is not the time." She silenced his protestation with a kiss.

"Trust me," she then whispered.

He had to accept that she would not budge on this, and agreed to wait, albeit reluctantly.

Leo and Piper saw Paul returning and Leo immediately questioned:

"So, what did he say?"

"To be honest, I did not tell him yet. Phoebe seemed to think that it was not the time. At any rate, I believe that he will be more inclined to agree when he sees her."

Leo just nodded in acquiescence.

"In a way, it will give us more time to prepare," Paul said again, "and you can still change your mind?"

"No, I will not. Not unless he refuses. If all goes well, me and Piper will be on our way as soon as we are certain."

Piper smiled weakly, still somewhat afraid that the Captain's decision might hinder their plans for the future.

"Mr. Wyatt, you know that you can stay here with us, don't you?"

Leo gave him a grateful look.

"I know, but I would not feel comfortable here. Besides, no one knows me in the Americas. I can start fresh there. The Captain was right about one thing. I am not cut out to be on a ship. I had figured that one out a while ago, but now, I have a chance to start over."

He took Piper's hand in his.

"We both do."

Piper added:

"Someone has to go home and tell our father that we are fine. Obviously it won't be Prue."

Paul smiled uncomfortably.

"She made her choice, I did not force her into this, you have to know that."

"I believe you. To be honest, I have tried to convince her and Phoebe to come home with me, but they are very stubborn."

She was still smiling while saying this. Although, she was a little sad to leave her sisters behind, she knew that they had chosen their path and were happy.

She still wondered by moments how her father would take all these news, but as far as her relationship with Leo went, she had gone through too much already to be stopped in any way by him. Admiral or not, she would have her own way, she thought, looking lovingly at Leo. He felt her gaze because he turned to her with a sweet smile of his own. It had not been hard for him to make this decision. The idea of being separated from her even for just a short while was too much to bear. Besides, he really did not think that being a sailor was his destiny. He still had to figure that one out, but was confident that he would soon find his own way.

Paul left them to rejoin with Prue, who was also very impatient to know what happened since they had spotted Cole and Phoebe in the harbor.

"So?"

"Not yet. But soon."

"What do you think he will say," she insisted, as she came to him and cuddled into his arms.

He sighed appreciatively at her closeness, and took a moment before answering.

"From what Phoebe told me this week, I think that he might just accept. After all, what we want him for is something that he has started himself."

"Yes, but still…"

"It's in his hands now. When I showed her to him, we will know for sure. Meanwhile," he said in a very different tone of voice, "what do you say we take this stroll down the beach?"

"You are sure that you don't mind staying ashore from now on? I'm not forcing you, am I?"

He smiled widely.

"Really, don't worry yourself. I've had my share of adventures, but I have the feeling that you will be my most tumultuous."

She answered his smile with a crystalline laughter, pulling away from him and starting to run. He watched her going for an instant, then laughing in turn, he went after her…

A few days later, Paul came back and this time, he found that Cole had recuperated nicely. Still, he looked Phoebe's way, as she had been the one insisting that they waited. She seemed a little unsure, but acquiesced nevertheless.

"Well, Captain…"

Cole interjected right there.

"I thought that I said I was no Captain anymore…"

Rather than answering, Paul gave him one more enigmatic smile and indicated that they should follow him. Cole was still perplexed at this mystery and he turned to Phoebe for an answer.

She just smiled encouragingly and took his hand.

They did not have very far to go, as Paul led them back to the harbor, where all Cole could see was the same ship anchored there. He seriously wondered what this was all about.

"You know, Mr. McKail…"

Paul interjected:

"Ahhh, call me Paul, we are way past these formal addresses."

"Paul, then, I have to tell you that patience was never one of my strongest virtues. I am getting sick of all this secrecy."

Phoebe squeezed his hand, making him turn to her with a slightly calmer attitude.

"It won't be long now."

"Hum," he just uttered, trying his best not to upset her.

Leo and Piper were coming their way now, and Leo was watching him strangely, almost expectantly, which deepened the mystery for him.

Awkwardly, he took the hand that the former first officer extended toward him.

"I am glad to see that you are feeling better, sir."

Unable to find anything to tell him, Cole just nodded. He found it strange once again that Leo would be so friendly. Their working relationship had always been strained at best. Yet, his respect for the man had grown throughout the trip here, maybe even because of his unorthodox attitude. His attention was then attracted to the latest arrival. Prue was coming toward them, and on her face he recognized that more than any of them, she was still somewhat wary of him. This did not surprise him, although he was strangely disappointed. Now that he had a chance to make his life with Phoebe, he wanted nothing more than to have her happy. However, for that, he knew that her sisters would have to be included somehow in their lives.

Of course, at this point he had no clue what they would do next and that was still a problem for him. He was still thinking about this when he noticed that all the others were looking out toward the waters. Alerted, he turned to see a large ship coming into the harbor. She looked a lot like a cargo ship but had more elegant lines to her. He was still admiring her when Paul interrupted his train of thoughts.

"What do you think of her?"

"She is beautiful," he said, not bothering to look his away. The ship was turning slightly and he saw that she was not only beautiful but also very well armed. An odd thing for a cargo ship.

"What would you do with this? Are you changing trade?"

Paul smiled with amusement now.

"Well, think of her as a passenger ship with a bite."

At this, Cole turned to him, arching his eyebrows questioningly.

Paul obliged:

"She was supposed to be my ship, but we made a few modifications and I think that she will serve a much better purpose. That is of course, if you're willing to take the job…"

This time, Cole was totally confounded.

"What? You want me to be a pirate?"

Phoebe grabbed his arm.

"Let him finish, ok?"

"You are in on that as well?"

"Please, I asked you to trust me, didn't I?"

"So you did," he answered, still tense.

Breathing deeply, he turned back toward Paul.

"I'm listening…"

"Well you see, Captain," he stopped a moment at the warning stare on the Captain's face, but did not change the appellation. "As I told you, this ship was supposed to me mine. I made most of the modifications for her. I also hesitated a lot before offering it to you, but Leo here, and the crew insisted that you should be the one captaining her."

"The crew?"

As the ship was approaching, it was now possible to distinguish the sailors on her. Paul turned invitingly toward her and Cole finally noticed what was special about the crew. These were all black men…

His surprise was almost comical.

Paul continued.

"If you agree, you will be able to do right by these people and bring them back to their own country. Do not worry, we have trained them and will continue to do so until your departure. Once there, it will be your choice to come back here or stay. For my part," he added, looking toward Prue sweetly, "my days at sea are over."

Cole was floored, and he had no idea what to say. The offer was so tempting, but at the same time, he immediately thought of Phoebe.

Looking back at her, he gave her a questioning look.

She knew how much he wanted this, and she had time to think about it a lot.

Pulling him away from the others, she looked up at him expectantly.

"It is your decision of course. And I know that if we were caught…Well, still, it would be a great cause."

Cole frowned:

"What about you? I can't leave you. Not now…"

She laughed a little:

"Captain Turner, you did not think that I would let you go alone, did you?"

As it dawned on him, a smile lifted the corner of his mouth, soon becoming a happy grin. The ship had now come to a halt and was dropping anchor about a hundred feet from the shore. From where he was, he could recognize Fred, which he had wondered about, since he had disappeared for the last few days. This one was waving happily at him.

He suddenly bit his lips, again sporting an uncertain expression.

"Are you sure? I mean, I thought that you would never go back at sea, not after all that happened to you?"

"I must say that I thought about that a lot. But see, I'm still here, and what's more, I believe that they say the third time is a charm?"

"Really?"

She came into his arms, lifting her face toward him with a wide grin.

"You're not going anywhere without me, and I know that you want to go, so…"

"I swear, if you don't want to," he still said.

She pulled him down to him into a languorous kiss that made the others look away.

"I have all confidence in you, my Captain," she whispered.

Their first night at sea, she brought him to the bow with a little laugh, asking him to keep his eyes closed.

"Come on," she coaxed him, as he protested, dying of curiosity.

When she finally stopped, he asked impatiently:

"Ok, can I look now?"

He heard her giggling and wondered what she had on him, feeling very self conscious at the moment.

"Open your eyes," she then said, with a very different quality to her voice.

At first, he wondered what he was looking at. Then he recognized the markings of his own former ship on the canoe that stood on the bow.

An amused smile formed on his lips.

"See, that is the only thing that I insisted to be on this ship…"Phoebe was saying, while leaning against him suggestively.

Wrapping his arms around her, he asked.

"So, shall we baptize this ship properly?"

Already breathing faster, Phoebe answered impatiently:

"By all means, my love."

He captured her offered lips with his, and carried her toward the boat, with the certainty that they would love each other like this forever.

The End (